2022 Kia K8 replacing the oft-forgotten-about Cadenza in company's lineup

Eileen Falkenberg-Hull
Mar 5, 2021, 2:04 pm

A diamond mesh grille fronts the 2022 Kia K8.

PhPhoto courtesy of Kia Motorsoto courtesy of Kia Motors

Goodbye, Cadenza. Hello, K8. The Kia Cadenza is one of those cars that is easy forgotten about (if you ever knew about it in the first place) and frequently passed over in favor of the Toyota Avalon or the like. Still, most every automotive journalist who has driven it likes it.

So, Kia's taking the lessons learned from the Cadenza and some from the K5 and Stinger, and rolling them into a new large sedan, the 2022 Kia K8. This week the company unveiled the first official images of the car ahead of its debut. This is the first vehicle named the K8 in Kia history.

2022 Kia K8 The K8's headlights have integrated turn signals.Photo courtesy of Kia Motors

2022 Kia K8

"Following our recent company rebrand, we keep moving toward our new brand values with a new model – the K8. This modern sedan has been designed with innovation and elegance at its very core," said Karim Habib, Senior Vice President and Head of Kia Global Design Center. "While paying homage to the K7, the K8 looks to the future. Its progressive exterior takes on character and emotion, and combines those qualities with an expressive looking front and a dynamic swooping rear, giving the K8 a high-quality, premium presence that takes direct inspiration from some of the world's most technically advanced yachts."

As seen in the photos, the car wears Kia's new logo on its badging, and has design lines reminiscent of the vehicles it has taken lessons from. There's a frameless tire nose grille with diamond lattice, turn signals integrated into the headlights, an elongated side profile, chrome finish along the bottom of the doors, and a roofline that trails off into the trunk. It's all very much from the Kia sedan lineup.

Kia promises that the car will have a "first class" interior that establishes "new benchmarks in premium quality". The sedan will deliver a high-performance driving experience yet be comfortable to ride in, according to Kia messaging.

The rear of the Kia K8 features elongated taillights.Photo courtesy of Kia Motors

The Kia K8 is expected to arrive in showrooms later this year but the U.S. might not get it until after it's arrived in Korea and Europe.

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New Car

Redesigned 11th-generation Honda Civic breaks cover ahead of official debut

The 11th-generaiton Honda Civic Sedan has broken cover.

Photo courtesy of American Honda Motor Co.

Marie was a little bit country and Donny was a little bit rock and roll. The design of the redesigned 2022 Honda Civic Sedan looks a little bit modern and a little bit vintage - and it's all a heck of a lot less polarizing than the previous generation.

Today Honda has offered the first official fully lighted glimpse of the 11th-generation Civic, which is set to officially debut April 28. The design of the model was previewed last year with the Civic Prototype.

2022 Honda Civic Prototype The 2022 Honda Civic Prototype showed off a nearly production-ready design late last year. Photo courtesy of American Honda Motor Co., Inc

Honda openly admits that the look of the new Civic was inspired by the last. Head into the trove of internet photos of the fourth- and fifth-generation Civic to see parallels in design. Honda said that designers upheld Honda's human-centric design philosophy in the new model while also increasing the safety.

The result is a car that looks very much like a sedan but still retains sporty attributes. It also looks more like the Accord in this generation than the last. In the photo provided by Honda, the new Civic is in Touring trim level form.

Honda said that the car's interior design, which they haven't shown photos of yet, is "uncluttered", has "simple ergonomics", and delivers "exceptional visibility".

The 2022 Civic will arrive on dealership lots this summer.

Also this summer, the Honda Civic Tour will return for its 20th season. There will be two stops on the virtual tour that will be livestreamed on the Honda Stage YouTube channel. The first event will start at 5:00 p.m. PT, on April 28. The virtual concert event on Twitch will also give Civic Tour fans a special first look at the all-new 2022 Honda Civic Sedan around 6:00 p.m. PT, leading into the performance.

As previously announced, the all-new Civic Hatchback will follow Civic Sedan production by several months. Details about Civic Hatchback, to be manufactured by Honda in the United States for the first time in its history, will follow later this year. The Civic Hatchback will be built at the company's Indiana auto plant.

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Such a Tease

Lexus teases refreshed 2022 ES ahead of its April 18 reveal

The 2022 Lexus ES will debut next week.

Photo courtesy of Lexus

The meat and potatoes of the Lexus sedan lineup, the ES, is due for a refresh, and it will get one. The 2022 Lexus ES will be shown publicly for the first time this Sunday as part of the festivities of the Shanghai auto show.

While the photo doesn't tell a lot, there's some things you can bet on in the 2022 ES. For starters, look for all the improvements that the auto has gotten over the last two years to carry over into the new model. That includes the addition of all-wheel drive to the lineup and standard blind spot monitor and rear cross traffic alert.

The ES Black Line may not make its way to the 2022 version of the midsize sedan. Generally, blacked out editions are available only at the tail end of a model run ahead of a refresh or generational redesign. However, the blacked out elements could become available as part of a package.

The headlight photo that Lexus has offered as a teaser shows a housing that is not dissimilar to the one that the Lexus IS wears. However, the daytime running light is on the bottom here, instead off the top. Like the IS, there are strong hood lines.

At the back, the preview video shows a vehicle that is very similar to the current model. It's taillights, a strong chrome line that runs the width of the year, and rear lip spoiler all look mostly same as before.

As for what to expect underneath the body of the car, there's not a lot of indication from the teasers, which leads one to believe that's where the biggest changes are coming. There's a good chance that we'll finally say goodbye to the Lexus touch pad in favor of a touch screen display that's within a comfortable distance.

It's also likely that Lexus will fine tune the dynamics of the ES in a similar fashion to how the Lexus IS got more performance-focused driving dynamics in its latest redo.

Stay tuned for more specifics are the curtain is pulled back on April 19 in China (April 18 in the U.S.).

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