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A New Large Car for Kia?
By Toni Livesey on Mar 14, 2010 in Kia
Kia is set to unveil the Kia Optima (also known as the Kia Magentis) next month. Here is a sneak preview
Category: Kia
Kia and Microsoft Combine to Produce Uvo
Kia unveils the first in-vehicle solution to integrate full Microsoft intelligent speech technology
Kia’s Future is Hydrogen Power
Here is Kia’s version of our electric vehicle future
It’s the Kia that Lots of People Want but …
A concept car by Kia that people want but Kia isn’t building
Kia Cerato named ‘Car of the Year’ by NADAguides.com at LA Motor Show
Kia Motors America today announced the recently launched Kia Cerato – known as the Kia Forte in North America – was named ‘Car of the Year’ by NADAguides.com, a well-respected online automotive source.
The announcement comes on the heels of being named ‘Car of the Month; for August by the same consumer resource for its [...]
Kia Cadenza … another luxury car for Australia
Kia’s new luxury car … the Cadenza. Everything but the lava lamp
Kia Soul Ranks Well for Safety
Kia Soul … a Top Safety Pick for 2010 by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in the United States
Kia Opens Its First Plant in the United States
Kia starts production at its first plant in the United States
Kia Goes Racing …
By Stuart Livesey on Nov 04, 2009 in Kia
A Kia Cerato in racing trim? You better believe it!
Kia’s New Luxury Car
By Stuart Livesey on Oct 31, 2009 in Kia
A luxury car deserves a better name than KND-5 and so we now have the Cadenza … from Kia
ISG from Kia
It’s an unusual way of saving fuel but the new Kia cee’d ISG (Idle Stop & Go) models offer up to 15% fuel savings
Kia has come up with new and very different way of saving fuel and even the name is a little unusual. Called Idle & Stop Go – or ISG for short [...]
Behind the Scenes at a Car Release
By Stuart Livesey on Jul 29, 2008 in Borrego
Have you ever wondered what happens when a manufacturer releases a new car? Well here’s a behind the scenes look at the way Kia in America introduced their new 4WD Borrego to the motoring press.
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Another Small Car From Kia
This is not a replacement for an existing vehicle
Kia Motors Corporation has confirmed that its all-new production model, the Kia Soul, will be marketed globally with a choice of three highly efficient engines (depending on individual markets), when it goes on sale in early 2009.
The most powerful engine will be a 2-litre gasoline unit. A [...]
The Ups and Downs of Car Sales in May
Earlier this month we reported on the latest car sale figures for the Australian market in May but not every country … nor every segment … was as bouyant as the Australian market was in May. In once instance the impact of falling sales has led to some serious re-thinking of future plans.
General Motors experienced [...]
Kia’s First Mid-sized SUV
Kia has unveiled its first mid-sized SUV for the first time. The Kia Borrego is expected to go on sale in Korea early next year with overseas sales commencing around the middle of the year.
The Kia Borrego features a body-on-frame construction and will have seating for up to seven occupants. The Borrego will be powered [...]
Kee – the New Kia Concept Car
Kia has been toying with motoring enthusiasts for a couple of months now by releasing vague photos of their new concept car. Today, at the Frankfurt Motor Show they pulled back the veil and now we can see what Kia has been hiding.
With its broad stance and low profile, Kee is a new interpretation of [...]
Kia Recalls the Sportage
Kia Motors Australia has issued a recall for around 2,300 Sportage vehicles built between November 2001 and December 2002.
It seems that high temperatures in the engine bay have caused some fan blades to become brittle and break. Kia will replace the faulty fan blades free of charge.
Kia Sports Coupe
Update – the Kia Kee has now been released at the Frankfurt Motor Show and you can see much clearer photos and the technical details here
Kia has released another teaser photo of their new 2+2 sports coupe and has announced that this new coupe will incorporate “a host of elements that will become the [...]
The Face of Australian Motoring is Changing
By Stuart Livesey on Jul 28, 2007 in Ford Australia, General Motors Holden, General News, Mitsubishi, Toyota, cee'd
We’ve always been a nation of big car buyers. There was a time when you weren’t a real man unless you drove a six cylinder, a V8 or even a big 4WD and you could have been considered unpatriotic if you drove anything but a car built in Australia – unless of course you were [...]
