Well, this is awkward. Not even a month after word got out that Kia would be dropping both the Cadenza and the K900 in the United States for the 2021 model year, the carmaker goes and unveils the K8 in its home market of South Korea. It's a direct replacement for the K7, also known as the Cadenza.
In other words, meet the all-new Kia Cadenza, except that you probably won’t get to go anywhere near it unless it will be reintroduced to the U.S. market. So far though, all we can tell you is that the K8 will go on sale in South Korea later this year, with more information to be made available later, including specs, powertrains, images of the interior, and so on.
“Following our recent company rebrand, we keep moving toward our new brand values with a new model – the K8. This modern sedan has been designed with innovation and elegance at its very core,” said Kia design boss Karim Habib. “While paying homage to the K7, the K8 looks to the future. Its progressive exterior takes on character and emotion and combines those qualities with an expressive looking front and a dynamic swooping rear, giving the K8 a high-quality, premium presence that takes direct inspiration from some of the world’s most technically advanced yachts.”
Visually, the K8 comes with a new signature frameless 'tiger nose' grille, seamlessly integrated into the front bumper, while its intricate diamond pattern is meant to express the movement of light. Meanwhile, the carmaker’s latest logo sits right above the grille.
Photo: KIA
Measuring 197.4 inches (5,015 mm) in length, the K8 boasts a dynamic character line running across its profile. It was inspired by yachts sailing across calm waters. It really does help the Korean sedan (more appropriately a fastback) look quite elegant. The rear end features strong shoulders and futuristic-looking LED taillights spanning the entire width of the car – not unlike on the new K5, but a great deal more intricate design-wise.
Even though we don’t know what the interior looks like just yet, Kia claims that it features a simple and ergonomic “first class” design. It should definitely be more modern and high-tech than what we got in the K7/Cadenza.
All that’s left now is for us to hope the K8 makes its way to the U.S. sometime in the near future so that we can see how it does against rivals such as the Nissan Maxima, Toyota Avalon, and Dodge Charger.
Sergiu got to experience both American and European car "scenes" at an early age (his father drove a Ford Fiesta XR2 supermini in the 80s). After spending over 15 years at local and international auto publications, he's starting to appreciate comfort behind the wheel more than raw power and acceleration. Full profile
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