Autos Remix: Kia

Showing posts with label Kia. Show all posts

Geneva Preshow: 2012 Kia Rio Revealed in Detail, gets 1.2-liter Turbo Gasoline Engine

Kia's product assault continues with the presentation of the all-new Rio subcompact, which will receive its world premiere together with the new Picanto at the forthcoming Geneva Motor Show in the beginning of March.

The latest car to be revealed by Kia boasts a far slicker exterior design than the current Rio bringing it in line with the rest of South Korean company's passenger model range. There are no photos of the interior, but Kia says its newcomer "will deliver a high level of quality previously associated with larger models" along with a wider selection of trim options.

The Korean firm's Ford Fiesta-sized vehicle features a wheelbase extended by 70 mm (to 2,570 mm) compared to the outgoing Rio thus promising to offer improved passenger space together with an increased cargo capacity to 292 liters for the hatchback body style. Exterior dimensions changes include: +55 mm (overall length), -15 mm (height) and +25 mm (overall width).

In Europe, the firm's B-Segment contender will be offered with a comprehensive range of petrol and diesel engines including a 1.1-liter diesel unit delivering 70-horsepower and CO2 emissions from as low as 85 g/km.

But the big surprise is the announcement of an all-new 1.2-liter Turbo Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI) that will be available from 2012, and which will offer the Koreans a significant advantage over its Japanese rivals.

Soon-Nam Lee, Director of Overseas Marketing for Kia, commented: “This new model is a big step forward. The Rio has always been successful, and with this new incarnation we have a car that people will want to buy for its looks.”

The new Rio will go on sale in Europe as a 5-door model this fall, with a 3-door to be introduced into the range in early 2012. Pricing and full range details will be announced nearer the on-sale date.

Kia Launches its First Hybrid Model, Says Hybrids to be Available in Europe by 2013

Following in the footsteps of its mother company, Hyundai and its recently launched Elantra LPI Hybrid, Kia has introduced its first commercialized hybrid - electric car onto the Korean market. As its name suggests, the Forte LPI Hybrid utilizes the same drivetrain with the Elantra that comprises of a 1.6-liter LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) engine, a 15kW and 105Nm electric motor and a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT). The hybrid system is also equipped with Kia's Intelligent Stop and Go system.

Furthermore, the Korean automaker's engineers honed the Forte sedan's aerodynamics by applying different front/rear bumper skirts, aluminum wheels and rear spoiler as well as using a special cover for the lower part of the engine room and centre floor. These changes resulted in a lowered air resistance of 0.26 Cd, compared to 0.29 Cd for the standard, petrol-powered Forte sedan.

The Forte LPI Hybrid has a combined fuel efficiency of 17.2km per liter of LPG which Kia says is the equivalent of 21.5km/liter (50.6mpg US, 60.7mpg UK or 4.7lt /100 km) in a standard petrol engine.

While the LPG-hybrid version of the Forte won't be making it to other markets outside Korea, Kia said that it the company is currently working on petrol-powered and plug-in hybrids that are likely to arrive in European showrooms by 2013.

Kia Soul in Police Outfit to Patrol Sussex Streets

A local Kia dealer has donated a 'vanilla-cream' Soul to the Sussex Police department in the UK for use in their neighborhood policing program. While you won't be seeing the Soul chasing law-breakers on the highway, the small crossover will be used by the team of Police Community Support Officer's (PCSOs) as part of their routine street briefings and the general safe-keeping of Horsham South's communities.

"The car is as highly visible as we are!" said PCSO Charlotte Whittaker. "We were delighted to have been given a car by Toll House, but to have one that turns heads as swiftly as this one does only helps us become more visible to the public."

Toll House Kia, which provided the police-branded Soul Shaker to the Sussex Police department for a year, said that it will replace the car after six months.

Kia Officially Reveals Cee'd Facelift, Says Two More New Models to Premiere in Frankfurt

After the first photograph of the Cee'd facelift hit the web ahead of time earlier this week, Kia came out with an official press release and a high-res version of the teaser shot. Besides the obvious styling changes to the bonnet plus alterations to the bumper, grille and light clusters which bring the Cee'd into line with Kia's latest models like the Soul, the Korean automaker said that the 2010MY also features enhancements to the interior in terms of specification and design including a revamped center console and an upgraded audio system with Bluetooth connectivity.

