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Kia electric concept car for Geneva displays a 21-screen salute

Kia is going to show an electric concept car at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show (we got our first look last week), and the automaker has revealed some interesting and even funny details about the car ahead of time. For starters, there will be 21(!) individual high-resolution screens in this puppy. The teaser photo of the interior is showing off a lot of them, but don't fret, there are still more in there somewhere. Kia isn't exactly serious about this kind of a setup; here's a section of the press release for you as an example: "In a humorous riposte to the industry's current obsession with ever increasing dashboard screens, the concept features 21 individual ultra high-resolution screens. These curve their synchronized way across the top of the dashboard in a layout that's at the same time both casual and coordinated." So yes, it's a joke. But it's still sort of incredible a concept like this one will exist. We don't expect 21-screen interiors to be reality anytime soon, especially when the folks who designed it agree that it's completely laughable, too. What comes next in the release is also a bit confusing. Kia says this is its first pure-electric four-door passenger car — nothing wrong there. However, it then goes on to say it combines elements from "a muscular sports utility vehicle, a sleek and athletic family saloon and a versatile and spacious crossover." SUVs and crossovers are mentioned twice there, but this is meant to be a four-door passenger car? The teaser makes it look like the concept is much more car-like than a crossover, but it could be deceiving. A hint of black cladding is shown in this side profile shot as the closest hint to its intentions of being more crossover-like. Another interesting detail here is the evolution of Kia's tiger nose grille we saw introduced on the Stinger. It looks like future Kia electric cars will have a "tiger mask" (ha) instead of a traditional flow-through grille. We dig the normal design itself on the Stinger, and the teaser itself doesn't disappoint. The car/crossover/combination thereof will be revealed in Geneva on March 5, so check back then to see the full concept. Related Video:

2018 Kia Stinger GT First Drive Review | Sleeper of the year

MOJAVE, Calif. — The sunbaked sign at the Hyundai/Kia Proving Grounds clearly indicates the speed limit on the banked oval: 120 miles per hour. But after a few perfunctory triple-digit parade laps, the Kia representative in the passenger seat isn't having any of it. With a wink and nudge, he discreetly permits us a few extra, unrestricted goes around the big course. Never one to turn down track time, we push the 2018 Kia Stinger down the 6.4-mile oval until I see an indicated 164 mph on the straight — the fastest we've ever driven anything built in Korea, let alone many of the contenders in the Stinger's crosshairs. Game on, Kia. The early days of Kia's attempt to conquer the American car market were dominated with an appliance-like sense of economy, one reflecting a scrappy catch-up mentality opposed to the disruptive, luxury challenging tactics du jour. Subsequent attempts to globalize the brand have taken on a definitively more inspired, international flair, and the new Stinger is the strongest harbinger of that direction to date. The movement originated when Hyundai/Kia plucked design boss Peter Schreyer from Audi, eventually moving him up in an unprecedented promotion to one of manufacturer's three group presidents. Not only did Schreyer inject a sleek, contemporary look to the lineup, his promotion proved the brand was dead serious about creating striking designs. The Stinger's styling does not disappoint. Apart from the familiar Tiger Nose grille and the letdown of non-functional (ie, ornamental) "hood vents," the five-seater's proportions and surface treatments feel sharp and fresh, purposeful and clean. Measured from bow to stern, the Stinger is roughly mid-class among its competitive set, while offering the practicality of a sportback design that enables decent rear legroom and 23.3 cubic feet of cargo capacity. But its considerable 114.4-inch wheelbase is among the lengthiest in its class, edged out only by the Audi A7, Porsche Panamera, and BMW 6 Series Grand Coupe. That said, the upper end of Kia's self-ascribed competition might be a bit of a stretch (sorry, pun intended) considering the unlikelihood of Porsche die-hards cross-shopping the $85,000 Panamera against this new kid on the block. The other side of Kia's modern story involves the snagging of performance whisperer Albert Biermann from BMW's M performance division.

Kia confirms $1B factory in Mexico to be completed in 2016

Kia is the latest in a string of automakers to announce plans to build new or expanded factories in Mexico. The Korean company has signed a $1 billion deal to establish a plant in Monterrey in the state of Nuevo León, with construction starting in late September. If everything proceeds on schedule, the facility should be complete in the first half of 2016 and be able to produce 300,000 vehicles a year.
The $1-billion investment will create a "new, highly automated manufacturing plant," according to Kia's announcement, a facility covering 1,235 acres of land. Confirming earlier rumors, Kia will produce compact models there, but the company won't reveal specific model names, just yet. When complete, the factory in Mexico will boost the automaker's annual capacity to 3.37 million vehicles a year with 1.69 million of those in Korea and 1.68 million abroad. It will also join Kia's plant in Georgia (where the Optima and Sorento are made) as the business' other North American location.
Kia hasn't kept plans for the Mexican factory a very close secret and openly admitted it was "being considered as a possible location" to Autoblog. The country was chosen partially because of its free-trade agreements (read: NAFTA), that make it less costly to move models elsewhere, not to mention its easy access to the North, Central and South American markets. The new plant should also alleviate some of the tight supply issues Kia has had in the US.