Kia will take a fresh swipe at the new Ford Mondeo, VW Passat and Vauxhall Insignia when it launches an all-new version of the Optima less than a year from now. It will feature a sharper design, higher-quality interior and the option of diesel, hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains, and we had a chance to poke around the production car at Kia’s new Namyang design centre, near Seoul.
Although no photography was allowed of the new car, we can reveal that design sticks closely to the current, post-facelift model (pictured) with a wide ‘tiger nose’ grille connecting up to the headlights either side and large wraparound taillights at the rear. The petrol model features more aggressive, sharper intakes in the front bumper, while the hybrid models get a blanked out front grille that opens when cooling is required. Softer curves in the front bumper, special wheels and a wider rear bumper to help reduce aerodynamic drag.
New Kia Optima: interior and tech
The interior quality has taken another leap forward, one of Kia’s main focuses for all its new models, with leather seats and a new larger, widescreen display installed in the centre of the leather-wrapped dash. Matt black switchgear arranged in horizontal rows is reminiscent of BMW’s latest cabin design, which is no bad thing.
No detailed specifications were made available, but bosses confirmed that an model featuring a development of the current 1.7 CRDi diesel engine will be offered, along with a hybrid and a plug-in hybrid a little later in the life cycle. And Kia is targeting a class-leading electric-only range with the plug in, according to its head of overseas marketing, Spencer Cho.
“Look at the Soul EV, apart from the Tesla it has the longest range of any of its competitors,” he said. “In the same way we are trying to extend EV range for plug-in hybrids, too.”
Cho also revealed that a diesel-electric hybrid powertrain is under development, and an Optima estate is under development especially for the European market.
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/