Kia – the Power to Overwhelm
A new plant and a new car
by Stuart Livesey
A new car every 57 seconds, 34 new cars every hour, 822 new cars every day, 24,657 new cars every month, 300,000 new cars every year … the figures are staggering. But that’s the output that Kia expects to achieve from their new plant in Zilina, Slovakia.
The [...]
Kia Unveils a Concept SUV
Kia Motors Corporation is staging the world premiere of its all-new KND-4 concept car today (Thursday) at the Seoul International Motor Show.
Designed to reassert Kia’s credentials as a leading brand in the 4×4 and RV vehicle sectors, the new SUV concept car projects a dynamic, powerful character and exudes a strong sense of individuality. [...]
A New Kia in Australia
by Stuart Livesey
Before winter arrives Kia plans on having the Kia Rondo available in Australia.
If you don’t quite recognise the model name then think Kia Carens in overseas markets and you’re right on the button.
Overseas the Kia Carens comes in a variety of equipment levels and is available in either 2 litre petrol [...]
Three Winners From Kia?
by Stuart Livesey
Despite some heavy advertising campaigns Kia continues to not live up to its potential in the new car market in Australia. Kia’s share of the market currently wanders between 1.8% and 2.1% but things might improve for Kia if they were to bring these three models into the country.
Two are based on the [...]
Kia Kue – the new concept car
by Stuart Livesey
Imagine a Kia Rio with a 4.6 litre V8 under the bonnet
If you can stretch your imagination that far then you’re getting close to the Kia Kue. Sadly you’re not likely to ever see this in production but it is fun to let your imagination run wild with the latest Kia concept car.
It [...]
Kia’s New Concept Car
A Driver’s Car with SUV Tendencies – or so they say
Kia Motors Corporation has released a preview sketch of the all-new ‘Kue’ concept car, which will make its world premiere at the upcoming North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit in early January.
The Kia Kue concept employs a different approach to the crossover [...]
Kia Motors named Global Automotive Manufacturer of the Year
By Stuart Livesey on Dec 08, 2006 in Kia
Well at least that’s the way the UK sees it
Kia Motors has been named ‘Global Automotive Manufacturer of the Year 2007’ by the UK’s Institute of Transport Management (ITM) in its recent report into global manufacturing processes and companies operating within the industry.
The award recognizes the considerable progress Kia Motors has made in promoting [...]
Kia Sportage Earns Five-star Crash Safety Rating in the US
Five-Star crash safety rating for entry level SUV in frontal and side impact crash tests
The 2007 Kia Sportage earned a five-star crash safety rating, the highest possible, for all seating positions in the latest frontal and side impact crash tests conducted by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Kia’s New Concept Car
Latest Kia concept car to make its debut at Paris Motor Show
When Kia’s designers created the cee’d ‘sporty hatch,’ they set out to maximise the differentiation between the five-door and three-door cee’d models as much as possible, without losing the family likeness.
Exterior – the same, but strikingly different
Consequently, the pro_cee’d actually looks very similar [...]
Kia’s New Big Car
By Stuart Livesey on Aug 19, 2006 in Kia
Kia has announced the first details of its new global flagship, the 2007 Opirus although it seems that global is a relative term because it’s only being released in a left-hand drive version.
Kia suggest that significant improvements have been made to the ride, handling, safety and refinement, while Opirus now weighs less and delivers higher [...]
Australian Car Sales Slide
By Stuart Livesey on Aug 03, 2006 in Commodore, Falcon, Ford Australia, General Motors Holden, General News, Kia, Toyota
The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries announced today new car sales continue to lag behind sales for the same time last year. 1079 fewer new vehicles were sold during July than for July 2005. That monthly drop now means that 3.1% fewer new cars have been sold so far this year compared to the same [...]
Kia Rio Tops the Sub-Compact Class
By Stuart Livesey on Jun 09, 2006 in Rio
The 2006 Kia Rio/Rio5 ranked highest for initial quality in the sub-compact category according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2006 Initial Quality StudySM (IQS). The annual report, released yesterday, measures 217 vehicle attributes across eight categories, including driving experience, engine and transmission, and a broad range of quality problem symptoms reported by vehicle owners. [...]
Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group is world’s sixth largest automaker in 2005
The Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group ranks as the sixth largest automotive manufacturer in the world, according to the Detroit-based weekly Automotive News.
