Kia’s most ambitious new model, the K9 flagship sedan that eyes the BMW 7-Series both in style and in size, went on sale in South Korea on Wednesday. The full-size rear-wheel drive sedan is currently offered with two V6 engines, while pricing in Korea starts at 52,900,000 won (US$46,900 / €35,500) and rises to 86,400,000 won (US$76,500 / €57,900).

Kia K9 will be launched in a number of key overseas markets starting in the fourth quarter of 2012. It is expected, however, that the U.S.A. and Canada will be amongst those markets to get Kia’s new flagship. “K9 is our first rear-wheel drive large sedan for more than a decade and sets new standards for advanced design, new technologies and driving performance, representing the ‘best of the best’ of Kia,” commented Soon-Nam Lee, Kia’s Director of Overseas Marketing Group.

The new K9 shares its underpinnings and mechanical hardware with the Hyundai Genesis and Equs sedans. Kia’s model has an overall length of 5,090mm and rides on a 3,045mm wheelbase, while overall width and height are 1,900mm and 1,490mm , respectively.

“K9 is all about elegant simplicity, balanced proportions and simple surfaces,” says Schreyer. “The class-leading long wheelbase, the prestige distance, large wheels, sharply upright short overhangs and a long sweeping shoulder line all work together in a harmony to give K9 a sporty, athletic proportion and a confident stance quintessential to a premium large rear-wheel drive vehicle.”

At launch, the K9 is offered in Korea with two petrol engines, a 3.3-liter V6 rated at 296HP (300PS) and a 3.8-liter V6 producing 329HP (333PS), both linked to Kia’s all-new eight-speed automatic transmission driving the rear wheels.

Kia said that in overseas markets, the K9 will initially be available by an upgraded 286hp (290PS) Lambda V6 3.8-litre MPI engine, with a 329HP (333PS) 3.8-liter GDI engine joining the global engine line-up next year.

The driver can choose from four driving modes (Eco, Normal, Sport and Snow), which change the suspension, steering, engine and transmission settings for various road conditions or driving styles.

Available comfort features include a 12.3-inch full size Thin Film Transistor (TFT) LCD cluster, a HUD (head-up display), twin 9.2-inch monitors to entertain rear seat occupants and a 17-channel, 17-speaker Lexicon (by Harman) sound system and Smart Cruise Control (SCC) which adjusts the vehicle’s speed to maintain the distance from the vehicle ahead.

Today here are two new videos of the Kia’s new flagship sedan filmed on the road. There’s nothing new regarding the K9, including when and in which other markets outside its home country it plans to offer its first ever rear-wheel drive sedan.

Nevertheless, our guess is that if anything else, it will eventually sell its most expensive model in the world’s largest market for these types of cars, which is none other than the U.S.

The first is to know how much your intended car is worth. This will need a little research into the costs of similar vehicles of the same year and in similar condition with similar mileages source from different kinds of outlets including private sellers and dealerships. If you are intending to trade in your current car, then similarly you will need to research its value. Any dealer will attempt to inflate the value of the car he is selling and deflate the value of the one you are trading in.

The second is to ask the dealer all the right questions. Even if the information appears in an advert, you should ask the salesman the car’s mileage, its level of equipment, whether it has been involved in an accident, if it has a full service record, how many previous owners and the general condition of the car both mechanically and visually.

The third involves how you finance the vehicle. If you are paying cash you can ignore this, but car finance comes in many shades. Generally the cheapest option is a bank loan and if you are pre-approved for one you will have the same negotiating power as if you are offering cash.

Remember to take you time and think with your head rather than with your heart. A common trick that salespeople use is to suggest to you that if you don’t buy it quickly then somebody else is interested in buying it. Call their bluff – if you are wrong there are many more pebbles on the beach (or cars in other forecourts).

Finally, even if the salesman says that the price is the price and cannot be negotiated, do not believe him. All prices are negotiable and always walk away rather than pay a price with which you are uncomfortable.

Kia unveiled a new version of its Optima sedan called the SX Limited during the 2012 Chicago Auto Show. The new Optima SX Limited is based on the 274-hp turbocharged Optima SX with new 18-inch chromed alloy wheels, a chrome-accented rear spoiler, LED daytime running lights and red front-brake calipers. The new SX Limited Edition available exclusively in three exterior colors including Ebony Black, Snow White Pearl and Titanium Metallic.

Inside, the SX Limited Edition treatment brings black or white Nappa leather for the seats, door panels, center console armrest and center fascia trim along with wooden accents, on the steering wheel, interior door trim and shift knob. In addition, the headliner, sun visors, and all pillars are dressed in a black tricot fabric.

