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2018 Kia Niro bests Prius and Ioniq with IIHS Top Safety Pick Plus rating

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has recently tested the 2018 Kia Niro, and the car came out well. The organization gave it the Top Safety Pick+ award, which goes to cars that meet the organization's most stringent safety requirements. While good on its own, the Niro's new commendation also stands out because its corporate cousin, the Hyundai Ioniq, and its close competitor the Toyota Prius only received the plain Top Safety Pick award. The Niro earned this score by getting a "Good" rating, the highest IIHS bestows, in every single crash test, including the difficult small overlap test for both passenger and driver. It also received a "Good" rating for its optional HID headlights, and the optional forward collision prevention system managed to prevent a collision at speeds up to 25 mph. This brings us to a caveat to the Niro's scores, though. The highly rated headlights and forward collision prevention system are options that don't come standard on base models of the Niro. The headlights only become available on the second-highest EX trim, and are standard on the top Touring trim. The forward collision prevention system is not available on the base FE trim, but it is an option starting with the second-lowest LX trim, and is standard on Touring. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2017 Kia Niro Hybrid: First Drive View 20 Photos Image Credit: Kia Green Kia Safety Crossover Hatchback Hybrid kia niro

Kia and LeBron going biblical with K900 King James Edition

Kia looks poised to reveal a new special K900 sedan after its celebrity spokesman and NBA baller LeBron James revealed this image on his Facebook page. There's little to be discerned from the tightly cropped image, but judging from the badge it depicts and the accompanying #K900, it seems like we'll be looking at a special edition of the Korean automaker's flagship sedan called the King James Edition - an apparent play on the King James Version of the bible and LeBron's last name. The special sedan appears to wear a red and black color scheme that we wouldn't be surprised to see extend beyond the side grille to other blacked-out trim pieces (like the wheels, front grilles, mirrors, badges and window surround), but we'll have to wait for Kia to reveal the full thing to say for sure. We may not have to wait very long, though, as the other accompanying hashtag seems to suggest it could debut at the All-Star game taking place this weekend.

Kia boss details 5-year plan to overhaul brand with EVs front and center

Kia's new boss has detailed an aggressive, $25 billion plan to electrify much of its lineup by 2025 and change its brand image. Hosung Song, promoted to President in March, wants to move faster than parent company Hyundai into EVs and PBVs, or purpose-built vehicles, better suited to how he believes cars will be used in the future. In an interview with Automotive News, Song said that Kia's "Plan S" will offer 11 electric-only models by mid-decade, comprising 6.6% of the global EV market share and generating 20% of Kia's own sales. By then, Song believes the total cost of ownership for electric and internal combustion cars will be about the same, as ICEs require more maintenance and fuel costs are projected to rise. Not only that, but by 2026 Song wants Kia to sell half a million battery-electric vehicles, as well as another half-million hybrids, PHEVs and other "green" offerings. By 2027, Kia will have seven models powered exclusively by electrons. Then, by 2029, a full quarter of Kia's sales will be from EVs. As for PBVs, Kia describes them as vehicles specifically designed for ride-hailing services, as autonomous taxis and e-commerce delivery-bots. They will be used primarily in urban centers and feature autonomous tech, as cities around the world change the rules for cars and car ownership. The new plans dovetail with Kia's desire to appeal to a younger customer base. However, Song told AN that he also wants to move the brand upmarket, which may conflict with the utilitarian, robo-taxi image that PBVs will foster. Finally, ushering in this new era will be a revamped Kia logo. According to AN, Kia will dispense with the name-in-an-oval badge that has been in use since 1994. Instead, the new branding will resemble the stylized name, sans oval, found on the Kia Imagine concept revealed at Geneva in 2019. As for the "S" in Plan S, Kia says that it stands for "shift," as in a shift "from a business system focused on internal combustion engine vehicles toward one centered on electric vehicles and customized mobility solutions." Related Video: