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Report: Electric CUV coming from Kia in 2013

Filed under: Technology, Crossover, Electric, South Korea

According to Reuters, Kia is looking to jump into the EV fight with an electrified CUV. Parent company Hyundai said that it’s planning to turn out a total of 2,500 battery-operated vehicles by 2012. A total of 500 of those will be Hyundai BlueOn models, but the rest of the fleet will be made up of the new Kia-badged creation. The early fleet will be sold to Korean government agencies as a large-scale test, but commercial sales are supposed to start shortly thereafter. Reuters quotes Hong John-hee, the director of the company’s electric vehicle development group, as saying that the cost of battery-electric vehicles will fall off much quicker than most analysts are anticipating.

Like the BlueOn, the CUV-based EV will store its power in an SK Energy battery pack, though there was no mention as to whether the cells would be lithium-ion or traditional nickel-metal hydride.

The electric crossover is likely to show up on the market in 2013 and will be capable of covering around 80 miles on a single charge. Both Hyundai and Kia are part of an effort by the Korean government to replace up to 20 percent of the nation’s passenger vehicles with EVs by 2020.

[Source: Reuters]

Report: Electric CUV coming from Kia in 2013 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 15 Sep 2010 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spy Shots: Kia readying Soul, Tiger Edition?

Filed under: Spy Photos, Budget, Crossover, Kia

Kia Soul Tiger Edition

Kia Soul Tiger Edition? We think not – Click above for high-res image gallery

User AiboPet over at the SoulHamsters forum happened upon one very interesting Kia Soul Sport while cruising the Kia North America fleet lot recently. The boxy hatch was caught wearing some unique vinyl graphics, complete with tiger stripes down both sides and large paw print on its hind-end. While the forum immediately caught fire with the notion that Kia is planning yet another special-edition version of its youth-oriented crossover, the truth may be a little tamer.

Kia tells Autoblog that it has no plans to roll out a new Tiger Edition Soul, nor will any other big-cat themed models be available from dealers anytime soon. Sorry, feline fans.

Of course, that doesn’t exactly answer what’s up with this particular graphics package. Kia says that when the company’s designers are done with special show-circuit jobs, it just parks them outside with the rest of its testers. This could be a stillborn special edition or a SEMA package that never made it to the show floor. Your guess is as good as ours. Thanks to everyone for the tips!

Gallery: Kia Soul Tiger Edition

[Source: SoulHamsters]

Spy Shots: Kia readying Soul, Tiger Edition? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 14 Sep 2010 17:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Follow-up: Kia names new vice chairman

Filed under: Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Kia, South Korea

Kia has named its next vice chairman. Lee Hyoung-Keun, the company’s chief of overseas operations, will step up into the automaker’s highest leadership role to fill the void left by Jeong Sung-Eun, who stepped down from the position of vice chairman after a global recall sent many of the company’s vehicles in for repairs. Lee, who is also known as Hank Lee, will continue to perform the duties of his old role in the company while taking on the responsibilities of the vice chairman at the same time.

The Detroit News states that Hyundai Motor Chairman Chung Mong-Koo was originally responsible for asking Jeong to step down, though Hyundai has not officially confirmed this report. Kia recalled a total of 104,047 vehicles worldwide, with 35,185 of those in the United States. The recall primarily concerned a faulty wiring harness that could eventually cause a fire if left unchecked.

[Source: The Detroit News]

Follow-up: Kia names new vice chairman originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 09 Sep 2010 16:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Woman gets Kia Soul after passing drive test on 960th try

Filed under: Etc., Government/Legal, Hatchback, Kia, Humor, South Korea

2010 Kia Soul

Kia Soul – click above for high-res image gallery

We like to think of ourselves as pretty determined folk here the United States. After all, our forebearers forged our country out of a wild and unsettling terrain, fought off tyrants, cooked up some of the most amazing inventions of the last century and helped populate a symbol of diversity and freedom renowned the world over. That doesn’t mean that we’d willingly subject ourselves to the DMV 960 times, however. Yet that’s exactly what a Korean woman, Cha Sa-soon, did on her quest to obtain her driver’s license. Despite copious studying, the 69-year-old Cha just couldn’t manage to get past the written portion of the exam.

