2020: Only 305 Kia K900 sedans sold in the US

This rendering shows the Kia flagship car with the new badge.

It is widely believed that the outdated badge doesn’t accurately reflect the car’s sophistication or refinement, and therefore the demand for Kia’s flagship car is severely hampered. Some say that it is the K900’s Achilles heel, as the full-size sedan is a strong car that deserves to compete with the big boys in luxury.

The “fix” is near, considering that the South Korean brand recently updated its corporate image with the unveiling a new logo that better reflects the company’s rapid evolution over the past two decades. We’re sure that Kia’s top-ranking ranger will adopt the new badge. Spy photos of the K900/K9 facelift have been available online since at least August 2020.

Kolesa has speculatively rendered the new luxobarge. They gave it a full-width, LED light bar at its back to match the design of other Kia sedans such as the K7 and K5. It’s too early for us to know what design direction the K900 will follow in its mid-cycle update. The vehicles that were tested in South Korea had extensive camouflage.

Kia hopes that the new logo and other tweaks will increase sales, particularly in North America, where the K900 can be found less often than exotic sports cars. Only 305 units were sold last year, a drop of 85 cars from the previous year. It’s obvious that 2020 was not a normal year due to the coronavirus pandemic. This is reflected in decreasing demand for sedans, as people prefer SUVs.

The K900 was the company’s slowest-selling vehicle in North America last year and was outsold every year by its competitors. Although Kia moved just 300 cars last year, German competitors had significantly more: Mercedes S-Class (8.589 coupe and convertible), BMW 7 Series (6.443), Audi A8 (2.376) cars. The Lexus LS (3.617) outsold the K900 by a nearly 12-to-1 ratio.

Although the facelift will not make a significant impact on sales, the new logo and other updates should help Kia attract more customers who are looking for the unbeatable value proposition offered by the high-end sedan category.