Kia introduced the K9 as its flagship model in 2012 on the Korean market, and later on, it took it to other markets, including U.S., Canada, Russia, and Middle-East.

While the Europeans were crying for the luxurious Korean sedan, other customers were happy with the badge-engineered Hyundai Equus and Genesis. Kia took its gloves off and tried to make it into the premium segment with the K9, also known as K900, to the States customers.

A rear-wheel-drive Kia was unusual, but that was what the K9 was. Its LED headlights with aggressive styling and the signature “tiger-nose” grille made it look important, even though it didn’t have the same stance as a premium German vehicle. On the sides, the car featured two vents on the front fenders. The overall cab-rearward design emphasized the rear-wheel-drive architecture, with a pushed-back C-pillar and a short trunk lid.

Inside, Kia installed everything it got in its R&D department. Apart from the luxurious leather-wrapped interior, it loaded the car with tons of technology, including soft-close doors, bird-eye-view around the vehicle, head-up display, and the infotainment system that could have been controlled by the rear-seat passengers as well. In the instrument panel, Kia dropped the analog dials and installed a large TFT display. For the American equivalent, the K900, the Korean luxury sedan came equipped with analog dials.

Under the hood, the K9 featured a direct-injected 3.8-liter gasoline engine. It sent the power to the rear wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission.