2003 New York Auto Show: Kia Unveils New Large Sedan for U.S. Market

Amanti Is Company's First Entry in Large-Car Segment

NEW YORK, April 17 -- At the New York International Auto Show today, Kia Motors America (KMA) pulled the wraps off the 2004 Amanti, an all- new, large sedan that will provide a level of room, comfort, quality and safety never before offered by a Kia vehicle.

Amanti will be the newest addition to the growing Kia product range and the most recent fulfillment of the company's plans to reach out to a larger number of American consumers. Kia impressed many industry observers in the past two years with the high levels of value, quality and safety in such recent new products as the Optima sedan, Sedona minivan and Sorento SUV. The new Amanti sedan will take these brand attributes to the large-car segment with the kind of room, comfort, convenience features and comprehensive safety equipment consumers expect in this segment.

"Amanti is our effort to reach out to yet another group of buyers who we weren't previously attracting," said Kia Motors America President Peter M. Butterfield. "These are buyers who seek full-size room and comfort with a full array of safety features, but who don't want to pay through the nose in the process. Amanti will give them everything they want, except a huge hole in their wallets."

The Amanti is a breakthrough model for Kia, both in terms of its styling and its positioning, with more expressive looks and a less conservative image than its competitors. This new sedan will not only appeal to a whole new group of buyers for Kia, it will also help shift consumers' impression of Kia as a maker of small, entry-level cars to that of a company providing leading value in every segment where it competes.

Design

The large-car segment is typically one that most people associate with plain, uninspiring cars. Kia plans to prove otherwise with Amanti. To compete successfully in this segment, the company believes that its new entry must stand out in the crowd with a good-sized helping of style and character both inside and out.

The Amanti is no cookie-cutter car. This is a sedan that makes a bold statement -- from its classically inspired grille to its limousine-like roofline.

Dominating the front view is the distinctive chrome-trimmed grille. Two character lines on each side of the hood create a scalloped look. The grille is flanked by dual headlamp clusters consisting of elliptical lamps framed to match the lines of the grille and hood. The outside lamp clusters contain neatly integrated fog lamps, and wide horizontal LED turn signals add a high- tech touch and excellent visibility. A single character line runs the length of the side of the car and is emphasized by a chrome side protector, presenting a smooth and uncluttered finish. The passenger compartment is rounded off at the C-pillar to create a strong, executive look as well as class-leading headroom. Completing the side view are stylish 16-inch alloy wheels wrapped with 225/60R16 Michelin tires.

From the rear, the Amanti is equally distinctive. The center of the rear deck rises above the fender line for additional cargo room and aerodynamic efficiency. Dominating the rear view are horizontal taillights, which are split across the trunk. On the outside are turn signals and brake lights. On the inside are the rear reflectors with reverse lights integrated in the rear garnish. The taillights are protected by a clear polycarbonate lens cover and embellished with faceted detailing that imparts an upscale appearance and a stylish, polished appeal.

The interior design for the Amanti builds on the car's striking exterior. Step inside and you'll notice the same flowing lines that characterize the exterior of the vehicle, with gently curved surfaces and smooth edges. The wood-grain finish on the doors, center fascia and console gives the interior a sophisticated look and feel.

The dashboard extends in a broad, unrelieved arc between the A-pillars, creating a sill that shades the instrument cluster from glare. The four-spoke steering wheel contains remote controls for the audio system and vehicle speed control. The center console has the functional effect of bringing forward the audio and climate controls without impeding the sweeping line of the dashboard. All controls are push-button type for ease of use and clearly marked for increased visibility.

The center console features a high, padded armrest that opens to reveal storage capacity for front-seat occupants. The automatic gear selector features a polished front plate that adds impact and a touch of flair to the interior. The door panels reflect the design of the rest of the interior and are highlighted once again with wood-grain trim. Interior door handles are chromed. Overall, the interior lends a light and airy feel, thanks to the large expanse of glass, and is roomy enough to seat five adults in considerable comfort.

Comfort and Convenience

The elegant interior design is complemented by a full range of comfort and convenience features. The thoughtfully designed instrument panel incorporates easy-to-read analog gauges for clear legibility both day and night. An LCD display on the dash provides a wide variety of data from the trip computer.

The Amanti's fully automatic climate control system offers "set and forget" temperature settings with dual temperature controls for each side of the passenger compartment.

The audio system is the most sophisticated ever offered in a Kia. Designed and manufactured by Infinity, the six-channel, 270-watt sound system delivers exceptional highs, mids, and lows for a dynamic listening experience. Its six-disc in-dash CD changer, AM/FM receiver and cassette deck allow you a full selection of news and music at your fingertips. The audio system is tuned to the interior to ensure the very best acoustic performance.

With the stereo off, you'll find the Amanti is an exceptionally quiet vehicle. It uses a number of different structural and technological refinements to reduce noise, vibration and harshness, including foam padding within the wheel wells, urethane insulation pads in the roof pillars, and robust sound deadening pads in the floor, roof and dash.

Power door locks and windows are standard on Amanti. A backup system prevents the doors from being locked if the key is left in the ignition, while the one-touch up and down windows have an anti-pinch feature that senses obstructions and automatically rolls down the window. The ignition incorporates an immobilizer feature for theft protection. A power tilt-and- slide sunroof provides open-air motoring in fair weather.

The driver's seat features an eight-way power adjustment function controlled by an intuitive switch mounted on the driver's door. The switch is shaped like the seat itself and comprises two buttons that electrically adjust the angle of recline, the front and rear height of the seat cushion and fore and aft location. A separate power adjustment button on the side of the seat controls the lumbar support, also electrically. The seat also features a memory feature that stores two different seating and outside mirror configurations, enabling different drivers to quickly and easily adjust the seat to their preferred settings.

