Korea: Kia unveils facelifted Opirus Premium

Kia Motors has unveiled the Opirus Premium at its flagship showroom in Seoul, South Korea today. The Opirus Premium marks the second facelift since the car's debut in 2003 and a substantial revision in 2006. The automaker's flagship sedan receives both cosmetic and mechanical upgrades for this facelift.

Outside, the Opirus Premium receives a plethora of changes including the new, corporate, "tiger-tooth" grille and a revised front bumper. A revised rear fascia includes a pair of redesigned dual exhausts and new LED taillights. Larger chrome-accented 18-inch alloy wheels, body chrome molding, and LED front/side mirror/rear turn signals round up the exterior upgrades.

The Opirus Premium also gains a host of new interior upgrades including perforated cooled leather seats, cabin mood lighting, available high-gloss piano black trim, and a 3.5-inch color TFT-LCD infoscreen in the dashboard cluster also found in the Equus.

Under the hood, the big change for this revision is a new 6-speed automatic transmission. It is mated to an array of available engines, all of which gain power and fuel efficiency. The 3.3L Lambda V6 now produces 259 horsepower, a 4.9 percent raise, and a 2.2 percent improvement in torque. Its fuel economy is now rated at 10.1 km/L, a staggering 12.2 percent improvement. The more potent 3.8L Lambda V6 churns out 284 horses, while a 2.7L V6 produces 195 horsepower.

The Opirus Premium goes on sale today in South Korea. Prices range from 34.51 million Won for a base GH270 trim, to 54.53 million Won for the range-topping GH380 trim. There are no reports on whether the revision will carry over to North America.

[Source: Kia]

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Posted in: Kia,New Car Releases