2015 Kia Ex on 2040-cars

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BMW tops Consumer Reports 2023 Brand Report Card

Feels like we wrote about Consumer Reports' 2022 Brand Report Car and 10 Top Picks a few weeks ago, but it was last April. So the mag is back with a ranked roster of 32 brands and 10 vehicles in four categories for your debating pleasure. Starting with the brands, last year's top three were Subaru, Mazda and BMW. This year, the Munich crew climbed two spots to win the prize thanks to "Superb road test scores and solid results in CR’s reliability and owner satisfaction surveys." Subaru narrowly fell to second, maintaining its four-year run in the top three. Mini, eighth last year, jumped five spots to get the last step on the podium. The rest of the top 10 were Lexus (up one spot from last year), Honda (down one spot from last year), Toyota (up three), Genesis (up 12), Mazda (down six), Audi (down three) and Kia (up eight). The magazine and testing outfit says its Brand Report Card "[reveals] which automakers are producing the most well-performing, safe, and reliable vehicles based on CRÂ’s independent testing and member surveys," and that "Brands that rise to the top tend to have the most consistent performance across their model lineups." Last year's top 10 had six automakers from Japan, three from Germany (giving Mini credit for England), none from the U.S. or South Korea, and five luxury brands. This year's list counts five makes from Japan, two from Germany because Porsche fell out of the top ten, two from South Korea, still none from the U.S., and four luxury brands. Buick again ranked as the best domestic, dropping to 12th after being 11th last year. The big mover was Lincoln, its 10-place jump up to 16th attributed to better reliability from the Corsair and Nautilus. Tesla's improved overall reliability saw it climb six spots to 17th. Dodge climbed one spot to 15th. Jeep got out of the penalty box in last to come second-to-last. Land Rover fell three places into the penalty spot.  CR's top 10 vehicle models The 10 Top Picks list is practically a new list. Only two holdovers made it to 2023, those being the Subaru Forester and Kia Telluride.

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.

Hyundai plans to catch up with other automakers, offer EVs

YONGIN, South Korea (Reuters) - South Korea's Hyundai Motor Co is developing its first dedicated architecture for electric vehicles, seeking to catch up with the likes of Tesla in the growing segment with multiple, long-range models. While the platform will not be completed soon, Hyundai Motor and affiliate Kia plan to roll out small electric sport utility vehicles (SUVs) based on an existing underpinning next year, said Lee Ki-sang, who leads Hyundai-Kia's green cars operations. Hyundai will launch an electric SUV, followed by a sibling model by Kia Motors next year, Lee said, citing strong demand for SUVs. The subcompact or compact models would have a range of more than 300 km (186 miles) per charge, and would be "more competitive" than rival offerings, Lee said. And Hyundai said in a statement on Thursday that it plans to launch a new luxury electric vehicle under its Genesis marque in 2021, after introducing a plug-in hybrid version of an unidentified Genesis model in 2019. The separate platform represents a major push into the battery electric-car segment for a firm which has long trumpeted rival fuel-cell vehicles, reflecting strong investor pressure to compete more vigorously in a market that has been stimulated by U.S.-based Tesla's longer-range models. And tough fuel-economy and emissions regulations in the United States, Europe and China are compelling automakers to push fuel-efficient cars even though low oil prices have undercut demand. Hyundai's electric-car platform would allow the automaker to install a battery pack in vehicle floors to accommodate more battery capacity and maximize cabin space, Lee said. "The electric-vehicle platform will require high up-front investments, but we are doing this to prepare for the future," he said at Hyundai-Kia's green car research center in the city of Yongin, outside Seoul. He did not reveal the cost. Lee, a senior vice-president at Hyundai Motor, was speaking during an interview on the eve of an auto show that kicked off in Seoul on Thursday. Analysts said Hyundai had no choice but to build separate electric-vehicle platforms to be relevant in the segment. "The separate platform may incur losses initially, but Hyundai will be left behind the market if they don't offer long-distance models, like 300 km, 500 km and 600 km," said Ko Tae-bong, an analyst at Hi Investment & Securities.