Hyundai Motor and Genesis were the the first and second of Hyundai Motor Group’s divisions to be explored in a three-feature series, and now comes Kia Motors Corporation. The company has multiple future models on the horizon, including Project CK, the Stinger, a big sports hatchback which will be revealed on 9 January.
HMG owns 32.8% of KMC, having bought what once been its great rival from the receivers following Kia’s bankruptcy. The parent group’s HMC and KMC divisions operate independently and this seems to have been a wise strategy, with each company challenging the other.
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Where it makes sense to do so, HMC and KMC will collaborate; for example in powertrains and sometimes, a Kia or Hyundai plant will build a model or two for the competing brand. This happens in Russia, the US and Europe but it is generally the exception.
Hyundai usually has the newest or most advanced technology first; witness the Hyundai ix35/Tucson fuel cell SUV but there has thus far not been a hydrogen-powered Kia production vehicle. Such a model is, however, under development.
A segment/City cars
One obvious area where HMG gives Kia free reign over what is normally the favoured, number one brand is in the A segment. HMC no has city cars in its line-up, the Atos/Amica having been phased out almost four years ago. Kia, while selling two sub-4m long hatchbacks, nonetheless also has vehicles which are pitched into high pricing categories and large vehicle segments.
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By GlobalDataThe Ray (project code: TA-M), a tall city car, is now coming to the end of its life. It was launched in South Korea, which remains its main market, in November 2011. There are conventional doors for the driver and those entering the car behind him or her, but on the right-hand side, there is instead one sliding door. Normally aspirated and turbocharged 1.0-litre petrol engines are available.
The second generation Ray (codename: JA-M) should be released in RK during the second half of 2017. This will follow the arrival of the just announced new generation Morning. That has always been the home market model name for the Picanto. Both Morning/Picanto and Ray 2 will be on a fresh city car platform.
The Picanto-badged car for Europe and certain other markets will make its world debut at the Geneva motor show in March. China’s Dongfeng Yueda Kia (DYK) joint venture might also manufacture the new generation model (codename: JA), selling it as the Kia K1. That would mean production would be at Seosan in South Korea as well as at Yancheng in Jiangsu province.
Should KMC announce a factory for India and entry to the local market in 2017, as is rumoured, then the next Morning/Picanto would be a likely first model.
B segment/Sub-compacts
The Pride, which is sold in some countries as the Rio or K2, is Kia’s main product in the global B segment. The US and Canada are exceptions to this rule, though, as the Soul is far more popular there.
The YB model was rolled out worldwide not too long ago, and production will eventually be at these plants: Sohari (South Korea) Yancheng (China) St Petersburg (Russia) and Pesqueria (Mexico).
The latest generation of this sub-compact had its world premiere as the Rio at the Paris motor show in September 2016. In South Korea, the model name is Pride, and in China, where production commenced in November 2016, it is again the K2.
Rio production at Kia’s new Mexican plant, noted above, provides a link to the build location of an additional, large rear-wheel drive Kia, the Stinger. It is believed that 60,000 units of annual capacity is being reserved at Sohari in South Korea for this luxury-sports model (see D segment/Mid-size below). That capacity would then be replaced by an equivalent number of new generation Rios being manufactured at Pesqueria as Sohari was the main global factory for the previous Pride/Rio.
The Mexican plant opened in May 2016 operating on one shift, producing around 100,000 units per year of the Forte. Second and third shifts will be added later in 2017 to bring annual capacity to 300,000 units. Kia expects Pesqueria to be operating at full capacity of 400,000 units over three shifts by the end of 2018.
KMC delivered 473,000 units of the old shape Pride/K2/Rio in 2015, making it the brand’s best selling model. Numbers for 2016 were not available at the time of writing.
Rather than the Rio, Kia Motors America’s best selling sub-compact has for many years been the Soul. The second generation of this tall hatchback was a world premiere at the New York auto show in March 2013. The US is easily the world’s largest national market for this model.
