2016 Kia Optima Ex Sedan 4d on 2040-cars

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Kia says fewer than 30% of its dealers will get 2015 K900

Kia is moving into unknown territory with its $60,000 K900 luxury sedan in many ways. Not only will it act as the company's flagship model, it will be the Korean brand's first in the US with rear-wheel drive and a V8 engine. The first batch will hit showrooms in March, but according to Edmunds, it will be a soft launch in some ways, because only around 30 percent of dealers have paid a premium to sell the plush ride.
Kia has sent the selected dealers back to school to make sure they are prepared to sell the K900 to the industry's famously finicky luxury sedan buyers. The company believes its flagship model will be "a catalyst in support of our long-term strategy to elevate the ownership experience," said James Hope, Kia's National Manager for product communications, to Autoblog in an email. According to Edmunds, the dealers paid about $30,000 each in required training, tools and showroom displays. It wants the improvements to "shift the culture" in its dealers to be ready to welcome luxury buyers, according to Hope. Kia Director of Public Relations Scott McKee told Autoblog that the brand expects buyers to be "independent thinkers" from a blend of current Kia owners stepping up to the K900 and conquests from other luxury brands.
Kia has been slowly building awareness of the K900, especially with its Super Bowl ad, but it still has a long road ahead of it to prove what makes it crown jewel different. The company believes more dealers will sign up to sell it once public awareness for the new sedan grows. "There has never been a better time to challenge the status quo," said Hope. Also, a V6 model will launch in the future at a lower price, which should bring more people into the updated showrooms. Given what Kia has accomplished in the US in the last 20 years, it would be foolish to count the K900 out, but that doesn't mean it will be easy to break into the luxury sedan market.

2020 Kia Forte GT revealed at SEMA adds turbo engine, manual transmission

We figured it was coming soon, but the performance version of the Kia Forte just dropped at SEMA. Named Forte GT, this 2020 model sedan takes the redesigned for 2019 Forte and turns it up a few notches in the fun department. Replacing the naturally aspirated 2.0-liter four-cylinder is a 1.6-liter turbocharged four banger. It makes 201 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque, which is identical to the power it makes in the Hyundai Elantra Sport and GT Sport. A "sport-tuned" dual exhaust is added to give the car some aural appeal too. Buyers will be able to choose between a six-speed manual and a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic, also the same as the Elantra. We hope you're noticing a trend here. The torsion bar rear suspension is replaced with a fully independent suspension design, making it that way for all four corners. Thicker sway bars and larger disc brakes are used all around as well. To keep it stuck to the ground, Kia is offering Michelin Pilot Sport summer tires as an option — that's pretty sweet. All of these changes follow the same pattern as the Elantra did when Hyundai introduced the Sport trim for that car. The Hyundai doesn't offer this aggressive of a tire package though. Of course, there are exterior changes here, too. New 18-inch two-tone wheels are exclusive to the GT. A shouty (and questionable) gloss black and red accented grille with GT designation is the most obvious switch-up. There's more gloss black on the mirrors, side sills, rear spoiler and turn signals. Black sport seats with red contrast stitching, a flat-bottom steering wheel and aluminum sport pedals differentiate the interior from the normal Forte trims. Kia is also making a less exciting Forte "GT Line" trim car, which is essentially a GT appearance package. You'll get almost all the go-fast look parts, but the mechanicals are identical to the standard Forte. This means the 2.0-liter, CVT and torsion beam rear go back in. The baby Stinger theme is carried on with this car in its name and even the GT1 and GT2 option packages available for these two new trim levels. Both the packages offer differing levels of Kia's driver assistance technologies, as well as tech like a Harman Kardon audio system and heated/cooled seats. While we can safely say the new Forte is no Stinger, this GT trim is an extremely welcome addition, especially the continued option for a manual transmission. Related video:

Kia Optima Sportwagon spied before Geneva

Kia showed off the Sportspace concept at the Geneva Motor Show this year, and we knew at the time that it previewed design elements that would migrate to the Optima sedan. On top of that, it's keeping its hump to transition into the Optima Sportwagon for what we presume will be audiences outside the US. When we asked Kia about the chance of it coming here, a company spokesman responded: "Right now we don't have plans to bring the Optima Sportwagon to the US but we are continuously studying the market and looking for new opportunities. The all-new 2016 Optima midsize sedan is one of our best selling vehicles and at this time we are focused on its launch in the U.S." Now in prototype form, spy photographers caught engineers testing the Sportwagon out on German roads. The roofline declines as it makes its way to the back, a nod to the concept and a sporty profile. Otherwise design matters appear quite toned down compared to the concept, which shouldn't be a surprise. And in spite of commenters who promised Kia their money if the South Korean automaker would produce the Sportspace with all-wheel drive and something like 400 horsepower, what buyers will really be faced with is front-wheel drive and a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine with around 250 horsepower. A plug-in hybrid is said to be on the cards, too. Spy shooters said they saw Volkswagen Passat and Ford Mondeo wagons at the Kia test facility, so you know the benchmarks and have more proof that it's not for us. It's expected to make its production appearance at next year's Geneva Motor Show.