Kia adding two midsize sedans within 6 months, new Amanti on the way
Kia has announced plans to replace the slow-selling Amanti sedan this year with a model called the Cadenza, which was originally planned for April. The Korean automaker now only says that the car will launch during the first half of the year.
The Kia Optima has greatly encroached upon the territory of the Amanti with its increase in size and redesign. The base Optima LX and midrange EX models have already begun arriving at dealerships, and executives aren’t worried, as they say the Cadenza and Optima are aimed at completely different buyers. Potentially, the Optima and Cadenza “could have some overlap,” Orth Hedrick, director of product planning for Kia Motors America, said here at the Optima Turbo launch. “But in our mind, they’re aimed at two different buyers.”
While details on the Cadenza are still scarce, its look and dimensions place it in a category similar to that of the Toyota Avalon and Buick LaCrosse.
Kia is in the midst of a rapid-succession product launch sequence with six new or redesigned products since early 2009. The company also recently spent $1 billion on a production plant in West Point, GA where it will hire about 1,000 employees.
Click through for the press release and the high-res images.
2011 Kia Cadenza (Kia Amanti):
2011 Kia Optima:
– By: Stephen Calogera
Source: AutoWeek
