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New sketches show Kia small SUV interior

Little more than a week after releasing sketches of the exterior, Kia presents sketches of the interior of its first-ever small global SUV. Sticking to the message of enticements for younger buyers, we're told this will be a "bold design statement" that is "trimmed in high-quality materials throughout" with the aim of creating a "modern ambiance to appeal to young-at-heart, tech-savvy buyers." The renderings appear a good start to supporting those arguments. The centerpiece is a 10.25-inch infotainment screen stood atop the instrument panel. A menu button on the top left, a row of navigation buttons along the bottom edge, and two rows of navigation icons on the screen should keep everything an occupant could want no more than a couple of touches away. Beneath the screen come some chunky air vents, beneath those, an HVAC screen supported by an HVAC knob and controls. Notice how the IP design slides from the control surface into a passenger grab handle anchored on the center tunnel. To the left, a steering wheel loosely modeled on the one from the Sportage, ahead of an instrument binnacle that's a quartet analogue gauges bracketing a digital display. The images show two different interior grades; for instance, one HVAC knob is printed with the word "Auto," while the other isn't, and the steering wheels in the two images are slightly different. The differences are more pronounced around the shifter — which might, in fact, represent two kinds of shifters. AutoPortal reports there'll be an automatic transmission as well as a seven-speed dual clutch gearbox. One gear lever is flanked by seven buttons, three of them for the heated steering and ventilated seats. Another button turns off the park assistance feature. Then there's what looks like a hill descent control button, one for some sort of all-wheel drive feature like a locking rear differential, and a final button to turn off the Stop/Start system. The other image looks like the more luxurious trim, even though it's the one without the "Auto" HVAC knob. This gear lever is flanked by eight buttons, most too small to make out, but it's clear that the AWD button is missing, and the ventilated seat icon is now a heated seat icon. There's an electric parking brake switch next to the driver's seat, two cupholders, and the forward surface of the lower cubby holds a 12V outlet and an AUX input. We'll find out what the real thing looks like soon.

World Car Awards finalists snub American-branded vehicles — except for Bronco

The list of World Car Awards has been whittled down to 10 finalists, but only one American brand — Ford — appears among the remaining nine carmakers for this yearÂ’s top award. The Bronco is there, and it also is balloted as a finalist in the design category. The other categories are performance car, urban car, electric vehicle and luxury model. Each category has five finalists except World Car, which has 10. One brand conspicuous by its absence in any category: Tesla. The winner in each is scheduled to be crowned March 27 at the New York International Auto Show in Manhattan. This year marks the 20th year of the World Car Awards and the partnership with the New York show. The selection process involves 100-plus automotive journalists from 29 countries who vote, as they review and test-drive the eligible vehicles for the 2024 awards. Their journey is captured virtually on World Car TV. If youÂ’re counting, the brands that appear most on the six finals lists are Mercedes-Benz (four times), BMW (also four), Hyundai (three), and Volvo (three). HereÂ’s the full listing. A video clip showing all of them is here: World Car -BYD Seal / Atto 4 -Ford Bronco -Hyundai Kona / Kona Electric -Hyundai Santa Fe -Kia EV9 -Mazda CX-90 -Subaru Crosstrek -Toyota Prius -Volkswagen ID.7 -Volvo EX30 World Car Design of the Year Ford Bronco Ferrari Purosangue Toyota Prius Volvo EX30 Zeekr X 2024 World Electric Vehicle BMW i5 Kia EV9 Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV Volkswagen ID.7 Volvo EX30 2024 World Luxury Car - BMW 5 Series / i5 - Lexus LM - Mercedes-Benz CLE - Mercedes-Benz E-Class - Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV 2024 World Urban Car  - Abarth 500e - BYD Dolphin - Lexus LBX - Suzuki Fronx - Volvo EX30 2024 World Performance Car - BMW M2 - BMW XM - Ferrari Purosangue - Hyundai Ioniq 5 N - Porsche Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid

Kia Soul getting turbocharged variant, say hamsters

Last week, we reported on the return of Kia's Soul-promoting hamster mascots. They took on "Dueling Banjos," and it was adorable and entertaining and everything we expect from our favorite spokesrodents. But that same spot also hinted at something strange on the end slide – a Soul Turbo, coming this winter. One Autoblog staffer said I must have been so overcome by the return of my favorite spokeshamsters that I missed the end slide the first time around, and that might be true. Instead of debating that, let's focus on just what Kia revealed here. The company has long hinted that a higher-performance Soul was in the works, embodied by the Track'ster and Trail'ster concepts from 2012 and 2015. Both cars used a version of Hyundai/Kia's 1.6-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder, tuned to 250 hp in the Track'ster and 185 hp in the Trail'ster, which had the added bonus of a hybrid assist. Both added all-wheel-drive systems to the front-drive Soul package. A production Soul Turbo will likely fall between the hot-hatchback-like Track'ster and the off-road-focused Trail'ster. Expect Kia to pluck the corporate 1.6-liter turbo four for duty, with anywhere from 175 to 201 hp – we can hope for more, but that power spread covers Hyundai/Kia's current production trims for this engine. All-wheel drive seems like a given, based on Hyundai's approach to the Tucson, Kia's past few concepts, and the Soul's positioning as a sub-compact CUV. We've reached out to Kia for confirmation that the Soul Turbo is coming. As soon as we hear back, we'll update this post. And if you need a refresher on the video, we've embedded it below. The text in question pops up at 1:46. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.