Kia released the official sketches of its all-new flagship sedan, codenamed the KH, ahead of its launch in Korea later this year.

The KH is a luxury, rear-wheel-drive saloon, kind of like a Korean BMW 7 Series. On the face of it, it appears to cover all the bases as a proper luxury sedan, even though it’s design is not what you call European.

But then that’s understandable, because as of yet there’s no plan to launch it outside Korea. ItT is designed for the Korean domestic market and will go on sale in the first quarter of 2012. Still, the fact that Kia deiced to make a big, rear-drive saloon is great.

Features of the car’s design include large headlights with Kia’s signature grille dominating the front-end, large alloys, and a distinguished rear-end with chrome detailing. It also has a simple side character line to give a feeling of spaciousness while emphasizing the new model’s bold and dynamic image.

Soon-Nam Lee, Kia’s Director of the Overseas Marketing Group, says, “Our all-new flagship sedan integrates all of our key capabilities such as design, performance, high-tech features and infotainment into one striking model. “Although launch timings for overseas markets are yet to be confirmed, this all-new rear-wheel drive large sedan will definitely become the leading model of our line-up around the world, showcasing the best of the best of Kia.”

The new range-topping SX Limited version of Kia Optima comes straight out of the ‘Drive the Dream’ Super Bowl commercial.

Unveiled officially at the 2012 Chicago Autoshow, the Optima SX Limited is based on the turbo model, powered by a 2.0 liter turbo GDI engine with 274-hp and fuel economy of 22/34 mpg city/highway. It’s the extra visual garnish and equipments that set it apart.

The car can only be had in three special colors of Ebony Black, Snow White and Titanium Metallic colors. It is further distinguished on the outside by the LED daytime lights,chrome detailing, rear spoiler, lower door sills, and chrome 18-inch wheels ad well as red brake calipers at front.

Inside the cabin more wooden trims are to be found on the steering wheel, door panels, dashboard and shift knob,, to complement the black or white Nappa leather on the seats, door panels, center console armrest and center fascia.

In terms of equipments, the Optima SX Limited is really feature-rich, with a list including unique front and rear lower bumper design, sport-tuned suspension, HID headlamps, Supervision meter cluster with LCD display, steering wheel paddle shifters, metal pedals, illuminated door scuff plates, panoramic sunroof, 4-way power front passenger’s seat, driver’s seat memory, heated/cooled front seats, heated rear seats, navigation system with back-up camera and SiriusXM Traffic and Infinity audio system and speakers, plus a first-aid kit and cloth door weather strip.

Kia Track’ster finally gets its world debut at the Chicago Autoshow, revealing a performance-oriented three-door Soul coupé concept, according to the manufacturer.

That is a fancy way of saying its a compact crossover. The head of Kia America design says the Trak’ster is designed to look like a bulldog! And it sort of does. The car’s got a wide mouth, two rather mean looking eyes, and massively flared arches that give it a wide and powerful presence.

The Track’ster is a great show car, but it also have production potential. This concept of small yet rugged city car is hugely appealing.

Most striking up front is the Track’ster’s lower intake grille, flanked by immense LED driving lights with billet aluminium surrounds. The lower valance, trimmed in carbon fibre and accented with Inferno Orange, rides just inches off the ground and lends to the car’s menacing stance.

The interior is just as cool, what with deeply bolstered Inferno Orange suede-covered racing seats and Granite Grey leather, plus a large touchscreen infotainment system.

We are particularly fond of those HRE-K1 monoblock billet performance wheels, wrapped in 245/40-19-inch front and massive 285/35-19-inch rear Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 high-performance tyres.

The concept car is powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged in-line-four engine from the Soul’s lineup, but in this it makes 250hp. Power is routed to all four wheels via an electronically controlled four-wheel-drive system and a six-speed manual transmission.

