2012 Kia Soul on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Kia Stonic is a compact crossover with a weird name

With Hyundai on the verge of revealing its new Kona subcompact crossover, it isn't surprising that Kia has one to show as well. It's called the Stonic, which is a fairly bizarre name with an equally odd origin. "The name 'Stonic' combines 'Speedy' and 'Tonic,' which refers to the first and last note in the musical scale," Kia explains. "Thus, 'Stonic' suggests that the vehicle is agile and offers something new and fresh in the compact SUV segment." It will be interesting to see if Kia sticks with the name, especially considering it's only one letter away from the name of a certain Chevrolet. Funky name aside, the Stonic looks like it will be fairly handsome, if a bit conventional-looking for a segment that includes the Nissan Juke and Toyota C-HR. The renderings show the car adheres to Kia's design language with organic curves and the corporate Kia grille. It then adds chunky features like beefy fender arches and a thick, raked C-pillar, all of which are bolstered by prerequisite black plastic cladding and aluminum-look faux skid plates. The interior doesn't get any more adventurous. In fact, comparing the rendering with the interior of the new Kia Rio, they look just shy of identical. The only visible differences are a slightly different dash pad over the passenger air bag, and slightly altered air vents. Though the base vehicle isn't exactly revolutionary in its design, it does sound as though owners will be able to personalize it a bit. Kia says the Stonic is "the most customizable Kia ever." Exactly how this will be realized is yet to be seen, but expect many options for interior trim, exterior colors, wheels, and more. We'll also learn the details soon, since Kia says the car will go on sale later this year. Related Video: Kia Crossover Economy Cars hyundai kona

Best gas mileage cars

If you're looking for the cars with the best gas mileage, your best bets are hybrids and EVs, and with the latter, then it's a case of energy efficiency considering the lack of gasoline. But maybe you don't like the idea of an electrified vehicle. Maybe you're concerned about more complicated powertrains or new technologies. Maybe you're put off by the extra up-front cost of those vehicles. So what's the best way to get good fuel economy, without batteries? Well, we've pulled together the 10 most fuel-efficient cars that only run on gasoline. Best Gas Mileage Cars for 2024: 2021 Mitsubishi Mirage and Mirage G4 View 27 Photos Mitsubishi Mirage: 39 mpg combined When you can't be electrified, you need to achieve high efficiency with other strategies. In the case of the Mitsubishi Mirage, those come from low weight (just 2,084 pounds) and low power (just 78 horsepower). That's how the Mirage manages to top the list at 39 mpg combined. In the city it gets 36 mpg, and on the highway it manages 43, both of which are tops in this list, too. That just applies to the hatchback, though. The sedan would technically be second on the list with 37 mpg combined, but we're generally lumping together body styles. The other big draw of the Mirage is that it's incredibly cheap and has a long warranty. The base hatchback starts at $18,110 with destination, making it one of the cheapest cars on the road. And it has a 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty. So if you're looking for maximum frugality above literally all else, it's hard to top the Mirage. Honda Civic: 36 mpg combined While the Mirage wins technically, it makes many compromises to achieve its price and fuel economy. The rest of the list provides far better balancing of economy with being quality modern automobiles. And coming in second is the Honda Civic sedan (pictured at the top of this article) in EX trim with the turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder and CVT. This variant manages 33 mpg in the city, 42 on the highway and 36 combined. Going to the Touring trim drops fuel economy to 34 combined, and the 2.0-liter non-turbo engine gets between 33 and 35. The most efficient hatchback gets 35 mpg combined. The hatch is even available with a manual transmission, but it's also the least efficient (31 mpg). Then there's the Si and Type R, but with much more power and handling upgrades, they're basically different models. Regardless, almost every version of the Civic is quite frugal.

Hyundai reveals CEO's pay for first time ever

Thanks to some government pressure, Hyundai's billionaire chairman, Chung Mong Koo, has revealed just how much he gets paid each year. Honestly, the amount is a bit lower than we'd expect considering he helms such a huge industrial empire. The 76-year-old chairman brought home $13 million in 2013, $5.2 million of which came from Hyundai's automotive business while both Mobis and Hyundai Steel chipped in $3.94 million, each. For reference, Ford CEO Alan Mulally netted $23.2 million in 2013, although the vast majority of that money came from stock options.
The push for Chung to reveal his pay was part of a larger effort by the South Korean government called the Financial Investment Services and Capital Markets Act. The act forces several thousand companies to release info on annual pay, bonuses and severance for employees earning over $5 million won ($469,000), according to Bloomberg.
"With the disclosure of the executives' compensation, the pressure to deliver better profits will increase," said Heo Pil Seok, the CEO of Midas International Asset Management. It seems to be working, as Hyundai shareholders, of which Midas is one, have seen their shares increase by 6.1 percent in 2014, which includes a 1.2-percent jump as of yesterday, according to Bloomberg.