2005 Kia Sorento Lx on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Hyundai will launch 26 green models through 2020

Hyundai Motor Group, which comprises both Hyundai and Kia, believes that launching a blitz of 26 green models through 2020 could place the Korean automaker among the leaders in the segment. Only Toyota would be larger in the electrified vehicle market, if Hyundai Motor's plan works, Automotive News reports. The 26 models run the gamut of the green car field, and they include at least 12 hybrids, six PHEVs, two EVs, and two hydrogen fuel cells, according to Automotive News. If customers latch onto them, Hyundai and Kia could move as many as 300,000 electrified vehicles a year by 2020 versus about 43,000 in 2015. Kia is responsible for at least 11 of these vehicles like the upcoming Niro crossover. Meanwhile, Hyundai wants the upcoming Ioniq (above) to challenge the Toyota Prius, and the Korean company has hybrid, PHEV, and EV versions on the way. To save money on the development of so many electrified vehicles, Hyundai Motor uses shared components. "For example, all our electric motors have the same diameter," Lee Ki-Sang, Hyundai's green powertrain boss, told Automotive News. "The power output is different, but we can just adjust the width of the core winding. Or for the motor controller, we standardized to use the same printed circuit boards." Trying to go from a relatively small player to a market leader is an audacious move, but it's especially risky right now. Gas prices are the cheapest in 12 years in the US, and green car sales are down in the US and in Europe. Toyota even predicts the inexpensive fuel could cut into Prius sales, and it's far more established than Hyundai's models. The South Korean company could have an even tougher time because these efficient vehicles still lose money for now. "Our target is before 2020, we would like to make profits on these eco-friendly vehicles," Lee told Automotive News. Related Video:

Wonder Woman Kia Sportage is anything but invisible

The spectacular partnering of Kia and DC Entertainment (the company we grew up loving as DC Comics) continues here at the New York Auto Show, with this Wonder Woman-inspired 2013 Kia Sportage. Ardent Autoblog readers will undoubtedly remember the fruits of earlier Kia/DC efforts: Batman Optima, Flash Forte Koup, Green Lantern Soul, Cyborg Forte, Aquaman Rio and Superman Optima Hybrid. (We're still trying to figure out who Cyborg is, too.)
The Wonder Woman Sportage, sporting the Amazing Amazon's particularly patriotic livery, is perhaps the most, eh, eye-catching super-Kia to date. (Actually, no, none of the superhero rides seared our eyeballs like Supe's hybrid.) Red, white and blue paint with spangled sides, an aggressively low body kit and a WW logo grille really sell the theme. Of course, The Lasso of Truth is represented too, showing up in the design as a subtle gold line that wraps around the bodywork.
As with the earlier DC concept cars, the Wonder Woman Sportage's real goal - aside from entertaining the kid-contingent of auto show goers - is to raise awareness for the We Can Be Heroes charity. The DC charitable program seeks to raise money and awareness about the hunger crisis in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia. Get a better look at Wonder Woman's crossover in our attached galleries and find the Kia press release below.

Kia teases Geneva concept, is a Nissan Juke rival in the cards?

These four photos tell us most about the pomegranate-red concept Kia will be bringing to this year's 2013 Geneva Motor Show. An accompanying 66-word press release gives away nothing, so we're left to wonder if this is some kind of Nissan Juke rival that the South Korean company is toying with.
Even with the exaggerated dimensions of concept cars, this unnamed "urban concept car" looks somewhat larger than the average subcompact hatch, and there are some seriously Juke-ish lines around the rear three-quarter. This concept, however, appears to be a two-door model, unlike the Juke with its hidden rear handles, but that doesn't mean a production model couldn't add a couple of entry points.
We'll know for sure in March. You'll have to make the four high-res photos and those 66 words in the release below last until then.