The Kia K5 is a mid-size sedan that faces challenges in sales due to its high price point and the rising popularity of SUVs over sedans. While the facelifted model has been available globally since last year, it hasn’t yet made its way to Vietnam. It’s rare to find promotional discounts for the K5 from official dealers.
Kia has adjusted the pricing of its vehicles in recent months, but the K5 has never been included in these adjustments. As a result, it’s not surprising that some 2023 models are still available at dealerships, and dealers are now offering discounts to clear their inventory.
Kia K5 Dealer Discounts
A dealership in central Vietnam is offering a discount of 50 million VND on the Kia K5 Luxury, bringing the price down to 809 million VND. Meanwhile, a dealership in Hanoi is offering a lower discount of 35 million VND, resulting in a price of 824 million VND.
Even before these discounts, the K5’s pricing was already on the lower end of the mid-size sedan segment, with competitors like the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry starting at over 1 billion VND.
However, the K5’s pricing is still not as competitive as the Mazda6, which has a starting price significantly lower than the K5. Mazda recently reduced the price of the Mazda6 even further by 25 million VND, making it even more affordable. Additionally, the upcoming MG7 is expected to enter the Vietnamese market with an estimated price of under 900 million VND, further intensifying the competition.
The discounts offered by Kia dealerships for the K5 are not particularly impressive when compared to its competitors. Mazda6’s more attractive pricing has helped it maintain its position as the second best-selling model in the segment, just behind the Toyota Camry. Meanwhile, the K5 often lags behind in third place, with sales figures in the double digits. In the first three months of 2024, only 74 units of the K5 were sold.
These factors explain why, at the end of last year, dealerships were still trying to clear their inventory of 2022 models, and there is a risk of this situation repeating in 2024.
What Does the Kia K5 Offer?
The Kia K5 has the typical advantage of Korean cars, offering a more dynamic design compared to its competitors in the same segment. The front of the car features a well-designed grille that harmonizes with the headlamps. The Luxury trim comes with standard LED headlights, while the Premium and GT-Line trims are equipped with LED Projector headlights. The car rides on stylish 18-inch wheels.
The interior of the K5 impresses with a 10.25-inch infotainment screen and a 12.3-inch fully digital instrument cluster, along with support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The Premium and GT-Line trims are equipped with a 12-speaker Bose sound system. The seats are upholstered in leather, with the driver’s seat offering 10-way power adjustment and memory function, while the passenger seat has 6-way power adjustment. Both front seats are heated and ventilated. The steering wheel features paddle shifters for a more engaging driving experience.
In the Vietnamese market, the Kia K5 is offered with two engine options. The Luxury and Premium trims are powered by a 2.0 MPI engine that produces 150 horsepower and 192 Nm of torque, paired with a 6-speed automatic transmission. The GT-Line trim gets a more powerful 2.5 GDI engine that generates 191 horsepower and 246 Nm of torque, mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission. All three trims feature front-wheel drive.
When it comes to safety, the Kia K5 falls short of its competitors as it lacks the advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) that are becoming more common in mid-size sedans in Vietnam. The safety features include ABS, electronic stability control, hill-start assist, parking sensors, tire pressure monitoring, blind-spot monitoring, blind-spot view monitor on the instrument cluster, a surround-view camera system, and six airbags.
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