Kia released the first official picture of its new concept car for the 2012 Chicago Autoshow, and, well, it’s actually less revealing than this rendering they had released before. The Track’ster is based on a jacked-up version of Kia Soul’s chassis and is a sort of small crossover like the Nissan Juke. Kia has not yet confirmed any production plans for this car.

More details and picture will be released in the coming days.

When Kia released a silly 5-hour video of Adriana Lima waving a checkered flag, we couldn’t help but think their ad is rubbish and they are using Adriana’s hotness to cover up for it. But now they’ve released the full thing, and we watched it, and we have to say it’s pretty awesome. It’s probably the best Super Bowl ad we’ve seen this year, so far. The plot is good, the cast is good, the performance is good, in fact the only downer is the car they’re promoting! The Optima is a great car, but by no means a dream car as Kia insinuates.

Kia’s California Design Studio has come up with a new concept car to be shown at the 2012 Chicago Autoshow, called the Track’ster.

Based on this teaser rendering they released, it appears to be something like the Nissan Juke, a city crossover. It is based on the Kia Soul, the brand’s B- segment SUV, and according to Chief Designer Tom Kearns it inherits the Soul’s rebellious, individual and urban character.

Kia has come up with pretty cool concept cars in recent years, and has made – or will make – almost all of them. So although they say there’s no production plans for this one, you can expect to see it out in the wild in a couple of years by now.

Kia’s innovative and hugely successful urban crossover, the Soul, was originally created in the California Studio, the birthplace of the Soul’ster convertible concept that is currently under final assessment for production. Soul has been a hit with US consumers and in 2011 more than 102,000 were delivered to owners.

Not sure what to make of this, really, but Kia has just released a five-hour video of Adriana Lima waving a flag for no obvious reason! A couple of days ago they released a teaser of their Super Bowl ad, which of course featured Lima and her bloody flag. The internet loved it very much. So Kia came up with this silly idea to grab more attention do us a favor.

We love to look at a Victoria’s Secret super model as much as the next guy, but I think a healthy person would get bored with it after a few minutes. What kind of a pervert would sit there for five hours and watch the whole thing?!

The first-ever Kia Rio three-door hatchback is now available to order in the United Kingdom.

Brits love small and efficient hatchbacks, and this Rio is like the perfect choice for small families, or the 17-year old who is going to buy his or her first car. Prices start at £9,995 which is not bad for a new car, especially one as loaded and as well-made as this little Korean.

The lineup of two petrol and two diesel engines include the 1.1 CRDi with 74bhp and 170Nm of torque, which returns CO₂ emissions of 99g/km or below and fuel economy of at least 74.3mpg. The other diesel 1.4 CRDi delivers 89bhp and 220Nm of torque, with 70.6mpg combined and just 105 g/km of CO_2.

The petrol versions include 1.25-litre Kappa with 83bhp and 121Nm of torque, and 1.4-litre Gamma engine, developing 107bhp and 137Nm of torque.

The UK Rio 3-door model line-up and pricing

Kia Rio 3-door equipments and features:

Rio 3-door is offered in the same four easily understood trim grades – badged ‘1’, ‘1 Air’, ‘2’ and ‘3’ –  as the five door version.

Even on entry level ‘1’, standard features include daytime running lights, body-coloured bumpers, door handles and door mirrors, speed-variable front wipers, headlamp levelling, front electric windows, 15-inch steel wheels, a height-adjustable driver’s seat, two-way steering column adjustment on the petrol model (height-adjustable only on the entry level diesel), a tachometer and trip computer, split folding rear seats, a boot light, a 12-volt power socket and an MP3-compatible RDS radio and CD player with USB and AUX ports.  Bluetooth is also standard on the petrol entry model, and on all versions with other trim grades.

The ‘1 Air’ grade is for buyers who want the comfort of air conditioning without upgrading to level ‘2’.

