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Wonder Woman Kia Sportage is anything but invisible

The spectacular partnering of Kia and DC Entertainment (the company we grew up loving as DC Comics) continues here at the New York Auto Show, with this Wonder Woman-inspired 2013 Kia Sportage. Ardent Autoblog readers will undoubtedly remember the fruits of earlier Kia/DC efforts: Batman Optima, Flash Forte Koup, Green Lantern Soul, Cyborg Forte, Aquaman Rio and Superman Optima Hybrid. (We're still trying to figure out who Cyborg is, too.)
The Wonder Woman Sportage, sporting the Amazing Amazon's particularly patriotic livery, is perhaps the most, eh, eye-catching super-Kia to date. (Actually, no, none of the superhero rides seared our eyeballs like Supe's hybrid.) Red, white and blue paint with spangled sides, an aggressively low body kit and a WW logo grille really sell the theme. Of course, The Lasso of Truth is represented too, showing up in the design as a subtle gold line that wraps around the bodywork.
As with the earlier DC concept cars, the Wonder Woman Sportage's real goal - aside from entertaining the kid-contingent of auto show goers - is to raise awareness for the We Can Be Heroes charity. The DC charitable program seeks to raise money and awareness about the hunger crisis in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia. Get a better look at Wonder Woman's crossover in our attached galleries and find the Kia press release below.

Superman-inspired Kia Optima Hybrid helps those affected by drought and famine in Africa

Kia, DC Entertainment and Super Street magazine worked as a team to develop this one-of-a-kind Superman-themed Optima Hybrid that made its debut at the Chicago Auto Show today. The joint effort is designed to raise awareness for DC Entertainment's "We Can Be Heroes" campaign, a charitable relief effort to bring help and hope to people affected by drought and famine in the Horn of Africa.
The metallic blue and red sedan, which thankfully manages to look better in person than it does in the pictures, is the seventh vehicle in a 10-month partnership between the automaker, comic book company and tuner as they build themed vehicles representing all of the Justice League heros. A yet-unseen eighth vehicle will be an amalgamation of all seven Super Heroes in one.
There is no mistaking the blue metallic finish with red chrome accents, or the world's most recognizable superhero's chest emblem glowing on the hood, but you have to look closer to see the Superman logo on the rear fascia and catch the red glow from the headlights. The theme has been carried into the cabin, where occupants will find custom upholstery and Superman's iconic shield on the seats and airbag cover. While the hybrid sedan's gasoline-electric powertrain remains untouched, the Optima features flared fenders, oversize 22-inch wheels and a height-adjustable suspension that is controlled from the cockpit. Read more in the official press blast below.

Kia Cub Concept wanders over from Seoul

The little machine you see above is the Kia Cub. The Cub first debuted at the Seoul Motor Show, but this is the first time we've been able to see it ourselves in person, so we pointed our camera lenses its way and got to snapping.
According to our men on the show floor, the Kia Cub Concept is "quite good looking," with a squat and funky shape that looks mostly ready for production. With a five-door hatchback shape featuring reverse-opening doors (we'll resist calling them suicide doors... whoops...), this machine doesn't seem to share much design DNA with current Kia products. And that's fine. As much as we like Kia's swoopy line of cars and 'utes, a little shakeup every now and then never hurts.
We're sure the diminutive hatchback would be a fun car to pilot, with 204 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque coming from its turbocharged and direct injected 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine. Kia quotes a 0-62 time of 7.7 seconds and a top speed of 143 miles per hour. Sounds to us like it could be a worthy competitor to such successful sporting hatchbacks as the Mini Cooper S and Fiat 500 Abarth.