2011 Kia Optima/Magentis Breaks Cover

With some two weeks still remaining until the official unveiling of the new future generation Kia Optima/Magentis at the New York International Auto Show, the South Korean manufacturer released over the weekend the first photos showing the car, as well as a few more details.

"The next generation of Magentis possesses the power to surprise,” Peter Schreyer, Kia’s chief design officer says in a release. “It’s a car that people will simply not expect from Kia – and that’s exactly what we set out to achieve.”

The saloon to join the Kia range is longer, lower and wider than the outgoing model, coming in a coupe-like guise enhanced by the chrome arc that flows from A to C pillar. On the inside, the new Magentis offers, according to Kia, "class-leading levels of safety and luxury equipment."

There's no word on the engines to power the new Optima/Magentis yet. Currently, the car uses a four-cylinder lineup comprising a 2.0-liter 163 hp, a 2.4-liter 179 hp and a 2.7-liter V6 unit remaining practically unchanged.

“This new model embodies Kia's confident new design direction," says Schreyer. "It's a global car with individual appeal."

As said, the new Kia Optima/Magentis will make its public world premiere at the New York International Auto Show, which opens on April 2, 2010. The car will go on sale from fall 2010 in the US, while sales in Europe will begin in spring 2011.