2014 Kia Soul + on 2040-cars

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Kia teases e-AWD Trail'ster concept ahead of Chicago

Last week, Kia dropped a teaser on our heads of a new concept it would be bringing to the Chicago Auto Show. Now it's revealed another view, and this time it's revealed the name, as well. The new concept is dubbed the Trail'ster, and it's essentially a turbocharged Soul with an electric all-wheel drive system, a retractable canvas roof and a rugged design. The shot above (depicting the back three-quarters angle from low on the ground) doesn't show us much more than the previous side shot of the nose, but as you can see, the round light theme continues around back, with lower body cladding, underbody protection panels and red-trimmed, five-hole wheels wearing chunky rubber. We'll have to hold on to find out more, but from what we've seen so far, our level of interest is officially piqued. Kia to Bring Electric All-Wheel Drive Trail'ster to Chicago Aligning form and function to conceive a uniquely compelling vehicle for the city-dweller-turned- outdoor-adventurer, Kia Motors America will take the wraps off the rugged Trail'ster e-AWD concept at the 2015 Chicago Auto Show. With its bold design, fully retractable canvas roof and smartly integrated rear electric all-wheel drive system, the turbocharged Trail'ster takes Kia's iconic Soul to a new level of expression, efficiency and capability. The Kia Trail'ster concept will be unveiled at the Chicago Auto Show on Thursday, February 12, at 9 a.m. CT.

Superman-themed Kia Optima Hybrid definitely not faster than a speeding bullet

The Justice League of America's garage is filling up quickly, with Kia and DC Entertainment unveiling its sixth of eight super hero-inspired vehicles at the Chicago Auto Show today. The vehicles are being used to raise awareness for DC Entertainment's "We Can Be Heroes" giving campaign.
The latest Kia to get the super hero treatment is the Optima Hybrid, which draws on the almighty Superman for inspiration. We're not sure what to make of this thing, honestly, as neither Clark Kent nor Kal-El would be caught dead in it (unless it's got the optional Kryptonite seatbelts, of course). Rather, this looks like what we imagine a Superman fanboy would construct if given carte blanche to ruin an Optima Hybrid. The actual design and construction were handled jointly by Kia, DC Entertainment and Super Street magazine.
We'll let the pictures do the talking in terms of what modifications were made since they're all cosmetic. That is, no mechanical mods were done to make the Kia Optima either faster than a speeding bullet or more powerful than a locomotive (shame).

2018 Kia Stinger GT Long-Term Review Update | What living with the Stinger is like

You're going to like looking at it, and everyone else will too Man, this car is slick. It's long and low with curves in all the right places. Kia toed the line between in-your-face sportiness and luxury with every design decision on this car. I don't often feel the urge to look back at a car as I walk away, but the Stinger has a way of drawing my eye back to it wherever I go. The bright red paint might be partially responsible for this, but I've found I'm not alone. Everywhere I drive, this car turns heads and brings about inquisitive stares from onlookers — the Kia badge just causes brows to furrow deeper. Never in history have random passersby been this interested in a Kia. It makes sense, though. We don't often see completely new, from-the-ground-up sports sedans these days. The Stinger's fastback shape just makes it even more enticing and refreshingly different. Noticing the sidewalk interest in a car like the Stinger gives me a glimmer of hope for other great sedans to make it through the crossover-apocalypse. Big car, but a small back seat The usable space in the rear seat runs counter to how long and large the car looks. First off, the way the door is shaped makes for a narrow space to slide your body through. It's wide on top but narrows closer to the ground. That's no problem for a young and limber person such as myself, but less flexible folk may find it annoying. With the seat positioned for my 5-foot-10-inch frame, rear legroom is a bit scarcer than I would have thought. Throwing kids back there would be fine, but it still came off as one of the larger disappointments in my book. You'll enjoy the cargo space, though. Hatches are almost always more utilitarian than sedans with trunks, and this trend continues for the Stinger. Loading and unloading is an easy task, and you can shove a ton of stuff back there. Somewhat limited visibility through the short rear window from the driver seat is the only downside of the rear hatch design. It has a dual personality This car firmly plants itself onto the list of ideal daily drivers. Leave it in Comfort mode, turn the Harman Kardon stereo up, and relax on your way to the office. Twist the dial over to Sport, and you'll blow everybody else away getting on the highway as you head home. Like we said in our last long-term update, the Stinger is the perfect GT car, and we stand by that. You can use it as a backroad scalpel on weekends. However, I wouldn't go so far as to say it handles like a sports car.