LOS ANGELES — Kia is ending gross sales of two slow-selling sedans, the Cadenza and flagship K900, to make room for a rising steady of crossovers.
The 2020 mannequin 12 months would be the final for each sedans within the U.S.
Kia offered 1,265 items of the midsize Cadenza final 12 months and simply 305 of the K900, a big rear-drive sedan that pushed the model into luxurious territory. As the 2 poorest-selling Kia merchandise, their discontinuation doesn’t come as a giant shock.
“Because the auto business shifts its focus from full-size sedans to SUVs, Kia is poised to succeed with a strong vary of utility choices which incorporates Telluride, Sorento, Sportage and Seltos,” Kia stated in a press release Tuesday. “As we realign our mannequin lineup to fulfill shopper calls for, the K900 and Cadenza can be discontinued for the 2021 mannequin 12 months.”
The Cadenza, which straddled the midsize and enormous automotive segments, was launched on the 2013 Detroit auto present and went on sale later that 12 months as a 2014 mannequin. It generated cumulative gross sales of simply over 44,600. U.S. gross sales of the K900, launched in 2014, totaled 6,192 by way of 2020.
The 2 nameplates be a part of a growing roster of vehicles — Chevrolet Impala, Lexus GS, Ford Taurus, Acura RLX, Dodge Avenger, Cadillac CT6, Ford Fusion, Volkswagen Golf, Lincoln Continental and Jaguar XE — discontinued lately.
The subcompact Seltos crossover and the Telluride massive crossover have been launched as new Kia fashions within the final two years and have been common with customers. The Seltos reached 46,280 gross sales final 12 months and the Telluride, which was restricted by stock shortages, hit 75,129 deliveries.
For 2021, Kia has a new-generation midsize Sorento that is available in hybrid and plug-in hybrid variations for the primary time. Kia can also be engaged on a crossover-style EV that’s prone to be introduced this 12 months and go on sale subsequent 12 months. The Korean model can also be redesigning the comapct Sportage and eco-friendly Niro crossover, which comes as a hybrid and an EV.
Even with the discontinuation of the Cadenza and K900, Kia nonetheless has a strong automotive lineup, together with the entry Rio sedan, the subcompact Soul, the compact Forte, the Stinger sports activities hatchback and the midsize K5, which was redesigned and renamed for 2021 after the Optima moniker was dropped.
The Stinger can also be amongst Kia’s low-selling vehicles, with deliveries of 12,556 final 12 months, elevating questions on its viability within the U.S. It does, nonetheless, function one thing of a halo automobile for Kia given its rear-wheel drive structure, obtainable twin-turbo V-6 and near-luxury inside.