Posted on March 6th, 2008 by Auto News
In what is turning out to be a flurry of activity from Kia at the 2008 Geneva auto show, the Korean automaker will be showing the latest version of its overseas A-segment entry, the Picanto.
Since its original introduction in 2004, the Picanto has sold more than 300,000 units in the European market and become a critical model for the company. Kia??™s sights for the newly restyled Picanto are set at 90,000 units annually, a goal that seems well within reach.
The car has been given a number of small modifications to help it adapt to the ever-changing market and give it the appeal that it needs to remain competitive. Kia started by giving the car new front and rear bumpers in addition to a revised hood and lighting. These changes effectively lengthened the Picanto 1.6 inches as well as contributing to the more modern, rounded look, something the previous generation lacked.
Although the new vehicle will retain the doors, door panels, and hatch of the original, mild interior changes have been made in an effort to make the cabin more livable. Likewise, the revised Picanto remains mechanically identical to its predecessor with the exception of electric power steering??”a feature previously reserved for the diesel powertrain??”which has been added to gasoline models to improve fuel economy.
Powertrain options still include 1.0- and 1.1-liter inline-four gasoline engines mated to either a four-speed automatic or five-speed manual transmission and the 1.1-liter inline-three diesel engine, which is only available with the manual gearbox. The Picanto is no rocket ship??”reaching 62 mph in 15.1 seconds in its quickest form, according to Kia??”but in diesel trim it??™s capable of about 62 mpg on the highway, further heightening its appeal to the European market and tree huggers alike.
No plans have been announced yet to bring the car across the pond, and we??™re not holding our breath. This car??™s purpose is to promote Kia??™s growth in Europe, and we suspect it??™s going to stay that way.
In addition to the refreshed Picanto, Kia will be displaying its three Soul concepts and an ecofriendly version of the five-door Cee??™d dubbed the Eco_cee??™d. Kia previously showed an Eco_cee??™d version of the three-door Pro_cee??™d at last fall??™s Frankfurt auto show. Although both three- and five-door Eco_cee??™ds are called concepts by Kia, the modifications over the production Cee??™ds are minor??”aerodynamic tweaks, low-rolling-resistance tires, and a more efficient diesel engine??”and the package will go into production late in 2008.
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Posted on March 3rd, 2008 by Auto News
News has leaked that Kia will be showing three new Soul concepts at the Geneva auto show next week. Right now, we can show you only this photo of one of the trio, but check back for details and more photos soon.
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Posted on January 5th, 2008 by Auto News
Kia??™s winsome Kue crossover concept was one of the surprise hits of the 2007 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. After all, what??™s not to like about Kia??™s edgy new design language applied to a wide-set scissors-doored SUV with 400 horsepower from a blown V-8 and all-wheel drive?
Say hello to the follow-up act: the KND-4, a kinder (KND-er?), gentler, and much, much greener compact crossover that was designed at Kia??™s Namyang Design Center in Korea (the Kue was designed in North America) and made its debut at the 2007 Seoul International Motor Show.
Like the Kue, the KND-4 has only two doors, yet the KND-4??™s form seems to follow function more closely. For one thing, it appears smaller and narrower, with slab sides and a bolt-upright rear end dominated by a large glass liftgate and funky S-shaped taillamps. The interior seats four and has de rigueur decorating sass such as mood lighting and zippy dash graphics that are hallmarks of a new-millennium concept car. A Blu-ray disc player and a hard drive for music storage can be found inside.
Also like Detroit??™s Kue concept, the KND-4 has lots of ground clearance and huge wheels??”in this case, 22-inchers at all four corners topped off with 20-series tires. However, instead of V-8 power, the KND-4 has a decidedly less glamorous 2.2-liter diesel four-banger.
The official word is that the KND-4 ???hints at the increasingly sophisticated styling and advanced technologies??? bound to appear in future Kia models to give them a ???stronger and more distinctive road presence.??? In other words, you??™re looking at the next Sportage, which should appear for the 2010 model year.
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Posted on January 5th, 2008 by Auto News
Quick, what comes to mind when you think of Kia? Value for the money could be a prime candidate. However, anonymous styling is also likely. Current Kias are about as sexy and shapely as a loaf of bread. Not even a nice baguette; just a plain loaf of white bread. This is why the Korean manufacturer has (once again) pulled the cover off a concept car that heralds the new look of Kia. A shade of washed-out yellow probably wasn??™t the best choice.
Color aside, the Kee is a four-passenger coupe that definitely looks like no Kia has before. This is all well and good, except that we heard the same tune during the Detroit auto show last January. The ???future look??? of Kia in the Motor City was the Kue crossover concept, a slinky silver sport-ute.
True, we??™d take a sports coupe over a crossover any time. Yet whereas the Kue looked refined, some of the details found in the Kee are fussy. The greenhouse looks awkward from some angles, and although the grille is suitably aggressive, the fenders are flat and featureless. Coupes are supposed to have slick lines that make them look like they??™re constantly in motion. The Kee looks like it??™s simply snarling while sitting down.