Furthermore, Kia's European division mentioned that the refreshed Cee'd will be revealed to the public for the first time at this year's Frankfurt Motor Show alongside "two all-new Kia models".

We do know that one of these models will be Kia's yet-to-be named, small MPV that will rival the Opel Meriva and its ilk but we have no information on the other vehicle. It could be that Kia is referring to the European-spec version of the Sorento that made its world debut at the Seoul Show this past April but then again, it might be an entirely new model. We'll wait and see.

Super Bowl Car Ads: I’d Score It Kia 1, Chevy 0

Let’s face it: if your team isn’t playing in the Super Bowl, half the game’s entertainment value is going to come from the ads. Every single advertiser pulls out all the stops to film a budget-blowing spot for the Super Bowl, because it ensures they’ll get their product in front of millions of beer and hot-wing fueled television viewers. Short of staging your own halftime “wardrobe malfunction”, there’s no better way to build brand awareness than with a Super Bowl ad that stands above the rest.

Kia is on a roll these days, launching one successful new model after another. The new Optima is a stunning car, and its quality is on par with anything else on the market these days. Kia’s already known for their Super Bowl ads, since it’s kind of hard to forget a marital aid getting down with a sock monkey on a road trip. How to top that for this year? I won’t spoil the video (below), but I’ll say this: it’s got super villains, aliens, and hopped up Mayans (or Aztecs; I always get them confused).

Chevy’s ad for the Camaro, on the other hand, just doesn’t cut the mustard. Sure, it’s got good visuals (and a stunning blond), but where’s the plot? where’s the build-up, where’s the conflict, where’s the resolution? Why do I get the feeling that the narrative is exactly how the ad agency came up with the idea? Like the bulk of their “Chevy Runs Deep” ads, this one just leaves me scratching my head and thinking about what could have been.

Kia Takes on Time Travelling with New Super Bowl Commercial for 2011 Optima

This year's Super Bowl is just around the corner and automakers are getting ready to spend millions of dollars to draw the attention of buyers. For a second year in a row, Kia will be present at the event with a full marketing campaign incorporating TV, digital, print and social media as well as in-dealership components, all focusing on the 2011 Optima midsize sedan.

The highlight of the campaign is a new 60-second spot that will air in the first quarter of Super Bowl XLV titled “One Epic Ride”. According to the company, the ad shows people across space and time "from a police officer and an international villain to aliens and an ancient chief" trying to get their hands on the all-new Optima, which "becomes an object of desire even for Poseidon", the Greek god of the sea.

“2010 was a historic year for Kia, including our best-ever U.S. sales and our first Super Bowl commercial, and it was an easy decision to return to the game this year to build on the brand’s momentum with the arrival of the all-new 2011 Optima,” said Michael Sprague, vice president, marketing & communications, KMA. “The first phase of the Optima launch promised that this vehicle is ‘not your average midsize sedan,’ and we knew we had to deliver something big for this year’s Super Bowl to give this eye-catching vehicle the attention it deserves, while at the same time generating fun and genuine interactions with consumers before, during and after the Super Bowl.”

The South Korean automaker said it will extend the campaign by giving away up to five new Optimas through its “One Epic Contest,” a game in which consumers will have to solve a series of puzzles using clues found in pre-Super Bowl and game day advertisements and social media postings.

KIA Super Sport Cars Proport To The Fan of Sport Cars (Super-Sport Cloth)

As we all know KIA is more into making family cars, but if the brand ever makes its mind to build a Super sport cars, it would somewhat look like this. It's almost a common thing to see designers around the world create all kinds of futuristic concepts that have close to zero chances to enter production even in prototype form. In fact, most of these are the result of pure imagination and car companies don't even hear about them, although Internet users praise the designs and ask for a production model.

KIA Super Sport Cars Proport To The Fan of Sport Cars (Super-Sport Cloth)

The brainchild of Mohammad R. Shojaie who has considerable liking for the super sport cars, this vehicle has been designed on the basis of the current design language of KIA. Dubbed the KIA Proport, which is the amalgamation of Pro plus Sport without the “S” character which means the fan of sport cars, the vehicle isn’t about designing a new style but KIA in a super-sport cloth. The vehicle has some of the famous elements of the KIA design and it seems an imagination worth commercialization.

