Kia nieuws

And the cheapest car for sale in America is… the Nissan Versa Sedan. Priced at $10,990 it’s $1,300 less than the old Rio and roughly $1,500 less than the stripped down 2012 Hyundai Accent. But make no mistake, this model isn’t glamorous. Rather than style and fancy options, the Versa instead offers a spacious cabin and solid fuel economy with a 109-hp 1.6-liter engine. With a solid 30/38-mpg that’s only for the CVT models which start at $12,760. The stripped-down 5-speed manual achieves 27/36-mpg. Thankfully the Versa hatchback isn’t as content-poor as the previous generation car and base models do come equipped with an AM/FM radio with a CD player and an auxiliary plug. …

How do you define a design? Is it a shape? A color? Or a form? Team Kia believes design is more than just visible elements. It is a subtle language which is spoken through a car, which you perceive not only with your eyes, but also with your other senses. It is a combination of everything you feel, touch, see and hear. The language of design should also contain a hint of the company’s philosophy and beliefs, but more importantly, it’s the passion that stands out from competitors. All of this was required when numerous engineers, project managers and designers from centers in Europe, North America and Korea put their heads together to create the all-new Kia Rio, a car that…

Kia is hoping to reach the 500,000 unit milestone and add 40 new dealers by 2012, as the Korean automaker enjoys increasing success in the U.S. market. Kia Vice Chairman Hank Lee said that Kia is on pace to sell 470,000 vehicles in 2011, up from 356,258 in 2010. Lee also said that in addition to adding new dealers, stores that failed to meet Kia’s expectations would be terminated. Lee also stated that Kia is focusing on 20 key markets in the United States, but declined to elaborate on what they were. Kia’s Optima mid-size sedan has won critical acclaim, but failed to sell in significant volumes. [source: Automotive News] Lees het hele artikel

Would you like to find out exclusive details about Kia’s near future plans, sales projections and new powertrain technologies coming to the next-generation Kia vehicles? Read further! Automotive News Europe Editor-in-Chief Harald Hamprecht had a chance to chat with Mr. Hank Lee, Vice Chairman of Kia Motors Corporation. A very interesting interview, which is published [...] Lees het hele artikel

It’s been years since George Bush was in office, but a trade bill from his presidency finally made it past the House and Senate. The deal includes Columbia, Panama and South Korea to open trade between those countries and the U.S. with changes aimed to aid U.S. auto manufacturers. “I’ve fought to make sure that these trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia and Panama deliver the best possible deal for our country, and I’ve insisted that we do more to help American workers who have been affected by global competition,” said President Obama, when asked about the deal. Despite support from President Obama and many Republicans, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid disagre…

Kia has been sweeping up the award and accolades in recent months, but may very well be the first car company to receive an award for the animals that are used to sell one of their models. Back in 2009, the South Korean carmaker used a trio of hip-hop, funky hamsters in the TV spots [...] Lees het hele artikel

Kia will be joining in on the B-Spec racing series fun by offering race-prepped versions of the new 2012 Rio 5-door, joining the likes of the Mazda2 and Honda Fit. The B-Spec racing series is designed for low-budget racing enthusiasts featuring compact hatchbacks with little to no engine modifications. Kia will be working with Kinetic Motorsports to get Rio 5-Doors ready to race and is planning to announce more details at the upcoming 2011 SEMA Show. Based on other B-Spec racing vehicles, we can safely assume that the race-prepped Rio will feature a roll cage, racing seats, harnesses, suspension modifications and a new wheel and tire package. B-Spec series racers are des…

It’s no secret that the golden rule of saving money with your car is to increase fuel efficiency. Follow these tips on car maintenance and you will be able to save your budget. Lighten Your Car (Force = Mass * Acceleration) It’s all made clear in one simple physics equation: force = mass * acceleration. One of the most important things when it comes to fuel efficiency is the weight of a car. In the manufacturing process, carmakers put a lot of efforts on reducing weight of car to achieve better fuel efficiency. See if there are any unnecessary objects inside your car that need to be taken out. Know Your Tires Another simple physics rule is applicable here. The …

