Remember the Kia K8? It’s that new luxury sports sedan coming from Kia Motors that we took a tour of for the interior. High-end quality of this magnitude may be common for luxury brand automakers, but Kia Motors is not a luxury brand. It is the highest ranked mass-market automaker, according to the 2020 J.D. Power Initial Quality Study, but luxury isn’t synonymous when thinking of Kia Motors vehicles. Still, a luxury sedan with such an upscale interior can only be matched with an exterior, also revealed to push the model out with the fast-growing Kia lineup.
“Following our recent company rebrand, we keep moving toward our new brand values with a new model – the K8. This modern sedan has been designed with innovation and elegance at its very core…While paying homage to the K7, the K8 looks to the future. Its progressive exterior takes on character and emotion and combines those qualities with an expressive looking front and a dynamic swooping rear, giving the K8 a high-quality, premium presence that takes direct inspiration from some of the world’s most technically advanced yachts.” – Karim Habib, Senior Vice President and Head of Kia Global Design Center
The new signature frameless ‘tiger nose’ grille replaces the old front fascia, integrated into the front bumper for a clean expansive look. An intricate diamond lattice along the grille gives the illusion of moving lights, and the front lamp turn signals resemble a nebula or star cloud. This calls back to the innovative ‘Star Cloud’ lighting inside the cabin that projects glittering and interactive ambient lighting on the door trim and dashboard of the Kia K8. Sitting atop the new grille is also the new Kia Motors logo – sharp, refined, and just cool to look at.