This is exactly the car of the so-called Kia Proport, a sports car which goes way beyond what a Kia fan would expect from the South Korean manufacturer. In fact, it looks so good that it's hardly possible to see such a vehicle manufactured under Kia's badge. KIA Super Sport Cars Proport To The Fan of Sport Cars (Super-Sport Cloth). We're not the biggest Kia fans, but we really see the Korean brand more of a consumer oriented company, rather than a firm looking to build supercars.

KIA Super Sport Cars Proport To The Fan of Sport Cars (Super-Sport Cloth)

2011 Next-Gen Kia Optima Sports Sedan

The next generation Kia Optima is set to make its world premiere at the 2010 New York International Auto Show. "The next generation of Kia Optima possesses the power to surprise," says Peter Schreyer, Kia's Chief Design Officer. "It's a car that people will simply not expect from Kia - and that's exactly what we set out to achieve." Kia has officially unveiled the next Optima four-door coupe, ahead of the full reveal set to take place at the 2010 New York Auto Show. Kia’s new flagship sedan/coupe looks to be a far more attractive and far more worthy of a flagship designation.

2011 Kia Optima

Just weeks ago Kia released new sketches of the upcoming 2011 Magentis four-door coupe – currently known as the Optima sedan in America. The sketches look to be very true to the now official images that have been released ahead of the full reveal set for the upcoming 2010 New York Auto Show. The saloon exudes an athletic confidence from every angle - its raked roofline, high and pronounced shoulder line of its sculpted flanks and its extended wheelbase are complemented by flared wheelarches and a shallow glasshouse that create a saloon with a muscular, self-assured stance. The striking visage of the car features a new interpretation of Kia's bold 'tiger' family face that's edged by piercing projector headlamps.

2011 Kia Optima

The Kia Optima is currently the flagship sedan for the automaker and the next model gains considerable changes in the exterior cosmetics department. The outgoing Optima is a fairly tame sedan, but Kia is replacing its sedan with a much sportier silhouette – much more akin to a coupe, than a sedan. So much so, Kia says the 2011 Optima will be labeled as a 4-door coupe, rather than a sedan. Following the theme of recent model revisions, new Kia Optima is longer, lower and wider than before, the Kia's coupe-like profile is enhanced by the sweeping chrome arc that flows from A to C pillar, a distinctive design motif that visually lowers the car further still and enhances its cab-backwards proportions.

2011 Kia Optima

In addition to significantly overhauling the overall styling direction of the Magentis/Optima, Kia says that it will be bringing its next flagship sedan/coupe closer to the ground with a lower stance, in addition to giving it a wider and more stable stance to go long with its longer wheelbase. Kia says the end result is a four-door coupe that has more room for its occupants and cargo alike, as well as a more planted driving dynamic. "For this car we started with a clean sheet and worked to achieve an exterior design with a European feeling and stance," explains Gregory Guillaume, Chief Designer, Kia Europe. To help achieve this, the exterior was designed by his team in Frankfurt. The interior was created by the design team in California.

2011 Kia Optima

Power-wise, the Optima will use the same engines as the 2011 Sonata and will be offered in four and six-cylinder versions. The four-cylinder offering, should it come from the 2011 Sonata, will be a 2.4-liter good for 200 horsepower and 186 lb.-ft of torque – all the while getting as much as 35 miles per gallon on the highway. The new D-segment offering is spacious, and with class-leading levels of safety and luxury equipment, the intelligently configured and driver-oriented cabin underlines a newfound poise and presence. "This new model embodies Kia's confident new design direction," says Schreyer. "It's a global car with individual appeal."

The 2011 Kia Optima is expected to hit the market in the fall of 2010, with a hybrid version possibly available at lunch, or relatively soon after.

2010 Kia Ray Plug-in New Hybrid Concept EcoDynamics

CHICAGO, February 10, 2010 – Kia Motors America (KMA) today unveiled the Ray Plug-in Hybrid concept during a press conference at the 2010 Chicago Auto Show, advancing momentum of Kia Motors' global alternative fuel and powertrain research program, and its sub-brand coined 'EcoDynamics,' to develop innovative fuel-stretching and emissions-cutting technologies.