Just a few years ago picking a Top 10 Cars list from the LA Auto Show would have been a simple task, with few world premieres and most of the vehicles on display having already been revealed at some overseas venue. That’s no longer the case, with over 20 global debuts this year. So with...
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For a long time, the only brand with a poorer reputation than Hyundai was Kia. Despite being a subsidiary of Hyundai, Kia‘s vehicles were often a grade lower in quality, using decade-old Mazda engineering and projecting an image of cheap vehicles for those with poor credit (or poor taste). Now, Kia is on a roll,...
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Kia has just announced at the LA Auto Show that they’ve teamed up with Kinetic Motorsports to campaign a pair of Optima SXs in World Challenge. The pair of race cars will join the Rio 5-Door B-Spec that debuted at the SEMA Show earlier this month as part of Kia’s racing efforts with Kinetic Motorsports....
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Gas, tires and insurance probably don’t matter much if you’re in the market for a 2012 Chevrolet Camaro or Ford Mustang, but safety does. The Camaro and Mustang GT come with more-or-less comparable horsepower and grunt off the line. What the test drive won’t show you is that the Camaro is the first car to...
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Is the Kia Soul just a touch too big for your needs? Well if you happen to live in Kia’s home market of S. Korea, you could look into their newest offering, dubbed the Ray. While the name might sound similar to the sea creature, the Kia Ray is neither sleek or stealthy. What it...
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Busey, who also starred in films such as Lethal Weapon (they call me Mr. Joshua) Under Siege and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, has been appearing in commercials for Century III Kia, alongside a guinea pig with the punch line “tell ’em Gary sent ya!”
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Kia has unveiled four custom models at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas today, with each car featuring a different sport as its theme. A custom Soul, built by West Coast Customs, is inspired by Michelle Wie, Kia’s official golf ambassador. A Rio 5-Door was built in partnership with Antenna featuring a Retro Surf theme....
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As promised Kia has unveiled its Rio B-Spec race car at the 2011 SEMA Show today, based on the brand’s all-new Rio 5-Door sub-compact. More of a kit than an actual race car, this is a project for the do-it-yourselfer. On top of the $13,600 price of a Rio, Kia’s racing partner Kinetic Motorsports will...
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After taking the championship in the Grand-Am Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge street tuner challenge this year, Kia is announcing further commitments to the world of motorsports. In addition to the 2012 Rio B-Spec racer, built by Kia Racing and Kinetic Motorsports, Kia has unveiled an Optima Hybrid pace car for the United States Touring...
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Our friends to the north have been keeping busy by choosing their pick for the car and truck of the year, before snow takes over. So over the last week, the Automotive Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) had assembled in the Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario to see which cars are the best in their category. The winners...
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Kia plans on making a splash this year at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show with its surf/skate-themed 2012 Rio hatchback. This gnarly Rio is the result of a partnership between Kia and Antenna Magazine, and is touted as being a “one-of-a-kind retro ride aimed at totally radical surfing enthusiasts.” To start off, Kia...
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Kia has released pricing details for its 2012 Rio sedan, starting at $13,400 or $200 less than the 5-door version. That price is before the $750 destination and handling fee. The cheapest version comes with a 6-speed manual transmission, but if you aren’t willing or can’t drive stick the price jumps to $15,250 with a...
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You can sound polite and say “inexpensive” but if you’re strapped for cash, the most important question when shopping for a new car is: what’s the cheapest car on the market? AutoGuide has got the answer, along with the nine runners up. Toyota‘s warmed-over Yaris makes the 10th spot on our list with a base...
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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...
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When it comes to automotive brand loyalty, consumers trust Hyundai, this according to a new study. The study was done by Experian Automotive, a data service that tracks vehicle registration data and consumer attitudes, and it found that consumers really trust Hyundai. But making big progress is Ford – the automaker took six of the...
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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...
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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...
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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,”...
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Surging volumes and a lag in Japanese output helped Hyundai surpass Honda as America’s fifth largest automaker in 2011, selling 522 more units (from both Hyundai and Kia combined) than Honda did through September. Analysts cite Honda’s inventory disruption due to Japan’s natural disasters in March as a leading cause of the change in rankings....
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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...
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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...
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While Hyundai and Kia are the best known Korean automakers, Ssangyong, still exists in the rest of the world, and the automaker (who has never sold vehicles in North America) has some very ambitious goals for the near future. Ssangyong wants to sell 160,000 vehicles worldwide by 2013, and hopes to raise that number to...
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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...
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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...
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