2011 Kia Sorento Lx Automatic Transmission Fwd on 2040-cars

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Kia confirms $1B factory in Mexico to be completed in 2016

Kia is the latest in a string of automakers to announce plans to build new or expanded factories in Mexico. The Korean company has signed a $1 billion deal to establish a plant in Monterrey in the state of Nuevo León, with construction starting in late September. If everything proceeds on schedule, the facility should be complete in the first half of 2016 and be able to produce 300,000 vehicles a year.
The $1-billion investment will create a "new, highly automated manufacturing plant," according to Kia's announcement, a facility covering 1,235 acres of land. Confirming earlier rumors, Kia will produce compact models there, but the company won't reveal specific model names, just yet. When complete, the factory in Mexico will boost the automaker's annual capacity to 3.37 million vehicles a year with 1.69 million of those in Korea and 1.68 million abroad. It will also join Kia's plant in Georgia (where the Optima and Sorento are made) as the business' other North American location.
Kia hasn't kept plans for the Mexican factory a very close secret and openly admitted it was "being considered as a possible location" to Autoblog. The country was chosen partially because of its free-trade agreements (read: NAFTA), that make it less costly to move models elsewhere, not to mention its easy access to the North, Central and South American markets. The new plant should also alleviate some of the tight supply issues Kia has had in the US.

Kia compact crossover caught completely uncovered, and it's called Seltos

Kia has been teasing a new, global small crossover with some sketches the past couple of weeks. Now we get to see the actual crossover — called the Kia Seltos — completely unveiled well before the actual reveal. It seems to be sized between the Kia Soul and the Kia Sportage. The photos also show that the drawings Kia released were clearly of the production car. Everything looks nearly identical. It also leans on many current design trends such as a black or contrasting-color roof separated by metallic trim, faux metallic skid plates on the bumpers, and a rising window line at the back. The car has more lines and creases than most of Kia's relatively organic designs of late. The headlights and taillights do have lots of nice detailing, though this is probably a high-level model, and those details may be lost on lower trims. We don't get a look at the interior, but if it's as faithful to the teaser images as the exterior, it should look fairly typical for a Kia. It will have a fairly low, horizontal dash with a large screen protruding from the middle. It looks as though a newer widescreen will be available, which we've seen in the Kia Telluride and K900. Considering the size of the Seltos, it would seem plausible for it to share the naturally aspirated 2.0-liter and turbocharged 1.6-liter engines from the Kia Soul and Forte. The naturally aspirated engine makes 147 horsepower and 132 pound-feet of torque, and the turbo engine makes 201 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque. As in those other Kias, the 2.0-liter engine would probably get a CVT while the 1.6-liter engine would likely get a dual-clutch transmission. All-wheel drive is also probably on the table, though we'll have to wait to see if it's offered on every trim and powertrain combination. Kia said the reveal will be this summer, so we may be waiting a couple more months for all those details.

Kia to green-light GT and Provo for production?

Kia is looking to inject a bit more performance life into its brand, and according to Auto Express, the company is looking at creating sporty models based on two of its recent concept cars, the GT four-door from the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show (shown above) and the Provo hybrid hatchback that debuted in Geneva last week (inset, right).
"The GT is close to being approved and going into production, but, as with all our cars, they have to be developed on a sound financial footing," Benny Oeyen, Kia Europe's VP of marketing and product planning, told Auto Express. When it debuted, the GT four-door was powered by a turbocharged 3.3-liter V6, reportedly good for 389 horsepower and 394 pound-feet of torque, mated to an eight-speed automatic gearbox.
The Provo, on the other hand, could stand as a sort of halo car for the company's B-segment offerings. It would ride on the same front-wheel-drive platform as the Rio compact, though Kia says it's eager to keep the concept's gasoline-electric powertrain intact. "Our brand is currently rational, but there's space for a B-coupe," says Oeyen. Of course, the company would indeed have to look at different naming possibilities for its B-segment coupe, since the week-old Provo is already stirring up some controversy.