Second teaser image previews front fascia design of Kia Ray hybrid concept car.

Kia has just released the second teaser image of its latest Ray concept vehicle. The Ray concept is a plug-in hybrid car that is set to be unveiled at the Chichago Auto Show next week. The teaser photo reveals a futuristic design of concept car’s front fascia, which features extended LED headlights and fog lamps integrated into the front bumper.

Official Kia press release:

KIA LOOKS TO THE PLUG-IN FUTURE WITH “RAY” CONCEPT AT CHICAGO SHOW

As Governments and motorists keep up the interest levels in an electric-car future Kia Motors Corporation has revealed the first preview rendering of its latest concept car - called Ray - which will make its global debut at the 2010 Chicago Auto Show next month.

Styled by the team at Kia Design Centre America, the Kia Ray project was undertaken to demonstrate how Kia’s evolving design direction would be applied in the packaging of a plug-in hybrid vehicle.

The actual car will form the centre-piece of the Kia Motors America display at Chicago and the vehicle will contribute to Kia’s on-going development of alternative-fuel vehicles.

Already Kia has pioneered potentially real-life fuel cell vehicles and has working prototypes operating in California and Korea. Additionally Kia has various hybrid-engined vehicles providing real-world data in various locations and plans to commercialise Liquefied Petroleum Gas hybrid vehicles in Korea within the next 12 months.

Currently no date has been set for hybrid Kia models to be put on sale in the UK but on-road testing of petrol and diesel hybrid vehicles is due to start in Britain this year.

The Kia Motors press conference for the 2010 Chicago Auto Show will be staged at 1:30 p.m. on February 11, 2010.

Kia Ray concept image:

Kia Motors America reports January 2010 sales. The 2011 Sorento crossover sales rev up! 

Kia Motors America announced its overall sales for the past month totaled 22.123 units. This represents a 0.1 percent increase over January of last year.

Kia’s January sales were lead by new Sorento crossover, which has just recently been put on sale. It hit the Kia dealerships on January 4th and already in its first full sales month achieved its best-ever sales result in the US market. With sales of 7.398 units, the Sorento was also the automaker’s best-selling vehicle in January.

“The all-new Sorento’s tremendous early performance is a clear indication that its combination of modern design, state-of-the-art technology and available resonates with US consumers,” told B.M. Ahn, president and CEO of Kia Motors America and Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia.

Forte sedan (together with Forte Koup) also performed pretty good last month. In January, Kia dealers sold 3.732 units, which was enough to take the second spot among the top five best-selling Kia vehicles in the US. The Forte was closely followed by Optima sedan, Rio sub-compact car and Soul crossover with 3.162, 2.398 and 2.145 units sold, respectively.

New Sorento may be blowing up, but Sportage sales went down 81 percent last month. Sportage is an ageing model, still a great value, but it hardly competes with numerous hot-looking crossover vehicles from other automakers. Sales are not expected to improve until the next-generation model hits the dealers later in the year.You can see some new Sportage images at our previous post.

Other models that did even worse were Rondo and Sedona with 356 and 928 units respectively, while sales of discontinued Spectra and Amanti plummeted to zero.

Kia sales - January 2010:

New Kia Sportage makes its official debut ahead of Geneva Auto Show. 

Kia today revealed its long-anticipated next-generation Sportage crossover. The company released a series of images previewing the production-ready Sportage crossover fully undisguised.

As evident from the pictures, the all-new Kia Sportage crossover marks a dramatic shift in design direction for the brand’s popular compact SUV. Like all new Kia vehicles so far, the new Sportage received a distinctive family face with “Schreyer” grille and Sorento-inspired daytime running lights. The combination of high beltline and narrow glasshouse makes it look fantastic, while its plastic body cladding boasts an off-roading appearance.

The new model looks eye-pleasing, but Kia claims that Sportage also offers vastly improved ride quality thanks to a brand-new platform with longer wheelbase. In terms of size, the model is longer, lower and wider than its predecessor and offers more passenger room. The boot space has also increased significantly, according to Kia.

The hot-looking 2011 Sportage crossover is set to hit the Kia dealerships within a few months with a wide range of highly competitive gasoline and diesel engines. Since the model shares its underpinnings with Hyundai’s Tucson crossover, it is expected that both crossovers will share their engines, as well as transmissions.

