Saturday, March 28, 2015

Kia Optima Renders Hint at a Sexy and Futuristic Next-Gen Model



Earlier in the century, Kia was widely considered a joke in the automotive industry, with its poor-performing vehicles and their mostly uninspiring design.  But thanks to the Optima, automotive pundits learned to take Kia seriously, and now the Korean automaker has become a solid, if still unspectacular performer in terms of vehicle sales.  But with the current Optima desperately needing a refresh after five years on the market, new renders have emerged, right ahead of the next-gen model’s scheduled launch at the 2015 New York International Auto Show.

The renders should not be mistaken as the actual vehicle we’ll be seeing in New York this April, but they do point to the direction in which Kia wants to go, which appears to be a very futuristic one.  The Optima renders suggest a curvier, more futuristic-looking vehicle, and if you remember the Sportspace concept from the 2015 Geneva Motor Show earlier in March, the renders do show a bit of similarity to that car, particularly in the roofline and headlights.

While these Kia Optima renders tell us a bit about possible design language, little is known about the new car’s engine and interior features.  So far, Kia Motors Europe Chief Executive Michael Cole teased the chance of the new Optima being a performance model, but we really wouldn’t know for sure until the car makes its much-anticipated debut in New York next month, some five years after the original Optima’s launch at the 2010 NYIAS.

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