The Track’ster concept from February 2012’s Chicago auto show gave some hints of the styling themes of the second generation model. This concept was claimed to have all-wheel drive, something that has never featured on a Soul, at least not yet. The Soul is larger than the old model and sits on a longer platform. The architecture was introduced by the Hyundai Verna (Accent) in 2010.
If KMA had any spare capacity at its KMMG plant at West Point in Georgia, the Soul would be a logical product to build: KMA sold close to 150,000 units of the car in 2016, making it the unit’s number one model ahead of the (US made) Optima. For now, all Soul build is based at Kwang-Ju (also known as Gwangju). However, while Kia did not name the models to be made at its Mexican plant when it announced the site in August 2014, the Soul seems likely to be one of the ‘compact’ vehicles in question as part of that facility’s planned expansion.
The Pesqueria plant near Monterrey in the northeastern state of Nuevo León was completed in December 2015. It built its first series production cars in mid-2016. The initial annual capacity has been set at 300,000 units and the first model was the Forte. The Soul and Sportage would be logical additions, given their sales in the USA but the new Rio might also be made in Mexico.
In North America, both 130hp 1.6- and 164hp 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engines are available in the Soul. Cars for the US and Canada went on sale there during the third quarter of 2013 for those markets’ 2014 model year. The Korean market launch was in November 2013.
The Soul was carried over for the 2015 and 2016 US and Canadian model years. A facelifted Soul was announced in South Korea during August 2016 and had its motor show in Paris a month later but strangely, the changes were not part of North America’s 2017 model year Soul. The car should have this mid-life minor restyle as part of an early 2018 model year debut. As part of the facelift, a new 1.6-litre turbo petrol engine also became available. This engine does in fact feature as something new for North America’s 2017 Soul.
A model for Europe was launched there in April/May 2014. The Soul diesel’s world premiere was at the Frankfurt motor show in September 2013. Europe’s model also differs from the car for North America by having a mock-crossover look thanks to dark-coloured wheelarch extensions.
No further changes are expected, with the third generation Soul likely to make an appearance at a motor show in the USA or South Korea in 2018. Production in the home market and in Mexico should commence during the fourth quarter of 2018 and last for five years with a facelift in 2021.
See the electric vehicles section below for the Soul EV, a plug-in model.
C segment/Compact
In China and South Korea, the main locally-built C segment model is the K3. In July 2012, Kia Motors announced that this car would be launched by the end of that year, and that it would use the Cerato or Forte names in relevant markets.
North America’s variant, the 2014 model year Forte, premiered at the LA auto show in November 2012. A five-door body style for the US and Canada had its debut at the Chicago auto show in February 2013. The K3, meanwhile, had gone on sale in South Korea in September 2012, followed one month later by China’s K3 (sedan). In the PRC, the car is built by the Dongfeng Yueda Kia joint venture. The two-door car, again called Kia Shuma in the Chinese market, was launched there in February 2014. DYK opened its third production plant in January 2013, with the K3 the first model to be manufactured there. Like DYK’s other plants, it is in the eastern city of Yancheng.
The car’s platform is the same as that used by the second generation Kia cee’d and Hyundai i30: a re-engineering of Hyundai-Kia’s MC architecture. In fact, such are the styling similarities that the K3/Forte/Cerato should be thought of as the sedan version of the cee’d.
The K3 had its world premiere at the Chengdu motor show in August 2012. The world premiere of the Cerato-badged car was at the Santiago (Chile) motor show in October 2012. The K3 S, which is the name of the hatchback in China, was launched there in May 2014. This followed a debut at the previous month’s Beijing motor show.
The two-door K3 Koup was added to the South Korean market model line-up in September 2013.
A facelifted Cerato went on sale in South Korea in December 2015. North America’s 2017 model year Forte has this mid-life restyle. It premiered at January 2016’s Detroit auto show. An equivalent facelift for China’s K3 premiered at the Beijing motor show in April 2016. These cars will be replaced commencing in early 2018 and will use HMG’s KP architecture.
