2021 Kia Seltos Ex on 2040-cars

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Hyundai and Aptiv enter self-driving joint venture

Hyundai Motor Group and Aptiv are creating a 50:50 autonomous driving joint venture valued at $4 billion. In an announcement, Hyundai said the venture plans to begin testing fully driverless vehicle systems in 2020 and to "have a production-ready autonomous driving platform available for robotaxi providers, fleet operators, and automotive manufacturers in 2022." Under the terms of the agreement, Hyundai Motor Group affiliates Hyundai Motor, Kia Motors and Hyundai Mobis — which debuted the self-driving concept vehicle seen above earlier this year at CES — will collectively contribute $1.6 billion in cash and $0.4 billion in vehicle engineering services, R&D resources and access to intellectual property. Aptiv, which was formerly known as Delphi Automotive, will contribute its autonomous driving technology, intellectual property, and approximately 700 employees focused on the development of scalable autonomous driving solutions. According to a statement on the joint venture, Aptiv says it currently operates more than 100 self-driving vehicles, a number of which are part of a commercial deployment in Las Vegas. The company says it has provided more than 70,000 paid autonomous rides and has maintained a rating of 4.95-out-of-five stars. The company will be headquartered in Boston and have so-called technology centers located across the United States and Asia. Green Hyundai Kia Transportation Alternatives Technology Autonomous Vehicles aptiv

High-performance 2019 Kia Forte spied with dual exhaust

The 2019 Kia Forte compact sedan introduced at the Detroit Auto Show earlier this year showed off a handsome, subtly aggressive exterior inspired by the Stinger. But the sporty exterior was betrayed by a simply adequate powertrain: a naturally aspirated 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine making 147 horsepower. Now, one of our spy photographers has caught a disguised Kia Forte out testing that has a number of visual changes suggesting it's a more powerful version of the Forte. It might be called the Kia Forte GT to fit the Stinger's nomenclature, or Kia Forte SX to follow the naming scheme of past punchier Fortes. The most notable of this Forte's visual enhancements is its dual exhaust outlets. All versions of the current Forte have just one exhaust outlet on the right side and more exhausts usually mean more power. Along the side, the body and side skirts are the same as regular Fortes with the more aggressive body kit. But up at the front, we can see some adjustments under the camouflage. The upper grille appears to be larger, with bottom corners that push out lower and wider than on the basic car. The lower grille also looks a bit taller, and seems to have larger fog lights mounted farther inward than the regular Forte. View 20 Photos As for what might power the newer, peppier Forte,the likeliest candidate is the 201-horsepower turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder found in the Hyundai Veloster Turbo and Hyundai Elantra Sport. As discovered by The Korean Car Blog and someone going by SHM, there is information saying that the Korean version of the Forte will indeed have that turbo engine paired to either a six-speed manual or seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. This wouldn't be surprising given that the new Forte shares its naturally aspirated engine with the base Elantra and Veloster. A version of that turbo engine was also used in the outgoing Forte SX models. Since the new Forte has been revealed and will go on sale later this year, we expect we'll hear about this high-performance version sometime early next year, with a release not too long after. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2020 Kia Forte GT spy shots News Source: The Korean Car Blog, SHMImage Credit: KGP Photography Spy Photos Kia Economy Cars Performance Sedan kia forte

Kia planning outdoorsy concept for Chicago

If you prefer vehicles with a more rugged look, then the 2015 Chicago Auto Show has quite a bounty in store. Mitsubishi will give the GC-PHEV its North American debut; Chevrolet will show the Silverado Midnight Edition, and Honda will unveil the next-gen Pilot and Acura RDX. Kia will be right along with them with its freshly announced rough-and-tumble concept for the event. Unfortunately, the Korean automaker is keeping tight-lipped about the vehicle, even the name. The brand promises the concept is based on one of its most popular models, and styling tweaks from Kia's California design studio mean a more off-road-ready appearance. When asked if the concept is a sturdier take on one of Kia's CUVs, a brand spokesperson told Autoblog, "I don't know if I would call it a crossover." The wait to learn the vehicle's true identity isn't too long, though. A teaser image and the name arrive on January 29, according to the spokesperson. We wouldn't be too surprised if Kia might not have a more rugged take on the Soul in mind. The model already gets an optional SUV Styling Pack (pictured above and below) in Europe that could serve as inspiration for this new concept. Kia Chicago Auto Show Announcement After 20 years of growth and maturation, Kia continues to carry its momentum into 2015 following a year of record sales and the arrival of the all-new 2016 Sorento CUV. Kia will embrace its challenger spirit in Chicago with the debut of an all-new concept – conceived at Kia's California design studio – that re-imagines one of the brand's most popular vehicles. Built for city dwellers seeking an adventurous escape and intended to enable a variety outdoor activities, this concept proves that practical urban wheels can also be rugged and capable. Related Video: