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Kia confirms Cub "four-door coupe" concept for Seoul

Kia has announced it is headed to the Seoul Motor Show with a new sedan concept. Details are still scarce, but the Kia CUB Concept should be small, at under 13 feet long and come with coupe-like proportions. Kia wants the vehicle to "appeal to trend-setting urban dwellers," a notoriously car-hungry market. The automaker says the Cub has a cheerful face decorated with two-point LED headlamps just like those found on the Quoris flagship, but the teaser image above looks a bit more sinister than happy to us. Kia plans to give the Cub a proper unveiling on March 28.
Hyundai has also given us a glimpse at what the company has planned for Seoul with its HND-9 luxury sports coupe. You can refresh yourself on that machine by checking out the post here. You can also take a closer look at the brief press release below.

2020 Kia Soul gets fuel economy ratings boost

Federal fuel-economy ratings are out for the all-new 2020 Kia Soul and show that the switch to the 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine also found in the Forte sedan has turned the boxy compact crossover into more of a fuel-sipper compared to its predecessor. When operated in Eco driving mode, the EPA rates the Soul fitted with the 2.0-liter engine at 35 miles per gallon on the freeway and 29 mpg in the city for a combined 31 mpg. Otherwise, the same model is rated at 27 mpg in the city, 33 on the highway and a combined 30 mpg. Versions fitted with the 1.6-liter turbocharged seven-speed top out at 27/32/29 mpg, while the 2.0-liter offered with a six-speed manual delivers 25/31/27 mpg. The outgoing Soul fitted with the 1.6-liter engine maxed out at 28 mpg combined, while the more powerful outgoing 2.0-liter version was rated at 27 mpg combined. The ratings for the 2020 Soul easily outperform the 2019 Jeep Renegade, another compact crossover, which is rated 22/30/25 mpg in its top configuration, but are short of the 2019 Nissan Kicks, which gets 31/36/33 mpg. Kia is pairing the 2.0-liter engine with its Intelligent Variable Transmission, its version of a CVT, for the 2020 Soul as well as the six-speed manual. It offers 147 horsepower and 132 pound-feet of torque. The turbocharged 1.6-liter twin-scroll four-cylinder mates with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and offers 201 hp and 195 lb-ft of torque. The standard version of the 1.6-liter makes 130 hp and 118 lb-ft. Still to come, and not yet rated, is the Soul EV, which borrows its electric motor and 64 kWh battery pack from the Niro EV and Hyundai Kona Electric, offering 201 hp and 291 lb-ft of thrust. It's expected to have a driving range of more than 200 miles, accommodate DC fast charging and go on sale sometime later this year. We still don't have pricing for the gas-powered versions, which are set to hit showrooms in the first half of this year.

Wards names its 2015 10 Best Interiors list

Wards Automotive has named the winners of its 10 Best Interior awards, covering a wide but affordable array of vehicles. Where last year's list contained two six-figure vehicles, including the $372,800 Rolls-Royce Wraith, this year's is, well, a whole lot more reasonable. The publication lists the Mercedes-Benz C400 at $65,000 (which seems off), making it the most expensive vehicle here. That said, we'd argue that the entire C-Class line deserves to make this year's list, owing to its varied and high-quality selection of materials. The other vehicle to break the $60,000 mark, meanwhile, is the $60,675 Ford F-150 King Ranch, which has 327,000 pounds of leather lining its interior. Only one other German car, the BMW i3, and one other pickup truck, the GMC Canyon, managed to make this year's list. Here's the full list of this year's winners: 2014 BMW i3 ($52,550) 2015 Chrysler 300C Platinum ($51,175) 2015 Ford F-150 King Ranch ($60,675) 2015 GMC Canyon SLT ($40,465) 2015 Honda Fit EX-L ($21,590) 2015 Jeep Renegade Limited ($33,205) 2015 Kia Sedona SXL ($43,295) 2016 Mazda6 Grand Touring ($33,395) 2015 Mercedes C400 ($65,000) 2015 Nissan Murano SL ($41,905) See what we mean about the mainstream vehicles? Not only is there a distinct lack of luxury brands, it's the price of some of the vehicles that surprise. The Honda Fit, Jeep Renegade and Mazda6 are very reasonably priced, especially when you compare Wards price with the starting price. The Renegade Limited starts at less than $25,000, the Mazda at less than $22K and the Fit at under $16,000. Head over to Wards for a more detailed explanation of why each vehicle won. Featured Gallery 2015 Ward's Automotive 10 Best Interiors View 10 Photos News Source: Wards Automotive BMW Chrysler Ford GMC Honda Jeep Kia Mazda Mercedes-Benz Nissan Truck Crossover Hatchback Sedan nissan murano gmc canyon Interior jeep renegade WardsAuto kia sedona wards 10 best interiors mercedes c400