The full-year 2019 sales report of Kia is in, and overall, the Korean automaker has reported a positive sales performance when compared to 2018.

Kia sold 615,338 cars in the U.S. in 2018 – a 4.4 percent increase as compared to the 589,673 units sold in 2018. Out of all the cars sold by the automaker, the K900 remained to be an unpopular choice among American car buyers, posting only 390 units sold throughout 2019.

In comparison, the Stinger, which is almost the same size as the K900 but more affordable, sold relatively well in 2019 with 13,861 units. It was a 17.5 percent sales dip, though, when compared to the number of Stingers sold in 2018, whereas the K900 posted a 10.2 percent sales increase, year-over-year.

On the other hand, the Sportage posted a best-ever annual sales for the second consecutive year, selling 89,278 units in 2019, as compared to the 82,823 units sold in 2018. Sadly, Unfortunately, it's the only Kia SUV that got a positive sales performance, with the Soul, Niro, and Sorento all getting sales decline in 2019.

The sedan market isn't what it used to be, which is as much news at this point as knowing the sky is blue (or gray as is the case in Michigan right now). The latest evidence of this is the death of the Kia K900 flagship sedan and Cadenza full-size sedan. It was first reported by Car and Driver and confirmed to us by a Kia representative. According to them, the blame goes to the market's continued preference for crossovers and SUVs rather than sedans:

"An important part of our growth as a brand is our ability to understand market conditions and recognize our customers’ needs. To that end, as the auto industry shifts its focus from full-size sedans to SUVs, Kia is poised to succeed with a robust range of utility offerings which includes Telluride, Sorento, Sportage, and Seltos. As we realign our model lineup to meet consumer demands, the K900 and Cadenza will be discontinued for the 2021 model year."

Put more simply, the sales just aren't there for the K900 and Cadenza. The former was Kia's worst seller with just 305 examples finding homes last year. The Cadenza only did a little better with 1,265 sales. The Kia Stinger followed both of these cars with a comparatively massive 12,556 sales, only a few hundred away from the Sedona minivan. Meanwhile, every SUV and crossover Kia makes sold more than 70,000 units each except the Seltos, which went on sale part way through last year. Even then, more than 40,000 examples of the Seltos were sold last year.
Based on the sales, the loss of the K900 and Cadenza is not particularly consequential. We will miss them, though. The K900, when revived for the 2019 model year, adopted the superb rear-drive-based chassis shared with the Stinger, which made it a surprisingly enjoyable machine. As for the Cadenza, it delivered on the typical comfy cruiser experience like other large sedans, but with some distinctive style that was refined with an update last year. But clearly all these characteristics weren't enough to bring in buyers and keep the model alive.

At the beginning of the year, Kia announced plans to retire the Cadenza and K900 in the United States due to poor demand. The smaller of the two sedans soldiers on in international markets as the all-new K8 and now the company's flagship car is also getting an update for the markets where it's still available. It's a mid-cycle revision rather than a next-gen model, but the visual changes are quite significant.

Sold at home in South Korea as the K9, the fullsize posh sedan is being previewed in two official images showing the redesigned headlights with a flatter design. The enlarged front grille now with chrome "V" logos extends to meet the lights while the bumper has a cleaner appearance and air ducts at its corners. The rear end shows the KDM-spec K9 facelift with a full-width LED light bar and the license plate moved from the trunk lid to the bumper.

New 19-inch alloy wheels and the updated corporate badge round off the changes on the outside while the interior is also expected to go through a series of changes. The K9 / K900 has only been around for a little over three years, but the South Korean brands are shortening life cycles to keep the products as fresh as possible to make them more competitive against German brands.

Considering Kia is tweaking the names it uses for its latest vehicles, we're wondering whether the updated large sedan will be sold as the K9 in the markets where the car is currently offered as the K900 and Quoris. A full reveal is expected to take place in the coming weeks when we'll discover the technical specifications. For what it's worth, that "4X" badge on the trunk lid is likely reserved for the all-wheel-drive version.
It's refreshing to see Kia is still determined to cater to a gradually shrinking sedan segment, investing in facelifts and next-generation models. Crossovers and SUVs have taken over, but the three-box recipe is still relevant. The updated K9 comes only a few days after Hyundai revised the Grandeur sedan in its domestic market, prior to the next-gen model's arrival planned for 2022.