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Kia bringing Habaniro concept to New York Auto Show

Hyundai and Kia have a full docket planned for the New York Auto Show. We know Hyundai's bringing the Venue subcompact crossover for "urban entrepreneurs," Kia will debut a compact crossover originally conceived for the Indian market. and across the luxury aisle, Genesis will pull covers off an electric show car and the U.S.-market G90. Seems Kia has something else besides: Just Auto says Kia's NY debuts will include the Habaniro concept, and Carscoops caught a photo of it in a NY show newsletter. The misspelling of Habanero, from the same company responsible for the Sorento and Mohave, must be intentional and might make family ties to the Kia Niro. Just Auto says the small, squat crossover is about the size of the Niro, yet the zesty Habaniro concept separates itself from the tapioca Niro in numerous ways. The barricade front end dispenses with the brand's tiger nose grille in favor of a stylized brace that connects both fenders above a husky skid plate. A thin LED breaks into several angles across the fascia to break up the expanse of black brace and banded grille. Based on the front end alone, we wouldn't be surprised if the Habaniro ended up in the next " Tron" franchise installment. Whereas the Niro's a four-door, the Habaniro concept believes three doors is enough, the passenger portals on the side featuring flush door handles that span the door shutline. The glasshouse is cut short aft of the doors to make room for a red slash running from roof to wheel well, a graphic that reminds us of the 2013 Peugeot 308 R concept. From there, cue the requisite enormous wheels, clad in beefy all-terrain rubber. Also notice the lack of side mirrors. We can't wait to find out what this is about. Just Auto had one last tidbit on the compact Kia crossover we knew about before. The name Tusker has been mooted as the global moniker, it seems Trazor could also be in the running. The new offering will slot in below the Sportage and Niro, above the Soul.

Kia Niro hybrid and PHEV refreshed with Niro EV's looks and tech for Geneva

Two years ago, Kia unveiled the Niro hybrid at the Geneva Motor Show. This year, Kia will bring updated versions of the Niro hybrid and PHEV to Geneva, putting the battery electric crossovers under the influence of the Niro EV. The powertrains don't change, but the looks do. New projector headlights adopt what Kia calls its "ice cube" design above a new bumper. The DRLs turn into double arrows beneath, mimicking the single arrow DRL on the Niro EV. LED fog lights are optional. In back, new LED taillights pair with new light reflectors and rear fog lamps that sit between a silver skid plate. Two new 16-inch wheel designs will be standard fit, a new 18-inch wheel on the options sheet. The interior get a serious spruce in color and technology, especially with the optional color packs. A soft-touch coating covers the instrument panel, gloss black or satin chrome highlight the rest of the cabin. Paddle shifters for the six-speed double-clutch have been grafted onto the steering wheel. The handbrake lever gives way to an electronic parking brake, and there are larger rear brake discs. Depending on market, Kia will offer Red-Orange or Plum color packs. The former merely splashes hues about the cabin, as in the red contrast stitching and red-orange dash trim. Plum turns the interior fruity, adding perforated plum-colored leather to the seats, "warm purple stitching," and a plum armrest on the doors. Standard digital touches include a 4.2-inch TFT screen in the binnacle, and an eight-inch infotainment screen. The optional system installs a seven-inch TFT panel in the binnacle and a 10.25-inch TFT infotainment window. That upgraded spec will run Kia's new Uvo Connect, which uses a SIM card to retrieve and update live data. The lengthy list of driver assistance and safety features Kia's known for welcomes two optional features. The new adaptive cruise control adds a stop and go function, able to restart on its own after stopping in traffic. Lane Following Assist will follow the vehicle in front. Related Video:

Kia and CarMax pull LA Clipper sponsorships in wake of alleged Sterling comments

There's fallout across the automotive advertising world today as companies react to alarming, racially insensitive statements alleged to have been made Donald Sterling, owner of the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers franchise. Last Friday, entertainment website TMZ published excerpts from an audio recording, allegedly between Sterling and his girlfriend V. Stiviano, in which the Clippers owner said, among other things, that he didn't want her to bring black people to his games, including LA Lakers legend Magic Johnson. Sterling has yet to respond publicly to the allegations.
The story quickly gained steam over the weekend, and this Monday it has seen Kia Motors, auto sales website CarMax and insurance giant State Farm all pull sponsorship activities with the Clippers.
In a statement Kia said the alleged statements by Sterling were, "offensive and reprehensible," calling them "inconsistent with our views and values." Kia says it is "suspending" its advertising and sponsorship activities with the team, though has yet to clarify if that suspension includes commercials featuring NBA star and Clippers power forward Blake Griffin.