Kia Concord

Kia Concord.

The Kia Concord is a four-door sedan produced by South Korea's Kia Motors from 1987.^[1] It is a license-built version of the 1982 Mazda Capella, and all versions accordingly used Mazda four-cylinder engines. The Capital/Concord lineup underwent a series of facelifts, eventually becoming the "New Capital" and "New Concord" in marketing material. Production of the Concord ended in 1995, while the cheaper Capital continued until late 1996. The car was succeeded by the Clarus in 1996, which utilized the Mazda GE Platform.

History

1989 Kia Concord 2.0i DGT

First introduced in April 1987, the Concord received the carburetted 99 PS (73 kW) 2-litre petrol FE engine. During 1988 the engine programme was expanded considerably, with the 72 PS (53 kW) 2-litre diesel "RF" added in April, a 95 PS (70 kW) 1.8-litre (F8) in May, a 110 PS (81 kW) fuel-injected version (called the 2.0i DGT)^[2] added in July, and finally an LPG powered 1.8 for taxi usage added in August. This expansion allowed the Concord to better compete with the Hyundai Sonata. After the 1991 facelift the engine programme was somewhat restricted, but in March 1992 a comparatively powerful DOHC version of the 2.0 was added, with 139 PS (102 kW) at 6,000 rpm.

With the 1995 introduction of the Kia Credos, production of the Concord came to an end. The smaller and simpler Capital continued a little while longer as a low-priced alternative.

Kia Capital

Pre-facelift Kia Capital DOHC 16V

Pre-facelift Kia Capital DOHC 16V

The lower end Capital (K930-series) was added in February 1989 with a carburetted two-valve SOHC version of the Mazda 1.5-litre B5 engine.^[2] Power was 80 PS (59 kW) at 6,000 rpm. There was also a 1.5 MPFi version with a claimed 95 PS (70 kW), the same output as that of the fuel-injected 1.8-litre GLX version available until the facelift.

After a change in legislation meaning that cars were now taxed based on displacement, with a large threshold at 1,500 cc, the Capital was available with a Twin Cam, 16-valve B5 engine in May 1990. This surprising development had 115 PS (85 kW) on tap at 6,500 rpm. Top speed was 170 km/h (106 mph), the same as for the fuel-injected 1.5, but 0–100 km/h acceleration time dropped from 13.5 to 10.0 seconds. After the 1990 introductions of stronger competitors such as the Daewoo Espero and Hyundai Elantra, the Capital received a facelift in November 1991. The facelift was not very deep, the most obvious difference being the relocation of the rear license plate to the bumper rather than between the taillights. The facelift version offered the 1.5 engine as well as a downgraded version of the 1.8, now to carburetted specifications and producing a mere 82 PS (60 kW) at 5,000 rpm. This was mainly intended for taxi usage. There was also an export version with the carburetted two-valve 1.5 for Kia's very few export markets, with 73 PS (54 kW).^[2]

Kia "New Capital" LS Di

Kia "New Capital" LS Di

In June 1994 the Capital received another facelift, featuring more rounded headlights and a new grille. This was called the "New Capital" in the marketing, although the badging on the car remained plain "Capital". The New Capital was only sold with the 16-valve B5 engine, in GS or higher LS equipment levels. Production of the Capital finally ended in December 1996, overlapping a few years with the Sephia that would eventually replace it.

Kia continued its line of mid-size sedans with Credos (1995), Optima (2000), Lotze (2005) and K5 (2010).

References

1. "Graduate Information Brochure". Kia Motors (UK). 2010. p. 5.
2. Quattroruote: Tutte le Auto del Mondo 1992 (in Italian). Milano: Editoriale Domus S.p.A. 1992. p. 416.