With Amanti, there's more of everything, and room is no exception. In the front, there is a class-leading 40.0 inches of headroom and 43.7 inches of legroom, besting such key competitors as Toyota Avalon, Chrysler Concorde and Buick LeSabre. Move to the back seat and you'll find 37.8 inches of legroom and a class-leading 38.4 inches of headroom. Shoulder rooms stacks up well also with 58.1 inches up front and 57.5 inches in the back.

Interior space is further expanded by a full range of storage areas. The front center armrest flips up to reveal a two-level storage area. Two beverage holders in front of the armrest are designed to hold containers in a range of different sizes. In front of the passenger seat is a lockable glove box that contains a separate tray for independent storage of smaller items. The driver and front passenger doors contain adjustable map pockets and larger hard-cased compartments that fold out from the front doors to accommodate bulkier items. In the rear are front seat-back pockets and a storage space inside the fold-away central armrest, which also contains two cup-holders.

Safety

One of the biggest stories about the Amanti is its unprecedented level of safety for a vehicle in its class. In both active and passive safety, the Amanti will be a leader in offering safety equipment in the large-car segment. On the active safety front, the Amanti features an anti-lock braking system supplemented by a range of electronic systems that ensure the driver maintains complete control of the vehicle even when stopping in difficult conditions. ABS is standard equipment, but that's just the beginning. Electronic braking distribution, brake assist, traction control and electronic stability control will be available in a model with pricing that will set a new standard for value among large cars.

The integrated electronic brake distribution (EBD) system apportions braking force front and back according to the vehicle's load distribution. The traction control system (TCS) incorporates speed sensors on each wheel that detect tire slippage at the drive wheels when accelerating. Once slippage is detected, engine output is reduced and braking applied to transfer power to the wheel with the most traction.

The Amanti's Electronic Stability Program, developed by Continental Teves, works by monitoring and comparing data on driver and vehicle behavior. Sensors measure the speed of the vehicle, the intended direction of the car based on the steering angle and the actual tracking of the car. The moment a potential skid is identified, the ESP system intervenes by individually controlling braking at the wheels and by reducing engine power to control yaw and restore proper vehicle dynamics.

Passive safety features on Amanti are impressive as well. A full array of eight airbags is standard. Driver and front-passenger airbags are complemented with front and rear seat-mounted side airbags and full-length side curtain airbags. The supplemental restraints in the front are "smart" airbags controlled by sensors that gauge the severity of a frontal impact before deployment. This ensures that the airbags are not triggered by low- impact collisions like those that typically take place in parking lots.

These smart airbags are also linked to seatbelt buckle sensors, which allow the passive safety systems to respond to a collision in different manners depending on whether passengers are wearing seatbelts or not. In a minor, low-speed collision in which adequate protection is provided by the seatbelt alone, the airbag will not deploy. Side-airbags are installed in the front and rear seats to provide added protection in the event of a side impact, and full-length side curtain airbags deploy for head protection. The Amanti also uses active front headrests that move forward and up in a rear collision to further enhance head protection.

Rounding out the Amanti's overall safety story, the sedan's unibody is computer designed to minimize deformation of the passenger compartment in the event of a collision. Crumple zones at the front and rear absorb and disperse collision forces, while side-impact bars and reinforced pillars enhance passenger protection in the event of a side collision.

Performance

The front wheel-drive Amanti is motivated by a refined 3.5-liter, twin- cam, 24-valve V6 engine. The powerplant puts out 195 horsepower at 5,500 rpm and 217 ft-lbs of torque at a class-leading 3,500 rpm.* Engine noise is controlled by ample sound-deadening materials and a full engine room cover that also enhances the under-hood appearance of the car.

With key competitors still using four-speed automatics, Amanti's powertrain includes a best-in-class five-speed automatic transmission, which incorporates a sequential manual mode to provide the driver with a choice between pure automatic shifts or the control of manual gear selection. The driver can select manual mode at any time when the gear selector is in the Drive position by moving the gearshift lever sideways into the shorter slot of the "H." Pushing the gearshift lever forward then shifts up a gear and pulling it back shifts down. The current gear is numerically displayed by an LED lamp on the cluster and will be maintained until the driver changes gear or unless one of the failsafe systems cuts in.

The Amanti's remarkable ride comfort begins with an independent double wishbone front suspension with coil springs and a stabilizer bar. The double wishbone system offers many advantages, including optimum tire grip, improved traction and excellent camber control with the lower wishbone arm particularly good for enhancing lateral rigidity and reducing road noise.

At the rear, the Amanti rides on an independent multi-link suspension with coil springs and stabilizer bar. This combination gives the Amanti maximum agility, predictable steering and handling behavior during cornering and excellent directional stability. Gas-filled shock absorbers are standard equipment, providing consistent damping to absorb anything from small imperfections to large bumps.

Amanti's ideal blend of size, comfort, interior room, distinctive styling, long list of convenience features and comprehensive active and passive safety systems will make it a formidable competitor in the large-car segment in the U.S. By following the Kia formula that has made the company one of the fastest-growing brands in U.S. history, Amanti will take the key ingredients of value, quality and safety to an entirely new group of consumers. Add in the peace of mind of a 10-year, 100,000-mile warranty, and few would argue that Kia's new Amanti sedan will be a significant new presence in the large- car market.

For more information about Kia and its growing line of cars plus its Sedona minivan and Sorento SUV, go to www.kiamedia.com .

* Preliminary power rating.

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