The ‘2’ is distinguished by 16-inch alloy wheels, front fog lights and a chrome radiator grille surround.  Inside, there is premium black cloth upholstery, a cooling glovebox, electrically adjustable heated and folding door mirrors with side repeaters, leather trim on the steering wheel and gearshift and a centre console armrest.

The luxurious level ‘3’ specification adds 17-inch alloys with low-profile tyres, LED daytime running and rear combination lamps, automatic air conditioning with auto de-fog, rain sensing wipers, cruise control, automatic projection-type headlights, heated front seats and six speakers instead of four.

While most car makers are trying to come up with something funny or clever to show to the millions of Americans watching this year’s Super Bowl big game, Kia went for something much more interesting: Victoria’s Secret model Adriana Lima. The ad also features Motley Crue heavy metal band, mixed martial arts legend Chuck Liddell, and some other things. But frankly they’re all kinda overshadowed by Ms. Lima, and her fancy outfit.

Watch a teaser video for the 60-second ad after the jump.

In the spot, titled “Drive the Dream,” the new 2012 Optima Limited races through a Gen X couple’s wildest thoughts as they sleep, including: Victoria’s Secret® Angel Adriana Lima waving the checkered flag at a speedway; an in-your-face Motley Crue concert; mixed martial arts legend Chuck Liddell battling in the ring; a heroine and hunk on horseback in a romance novel setting; champion bull rider Judd Leffew taming a bucking rhinoceros; and a fairy tale ending.

More images of the 2013 Kia Cee’d leak to the web, basically revealing the car in full.

Before this Kia had only released one single image of the car. Now get to see it from the side and rear. And it’s fair to say the new Cee’d doesn’t share a single detail with the old model, an that is great. The new model looks sporty and cool, on the line with Kia’s new young and energetic image.

The face of the 2013 Kia Ceed will also be featured on the American Forte model, which itself will get three sedan, coupe and hatchback variants. The sedan and hatch will look pretty much the same as this, but the coupe – or Koup, as Kia calls it, will probably get a fancier design.

The Cee’d is based on the Hyundai i30 platform, but details of the engine lineup are not known at this stage. 2013 Kia Cee’d will makes its debut at the net Geneva Motor Show in March.

Kia unveiled the first picture of the all-new Cee’d hatchback today ahead of its official debut at 2012 Geneva Motor Show.

Kia says the styling of this five-door hatch is inspired by the sporty coupes. Some of the highlights of the exterior include the signature grille, fancy new headlights, wheels from the current Cerato, and very cool foglamp bezels, plus chrome framed windows and muscular lines on the bonnet.

The next Cerato (Forte) sedan and Koup will also be getting a similar design. That’s good, the car looks kinda cute.

The new Cee’d also gets a new ergonomic, driver oriented dashboard. Kia says the quality of used materials is enhanced and the whole interior is much more refined.

New cee’d will be available across Europe from the second quarter of 2012 with UK deliveries expected to start from June. More on the car closer to Geneva show.

Starting from next month the latest version of Kia Optima goes on sale in UK, with a base price of £19,595.

This handsome saloon, which is Kia’s flagship model, has been an instant hit around the world ever since it was introduced in 2010, with more than 30,000 units already sold. In the UK it is aimed at the business market and offered with only one diesel engine – a new 134bhp version of Kia’s 1.7-litre CRD lineup.

The manual can achieve 57.6 miles per gallon, with CO₂ emissions of 128g/km, while the figures for the automatic are 47.1mpg and 158g/km.

The Optima is based on an all-new platform which ensures it has class-leading passenger and luggage space and safety features while being no larger than its competitors.  The Optima is 45mm longer (4,845mm) and 25mm wider (1,830mm) than Kia’s previous D-segment saloon, but of greater significance is the 75mm increase in wheelbase (2,795mm).  Front passengers, in particular, benefit from significantly more legroom, and there has also been a small increase in headroom, despite a 25mm reduction in overall height (1,455mm).

