The other three awards were won in the Exterior category by the latest Sportage, the Optima sedan and the new Rio.
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Michael Sprague, Kia’s VP for marketing and communication describes their relationships to the New York Times likes this:
“Kia Motors America operates as a completely separate sales, marketing and distribution organization in the United States. [Hyundai and Kia share engineering efficiencies] similar in many ways to other global automakers.”
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The agreement between GM Korea and the union includes a raise of basic salaries by 4.7% and, more importantly, a $6,140 (6.5 million won) bonus to each worker.
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That’s no mean feat, though intriguingly Kia Belgium have found that a lot of new car buyers believe the seven year warranty scheme is too good to be true. Either there’s a catch, or it doesn’t cover all Kia models, or there’s some extra charges that need to be paid first.
To counteract these rumours, and gain some additional customers, Kia Belgium hooked its General Manager Benoit Morrene up to a polygraph (lie detector) and let the general public ask him questions in an online, streamlining environment.
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However, two decades is a very long time in the automotive industry. Since then Kia has changed remarkably on its way to become an important player on a global scale. In 2010, Kia sold a record 56,114 cars in the UK and, for the first time ever, more than 2 million units worldwide.
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The South American nation’s US$6 billion (€4.19 billion) trade deficit has already led to one Porsche distributor agreeing to export wine and olive products, while similar deals have been struck with carmakers Chery, GM, Peugeot-Citroen, Alfa Romeo, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, Fiat and Ford.
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Muno, Sock Monkey, MR. X, the vintage robot and teddy bear will star in two new 30-second TV spots for the 2012 Sorento CUV. As with the original campaign, "Joyride 2" was created by David&Goliath, KMA's advertising agency of choice. The first commercial begins airing today and will be followed up by the second spot next month.
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Every day con artists look for new ways to scam internet users from their money. The latest phishing scheme concerns a fraudulent job application for KIA. According to the Korean automaker, the scam involves an advert for specialist computer staff working in overseas markets being offered short-term, highly-paid work at the company's UK head office. Up until now, KIA is only aware of one individual being targeted through a recruitment advert featured on a Middle East website. Luckily, the person concerned contacted Kia directly before revealing any personal details that could result in identity theft or possibly the misuse of bank and credit card details.Gary Tomlinson, Kia's General Manager of Human Resources said: "Fortunately this particular individual was not caught out, but this is a particularly callous attempt at fraud as it hits people desperately looking for work during the economic down-turn.
"We have passed all the information we have available to us to the Police and hope these individuals can be tracked down as quickly as possible," he added.
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Kia today announced official pricing for its all-new Soul 'urban crossover'. The Soul will be available in four trims: Soul, Soul+, Soul! (exclaim) and Soul sport. Apart from the entry-level Soul that's equipped with a 120HP 1.6-liter engine mated to a five-speed manual transmission, the other three versions are offered with a 140HP 2.0-liter engine that can be hooked up to either a five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic transmission. Prices range from $13,300 -or $13,995 with the $695 freight charge included- for the Soul 1.6L to a little under $19,000 for the Soul Sport with all the boxes ticked.More specifically, the Soul+ 2.0L, which includes standard keyless entry remote, solar glass and 16-inch alloy wheels, will start at $14,950 and top out at $17,100 when options including the Audio Package and power moonroof are included.
The Soul! 2.0L that adds the power moonroof, fog lights and 18-inch alloy wheels will be priced beginning at $16,950 and peak at $17,900 with all available options included. As for the range-topping Soul Sport 2.0L, it includes side sills, a rear spoiler, 18-inch alloy wheels and unique front and rear fascias, and will start at $16,950 and end at $18,600 with all available options included.
While Kia's second teaser shot of its new concept car does not enlighten us about the type of vehicle we'll be seeing at this week's Detroit auto show, we do learn that it will be called the Soulster. Judging from the first photo and the name, we're leaning towards a three door version of the Soul - quite possibly with a large panoramic fabric sunroof reaching out to the roof rails and covering the entire length of the car's top. We'll see if we're spot-on in a few days time. Until then, click through to see the first teaser picture.
As the recession deepens and car sales across the world plunge, automakers are trying to pull every trick out of the book to reduce their losses. Hyundai and its affiliate Kia Motors said in a joint statement released today that they will freeze wages for administrative workers and reduce production at their plants by cutting down on their operations by an average of four hours a day in December. The two Korean automakers said that they expect to sell around 4.2 million vehicles in 2008, which is approximately 600,000 units less than originally planned.Via: Bloomberg
First of all, allow us to say that it is not at all certain that Kia's new mini MPV model will use the Soul name. However, the car which bears the codename YN, does share the same platform with the new Kia Soul as well as with the Hyundai i20. Set to take the fight to the Opel Meriva, Nissan Note and Honda Jazz when it's launched at the end of 2009, Kia's new little MPV will offer more space and practicality than its faux-crossover Soul sibling.
