2013 Kia Sportage Sx Turbo Awd on 2040-cars

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Automakers drop support for Trump effort against California emissions

WASHINGTON — Toyota, Fiat Chrysler (now known as Stellantis following its merger with Peugeot) and other major automakers said on Tuesday they were joining General Motors in abandoning support for former President Donald Trump's effort to bar California from setting its own zero emission vehicle rules. The automakers, which also included Hyundai, Kia, Mitsubishi, Mazda and Subaru, said in a joint statement they were withdrawing from an ongoing legal challenge to California's emission-setting powers, "in a gesture of good faith and to find a constructive path forward" with President Joe Biden. The automakers, along with the National Automobile Dealers Association, said they were aligned "with the Biden administrationÂ’s goals to achieve year-over-year improvements in fuel economy standards." Nissan in December withdrew from the challenge after GM's decision in November shocked the industry and won praise from Biden. On Monday, the Justice Department asked the U.S. Appeals Court for the District of Columbia to put the California emissions litigation on hold to "ensure due respect for the prerogative of the executive branch to reconsider the policy decisions of a prior administration." Biden has directed agencies to quickly reconsider TrumpÂ’s 2019 decision to revoke CaliforniaÂ’s authority to set its own auto tailpipe emissions standards and require rising numbers of zero-emission vehicles, as well as Trump's national fuel economy rollback. Asked to respond to the automakers' action, White House climate adviser Gina McCarthy said in a statement that "after four years of putting us in reverse, it is time to restart and build a sustainable future, grow domestic manufacturing, and deliver clean cars for America." California Governor Gavin Newsom praised the automakers on Twitter for "dropping your climate-denying, air-polluting, Trump-era lawsuit against CA" and urged them to join the voluntary framework. TALKS WITH BIDEN Separately, an industry trade group on Tuesday proposed to start talks with Biden on revised fuel economy standards that would be higher than Trump-era standards but lower than ones set during the prior Democratic administration. The Trump administration in March finalized a rollback of U.S. Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards to require 1.5% annual increases in efficiency through 2026, well below the 5% yearly boosts under the Obama administration rules it discarded.

What a strike in Korea could mean for US Hyundai and Kia buyers

A prolonged factory strike at Hyundai-Kia factories in South Korea could mean that US dealership inventory of certain vehicles, such as the South Korea-built Hyundai Accent and Kia Soul, could dry up in the coming months, depending on the length of the strike, reports Cars.com's blog, Kicking Tires. The two brands together rank sixth in US sales and fifth in global sales.
Kicking Tires gives fascinating insight into how a production stoppage in South Korea might affect vehicle sales in the US, considering Hyundai-Kia has two factories in the US that build the Kia Sorento and Optima/Optima Hybrid, and the Hyundai Elantra sedan/coupe/GT, Sonata/Sonata Hybrid and Santa Fe/Santa Fe Sport. The only one of these vehicles that's built solely in the US is the Kia Sorento, with the rest of them sharing production with South Korea.
Be sure to read the piece, especially if you're in the market for a Hyundai or Kia, or just interested in global economics.

2020 Kia Soul shown in profile ahead of L.A. Auto Show

A week after showing just a hint of the 2020 Kia Soul, Kia has shown a shocking amount of the compact hatchback in another teaser. It reveals almost the entire profile of the Soul, and a few other teasers give us a peek at the interior. Overall, it's right between evolution and revolution of the current model. On the evolution side, the Soul retains is funky box shape and many of its most recognizable design cues. The window line at the back kicks up to form the car's distinct triangular D-pillar. The windshield is about the only raked line on the car. Plus, the taillights still run up the rear pillars, and the roof can still be painted in contrasting colors. On the revolution side, the front fascia looks much more streamlined and futuristic. The big, cute headlights of the old models have been replaced by more menacing, slender examples that almost look like the eye openings of a stormtrooper's helmet. And based on spy shots, these headlights should span the full width of the front fascia. The lights sit low in the fascia, too, and the whole front end has a smoother, more curved look than previous Souls. Additional teaser photos give us a look inside the Soul. The dashboard has been updated, and now all the center controls, vents and the screen are encompassed by a rounded square shape, rather than having some of those components spread out across the center stack. The door handle areas appear to be an area of customization, with this example showing a bright yellow trim piece with triangular accents. Kia also gave a few details on powertrains and trim levels. The Soul will be available with a naturally aspirated 2.0-liter four-cylinder, a turbo 1.6-liter four-cylinder or an electric motor. This seems to indicate the naturally aspirated 1.6-liter engine available now will be going away. The gas engines are probably carry-over, too. The 2.0-liter engine currently makes 161 horsepower, and the turbo engine makes 201 horsepower. Kia says the Soul will be available with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, though it didn't say whether it will be available with both engines. Also, as we've seen in spy shots, the electric model could have a range of over 200 miles. For trim levels, Kia is dropping the "+" and "!" terminology and instead offering the Soul in LX, EX, S, GT-Line, and the newest trim, X-Line.