Kia Opirus
Encyclopedia
The Kia Opirus was a full-size car manufactured and marketed by Kia Motors
that was launched in April 2003 — and was marketed globally under various nameplates, prominently as the Amanti. It was considered to be Kia's flagship vehicle.
As Kia's first entry into the large-car
market, the Opirus/Amanti had been marketed in a single trim level and only as a sedan. It shared some components with its now-defunct corporate cousin, the Hyundai Grandeur XG, including its 3.5 L V6 engine
.
For 2007, the Kia Opirus received various upgrades, including suspension and styling revisions, and the addition of the same engine
as the current Hyundai Grandeur
(Azera), this time being a 3.8L
V6 engine.
In the U.S., the Amanti was recognized as the "Most Appealing Premium Midsize Car" by J.D. Power and Associates
' 2005 Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout Study.
The 2007 Amanti outscored several luxury cars in Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
(IIHS) side-impact crash testing, to earn the highest rating of Good.
As of December 17, 2010, the Kia website no longer listed the Amanti as a production model.
The Kia Cadenza
, officially unveiled on October 18, 2009, is completely redesigned to reflect Kia's new design style. The Cadenza will replace the Kia Amanti, and features many features found on more expensive luxury cars, such as a heated steering wheel, power extendable seat cushions, automatic windshield defogger, and cooled front seats. Like the Amanti, the Opirus is only equipped with an automatic transmission
.
Kia Motors
Kia Motors , headquartered in Seoul, is South Korea's second-largest automobile manufacturer, following the Hyundai Motor Company, with sales of over 1.4 million vehicles in 2010...
that was launched in April 2003 — and was marketed globally under various nameplates, prominently as the Amanti. It was considered to be Kia's flagship vehicle.
As Kia's first entry into the large-car
Full-size car
A full-size car is a marketing term used in North America for an automobile larger than a mid-size car. In the United States, the EPA uses "large car" to denote full-size cars....
market, the Opirus/Amanti had been marketed in a single trim level and only as a sedan. It shared some components with its now-defunct corporate cousin, the Hyundai Grandeur XG, including its 3.5 L V6 engine
V6 engine
A V6 engine is a V engine with six cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of three cylinders, usually set at either a right angle or an acute angle to each other, with all six pistons driving a common crankshaft...
.
Internal combustion engine
The internal combustion engine is an engine in which the combustion of a fuel occurs with an oxidizer in a combustion chamber. In an internal combustion engine, the expansion of the high-temperature and high -pressure gases produced by combustion apply direct force to some component of the engine...
as the current Hyundai Grandeur
Hyundai Grandeur
The New Grandeur and the third generation of the Mitsubishi Debonair were the products of a joint development between Hyundai and Mitsubishi Motors. Mitsubishi was responsible for the powertrain, and Hyundai was responsible for the body and trim design...
(Azera), this time being a 3.8L
Litre
pic|200px|right|thumb|One litre is equivalent to this cubeEach side is 10 cm1 litre water = 1 kilogram water The litre is a metric system unit of volume equal to 1 cubic decimetre , to 1,000 cubic centimetres , and to 1/1,000 cubic metre...
V6 engine.
In the U.S., the Amanti was recognized as the "Most Appealing Premium Midsize Car" by J.D. Power and Associates
J.D. Power and Associates
J.D. Power and Associates is a global marketing information services firm founded in 1968 by James David Power III. The firm conducts surveys of customer satisfaction, product quality, and buyer behavior for industries ranging from cars to marketing and advertising firms. The firm is best known for...
' 2005 Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout Study.
The 2007 Amanti outscored several luxury cars in Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is a U.S. non-profit organization funded by auto insurers, established in 1959 and headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. It works to reduce the number of motor vehicle crashes, and the rate of injuries and amount of property damage in the crashes that...
(IIHS) side-impact crash testing, to earn the highest rating of Good.
As of December 17, 2010, the Kia website no longer listed the Amanti as a production model.
Successor
The Kia VG concept (Kia KND-5, production model named Cadenza) was reported to be successor of Amanti, based on the platform for the next generation of Hyundai Azera.The Kia Cadenza
Kia Cadenza
The Kia Cadenza, or Kia K7 in South Korea, is Kia's new full-size car to replace the Kia Opirus/Amanti. It is considered to be Kia's flagship vehicle....
, officially unveiled on October 18, 2009, is completely redesigned to reflect Kia's new design style. The Cadenza will replace the Kia Amanti, and features many features found on more expensive luxury cars, such as a heated steering wheel, power extendable seat cushions, automatic windshield defogger, and cooled front seats. Like the Amanti, the Opirus is only equipped with an automatic transmission
Automatic transmission
An automatic transmission is one type of motor vehicle transmission that can automatically change gear ratios as the vehicle moves, freeing the driver from having to shift gears manually...
.