While the Forte is the main C segment car in Asia and the Americas, in Europe, this role falls to the locally built cee’d (five-door) and cee’d SW/Sportswagon and its three-door hatchback derivative, the pro_cee’d. The present generation of this range has been manufactured at Žilina since the second quarter of 2012, and SKD-assembled at Ust-Kamenogorsk (Kazakhstan) since April 2013. The four-door Kia K3 (Forte or Cerato in some markets) is more or less the sedan version of the cee’d. Kia launched the cee’d in South Korea in September 2013, badged as the K3 Euro.
The third generation model is set to appear in 2017 and this could be as soon as the Geneva show in March. Production will again be in Slovakia and the platform will be HMG’s KP architecture. Expect a five to six year lifecycle with styling tweaks in 2020.
C-D segment
The 4.72m long K4 is a special model for China. It went on sale there in October 2014 and is closely related to the similarly sized Mingtu/Mistra built by the Beijing Hyundai joint venture. These cars compete in a niche: sedans that are sized between the traditional C and D segments.
The K4 had its world premiere in pre-production form at the Beijing motor show in April 2014. This concept was powered by a 1.6-litre GDI turbo engine driving the front wheels through a seven-speed DCT. Dongfeng Kia believes the model appeals to “family oriented customers in their 30s and 40s”. The production model premiered at the Chengdu motor show in August 2014. The K4 offers the choice of 1.8- and 2.0-litre engines.
A facelift is scheduled for early 2018 and a second generation K4 should enter production at one of the Dongfeng Yueda Kia JV’s Yancheng plants in Jiangsu province during the third quarter of 2021. As is the case with the current model, the platform for the larger Hyundai Sonata/Kia K5/Optima sedans should be the basis of the next generation car.
D segment/Mid-size
The current generation of Kia’s global D segment sedan went on sale in South Korea as the K5 in July 2015. There, the car is available with 1.6-litre petrol and 1.7-litre diesel engines with a petrol-electric hybrid added in November 2015. The model name in most other countries is Optima and the car is especially successful in the USA, where it is Kia Motors America’s best seller.
For the first time, Kia offers an Optima wagon/estate body style for certain, mainly European markets. A preview in the form of the KED-11 Sportspace concept had its global debut at the Geneva motor show in March 2015. The production model, the Sportswagon, was revealed at the 2016 Geneva show, going on sale from August 2016. This offers the choice of either a 1.7-litre CRDi diesel or 2.0-litre CVVL petrol engine, while GT variants are powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol direct injection engine. Like Europe’s sedan, it is built in South Korea at the Hwasung plant. The wagon is not available in the US, Canada or Mexico.
The K5 had its world premiere at April 2015’s Seoul motor show, a day after the debut of the 2016 Optima at the New York show. China’s K5, which is manufactured by the DYK joint venture, premiered at the Shanghai show a few weeks after the Seoul and NY shows. It has more chrome-effect trim at the front.
The K5 and Optima should have their facelifts during the third or fourth quarters of 2018. The future K5/Optima will then appear from the second quarter of 2020. The next generation sedan and wagon will use the same fresh FWD architecture as the tenth generation Hyundai Sonata which is due out in 2019. All-wheel drive might also be available.
There is no K5/Optima hatchback, and Kia believes there could be a decent level of demand for a similarly sized but more expensive car above its main D segment/Mid-size model. Thus, the Stinger. This additional model is to be targeted mainly at the US market, though it should also be sold in South Korea, Europe, Canada, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand. Dongfeng Yueda Kia is not expected to build the car due to the relative unpopularity of big hatchbacks there, but China may take as many as 1,000-3,000 imports per annum.
The Stinger should use DH, HMG’s RWD and AWD platform for big cars such as the Genesis G80. The idea behind it was first demonstrated by the GT concept revealed at the 2011 Frankfurt motor show. The Stinger, which will be seen for the first time in public at the Detroit auto show, is due to enter production in May. The Sohari plant is said to be the build location, with 60,000 units of annual capacity to be freed up by shifting some Rio production to Kia’s new Mexican plant.
