2013 Kia Sorento Sx on 2040-cars

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Kia is bringing a fullsize SUV concept to Detroit

Hey, remember the Borrego? Kia took a stab at the fullsize SUV market in 2009 with a body-on-frame SUV, and after only one year of production, the Borrego was discontinued. Bummer. But Kia's apparently interested in rejoining the fullsize SUV segment, and will show the big concept you see here at the Detroit Auto Show next week. That's really all we know right now. Kia only offers a super short statement (that you can read below) confirming its SUV concept was designed in California and features "an abundance of advanced technology," including "state-of-the-art health-and-wellness technology" – whatever that means. It's simply meant to "[suggest] styling of a possible future premium large SUV in the brand's lineup." From this one image, the most noticeable design elements are a rear end that looks surprisingly similar to the Volvo XC90 in profile, and front and rear door handles that flank the B pillar, sort of like a minivan. Should this SUV come to production, we doubt it'll use body-on-frame architecture, since Kia doesn't have anything like that in its current portfolio. Maybe it'll ride on a version of the rear-wheel-drive platform that underpins the fullsize K900 sedan (or the upcoming Genesis G90). At this point, your guess is as good as ours. We'll know more next week. Detroit Concept Teaser #1 Kia Motors America will reveal a new concept car January 11 at the 2016 North American International Auto Show. Conceived at the automaker's California design studio, the concept offers an abundance of advanced technology – including state-of-the-art health-and-wellness technology – and takes Kia's design language in a bold new direction, suggesting styling of a possible future premium large SUV in the brand's lineup.

2021 Kia Sorento engines, other details revealed before Geneva debut

The 2021 Kia Sorento was shown in official photos a few days ago, but we were missing all of the meaty details. Today, Kia has begun the process of parceling this information out, feeding us powertrain information and a few other interesting features of note. In North America, we can expect at least two engine options: a hybrid and a traditional gasoline-only engine. The latter is slated to be ready at launch — itÂ’ll consist of a 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, matched with an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. We imagine itÂ’s the same powertrain that we got a taste of in a pre-production Sonata N-Line not too long ago. In the Sorento, output is 277 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque. ThatÂ’s the same amount of torque as Hyundai said the Sonata N-Line will have, but itÂ’s down 13 horsepower compared to the semi-performance sedan. The hybrid powertrain, which is confirmed for the North American market, consists of a 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder and single electric motor. Combined output amounts to 227 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. Kia promises low emissions with high levels of performance, and with those power figures, we imagine the Sorento Hybrid wonÂ’t be a total bore to drive. ThatÂ’s it so far as North America powertrain news is concerned for now, but Kia promised more to come — weÂ’re told to expect additional gasoline engine options and “a powerful new plug-in hybrid variant.” Kia teased out a few details about the new platform this Sorento is riding on, too. The wheelbase is 1.4 inches longer than before, but the vehicleÂ’s overall length is only extended by 0.4 inch. Kia claims better packaging strategies will give the Sorento “class-leading cargo space.” The new platform also allows Kia to put the hybridÂ’s battery pack underneath the floor, claiming it has zero impact on passenger or cargo space. There were a few easter eggs at the end of KiaÂ’s release, too. The Sorento will be the first Kia to feature the companyÂ’s new “multi-collision brake system” that automatically applies the brakes when the airbags have been deployed after the initial collision. It also has a new “remote smartphone surround view monitor.” This will allow folks to look at the vehicleÂ’s surroundings on their smartphone through an app, in addition to seeing it in the infotainment screen.

Kia gives K900 Matrix spoof for Super Bowl commercial

Kia made a splash when it announced that Laurence Fishburne would revisit Morpheus, his bespectacled, blade-wielding badass character from the Matrix trilogy for a Super Bowl commercial. When we originally broke that story, we offered up a brief synopsis of the spot, produced by David&Goliath.
Now, we have an extended, 90-second version of the 60-second Kia K900 commercial that's slated to air during this weekend's Super Bowl. While it does stick to the brief we reported on a few weeks back, there's a big, ridiculous twist in the last bit of the video, not to mention a few easter eggs for fans of the movies. We won't spoil it for you, so scroll down and have a look.
After you've watched the video, scroll just a bit further down and have a look at Kia's official press release on the commercial.