Kia has yet to release more details, but you can expect to see a 2.0L and 2.4L four-cylinder gasoline engines fitted under the hood of North American Sportage. In Europe, Kia Sportage is expected to get a 1.6L GDI gasoline four-cylinder and a choice of 1.7L and 2.0L four-cylinder diesel engines.

As speculated before, Kia has now confirmed that the world-wide premiere of its brand-new Sportage crossover will take place at the forth-coming Geneva International Auto Show, which opens its doors on March 2nd. If you plan to visit the event, make sure not to miss the Kia stand in the hall 6!

New Kia Sportage image gallery:

Euro- and US-spec Kia Sportage images:

First interior design details of the all-new 2011 Kia Optima interior surface to the web!

Guys, this past week was all about Kia Motors! First, we have seen exclusive photos of the 2011 Kia Sportage, which has been revealed in its full production form through a series of leaked images, and then, just a few days later, we have been told that Kia will unveil a brand-new concept car, called Kia Ray at the forth-coming auto show in Chicago.

And the “Kia week” is not over just yet as we have another surpising revealing for all of you, Kia fans. This time, we are bringing you some interesting spy shots of the new 2011 Kia Optima sedan.

Apparently, the fellows from ClubTF.com, a Korean Kia fan website dedicated to the upcoming Kia Optima replacement, had gotten their hands on a few exclusive shots that give us the very-first sneak peak preview at the all-new Optima sedan.

Codenamed TF, the 2011 Kia Optima is scheduled to reach the South Korean Kia showrooms in the second half of the 2010, with a choice of three four-cylinder gasoline engines and one diesel engine, coupled to either a six-speed manual or automatic gearbox.

The Korean-market Optima sedan will be named “K5″ and will be Kia’s second vehicle in Korean market to bear the automaker’s new alphanumeric nomenclature system.

Like all latest Kia models, the all-new Optima has also been penned under the guiding hand of Peter Schreyer, so you can expect to see a nicely executed exterior design lay-out with sporty and sleek lines applied to the car’s body. [Photo-source: ClubTF.com]

UPDATE: New image added to the Optima gallery!

New Kia Optima interior spy shots gallery:

Kia Ray plug-in hybrid concept set to be displayed at the 2010 Chicago auto show!

By releasing a teaser image to the world-wide-web sphere, Kia Motors America revealed it is going to unveil a brand-new concept car at the forth-coming 2010 Chicago auto show next month.

The Ray concept car was designed at Kia’s state-of-the-art Design Center in America and clearly demonstrates the next step in Kia’s fast progressing design evolution. Not much is known about the vehicle at this point, but is said that this oncept car also previews the automaker’s highly advanced and eco-friendly drivetrain technology.

According to Kia, the Ray concept car sits upon a plug-in hybrid drive platform and showcases the direction Kia is considering for its future plug-in hybrid vehicle.

To find more information about the concept, we will have to wait until the opening day of this year’s Chicago auto show, which kicks off on February 10th.

Kia Ray concept car gallery:

Images of the next-generation 2011 Kia Sportage leak to the web!

About.com names the 2010 Kia Forte sedan to “Best New Cars of 2010″ list.

Recently named “Car of the Year” for 2010 by NADAguides.com, the 2010 Kia Forte sedan has now been named to the “Best New Cars of 2010″ list by popular online resource About.com.

The 2010 Kia Forte was one of 12 vehicles selected by About.com for its attractive combination of high quality, extensive standard safety features and overall value.

Taking all new and redesigned vehicles for 2010 into consideration, About.com reviewed and selected the top 12 vehicles they felt best offered consumers an exceptional combination of value, style, quality, safety features and amenities.

“In today’s economy consumers are looking for an attractive, well-equipped vehicle at a great price point, and the stylish Forte sedan offers exactly that and more,” said Michael Sprague, vice president, marketing of Kia Motors America (KMA).

“Recognition from a widely referenced consumer site like About.com brings more attention and credibility to the progress of the Kia brand and consumers can expect to see more of our new signature design direction in the near future as we continue the largest product rollout in company history.”