The model name is not yet confirmed, while in China and South Korea, either K6 or K8 may be used (possibly K600 or K800 in North America). Some sources also believe that a Stinger Coupe is under development. Such a vehicle would obviously be based upon the GT4 Stinger concept which had its world premiere at January 2014’s Detroit auto show. The Stinger should have a six-year life cycle so expect a facelift in mid-2019 and a second generation model in 2021. In North America that would equate to the 2022 model year. As for the potential two-door car, its lifecycle would likely be from 2018, lasting until 2024. The Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro and Dodge Challenger are the three cars which a Stinger Coupe and Stinger Convertible would be up against.
E segment: Full-size
The current K7 (project code: YG) went on sale first in its home market of South Korea. That was in January 2016. The Cadenza-badged car for the US, Canada and certain other countries had its public debut at the New York auto show three months later. The K7/Cadenza is closely based on the smaller K5/Optima.
Soon-Nan Lee, the company’s vice-president for overseas marketing, stated in October 2013 that Kia was examining RHD production for the then next generation model. “In 2016 there will be the next Cadenza and this is the car we could bring to Europe. We are studying right-hand drive for Australia, the UK and South Africa and other markets.”
“Our sales target is 75,000 including 50,000 domestic sales,” Kim Chang-sik, executive vice president of Kia Motors told the media at the car’s launch in January 2016. “The new model will be sold abroad from the second half of this year, starting from Africa and the Middle East. It is expected to be launched in the US in September.” The Cadenza did indeed go on sale in North American markets from September 2016, new for the region’s 2017 model year.
Expect a facelifted K7 to appear in early 2019, followed some months later by North America’s Cadenza being updated for the 2020 model year. The K7/Cadenza successor should then have its worldwide release from the first quarter of 2023. Production seems likely to be at Hwasung in South Korea. There might also be build in China by the DYK venture for the first time should Kia have become a stronger name in the local market’s E segment by then. The future model’s platform will be the same FWD/AWD architecture which the smaller next generation Hyundai Sonata and Kia K5/Optima will also be based upon.
Luxury
In the segment above the K7/Cadenza, Kia has the K9. This car is a rebodying of what is now called the Genesis G80, formerly the Hyundai Genesis sedan. It went on sale in South Korea in May 2012. A facelifted model was launched in the home market in January 2014. There was another facelift just 10 months later and the 5.0-litre GDI engine that was already available in the US was added to the Korean market K9.
In July 2012, the company told the media that the K9 would be sold as the Quoris ‘in international markets’. The name, derived from the English words ‘core’ and ‘quality’, is designed to convey ‘solidity, luxury and high-technology’. The world premiere of the car with Quoris badges was at the Moscow motor show in August 2012.
Kia Motors UK stated in February 2012 that there were no plans to launch the car in either Britain or mainland Europe.
The K9/Quoris/K900 uses the same platform as the former Hyundai Equus, and indeed, it shares the 3,045mm wheelbase as the standard wheelbase versions of that model. The K9 was launched with the choice of 3.0- and 3.3-litre V6 petrol engines.
Kia Motors America added the car, uniquely badged as the K900, to its model range in early 2014. This, the 2015 K900, premiered at the LA auto show in November 2013, powered by the choice of a 311hp 3.8-litre V6 or a 420hp 5.0-litre V8. For the 2016 model year, Kia Motors America noted a new 3.8-litre V6 and a facelift.
SKD assembly in Kazakhstan began in April 2013. The K9, a high priced import, went on sale in China the same month.
Fewer than 2,500 examples of the K9 were sold in South Korea during 2016. The K900 has been an even worse disappointment for KMA. As at the end of the first eleven months of 2016, just 754 cars had been sold in the USA and only 52 during November. Production is due to end in 2018 and for obvious reasons, a replacement seems unlikely.
SUVs & crossovers
For such a successful brand, Kia has had a huge gap in its global line-up, namely a B-SUV. This hasn’t mattered too much in North America, as the Soul is so successful there, but in Europe, such a model has been sought by dealers for some years now. The unnamed vehicle is still being developed and when ready, is likely to be manufactured in Slovakia. Its size will be similar to that of the existing Kia KX3 and it will be a challenger for the Nissan Juke, Renault Captur, Opel-Vauxhall Mokka, Ford EcoSport and others in that class of SUVs and crossovers.
