2012 Kia Soul ! 4dr Crossover on 2040-cars

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K900 probably won't be last time Kia goes alphanumeric

This is part of an effort to ensure that the vehicle brand itself registers with consumers more than the model name.
The new Kia K900 luxury sedan stands as a four-wheeled flag in the ground of the financially fertile turf of the world's premium automakers. It's a bold move for a Korean manufacturer that was best known for inexpensive MSRPs and easy credit only a few years ago. The company has made sure it has the requisite trappings of premium motoring: indulgent size, rear-wheel drive, a powerful V8 engine, real wood trim and rich leather seats. It has also ensured the model has another important earmark of luxury - an alphanumeric name. These days, everyone from Audi to BMW to Cadillac to Lexus to Volvo rely on a jumble of letters and numbers to make up their model names. We've been told this is all part of an effort to ensure that the vehicle brand itself registers with consumers more than the model name.

2021 Kia Seltos rolls style and value into a subcompact package

When Kia unveiled the Seltos, a pocket-sized crossover aimed at young buyers, it didn't reveal whether we'd see the model in the United States. The wait is over, and the American-spec variant of the soft-roader made its debut next to the updated Kia Niro at the 2019 Los Angeles Auto Show. Named after Celtos, the son of Hercules, the Seltos falls in line with Kia's recent design language without aping styling cues from a bigger model. Flanked by swept-back headlights, the upright grille flows into a hood that's surprisingly tall and long considering the car's relatively small dimensions. The Seltos was developed with urban use in mind, but it can tackle light off-roading thanks in part to an angled front bumper that increases its approach angle, and 7.2 inches of ground clearance. Kia explained it paid special attention to the materials the passengers see and touch, and it made the cabin as spacious as possible. It promised an abundance of cargo space, though it didn't provide specific figures, and noted every trim level comes with reclining rear seats. Buyers have a pair of four-cylinder engines to choose from. The entry-level unit is a naturally-aspirated, 2.0-liter that delivers 146 horsepower and 132 pound-feet of torque. Front-wheel drive and a continuously variable transmission (CVT) come standard, and all-wheel drive is available at an extra cost. Motorists seeking more power can move up the trim level hierarchy to unlock a 1.6-liter turbocharged to 175 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque. It's also offered with front- or all-wheel drive, but it channels its power to the driven wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic. While Hercules' lineage allegedly includes several Spartans, the Seltos is anything but. It comes with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatibility, and it's the first Kia offered with an optional, eight-speaker surround-sound system sourced from Bosch. Fully loaded, it features a blind spot monitoring system with a collision avoidance function, forward collision monitoring with avoidance assist, highway driving assist, adaptive cruise control, rear occupant alert, plus lane-keeping and lane-following technologies that help it stay in its lane, among other electronic driving aids.  Scheduled to go on sale during the first quarter of 2020, the Seltos will slot between the Soul and the Sportage in Kia's growing range of soft-roaders.

Kia bringing Habaniro concept to New York Auto Show

Hyundai and Kia have a full docket planned for the New York Auto Show. We know Hyundai's bringing the Venue subcompact crossover for "urban entrepreneurs," Kia will debut a compact crossover originally conceived for the Indian market. and across the luxury aisle, Genesis will pull covers off an electric show car and the U.S.-market G90. Seems Kia has something else besides: Just Auto says Kia's NY debuts will include the Habaniro concept, and Carscoops caught a photo of it in a NY show newsletter. The misspelling of Habanero, from the same company responsible for the Sorento and Mohave, must be intentional and might make family ties to the Kia Niro. Just Auto says the small, squat crossover is about the size of the Niro, yet the zesty Habaniro concept separates itself from the tapioca Niro in numerous ways. The barricade front end dispenses with the brand's tiger nose grille in favor of a stylized brace that connects both fenders above a husky skid plate. A thin LED breaks into several angles across the fascia to break up the expanse of black brace and banded grille. Based on the front end alone, we wouldn't be surprised if the Habaniro ended up in the next " Tron" franchise installment. Whereas the Niro's a four-door, the Habaniro concept believes three doors is enough, the passenger portals on the side featuring flush door handles that span the door shutline. The glasshouse is cut short aft of the doors to make room for a red slash running from roof to wheel well, a graphic that reminds us of the 2013 Peugeot 308 R concept. From there, cue the requisite enormous wheels, clad in beefy all-terrain rubber. Also notice the lack of side mirrors. We can't wait to find out what this is about. Just Auto had one last tidbit on the compact Kia crossover we knew about before. The name Tusker has been mooted as the global moniker, it seems Trazor could also be in the running. The new offering will slot in below the Sportage and Niro, above the Soul.