Kia‘s heart-stoppingly cool GT concept was was powered by a 3.3L turbo V6 packing 400 horsepower – but the production version might not get such an exotic powertrain. Speaking with Auto Express, Kia styling boss Peter Schreyer said that “I think done in the right way, with a smaller engine or hybrid technology, it would work,” he said. “It would still be fast, but return good fuel economy, too.” Screyer said that the GT is aiming for the German coupe set, which we can assume as being the BMW 3-Series and Audi A5. Schreyer also described the GT as Kia’s “halo car”. [source: AutoExpress] Lees het hele artikel

The annual North American Car and Truck of the Year awards has just released its short list for 2012, selecting 17 cars and seven trucks that will compete for the prestigious prize. In the running for the 2012 North American Car of the Year are three from Hyundai (the Accent, Elantra and Veloster), two from Audi (A6 and A7), two from Volkswagen (Passat and Beetle) and two from Toyota (Camry and Prius v). Others on the list include two GM models, the Buick Verano and Chevrolet Sonic, while two Chrysler group nominees include the Chrysler 300 and Fiat 500. Rounding out the list is the Ford Focus, Kia Rio, Scion iQ and Subaru Impreza. Notably absent from the list is the al…

Kia will unveil its first electric vehicle by the start of 2012, but did not say whether the vehicle would be sold in the United States. The EV will reportedly be based on the Hyundai i10, a vehicle considered much too small for North American tastes. A production run of just 2,000 units is expected in 2012. A second electric vehicle is expected to follow in 2014 for Kia, with Hyundai launching a mass market EV in 2015. Hyundai currently has a small fleet of i10-based EVs testing in South Korea. [source: Automotive News] Lees het hele artikel

Kia Motors America reports total sales of 35.609 units vehicles in September 2011, a 18 percent increase compared to September 2010!With year-to-date sales up more than 37 percent, Kia Motors America beats its previous record annual sales total in less than nine months! During the first 9 months of the year, Kia sold 367,405 vehicles [...] Lees het hele artikel

Hello everyone! After the Frankfurt Motor Show review, I would like to share some short, exciting news. Yesterday morning, the all-new Rio (called Pride here in Korea) was officially launched in Korea. During the launching show, the Rio 4-door and 5-door were launched. To my disappointment, the 3-door was not included in the launching plans. Because sedan-like cars are more popular here in Korea. It would probably be difficult to expect the 3-door to be introduced here. I personally prefer 2-door coupe and 3-door hatchback body types. So it will be fun to drive the 3-door’s 1.6GDI engine and six-speed manual transmission. The theme for the all-new Rio Korean launching…

Kia will hold off on expanding its production facilities and sales targets in favor of improving the quality of its vehicles, CEO Lee Sam-ung told Automotive News at a launch event for its new Rio hatchback. “Quantitative growth is important, but qualitative growth is also important. We plan to focus on improving product quality and our brand,” said Sam-ung. Industry analysts worry that limited production capacity will be the biggest factor stunting Kia’s future growth. Sam-ung set a goal of 2.5 million vehicles sold in 2011, and wants to boost Rio sales from 110,000 in 2011 to 260,000 in 2012. Sam-ung also said that Kia will get an all-electric compact car in 2015, one…

They’ve only been racing two seasons, but Kia Motors America’s motorsports program has now achieved championship greatness, thanks to Nic Jönsson wining the driver’s title and propelling Kia to the manufacturer’s cup in the Street Tuner class of the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge at Mid-Ohio. Jönsson finished seventh overall, having started the race with a three point lead in the class standings, which was enough to secure the title. Jönsson and co-driver Michael Galati were able to use the Kinetic Motorsports Forte Koup’s braking, handling and fuel efficiency to their advantage during the 2.5 hour race, battling a field of some 30 competitors to finish first ove…

Kia will launch their 2012 Rio Hatchback with a starting price of $13,600, plus a $750 destination charge (bringing the total to $14,350). The base car will come only with a manual gearbox, while an automatic transmission equipped version will cost $14,700 ($15,540 with destination included) while the top-of-the-line SX model will set you back $18,000 ($18,750 with destination included). The Rio will come generously equipped with air-conditioning, power steering, stability control, ABS, a hill-holder for manual transmission cars, and a 1.8L 138-horsepower engine capable of returning 30/40 mpg. The Rio will also offer a start-stop feature, a class exclusive, that will bo…