The next generation of Kia??™s 2.7-liter V-6 is under the Kee??™s hood. It produces 197 horsepower and, according to Kia, delivers ???instant response, enormous flexibility, and scintillating performance.??? Kia now has the task of actually transferring this bold new look from car show to dealer showroom.
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Posted on December 27th, 2007 by Auto News
Kia will enter uncharted waters when it launches its first full-size, seven-passenger SUV into the U.S. market in 2008. Called the Borrego, it will be on display in January at Detroit??™s North American International Auto Show.
Powering this body-on-frame truck will be a choice of a V-6 or Kia??™s first V-8 engine when the Borrego (named for bighorn sheep that live in desert state parks in California) goes on sale here next summer.
It??™s a bold move for the Korean automaker, venturing into big-truck territory at a time when U.S. automakers are veering to smaller and more-fuel-efficient cars. But to be fair, although this is Kia??™s largest offering to date, it is closer in size to a mid-size Ford Explorer than a Chevy Tahoe.
We anticipate a high take rate for the 2009 Borrego with the 260-hp V-6 engine and five-speed automatic transmission. The direct-injection 4.6-liter V-8??”the same 375-hp, 4.6-liter Tau V-8 that will power the Hyundai Genesis sedan??”is paired with a six-speed auto. A diesel will join the lineup in the second model year for many markets, but the U.S. may have to wait longer, officials say.
The Korean Borrego will be offered with a choice of all-wheel-drive systems, one of which is a part-time setup. U.S. models will be offered with a single AWD system, perhaps shared with the current Sorento.
The Borrego is based on the Kia Mesa concept shown at the 2005 Detroit auto show and rides on a stretched version of the Sorento platform that incorporates an independent rear suspension.
For the Korean market, the new SUV was designed to take on other luxury utes from BMW, Mercedes, and Lexus, and as such the Kia is loaded with power everything, lots of leather, a rearview camera, stability control, and a navigation system, to name a few. We will have to wait for further details on the U.S. model to see if some of the amenities will be stripped out to preserve the automaker??™s reputation for affordability.
Production of the Borrego begins in Korea early in 2008 for the domestic market, with exports slated to arrive in North America in the summer. The Borrego will be available in two trim levels, with pricing estimated to run from about $25,000 to $32,000. That would put the Borrego well below BMW??™s X5 at $46,575, Mercedes??™ M-class at $44,425 or GL at $53,775, and Lexus??™s RX or GX at $38,165 and $47,580, respectively. If the U.S.-spec model has more moderate aim, then it would be cross-shopped against a Honda Pilot at $29,030, a Toyota Highlander at $27,985, a $30,035 Mazda CX-9, or an Explorer at $26,510.
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Posted on November 22nd, 2007 by Auto News
In most parts of the world, Kia is known for selling inoffensive automobiles that drive equally inoffensively and are priced aggressively. In other words, Kia is ???Hyundai lite.???
Perhaps ???cee??™ing??? opportunity in its present innocuousness, Kia is planting ???cee??™ds??? that portend the design direction future Kias will take to create distinction between them and their Hyundai cousins. Among the first are the Slovakian-built Cee??™d three-door and five-door hatchbacks that have hit the streets in Europe within the past few months, to be joined by the Cee??™d sport wagon in September. The next Cee??™d is the Ex_cee??™d, the edgy cabriolet you see here.
Although the stubby Ex_cee??™d shares its new platform with the handsome but hardly arousing three- and five-door variations of the subcompact Cee??™d, it shares no body panels. Significantly, the Ex_cee??™d is the first Kia to be penned under the leadership of Kia??™s new chief design officer, Peter Schreyer, and it is said to crystallize many elements and themes that we will see more of as Kia tries to establish an identifiable form vocabulary. Among them: a wedge profile, a sculpted hood, fender arches, chrome detailing, and head- and taillamps that encompass the corners of the car. How original. The only thing missing is a pair of fender vents.
That said, the Ex-cee??™d’s overall look is pretty slick and far better-looking than anything wearing the Kia badge on our shores. The interior sounds awfully tasty, too. Rendered in Meringue White and Bitter Chocolate??”echoing the colors of the body and fabric top, respectively??”the two-tone interior seats four on leather seats, although with no abundance of space. And about that fabric top, according to Kia, the Ex-cee??™d ???goes its own retro way rather than following the trend toward cabrios with folding metal roofs??? (geez, have we been doing metal-roofed convertibles so long that cloth tops are now ???retro”?).
The production Cee??™d is powered by a choice of puny four-cylinder gas and diesel engines that send their power to the front wheels. We have no reason to believe the production Ex_cee??™d or the production Cee??™d sport wagon, also making its debut in Geneva, will offer anything different.
All said, the Ex_cee??™d sounds like fun, like a Mini Cooper convertible for sun lovers on a budget. Thus, although we??™ve not been ???cc??™d??? on the Ex_cee??™d, based on what we know about it, we think the Ex_cee??™d could suc-cee??™d here in the States.
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