Standard amenities include unique steering wheel paddle shifters, metal pedals, illuminated door scuff plates, a panoramic sunroof, four-way power front passenger’s seat, heated/cooled front seats, heated rear seats, a navigation system with back-up camera and a higher end audio system. The new Optima SX Limited will arrive to dealerships in March. No word about pricing yet.

The 1 millionth car rolled off the assembly line at Kia’s Zilina plant in Slovakia just a little over five years since the factory opened.
The milestone model was a white, diesel-engined Kia Cee’d SW that was handed over to a Slovakian children’s charity called the Red Nose Clowndoctors.

Kia said that the Cee’d SW is also the 600,000th version of the Zilina factory’s first car. Today, the plant also produces the Kia Sportage SUV and the Venga mini MPV. Last year, the Zilina factory produced 252,000 cars and 359,000 engines, recording a 10 percent and 12 percent increase respectively over 2010.

The soon-to-be replaced Cee’d topped the list with 103,000 units in 2011, representing 41% of the overall production. It was followed closely by the Sportage with 101,000 units or 40% of total production, the Hyundai ix35 with 36,000 units and the Venga with 11,000 units.

Last year, Kia made production records in Europe with 252,000 cars and more than 359,000 engines rolling off the assembly lines at is Zilina plant in Slovakia. Kia’s European arm built 10 percent more cars and posted a 12 percent increase in engine production.
Kia said that it is planning to further raise output in Slovakia, aiming to produce 285,000 vehicles this year, while the opening of a second engine shop in 2011 will allow the company to build as much as 450,000 engines annually.

Kia employs more than 3,900 people at Zilina with all vehicles exported to Europe and Russia. The company’s biggest markets in the region are Russia, which absorbed 23 percent of total production followed by Great Britain with 10 percent, Germany with 9 percent and Spain with 8 percent.

The soon-to-be replaced Cee’d series accounted for 41 percent of production at the Slovakian plant followed closely by the Sportage with 40 percent.

The Detroit News reports that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has concluded its investigations into the Kia Sorento without ordering either automaker to issue a recall. NHTSA had received 18 complaints of fuel spilling from the filler port on certain 2003-2004 Kia Sorento models. Kia found the vehicles’ fuel evaporation system featured a canister filter that could become clogged over time. As a result, excess pressure could build up in the fuel tank, causing gasoline to regurgitate back out of the filler neck. The canister requires regular service, but isn’t mentioned in the owner’s manual. According to The Detroit News, Kia has agreed to conduct a service campaign involving around 86,000 2003-2004 Sorento models.

Hyundai Motor Group, the owner of Kia brand, announced that it will invest $12.2 billion this year in research and development as well as on improving its facilities. Hyundai announced last October that their target for 2012 was 7 million units, up from 6.5 million in 2011. They also estimate that their growth could have been even larger had it not been limited by their plants’ output, many of which are operating at or near their maximum capacity.

The company stated that almost US$4.4 billion are earmarked for its research department in order ‘to accelerate the development of eco-friendly and fuel-efficient vehicles’.

Hyundai and Kia are increasing their 2012 investment by 15.6 percent compared to 2011 in order to meet increased demand. Both carmakers have achieved record sales in the U.S. market, with dealers having just a 30-day supply of vehicles on December 1, which is the second lowest supply in the industry and less than half the industry average.

Kia Motors it has begun assembly its Venga at its factory in Slovakia, which also builds the Cee’d family and the Sportage SUV. Up until now, Venga was produced at sister company’s Hyundai Motor in the Czech Republic.

To accommodate production of the Venga, Kia Motors invested more than €40 million into modifying the assembly lines of the Slovakian plant, while also adding a third shift and a second engine shop, which resulted in the employment of 1,000 new staff bringing the total to 4,000 employees.

The all-new 2012 Kia Rio 5-door hatchback priced in the United States with a base price of $13,600 for the manual gearbox model, w/o $750 destination and handling fee (*total $14,350). The an automatic transmission model starts from $15,450, while the range-topping SX trim will set you back $18,750.

The Kia Rio 5-Door hatchback is offered in three trim levels with the basic model offering standard air conditioning, electric power steering, an audio system with USB and SiriusXM satellite radio, plus several safety features, including Electronic Stability Control (ESC), ABS, Hill-start Assist Control (HAC) and Vehicle Stability Management (VSM).

All 2012 Rios are equipped with a 1.6-liter GDI four-cylinder engine with the option of either a six-speed manual gearbox or a six-speed automatic transmission. The gasoline engine delivers an output of 138HP.