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Kia Hotbots come back out to play with 2014 Forte

Kia is bringing back its so-called "hotbots," the slightly disturbing female robots that traipse about the uncanny valley while hustling the new Forte and "respecting the tech," for three new, humorous animated spots.
The Hotbots first debuted during Kia's latest Super Bowl spot, which followed the debut of the 2014 Forte sedan at the 2012 Los Angeles Auto Show. Each new spot follows the premise of the two originals, with the hotbots protecting the Forte while the oblivious owner stands by. Take a look at all three ads below, along with the two originals that kicked the series off.

2020 Kia Soul gets funkier and adds a long-range Soul EV

The Kia Soul, the clear victor of the funky box fad of the mid-2000s, has been completely redesigned for the 2020 model year. It's still very square, but it's even funkier than before. The big, cute headlights of previous models have been swapped for a more futuristic, almost brooding set of slender lamps up top connected by a piece of plastic for a full-width look. They're supplemented by additional lights in large pods in the front bumper. There's a large grille in the bottom of the bumper, too. The overall nose is a bit more rounded, but the whole profile is about as upright as ever. The rear is completely vertical and retains vertical taillights that now have a wraparound look. The fenders don't visually protrude as much, but they're highlighted by deep creases around the wheel arches. There are an array of trims to pick from on the new Soul, some of which have significant style tweaks. LX, S and EX make up the basic Soul, with an EX Designer Edition offering up two-tone paint between the roof and body as well as big 18-inch wheels. The Kia Soul Turbo is replaced by the Soul GT-Line, which can be had with the turbo engine or the naturally aspirated engine. It has a much more aggressive front fascia with extra slots around the grille and side sill extensions with red accents. The turbo version gets center-exit exhaust, bigger brakes and stiffer suspension. Then there's the new X-Line that gives the Soul a crossover look with plastic body cladding, fender flares and fog lights. It also has two-tone paint as an option. 2020 Kia Soul View 11 Photos Despite all the design changes, the new Soul is almost exactly the same size as the old one. It's just over 2 inches longer, and adds a little over an inch between the wheels, but width and height are the same. Passenger space is nearly the same, too, giving or taking a couple tenths of an inch here and there. There is much more cargo space now, though, picking up an extra 5 cubic feet for a total of 23.8. The restyled interior also gets some nice new features such as customizable ambient lighting, an available 10.25-inch touchscreen and a heads-up display. There are three powertrains available for the Kia Soul, and only one is a carryover from the previous model. Starting at the bottom is the naturally aspirated 2.0-liter engine. This engine is also found in various other Hyundai and Kia products such as the Forte. It makes 147 horsepower and 132 pound-feet of torque.

Minivan Mania | Autoblog Podcast #675

In this episode of the Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Senior Editor, Green, John Beltz Snyder and West Coast Editor James Riswick, and this week, it's (almost) all about vans! James recently wrote a head-to-head comparison of the 2021 Toyota Sienna and 2021 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid, and he talks us through the results. John recently reviewed the 2022 Kia Carnival, which is replacing the Kia Sedona. After discussing the minivan field as a whole, our editors identify some reasonable minivan alternatives in the SUV and crossover realms. Moving along, they talk about driving the long-term Hyundai Palisade and the new Mitsubishi Outlander before discussing their favorite highlights from the 2021 Shanghai Auto Show. Autoblog Podcast #675 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown Minivans! 2021 Toyota Sienna vs 2021 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid 2022 Kia Carnival The rest of the field Ute alternatives Cars we're driving 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander 2021 Hyundai Palisade road trip Shanghai Auto Show Lincoln Zephyr Toyota bZ4X Honda SUV e:prototype Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Autoblog is now live on your smart speakers and voice assistants with the audio Autoblog Daily Digest. Say “Hey Google, play the news from Autoblog” or "Alexa, open Autoblog" to get your favorite car website in audio form every day. A narrator will take you through the biggest stories or break down one of our comprehensive test drives. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.