Kia drops slow-selling Cadenza, K900 sedans

LOS ANGELES — Kia is ending sales of two slow-selling sedans, the Cadenza and flagship K900, to make room for a growing stable of crossovers.

The 2020 model year will be the last for both sedans in the U.S.

Kia sold 1,265 units of the midsize Cadenza last year and just 305 of the K900, a large rear-drive sedan that pushed the brand into luxury territory. As the two poorest-selling Kia products, their discontinuation does not come as a big surprise.

"As the auto industry shifts its focus from full-size sedans to SUVs, Kia is poised to succeed with a robust range of utility offerings which includes Telluride, Sorento, Sportage and Seltos," Kia said in a statement Tuesday. "As we realign our model lineup to meet consumer demands, the K900 and Cadenza will be discontinued for the 2021 model year."

The Cadenza, which straddled the midsize and large car segments, was introduced at the 2013 Detroit auto show and went on sale later that year as a 2014 model. It generated cumulative sales of just over 44,600. U.S. sales of the K900, launched in 2014, totaled 6,192 through 2020.

The two nameplates join a growing roster of cars -- Chevrolet Impala, Lexus GS, Ford Taurus, Acura RLX, Dodge Avenger, Cadillac CT6, Ford Fusion, Volkswagen Golf, Lincoln Continental and Jaguar XE -- discontinued in recent years.

The subcompact Seltos crossover and the Telluride large crossover were introduced as new Kia models in the last two years and have been popular with consumers. The Seltos reached 46,280 sales last year and the Telluride, which was restricted by inventory shortages, hit 75,129 deliveries.

For 2021, Kia has a new-generation midsize Sorento that comes in hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions for the first time. Kia is also working on a crossover-style EV that is likely to be presented this year and go on sale next year. The Korean brand is also redesigning the comapct Sportage and eco-friendly Niro crossover, which comes as a hybrid and an EV.

Even with the discontinuation of the Cadenza and K900, Kia still has a robust car lineup, including the entry Rio sedan, the subcompact Soul, the compact Forte, the Stinger sports hatchback and the midsize K5, which was redesigned and renamed for 2021 after the Optima moniker was dropped.

The Stinger is also among Kia's low-selling cars, with deliveries of 12,556 last year, raising questions about its viability in the U.S. It does, however, serve as something of a halo vehicle for Kia given its rear-wheel drive architecture, available twin-turbo V-6 and near-luxury interior.