Revised luxury sedan debuts in its homeland, with export markets likely to follow later in the year. It's still LHD only, though, so it won't be headed Down Under.

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Kia has revealed the updated Cadenza, known in its home market as the K7, sporting subtle design revisions and some technology updates. The large front-wheel drive sedan gets a new, larger grille up front, along with sharper headlights with a new LED daytime-running lights signature, along with a new bumper. It's definitely going for a more luxurious and premium look. Down back, the overall shape hasn't changed much but the details have. The tail-lights are new, with a new LED signature, while the chrome strip joining the light units through the units has been lowered to make way for a plastic strip with LED internals that makes the tail-lights look like a one-piece treatment. Lower down the bumper has been revised too, with a chrome strip joining the tailpipe finishers, along with different reflectors.

Inside is probably where the most significant changes have been made. While the steering wheel looks to be mostly the same bar the thinner switches in the spokes, the centre stack has seen a pretty comprehensive makeover. Gone is the trapezoidal treatment to the dashboard that adorned the previous model – which looked similar to the smaller Optima and Hyundai Sonata – for a more pared back and elegant look. There's more gloss black trim and the switches and buttons are smaller, while the central air vents have been relocated to under the infotainment screen rather than being placed on either side. Speaking of the touchscreen, Kia has introduced its larger display to the Cadenza, likely the 12.3-inch unit we've seen rolled out on the K900 limousine. There's also a 12.3-inch virtual instrument binnacle that will be available on higher variants, much like the unit available in the new K900, which also offers a blind-spot assist feature that streams a live feed into the cluster from a side-mounted camera.

There seems to be some new colour and trim options too for the Korean market, including quilted leather and wood-look ornamentation. Configurable ambient lighting features, too. As for powertrains, the Korean model will be available with 2.5-litre and 3.0-litre 'GDi' petrol engines, a 2.2-litre turbo-diesel, along with a 3.0-litre engine compatible with LPG. It appears the 3.0 GDi and 2.2 E-VGT engines are carried over from the previous car, which make 195kW and 148kW respectively, while the 2.5 GDi seems to be an updated version of the old model's 2.4-litre unit. A hybrid version will also be available.

Meanwhile, the pre-facelift version available in the US is exclusively offered with a 3.3-litre V6 making 213kW, paired with an eight-speed automatic. Further details should come to hand when the Cadenza/K7 is detailed for export markets like North America. Australia The Kia Cadenza has long been a left-hand drive-only proposition, and that's not expected to change with the facelift. With that in mind, don't expect it in a Kia showroom near you anytime soon.

Locally, the large-sized Korean sedan would serve as front-drive rival to high-spec versions of larger mainstream vehicles like the Holden Commodore and Skoda Superb, along with mid-sized Euro offerings like the Audi A4 and Mercedes-Benz C-Class. Click on the images for the full galley, and let us know your thoughts in the comments. MORE: Kia Cadenza coverage

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