New York Auto Show unveils 2017 Kia Cadenza

It's tough being a low-profile car entering a high-profile market segment, but that's the situation in which Kia has found itself since rolling out its Cadenza premium sedan in the States in 2013, the New York Daily News reports.

Now, three years later and poised to release the bigger, bolder and more stylish second generation of the Cadenza, Kia could be poised to raise their profile and make a serious move in the so-called executive car market.

Since introducing the Cadenza to the US in 2013, sales have not been spectacular: 8,626 in 2013 followed by a slight uptick to 9,267 in 2014 and backslide to 7,343 last year.

It's not terribly surprising that a fledgling model line would have its struggles, but the heat is on the Cadenza to catch up to competitors like the Chrysler 300, Lincoln MKZ, Cadillac ATS and CTS, each of which sold at least twice as many units as the Cadenza last year, with some selling five and six times as many.

Kia is also under pressure from its sister company Hyundai, which is spinning its Genesis line off into a luxury subsidiary, though Kia Motors American V.P. of Product Planning Orth Hedrick said that's not a concern. He feels confident that, over time, the Cadenza will capitalize on customer loyalty built up by the more affordable Optima line.

"Genesis, I don't know much about their strategy other than in it's a different space for us." he said. "But this one (the Cadenza) is really going to be a loyalty play for both buyers coming up through our own network and also as a great, very stylish alternative to what's out in the market."

Targeting, in Hedrick’s words, the "affluent, style-conscious buyer who likes to have a nice experience," Kia couldn’t have picked a better place to launch the 2017 Cadenza than the 2016 New York Auto Show.

The new Cadenza is set to hit dealerships by the end of this year, and while it'd be premature to call this a make or break moment for the brand, it’s certainly an important time to make a splash.