In Automotive News’ most recent survey of global automotive sales and production, Hyundai Motor Co. and its subsidiary Kia Motors Corp. registered an 11.6 percent jump in global sales in 2005 to 3,715,096 [...]
What is the Fastest Growing Car Company in the World?
It seems that it could be Kia with 75,474 vehicles sold overseas in May – an 8.2% increase on sales for the same time last year. Sales in Europe are up 12% and sales in United States were up 6.4%.
At the same time Volkswagen reported a 35.6% increase in sales in May in the US [...]
Kia Expands Into Europe and Honda Expands in America
Honda has announced plans to have a completely new manufacturing plant on line in 2009 to produce 150,000 Civics and Fit models for the North American market. Reports suggest that the new plant will have the capacity to increase production to 300,000 models a year bringing Honda’s total capacity in North America to something [...]
Kia Carnival Earns a Five Star Rating
The all-new Carnival MPV (known as ‘Sedona’ in some markets) has earned the highest possible safety rating — five stars — for all seating positions in the latest frontal and side impact crash tests by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Completely redesigned for the 2006 model year, the all-new Carnival [...]
Kia Carens MPV
By Stuart Livesey on Mar 31, 2006 in Carens
It’s a seven seater MPV and it’s soon to make it’s debut at the Madrid Motor Show
Kia Motors Corporation today issued a ‘preview sketch’ of its exciting all-new Carens compact MPV (to be named ‘Rondo’ in North America), and confirmed that this model will make its world premiere at the forthcoming Salon International del Automovil [...]
Another Asian Car Maker to Open a Plant in the US
By Stuart Livesey on Mar 14, 2006 in Kia
In another blow to the US car manufacturers Kia announced yesterday that it will be investing $1.2 billion dollars in an automotive assembly plant in West Point Georgia. The new plant will employ 2,500 workers and come on stream in 2009.
At full capacity the plant will be turning out 300,000 vehicles every year. Kia [...]
Ice Racing Anyone?
Ice racing is hardly likely to catch on here in Australia any time soon but in Europe it certainly does have a following where a Kia Rio driver has just beaten an F1 driver to take out the championship. The win gives Kia Riao it’s third consecutive series win.
Kia Rio driver, Yvan Muller, has taken [...]
The Kia Cerato Wins an Award
By Stuart Livesey on Jan 25, 2006 in Cerato
The Kia Cerato has received the “Most Delightful Vehicle of 2005″ award in the small car division from Strategic Vision, a US company that has been running the awards since 1996.
Strategic Vision measures the experience of approximately 90,000 new vehicle owners annually. According to Strategic Vision, the results give the industry actionable information about [...]
Kia Optima – the 2006 Model in the US
By Stuart Livesey on Jan 11, 2006 in Optima
Kia have annouced their 2006 Kia Optima in the US. The new model is part of Kia’s plan to completely regenerate the Kia product line-up.
The car comes with a longer wheelbase, wider track, increased horsepower, better fuel economy and improved driving dynamics. The 2006 Optima also comes with six airbags as standard but other safety [...]
Kia Rio Wins Prestigious ‘Autobest 2006’ Award
A jury of influential motoring writers from 12 Eastern European countries has voted the Kia Rio winner of the prestigious ‘Autobest 2006’ award for being ‘the new car most suitable for the needs of the population of the region, thoroughly modern with new technology and affordable to buy.’
Announcing the 2006 winner, Autobest Chairman [...]
Hyundai Sets Its Sights on Australia
In a major announcement the chairman of Hyundai Automotive Group revealed that by 2015 is aims to be selling 100,000 Hyundai and 50,000 Kia cars in Australia.
The chairman, Chung Mong-koo suggested that by the end of 2007 the company would be selling 70,000 units in Australia and by 2010 it would have doubled it’s market [...]
Kia Wins a Major Export Award
Kia Motors receives $10 billion Export Tower Award
- Kia is only the third manufacturing company to receive $10 billion annual export distinction
Kia Motors Corporation announced today that it has received the $10 Billion Export Tower Award from the Korean government, thereby reaching one of the most significant milestones in its history — surpassing $10 billion [...]
Kia Rio
It may not be widely known but Kia and Hyundai are both owned by the same parent company. Although the marketing of both brands is kept entirely separate and here in Australia it would be rare to find a Kia dealership and a Hyundai dealership under the same roof there is a lot of Hyundai [...]
