2016 KIA OPTIMA EARNS KELLEY BLUE BOOK’S KBB.COM BEST BUY AWARD
Kia’s passionately designed and obsessively crafted midsize sedan
garners top honors from The Trusted Resource®
- All-new 2016 Optima is part of an elite group of 12 Kelley Blue Book Best Buy Award Winners
- Kia’s head-turning design, driving dynamics, and value continue to garner praise
IRVINE, Calif., November 12, 2015 – Kia Motors America’s (KMA) passionately designed and obsessively crafted all-new 2016 Optima is the Best Buy of the Year among midsize cars according to Kelley Blue Book’s KBB.com. With an extensive yearlong data collection process, vehicle testing and evaluation of 2016 model-year vehicles, Kelley Blue Book narrowed the list of 49 Best Buy Award Finalists down to an elite group of 12 winners.
“The all-new 2016 Optima has matured in all the right ways, from the European sport-sedan design to the premium interior materials to its vastly improved ride and handling,” said Orth Hedrick, vice president, product planning KMA. “To be recognized by the experts at Kelley Blue Book as a Best Buy among some of the toughest competition in the industry is a true honor and strong indication that the all-new Optima is poised to continue its sales success and the ongoing elevation of the Kia brand.”
The Kelley Blue Book Best Buy Awards provide a significant service to consumers by identifying the top 2016 model-year vehicles. More than 300 new-car models were tested and evaluated in order to determine the finalists and, ultimately, the winners.
“We at Kelley Blue Book named the 2016 Kia Optima the Best Buy in a very crowded and competitive field of midsize cars because its combination of design, features, driving dynamics and value topped the competition,” said Jack R. Nerad, executive editorial director and executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book’s KBB.com. “No single attribute set the Optima apart; instead it was the all-new Optima’s combination of high-value elements that prompted us to bestow on it our prestigious Best Buy Award.”
For more information on Kelley Blue Book’s Best Buy Awards, visit http://www.kbb.com/car-news/all-the-latest/best-buy-awards/2000011397/.
About the 2016 Optima
Conceived under the watchful eye of Kia’s president and chief design officer, Peter Schreyer, with modern and instantly recognizable design cues, the Optima maintains its athletic identity but rides on a chassis that is longer, wider and stiffer for improved ride and handling and a more spacious cabin. Available with three engine choices, including a new 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that’s mated to a seven-speed Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT), the Optima is more confident than ever on the road. The all-new Optima’s roomier, more luxurious cabin features an impressive level of craftsmanship that comes standard across five trim levels – LX, LX 1.6T, EX, SX and SXL. The all-new Optima is built at Kia’s plant in West Point, Georgia*.
About Kia Motors America
Kia Motors America (KMA) is the marketing and distribution arm of Kia Motors Corporation based in Seoul, South Korea. KMA proudly serves as the "Official Automotive Partner" of the NBA and LPGA and set an all-time annual sales record in 2014, surpassing the 500,000 unit mark for the third consecutive year. KMA offers a complete line of vehicles, including the rear-drive K900** flagship sedan, Cadenza premium sedan, Sorento CUV, Soul urban passenger vehicle, Soul Electric Vehicle***, Sportage compact CUV, Optima midsize sedan, Optima Hybrid, the Forte compact sedan, Forte5 and Forte Koup, Rio and Rio 5-door subcompacts and the Sedona minivan, through a network of more than 765 dealers across the United States. Kia’s U.S. manufacturing plant in West Point, Georgia, builds the Optima* and Sorento* and is responsible for the creation of more than 15,000 plant and supplier jobs.
Information about KMA and its full vehicle line-up is available at www.kia.com. For media information, including photography, visit www.kiamedia.com. To receive custom email notifications for press releases the moment they are published, subscribe at www.kiamedia.com/us/en/newsalert.
About Kelley Blue Book
Founded in 1926, Kelley Blue Book, The Trusted Resource®, is the only vehicle valuation and information source trusted and relied upon by both consumers and the automotive industry. Each week the company provides the most market-reflective values in the industry on its top-rated website KBB.com, including its famous Blue Book® Trade-In Values and Fair Purchase Price, which reports what others are paying for new and used cars this week. The company also provides vehicle pricing and values through various products and services available to car dealers, auto manufacturers, finance and insurance companies, and governmental agencies. Kelley Blue Book’s KBB.com ranked highest in its category for brand equity by the 2015 Harris Poll EquiTrend® study and has been named Online Auto Shopping Brand of the Year for four consecutive years. Kelley Blue Book Co., Inc. is a Cox Automotive company.
* The Sorento and Optima GDI (EX, SX & Limited and certain LX Trims only) are assembled in the United States from U.S. and globally sourced parts
** K900 V8 available in select trims and in select markets with limited availability.
*** Soul EV in select markets with limited availability.