Kia's new upper-end sedan to be named 'K7'

SEOUL, Oct. 18 (Yonhap) -- Kia Motors Corp. said Sunday its new upper-end sedan
that will reach showrooms late this year will be called the "K7."

South Korea's second-largest carmaker said the "K" designation comes from the
Greek word "Kratos" meaning "strength or strong rule," symbolizing the
aspirations of Kia to use the new sedan to compete effectively with rivals in the
global market.
The K7 is a concept car knowIn as the VG vehicle that was unveiled at the Seoul
Motor Show in April. It is of the same class as Hyundai Motor Co.'s Grandeur
sedan that is sold abroad as the "Azera."
Kia is an affiliate of the Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group, which controls the South
Korean market and has made steady inroads abroad in recent years with models like
the Elantra, Sonata and Genesis.
The "K" also stands for Kia, Kinetic and Korea, while "7" is a designation often
used by local carmakers to represent a mid-to-large sized automobile.
Kia said the name was selected through a detailed survey on both local and
overseas consumers.
Executives at the carmaker added that the appearance of the K7 will be relatively
unchanged from the model shown at the motor show.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
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