By Kim Tae-jong
Kia Motors said Wednesday that it has cut prices of the 2013 K9 luxury sedan in order to enhance affordability, although it has upgraded various features.
The entry-level K9 Prestige 3.3 is equipped with various new features, which were previously only available in models with top-of-the-line trims, such as a head-up display, adoptive HID headlamps and heating and cooling seats, but its price remains the same at 52.28 million won.
The second-echelon trim, the Executive 3.3, also comes with newly-added advanced options such as a head-up display and automatic power trunk lift, but its price is cut to 55.30 million won from 58.21 million won.
“We have reduced the number of trims when releasing the 2013 K9 but we’ve added high-end options to entry-level trims without price hikes,” an official from Kia said. “ We expect that it will allow more customers to buy the K7 at more affordable prices.”
The premium large-sized sedan comes in two variations, with 3.3-liter and 3.8-liter gasoline engines, with three different trims each, depending on options. Previously, the two variants each had four and five trims.
Kia ambitiously launched the premium sedan last year with the aim of competing with luxury sedans made by foreign brands such as BMW’s 7 Series and Mercedes Benz’s S Class with its advanced features.
But the model has failed to appeal to local customers with only a total of 7,599 K9s sold last year. Market insiders attributed this failure mainly to its high pricing policy.
Kia has also cut prices of other vehicles _ the mid-sized sedan K5 and sports utility vehicle, the new Sorento R.
The K5’s Prestige trim will be available at 26.36 million won, down from 26.65 million won, while the Limited trim of the Sorento R is sold at 33.7 million won, down from 34.3 million won.
Previously, Kia’s sister automaker, Hyundai Motor, did also cut the price of five popular models by up to 1 million won in a bid to secure market dominance this year, as imported brands have aggressively increased their presence in the last few years.