In April 2005, she began taking the 50-minute, 40-question test once a day, five days week, failing each time. Eventually her pace slowed to taking the test twice a week, but on the 960th try, she managed to get enough of the questions right to pass.

Local news outlets ran with the story, and it wasn’t long before the tale caught the ear of Hyundai-Kia. The company asked people to post congratulatory messages online, and after an overwhelming response, Kia handed her the keys to a brand-new Soul.

We like her style.

Gallery: Review: 2010 Kia Soul

[Source: The New York Times]

Woman gets Kia Soul after passing drive test on 960th try originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 13:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kia Motors chairman resigns over recalls?

Filed under: Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Kia, South Korea

Jeong Sung Eun, the vice chairman of Kia Motor Corporation, has reportedly resigned on the heels of a large recall by the automaker. According to Automotive News, Eun stepped down on September 3 after a global recall sent a total of 85,900 Kia vehicles back to the factory due to faulty wiring. In the U.S., around 35,000 Soul and Sorento models were impacted by the fault, which could cause a short that can result in a vehicle fire. The company is also recalling 18,147 Sorento, Borego and Soul models in China for bad circuit boards.

Before becoming the vice chairman of Kia, Jeong served as a president of the company’s production division. As of right now, it’s unclear who will take over Jeong’s duties within the company or what the former vice chairman will do now that he’s stepped down.

[Source: Automotive News – Sub. Req.]

Kia Motors chairman resigns over recalls? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 07 Sep 2010 13:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kia recalling Soul, Sorento over wiring faults

Filed under: Recalls, Safety, Crossover, Hatchback, Kia

2010 Kia Soul

2010 Kia Soul and 2011 Kia Sorento – Click on either image for high-res gallery

2011 Kia Sorento The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has announced a recall on two Kia vehicles – the 2010 Soul and 2011 Sorento – to replace interior lighting wiring harnesses. These faulty units, supplied by JCI, can apparently cause an electrical short resulting in a fire. This recall affects 35,185 vehicles manufactured between September 7, 2009 and July 30, 2010.

In the Soul, the wiring harnesses in question are located in the front doors and control the funky accent illumination in the speakers. The Sorento has similar problems, but these wires power the lighting in both the front and rear door trim panels.

The full recall is expected to begin within the coming weeks and dealers will inspect and fix the faulty wiring harnesses free of charge. Hit the jump for the full information from NHTSA.

Gallery: Review: 2010 Kia Soul

Gallery: Review: 2011 Kia Sorento

[Source: NHTSA]

Continue reading Kia recalling Soul, Sorento over wiring faults

Kia recalling Soul, Sorento over wiring faults originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 13:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First Drive: 2011 Kia Optima

Filed under: Sedan, Kia, First Drive

You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby

2011 Kia Optima

2011 Kia Optima – Click above for high-res image gallery

We admit it – we’re genetically preprogrammed to be shallow creatures. Despite our moms’ best efforts, recognizing inner beauty is all well and good, but it’s physical beauty that first puts both people and consumables on our radar.

Exhibit A? The 2011 Kia Optima. You see, while exactly nobody was paying attention, the outgoing Optima actually became a reasonably competitive mid-size sedan. But with the lackluster reputation of its predecessor compounded by styling so banal that it might as well have had “John Doe” as a model designation, the Optima was seemingly forgotten by everyone but fleet managers.

That’s not going to be a problem any more.

Gallery: 2011 Kia Optima: First Drive

Continue reading First Drive: 2011 Kia Optima

First Drive: 2011 Kia Optima originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Friends with Benefits: Hyundai shifts Santa Fe production to Kia plant to build more Sonatas

Filed under: Budget, Sedan, Plants/Manufacturing, Hyundai

Straight from HQ at The Department of the Obvious, the 2011 Hyundai Sonata is selling as quickly as Miley Cyrus tickets before Cyrus lost the plot. That’s got Hyundai Motor America shuffling production plans around in order to build enough Sonatas in the U.S., instead of getting them from South Korea.

