Kia KIA K9 flagship comes into focus

[Human]

Pic ain't showing up, Human! This car is a full copy of a multitude of cars, all in second rate fashion (every bit I see that imitates isn't as good as the original, as usual). Personally I think it doesn't come together well and looks like a Chinese car or something (the ones that take bits and pieces of Luxury Cars and puts them all in one).

Between Samsung, Kia, Hyundai, what's with some Korean companies and copying the leaders? It gets annoying.

Mercedes-Benz electric seat controls

 

[Monster]

Pic ain't showing up, Human! This car is a full copy of a multitude of cars, all in second rate fashion (every bit I see that imitates isn't as good as the original, as usual). Personally I think it doesn't come together well and looks like a Chinese car or something (the ones that take bits and pieces of Luxury Cars and puts them all in one).
Between Samsung, Kia, Hyundai, what's with some Korean companies and copying the leaders? It gets annoying.

This is Kia's first proper attempt at creating a car that is much higher up than anything they have had before, so if you are going to try something for the first time you might as well learn from the leaders. Of course Kia's effort isn't as good as the 'original', what do you expect? If they successfully matched the originals at their first attempt then will you question if the originals are as good as they could be? Not to mention this K9 will cost significantly less than other cars with similar size and equipment. Believe me this car is miles better than what the Chinese can come up with at the moment.

There is only so much a company like Kia can do at one time, this is a very solid first attempt and I am sure they will learn from this and get better from this point on. Honestly there is no harm done, you guys made it sound like they have committed a horrendous crime.

 

[DjordjeC63]

Don't know about you, but I like this car! Much nicer than Equus or Chairman. Even though I like it, I must admit that switches and air vents look a bit cheap.

 

[K-A]

Copying is a strong word. I think inspiration is the better term here. Don't remember that all car designers do get their ideas from somewhere. This is KIA's effort in making a car that could appeal to European. If they had been original about their design people would have screamed "It looks Korean, bla bla bla" So I guess they can't win.



You missed a spot, it also has Maserati Quattroporte inspired side vents.

No way would I call that inspiration, personally. IMO that's a free pass for them. This car to me seems to be a very tactful multi-copy of many cars. The iDrive, seat controls, front, rear, etc. are too shamelessly close. I just value originality, that's why it's hard for me to respect this car. The Optima at least is an original look, with what I consider to be bonafide and well used inspiration (I don't love the Optima, but appreciate the effort).

 

[Gianclaudio]

Really. I find them glorious and best of any Asian luxury barge. What does make me cringe is the wing mirror indicators. Other than that this is a car I wouldn't my cruising. It's affordable luxury, like a French Connection suit. Show some love for the underdog. This car is alright.

I don't find the car ugly at all, just the headlight's detailing, with those quad leds, which IMO look horrible, even my bycicle's LED lights look better.

And by the way, I like Kia more than any other asian manufacturer and many germans too
Several months ago I was just one step of buying a Cerato, but I resigned the new car idea and money went to an investment.

The Cadenza, Optima, Cerato (Forte in the USA), Rio, Picanto, Cee'd they all look wonderful but I still can't understand how after a series of good looking cars that aren't copying any other brand, they come, completely screw up the good work of Schreyer and make the K9

I mean, the flagship gets the copycat styling? Why not put the beautiful lines of the Cadenza and Optima in there? I'd have served as the halo for the whole family.......

Regards!

 

[Human]

Hey I figured this car out

Myself: I agree in general and fact is, it's Toyota/Lexus own design, heritage and progress within the framework of their own criteria and history. Unlike the KIA K9 flagship which is a copy+paste job from established brands like Lexus, Audi, BMW, Benz etc. of which the end result translates into nothing else than a Korean trifle-pudding
So then in the end the Lexus is a Lexus, whether I like the car/design or not (which I don't) is subjective. What I do like is that the brand (Lexus) does it's own thing in it's own way the Lexus way And not following some Korean trifle recipe...

It's a trifle!

Best bits of all established and renowned manufacturers LOL. (IMO)

 

[Gianclaudio]

That's about the only thing nice and tasty I saw on this thread

 

[DreamWeaaver]

compare their current success rates with VW and BM/merc in the U.S.

 

[K-A]

compare their current success rates with VW and BM/merc in the U.S.

Compare their prices and focuses on mass market approach to VW/BM/Merc in the States.

Apples to oranges. If Mercedes or BMW sold as much as Hyundai/Kia, they'd be failures, as they'd give up their Luxury/Prestige appeal and move downmarket to econ-car-mass-market approach.

 

[Sunny]

This is Kia's first proper attempt at creating a car that is much higher up than anything they have had before, so if you are going to try something for the first time you might as well learn from the leaders. Of course Kia's effort isn't as good as the 'original', what do you expect? If they successfully matched the originals at their first attempt then will you question if the originals are as good as they could be? Not to mention this K9 will cost significantly less than other cars with similar size and equipment. Believe me this car is miles better than what the Chinese can come up with at the moment.

