2009 Kia Forte
Meet the new Kia Forte. Kia Motors released the first official pics of the its new model. The Forte’s mission is replacement for now Spectra/Cerato. The 2009 Forte will arrive into Korean showrooms on August 22.
The Forte was penned by acclaimed designer Peter Schreyer, who was responsible for designing the first-generation Audi TT and Volkswagen New Beetle. It is one of the brand’s first models to carry its new sharper corporate look. One of the main elements of the new look is the corporate grille found on the KOUP Concept, KEE Concept, and now the Forte. The rear resembles the Hyundai Elantra and vaguely, the Lexus IS.
The Forte will be powered by a brand new 1.6-liter 4-cylinder engine. A more powerful 2.0-liter 4-cyliner engine will be released after the launch. The Forte will roll into U.S. showrooms in 2009, and a two-door variant will follow some months later.
Kia Cee’d Production Hits 200,000 Milestone
The Cee’d product line that consists of three body variants (5door, SW and the 3door Pro_Cee’d) at Kia’s all-new Zilina factory in Slovakia has topped the 200,000 mark, 18 months after start. The Zilina plant’s productive records this year include 915 units made in a single day on Monday 21 April.
“This is another truly significant day for Kia,” said Mr In-Kyu Bae, President and CEO Kia Motors Slovakia. “We produced our 100,000th cee’d last September, only 10 months after start-up, and with the addition of the cee’d wagon and pro_cee’d three-door hatch we have reached our 200,000th cee’d after only eight more months. We are proud to have achieved record productivity levels while maintaining excellent build quality.”
Kia Soul Production Version Revealed
The Kia Soul production version revealed. Kia has released the first official images of its compact 5-door crossover that will be officially revealed at the Paris Motor Show soon. The Soul was first seen as a concept at the 2006 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
No word about of the Kia Soul’s mechanics, but expect it be offered with a variety of small 4-cylinder petrol and in Europe, diesel engines. Production of the Scion-esque Soul will begin in Korea in September 2008 with sales in Europe, the U.S. and other markets expected to start from early 2009.
Facelifted Kia Sportage
A few months Kia unveiled a facelifted version of its Sportage. Today you can see a replacement version for the korean SUV.
There’s a range of fresh colour schemes for the body and trim, plus a revised bumper. Inside, a wide array of new instruments includes a hi-tech USB port for linking media devices to the stereo. And three distinct trims – XE, XS and Titan – will be made available by the firm.
Entry-level models will use the same 2.0-litre petrol and diesel engines as before, but the flagship models will be powered by a 2.7-litre V6 petrol unit. A revised oil-burner with more power and lower emissions is also being readied. The range will cost from $28,000, with top versions at around $40,000.
Kia Soul
The vehicles like the Honda Element and Scion xB is popular again. This shape of cars also happens to be extremely practical and allows for much more interior space than more streamlined bodywork. Now Kia is planning on offering its upcoming Soul small car in the U.S. in addition to the Chinese market. Now you can see production-ready picture of the Kia Soul already, and the production Soul should retain most of what we’ve seen in the concepts, minus the crazy paint jobs.
The Soul is certainly a bold step for Kia, which has so far erred on the safe side when it comes to vehicle styling. Automotive News reports that the front-wheel-drive Soul will be equipped with a 2.0 liter four-cylinder engine and should arrive in both China and the States next March. Hopefully a production version of the KOUP Concept will be right on its tail.
Hyundai and Kia bury pickup truck
Crumbling pickup truck sales and rising gas prices have led Hyundai and its affiliate Kia to abandon their plans to build pick-up trucks in the U.S. “Because of high oil prices, the light-truck market has been declining,’” Kim Dong Jin, Vice Chairman of the Hyundai said today. “We don’t think it’s the right time.”
As for Kia’s new Georgia plant where Hyundai and Kia carmakers considered building their pickup trucks, the company now says that it will be used to produce the Sorento SUV.
Kia get version of Microsoft’s SYNC
Microsoft Corp. has signed a worldwide deal with automaker Kia to use its in-car software that allows people to use voice commands to control personal music players and telephones.
Fiat sells cars with the software outside the U.S.
Kia Motors will be entitled to sell cars equipped with Microsoft Auto around the world starting in November, but the company is working on new capabilities and probably won’t be ready this fall, said Velle Kolde, senior product manager for Microsoft Auto.
Kolde wouldn’t say what types of features Kia may add but said the software could include navigation and an emergency call service activated when air bags inflate.
“What specific features you see will be tailored toward the types of vehicles they go into,” Kolde said.
Microsoft is now free to license the software to other automakers as well.
Kia Cee’d diesels power up
Kia has finished a new bigger diesel for its Cee’d model. The Kia is making the 2.0-litre CRDi oil-burner from the Pro_cee’d Sport available across its family car line-up.
The 138bhp diesel appears in a new range-topping Sport trim on the five-door hatchback and SW estate bodystyles. And as well as the engine, the models get new 17-inch alloys, unique headlamps and tinted rear windows on the outside, plus part-leather sports seats inside.
Although it delivers more power, the 2.0-litre unit features the same fuel injection and Variable Geometry Turbocharger technology as the cur-rent 113bhp 1.6 CRDi in the Cee’d. It also complies with the latest Euro IV emissions standards. The new variants command a $2,400 premium over 1.6 models, so the Cee’d Sport starts from $32,000, with the Cee’d SW Sport priced at $32,000. Both are covered by the brand’s market-leading seven-year warranty.
KIA CEE’D CRDi Sport Edition
Kia is now offering the 138 Hp strong diesel-unit on the Cee’d 5door and Cee’d SW models. Kia’s range topping diesel engine is introduced with a new Sport grade for the 5door and Station Wagon models featuring 17-inch alloys, black bezel headlights and rear privacy glass. The Sport models’ interior has part leather seats featuring a specially designed tyre tread cloth design with silver stitching highlights on seats, arm rest and steering wheel. The five-door Cee’d 2.0 CRDi Sport is priced at $30,000 while the Cee’d 2.0 CRDi Sport S W at $33,000.
Kia specific smells just for Europeans
Kia has announced that interior components on its cars are smell-tested just for Europeans.
As part of the company’s push to ensure that its cars are perceived as being totally European, it seals components in a jar and has them smell-tested before they are fitted.
David Labrosse, from the product planning department of Kia’s European Research and Development centre in Germany, said:
‘The European nose is quite different to the Korean one. We like different smells so we developed odours for the car’s interior that were pleasing to Europeans.’
Labrosse says that it is difficult to describe the ideal smell, adding: ‘If we don’t like the smell, we try to find the cause of the problem by breaking the materials down and cooking them to find out where the wrong odour is coming from.’