Kia News
-
Like much of the auto press, we'll be at next week's Chicago Auto Show to see the covers come off the concepts and production cars. While Chicago has traditionally been a truck show, at least one maker is unveiling a concept for a small and economical--but still sporty and cool--compact car. The Kia Track'ster Concept, as it's called and punctuated, is essentially a two-door coupe version of the very popular Kia Soul "small box" compact vehicle. So far, Kia has released only a single teaser sketch (above) of what it calls the "ultimate performance" version of the Soul. [UPDATE, Mon, Feb 6...
-
Hyundai, Kia To Expand Hybrids, Electrics With New InvestmentIf you're looking to buy a hybrid or electric car in the next few years, you could certainly do worse than to keep your eye on the Korean carmakers. Hyundai Motor Group, the company in charge of both Hyundai and Kia, has announced heavy investment into hybrid and electric technology this year...
Antony Ingram -
Forbidden Fruit: Kia Ray Electric Car Not Due In U.S.Kia might be a car company growing in quality and reputation in North America, but it seems we aren't in line for every vehicle the company produces. While the U.S. is one of the strongest markets for electric cars, Kia's new Ray EV won't be hitting American shores, according to USA Today. Instead...
Antony Ingram -
2011 Kia Forte SX Five-Door Hatchback: Weekend DriveWhile it may come from the same company as the Hyundai Elantra, our 2011 Kia Forte hatchback weekend test car is nothing like that curvaceous, fuel-efficient compact. Instead, the Forte is aiming for a kind of European performance niche--closer to a Volkswagen Golf or Jetta than the Toyota Corolla...
John Voelcker -
40-MPG 2012 Kia Rio Sedan To Start At $14,150The new-from-the-ground-up Kia Rio sedan offers 40 mpg highway fuel economy, a wide range of standard safety features and a segment first idle stop and go system, all for a relatively low point of entry.
Kurt Ernst -
2012 Kia Rio Hatch: Five Doors, 40 MPG Starting At $14,350Kia has priced its 2012 Rio Hatchback, which gets 40 mpg on the highway and comes standard with start-stop, to start at a base price of $14,350.
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
For fans of ultra-economical vehicles living in the United States, life just isn't fair sometimes. While the European market gets to play with dozens of high MPG turbodiesels, we're often told to make do with small capacity gasoline engines that don't come close to matching diesel, even if they're getting better these days. Latest to join the "forbidden fruit" list is the Kia Rio Ecodynamics. The 2011 Kia Rio is one of America's cheapest cars and although the recently-launched European model doesn't have the same penny-pinching title, it does get the option of a 1.1-liter, 3-cylinder...
-
2011 Kia Optima Hybrid: First Drive ReviewIf any brand has emerged from the bottom of the market into awareness lately, it's Kia. The Korean brand is halfway through introducing an entirely refreshed line of smart, stylish, and inexpensive vehicles that are getting noticed--and selling well. The 2011 Kia Optima Hybrid we recently...
John Voelcker -
2011 Kia Optima Hybrid On Economy Drive, 69 MPG So Far...We've learned to take official EPA gas-mileage ratings with a pinch of salt in the past. They're useful for comparing model to model, but not always representative of the figures real people out in the real world will achieve. That's not to say that the EPA's fuel efficiency numbers can't be...
Antony Ingram -
BREAKING: Renault Teases Frendzy Concept Before 2011 Frankfurt ShowRenault has just unveiled its latest electric car creation ahead of the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show. Called the Frendzy, and looking a little like the Kia Soul, the concept is a just under 14 feet in length and features a whole host of technology worthy of any concept car, including the ability to...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Should Detroit Dial Down The Doom & Gloom Over High-Mileage Rules?We've heard this script before. Some agency of the Federal Government proposes a new rule that will affect the design and performance of cars in some way, sometime in the future. Instinctively, reflexively, automatically, viscerally, the industry lashes out. Horror, catastrophe, misery, bankruptcy!...
John Voelcker -
2011 Kia Optima Hybrid To Cost $26,500, Less Than Camry, Fusion HybridsKia has announced that its 2011 Optima Hybrid midsize sedan will carry a starting price of $26,500 when it arrives at dealers in June. (That price does not include a mandatory $750 destination fee.) The car is the first-ever hybrid electric vehicle from the Korean carmaker, which is owned by...
