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This Korean brand began selling cars in America in the early 90’s, and initially built very cheap and not well put together cars. Today, Kia has reinvented itself into a premium brand which sells very competitively priced cars. Models to watch: K9, Optima Hybrid
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2012 Kia Rio Likely to Get 138-HP in North America, Sedan to Debut at NY Auto Show
The all-new 2012 Kia Rio will sedan will debut at the New York Auto Show, with a strong possibility that it will house a significantly more powerful engine than its European counterpart. At the Geneva Auto Show last month, Kia unwrapped the Rio hatchback, sporting a turbocharged direct-injection 1.2-liter 4-cylinder engine. North American models, however,…
Report: Asian Cars Preferred by Women, But Not Asian Women
Yesterday, we told you about the rising influence women of different ethnicities have when it comes to vehicle purchases. And now, R.L. Polk & Co. has released new information about the correlation between women and the Asian automakers. The Asian OEMs in question are Toyota, Lexus, Honda, Acura, Hyundai, KIA, Nissan, Infiniti, Subaru and Mazda,…
2012 Kia Rio Sedan To Debut At New York Auto Show
Autoblog has revealed that the 2012 Kia Rio will make its debut at this April’s New York Auto Show, with an expected 1.4L 4-cylinder making 108 horsepower and 100 lb-ft of torque. Expected transmissions are a 6-speed manual and an automatic, rumored to be a 4-speed. The sedan will complement the hatchback previously revealed at…
Kia Optima Hybrid May Be Delayed
With the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid delayed due to a change to the pedestrian warning system, the Kia Optima Hybrid will face similar delays, with units expected to arrive at dealers sometime in the summer, a full 5 months later than planned. The Optima Hybrid, being mechanically identical to the Sonata Hybrid, must also undergo the…
Kia Naimo Electric Car Debuts at Seoul Motor Show, Points Way to Production Model
Kia has just revealed its third in a string of electric car concepts, debuting the Naimo at the Seoul Motor Show. Unlike past mini cars, this sub-compact B-Class model is a crossover and may be the most realistic example yet of Kia’s plan to bring an EV to market in the near future. At 153-inches…
Kia Most Improved Brand in ALG Perceived Quality Study
And the findings of its most recent one (Spring 2011); indicated that of all automakers that sell cars and trucks in the US; the most improved in the mainstream category was Kia Motors.
Kia K9 Gets Green Light as Rear-Drive, V8-Powered Genesis Double
Rumored to be in the production pipeline since 2009, Kia will reportedly move ahead with plans to introduce a flagship K9 sedan. The K9 (following Kia’s Korean numbering scheme) will be based on the same chassis as the Genesis sedan from parent company Hyundai. That being said, it will be a true rear-wheel drive machine,…
Kia Roadster Planned to Give Brand Youth Appeal
Kia is currently investigating a plan to bring a small two-seat roadster model to market to help set the tone for the brand. The car has even been called Kia’s MX-5 by company execs, including European CEO Paul Philpott. According to Philpott 2011 and 2012 are all about setting a new foundation for the brand…
2011 Mazda 3 Scores Top Pick In Safety From IIHS
The Insurance Institute For Highway Safety awarded the Mazda 3 with its Top Pick honor in the small car category. The Mazda3 met the criteria by scoring a “Good” rating in all crash test categories (front, side, rear and rollover) and has electronic stability control. The Mazda3 is the first car from the automaker to…
Honeywell Says United States Is An “Emerging Market” For Turbochargers
While forced induction has long been in favor in the rest of the world, Americans have often favored big displacement motors, but recent trends towards fuel economy have necessitated a shift to smaller motors, and turbocharging is considered the optimal way to stretch 4-cylinders into feeling like 6. Honeywell, one of the largest manufacturers of…
Kia Rio Hot Hatch Under Consideration to Spice Up Brand’s Image
Kia‘s new designs are helping brand the Korean automaker in a more positive light, particularly here in North America with the stylish new Optima. But in other parts of the world mid-size sedan’s don’t hold the same cache, nor do they sell all that well, so Kia is looking at alternative ways to create a…
Kia Recalling 70,000 Optimas for Transmission Issue
However, Kia also says that so far, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has not recorded any instances of injuries resulting from the problem.
