Kia News
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Kia aims for a 25-percent increase in its U.S. fleet-wide fuel efficiency by 2020; and the new 2017 Optima Hybrid and Optima Plug-In Hybrid (PHEV), introduced today at the Chicago Auto Show and due later this year, are key additions to the brand’s lineup to achieve that. Although the new Optima Hybrid and Optima PHEV are new models, they’re not mechanically unique. They have the same 154-horsepower, 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, the same six-speed automatic transmission packaged with a 38-kW (or 50-kW for the PHEV) single electric motor, and the same 1.62-kWh (or 9.8-kWh)...
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Kia Niro 'Hybrid Utility Vehicle' First Photos Revealed At Detroit Auto ShowAs part of its parent company's push into hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and battery-electric vehicles, Kia will introduce what it calls a 'hybrid utility vehicle' at next month's Chicago Auto Show. Today, at the more influential Detroit Auto Show, the Korean company released the images of that vehicle...
John Voelcker -
Kia Soul EV Sales Expand Again, To Four Northeast StatesThe 2016 Kia Soul EV will be offered in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Maryland.
Stephen Edelstein -
Hyundai, Kia Do It All: Electrics, Hybrids, Prius Fighters, Hydrogen, Even DieselWhen it comes to advanced automotive technology, most global carmakers are placing their bets with care. Toyota is all-in for hydrogen fuel cells, while Nissan is betting on battery-electric vehicles for its future. GM too is on the plug-in side of the ledger, while other makers hang back more...
John Voelcker -
2016 Kia Soul EV To Go On Sale In Oregon, Washington; Some Dealers Get DC Quick ChargingKia will sell its electric car in two more states.
Stephen Edelstein -
Kia Soul EV To Go On Sale In Five More States By This JuneThe Kia Soul EV will soon be sold in Georgia, Texas, Oregon, Washington, and Hawaii.
Stephen Edelstein -
It's often said that one of the bigger impediments to sales of electric cars is car dealerships. Among plug-in car shoppers, stories abound of salespeople who know little or nothing about electric vehicles, misrepresent their abilities, and aggressively steer shoppers away from them toward gasoline alternatives. Rarely, however, is this kind of behavior documented for the world to see. DON'T MISS: 2015 Kia Soul EV: First Drive Of Newest Electric Car Which leads us to the case of the buyer who contacted Kia of Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada, to ask about the Kia Soul EV. As covered last...
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2015 Kia Soul EV Electric Car Recalled For Fragile Accelerator PedalThe 2015 Kia Soul EV is being recalled for an accelerator pedal that could break when pushed hard.
Stephen Edelstein -
Kia Soul EV A Big Hit In CA; Sales To Expand Sooner Than PlannedKia plans to expand sales of the Soul EV pending an increase in production capacity.
Stephen Edelstein -
Kia Trail'ster e-AWD Soul Hybrid Concept Unveiled At Chicago Auto ShowAt the very first automaker press conference of the Chicago Auto Show, Kia pulled the wraps off its Trail'ster Concept: an all-wheel-drive hybrid versions of its Soul that uses an electric motor to power the rear wheels. Bolder styling cues, a ride height more than 2 inches higher, and a fully...
John Voelcker -
New 2016 Kia Optima Sedan To Debut At Geneva Motor ShowA concept previewing the next-generation Kia Optima will debut at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show.
Stephen Edelstein -
Kia Trail'ster Concept In Chicago: New 'DE' Dedicated Hybrid SUV? (UPDATED)Kia has now issued another teaser photo of the "rugged runabout" crossover utility vehicle concept it will unveil next week at the Chicago Auto Show, and it now has a name: the Kia Trail'ster Concept. The photo shows the rear of the vehicle on a dirt road, with an upswept black bumper shield and...
John Voelcker -
Kia will unveil a concept car with electric all-wheel drive at the 2015 Chicago Auto Show.
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Hyundai Plans Hybrids, Electric Cars & More: 5 Questions With Green R&D Head Ki-Sang LeeThe Hyundai Motor Group, encompassing both the Hyundai and Kia brands, is known as one of the most aggressive competitors in the global auto business. And the company has big plans for expanding its lineup of green vehicles, as we learned in an interview last week with Ki-Sang Lee, a senior vice...
John Voelcker -
2015 Kia Soul EV Video Road TestThe Hamsters are back, and they're performing a science experiment that resulted in this: the 2015 Kia Soul EV. It’s one of the newest electric cars on the market, but what's it like to use? Let's start with what makes the Soul EV different from any other Kia Soul to date: the powertrain...
Joel Feder -
Hyundai And Kia Target # 2 Slot In Green Vehicles By 2020Hyundai and Kia plan to triple the number of green cars in their combined lineup.
Stephen Edelstein -
2015 Kia Soul EV: First Drive Of Newest Electric CarThe hamsters are back in Kia’s ads for its new Soul EV all-electric hatchback. And while their geeky, sexy, danceable 'science experiment' is definitely memorable, after driving the 2015 Kia Soul EV we have to wonder if perhaps the Energizer Bunny would have been a better cheer-creature. More...
Bengt Halvorson -
Hyundai, Kia To Pay $300 Million For Gas-Mileage Testing ErrorsThe penalty paid by the two Korean carmakers is reportedly the largest ever for a Clean Air Act violation.
Stephen Edelstein -
The fourth of our five nominees for Green Car Reports' 2015 Best Car To Buy award is the new 2015 Kia Soul EV. It's the Korean maker's first-ever electric car sold in the U.S., and an adaptation of the popular compact "tall wagon" that was entirely redesigned for the 2014 model year. DON'T MISS: Green Car Reports' 2015 Best Car To Buy: The Nominees (Video) With a lithium-ion battery pack slightly larger than the 23 or 24 kilowatt-hours used by most compact battery-electric vehicles, the Soul EV earns a rated range of 93 miles from its 27 kWh. That's toward the top of the range, especially for...
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2015 Kia Soul EV Electric Car Rated: 93 Miles Range, 105 MPGeThe very first 2015 Kia Soul EV electric cars are now being sold in California, adding a 19th plug-in vehicle to that state's market. And its final EPA range and efficiency ratings may drive buyers in other states to demand that they get the chance to buy it too. Given the apparent desire for...
John Voelcker -
Hyundai And Kia Evaluate Offering Diesels For Fuel Economy In U.S. CarsHyundai and Kia are reportedly considering offering diesels in the U.S.
Stephen Edelstein -
2015 Kia Soul EV: Animals, Electrons, Maroon 5 (Video)Well, it's about time: An electric-car maker is using straight-out sex appeal to market a new electric car. Even if it is, errrmmmm, rodent sex appeal. A new video posted last Wednesday uses Kia's now-familiar supersized hamsters to market the new 2015 Kia Soul EV. DON'T MISS: 2015 Kia Soul EV...
John Voelcker -
2015 Kia Soul EV Electric Car Enters ProductionKia's Soul hamsters haven't just got fitter with the latest generation car--they've gone green, too. The Korean company has now begun volume production of the Soul EV, an electric version of the popular hatchback and the first such car to be exported worldwide. At the heart of the Kia Soul EV is a...
Antony Ingram -
Hyundai-Kia Topples Honda For UCS 'Greenest Automaker' TitleHonda has long had the reputation of offering fuel-efficient, relatively green vehicles--but this year, it has lost the "Greenest Automaker" laurels that it's held since 1998 to an upstart: Hyundai-Kia. The latest award, detailed in a report that's now been issued six times by the Union of...
John Voelcker