Kia Corp.'s new large sedan, the K8, received a strong response from the domestic market, with first-day preorders setting a record high among its sedan models, the nation's No. 2 carmaker said Wednesday.

Kia started receiving orders for the K8, a direct follow-up to the K7, known as the Cadenza in the United States, on Monday ahead of the model's domestic launch slated for early April.

Preorders for the K8 reached 18,015 units on the first day, outpacing the K5's preorders of 7,003 units in November 2019, Kia said.

The first-day preorders accounted for about 44 percent of K7 sales in the domestic market last year, the firm said.

Kia offers the K8 in 2.5-liter and 3.5-liter gasoline engine versions, as well as a 3.5-liter liquefied petroleum injection (LPI) option, with prices starting at 32 million won ($23,370). It plans to add a 1.6-liter gasoline hybrid engine model in the first half of this year.

In January, the automaker changed its corporate name from Kia Motors to Kia, signaling the brand breaking away from its traditional manufacturing-driven business model. K8 is the first model that bears Kia's new brand logo. (Yonhap)