Future products: Kia seeks lively, upscale look

Kia's redesigned Optima sedan and the Cadenza replacement for the Amanti, both due next year, reflect an emphasis on creating a livelier and more upscale look for the once-bland brand.

Indeed, styling has been a crucial element of Kia's new-product push in the past 18 months.

The team at Kia Design Center America near Los Angeles--part of the automaker's global design network led by onetime Audi design chief Peter Schreyer--has helped set the new styling direction.

Designers in California created the Kue crossover concept that was the basis for the Sportage redesign. They also did the exterior styling on the Soul, Forte and Forte Koup and Sorento and the interior of the upcoming Optima. Kia's design center in Frankfurt did the Optima's exterior.

Look for more excitement under the hood, too, as Kia strives to be seen as a brand that delivers moderately priced vehicles that are fun to drive. For example, the new Sportage, which went on sale this month, gets a 270-hp direct- injection turbocharged engine as an option in early 2011.

Here are highlights of Kia's U.S. plans for the 2011-13 model years.

Rio: A redesign of Kia's small car is expected to go on sale in late 2011.

Rondo: The compact minivan may be replaced for the 2013 model year with a new five-door model based on the same platform as the Hyundai i30, which is sold in Europe.

Soul: The first reskin for the quirky, boxy subcompact since its February 2009 debut is planned for the summer of 2011, when the Soul gets a new fascia. A redesign is scheduled for the 2014 model year.

Optima: The mid-sized sedan, which shares a platform with the Hyundai Sonata, will be redesigned early next year. Styling of the 2011 Optima is sporty and streamlined. It gets the “tiger nose” grille seen on all new Kia models since the debut of the Soul. The new version will be launched with a standard 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine and an optional turbocharged version that puts out an estimated 270 hp. A hybrid version will be introduced in the first quarter of 2011.

Sorento: The crossover was redesigned in December. A restyling is planned for the 2013 model year.

Sportage: The third generation of Kia's compact SUV debuted this month with styling cues from the 2007 Kue concept done at Kia's California design center. A version powered by a 270-hp, turbocharged direct-injection engine arrives this year. A reskin is scheduled for the 2014 model year.

Forte: A replacement for the compact sedan is planned for the 2013 model year, with a new platform and possibly a new name.

Cadenza: The Amanti replacement--introduced in Korea last year as the K-7--will go on sale in April as a 2012 model. The Cadenza, powered by a 3.5-liter V6, is longer and wider than the Amanti. The wheelbase of the Korean version is about 112 inches, compared with the Amanti's 107.1 inches. The Amanti name will disappear.

Borrego: The body-on-frame SUV will remain in Kia's lineup through the 2013 model year with no changes planned. Kia executives are not convinced that the segment is worth additional investment, so the Borrego may be killed when its current life cycle ends after the 2013 model year.

Sedona: The minivan segment is shrinking, so Kia may not replace the Sedona after production is scheduled to end after the 2013 model year.

Hybrid: Kia is kicking around the idea of a dedicated hybrid, likely a compact car, but it is struggling with the business case in a segment dominated by the Toyota Prius and Honda Insight.

By Ryan Beene- Automotive News