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The anti-Prius | 2017 Kia Niro Hybrid First Drive

The 2017 Kia Niro is a significant model for the brand. It's the company's first car designed from the get-go to be a hybrid. And as Kia's VP of product planning explains, it's helping lead the company's push to improve fuel economy by 25 percent across the board. So it's kind of funny that almost everything about this car reads as "conventional" or simply "normal." There are exceptions to this. Under the attractive – if not adventurous – skin is some interesting technology. Most of the mechanicals are shared with the upcoming Hyundai Ioniq, including the direct-injected 1.6-liter inline-four and electric motor that send power to the front wheels. The powertrain makes a combined 139 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque. Kia also implemented various aerodynamic and weight aids to make the most of the engine and motor. The Niro features air curtains, a rear spoiler, and active air shutters to help achieve a 0.29 coefficient of drag, and the hood, hatch, brake calipers, and some suspension components are all made of aluminum. Plus, when ordered with navigation, the Niro will provide tips on driving more efficiently, and will use topographical information to use electric power in the most efficient manner. The various bits of fuel-maximizing technology mean the Niro manages Prius-like fuel economy ratings of 52 mpg in the city, 49 on the highway, and 50 combined. That's only for the base FE model, though. Moving up to the slightly better-equipped LX and EX models yields a small decrease to 51 city, 46 highway, and 49 overall. If you opt for the Touring model, shown here, because you want all the bells and whistles, be ready to sacrifice more mileage – it only manages 46 city, 40 highway, and 43 overall. Kia says this is due to the increased weight of the standard features, different roof rails that change the aerodynamic profile, and the larger, wider 18-inch wheels and tires that increase the rotational mass and rolling resistance. All of the effort Kia put into making the Niro a highly efficient Prius fighter seems to have been matched by an effort to make the car appear as normal as possible and give it the broadest appeal. So, no polarizing looks like on the latest Prius and Prius Prime. Glancing at it, you'd say the Niro is just another crossover. The greenhouse looks like a scaled-down version of the Sorento's. That's not necessarily a bad thing, since the larger Kia crossover is fairly handsome.

Kia brings four jump-ready Tellurides and a modified Stinger to SEMA

Kia dropped the curtain on the Forte GT today at SEMA, but the Korean automaker also has a full plate of modified cars it will be showing there too. Four heavily modified Telluride SUVs, a Stinger, Forte and K900 are all making appearances in Las Vegas. All of the Tellurides look a bit different, but they share the same suspension modifications. It starts with KW Motorsports long-travel shocks with remote reservoirs and three-way adjustable damping. Then Kia fabricated new heavy-duty lower control arms, widened the track by three inches and added King hydraulic bump stops. Why did Kia add such an awesome suspension setup? Well, it plans on jumping these Tellurides all week long at a demonstration track outside of the SEMA show. We think that's a good enough reason. All the Tellurides are also sporting Black Rhino wheels shod with 32-inch Milestar Patagonia mud terrain tires. A straight pipe exhaust has also been fitted. Telluride Horizon Roamer This Telluride has a snorkel for deep-water fording and a large LED light bar on the roof. Kia says this one was designed for conquering the Rubicon trail. The orange paint ensures you won't be missing this big SUV on the rocks either. Telluride Cadet Leader Kia says this one was aimed more toward the trailblazing kind of off-roading. It has flat military style green and black paint and Rotopaks for gasoline on the rear quarter panels. Telluride Desert Drifter Painted to blend in with the desert, this Telluride might be our favorite looking of the bunch. The front LEDs actually blend in nicely with the paint, giving this tough looking off-roader a sense of style. Telluride Baja Glider Here's the only Telluride of the bunch without a massive brush guard. Instead, it gets a front tube bumper to go along with its skid plate. The black paint gives it a much more subdued appearance as well. 2019 DUB Kia Stinger GT DUB certainly went all-in on this Stinger, mounting massive 22-inch wheels and a wide body kit. There's a custom exhaust and intake for extra noise, and the engine bay gets a full dress-up kit. Air-ride suspension brings it all closer to the ground, while the brushed steel and carbon fiber wraps give it an even flashier appearance. A completely custom red/black leather and suede interior make the Stinger unique on the inside too. 2019 DUB Kia K900 The K900 seems like more of a DUB-style car to customize, and this example here is not lacking in the glam department.

Kia slices K900 pricing amidst slow sales

Kia is learning the same hard lesson that Volkswagen learned so many years ago – it's not easy for a volume brand to sell a luxury car. The K900 luxury sedan has suffered through slow sales, moving just over 1,300 vehicles last year, and now the South Korean company is trimming the cost of entry to entice consumers. A new K900 Premium lowers the sedan's price by $5,000, from $59,500 to $54,500, not including a $900 destination charge, Motor Authority reports. While the price is lower, previously standard items, such as LED headlights, Nappa leather and a 17-speaker Lexicon stereo have been packaged as part of a new Luxury trim, which will maintain the original starting price. The two-tier scheme will force consumers to make a new decision about their K900, but that won't extend to the brute under the hood. A 5.0-liter V8 remains a standard item, making even the K900 Premium a tempting option for anyone that values straight-line thrust in a comfortable package. What are your thoughts? Is Kia merely rearranging the deck chairs on a sedan-shaped Titanic, or do you think trimming the price will do some good for the slow-selling K900? The new price is already reflected on Kia's consumer website, so head over, mess about and then come back and have your say about the move in Comments.