Didn't I mention that Kia was on an ever-growing roll recently? GreyhoundBoy87 sent me the first shots of the upcoming refreshed Optima undisguised today, and the first impression is mighty good. The Optima, known as the Magentis or the Lotze in other markets, was released as a MY2006.5 model. The facelift imaged here will be the car's first substantial refresh and will debut as a MY2009 model in Korea first. The slew of changes include a heavily reworked exterior, a retouched interior, new gauges, and new powertrains. The exterior receives the most attention with a redesigned front fascia that cues the Kue Concept and KND-4 Concept. New taillights and wheels are also in the roundup. The interior undergoes minor revisions to the center stack, gauges, and electronics. An in-dash navigation system will also be available in the US and Canadian market. There are no details regarding the available engines of the car. However, we suspect that both 4-cylinder and 6-cylinder models will receive a moderate boost.
Other than the shots we have obtained here, details are slim as to how the revised Optima will shape up. We cannot speculate accurately on when the Optima will make its debut, but we'll put our bets onto the Seoul Motor Show coming this April. If not, chances are high that Kia's updated mid-size sedan will bow at the Paris Motor Show this September.
[Source: GreyhoundBoy87]
UPDATE: Slightly enlargened images are now available.
Images after the jump. Beware, they are dwarfish at best.
