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Weekly Recap: Kia leads Korea's quality surge

The rapid rise of Korea's auto brands in the US market has been apparent on the sales charts for several years, and now it's showing up in an area that's just as crucial: quality. Kia and Hyundai earned the highest rankings among mainstream brands in the J. D. Power Initial Quality Study released on Wednesday. The study tracks problems owners report during the first 90 days they own their car. Kia reported 86 problems per 100 vehicles, or fewer than one problem per car sold, to take second in the rankings behind luxury sportscar-maker Porsche (80). Kia's score improved by nearly 20 percent compared with the 2014 study. "The big industry story is Kia," Renee Stephens, vice president of U.S. automotive quality at J.D. Power, said in a video statement, noting Kia's infotainment systems were the key reason for its improved performance. Hyundai was fourth for the second straight year, though its score actually worsened by one, to 95. Even with Hyundai's slight dip, Korean quality increased 11 percent, according to the study, which far outpaced American and European companies' three-percent increases. Japanese brands improved one percent. Hyundai Motor Co. (parent company of the Hyundai and Kia brands) captured four individual vehicle awards, which tied for the most with General Motors, Nissan, and Volkswagen. "The Korean brands have really taken off," Stephens said. "There's movement in the industry, and the patterns are shifting." Another luxury brand, Jaguar (93 problems), slotted in between Hyundai and Kia in third place. Infiniti was fifth, followed by BMW. Chevrolet was the highest domestic brand, taking seventh place, followed by Lincoln, Lexus, and Toyota, which were all well above the industry average of 112 problems per 100 vehicles. OTHER NEWS & NOTES Kirk Kerkorian dead at 98 Kirk Kerkorian, a billionaire activist investor who wielded enormous influence on the Detroit Three car companies in the 1990s and 2000s, died Monday. He was 98 years old. Kerkorian made headlines in 1995 for trying to take over Chrysler – with the help of former chairman Lee Iacocca – before being fended off by Chrysler management. His takeover attempt ultimately pushed Chrysler to be sold to German giant Daimler. He tried to buy Chrysler again in 2007 when Daimler put Chrysler on the market, but Kerkorian fell short and the automaker was sold to private equity firm Cerberus.

NACTOY winners, and driving the Genesis GV60, Polestar 2, Mercedes-AMG GLS 63 | Autoblog Podcast #813

In this episode of the Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Senior Editor, Electric, John Beltz Snyder. This week, we discuss the North American Car, Truck and Utility of the year winners: The Toyota Prius, Kia EV6 and Ford Super Duty (and Greg explains his votes). In other news, we talk about GM offering $7,500 incentives for EVs that lost their tax credits, another possible calendar change for the Detroit Auto Show and Stellantis potentially scaling back its auto show presence. Greg spent his winter break with the Genesis GV60 and Polestar 2, while John has been driving the Toyota Prius Prime and Mercedes-AMG GLS 63. Finally, they take to Reddit for this week's Spend My Money question, and pick a sedan under $6,000. Send us your questions for the Mailbag and Spend My Money at: Podcast@Autoblog.com. Autoblog Podcast #813 Get The Podcast Apple Podcasts – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes Spotify – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast on Spotify RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown Toyota Prius, Ford Super Duty, Kia EV9 are 2024 North American Car, Truck, Utility of the Year winners GM offers $7,500 incentive for EVs losing tax credit Detroit Auto Show going back to January? Stellantis done with auto shows, or is it? Cars We're Driving: 2024 Genesis GV60 Performance AWD 2024 Polestar 2 RWD 2023 Toyota Prius Prime XSE Premium 2024 Mercedes-AMG GLS 63 Spend My Money Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts 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. Green Podcasts Ford Genesis GM Kia Mercedes-Benz Toyota Truck Crossover SUV Electric Hybrid Luxury Performance Sedan Polestar

Next-generation Kia Soul spied with old box shape, new split headlights

The current Kia Soul has been around since the 2014 model year, and Kia has kept the little box fresh with the introductions of electric and turbocharged variants, the latter of which appeared for the 2017 model year. But based on these spy shots, Kia is preparing a more thorough redesign of the hatchback/quasi-crossover. Though Kia has covered the front and rear of the new Soul carefully, the middle section gives it away as the favored transportation of anthropomorphic hamsters. Also, while there are indications there will be significant design changes, the basic formula won't change. It will still have a really thick D-pillar, darkened A-pillar and a roof that gets thinner toward the front. The roof itself also looks a bit taller, although perhaps its just the rear windows that have gotten smaller. It appears the front fascia and windshield will also retain a similar amount of rake to the current models to prevent it from looking overly boxy. The front end, as camouflaged as it is, also reveals a major lighting change. Instead of the very large headlamps of the last two generations, the forward lighting will be split in two, and the primary illumination looks to be coming from the lower elements. This design follows in the footsteps of Hyundai's Kona and upcoming Santa Fe, as well as the Nissan Juke and previous Jeep Cherokee. The upper elements also look as though they sit lower in the fascia than on past models, perhaps to give the new Soul a more aggressive look. The back is also thoroughly covered up, but we can tell that the high-mounted taillights in the D-pillars will continue. It also looks like they wrap around the bottom of the rear glass this time. This is the first time we've seen the new Soul, and Kia hasn't said much about its plans for the car. We expect that it will continue to offer at least one naturally aspirated engine, if not two as it does currently, and a peppier turbo model. We would also suspect that all-wheel drive will be on the table to better compete with sub-compact SUVs like the Jeep Renegade and Honda HR-V, which have virtually the same body style as the tall, boxy Soul. Many already consider them rivals and Kia has even hinted at the possibility with its Trail'ster concept. We'll be keeping an ear to the ground, and an eye on the rear ends of Souls, to learn more in the future. Related Video: Featured Gallery Kia Soul spy shots View 11 Photos Image Credit: Brian Williams Spy Photos Kia Crossover Hatchback Economy Cars