The B-SUV might have its public debut at the Geneva show in March alongside the Picanto but a global premiere at the IAA in September seems more likely. Production would commence by year-end and the life cycle should be six years.
The KX3 Ao Pao, a small SUV, already exists in China but Europe’s model will have more sophisticated engineering courtesy of KP, a less aged HMG architecture than the Ao Pao’s PB/RB platform. DYK began building what had been developed as the KC project in February 2015 based on the Hyundai ix25. It was previewed by the KX3 concept at November 2014’s Guangzhou motor show.
Kia’s littlest crossover is 4,260 mm long, 1,765 mm wide and 1,630 mm tall. It has a wheelbase of 2,590 mm – identical to the ix25’s. The concept was said to be all-wheel drive and powered by a turbocharged 1.6-litre petrol engine coupled to a seven-speed DCT. The production version also features a 1.6-litre normally aspirated petrol engine.
The KX3 should be facelifted in 2018 and again in 2021 before being replaced in 2023. This will be by a model which succeeds not only the KX3 but the rest of the world’s by then six year old B-SUV. The architecture should be an evolution of the FWD/AWD KP platform.
DE was the development code for what became the Niro. This additional, 4,355mm long model is sold mainly in North America, Europe and South Korea. A crossover, it was launched with a 1.6-litre petrol-electric (HUV) powertrain, with a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) version to follow later in 2017. Hyundai has a related model, the Ioniq.
The Niro HUV is powered by a 103hp 1.6-litre four-cylinder direction injection engine from HMG’s Kappa series. It was engineered specifically for hybrid applications and features the Atkinson Cycle, cooled exhaust gas recirculation (EGR), and a long-stroke-narrow-bore specification to maximise efficiency. There is an exhaust heat recovery system, which speeds engine warm-up by routing coolant to a heat exchanger in the exhaust system. A 43hp tractive motor, known as the transmission-mounted electric device (TMED), works in tandem with the gasoline engine to produce a combined 146hp and 195 lb.-ft. of torque. The standard transmission is a six-speed dual-clutch gearbox. The 1.56-kWh lithium ion polymer battery is located underneath the rear seat.
Certain elements of this car’s styling were influenced by 2013’s KED-10 Niro concept. Kia Motors Europe’s CEO Michael Cole stated in a December 2015 interview that he would like to see Niro sales of around 40,000 units a year in the region.
The Niro HUV had its public debut at the Chicago auo show in February 2016. Production commenced three months later with sales in the Korean market commencing soon after. Launching the car to the media in Korea in March 2016, Kia stated that it wanted to sell 18,000 units of the HUV in the home market by year end, plus 20,000 exports.
Facelifts for all versions of the Niro should appear from May 2019 and the second generation model should then be launched during the final few months of 2020. In common with the current vehicle, Niro 2 should be manufactured at Hwasung and use HMG’s KP platform.
One segment up from the Niro is one of Kia’s best sellers, the Sportage/KX5. This C-SUV has been built in South Korea and Slovakia since the final quarter of 2015 with build in China commencing in February 2016. There, the model is sold as the Kia KX5.
This SUV was largely developed in Germany. It first appeared at the 2015 Frankfurt motor show and went on sale worldwide from late 2015. Cars for Europe became available in early 2016 and in North America for that region’s 2017 model year. Kia Motors America’s latest generation model had its regional premiere at November 2015’s LA auto show.
The QL series Sportage is due to have a facelift during the second half of 2018 and its replacement should appear in the fourth quarter of 2020. This will be based on an evolution of Hyundai Motor Group’s KP architecture.
