2014 Kia Cadenza Premium on 2040-cars

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New sketches show Kia small SUV interior

Little more than a week after releasing sketches of the exterior, Kia presents sketches of the interior of its first-ever small global SUV. Sticking to the message of enticements for younger buyers, we're told this will be a "bold design statement" that is "trimmed in high-quality materials throughout" with the aim of creating a "modern ambiance to appeal to young-at-heart, tech-savvy buyers." The renderings appear a good start to supporting those arguments. The centerpiece is a 10.25-inch infotainment screen stood atop the instrument panel. A menu button on the top left, a row of navigation buttons along the bottom edge, and two rows of navigation icons on the screen should keep everything an occupant could want no more than a couple of touches away. Beneath the screen come some chunky air vents, beneath those, an HVAC screen supported by an HVAC knob and controls. Notice how the IP design slides from the control surface into a passenger grab handle anchored on the center tunnel. To the left, a steering wheel loosely modeled on the one from the Sportage, ahead of an instrument binnacle that's a quartet analogue gauges bracketing a digital display. The images show two different interior grades; for instance, one HVAC knob is printed with the word "Auto," while the other isn't, and the steering wheels in the two images are slightly different. The differences are more pronounced around the shifter — which might, in fact, represent two kinds of shifters. AutoPortal reports there'll be an automatic transmission as well as a seven-speed dual clutch gearbox. One gear lever is flanked by seven buttons, three of them for the heated steering and ventilated seats. Another button turns off the park assistance feature. Then there's what looks like a hill descent control button, one for some sort of all-wheel drive feature like a locking rear differential, and a final button to turn off the Stop/Start system. The other image looks like the more luxurious trim, even though it's the one without the "Auto" HVAC knob. This gear lever is flanked by eight buttons, most too small to make out, but it's clear that the AWD button is missing, and the ventilated seat icon is now a heated seat icon. There's an electric parking brake switch next to the driver's seat, two cupholders, and the forward surface of the lower cubby holds a 12V outlet and an AUX input. We'll find out what the real thing looks like soon.

Kia shows sketches of sleek new 2019 K900 sedan

Kia has released two new sketches of the upcoming redesigned K900 sedan, after showing the car's profile last month. No longer resembling a scaled-up Optima, Kia says the design is a joint effort between its global design office in Namyang and the U.S. design studio in Irvine, Calif. The new upscale K900 will gain lines that have definitely been inspired by German manufacturers' luxury offerings — perhaps its design head Peter Schreyer's touch is showing through. The current generation has been with us since 2012, and the new generation might be a strong enough design to improve the K900's modest sales. Kia says the K900's design is based on a concept called "Gravity of Prestige," which certainly has resulted in a restrained, tasteful sedan without gimmicks. Even if the sportback Stinger positioned below the K900 looks good, it's a far more aggressive and whimsical design than what we see in these images. Kia mentions the new "Quadric Pattern" front grille on the K900 as having 176 "jewel-like" cells, which create an illusion of energy much like the spindle grille on the Lexus LF-1 Limitless concept; the headlights in turn are inspired by "the trajectory of light," and are called Duplex Comet lights. These teaser images aren't far from the finished product, as Kia says the K900 will already go on sale on the second quarter of 2018 in selected markets. So a full reveal is surely happening soon. It could be a good candidate for the New York Auto Show, since it's both a U.S. location that would make sense for a car partly designed in America, and it's one of the last big shows before the second quarter of 2018. Related Video:

2014 Kia Optima is better by a nose

Kia is showing off a slew of vehicles here in New York, including the ever-so-slightly refreshed 2014 Optima sedan you see here. The brunt of the changes surround the new front fascia, with repositioned LED lighting above the headlamp units and some new quad-LED fogs rounding of a touched-up front bumper. At the rear, Kia has reworked the taillamps, and of course, LEDs are found there, as well.
Other changes to the Optima for 2014 include the additions of two new displays inside the cabin - a 4.3-inch TFT display in the gauge cluster and a larger, eight-inch high-resolution screen that houses the navigation and infotainment data. There are also new seats inside the Optima, which are hopefully more comfortable and offer better bolstering than the decidedly flat chairs found in the current car, plus Kia has added available new safety features like blind spot monitoring and cross-traffic alert.
The powertrain offerings have not changed for 2014 - base cars still get a naturally aspirated 2.4-liter engine while the SX models get the 2.0-liter turbo. There is, however, a new Drive Mode Select system specifically for the SX, which adjusts transmission shift points and steering weight for a more engaging dynamic, or so we're told. (The Optima Hybrid model did receive upgrades to its battery and electric motor just recently, but those changes technically hit during the 2013 model year - it is not immediately clear if the gas-electric model will receive the updates shown here).