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Kia Telluride three-row SUV pricing revealed

Kia has got a certified looker on the way in the 2020 Telluride, and now the mid-sized, three-row SUV has a price. The base, two-wheel drive LX starts at $31,690, plus $1,045 for destination, totaling $32,735. That's $5,400 more than the three-row Sorento, which is noticeably smaller. In relation to competitors, the Telluride's price is $310 more than the 2019 Toyota Highlander, $240 more than the 2019 Honda Pilot, $155 less than the Subaru Ascent. As is Kia's wont, there's a lot of standard equipment in that base spec. The LX comes with eight-row seating done up in Sofino synthetic leather, an eight-inch touchscreen infotainment and USB charge ports for all three rows, smart key with pushbutton start, park distance warning in reverse, and 18-inch wheels. Standard safety features include forward and rear-cross-traffic collision avoidance, blind spot monitoring, smart cruise control with stop and go, rear occupant alert, and second-row safe exit assist. The S trim level starts at $35,035. It swaps eight-row seating for seven seats thanks to the second-row captain's chairs, and rides on 20-inch wheels. The driver gets a 10-way power seat, both front passengers get heated front seats and a power sunroof, and everyone gets "upgraded interior trims." The EX brings genuine leather, but goes back to eight-passenger seating and 18-inch wheels. The infotainment screen grows to 10.25 inches, both front seats get heating and cooling, the passenger gets eight-way adjustability, and there's a power liftgate in back. The top-model SX starts at $42,535, and hops back over to seven-passenger seating and 20-inch black wheels. Premium touches include LED headlights, dual sunroofs, a digital instrument cluster, Harman/Kardon audio, and a 360-degree outside-view camera. A $4,000 Prestige Package for the SX adds all-wheel drive, Nappa leather with premium headliner and trim, a head-up display and heated steering wheel, and climate-controlled second-row captain's chairs. Before the obligatory minor options and accessories, a loaded Telluride will cost $46,935. Every trim gets the 3.8-liter V6 with 291 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque, shifting through an eight-speed automatic transmission. When equipped with all-wheel drive and a trailer hitch, the Telluride can pull 5,000 pounds. Since the Sorento offers all-wheel drive on the LX and EX models as well, we expect the Telluride to do the same. On the Sorento, AWD comes as a standalone option for $1,800.

Hyundai, Kia ratchet up fleet sales as retail transactions slide

Automotive News reports both Hyundai and Kia have stepped up fleet sales in an attempt to offset disappointing first quarter results. The Korean automakers saw their sales decline by nine percent compared to last year, while all major competitors managed to increase their sales. That situation marks an inversion of two years ago, when both gained ground after Japanese rivals suffered production and inventory shortages after the country's earthquake and tsunami tragedies.
Now, Hyundai can't come up with enough volume models in popular trim configurations to satisfy buyers, and lower-volume models are also in a snag. At the moment, Hyundai can only build 20-30 percent of Veloster hatchbacks with turbocharged engines while the US market would apparently support closer to 70 percent.
In order to reverse the sales slide, Hyundai and Kia have stepped up fleet sales of the vehicles they do have by some 50 percent, ringing up a total of 42,400 units in the first quarter. By contrast, Automotive News reports the seven largest automakers increased retail volume by seven percent and fleet sales by four percent as a group.

Kia recalling 96k Souls with sunroofs [UPDATE]

UPDATE: A previous version of this post indicated that the recall affected 2010-2014 models, when the recall ends with 2013 models. The text below has been revised accordingly. Kia has issued a recall for the 2010-2013 model-year Soul compact cars. But while the notice issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration covers a long period of production – from January 8, 2009, to October 2, 2013 – the problem only affects those units equipped with a sunroof. In those specific models – of which Kia estimates there are 95,314 examples in the United States – the headliner plate surrounding the sunroof may detach when the side curtain airbag is deployed, which could serve to compound the risk of injury in the event of a crash. Owners of affected vehicles can expect to hear from the manufacturer to bring their Souls in to their local dealer to have industrial adhesive strips installed to secure the headliner in place, starting from early February. RECALL Subject : Headliner Plate Detachment Report Receipt Date: DEC 29, 2014 NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V822000 Component(s): STRUCTURE Potential Number of Units Affected: 95,314 Manufacturer: Kia Motors America SUMMARY: Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2010-2013 Kia Soul vehicles manufactured January 8, 2009, to October 2, 2013, equipped with a sun roof. A headliner plate may detach during deployment of the curtain air bag. CONSEQUENCE: A detached headliner plate may increase the risk of injury to the occupant during a vehicle crash. REMEDY: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will install industrial adhesive strips to secure the headliner plates, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin February 2, 2015. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-949-468-4800. Kia's number for this recall is SC112. NOTES: Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.