Is America Ready for a $70,000 Kia?

Kia's new luxury car will be called the K900, according to reports. It's expected to be essentially identical to this model, called the K9, currently offered in South Korea. Photo credit: Kia Motors

Is America ready for a $70,000 Kia?

Kia Motors has seen impressive sales gains in the U.S. over the last several years, thanks largely to a series of stylish models. But so far, they've been stylish-but-affordable"; Kias have generally been marketed here -- successfully -- as value-priced alternatives to cars from Toyota and Honda .

Kia is about to aim a lot higher, though. Automotive News has reported that the company is planning to bring a big luxury sedan to the U.S. early next year. The new sedan will follow Kia's value pricing formula, but at a much higher level: With a starting price that could be as high as $70,000, it's expected that Kia will position its new car as an alternative to the full-sized BMW 7-Series, but with a price closer to BMW's mid-size 5-Series.

Will Kia's formula translate to the luxury-car market? In this video, Fool contributor John Rosevear explains what Kia will need to have any chance of success -- and why it might fail, even if the new sedan is terrific.

How to profit from the world's biggest auto boom
There's good reason to believe that the most successful investors over the next few decades will be those with exposure to China's massive and growing population of domestic consumers. And there are few things that these consumers are likely to purchase with more enthusiasm than cars and trucks. In this brand-new free report, our analysts get out in front of this trend by identifying two automakers that are poised to surge along with China's middle class. If you want to be among the smart investors who get rich from this growing trend, then you'd be well advised to instantly download our free report on the topic by clicking here now.

The article Is America Ready for a $70,000 Kia? originally appeared on Fool.com.

Fool contributor John Rosevear owns shares of General Motors. You can connect with him on Twitter at @jrosevear. The Motley Fool recommends BMW and General Motors. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.