Too Ambitious? Kia Slashes K900 Price By $5,000 Due To Slow Sales

In the market for a full-size, V-8-powered luxury sedan? Feel like spending less than $60,000? Kia has a K900 with your name on it... at least they hope your name is on it, considering the car isn't exactly selling well. Last year, just 1,330 examples were sold.

This has led to a price cut, with the K900 now priced from $55,400 (with a $900 destination charge) thanks to a new entry-level Premium trim. To get the price down from a previous $60,400, Kia has deleted some items such as the LED headlights, chrome trim, Nappa leather and 17-speaker audio system.
 

TheSteve - 1/28/2015 12:26:15 PM

+7 Boost

Wrong marketing.

People who shop at Kia aren't used to paying Mercedes prices. Many aren't able to. And people who shop at Mercedes aren't looking for a Kia alternative.

Think VW Phaeton. No matter how good the car was, it's hard to shake a long-held understanding of what a Volkswagen is.

Benzes1 - 1/28/2015 2:51:04 PM

0 Boost

Bingo! That is it exactly.

quizz - 1/31/2015 10:37:14 PM

+1 Boost

Also, people who shop Kia aren't looking for a V8 and bad MPG. They want "value", which means to pay $30,000 for a $50,000 car, not to pay $50,000, for anything.

cidflekken - 1/28/2015 2:00:53 PM

+1 Boost

It wasn't the right time. As much as one can appreciate Kia's aggressive approach, they hadn't even yet firmly established themselves as a solid, reliable alternative to their non-premium competitors. For them to bring a premium product to the table, while ballsy, just wasn't the smartest timing.

atc98092 - 1/28/2015 6:26:35 PM

+1 Boost

They didn't cut the price, the de-contented the car. If you want the same options, you pay $400 more than before. How's that a cut???

MDarringer - 1/28/2015 8:16:27 PM

-1 Boost

Hyundai/Kia is dumb as bricks with their premium strategy. Genesis needs to be their premium BRAND and then buy their way into the market like Lexus did at inception.

The company does not need to field the Equus AND the K900.

The Genesis brand could be sold through Hyundai dealers until such time that stand-alone dealers make sense.

Kia would then become the near premium Acura/Buick between Hyundai and Genesis.

The K900 is a great car, but could not have been more stupidly wrong for the market.

nguyenvuminh - 1/28/2015 10:49:48 PM

+2 Boost

In the words of our famous and beloved 009 - Kia K9000 at less than $60,000 - who should be worried :-)

runninglogan1 - 1/28/2015 11:37:20 PM

+1 Boost

The K900 is a great car. It has remarkable bang for the buck. I know this is common knowledge among car geeks, something I consider myself to be. And yet... If it were my 60k would I buy one? Probably not.

knowitall1985 - 1/30/2015 1:15:22 PM

+2 Boost

A car like this may be a decent car, but it loses so much value when you drive it off the lot that you would be crazy to buy one.....

HughJass - 1/31/2015 12:59:18 PM

+3 Boost

Its obvious KIA isn't doing enough to get Bentley customers into their showrooms.

Good thing the greenback is appreciating so the Koreans can absorb their latest loss leading strategy when they repatriate profits in their worthless currency.

w222 - 1/31/2015 3:20:20 PM

+1 Boost

Sat in one of these at a car show and thought it was a decent car. They did price themselves out of the segment. I would do well if it sells at 48k-52k. They should take a loss or reduce profit in order to get their cars into the consumers hands. No one is gonna know if the car is good or not if they are scared away by the price tag.