The boot capacity has been enlarged to 505 litres (VDA), and there is a lower lip to make the business of loading the car less strenuous.  The 60:40 split folding rear seats allow longer loads to be transported.

The Optima is available with an extensive list of features.  Sold in the UK with Kia’s familiar 1, 2 and 3 trim grades, but the mid-range 2 versions offer buyers the options of ‘Luxe’ or ‘Tech’ variants.

Standard features: alloy wheels, air conditioning, LED daytime running lamps, leather steering wheel, Bluetooth with voice recognition and music streaming, steering wheel-mounted audio controls, all-round electric windows and electric folding mirrors as well as cruise control and a speed limiter.

Grade 2: solar glass with auto defogging, automatically activated wipers, an eight-way adjustable powered driver’s seat with memory setting, heated front seats, dual zone auto air conditioning in place of air conditioning, reverse parking camera, iPod connectivity and a premium Supervision instrument cluster and paddle shifts on automatic models.

Grade 2 Luxe: grey cloth trim, panoramic sunroof with electric blinds, 18-inch alloy wheels, black front calipers, black and chrome radiator grille surround, sculptured side sill mouldings and front and rear valances and a reversing camera in the rear-view mirror.

Grade 2 Tech: black leather and cloth upholstery, a 12-speaker premium Infinity audio system – including a centre speaker, an external 11-channel amplifier and an eight inch subwoofer – 17-inch alloy wheels and a 7-inch touch-screen satellite navigation system with European mapping and an integrated reversing camera.

Optima 3 is a combination of the mid-grade 2 models with additional features.  It includes a panoramic sunroof, auto light control, Infinity audio system and touch-screen satellite navigation with integrated reversing camera.  Xenon headlamps with automatic levelling, full black leather upholstery, a cool-ventilated driver’s front seat, heated rear seats and an automatic parallel parking assist system are unique to the 3.  Smart key with start/stop ignition button, stainless steel door scuff plates with front illumination, mood lighting and alloy pedals complete the top-of-the-range version’s high specification count.

Pricing:

Kia’s stunning GT concept from 2011 IAA, as reported earlier, will make it into production. Now it seems there’s more than one car emerging from the concept.

According to Edmund’s Inside Line sources, Kia is planing a two-door coupe and a sport wagon car based on the GT concept. Those are in addition to the the sedan version which is due in 2013 as the halo model.

The GT is of course a preview of Kia’s new design direction, continuing the revolution started by Peter Schreyer, destroying the dull and boring image associated with Kia cars and giving them a young and amazing character.

Kia has confirmed their intention to make more sporty models a number of times, and the decision to produce the GT is on the line with that decision. Currently their only model that can be called kinda sporty is the Koup. But the lineup is about to get expanded with a Mazda Mx-5 rival and of course the GT-based coupe.

The future seems bright for Kia.

]]> http://www.motorward.com/2011/12/kia-gt-to-spawn-coupe-and-wagon-variants/feed/ 8 http://www.motorward.com/2011/12/kia-ray-ev-announced-for-korean-market/ http://www.motorward.com/2011/12/kia-ray-ev-announced-for-korean-market/#comments Thu, 22 Dec 2011 07:16:57 +0000 Arman Barari http://www.motorward.com/?p=29079

Kia launches Korea’s first electric vehicle with the new Ray EV. In its first phase of production in 2012, 2,500 units of Ray EV will be be provided to government agencies for test and evaluation.

Kia Ray EV will be built in the same produciton line as the petrol version, because apart from the powertrain, they are basically the same.

The EV is about 80kg heavier though, because of its electric motor which is a a 50kW unit with 167 Nm of torque, backed by 16.4 kWh lithium ion polymer battery pack. It has a range of 139 km (86 miles) and a recharge time of six hours (25 minutes with fast-charging systems). Its simple transmission has different driving modes with ‘D’ drive,  ‘E’ (or ‘eco’) and ‘B’ (or ‘brake’) that can be selected when driving downhill on highways and on mountain roads to maximize braking power.