Available in LX, EX and SX trims, pricing for the Forte sedan starts at $13.695 for the LX trim, while the EX begins at $15.995 and the SX starts at $17.495.  In addition to competitive pricing, Forte comes well-stocked with a long list of standard amenities, starting with a standard AM/FM/CD/MP3 audio system outfitted with SIRIUS Satellite Radio capabilities with three months complimentary service.

Also standard on all models is an auxiliary audio input jack and USB port for connecting personal MP3 players as well as Bluetooth wireless technology and connectivity with steering wheel-mounted controls, which enables hands-free operation for all compatible mobile phones.

In addition to offering affordability and standard amenities, Forte also showcases a class-leading combination of standard safety features with active front headrests, advanced two-stage airbags, front seat-mounted and side curtain airbags, four-wheel disc brakes with an antilock brake system (ABS), brake assist (BAS), electronic brake-force distribution (EBD), electronic stability control (ESC), a traction control system (TCS) and a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS).

Kia unveiled the Shadow Dragon Soul Special Edition at the 2010 North American International Auto Show.

Kia has released another Soul special edition model. The Shadow Dragon Soul is the third of four special-edition Soul cars destined to hit the market, according to Kia Motors America. It features an attractive exterior appearance package that looks pretty close to the Soul Burner concept car, which made its official debut at Geneva auto show two years ago.

The third Special Edition model is coated in unique, deep shadow black exterior finish and features matte black dragon graphics on the hood and tail-gate. The hot-looking exterior is spiced-up with attractive body-colored wing-type spoiler, high-gloss black accents on the bumpers and 18-inch alloy-wheels with machined accents.

The interior of the Shadow Dragon Soul provides a little more exclusivity than both previous Special Edition (Soul Denim and Ignition Soul) models. It features leather-wrapped seats – the first leather seating available on any Soul model – with integrated seat warmers for additional comfort.

The equipments of latest special edition model also include Audio Upgrade Package with subwoofer, dash-mounted center speaker, external amplifier and pulsing front-speaker lights. Steering-wheel controls, iPod cable, sun-roof and carpeted floor mats and fog lights are also a part of standard package.

Equipped with five-speed manual gearbox, Kia Shadow Dragon Soul Special Edition model starts at $18,195 (add the $695 destination charge).

Look for these cars to begin arriving at Kia dealers by the end of this month, but don’t expect them to last long because only a limited number of vehicles will be built!

Kia Shadow Dragon Soul gallery: 

Read the rest of this entry »

FAMA Magazine names Kia Soul the “Small car of the year”…

Adding even more recognition to its growing list of accolades, the 2010 Kia Soul was named “Small Car of the Year” by FAMA Magazine during an award presentation at the 2010 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit.

Also named one of “10 Great and Safe Rides for Teens” by AutoWeek magazine, one of the “Most Exciting Cars of 2010″ by TIME.com, given two “Top Safety Picks” by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and named to the “Top 10 Back-to-School Cars” list by Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com, Soul was selected by FAMA for its extensive list of safety features, dynamic styling, impressive interior room and value.  

“Soul offers today’s consumer a practical and attractive option with a more than impressive package of vibrant styling, extensive safety features and standard amenities,” said Michael Sprague, vice president, marketing of Kia Motors America (KMA).  “In today’s economy we feel it’s important that buyer’s don’t have to sacrifice these necessities for overall value, and Soul delivers.”

Editors from FAMA selected the top vehicles across six categories, including Editor’s Choice Award, Green Car/Hybrid of the Year, Best Luxury Sport Utility, Sport Car of the Year, Small Car of the Year and Car of the Year for Women.  Each vehicle considered possessed a long list of safety features, impressive styling, interior space and value.

Available in four trims, Soul, Soul+, Soul! (exclaim) and Soul sport, Kia Motors’ affordable halo vehicle offers an attractive starting price below $14,000(1).  Four special edition Souls, based on the Soul+ trim, also are being released throughout the year, including Denim Soul, Ignition Soul and most recently Shadow Dragon Soul.  Offering consumers even more ways to customize the Soul, each special edition comes with its own unique exterior color and packaging.

