Luxury Kia Wins International Car of the Year

Luxury Kia Wins International Car of the Year

For the second year in a row, a Kia vehicle has been voted International Car of the Year at the just-held Detroit Motor Show.

The latest honour, for the 2014 model year, has gone to the Kia Cadenza, a luxury model that sits above the mid-to-large Optima that won the award last year. While The Optima is sold worldwide and has recently undergone a facelift in New Zealand, the Cadenza is currently available only in selected left-hand-drive markets.

The award is announced at each Detroit show by Road & Travel magazine and this year it coincides with the 20th anniversary of the first Kia going on sale in the US market.

The Cadenza, which was introduced to the US last year, is a stunning design that is helping to move Kia brand into more premium segments and the ICOTY award adds to the growing list of accolades it has now earned.

Just a few months ago, the Cadenza took top honors in Motor Trend Magazine’s full-size sedan comparison test and was named to the 2014 North American Car of the Year short list.

Road & Travel magazine presents two awards annually; one for International Car of the Year and one for International Truck of the Year. In addition to product attributes such as style, comfort and performance, the awards also consider how well the brand connects emotionally with the consumer through its marketing efforts. The winners are chosen by the ICOTY jury, which consists of nationally renowned automotive journalists from respected publications such as Consumer Guide®, Automotive MSN Autos, New Car News Syndicate and, of course, Road & Travel.

“The Kia Cadenza wins in this category for a variety of reasons, including Kia's remarkable effort to emerge in the entry-lux category,” says Courtney Caldwell, editor-in-chief of Road & Travel Magazine.

“Overall, the car is beautiful and affordable, making upscale style and performance attainable to mid-America. We applaud Kia's rapid rise from underdog to unbelievable!”

While the Cadenza is not available for the New Zealand market, winning the same award two years in a row shows that Kia is coming of age in both the design and execution of its cars and that has positive ramifications around the globe, says Todd McDonald, General Manager of Kia Motors New Zealand.

He adds: “You don’t win prizes for coming second and to be a consistent winner is an indication that Kia products continue to offer a world-class balance of design, amenities and value for today’s discerning car buyers. More importantly, what makes the Cadenza so good is built into the DNA of our entire model range.”

ENDS

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