Not only have Hyundai and Kia been piling up market share in recent years, they have moved steadily into higher-priced segments. And both Korean brands plan to continue their march upscale with a series of new models and updates in the next three years.
Kia will launch the Cadenza, an upscale, front-wheel-drive sedan next summer. And a source says Kia has been given the green light for U.S. sales of its rear-wheel-drive flagship, known as the K9 in South Korea and the Quoris in overseas markets.
At Hyundai, a rwd sports sedan that targets BMW's 3 series is in the works, though a source says it won't arrive until 2015 at the earliest. The vehicle, known inside Hyundai as "RK," is said to be based on the rwd platform used for the Genesis Coupe.
A re-engineered and restyled Hyundai Genesis luxury sedan is due to hit U.S. showrooms in late 2013 as a 2014 model, or perhaps during the 2015 model year.
The Equus, Hyundai's rwd flagship will get a freshened exterior next summer for the 2014 model year.
While the Koreans continue to move upmarket, Chinese carmakers were once expected to flood into the same low-price segments where Hyundai and Kia got their start. But that surge of Chinese cars coming to the United States never happened, and there is little indication that it will anytime soon.
Here are the product plans for the 2013-15 model years for Hyundai and Kia and an update on what some Chinese carmakers are planning for the U.S. market.
