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A closer look at the 2015 Kia Soul EV

Kia is set to join the fully electric vehicle space this year, with the fresh-faced 2015 Soul EV. The all-electric Soul made its debut at the Chicago Auto Show earlier this month, and Autoblog west coast editor Michael Harley had a chance to speak with Orth Hedrick, Kia's vice president of product planning, about the new electrified hatchback. In its standard form, the Kia Soul offers tons a wealth of functionality with its upright packaging, and with a new 81-kilowatt electric motor underhood, the electric vehicle should be good for between 80 and 100 miles of driving range. Charging times vary from as long as 24 to five hours, depending on your setup, and Kia is partnering with Bosch, Leviton and AeroVironment to provide different charging solutions, depending on a customer's specific needs. Take another, closer look at the 2015 Kia Soul EV in the video, below.

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 Niro crossover is the company's first dedicated hybrid

Kia arrives in Chicago this week with the Niro, an all-new hybrid crossover joining the company's growing electrified lineup. It's not Kia's first hybrid, but it is the first dedicated hybrid, designed from the ground up with gasoline-electric power. Following the Niro concept from the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show and the teaser images that followed, the production Niro joins the Soul EV and Optima Hybrid in the automaker's EcoDynamics line. Though full specifications and dimensions have yet to be revealed, the Niro rides on a 106-inch wheelbase to slot it size-wise in between the smaller Sportage and larger Sorento. The parallel hybrid powertrain mirrors that of the Ioniq – which is, in turn, parent company Hyundai's first dedicated hybrid and which we're not expecting to see in person until next month. The system pairs a 1.6-liter four with an electric motor, a lithium-ion battery, and a six-speed dual-clutch transmission. The sum total is 146 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque, and a projected fuel-consumption rating of 50 miles per gallon. View 18 Photos According to Kia's product guru Orth Hedrick, the company has tuned the Niro for "the best combination of outstanding mpg, an engaging driving experience, utility, and most importantly, a stunning design that doesn't shout 'hybrid'." Of course the taller, less streamlined form means it won't cut through the air like a more streamlined sedan or hatchback would, but it's still much slipperier than most crossovers: its drag coefficient of 0.29 comes a lot closer to the Ioniq's 0.24 than it does to the Soul EV's 0.35. We'll wait to see it in person before we decide how that streamlined crossover styling comes across. But for now you can scope out the full details released thus far in the press release below. ALL-NEW 2017 NIRO HYBRID UTILITY VEHICLE ARRIVES IN THE WINDY CITY FOR GLOBAL DEBUT AT CHICAGO AUTO SHOW Kia's Hybrid Utility Vehicle Boasts a Number of Firsts for the Brand, Including an All-New, Dedicated Eco-Car Platform and Unique Hybrid System • Niro is a no-compromise package, maintaining the style and appeal of a utility vehicle while offering outstanding fuel economy with a targeted 50 mpg combined • Niro challenges the hybrid-electric segment with an innovative hybrid system that directly contributes to a dynamic driving experience CHICAGO, Feb.