Cadenza? We Hardly Knew Ya!
Say so long to the Kia Cadenza and K900 sedans.
Cause of death: Poor sales secondary to the crossover craze and the existence of the Genesis luxury brand.
The K900 luxury flagship and Cadenza large sedan will be no more following the 2021 model year, but fret not Kia sedan fans — the K5, Forte, and Rio remain. As does the excellent Stinger hatch.
It’s hard to be shocked at the departure of two sedans that sold just 1,570 units — combined — in 2020. Not great, Bob.
Kia’s sibling brand, Genesis, is around to soak up luxo-sedan sales, and the Genesis G90 did 2,072 units in sales alone last year. I’m no mathematical genius, but that’s 502 units more.
What say Kia?
“An important part of our growth as a brand is our ability to understand market conditions and recognize our customers’ needs. To that end, as the auto industry shifts its focus from full-size sedans to SUVs, Kia is poised to succeed with a robust range of utility offerings which includes Telluride, Sorento, Sportage, and Seltos. As we realign our model lineup to meet consumer demands, the K900 and Cadenza will be discontinued for the 2021 model year.”
As some unnamed mobster said after Joe Pesci bought it in Goodfellas — “And that’s that.”
[Image: Kia]
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Haven't commented in a while, but had to rise to the cause today. Both the Equus and K900 had potential and I think Genesis/Hyundai have shown the way to a premium line (much the way Lexus did 30 years ago). From my perspective, the K900 died because of it's insufferably poor dealers. I tried to shop the car in my world (Western suburbs of Chicago) and the experience was laughable. The same guys that are selling low-end Kias on a payment aren't capable of shifting to selling a $60,000+ car to folks who are likely cross shopping against a BMW or Lexus. Just a terrible dealer experience - too bad.
The one good thing about the Cadenza? Their first commercial for the 2013 model: https://www.ispot.tv/ad/7ngW/kia-cadenza-impossible-to-ignore-song-by-david-bowie WOW! Supposedly there is a 2 minute version of this commercial, but I cant seem to find it.
Another excellent vehicle is now dead thanks to the deplorable taste of Americans.
The Cadenza/K7 is being discontinued and will be replaced by a new, more premium model, the K8 (likely won't see it here). The K900 will likely be replaced by a lux SUV/CUV.