In addition to presenting an immense amount of style and value, Soul also offers an extensive list of standard safety features, including front seat active headrests, dual front advanced airbags, front seat-mounted and full-length side curtain airbags, an Antilock Brake System (ABS), Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Traction Control System (TCS), Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD), Brake Assist System (BAS) and a Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS).  Front and rear crumple zones, side-impact door beams, an impact-absorbing steering column and Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) system also come standard.

With sales of 50.636 vehicles in 2009 Kia Motors UK, has smashed records for the brand both in Britain and across Europe.

This is the first time any Kia subsidiary has broken the 50,000 sales mark in any European country and in the UK it represents a massive boost for the brand’s recognition and popularity amongst new car buyers.

Kia’s overall market share was 2.5 per cent including scrappage. The non-scrappage market share was 2.2 per cent. The brand’s previous best sales performance was in 2004 when 33,149 vehicles were sold and in 2008 Kia sold 31,323 units and recorded a best-ever retail market share of 1.8 per cent.

Michael Cole, Managing Director said: “2009 has been a phenomenal year for Kia and we are extremely proud to be the first market in Europe to break such an important psychological barrier.

“Undoubtedly we have benefited from the Government’s scrappage scheme but the retail non-scrappage performance was up - and that comes on top of an improved performance in 2008 when Kia was one of very few brands to end a year that saw the start of the recession in positive territory.

“The scrappage scheme has helped our dealers and their employees to keep going in the face of considerable difficulties but no-one should underestimate the appeal of our high quality, good-value range of cars for retail customers. Our increased retail share of 3.7 per cent shows that the Kia brand has attracted more private buyers than ever before,” he added.

Kia’s best selling vehicle was Picanto with 16,803 customers choosing the brand’s cheeky city car. The European designed and built cee’d was the marque’s next best seller, hitting a total of 12,900 in 2009. The Soul - launched in March 2009 - reached expectations with 2,938 sold and the revised and now European-built Sportage recording 3,939 sales.

Cole added: “2010 will clearly be more difficult in overall terms because of the end of the scrappage scheme, but in response to that Kia has announced that all its products sold in Europe will now be covered by the seven year warranty previously only applied to cee’d and Sportage.

“Plus in February we launch our stylish yet capacious and flexible Venga and an all-new replacement for the ever-popular Sorento. So whilst we do expect the overall market to fall back in 2010 we are confident of holding our improved market share and we shall be expecting year-end sales in excess of 40,000. Based on the interest and demand from retail customers this year I believe that figure might be conservative,” he concluded. [Source: Kia UK]

Kia Motors saw its US sales rose 43 percent in December 2009, while total 2009 sales increased 10 percent.

Kia announced its U.S. sales rose 43 percent to 21.048 units in December 2009 from 14.644 sold in the same month a year earlier, while its total 2009 sales rose 9.8 percent to 300.063 units.

Kia’s December 2009 sales gains came from increased sales of new models, such as Forte sedan, Forte Koup and Soul crossover. Leading the US sales last month were Kia Forte Koup and Forte sedan with sales of 4.903 units. Taking second and thrid spot were B-segment Rio and the outgoing Sorento SUV, with 3.932  and 3.136 units sold, respectively.

The all-new Kia Soul crossover came in fourth, with 2.816 units sold, while Optima sedan  concluded the top five best selling Kia cars in the U.S. market with 1.978 units sold. Among other Kia vehicles, Rondo and Borrego also achieved modest sales gains for the month, while Sedona, Sportage and Amanti sales decreased when compared to the same month a year earlier.

“In the midst of our largest commitment to the U.S. market ever, we have once again prevailed against difficult economic times and a down automotive industry by increasing our market share for the 15th consecutive year,” said B.M. Ahn, the CEO of Kia Motors America and Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia. “Our new and appealing design evolution paired with our core principles of quality, safety, value and technology will continue to boost our brand into the next decade.”

Kia’s US sales:

Kia’s sales in Canada rises 61 percent to record high!

Kia achieved phenomenal sales result in Canada during the last month of 2009. With sales increasing amazing 61 percent over the last year’s figures, Kia recorded its best ever sales month since it entered the Canadian auto market ten years ago.

According to the sales report, Kia sold  2.645 new cars and SUVs in December 2009, while at the same time it also managed to increase its new car market share to 2.4 percent from 1.7 percent in December 2008.