The performance is frankly terrible. Zero to 100 km/h (62mph) takes 15.9 seconds and the top speed is 130 kph (81 mph). Kia says it’s brisker than the gasoline models, and that begs the question, how bad is the gasoline model?!

For the driver’s peace of mind, the Ray EV comes with first-ever EV-specific navigation system that features a 7-inch screen and provides crucial information for EV drivers such as the nearest locations of the slow/fast recharging stations.  The display shows a circular shaped area in which the model can travel with its current level of battery power, so that drivers can see which destinations are reachable without a recharge.

In terms of safety, the car with six air-bags, and electronic stability features – VDC (Vehicle Dynamics Control) and HAC (Hill Assist Control, to prevent roll-back) – as standard. It also features a VESS (Virtual Engine Sound System). These days it’s mandatory for electric cars to have this system.

Looks like Kia has covered all the bases for an electric urban commuter with the Ray EV.

These drawings, appeared on Korean car blog, are believed to be the official renderings of the new generation Kia Forte/Cerato.

The details seem to be spot on for a Forte replacement, as it has roughly the same profile and overall shape, but with new head and taillights, Kia’s signature grille, and on the whole a more curvy design on the line with other recent Kia models.

The current Forte, known as K3 in Korea and Cerato in some parts of the world, was a true game-changer for Kia. Especially its coupe version, the Koup, introduced the brand to a new segment with great success. Kia owes that to the talent and skills of former Audi designer Peter Schreyer. If these renderings are the actual Forte, we can’t wait to see the real thing. It’ll certainly look better in the flesh.

The upcoming Detroit Motor Show will reveal more facts about it all.

via: Koreancarblog

Kia is expanding its motorsport activities by entering two race-prepped Optima SXs in the Pirelli World Challenge Championships.

These World Challenge Optima SXs, developed jointly by Kia and Kinetic Motorsports, will compete in the Grand Touring Sport (GTS) class alongside established nameplates such as Mustang and Camaro at world-class race tracks across North America, including Road Atlanta, the street circuit in Long Beach, Calif., and Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif.

They will be the first Korean cars in the series.

Kia has already a successful career in the stock car championship with the Koup, and recently announced the B-Spec Kia Rio race car. Looks like they are very serious about putting on a more sporty face.

“As a brand with no previous racing experience in America, for Kia to win two motorsports championships in just its second year is an incredible accomplishment, and expanding our motorsports footprint with the turbocharged Optima entering World Challenge will continue to build passion and enthusiasm for the brand with an entirely new fan base at different race tracks across the country,” said Michael Sprague, vice president, marketing & communications, KMA. “With its aerodynamic styling and outstanding driving dynamics, the Optima SX should be well suited to the ultra-competitive environment of World Challenge racing.”

This is Kia Ray, a compact A-segment vehicle for the Korean domestic market.

The Ray looks like the result of marriage between Kia Soul ad Kia Picanto, and is basically an eco box designed to offer a spacious interior, efficient powertrains, and not much else. But that’s plenty for the average Korean drivers.

For the sake of practicality, the Ray features sliding passenger side rear door not only enables easier passenger entry and exit in tight parking spaces, but also provides for a wide, unobstructed side opening for maximum cargo utility. That is its most exciting feature. Kia also emphasize on the LED daytimers and Ray’s unique side glass configuration as elements that enhance the vehicle’s individualistic aesthetic appeal.

As mentioned Kia Ray is KDM-exclusive. We’re not jealous. Not even a bit.

Peter Schreyer is still excelling in designing great cars for Kia, bringing home yet another title. It’s the three-door Piacnto this time, receiving the prestigious iF product design award.

The iF award recognizes design quality alongside a number of other criteria, including workmanship, level of innovativeness and eco-friendliness. This is the fourth iF design award in three years for Kia.