Hyundai’s Alabama plant produces the Sonata sedan and the Santa Fe, but Santa Fe assembly is being moved to a Kia plant in Georgia where the Sorento is built – easy stuff as they share a platform. With a production capacity of 300,000 cars at the Alabama plant running full tilt, the way things are going, it’s no wonder Hyundai might be looking use all of it.

[Source: Automotive News – Sub. Req.]

Friends with Benefits: Hyundai shifts Santa Fe production to Kia plant to build more Sonatas originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 23 Aug 2010 17:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kia Rondo discontinued in U.S. market with nary a whimper?

Filed under: Car Buying, Budget, Minivan/Van, Hatchback, Kia

2010 Kia Rondo

2010 Kia Rondo – Click above for high-res image gallery

“Thank you for inquiring about the Rondo. As the saying goes, ‘all good things must come to an end.’ But with endings, come new beginnings…”

That’s the message visitors receive when they attempt to learn about the 2010 Kia Rondo from the Korean automaker’s U.S. website. Interestingly enough, when we contacted Kia officials for confirmation that the Rondo wouldn’t be around for 2011, we received the following response: “Kia has not yet decided on a 2011 model, but the 2010 is still available in dealerships.”

Yes, that sounds like a typical canned response, and our best guess is that the Rondo is pretty much a goner. Taking a look at sales figures from last year, the Rondo was Kia’s third slowest seller just behind the full-size Borrego SUV and the faux-luxe Amanti sedan. Worse yet, the Rondo’s 2009 sales total of 14,206 units was less than half of the 28,645 sales it managed in 2008.

Kia is naturally hoping it doesn’t lose out on customers that would otherwise have considered a Rondo. In lieu of the micro-minivan, Kia’s consumer website is pointing buyers towards its new-for-2011 Sportage cute ute, which does have a good bit of space for stuff but surely isn’t quite as family friendly as the apparently outgoing seven-passenger Rondo.

Interestingly enough, Kia of Canada does not seem to have the same message on its site, so we wouldn’t be surprised if the MPV soldiers on with our neighbors to the north. If you’re still interested in getting a Rondo of your very own in these United States, there are massive incentives that remain active on the 2009 model, including $2,000 cash back, $1,000 for a competitive vehicle turn-in, $1,000 for Kia owner loyalty, and/or a $500 discount for military service. That’s a whole lotta cash on the hood. Hat tip to Michael B!

Gallery: 2010 Kia Rondo

[Sources: Kia; Kia Canada]

Kia Rondo discontinued in U.S. market with nary a whimper? originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 19 Aug 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Kia AU delivers The Message about new Sportage with Grandmaster Melle Mel and Scorpio

Filed under: Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Crossover, Kia

Kia Sportage delivers ‘The Message’ – Click above to watch the videos after the jump

Whoever is pulling the strings over at Kia’s global marketing operations must love them some old school hip hop. Kia kicked off the urban vibe with its brilliant Soul commercial. The spot featured the marque’s celebrated CGI hamsters and the classic Black Sheep track “The Choice is Yours,” while poking fun at toasters on wheels like the Scion xB and the Nissan Cube. Good stuff, indeed.

Kia of Australia is going back even farther back with a one minute spot for the Sportage featuring the 1982 Grandmaster Melle Mel & The Furious Five hit “The Message.” But instead of rocking some overplayed rodents, the ad folks Down Under put the Grandmaster and Scorpio in the car with the suburbanite dad who lip syncs along with the forefathers of rap. We think the commercial has something to do with the guys being close to the edge. Hit the jump to watch the commercial, then scroll down for the second “making of” video. Not quite as entertaining as hip-hopping hamsters, but it’s one heck of a song to put in a commercial. Thanks to everyone for the tips!

Gallery: First Drive: 2011 Kia Sportage

[Source: Kia Australia via YouTube]

Continue reading Video: Kia AU delivers The Message about new Sportage with Grandmaster Melle Mel and Scorpio

Video: Kia AU delivers The Message about new Sportage with Grandmaster Melle Mel and Scorpio originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 18 Aug 2010 12:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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