I stopped by the local Kia dealer to checkout the Optima hybrid. I noticed on the salesman's desk a Kia calendar with a photo of a car I did not recognize. It was the 2012 Cadenza which will be Kia's flagship sedan. It is larger than the Optima but still is FWD. Engines will be a 4 cyl. from the Optima or a V6 of 3.5L and 290 hp. Pricing will start in the mid-twenties and top out in the mid-thirties. This is a platform mate to the Azera. Styling looked really nice, a little less extreme than the Azera.

I hope this is not a duplicate of something posted earlier, I just had never heard of the Cadenza
Steve

 

Back, jetta looking

 

new Azera looks nicer.

i dont like the elantra/sonata interior inside though, but azera looks like CLS copy :-)

 

^ x2 on that.

But glad to see Kia, like Hyundai, is stepping its game up.

 

p.s. Sonata Hybrid is having a lot of issues, they had at least 2 recalls first month on the market and people still report issues which are hard to troubleshoot. I dont suggest you actually purchase one for next 6 months at least, until issues clear up.

 

Yes this is the Kia Amanti replacement. It has been out in Korea since 2009 and is scheduled for the US for early 2012 after the mid-cycle refresh.

 

Do you have a link to provide? I can't find any on the Hybrid model.

 

looks great!

 

here you go:
http://www.hyundai-forums.com/index.php?showforum=128

 

The smartest thing Kia ever did was to hire Peter Schreyer. He has done a remarkable job of styling their cars. Back in 2005, Kia made some of the frumpiest and dorkiest looking cars in the world (like the Amanti). Today, however, every car in their lineup is attractive.

 

That looks like only one service bulletin to me. There seems to be a good amount of those going around lately by many auto manufactures.