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Kia Soul EV will go on sale in four more US states

Live from New York, it's the Kia Soul Electric Vehicle! The South Korea-based automaker believes its first mass-produced EV is a ready-for-prime-time-player and will start selling the EV in the Empire State during the fourth quarter. Kia will also expand Soul EV sales to New Jersey, Connecticut, and Maryland, giving the model some pretty good coverage along the Eastern Seaboard. Perhaps those funky hamsters will find yet another reason to rock out. The expansion may be a sign that Americans are gravitating to the Soul EV as quick or quicker than expected. The model delivers 109 horsepower and, probably more importantly, a single-charge range of 93 miles. Kia started selling the Soul EV in California late last year. Then, earlier this year, distribution was expanded to Georgia, Texas, Oregon, Washington, and Hawaii. Additionally, the Soul was given the first-ever Canadian Green Car of the Year Award. The car sells for a base price of $33,950, and that's before any federal tax incentives kick in. Additionally, Kia may be coming out with a "more" base model that cuts that price by another $2,000. With the fed's help, that could bring the cost down into the $24,000 range, Some states have their own incentives as well. As for New York, eight dealerships will start selling the Soul EV, while six New Jersey dealerships will also have that honor. Take a look at Kia's press release below and go here for our Quick Spin impressions of the car. Related Videos:

2019 Kia Forte revealed | Bigger interior, Stinger-ish styling and 35 mpg

Even though it was updated for the 2017 model year, Kia has decided the time is right to completely redesign the Forte compact sedan. And the end result is a generally handsome car that looks more exciting in some ways, but less so in others. The front of the car is easily the highlight. It pulls from the sensational Stinger for its angrier headlights with aggressive "X" motifs, along with big side intakes and a more shapely grille. The lower grille is very wide and looks menacing in black. Some added creases to the hood and fenders also provide a muscular look absent on the rounded current model. What's disappointing is that the Forte's sides are rather boring. The only visual interest in the slab flanks are the soft shoulder line under the windows, and a crease at the bottom. Even the window line is a simple straight line, unlike the line on the current model that plunges low at the front and sweeps up to the back. Fortunately the tail brings back a modicum of style with nicely detailed lights, complete with a full-width section, and a nicely flared out rear bumper. The new Forte is also a bit larger than the old model. It's 3.2 inches longer, and 0.7 inch wider. Kia says this provides the Forte with more passenger space and cargo space. Specifically, the trunk is 15.1 cubic feet, which is 0.2 cubic foot larger than the current model. Kia hasn't announced whether a hatchback will be offered with this new generation. Besides the extra space, the Forte's interior is much more attractive than the monochrome cocoon of the current model. It has more contrast in materials and colors, and a trim, wide-looking dashboard. It also features a standard 8-inch touch screen infotainment system. Wireless charging, a 320-watt Harman Kardon sound system, and some additional driver aids will be available as options. Kia has only revealed one engine for the new Forte. It's a 2.0-liter Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder, now featuring a cooled exhaust-gas recirculation system. It makes the same 147 horsepower and 132 pound-feet of torque as the current Atkinson-cycle model, but Kia is expecting it to get notably better fuel economy. The final numbers have yet to be revealed, but Kia is targeting 35 mpg combined. For reference, the current Forte economy king is the automatic-equipped Atkinson-cycle car that gets 32 mpg combined, along with 29 mpg city and 37 on the highway.

Kia recalls over 50k new Soul compacts over steering issue

Kia is recalling certain 2014 models of its adorable Soul due to a bad adhesive used in the steering system. According to the bulletin from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the "thread-locking adhesive" that attaches the plug between the pinion gear and steering gear assembly could come loose.
Should that happen, the condition could lead to a "loss of steering," which, of course increases the likelihood of a crash. The 51,641 affected cars were built between July 21, 2013 and January 17, 2014. There have been no reported accidents, let alone injuries or deaths due to this issue.
Kia is in the process of notifying owners of the affected vehicles as well as dealers in possession of the faulty Souls.