Kia Sportage SX Turbo Announced With 256-HP, Priced from $25,795
After the car quietly popped on the scene at the Montreal Auto Show a few months back, Kia has confirmed the SX Turbo version of its Sportage crossover for America. Powered by the same 2.0-liter turbocharged direct-injection 4-cylinder as found in the Optima sedan, it makes 256-hp and 264 lb-ft of torque. Fuel economy is…
Geneva 2011: Kia Rio Revealed
The Kia Rio used to have the ignominious honor of being a “penalty box”, a car you didn’t want to spend time in unless absolutely necessary. But with the upswing in quality from Kia, and shared underpinnings from the promising new Hyundai Accent, the all-new Rio, shown for the first time at the Geneva Auto…
2012 Kia Rio Uncovered Ahead of Geneva Debut With Turbocharged Direct-Injection 1.2L
Kia has just released the first details and photos of the new Rio sub-compact ahead of its world premiere at the Geneva Auto Show in March. A sister car to the Hyundai Accent (details on the 2012 model here), the Rio gets a unique styling and for now will only be available as either a…
2011 Super Bowl Commercials: Volkswagen, Audi, Mercedes, Chrysler, Chevrolet, Hyundai
It’s over, you’re probably hung over, Green Bay won and Christina Aguilera botched the National Anthem. Oh, and then there are all those pricey commercials. In case you missed some, or just want to watch them again, we’ve compiled all the automotive ads in one convenient location. The long-shot favorite is Volkswagen’s Darth Vader spot…
Kia Optima ‘Epic Ride’ Super Bowl Commercial [Video]
After advertising during the Super Bowl for the first time ever last year, Kia is back with a new spot to promote its all-new Optima sedan. Kia’s ‘Epic Ride’ add will be followed by an Epic Contest, using ads and social media to give participants the change to win one of five Optimas. To get…
Hyundai Officially Ousts Ford to Become World’s 4th Largest Automaker
Mid way through 2010, Hyundai Motor Group surpassed Ford Motor Company to become the world’s fourth largest automaker, and just-released year-end numbers have confirmed the Korean auto-giant has held on to close out the year. Total Hyundai (including Kia) sales for 2010 reached 5,744,018 units for the year, just edging out Ford’s global numbers of…
Kia Super Bowl Ad Holds the Secret to Winning a 2011 Optima
You may want to pace yourself during this year’s Super Bowl. You’re going to need your wits about you if you want to win a 2011 Kia Optima. For the automaker’s Super Bowl ads this year, Kia is launching a fully integrated and interactive marketing campaign that uses TV, digital, print, social media and in-dealership…
Kia Sportage SX Gets 2.0-Liter Turbo Engine in Canada
At the recent Montreal International Auto Show, Kia Canada rolled out a new turbocharged version of the Sportage crossover. Currently available in only LX and EX trim levels, this new SX model uses the same 2.0L turbocharged gasoline direct injection (GDI) engine found in the new Hyundai Sonata Turbo. No engine specifics have been provided,…
Kia Drops Borrego, Rondo From U.S. Market
Kia‘s Rondo small minivan and Borrego SUV have been dumped from the U.S. lineup, ostensibly after slow sales forced Kia to cease importation. Although originally reported by Automotive News, Kia declined to comment on the matter. The Borrego was never a strong seller in the U.S., although the large SUV, along with the Rondo small…
Hyundai Aiming For 47 Percent Market Share In South Korea
Hyundai was able to achieve a 45 percent market share in South Korea in 2010, falling well below its target of 52 percent. Luckily, the failure to meet the target thanks to phenomenal growth from the Kia brand, owned by Hyundai and Kia’s new Optima and Sportage. For 2011, Hyundai is targeting a more modest…
2012 Kia Rio To Debut At Geneva Auto Show, Return 50 MPG Highway
The Kia Rio is well overdue for a replacement, and with a new Hyundai Accent on the way, it stands to reason that its platform-mate will also get a thorough re-design. Although only a sketch has been released so far, the familiar design language brought forth by Kia styling boss Peter Schreyer. Mechanically, the car…
Detroit 2011: Kia KV7 Concept the Mystery Machine for the 21st Century Scooby-Doo
If any other automaker announced they wanted to bring back the van, we would have expected something practical and utilitarian. We’d picture a family-friendly minivan or perhaps a commercial vehicle for small businesses. But when a company like Kia says it, we expect something entirely different. After all, this is the company that gave us…
