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Kia GT five-door approved, will tackle A7, Panamera

Kia might finally be entering the four-door coupe market in the near future with a production version of its GT Concept from the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show. According to Edmunds, Kia execs at that Paris Motor Show confirmed that the swoopy model finally has been given the green light to go on sale, and that would likely be sometime in 2016 in the US.
Kia would reportedly focus the GT on the US market, but a European version with a diesel is also a possibility. As with the K900 premium sedan, the brand is taking on some established competition with the new model, including the likes of the Audi A7 and Porsche Panamera. Judging from the rest of the Korean company's range, an attractive feature for many buyers would likely be a price several grand lower than the challengers in the segment.
"Four-door coupes aren't necessarily sales champs, but right now they are popular, just as the retro theme was the "in thing" 15 years ago," said auto industry analyst Dave Sullivan from AutoPacific to Autoblog. Something like the GT would also help with Kia's increasing focus on improving its design design because it can "make a statement about what your brand stands for."

Kia will unveil the new 2021 Sorento at the Geneva Motor Show

While the 2020 Chicago Auto Show is around the corner, Kia picked this year's edition of the Geneva show to introduce the next-generation Sorento. The popular crossover will arrive in time for the 2021 model year. The South Korean company explained it designed and engineered the new Sorento "to take on everything life can throw at it," and it published a pair of red-tinted teaser sketches to accompany its announcement. The images would normally give us our best look yet at the upcoming crossover, but spy photographers unabashedly ruined Kia's surprise by sending us a full gallery of images showing the soft-roader completely camouflage-free on the set of a commercial shoot.  The current-generation Sorento is one of the oldest cars in the Kia range, and the transformation is drastic. It receives a bolder, sharper look that falls in line with the company's current design language without copying its bigger or smaller siblings. Kia's design team has been on a roll in recent years, and the Sorento extends it. kia-sorento-teaser-24-1 View 2 Photos While our spies didn't get a look at the Sorento's interior, low-resolution spy shots published on Instagram confirm the transformation continues beneath the sheetmetal. The center console adopts a more rugged look characterized by brushed aluminum-like surfaces, and the infotainment system's touchscreen is now positioned on top of the dashboard instead of being embedded into it. We also expect to find nicer materials inside. What's between the fenders? Your guess is as good as ours, but Kia previously confirmed hybrid and plug-in hybrid models will join the range. Whether they'll be available at launch hasn't been made public yet. Additional information about the 2021 Kia Sorento will emerge in the coming weeks, and Autoblog will bring you live images of it straight from the show floor in Geneva on March 3. An American debut is likely scheduled for the New York Auto Show in April, and deliveries will begin shortly after. Pricing will start in the vicinity of $27,000. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.    

Kia and CarMax pull LA Clipper sponsorships in wake of alleged Sterling comments

There's fallout across the automotive advertising world today as companies react to alarming, racially insensitive statements alleged to have been made Donald Sterling, owner of the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers franchise. Last Friday, entertainment website TMZ published excerpts from an audio recording, allegedly between Sterling and his girlfriend V. Stiviano, in which the Clippers owner said, among other things, that he didn't want her to bring black people to his games, including LA Lakers legend Magic Johnson. Sterling has yet to respond publicly to the allegations.
The story quickly gained steam over the weekend, and this Monday it has seen Kia Motors, auto sales website CarMax and insurance giant State Farm all pull sponsorship activities with the Clippers.
In a statement Kia said the alleged statements by Sterling were, "offensive and reprehensible," calling them "inconsistent with our views and values." Kia says it is "suspending" its advertising and sponsorship activities with the team, though has yet to clarify if that suspension includes commercials featuring NBA star and Clippers power forward Blake Griffin.