Kia is reportedly working on a brand new luxury sedan which, according to various sources close to the matter, is going to be based on the Genesis rear-wheel drive platform. A few days ago, during the Songdo design conference in South Korea, Kia’s chief designer, Peter Schreyer, revealed a teaser of the upcoming model which is internally known as CH, kia-world.net notes.
The car is projected to be released in Kia's domestic market in late 2010 and will enter the company's lineup above the Kia K7 luxury sedan.
Details are obviously in the rumor stage but it appears that the car is going to feature a new 8-speed automatic transmission that will be also available on the Equus model, as the aforementioned source added. The range will most likely rely on existing Hyundai engines but voices close to the matter are hinting that a new high-performance 4.0-liter V8 engine is also likely to make it to the K9 series.
As we said, the car is slated to be released in late 2010 but some sources are hinting that it might go on sale in early 2011.
The K7, or Kia Cadenza as it will be called overseas, will go on sale in 2010 and will be powered by a 3.5l Lambda II Quad-
OHC V6 engine, developing 290 hp at 6,600 rpm and 338 Nm of torque at 5,000 rpm. The unit is paired with a 6 speed fully auto and sequential manual transmission. Together, they help the Cadenza reach a top speed of 230 km/h (143 mph) and accelerate from naught to sixty in 7.2 seconds.
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