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Kia debuts Forte 5-door with available 201-HP turbo engine

The US-bound 2014 Kia Forte first showed up in sedan form back at the LA Auto Show last year, but Kia unveiled the hatchback version of the car today at the Chicago Auto Show. Unlike the current Forte five-door the 2014 will feature styling that is distinct from its sedan counterpart, but the big news is it will also get a few extra ponies under the hood.
Since the Forte five-door will only be offered in EX and SX trim, the sedan's 1.8-liter inline-four is not offered on this model. The base engine in the EX is the 2.0-liter direct-injected four, producing 173 horsepower and 154 pound-feet of torque. Those looking for more power should check out the Forte SX, which uses the 1.6-liter turbocharged engine currently found in the Hyundai Veloster Turbo. This engine produces 201 hp and 195 lb-ft, and it can be paired to either a six-speed manual or automatic transmission; the latter of which is optional and comes with paddle shifters.
Aside from the obvious styling changes required for the added cargo area, the 2014 Kia Forte five-door gets numerous design elements to set it apart from the sedan. The face of the new hatchback will get a much smaller tiger-nose grille than the sedan, but it will get a larger lower intake, which we can't help but compare to the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo. Kia also gave the Forte dual exhaust outlets and LED taillights, and the SX model will get stylish 18-inch wheels. Inside, the five-door design allows the Forte to increase its cargo volume to 23.2 cubic feet, and the cabin can also be equipped with features such as heated front seats, ventilated driver's seat, navigation, leather seating and dual-zone climate control.

The Kia Niro gets a plug-in model at Geneva

The Geneva Motor Show is usually a supercar event, but that didn't stop Kia from showing off the Niro hybrid. A new battery and some minor styling tweaks distinguish this Niro from the current model. The important part here is in the back of the little crossover. The standard Niro's 1.56-kilowatt-hour battery is replaced with a much higher capacity 8.9-kWh battery. When we test drove the standard Niro, Kia's representatives told us this battery should propel the Niro PHEV about 25 miles on a charge. For the European release, the range is listed as 55 km, which converts to 34 miles. However, this is likely a quirk of European fuel economy testing, which often yields higher numbers than American testing. Regardless, the Niro will have an electric range in the same ballpark as the Prius Prime plug-in hybrid. The new battery, besides offering more range, is also physically larger. It's placed under the cargo floor and rear seat, and the larger size means the cargo area shrinks by a little over 3.5 cubic feet. However, Kia says that the rest of the interior is unaffected. And an unusual note, Kia will offer a towing package that will allow the Niro PHEV to pull a trailer with brakes weighing up to roughly 2,900 pounds, although it's unclear if this is a European-only option. The Niro PHEV has a few minor styling tweaks as well. The chrome trim on the front and rear bumpers now has slim light-blue lines along the edges. The black rub strip along the doors on the normal model is now a metallic finish on the plug-in. The headlights are changed, too. Square-shaped projectors take the place of the round units on the standard model. The Niro plug-in will go on sale in Europe in the third quarter of 2017. We were told by Kia representatives on the standard car's press drive that it would arrive here by the end of the year. Related Video:

2014 Kia Soul

Rounding Out The Market's Best Box
As a car critic, you can tell a lot about a new car just by looking at a map. That's because more often than not, the geography of where a vehicle is initially launched will tell you a surprising amount about how the automaker feels about its new baby. Manufacturers want their models to be shown in the best light - dynamically and socially - so they put a lot of thought into where they first let members of the media slip behind the wheel. Luxury cars nestle up closely to swank hotels in the globe's trendiest locales, high-performance cars are let loose on breathtaking mountain roads with adjacent racetracks, and so on. It all makes for a tough life, as you can imagine.
So consider it telling that when Kia first launched the Soul way back in 2009, it did so in Miami. Trendy? Check. Billiard-table level, arrow-straight smooth roads? Frequently snarled with traffic? Check and check. You see, good as it was, the original Soul wasn't a particularly thrilling driver. Competent, sure, but its simplistic suspension, modest power and upright dimensions didn't exactly afford it entertaining driving dynamics. Which is exactly why Kia launched it in an environment utterly devoid of potholes and curves (save those conjured by the area's robust plastic surgery community), instead choosing a city loaded down with pedestrians and slow-moving motorists.