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Kia Optima Sportwagon spied before Geneva

Kia showed off the Sportspace concept at the Geneva Motor Show this year, and we knew at the time that it previewed design elements that would migrate to the Optima sedan. On top of that, it's keeping its hump to transition into the Optima Sportwagon for what we presume will be audiences outside the US. When we asked Kia about the chance of it coming here, a company spokesman responded: "Right now we don't have plans to bring the Optima Sportwagon to the US but we are continuously studying the market and looking for new opportunities. The all-new 2016 Optima midsize sedan is one of our best selling vehicles and at this time we are focused on its launch in the U.S." Now in prototype form, spy photographers caught engineers testing the Sportwagon out on German roads. The roofline declines as it makes its way to the back, a nod to the concept and a sporty profile. Otherwise design matters appear quite toned down compared to the concept, which shouldn't be a surprise. And in spite of commenters who promised Kia their money if the South Korean automaker would produce the Sportspace with all-wheel drive and something like 400 horsepower, what buyers will really be faced with is front-wheel drive and a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine with around 250 horsepower. A plug-in hybrid is said to be on the cards, too. Spy shooters said they saw Volkswagen Passat and Ford Mondeo wagons at the Kia test facility, so you know the benchmarks and have more proof that it's not for us. It's expected to make its production appearance at next year's Geneva Motor Show.

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.

Kia hatches sporty wagon concept for Frankfurt Motor Show

Kia pulled the covers off a new unnamed concept car that will debut Sept. 12 at the Frankfurt Motor Show. It's a sleek hatchback that previews Kia's direction for the next-generation Cee'd model sold in Europe. This concept is longer, sportier and has more of a sport wagon dynamic than the current Cee'd, which is a homely runabout for the Continent. This concept was conceived at Kia's design center in Frankfurt, Germany, which sits 500 meters, or about 5 1/2 football fields from the Frankfurt Motor Show. No other details were immediately available, but Kia has a history of revealing striking concepts and using elements of them in production models. Kia has also increasingly mined its European design studio for top stylings as it elevates the profile of the brand globally. Meanwhile, Kia will also show the Stonic small crossover in Frankfurt, a vehicle that's a sibling to the Hyundai Kona. IHS Markit, an automotive research firm, forecasts the Stonic will sell about 118,300 units — its peak level — in 2019 as Kia capitalizes on the compact utility trend. Related Video: Design/Style Frankfurt Motor Show Kia Hatchback Wagon Frankfurt 2017 kia ceed