South Korea’s Kia has just released the first sketches of its upcoming flagship sedan. It has not yet been given a name and the company refers to it simply as the KH.
When it is launched, the KH will face the tough task of taking on the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, the BMW 7-Series, and the Lexus LS, among others. It will compete in one of the most unforgiving market segments in the global auto industry, so Kia has left nothing to chance in its development.
The KH was penned by ex- Audi designer Peter Schreyer, the man responsible for the Audi TT and the Volkswagen New Beetle. Its exterior lines add European styling cues to the design language that has been seen on Kias for the last several years. The company brands it as a “distinctive, modern, and classic” design.
No images of the interior were released.
The KH is expected to ride on the same platform as the Hyundai Equus, making it the brand’s first-ever rear-wheel drive car. It will be offered with a variety of eight- and six-cylinder engines, most of which will be bolted to an eight-speed automatic transmission developed in-house.
Kia did not comment on when the KH is scheduled to make its debut, saying only that the first examples will reach South Korean showrooms in the first half of 2012.
The next installment of the biennial Seoul Motor Show is not scheduled until 2013, so it is not out of the question to see the car at the Beijing show next April.
