2014 Kia Sedona Lx on 2040-cars

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Hyundai and Kia set aside $412 million for false mileage claims

We still don't know how the whole fuel economy ratings debacle is going to play out for Hyundai and Kia, but both automakers are preparing to make good on their promises to reimburse vehicle owners for lower-than-promised mileage figures. According to Automotive News, Hyundai and Kia have set aside a combined total of $412 million ($225 million for Hyundai and $187 million for Kia) as compensation, which will be sent out on a case-by-case basis via debit cards depending on the vehicle and the mileage driven.
Announced back in November, the exaggerated miles per gallon claims affect around 900,000 Kia and Hyundai products produced for the 2011 through 2013 model years sold in the US and Canada. This whole deal has had plenty of action ranging from suspected whistleblowing from a rival US automaker and even insider trading, but it has probably been most frustrating for vehicle owners who, in most cases, saw their vehicles' city and highway ratings drop between one and three digits.

Kia previews its Super Bowl baby commercial, far cry from Adriana Lima

We're going to go ahead and give Kia the benefit of the doubt - the automaker brought us a bathing-suit-clad Adriana Lima in its Super Bowl spot from last year. That kind of thing doesn't go unappreciated.
But, if we're really honest, and judging solely on the "teaser" video below, the space suit-wearing, baby-star from Kia's commercial this year is really creeping us out.
In any event, the Kia ad (sorry, "mini-movie") called Space Babies will be set on the distant planet of "Babylandia," and will attempt to present some kind of lie about where babies come from in the ultimate service of selling the 2014 Kia Sorento. Don't let the panda, dog, pig, giraffe, rhino and unholy baby stare make you take your eye off the ball, folks - there's a car on sale here.

Kia U.K. builds a 420-horsepower Stinger GT track car

The Kia Stinger GT is an admirable sports sedan, er, hatchback, with 365 horsepower. But Kia's U.K. branch wanted more, leading to the 420-horsepower Singer GT420 you see here. As Kia explains, the car used to create this one-off track car is actually the first Stinger GT pre-production test car in the U.K. It was used for final testing, photography, and was even featured on Top Gear and The Grand Tour. Once its testing and publicity duties were over, though, it was slated to be crushed. But some delaying and the idea of building a track car saved it. To get it to its final output ratings of 420 horsepower and 413 pound-feet of torque, Kia (with help from Hyundai Motor Group's technical team in Germany) added a high-flow air filter, aftermarket exhaust without catalytic converters, an upgraded transmission cooler, and an engine tune. The car also benefits from weight reduction: The whole car was gutted, taking out everything unnecessary for speed such as the sound system, rear seats, carpeting, bumper supports and more. Even with the addition of a roll cage and extra chassis braces, the car is just over 330 pounds lighter than stock. Handling and stopping capabilities were also enhanced with stiffer springs and thicker anti-roll bars, along with six-piston brake calipers and brake cooling ducts up front. The car also gets visual changes in the form of a front splitter and rear spoiler and diffuser, plus the bold vinyl wrap. Naturally, this isn't a production car, especially with the gutted interior and emissions non-compliant exhaust. But looking at the list of modifications, it wouldn't be hard to replicate the Stinger GT420 on your own. In fact, someone could probably exceed the car's performance, since there are some areas ripe for upgrading Kia skipped over, such as upgrading the turbochargers. Your move, tuners.