Kia’s updated K9 flagship sedan gains a sportier front fascia and an imposing rear light bar.
Spotted recently in South Korea is the facelifted version of Kia’s K9 flagship sedan. Also known as the K900 in other markets, this updated wore almost no disguise when it was photographed roaming around on the streets of Seoul.
As such therefore, it is easily able to discern that this new revised Kia flagship sedan sports a sportier front fascia. Gone are the rather dopey headlights and rounded grille of its pre-facelift predecessor, and in its place now is a more angular (and larger) front grille flanked on either side by sharper, more purposeful LED headlights.
The pre-facelift Kia K9
The lower front bumper has also been revised slightly, giving it a more aggressive aesthetic to tie it in with the newer sharper styling. There presumably will also be the sleeker redesigned Kia emblem adorning the front of this revised K9 sedan.
Moving down the long side profile of this Kia meanwhile, there appears to not all that much changes in comparison to the outgoing model. New sportier alloy wheel designs however do make an appearance on this particular dark green K9 spotted here, which in turn also contrasts nicely with the subtle lashings of chrome exterior accents that were carried over from the current car.
Continuing on the topic of the current car, where this upcoming updated K9 differs most greatly would be its round the back. That is because what was once a rather elegant (though subdued) rear end design has been ditched, in favour of a more in-your-face look that is dominated by the massive LED light bar that runs right across the width of the Kia.
At the ends of the light bar lies larger taillights too, featuring a T-shaped light signature embedded within for an even more impressive illumination effort. Other design changes worth pointing out round the back on this facelifted K9 over the current car includes the movement of the number plate to the rear bumper, the enlargement of the rear twin-exhaust tips and the addition of the new Kia and K9 emblem on the tailgate.
The pre-facelift Kia K9
Speaking of those rear exhaust tips, connected to them up front will most likely be the same range of petrol engines that span from a 3.3 litre V6 all the way to a 5.0 litre V8. All of which are mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission and send power to either the rear wheels only or all four wheels.
Having said that, there are unofficial reports indicating that some form of electrification may be in store under the hood of the updated K9. This new revised Kia sedan should also be gaining a revamped interior with added tech and safety features.
More information about this updated Kia facelift will be known in the near future when debuts sometime within the next two months. What is more or less confirmed however is that this Kia K9 will most likely be only a volume seller in its home market of South Korea, having already been discontinued over in North America in favour of the all-new K8.