The prototype model's heavy camouflage does not allow us to see any exterior details other than the large panoramic roof, but it is apparent that Kia's mini MPV will be less flashy and funky than the Soul. Inside, as is evident from the scoop photos, the mini MPV uses the same three-gauge instrument panel and three-spoke steering wheel as the Soul, though the center console has been completely redesigned. Buyers should expect to find lots of clever folding seats and plenty of storage compartments.
Powertrain options will include 1.6-liter petrol and diesel engines, both producing an output of 126HP, while some markets will also get a 115HP 1.6-liter diesel and a 142HP 2.0-liter gasoline engine.
The new mini-MPV will be manufactured by Kia's sister brand Hyundai at the company's new factory at Nosovice in the Czech Republic, although Korean versions are likely to be built in Korea. Production of Hyundai's version of the mini-MPV, which will replace the Matrix, will start in the Czech factory in 2010.
Expect to see Kia's little minivan making its global premiere at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2009.
Having already shown the production version of the 2010 Soul, Kia is now preparing to reveal a new concept variant of its so-called "urban crossover passenger car" at the forthcoming 2009 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit. The teaser shot leaves a lot to the imagination but judging from the placement of the B-column, we'd say that the Korean automaker is most probably readying a three-door hatchback variant of the Soul. Though less likely, there is a possibility that the concept car might be a 'light' pick-up truck version of the crossover. Either way, we'll have to wait for the Detroit show to find out.
Kia premiered its next-generation fuel-cell electric vehicle (FCEV) system fitted on the new Borrego at the Los Angeles International Auto Show. A number of improvements have allowed the system to develop an additional 47HP compared to the previous FCEV powertrains bumping peak output to 154HP. With a 202-liter hydrogen storage tank located underneath the Borrego and ahead of the rear wheels, Kia's latest research vehicle has a range of about 426 miles. The top speed of the Borrego FCEV is 100 mph (160 km/h) while the vehicle accelerates from zero to 60 mph (96 km/h( in 12.8 sec. Kia also claims a 'best-in-class system efficiency of 62 percent' which translates to 54 mpg U.S."Entering this new phase of our program is really exciting," said Dr. Hyun Soon Lee, president of research and development for the Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group. "Now we will be able to build fuel cell electric vehicles in higher volumes and lower cost for fleet testing and the latest Borrego FCEV drives us closer to making fuel cell vehicles available for consumers."
Technical Specifications
Type: Fuel Cell + Supercapacitor
Fuel Cell Output: 154 horsepower (115kW)
Additional Power Output: 134 horsepower Supercapacitor (100kW)
Traction Motor Output: 147 horsepower (110kW)
Dimensions: 192.1 x 75.4 x 71.3 inches
Curb Weight: 4,960 pounds (2,250kg)
Max. Speed: 100 mph
Zero to 60 mph Acceleration: 12.8 seconds
Max. Distance: 426 miles with three tanks
Fuel economy: 54 mpg (EPA combined F/E)
Despite the fact that these aren't the best of times for mid-size and large crossovers and SUVs, KIA is moving ahead with the development of its next-generation Sorento that could make its global premiere as early as the 2009 Geneva Motor Show next March. The first and foremost change is that KIA has ditched the current model's separate body-on-frame chassis in favor of a unibody architecture meaning that the new Sorento will lose in terms of towing and off-road capabilities but gain in handling, ride quality and fuel economy.
Since the Sorento will be sold on both sides of the Atlantic it comes to no surprise that KIA is planning to offer its new crossover with a variety of diesel and petrol powerplants. In terms of gasoline engines the Sorento will be available with two V6 powertrains (depending on the market), a 3.0-liter unit developing 240HP and a larger 3.8-liter motor with an output of 260HP. It remains uncertain if KIA will continue to offer the Euro-spec 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engine from the current model.
European and other international markets will also benefit from Hyundai's newly developed "R" 4-cylinder turbo diesel engine that will be available in two sizes, 2.0 and 2.2-litres with outputs of 184HP / 392Nm and 200HP respectively coupled with 6-speed automatic or manual transmissions. There will also be a new 3.0-litre V6 CRDi turbo diesel producing 240HP. Though there is a possibility that KIA might consider offering two-wheel-drive variants of the Sorento for even better fuel economy, the Koreans will most likely stick with a standard four-wheel-drive-layout.
Aside from the chassis overhaul and the new powertrains, the new Sorento will grow a few inches in dimensions and it will be offered with the option of seven seats. Our spy shots reveal that while KIA isn't breaking any molds, the Sorento's interior which is apparently influenced by the Korean firm's Forte sedan looks pretty fresh overall. rezza foournito's sources also state that the interior's finish will be of noticeably higher quality than any models in KIA's range.
Although it's hard to see any of the exterior details with that all that camouflage (you can however take a peek at the production version by clicking here), the next generation Sorento will take a few design cues from the 'boxy' KND-4 concept (especially in what concerns the front-end of the vehicle) that was penned under the guidance of Kia´s Chief Design Officer, Peter Schreyer. You can see pictures of the concept below.
The new Sorento is expected to go on sale in Korea in the second half of 2009 with European, North American and other international markets following in late 2009 or early 2010.
