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SEOUL, March 20 (Yonhap) — Kia Motors Corp., South Korea’s second-biggest carmaker by sales, aims to sell more than 26,000 units of its all-new K9 flagship sedan in global markets this year, the company said Tuesday.
Kia said it started receiving preorders for the premium sedan as part of its efforts to help boost its lackluster sales this year. It plans to launch the new sedan in the domestic market in mid-April.
The company has set an aggressive annual sales targets of 20,000 K9s domestically and 6,000 units in overseas markets for 2018. For the whole of 2017, domestic sales for the previous model of the K9 fell 35 percent on-year to just 1,607 units, and its overseas sales declined 0.3 percent to 579 units, according to the company’s sales data.
Three versions of the new K9 sedan are available in the domestic market, including models with a turbocharged 3.3-liter gasoline engine, a 3.8-liter gasoline engine and a top of the line naturally aspirated 5.0-liter gasoline engine, the company said in a statement.
“The turbocharged 3.3-liter gasoline model will be shipped to the U.S. from September and to other markets, such as the Middle East, from October,” Kia Executive Vice President Kwon Hyug-ho told reporters on the sidelines of a media preview event held in southern Seoul.
This photo, courtesy of Kia Motors, shows the company’s all-new K9 sedan. (Yonhap)
The large car comes standard with nine air bags and can be bought at the starting price of 55 million won (US$51,000), with the price going up to 94 million won depending on options.
The K9 sedan, the first fully-revamped model in six years, comes with a package of advanced safety technologies and luxurious interior with a simple, elegant design, Kia said in a statement.
Under the concept “Confident Richness,” the all-new K9 sedan is equipped with ambient interior light, the finest leather and cushioning, and advanced infotainment systems that include a 12.3 inch navigation system. The car is sold as the K900 in North America and Quoris in other markets.
The “luxury owner-driven concept” design of the car carries safety features, such as lane following assist, blind spot view monitor, rear cross-traffic collision-avoidance assist and navigation-based smart cruise control (NSCC). NSCC automatically slows the car down while driving through a curve.
Kia said after the car’s domestic launch, the K9 will gradually be shipped to overseas markets, such as the United States, within the year.
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