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2014 Kia Soul gets new 'Totally Transformed' hamster commercial

The lovable, anthropomorphic hamsters from Kia are known for electronic dance music, head bopping, and of course, a certain funktastic Korean box-on-wheels. With a new Soul on the way, the adorable rodents need to be ready to appear alongside the resculpted crossover. Only one thing could get them ready in time - cue the training montage.
The commercial, called Totally Transformed, features Lady Gaga playing in the background, along with gratuitous footage of the hamsters shedding some weight. The Kia designers also get some attention, as they're hard at work designing the hamsters' new ride. Take a look below for the full, 91-second spot.

Minivan Mania | Autoblog Podcast #675

In this episode of the Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Senior Editor, Green, John Beltz Snyder and West Coast Editor James Riswick, and this week, it's (almost) all about vans! James recently wrote a head-to-head comparison of the 2021 Toyota Sienna and 2021 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid, and he talks us through the results. John recently reviewed the 2022 Kia Carnival, which is replacing the Kia Sedona. After discussing the minivan field as a whole, our editors identify some reasonable minivan alternatives in the SUV and crossover realms. Moving along, they talk about driving the long-term Hyundai Palisade and the new Mitsubishi Outlander before discussing their favorite highlights from the 2021 Shanghai Auto Show. Autoblog Podcast #675 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown Minivans! 2021 Toyota Sienna vs 2021 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid 2022 Kia Carnival The rest of the field Ute alternatives Cars we're driving 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander 2021 Hyundai Palisade road trip Shanghai Auto Show Lincoln Zephyr Toyota bZ4X Honda SUV e:prototype Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes 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.

Hyundai and Kia to hit record 8M sales for 2014

Hyundai and Kia are on a sales charge in 2014, and parent company Hyundai Motor Group is increasing projections to a record eight million combined units for the automakers by the end of the year – a bump over the original target of 7.86 million vehicles. According to Bloomberg, the key to the growth is beating expectations in Brazil, China and India, and strong crossover sales are also helping the bottom line. In the US, both automakers are doing well this year. In October, Hyundai saw a six percent dip in monthly sales, but through the first 10 months it sold 607,539 vehicles, compared to 601,773 at this point last year. Kia has done even better with 489,711 units sold from January to October, versus 456,137 for the period in 2013. The good news is a welcome antidote to negative headlines like investors' anger over Hyundai's $10 billion land purchase in Seoul, South Korea. The two automakers also had to pay a $300 million penalty to the Environmental Protection Agency for misstating fuel economy on some models. While sales may reach a new record, profits might not grow as much with them. The strong Korean won means that Hyundai and Kia have a tougher time keeping up profit margins compared to Japanese competitors with a weaker yen.