Kia unveils 2021 K8 luxury sedan overseas

Kia has whipped the covers back from its 2021 K8 luxury sedan overnight, revealing a huge BMW 7 Series-rivalling ‘Tiger Nose’ grille.

The K8 replaces the Cadenza in global markets such as South Korea and the United States and is designed to sit below the Kia K9 (K900) luxury flagship sedan.

Most notably, the K8 scores a new and bold iteration of the South Korean carmaker’s ‘Tiger Nose’ grille, which is larger than ever before and features a new diamond pattern.

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A pair of sleek headlights flanks the big grille and a gradual sloping roofline descends into a rear end that sports a full-width light bar, as is becoming a trend in automotive design.

It’s an eye-catching design, and follows the head-turning 2016 Cadenza styling that came before it.

The K8 also wears Kia’s new-design logo that is meant to signify the brand's commitment to a sustainable future through forward-thinking technology and electrification.

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New interior photos show a sumptuous quilted leather upholstery design with wood inlays in the wide dash. The dash also incorporates two 12.0-inch screens which connect together - one for the digital instrument cluster and one for infotainment. A Meridian 14-speaker sound system will be offered.

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This is about all we can glean from Kia’s newest model; this is merely a design preview rather than a full release.

Kia has not detailed which engines will be found under the bonnet.

One way to embrace Kia’s futuristic vision would be supplying the K8 will a plug-in hybrid or fully electric powertrain, though that remains to be seen.

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Production will begin later in 2021 in South Korea.

Would you like to see the 2021 Kia K8 introduced in Australia?