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U.S. Senate panel wants Hyundai, Kia to testify about engine fires

WASHINGTON — The Senate Commerce Committee's Republican chairman and ranking Democrat said on Wednesday they had asked top U.S. executives at Hyundai and Kia to testify at a Nov. 14 hearing on reports of engine fires involving vehicles from the Korean automakers. The call to testify comes after safety advocates raised concerns about fires in vehicles not involved in collisions. The nonprofit consumer advocacy group Center for Auto Safety said last week that 103 fire complaints had been filed with U.S. safety regulators since June 12 and urged an immediate recall of nearly 3 million vehicles. Hyundai said in a statement it had received the request to appear "and is currently reviewing it." The company added it "actively monitors and evaluates potential safety concerns, including non-collision fires, with all of its vehicles and acts swiftly to recall any vehicles with safety-related defects." Kia did not comment. Shares of Hyundai Motor fell as much as 3.8 percent in Seoul trading on Thursday. Kia Motors stock also slid 3.7 percent, while the wider market was down 0.6 percent as of 0232 GMT. In May 2017, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), an agency of the U.S. Department of Transportation, opened a formal investigation into the recall of nearly 1.7 million Hyundai and Kia vehicles over engine defects. A South Korean whistleblower in 2016 reported concerns to NHTSA, which has been probing the timeliness of three recalls carried out in the United States and whether they covered enough vehicles. Sen. Bill Nelson, the top Democrat on the Commerce Committee, said a non-collision fire death had been reported last year in a 2014 Kia Soul. "We've got to get to the bottom of what's causing these fires," Nelson said in a statement Wednesday. "Car owners need to know if their vehicles are safe." The letter to the automakers, also signed by Sen. John Thune, who chairs the committee, said the hearing will also "examine efforts to mitigate vehicle fires and promptly identify and respond to defects that may pose a fire risk" and invites the chief executives of Hyundai and Kia's U.S. units to testify or their designee. In 2015, Hyundai recalled 470,000 U.S. Sonata sedans, saying engine failure would result in a vehicle stall, increasing the risk of a crash. At that time, affiliate Kia did not recall its vehicles, which share the same "Theta II" engines. In March 2017, Hyundai expanded its original U.S.

2018 Kia Niro bests Prius and Ioniq with IIHS Top Safety Pick Plus rating

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has recently tested the 2018 Kia Niro, and the car came out well. The organization gave it the Top Safety Pick+ award, which goes to cars that meet the organization's most stringent safety requirements. While good on its own, the Niro's new commendation also stands out because its corporate cousin, the Hyundai Ioniq, and its close competitor the Toyota Prius only received the plain Top Safety Pick award. The Niro earned this score by getting a "Good" rating, the highest IIHS bestows, in every single crash test, including the difficult small overlap test for both passenger and driver. It also received a "Good" rating for its optional HID headlights, and the optional forward collision prevention system managed to prevent a collision at speeds up to 25 mph. This brings us to a caveat to the Niro's scores, though. The highly rated headlights and forward collision prevention system are options that don't come standard on base models of the Niro. The headlights only become available on the second-highest EX trim, and are standard on the top Touring trim. The forward collision prevention system is not available on the base FE trim, but it is an option starting with the second-lowest LX trim, and is standard on Touring. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2017 Kia Niro Hybrid: First Drive View 20 Photos Image Credit: Kia Green Kia Safety Crossover Hatchback Hybrid kia niro

Kia offers first glimpse at new Optima ahead of New York debut

The Optima is far and away Kia's top-selling model in America, outstripping anything else in the Korean automaker's lineup by some margin. But after four years, Kia is set to roll out an all-new model at the New York Auto Show next week. Before it does, though, it is giving us our first glimpse at the new sedan with the image above. Previewed by the Sportspace concept earlier this month in Geneva and in the pair of teaser renderings from last week, the new Optima should be instantly recognizable to anyone familiar with the current model – particularly from the front end we see here. The headlights line up with the tiger-nose grille, but now bear a little kink in the lower edge, and the full-width lower air dam has now been split between a taller center section flanked by twin vents. That front fender vent is still evident, a black roof is once again framed by the body-color window surrounds, but the hood appears more sculpted. Kia says the new Optima will be "available with multiple engine choices" and "features a more spacious interior, class-up premium features and a number of technologies not previously offered on Kia's best-selling midsize sedan." Just what those engine options and new technologies will be, we can't say for sure at this point, but the current model is offered around the world with a range of four-cylinder gasoline, diesel and hybrid engine options. We'll just have to wait another week or so to find out more. ALL-NEW 2016 KIA OPTIMA MAKES GLOBAL DEBUT AT NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL AUTO SHOW Instantly recognizable yet thoroughly fresh, Kia will introduce the all-new 2016 Optima at the upcoming New York Auto Show on April 1st at 1:20 PM. Available with multiple engine choices, the all-new Optima features a more spacious interior, class-up premium features and a number of technologies not previously offered on Kia's best-selling mid-size sedan. #KiaOptima #NYIAS