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2015 Kia Soul EV Prototype

Spend a few days chatting with the good people of Seoul about their neighbors to the north, and you'll find a pattern emerges. When they first start talking, South Korea's citizenry speaks openly and ardently about seeking reunification with their North Korean brothers and sisters. Yet once you get beyond casual conversation, you'll find that those hopes and wishes aren't all that they first appear to be. Quite reasonably - and despite everyone's best intentions - there's genuine fear that opening the border with communist North Korea would severely tax South Korea's finances, infrastructure and daily lives. It's almost as if reunification feels like something the general public has to say they want, even if they're really not buying into the reality.
It's kind of like the way American consumers and the media have been crying out for electric and hybrid automobiles, yet when it comes time to vote with their pocketbooks, their hearts just aren't in it. There are potential financial and infrastructure concerns, along with lingering worries about how well EVs will integrate into their daily lives. Today, hybrids and plug-ins make up about three percent of new vehicle sales, and the vast majority of those models are gas-electric models - one in particular. Pure electrics aren't yet even a drop in a very large bucket. It's exactly this uncomfortable dichotomy that rings in our heads as we drive through the traffic in Namyang at the wheel of a 2015 Kia Soul EV prototype.
Of course, one can't blame Kia for developing an electric car - it has California's zero-emissions mandates to meet, regardless of whether the segment's sales suggest there's a sound financial strategy attached. Kia officials we spoke with at this early drive of the company's electrified 'box' car seemed to tacitly acknowledge the Soul EV's difficult business case, but pointed to the company's effort to reduce its CO2 output as part of its reason for being. And besides, their beancounters' industry-wide projection for global EV sales in 2018 is 600,000 units, so there's got to be room to grow, right?

What a strike in Korea could mean for US Hyundai and Kia buyers

A prolonged factory strike at Hyundai-Kia factories in South Korea could mean that US dealership inventory of certain vehicles, such as the South Korea-built Hyundai Accent and Kia Soul, could dry up in the coming months, depending on the length of the strike, reports Cars.com's blog, Kicking Tires. The two brands together rank sixth in US sales and fifth in global sales.
Kicking Tires gives fascinating insight into how a production stoppage in South Korea might affect vehicle sales in the US, considering Hyundai-Kia has two factories in the US that build the Kia Sorento and Optima/Optima Hybrid, and the Hyundai Elantra sedan/coupe/GT, Sonata/Sonata Hybrid and Santa Fe/Santa Fe Sport. The only one of these vehicles that's built solely in the US is the Kia Sorento, with the rest of them sharing production with South Korea.
Be sure to read the piece, especially if you're in the market for a Hyundai or Kia, or just interested in global economics.

Kia Telluride Concept is a 400-hp hybrid based on Sorento SUV [w/video]

After teasing the exterior and the interior of the Kia Telluride, here we have the full monty in Dark Pyrite Green. Although Kia warned us that this is only a design exercise for a full-sized, three-row, seven-seat hauler, the brand notes that all of the primary bits are based on existing production Kia technology. It's built on the modified underpinnings of the mid-sized Sorento crossover, but the Telluride's wheelbase is 11.9 inches longer, and overall it's 9.5 inches longer, 4.7 inches wider, and 4.4 inches taller than the mid-sizer. Inside, Kia worked hardest on the well-being of second-row passengers. Four captains chairs comprise the first two rows, and the second-row thrones have footrests that can be folded nearly flat when not in use. Sensors in the forward four seats have sensors that read the "vital health information" of occupants and display it on door panels. Those in the second row will then benefit from Light Emitted Rejuvenation – a light show provided by an LED panel under the sunroof – to treat jet lag. Other notables inside include 3D printed components in front, and a swipe-controlled media panel behind the front seats. As for the design, the front fascia goes so bold that it reminds us of an American pickup truck. Behind what Kia calls the "tiger nose" grille is a 270-horsepower, 3.6-liter V6 paired with a 130-hp electric motor, said to return more than 30 highway miles per gallon in all-wheel-drive guise. Kia has a less powerful hybrid crossover coming soon called the Niro. Kia wants you to recall that it has a history of turning concepts into production vehicles. But you should also remember that the firm's first and only other full-size entry, the body-on-frame Borrego that lasted all of a year in production, started off as the Mesa concept. Check out the press release below for more. KIA TELLURIDE CONCEPT MAKES WORLD DEBUT AT NORTH AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL AUTO SHOW IN DETROIT Elegant and Sophisticated, the Kia Telluride Combines Breakthrough Technology, Rugged Beauty, and Functionality in a Full-Size Sport Utility Vehicle • Telluride takes Kia's design language in a bold new direction and suggests styling of a possible future premium large SUV in the brand's lineup • Telluride pushes the boundaries of technology with unique in-cabin health-and-wellness technology and luxury DETROIT, Jan.