The new Picanto, especially in its three–door format, has a design with soul and passion. You look at it and you know there’s a lot of thought going into this. It makes more sense when you compare it to the old model, which, truth be told, was a piece of junk in every way!

“Receiving the iF product design award for the new Kia Picanto is a great success for our design team and it is welcome recognition of our brand’s design oriented strategy,” said Kia’s Chief Design Officer, Peter Schreyer.  “The second generation of the Picanto displays a very purposeful, self-assured design, and its sportiness is particularly underscored by the three-door version.”

The 3.6 meter 3-door Picanto is only available n Europe, with two highly efficient petrol engines (69 ps and 85 ps) which, in combination with the optional automatic stop-start ISG system, reduces CO2 emissions to as low as 95 g/km. Kia’s industry-leading 7 year warranty is also standard for this little fella.

]]> http://www.motorward.com/2011/11/3-door-kia-picanto-wins-if-product-design-award/feed/ 1 http://www.motorward.com/2011/11/kia-at-2011-sema/ http://www.motorward.com/2011/11/kia-at-2011-sema/#comments Wed, 02 Nov 2011 08:17:02 +0000 Arman Barari http://www.motorward.com/?p=27361

Kia lineup for 2011 SEMA is a bit disappointing to be honest. Apart from the fact that all works are rubbish, there is not a Koup in it.

This year Kia went for an outrageous, sports-inspired theme, getting ideas from basketball, women’s golf, motor sports using partners such as West Coast Customs, Antenna, as well as GoGoGear.com and Kia’s U.S. racing partner, Kinetic Motorsports.

Most of the car’s are fitted with Xboxs and big TVs inside as part of the entertainment package.

In their lineup we have the “Slam Dunk” Blake Griffin Optima Hybrid withbasketball-like custom orange paint scheme, which is accentuated by 20-inch matt black wheels and Griffin’s personal logo on the bonnet.

The “Hole-In-One” Michelle Wie Soul built by West Coast Customs features “So Blue” exterior paint scheme and five-spoke 20-inch wheels and comes with Nike golf bags!

“Retro Surf” Rio 5-Door as we featured before, is designed for the surfer boy and has modified suspension set-up for sportier handling, and the aggressive exterior stance is accentuated by eye-grabbing 17-inch three-piece gold wheels, a stunning sunset-metallic golden-brown paint scheme, a custom body kit with a front splitter made of wood to match the surfboard on the roof.

“Hat Trick” Forte 5-Door is just plain hideous and comes with ice-metallic grey exterior paint, 19-inch blue alloy wheels, a custom body kit and Forte Koup front bumper with carbon fibre accents and LED “hockey stick” fog lights, a quad-tipped exhaust, carbon fibre roof material and a lowered suspension.

Rio 5-Door B-Spec Racer is a race car and will compete against models like the Mazda 2, Honda Fit, Ford Fiesta and others in a range of events organized by various motor sports sanctioning bodies, including World Challenge, GRAND-AM, Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) and National Auto Sport Association (NASA).

And finally the USTCC Optima Hybrid Pace Car, featuringcustom vinyl graphics, color scheme and array of lighting, including LED auxiliary lights and HID headlights, strobe lights and LED light bar on the roof, ready to pace the hell out of United States Touring Car Championship (USTCC).

Instead of working on the Koup, which has some decent potential for customization, Kia decided what we like to see at this year’s SEMA is a hideous brown Rio!

Now this Rio is a surf and skate-themed car designed in cooperation with Antenna magazine.

They say this car is a surfer’s dream, with features like a sunset-metallic golden-brown paint, front splitter made of wood to match an old school surfboard and striking gold wheels.

But the real surf-themed stuff are to be found in the back. The rear console of the Rio 5-door also has been completely modified to accommodate a retro gaming console that plays 80′s-style arcade games and music, and shelves for sandals and swimsuits.

Well, this must be the least interesting car at 2011 SEMA. Cheers!