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2020 Kia Soul teased ahead of L.A. Auto Show debut

We've seen Kia Soul prototypes in spy shots a few times now, and they've all been carefully covered up. This often means that we'll be waiting awhile before the car is revealed, but that's not the case with the Soul. It's coming to the L.A. Auto Show in just a couple of weeks, and Kia released a teaser to announce the reveal. The teaser shows the rear pillar from the side. As expected from the prototypes, the Soul retains its boxy design. It also has the upswept rear windows that create a very thick rear pillar. The new Soul does adopt the popular floating roof design, created in this case by a matte-black plastic piece in which the Soul logo has been embossed. The taillight's overall design is similar to the current model, with it rising vertically along the rear pillar. But it looks as though it may wrap around the top of the roof now. As we've seen from spy shots, the new Kia Soul will adopt some other interesting design cues. The aforementioned taillights also extend inward into the rear hatch. The headlights at the front feature a slim, full-length portion up top that appears to only have the running lights. Below are large light pods that, like on the Hyundai Kona, probably house the actual forward-illuminating lights. Kia confirmed in the teaser that it will offer versions of all the current Soul models with this new generation. That includes the base-level models, the sporty Turbo model, and the electric Soul. We've seen these iterations testing. The Soul Turbo looks aggressive with a new center exhaust outlet. The Soul EV has many blocked-off grilles like so many electrics, but more interesting is that a display inside the car suggested it will have a range of over 200 miles, similar to the Niro EV. We'll have all the details when the Soul makes its debut at the L.A. Auto Show, so stay tuned. Related Video: Image Credit: Kia Green LA Auto Show Kia Crossover Hatchback Economy Cars Electric kia soul ev

U.S. Senate panel wants Hyundai, Kia to testify about engine fires

WASHINGTON — The Senate Commerce Committee's Republican chairman and ranking Democrat said on Wednesday they had asked top U.S. executives at Hyundai and Kia to testify at a Nov. 14 hearing on reports of engine fires involving vehicles from the Korean automakers. The call to testify comes after safety advocates raised concerns about fires in vehicles not involved in collisions. The nonprofit consumer advocacy group Center for Auto Safety said last week that 103 fire complaints had been filed with U.S. safety regulators since June 12 and urged an immediate recall of nearly 3 million vehicles. Hyundai said in a statement it had received the request to appear "and is currently reviewing it." The company added it "actively monitors and evaluates potential safety concerns, including non-collision fires, with all of its vehicles and acts swiftly to recall any vehicles with safety-related defects." Kia did not comment. Shares of Hyundai Motor fell as much as 3.8 percent in Seoul trading on Thursday. Kia Motors stock also slid 3.7 percent, while the wider market was down 0.6 percent as of 0232 GMT. In May 2017, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), an agency of the U.S. Department of Transportation, opened a formal investigation into the recall of nearly 1.7 million Hyundai and Kia vehicles over engine defects. A South Korean whistleblower in 2016 reported concerns to NHTSA, which has been probing the timeliness of three recalls carried out in the United States and whether they covered enough vehicles. Sen. Bill Nelson, the top Democrat on the Commerce Committee, said a non-collision fire death had been reported last year in a 2014 Kia Soul. "We've got to get to the bottom of what's causing these fires," Nelson said in a statement Wednesday. "Car owners need to know if their vehicles are safe." The letter to the automakers, also signed by Sen. John Thune, who chairs the committee, said the hearing will also "examine efforts to mitigate vehicle fires and promptly identify and respond to defects that may pose a fire risk" and invites the chief executives of Hyundai and Kia's U.S. units to testify or their designee. In 2015, Hyundai recalled 470,000 U.S. Sonata sedans, saying engine failure would result in a vehicle stall, increasing the risk of a crash. At that time, affiliate Kia did not recall its vehicles, which share the same "Theta II" engines. In March 2017, Hyundai expanded its original U.S.

Kia previews new midsize sedan concept for Geneva

Kia has released a teaser and brief statement about a new concept it'll be bringing to the Geneva Motor Show. Though there's not much to go on, there are a few details to be extrapolated. Firstly, Kia says this is a D-segment model – which is Euro-speak for a midsize sedan. And as far as Kia's concerned, that means the Optima. Considering that the current model is the better part of five years old now, it'll be due for replacement soon, and this could be our first look at the fourth-generation model. What's interesting is that this concept was designed by the company's European design studio in Frankfurt, Germany. (And it does look rather European: in fact if you covered certain parts like the tell-tale tiger-nose grille, and didn't tell us what we were looking at, we might start seeing elements of Jaguar and Skoda in its design.) Which could mean that this is simply the German office's proposal for the Optima's replacement, or that the model line could be split between European and North Ameican models – much like the Cee'd occupies the largely same segment in the Euro market as the Forte does here. Finally the "elegant energy" handle could suggest hybrid or fully electric propulsion, but we'll have to wait a little while long as its debut at the Swiss expo approaches, now just weeks away. ELEGANT ENERGY – KIA TO SHOW NEW CONCEPT CAR AT GENEVA - Concept to be unveiled at the 85th Salon International de l'Automobile in Geneva on 3 March 2015 - D-segment model is the 11th concept car created by Kia's European design studio - The concept has been created as a spacious and versatile accessory to an active lifestyle Kia Motors Europe will exhibit a stylish new concept car at the 85th Salon International de l'Automobile in Geneva on 3 March 2015. This new D-segment model is the 11th concept car created by Kia's European design studio in Frankfurt, Germany. With confident, powerful lines which sweep elegantly from Kia's hallmark 'tiger-nose' grille towards the rear of the vehicle, Kia's new concept car embodies modern design and refined, understated energy. The concept has been created as a spacious and versatile accessory to an active lifestyle, as a purposeful, energetic design study for the style-conscious, and as a sanctuary from the stresses of the modern world. News Source: Kia Geneva Motor Show Kia Concept Cars Sedan 2015 Geneva Motor Show