What is vehicle luxury? In the 50s it was air conditioning in your Imperial. Is the early-2000s version the flappy paddle gearbox? Two Korean car companies want to change what you consider luxury to be.

Kia has leapt into the luxury car market with last year’s Cadenza and this year’s K900. They promise to “breathe new life into luxury” and implore you to “Challenge the luxury you know.” The Cadenza burst on the North American scene in early 2013 with descriptors including words like “blissful luxury.”

The K900, a North American version of the South Korean K9, goes farther by asking if tradition and heritage are what make a luxury sedan, and describing features being characteristic of a “premium rear-wheel sedan.” Kia made it apparent they were ready to challenge some staid luxury marques—namely the Europeans.

photo courtesy of automotive.com