There is only a small size gap between the Sportage/KX5 and the next largest of Kia’s SUVs, the Sorento. The UM series model was revealed in South Korea in August 2014, followed by a motor show premiere in Paris two months later. It has the same platform as the Carnival/Sedona. Length was up by 95mm to 4,780mm but height dropped by 15mm to 1,685mm and the width expanded by 5mm to 1,890mm. The wheelbase was extended by 80mm to 2,780mm. Kia claims that lower seats compared to the previous model mean extra headroom and legroom for occupants in all three rows. In some markets, there is also a five-seat Sorento.
Depending on the country, up to five engines are available, offering power outputs ranging from 172 to 270PS. These include a 2.4-litre gasoline direct injection (GDI) unit, 2.4-litre and 3.3-litre multi-point injection (MPI) engines, and revised 2.0-litre and 2.2-litre ‘R’ diesels. The 4×4 system is supplied by Magna.
Kia stated in August 2014 that it was aiming to sell 50,000 units of the then new model in South Korea in 2015 and 220,000 in other markets. Production is at Hwasung (South Korea) and West Point (USA), while there is some assembly at Asia Auto’s Ust-Kamenogorsk plant in Kazakhstan.
The current shape Sorento went on sale in North America from January 2015 for the 2016 model year. It was one of three models to be launched in Mexico in July 2015 as part of the brand’s arrival in that market. For North America’s 2017 model year, the Sorento is carried over.
In an unusual move, KMC is said to have given a new model code, QM, to the facelifted vehicle due out in 2017 (the car which went on sale in 2014 is UM). QM will also be built in China, making it the first Sorento to be made there. China’s model premiered at the Guangzhou motor show in November 2016. The model name for the Peoples’ Republic is KX7. Sales will commence in March with build by DYK at Yancheng scheduled to commence in February.
The fourth generation Sorento/second generation KX7 had been due for release from the third quarter of 2020 but the re-engineering of the existing model might well mean a longer lifecycle, in which case late 2021 could be the on sale date. Like the present vehicle, Sorento Mark IV should be a five- or seven-seat FWD/AWD model.
The seven-seat Borrego/Mohave (Canada/South Korea and China) is a large body-on-frame SUV which is positioned in the segment above the Sorento. Its first market was South Korea: sales began in January 2008. The vehicle shares some styling details with the KCD II Mesa concept from the 2005 Detroit auto show.
In the home market, only a 3.0-litre V6 diesel is available but in North America, 3.8-litre V6 and 4.6-litre V8 gasoline engines were offered. The Borrego went on sale in the US and Canada in August 2008 as a rival for the Ford Explorer. In the USA, the 2009 model year was the last for the Borrego and remaining stocks were sold throughout calendar 2010: sales simply did not live up to expectations. Similarly, 2011 was the last model year for the Borrego in Canada.
As well as a minor styling update, Hyundai-Kia’s first eight-speed automatic transmission was added to the Mohave in June 2011. The Mohave F-CEV, an experimental fuel cell variant, began tests in December 2009.
The Mohave sells in modest numbers mainly in South Korea and the Middle East. There was another, albeit minor facelift for the Mohave in February 2016 (Korean market).
VM, the next Mohave/Borrego is again expected to be built at Hwasung. It was previewed by the HCD-12 Telluride, a concept which premiered at the Detroit auto show in January 2016. Kia stated at the time of the concept’s debut that “Underpinning the Telluride is a modified Sorento chassis with a wheelbase stretched 11.9 inches to 121.3 inches…” The media release went on to add that, “While there are currently no plans to bring the Telluride to production, Kia has a history of delivering production vehicles that bear strong resemblance to preceding concepts, and Kia’s large SUV is anything but a utopian fantasy.
Expect VM to be in South Korean showrooms in late 2017, with a facelifted model following in mid-2021 and a successor in the fourth quarter of 2027. The platform for VM should be the FWD/AWD UM architecture, replacing the heavy, sixteen year old separate chassis which the current HM series model inherited from the 2001-2008 Hyundai Terracan.
Hybrids & Electric vehicles
An electric Soul would be launched in 2014, Kia Motors America confirmed in October 2013. The likely main markets would be the US, certain European countries (France, Denmark, the Netherlands, the UK) and South Korea. The Soul EV has a 27kWh lithium polymer battery with a claimed 200 Wh/kg energy density.
