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2019 Kia K900: Here's the redesigned interior in sketch form

A little while ago, we posted teaser sketches of the new Kia K900 flagship. So far, we've learned how it looks from front to side to rear, but the interior has remained a mystery. Today, Kia released this sketch of the dashboard, which seems to be as restrainedly designed as the exterior. The general shape of the dashboard seems to mirror recent BMW offerings, as it's not pronouncedly driver-centric. There's a nearly full-width strip of light wood that extends to the doors, and the steering wheel has also received its share of the wood treatment as well as the gearshift surround, with a large infotainment jog dial next to the shifter. We also see a virtual gauge cluster, which is complemented by a wide central screen that Kia says is 12.3 inches. The HMI screen has gesture controls, but the interior's trick appears to be what Kia calls an "intelligent lighting system," which includes chromotherapy ambient mood lighting to deepen the sense of being cocooned inside the leather interior. There are several calming interior lighting modes to suit the occasion — maybe it's a way to combat frustration in traffic. Again, if the Stinger's exterior is knowingly busy and its interior is designed to invoke the feel of a GT car, the K900's cabin has traditional "executive sedan" woven into the mix, just like its exterior design. Kia has said the K900 will be out in the second quarter of 2018, so we might just see a reveal in a couple of weeks at the New York Auto Show. Related Video:

Hyundai, Kia warn of $2.9B earnings hit over engine issues

SEOUL — Hyundai Motor and affiliate Kia Motors warned of another $2.9 billion of provisions related to engine issues, bringing their total hit from the years-long quality problem that has tarnished their credibility to nearly $5 billion. Hyundai Motor Group said on Monday their third-quarter earnings would reflect quality-related costs of a combined 3.36 trillion won ($2.94 billion), of which Hyundai accounted for 2.1 trillion won and Kia for 1.26 trillion. Hyundai and Kia, together the worldÂ’s No.5 automaker, recalled nearly 1.7 million vehicles in 2015 and 2017 in one of their biggest recalls in the United States, citing an engine failure that raises the risk of crashes. In 2017, U.S. safety regulators began to investigate if the recalls had covered enough vehicles and were done in a timely fashion. That followed concerns reported by a South Korean whistleblower, a former quality official at Hyundai, to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Hyundai was being investigated by U.S. prosecutors over whether vehicle recalls were conducted properly, Reuters reported in 2018. From 2017 to 2019, the two firms have earmarked a series of provisions mostly to address engine-related issues, which amounted to about 2.04 trillion won, according to Reuters' calculation. The latest provisions reflect higher-than-expected replacement rates for Theta II GDi engines of old vehicles subject to recalls, as well as growing consumer complaints over the same engine and other engines not subject to recalls, Hyundai said. The engine is in a wide variety of vehicles. "Hyundai has repeatedly said it does not see any more costs related to the Theta II engine issues, and the latest recall would deal a fatal blow to Hyundai's credibility," Sean Kim, an analyst at Dongbu Securities said. "I am worried." He expected Hyundai and Kia to swing to losses for the quarter from July to September, hit by the provisions. Hyundai Motor closed down 2.3% and Kia Motors ended down 1%. ($1=1,141.42 won)   Earnings/Financials Recalls Hyundai Kia

Kia's brand perception still painfully lags behind reality

I can't tell you how many times I've been driving with friends or family in a decidedly nice Korean press car, only to have a passenger notice the logo on the steering wheel and exclaim, "Wait... this is a Kia?" For every time I roll my eyes at a story with a lede about how Hyundai "is really gaining momentum these days," I get equally annoyed when people comment on how Kia is finally starting to make decent cars. This is hardly news. The brand has been pumping out really solid stuff for a while now.
But as it turns out, not everyone knows that. According to Ward's Auto, speaking to Kia marketing chief Michael Sprague, the automaker recently placed third-to-last in a recent ALG Brand Perception of Quality study, only besting Suzuki and Smart. Wow.
Ward's notes that Kia recently earned a credible sixth place in J.D. Power & Associates' Initial Quality Study, and yet still fell way behind pretty much every other brand in the ALG study. The Korean automaker's cars have also won numerous awards in recent years, and have generally earned positive reviews from the media, Autoblog included.