Last month also marked Kia’s 12th month of record breaking sales increases for 2009. With this accomplishment, Kia Canada has surpassed all previous year-to-date sales results, reaching 46.118 units in 2009 with sales increasing 22 percent over figures from 2008. The company also increased its year-to-date market share from 2.3 percent in 2008 to 3.2 percent in 2009.

New models, particularly Soul crossover and Forte compact sedan have fueled December sales, as well as sales over the past ten months. Kia Soul, which has entered Canadian market attracted 8.500 consumers, while both Forte and Forte Koup recorded 5.700 sales in less than seven months on market.

Other Kia models also performed well over the last twelve months. Surprisingly, Kia Rio achieved its best ever year in Canada, with sales crossing the 10.000 units barrier! According to Kia Canada, Rio was the only car model in the subcompact segment that experienced the growth in 2009.

Read the rest of this entry »

Every new Kia car sold in Europe is now available with Kia’s awesome 7-year warranty!

Kia is kicking off 2010 by extending its unique seven-year warranty to all its cars - delivering Europe’s best manufacturer-backed protection for new car buyers.

Previously available on Kia’s European-built products such as cee’d and Sportage, the seven-year warranty will now apply to every vehicle in the Kia range from the Picanto city car to the range-topping Sorento.

“We have already declared our intention to become the world’s No1 car maker for customer satisfaction and our new 7-Year Kia Warranty on all models is a major step towards achieving that goal,” commented Paul Philpott, Chief Operating Officer, Kia Motors Europe.

The new “7-Year Kia Warranty” will apply to all vehicles sold and registered in more than 20 European countries after 1 January 2010.

Michael Cole, Managing Director of Kia Motors (UK) Ltd., explained: “The warranty covers every vehicle in our line-up for up to seven years - and no-one in the business can boast that. Even better, the warranty is transferable to subsequent owners bringing a big boost for used values.”

“The new 7-Year Kia Warranty is simply the ‘longest and best’ warranty available on any car, anywhere in Europe. Clearly, a longer warranty is a better warranty and this move will give every Kia owner not just enjoyable motoring but genuine long-term peace of mind.”

How do you spin your wheels? Take a look at this interesing video of Kia Soul Ignition burning out the tires and let a grandma teach you. Have fun!

The all-new 2011 Kia Sorento prices to start at $20.790  (including a $795 destination charge).

The all-new 2011 Kia Sorento will be making its inroads into Kia’s dealerships across the USA in January next year, with a starting price tag of $20.790 for an entry-level, front-wheel-drive model, while prices will top out at $29.690 for the all-wheel-drive Sorento crossover with 6-speed automatic gearbox and more potent six-cylinder engine.

The entry-level Sorento with front-wheel-drive drivetrine offers seating for five people and is equipped with 2.4L Theta II gasoline engine. The four-cylinder unit, which produces 175 horsepower, is paired with six-speed manual transmission.

The top-of-the-range Sorento model is equipped with more potent six-cylinder Lambda II engine, which puts out class-leading 276 horsepower and 248 ft-lb, and mates Kia’s all-new six-speed automatic transmission. It is available in either front-while-drive or all-wheel drive variants with prices ranging from $27,990 to $29,690.

The all-new 2011 Kia Sorento crossover is the very first Kia vehicle that is being produced at Kia’s Georgia-based production facility, which can build up to 300.000 new vehicles per year. Production of the 2011 Sorento has already begun, while sales are scheduled to commence during January 2010.

2011 Kia Sorento prices (Note: prices include $795 shipping charge):

Base model: 2.4L four-cylinder engine, Manual Transmission, 4×2 = $20.790

Sorento LX: 2.4L four-cylinder engine, Automatic Transmission, 4×2 = $23.190

Sorento LX: 2.4L four-cylinder engine, Automatic Transmission, 4×4 = $24.890

Sorento EX: 2.4L four-cylinder engine, Automatic Transmission, 4×2 = $25.390

Sorento EX: 2.4L four-cylinder engine, Automatic Transmission, 4×4 = $27.090

Sorento EX: 3.5L six-cylinder engine, Automatic Transmission, 4×2 = $27.990

Sorento EX: 3.5L six-cylinder engine, Automatic Transmission, 4×4 = $29.690