John Voelcker -
Yesterday Dallas-based electric vehicle firm Green Automotive Company announced it was sending two of its all-electric Zotye electric SUVs to be tested for compliance with Federal Motor Safety Standards at independent engineering firm Roush Industries. But while GAC’s website promises it is providing the “First 100% Electric SUV” to U.S. consumers, investigators in China are still exploring a terrifying incident which took place in early April in which resulted in one Zotye electric car bursting into flames. The incident, reported by Automotive News China, took place on...
-
2003 to 2007 Kia Spectras Recalled For Fuel Tank IssueRecalls aren’t exactly most manufacturers favorite things, but they are necessary to make sure that consumers stay safe. The most recent recall news in the small car arena affects the Kia Spectra. Kia will be recalling some 58,000 Spectra compact cars in colder climates for an issue with the...
Jonathan McGrew -
2012 Kia Rio Brings Start-Stop, 40 MPG: NY Auto ShowKia has redesigned its popular Rio small car for 2012, offering buyers more space, more power and up to 40 mpg fuel economy on the highway. The vehicle made its U.S. debut this past week at the 2011 New York Auto Show and is set to go on sale this fall in both sedan and five-door hatchback...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
2011 New York Auto Show: Kia Hamsters Take Top Honors From NielsenThe 2011 New York Auto Show has been full of surprises in new car announcements, but as we mentioned earlier this week the auto show has more than just announcements—they also have awards. Nielsen, a respected name in the advertising industry and responsible for rating and measuring the...
Jonathan McGrew -
Kia Forte Impressions: How a Grand-Am Win Changes the View of Entry-LevelIt is no secret that Kia is trying to change their image. The company has come out with vehicles that will make you do a “double-take.” If you aren’t sure what I am talking about I have one word for you—Soul. Then of course there is the Spectra replacement—Kia Forte...
Jonathan McGrew -
Kia Reveals Naimo Electric Crossover Concept, Announces Real-World TestsKia has taken the wraps off its third electrified concept car in the space of a year (the previous being the Pop and Ray), strongly suggesting that we’re at the start of what could eventuate into an electric car revolution within the South Korean automaker. The latest concept is the 2011 Kia...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Kia has some major plans in the pipeline, with the introduction of new hybrid models, a brand new Rio hatchback and range of downsized engines combining turbocharging and direct fuel injection technologies. And, with every new model introduction, Kia has been downsizing its engines--without any detriment to performance--in an effort to curb its model line’s fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. Take the new 2012 Kia Rio, previewed at the recent 2011 Geneva Motor Show. It featured a new 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine, which thanks to direct fuel injection is rated at a healthy 138...
-
Green Car Roundup: Production Cars At 2011 Geneva Motor ShowThis year's Geneva Motor Show was absolutely crammed with concept cars. But amidst all the outrageous styling and one-of-a-kind features, several important production cars showed up as well. Not all of them were called production cars, mind you. Toyota, Ford, and Audi all showed off new models...
John Voelcker -
Success or Failure: 2011 Kia Optima Goes TurboThere is no doubt that the folks driving Kia today have a sense of humor. There is also no doubt that they have an agenda to get noticed by consumers and go head to head with their Japanese competition—not to mention competition from the American contingent like Ford. That said, performance...
Jonathan McGrew -
2010 Los Angeles Auto Show: 2011 Kia Optima Hybrid DetailsKia has been on a roll lately. The younger, lower-priced sibling of Korean car colossus Hyundai has received rave reviews for the styling, features, and general competence of its its new 2011 Optima midsize sedan. Now Kia has iced the cake by adding a hybrid-electric model of the Optima to the...
John Voelcker -
Kia Teases 2012 Forte Hybrid Concept at SEMA Custom ShowOne of the joys of the huge, splashy, raucous SEMA show in Las Vegas is seeing what manufacturers toss up in the air to show off. Kia brought several customized cars, one of which falls into the green category: a propane-fueled mild hybrid version of its new, and well-received, Forte compact sedan...
John Voelcker -
Kia Soul Flex Is Korea’s First Flex-Fuel VehicleAt this week’s 2010 Sao Paulo Auto Show in Brazil Kia has taken the wraps off its new Soul Flex hatchback, which the automaker claims is the first vehicle of its kind to be launched by a South Korean brand. The Kia Soul Flex, if you haven’t already guessed, is a fully flex-fuel capable...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran