In a confident flourish of nomenclature, Kia Motors Corporation has called its new luxury car Cadenza. This is the musical term for an elaborate or ornamental flourish, as found typically in a concerto or aria. To employ a further musical metaphor, the Cadenza is an upscale car, the plushest yet seen from the Korean manufacturer.
The Cadenza is the production version of Kia's KND-5 concept car which aspired to satisfy drivers' desire for refinement, safety and emotional satisfaction by creating 'ideal' driving conditions.
Unfortunately, Australian buyers will have to aspire to ownership rather than achieve it, since the Cadenza is planned only for left-hand drive production at this stage. The car will make its overseas premiere at the Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Dubai international motor shows towards the end of the year. It will be known by a different name in Korea.
The Cadenza is a stylish luxury sedan. It features a bold headlamp design with attention-grabbing LED surrounds and a purposeful, athletic character line. The prominent front grille and stylish taillights emphasise the car's high-tech feel and are a continuing expression of Kia's dramatic design DNA.
On the inside, there is a futuristic 'floating' dashboard that highlights Kia's uniquely innovative design approach. The welcome system turns on the exterior puddle and interior lights to 'greet' the car owner, while the interior mood lighting strip, which runs along the dashboard to the door trim, creates a warm atmosphere within the vehicle.
Kia Cadenza's dynamic design and driving performance, allied with a raft of competitive passenger-friendly high-tech features, will help it become a leader in the large, luxury sedan market segment.
Available new technologies will include a heated steering wheel (for winter driving in cold markets), powered extendable seat cushions (for extra thigh support), automatic defogging of the windshield and ventilated front seats (for cool comfort in hot markets).
Soon-Nam Lee, Director of the Overseas Marketing Group, Kia Motors Corporation, said, 'New Cadenza will showcase the continuing evolution in Kia's striking design language through the harmonious blend of light and lines. It will also present a new concept in luxury sedans in terms of performance and technology.'
