Upcoming Kia Optima Influenced by Sportspace Concept

Kia has released a rendering of its all-new ʼ16 Optima, scheduled to be unveiled simultaneously at the New York International Auto Show and the Seoul Motor Show next month.

Though the artist depicts it as a coupe, the production Optima (K5 in Korea) will continue as a sedan.

The drawing presents the car with an extremely low roofline, a design feature a Kia spokesman says is exaggerated in the rendering. Other than that, the new model appears a near twin to the Sportspace concept Kia unveiled at the Geneva Auto Show earlier this month.

The front end of the Optima includes the tiger nose grille opening and double cube quad headlamps shown on the Sportspace. Also similar are the side panels, attractively sculpted from fender well to fender well, and the rear end.

The Kia spokesman in Seoul declines to provide details of the new entry, but the revamped model will continue to be built on the Hyundai Sonata platform and likely will offer the same engines in the U.S. That would include 1.6L and 2.0L turbocharged engines and a 2.4L naturally aspirated 4-cyl.

Produced at Kia’s West Point, GA, plant, the Optima has been the brand’s sales leader in the U.S. for three straight years. Last year, West Point built 142,561 Optimas, according to WardsAuto data.

In Korea last year, 48,575 K5s were sold. Another 90,724 Korean-built K5/Optimas were exported.