There is only so much a company like Kia can do at one time, this is a very solid first attempt and I am sure they will learn from this and get better from this point on. Honestly there is no harm done, you guys made it sound like they have committed a horrendous crime.

+1 and we need a HOH "haters will hate" pic here.

It is not my cup of coffee, but I am glad they are trying. Competition is only good.

 

[DreamWeaaver]

Compare their prices and focuses on mass market approach to VW/BM/Merc in the States.

Apples to oranges. If Mercedes or BMW sold as much as Hyundai/Kia, they'd be failures, as they'd give up their Luxury/Prestige appeal and move downmarket to econ-car-mass-market approach.

Your logic is a bit strange.

So if Mercedes/BMWs sold a lot...they'd be failures? The more people buy, the more value goes down?

That only works sometimes. You can't play that out for every single scenario. I don't think it can work like that.

I am not sure about Hyundai in the U.S...I've read that it does fairly well in Europe...but KIA is rising....recent car journalists said it is now the fastest growing car brand in the U.S. Don't quote me on that just yet, though.

If more people buy something, that is great...it means more people are getting the taste of it

BTW....German cars (BMWS, Volkswagon, Mercedes) do EXTREMELY well in China...in fact it's to the point where it's MASSIVELY common among common Chinese citizens. The sales are very high for German brands.

But the case is very different here in America.

 

[K-A]

No, I mean that M-B/BMW don't want to nor try to sell as much as Kia. Kia has a plethora of super cheap, basic Econ cars, M-B and BMW are still focused on Luxury Cars. If M-B released a handful of sub-$20K cars, they'd be going after Kia's market share, and they'd be failures in terms of keeping their Luxury-Cachet strong.

You're either a Luxury Brand, or an Economical Brand. Both cross over very rarely (upscale Kia, downscale M-B/BMW), but as a whole, their focus is vastly different, as it should be.

If you compare sales of Kia to M-B, it's as off-dimension as comparing Kia's prestige levels to M-B. Apples to oranges.

 

[Mr. Mercedes]

I don't understand why KIA decided on such a hodge podge of blatantly ripped off design from a myriad of manufacturers, when they were doing such a good job on copying Audi's general aesthetic on their other vehicles. They should have done the same for this one.

 

[Centurion]

+1 and we need a HOH "haters will hate" pic here.

It is not my cup of coffee, but I am glad they are trying. Competition is only good.

Here you go.

 

[Giannis]

Haters gonna hate in Gangnam style. Amazing

 

[DreamWeaaver]

I don't understand why KIA decided on such a hodge podge of blatantly ripped off design from a myriad of manufacturers, when they were doing such a good job on copying Audi's general aesthetic on their other vehicles. They should have done the same for this one.

No offense, but If I was a car brand I wouldn't want to copy Audis. Those cars are crap.

 

[DreamWeaaver]

Here you go.

LOL yeah thats a global mega-hit...the video is a bit ridiculous and random but it sticks

 

[DreamWeaaver]

No, I mean that M-B/BMW don't want to nor try to sell as much as Kia. Kia has a plethora of super cheap, basic Econ cars, M-B and BMW are still focused on Luxury Cars. If M-B released a handful of sub-$20K cars, they'd be going after Kia's market share, and they'd be failures in terms of keeping their Luxury-Cachet strong.

You're either a Luxury Brand, or an Economical Brand. Both cross over very rarely (upscale Kia, downscale M-B/BMW), but as a whole, their focus is vastly different, as it should be.

If you compare sales of Kia to M-B, it's as off-dimension as comparing Kia's prestige levels to M-B. Apples to oranges.

Are you implying Luxury brands are always superior to Economical brands? Most people here in America I know would prefer performance/quality cars over fancy/luxurical cars. I don't know how people view cars in Europe, Latin America or Asia but this is true for the most part here in America.

KIA is somewhat new...but is a young car brand that is rapidly rising in America...may be the fastest growing one too. It's a huge leap to compare it to BMW/Merc while it's still in it's early days.

 

[K-A]

I don't see how you don't realize that Kia's sales and M-B/BMW sales have nothing to do with each other. One is meant to be more prestigious and exclusive (comparatively speaking), and one meant to be as accessible to the masses from the lowest price points possible.

You might as well compare them to Ferrari in sales while your at it.

 

[DreamWeaaver]

I don't see how you don't realize that Kia's sales and M-B/BMW sales have nothing to do with each other. One is meant to be more prestigious and exclusive (comparatively speaking), and one meant to be as accessible to the masses from the lowest price points possible.

You might as well compare them to Ferrari in sales while your at it.

Your logic is faltered. You assume that if a car brand have success in terms of accessbility to the massive public it is automatically considered "inferior" or less quality than the luxorious brands.. Have you seen the new Fords lately? American brands do very well in large vehicles. There is no mistake that KIA is currently the fastest growing car brand in the U.S.

Ferraris are out of the radar now, as are Mitsubishis.