2012 Kia Rio 5-door priced under $14000!Kia announces pricing for the all-new 2012 Rio 5-door subcompact hatchback beginning at an impressive $13,600(3) MSRP, while the Rio 5-door A/T starts at $14.700 – both lower than the previous generation.The top-of-the-range, SX trim starts under $18.000 and offers a plethora of consumer-friendly and upscale [...] Lees het hele artikel

Kia Motors plans plans to recruit 1.000 new employees at its European manufacturing plant to meet rising demand for the new Sportage CUV! Due to fantastic sales results achieved during the first 8 months of 2011 (+ 18 percent) and increased demand for Kia’s recently launched Sportage CUV, the South Korean carmaker plans to significantly [...] Lees het hele artikel

It’s that time of the year again as Car of the Year begins the laborious task of whittling down new Car of the Year contenders for 2012. A total of 59 journalists, representing automotive authorities across 23 European countries, have been recruited for the task of choosing top car. The number of journalists to represent each country is based on the relative size of the said country’s car market. Countries like Spain, Germany, Italy, and Great Britain have a well established market, and each will be represented by six journalists. As for cars, only completely redesigned new models that have launched within the twelve months before the contest are counted. Each car must …

Next-generation Kia cee’d to make its official debut in 2012, offer a choice of 250-horsepower turbo engine!This is the very-first image rendering of the nect generation Kia cee’d! The all-new model will go on sale in Europe already next year with a choice of four fuel-efficient engines – two diesel and two petrol engines. In [...] Lees het hele artikel

The No. 10 Infinity Audio Kia Forte Koup took top honors in the Street Tuner (ST) class at the Grand-Am Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge (CTSCC) race in Alabama! Drivers Nic Jonsson and Michael Galati captured Kia’s first-ever GRAND-AM championship on Sept. 17 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Kia and racing partner Kinetic Motorsports entered the season finale at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course with narrow three-point leads in both standings. Co-drivers Nic Jönsson and Michael Galati used the Forte Koup’s braking, handling and fuel-efficiency advantages on the 13-turn circuit to battle a field of more than 30 competitors during the 2.5-hour race, propelling Ki…

Hello everyone, it has been quite some time since my last post on the Optima Hybrid test drive (http://kia-buzz.com/?p=7891). This time, I would like to take you through the Frankfurt Motor Show Press Day, which took place last Tuesday, and I had the pleasure of attending. As most of you know, the Frankfurt Motor Show is one of the world’s five largest motor shows. The sheer size and importance of the show places it as one of the top three world motor shows along with the Geneva Motor Show and the Paris Motor Show. Like all motor shows, Frankfurt is where major automobile manufacturers reveal their latest models and which direction they are heading in for the future, but…

Only until recently did Kia find its groove and really start to deliver a lineup of attractive cars. However, Hyundai‘s vision for Kia’s future has something different in store. Rumors have suggested that Hyundai-Kia Automotive group may be performing an unprecedented hedge to have Kia carry a solely electric vehicle green model range while Hyundai continues to develop plug-in hybrid and fuel cell cars. The motivation behind this strategy is to push Kia to unveil the automaker’s first highway-capable electric vehicle (code named TAM) by the end of 2011. Furthermore, Hyundai will continue their research and development over a hydrogen fuel cell Tucson concept set to debut…

10,631 Kia Sorento SUVs built between June 15th, 2006 and November 27th, 2007 will be recalled due to a faulty airbag issue where the passenger-side air bag may be turned off even when an adult is occupying the seat. Naturally, the Occupant Classification System is designed to be turned off when children or small adults are seated in the front passenger seat, but in the recalled models it can mistakenly classify an adult passenger as a child. If the air bag is deactivated, the light will illuminate on the center instrument panel. The recall will have vehicle owners’ programming updated by Kia in the Sorento’s OCS module at no charge. Owners that are affected may contact …

Kia is preparing a battery-electric version of its TAM mini-car, scheduled to hit the Korean market already this year!We could consider Kia and Hyundai as latecomers to the hybrid scene, but lately they both have made great strides introducing their first-ever hybrid sedans, the Optima hybrid and Sonata hybrid, which are both already on sale [...] Lees het hele artikel