Kia says that the car’s battery is chargeable from ’empty’ in around five hours using a standard 240V outlet, or 25 minutes on ‘fast’ charge with 100kW output. The 360 volt 96-cell lithium-ion polymer battery features a nickel-cobalt-manganese cathode, which helps increase capacity, and a graphite-based anode, which increases durability while reducing weight. Additionally, the cells use a gel electrolyte, and each cell contains ceramic separators to improve thermal stability and safety.
The car can plugged into any standard 120V outlet or a conventional 240V EV charger. Two charging ports are standard, including a SAE J1772 port for Level 1 and Level 2 AC, and a CHAdeMo DC fast-charging port (480V). Found behind a sliding flap located in the grille, the dual ports make it more convenient to charge inside the owner’s garage or when on the road. An 80-percent charge can be achieved in as little as 33 minutes with a 50 kW-output charger.
The Soul EV had its global debut at the Chicago auto show in February 2014 and KMA began selling the car during the third quarter of 2014 for its 2015 model year. A facelifted model should appear at this year’s Chicago show. The next generation Soul EV is likely for a global debut in early 2019. Production should remain at Gwangju even if the next combustion engine model for the USA is built at Pesqueria in Mexico.
The K5/Optima HEV and K5/Optima PHEV began to be sold worldwide from July 2016. The HEV, which was revealed at the Chicago auto show in February 2016, is a petrol-electric hybrid, while the PHEV, revealed at the same event, is a plug-in hybrid powered by an electric motor and a petrol engine.
The PHEV has a 9.8kWh lithium-polymer battery back. Paired with a 50kW electric motor, the combination allows the car to operate in pure-electric mode at higher speeds. The powertrain employs HMG’s 2.0-litre ‘Nu’ four-cylinder GDI (gasoline direct injection) engine, generating 156PS and 189Nm. This is coupled with the six speed automatic transmission-mounted electric motor, which allows the car to operate in charge-sustaining mode (just like the Optima Hybrid) once the battery is depleted. The powertrain’s total output is 205PS at 6,000rpm.
The PHEV will recharge in under than three hours at a 240V Level 2 charging station. This car boasts a series of visual modifications. These include a charging port integrated into the driver-side front wing/fender, chrome-effect side sill mouldings, unique wheels and ‘EcoPlug-In’ badging.
As for the K5/Optima Hybrid, this is also powered by a 156PS 2.0-litre Nu’GDI engine, coupled with a six-speed automatic transmission. The upgraded transmission houses a 38kW electric motor and clutch to replace the traditional torque converter. The combined power output is 195PS at 6,000 rpm.
Backing up the engine, transmission and motor is an upgraded lithium-polymer battery pack, with a capacity of 1.62 kWh – an increase of 13% compared to the previous Optima/K5 Hybrid. The battery pack is underneath the boot floor, enabling the use of 60/40 split-folding rear seats.
Mid-life styling changes for both hybrid and PHEV should be launched in the fourth quarter of 2018 (South Korea). The next generation K5/Optima HEV and K5/Optima PHEV are due for release from the end of 2020. These cars will use the same FWD/AWD architecture as the future Hyundai Sonata.
Kia’s largest hybrid sedan is also its newest such model, the petrol-electric K7 Hybrid having gone on sale in South Korea during December. This is the first hybrid in the history of the K7, which is sold in some countries as the Cadenza. Unless there is a surge in the price of oil later in the car’s lifecycle, KMC does not appear to have any plans to export the car to the USA.
The powertrain is a combination of HMG’s 2.4 MPi Theta II gasoline engine with Atkinson cycle and a 35kW (46hp) electric motor. If this model sells well, a K7 PHEV might be added in 2018. A facelift is due in the first quarter of 2019. A second generation K7 Hybrid should be launched in early 2023 and this too should be made at Hwasung, the same factory which builds the existing YG series sedan.
