Will Kia Motors Shift Focus to Sedans?
Kia Motors is getting back up and running with an optimistic view of the auto market and already working towards new ventures with Kia and HMG producing purpose-built vehicles (PBVs). The most recent and surprising news from the overseas automaker is a declaration of new plans to fill out one of the car segments in its vast lineup of vehicles. Kia Motors may have seen a lot of great success with the Kia Telluride SUV and the Kia Seltos compact SUV, but despite that, sedans are still in the cards. Not surprising, this has sparked quite the internet debate.
We at Miami Lakes Automall Kia can’t throw our hat in the ring, but me personally, I say, “Yes.” Sedans are great. Unless the head of a family or always travelling with a group of people, a four-door five-seater is more than enough, and not many consumers use all that space anyway. Look around the next time you’re on the road and take note of how many people are in these five-to-seven passenger cars and how many of them actually have more than one or two people, driver included.
A strong point in a counter argument would be the undeniable success of the Kia Telluride and Seltos, and we love them just as much. However, James Bell, Kia’s Head of Corporate Communications spoke with CarBuzz recently, and he said something that definitely lit the match on this one. Perhaps these successful SUVs were just the prototypes for something bigger, but not necessarily in size.
“One of the reasons why the Kia Telluride has done so well is because people love the look of it. And then they drive it and realize for a large crossover it feels very coordinated. Not overly athletic like a BMW X5 M. It’s not that extreme. But you can enter a highway off-ramp a little faster than you should, and it’s okay. The car can handle it. Having that athletic feel and visceral connection is something we’re going to see emphasized and amplified in our future sedan offerings.” – Bell
Hmm, interesting stuff. There is some charm to driving a performance-engineered SUV, sure. For those that do carry around a lot on the daily, it must be nice to be able to zip around the highway a little faster than other SUVs on the road. Here’s where it gets tricky though. Many automakers are starting to open up shop, but everyone in this economy has taken a hit in every industry. If resources and finances are slim, wouldn’t it be smarter to use less, say smaller cars? Taking a break from focusing on all these large vehicles wouldn’t be a bad idea.
With sedans and hatchbacks still in the blueprints for Kia Motors lineup, this could be the perfect time to flush a sedan, or two, or three with the rise in EV sales for Kia that will likely spur forth the automaker’s electric vehicle concepts. Plus, the Kia Stinger is getting a mid-cycle refresh, despite rumors that a second-generation is already on the way. Sorry not sorry to say, we didn’t fall for that one.
Time to start an argument. What are your thoughts on Kia Motors turning the tide towards sedans in the auto market? Join the discussion on Miami Lakes Kia social media. Check out all the great sedans by Kia Motors at Miami Lakes Automall Kia.
