Kia: Bold as brass with new K9 flagship

Kia's K9 concept has picked up some of the GT's styling cues. Photo / Supplied

Kia describes the look of its K9 flagship as "the latest continuation of Kia's evolving design DNA", but aside from the family 'tiger nose' grille, it is clear that design boss Peter Schreyer is changing direction.

The K9 takes some of its styling cues from the GT concept unveiled at last year's Frankfurt Motor Show, especially around the front end and in the car's lowered stance.

Elsewhere, there are signs of styling cues from the likes of the Maserati Quattroporte, especially the vents ahead of the front door.

Other design lines echo those in the Lexus GS and BMW 7.

Schreyer was design chief at Audi before he moved to Kia five years ago.

The South Korean company says the K9's front end "presents an imposing and characterful image" and features "bold high-tech luxury car style LED headlamps, with classic design echoes in its voluminous hood".

The "innovative and stable rear" features LED light clusters, "luxurious chrome garnish" and bumper-integrated exhaust tips said to "complete the parameters for a whole new level of luxury car design".

The K9 will be built only in left-hand drive, almost certainly on the same platform as sister company Hyundai's Genesis sedan.

No external dimensions have been given but the Hyundai Genesis sedan is slightly larger than an Audi A6 at 4976mm long, 1890mm wide and 1476mm tall.

The K9 will spearhead Kia's K-series sedan range, which includes the Optima (called K5 in Korea) and Cadenza (K7).

The K stands for not only its company name and country of origin, but also kinetic ("active, dynamic") and the Greek word kratos, which means power, domination and reign.

The K9 and the other K-series sedans are claimed to be 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".

"K9 is our first rear-wheel drive sedan, created without compromise in its design, driving performance and new technologies," said Kia's overseas marketing group director, Soon-Nam Lee.

"K9 sets a whole new level of standards and values in the large sedan segment, and its design will be another Kia demonstration of our brand's power to surprise."

The brand also looks set to introduce its version of Hyundai's rear-drive Genesis Coupe previewed by the GT concept at Frankfurt.

The four-seat GT concept pointed to a more upmarket car than the Hyundai Genesis Coupe, a second-generation version of which is in the works.