Kia News
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Kia 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 Hyundai. It uses the same 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine and hybrid system, and is built on the same understructure, as the 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. But the Kia hybrid's exterior styling and interior design are entirely distinct from the Sonata Hybrid's, and it is intended to attract a different...
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Chinese SUV Tries to Make it in U.S. Despite Taxi Fire
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...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
2003 to 2007 Kia Spectras Recalled For Fuel Tank Issue
Recalls 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 Show
Kia 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 Nielsen
The 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-Level
It 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 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 Naimo, which made its world debut earlier today at the 2011 Seoul Motor Show. Taking its name from the Korean word “Ne-mo” (no, not Nemo the fish), which roughly translates to 'square shape', the electric crossover concept was penned by Kia’s South Korean design team and is...
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Kia Doubles Down On Smaller Engines, Plans Soul Convertible
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...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Green Car Roundup: Production Cars At 2011 Geneva Motor Show
This 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 Turbo
There 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 Details
Kia 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 Show
One 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 -
At 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 vehicle, designed to run on a mix of ethanol and gasoline or exclusively on either fuel. That’s right. The Kia Soul Flex can run on 100 percent ethanol or 100 percent gasoline or on any combination of the two. Unfortunately, for now, the vehicle is only being introduced in Brazil where ethanol...
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Keep the Used Car, Buy a New One Or Try Pre-Owned?
Making the Decision Can Be As Frustrating As the Repair Bills
Jonathan McGrew -
Now, For Your Fuel-Efficient Little Green Car, V-8 Sound!
If you drive a small car or, heaven forfend, a hybrid or a clean-diesel, you may have heard the jokes. And the jibes. "Hey, Mister, how many rubber bands that thing have?" And so on. But we've got a foolproof way for you to grin all the way past the gas pumps. Suppose your fuel-efficient green car...
John Voelcker -
Ray Concept Gives Kia Credibility Boost In Green Segment
Slick Lines And a Potential For 202 MPG
Jonathan McGrew -
Kia Previews Plug-In Hybrid Concept To Debut at Chicago Show
With the 2010 Detroit Auto Show behind us, we're fast coming up on the Chicago Auto Show, which starts February 10. Now we've gotten our first teaser image, for the Kia Ray concept car that will be unveiled in the spacious precincts of McCormack Hall. Kia says the Ray is meant to demonstrate how...
John Voelcker -
Kia UVO Voice-Controlled System To Launch in 2010
Ford Will No Longer Be the Sole Microsoft Auto Platform User
Jonathan McGrew -
The Quirky and Cool Soul Wants To Have the Big Engine
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2011 Mazda2 Subcompact To Launch At Los Angeles Auto Show
We previewed the upcoming 2011 Mazda2 subcompact a couple of months ago, but now we have more details, along with photos of its updated styling. The five-door hatchback will be officially unveiled in early December, at the Los Angeles Auto Show. The 2011 Mazda Mazda2 will go on sale in the U.S. and...
John Voelcker -
Why Small Is a Four Letter Word In the American Automotive Market
Small Cars in America May Be Mid-size Car Anywhere Else
Jonathan McGrew -
2010 Toyota Prius Gets Top Safety Rating
It's almost sold out in some areas, the solar sunroof is smashing sales projections, and now the 2010 Toyota Prius had added a further laurel to its overflowing cap: The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has awarded the 2010 Prius its "Top Safety Pick" designation. That award goes to vehicles...
John Voelcker -
2010 Pontiac Vibe: The Last Pontiac Is The Greenest
As the world's battered automakers gear up for the 2010 model year, we say goodbye to a few outgoing models. Among them are the last Pontiacs, a brand General Motors will dispense with after 2010. The sole car offered to the public for the new model year will be the 2010 Pontiac Vibe, a five-door...
John Voelcker -
2010 Kia Soul: Just Another Box or Step Above the Rest?
The New Kia Soul Tries to Out Shine the Cube and xB
Jonathan McGrew