Minivans
Project YN, which took the Venga name for the series production model, had its world premiere at the Frankfurt motor show in September 2009. Build at Hyundai’s Nošovice plant started in late 2009 and Europe-wide sales from February 2010. It was aimed at the Citroen C3 Picasso and others in its class such as the recently discontinued Opel/Vauxhall Meriva.
The Hyundai ix20 is closely related to the little Kia and was originally built alongside it. However, production of the Venga shifted to Kia Europe’s Žilina plant in Slovakia during October 2011, freeing up Hyundai Motor Europe’s Czech factory for production of the Hyundai ix35. Prior to this, the latter had been built at Žilina alongside its twin, the Kia Sportage.
A facelifted Venga premiered at the Paris motor show in October 2014. The model has never been a big seller so there won’t be a direct replacement. Its effective successor will be a B-segment SUV. Venga production is due to end in by mid-2017.
The third generation of the C segment Carens (development code: RP) was revealed at the Paris motor show in September 2012. Depending on the market, five- and/or seven-seater versions are available. This model can be thought of as an MPV version of the cee’d and Forte.
In Europe, the Carens was also the effective replacement for the Sedona/Carnival. It went on sale across the region from March/April 2013. In Australia, where the vehicle went on sale in June 2013, the model’s name is Rondo 7. In Canada, it is the Rondo and was new for the latter market’s 2013 model year.
A facelifted Carens was announced by Kia in July 2016. Its motor show debut was at Paris two months later. As the model has not been a strong seller anywhere (South Korean market sales in 2016 were fewer than 3,000 units), the Carens/Rondo seems unlikely to be replaced. Production, which is at Gwangju, will probably be wound up in 2018 or 2019.
YP, which is the latest Carnival, had its global debut at the New York auto show in April 2014 as Kia Motors America’s 2015 model year Sedona. It shares some of its styling cues with the KV7 concept that was displayed at the Detroit auto show in January 2011.
Kia Motors Europe does not offer this model due to low sales of the previous generation and the contraction of the regional segment in which it competed. Instead, the Carens was already the effective replacement in European markets.
KMA began selling the latest shape Sedona from early in the fourth quarter of 2014. A 276hp 3.3-litre V6 is standard in the US, along with a six-speed automatic transmission. Both seven- and eight-seat layouts are available in the US.
The vehicle’s Korean market premiere was as the Carnival at the Busan motor show in May 2014. Production started the same month, along with local sales. In South Korea, the standard engine is a 202PS 2.2-litre diesel in combination with a six-speed automatic gearbox.
ZR, the next generation Carnival/Sedona, is expected to be based on an evolution of HMC’s UM architecture, which was introduced by Kia’s big minivan in 2014. The ZR series is due for release in the first quarter of 2022. As with the current model, production should be at Sohari in South Korea and at DYK’s Yancheng plant in China’s Jiangsu province.
Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle
KMC stated in November 2015 that it will launch a fuel cell vehicle: the company is targeting 2020 for mass production of such a model. Kia is working alongside 300 partner firms to develop what it terms ‘next-generation FCEV technology’. Production is aimed to be at the level of around 1,000 units per year and this should rise as demand for fuel cell vehicles increases later in the 2020s.
Kia’s FCEV will feature a fuel stack similar in size to a 2.0-litre internal combustion engine. The stack, co-developed with HMC, will be 5% more efficient and offer 10% greater stack performance, despite being around 15% lighter and 15% lower in volume, compared to current generation technology. The result is a targeted range of more than 800km from a single fill-up and a top speed of around 170km/h. A new stack offering better performance will likely be fitted at the time of a mid-life facelift in 2024. The second generation FCEV should then become available from 2027.
The hydrogen-powered vehicle should be a D or E segment sedan/hatchback, in the style of the Honda Clarity FCV and Toyota Mirai. This means it should be derived from the K5/Optima or K7/Cadenza successors.
Future model plan reports for other manufacturers can be viewed in the OEM product strategy summaries section of just-auto.com.
Future product program intelligence
More data on vehicle lifetime and future product plans is available in PLDB from QUBE.
