Kia Motors’ K9 has made its debut in Korea, making the market for domestic premium cars a hotly contested one. 

The nation’s second largest automaker held a ceremony to launch the K9 sedan at the Seoul Grand Hyatt Hotel on May 2. Among the more than 100 people on hand at the ceremony were Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Mong-koo, Minister of Knowledge Economy Hong Suk-woo, and Chairman Kim Young-hwan of the National Assembly Knowledge Economy Committee.

Hyundai Motor Chairman Chung said in an opening speech, “The K9 has a refined design and excellent performance, and it has been developed with a concentration of world-best technologies designed to promote customers’ safety and comfort.” He made his first appearance at a new model launching ceremony three years and eight months ago when he attended a ceremony to unveil Kia Motor’s compact car, Soul, in 2008.  

Kia Motors developed the K9 with the aim of positioning it as its flagship premier sedan that could compete head-to-head with global power brands and tap the rising premium car market. 

The K9 is Kia’s first rear-wheel drive sedan. It boasts Kia’s ‘best of the best’ design, driving performance and high technology capabilities. 

The K9 is the latest continuation of Kia’s evolving design DNA, carrying its family-look radiator grille and bold ‘high-tech luxury car’ style LED headlamps along with classic design echoes in its voluminous hood. Viewed from the front, the new luxury sedan presents an imposing and character-filled image, Kia Motors officials said. 

This model’s Korean market name K9, completes Kia’s domestic market ‘K’ series range of passenger cars, whose members also include the front-wheel drive K5 (Optima in overseas markets) and K7 (Cadenza in overseas markets) sedans. The letter ‘K’ represents not only Kia and the company’s home country of Korea, but also refers to the Greek word ‘Kratos’ (meaning powerful, domination, and reign) and the English word “Kinetic’ (meaning active, dynamic).

The ‘K’ series trio of sedans is a strong statement of Kia’s determination to offer consumers the broadest product line-up and establish itself as a major presence in the global automotive industry through ceaseless innovation and technological developments. 

The price varies depending on specifications °™ from 52.9 million won for the “Prestige Trim” to 86.4 million won for the “President Class.” 

Following its launch in Korea, Kia Motors plans to put the K9 on the Asian market in the second half of this year. It plans to export the K9 to China and North America and other global markets in that order as part of its efforts to make inroads into the overseas premium car markets. Kia aims to sell 18,000 units of the K9 in Korea during this year and 25,000 units in Korea and abroad next year.