2014 Kia Sportage Sx on 2040-cars

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Hyundai shoots down the rumor claiming it is done developing engines

Hyundai has clarified that the recent rumor claiming it had stopped developing gasoline- and diesel-burning engines to focus on various forms of electrifications is false. It said that development work remains on-going and that the internal combustion engine still has a future. "Hyundai Motor Group can confirm that it is not halting the development of its engines following recent media speculation. The Group is dedicated to providing a strong portfolio of powertrains to its global customers, which includes a combination of highly efficient engines and zero-emissions electric motors," said senior group manager Michael Stewart in an interview with Motor1. The report that emerged in late 2021 claimed that the Hyundai Group (which includes the Hyundai brand, Kia, and Genesis, among other entities) had completely stopped designing piston-powered engines to focus on electrification. It claimed that most of the engineers had been assigned new roles related to electrification, though it also noted that some were staying behind to continue refining the technology. If this sounds familiar, it's likely because Hyundai recently shot down a separate but similar rumor that said it had put the hydrogen-electric powertrain it planned to install in many of its cars (including some upmarket Genesis models) on hiatus. The carmaker explained that it has merely reshuffled the team that's developing the technology because unspecified technical hurdles have slowed down the project. Several electric Hyundai models are in the pipeline, including the production version of the Prophecy concept unveiled in 2020 and a relatively big SUV previewed by the 2021 Seven concept. But, its comments suggest that more gasoline-powered models are on the way as well, which is great news; its range of N-tuned high-performance models includes excellent cars and there's still room for it to grow. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Supply issues force Kia to delay new Soul EV until 2021 model year

The electric version of the new, third-generation Kia Soul won't join its gasoline-powered siblings in showrooms for the 2020 model year. Kia announced it was forced to delay the model. American motorists seeking an electric Soul will need to wait until the 2021 model year, Green Car Reports learned. Kia blamed the delay on a shortage of electric motors, and on battery-pack-related supply issues, and it warned the new timeline might change. Autoblog reached out to the company to find out whether the delay is linked to its decision to sell only the electric variant of the hatchback on the European market. We can confirm the model already arrived in showrooms in many European nations, and several dealers we spoke to in France told us they had a handful in their inventory. The Soul EV will be worth the wait when it finally disembarks in the United States. It can drive for up to 243 miles on a single charge, which is about twice the number its predecessor was capable of achieving. It shares its 64-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack with the Hyundai Kona Electric, and it offers a Soul Turbo-like 201-horsepower output. We called it a top choice among entry-level electrics after driving it for the first time in its home country of South Korea. The other reason why the Soul EV might be worth the wait is that Green Car Reports added Kia might choose to sell it in more states. The last-generation model axed after the 2019 model year was only available in 13 states, including Hawaii, New York, Georgia, and, of course, California.

2014 Kia Cee'd GT

Kia may be an automaker with a lot going for it these days, but it's not yet one that takes pains to appeal to performance enthusiasts. Aside from its Pirelli World Challenge team, it doesn't support any major racing programs to speak of. And despite having showcased such concepts as the GT4 Stinger and the Provo, it doesn't really offer much in the way of performance models.
That is, at least not in North America. But at the Geneva Motor Show last year, Kia got itself into the Euro hot hatch game with the launch of the Cee'd GT (and its three-door compatriot, the Pro_Cee'd GT). It's based on the Korean automaker's European-market Volkswagen Golf rival that's now in its second generation and which, in its previous base iteration, served as the Reasonably Priced Car that celebrity guests drove on Top Gear before it was replaced by a Vauxhall Astra. Now with a GT moniker attached, the Cee'd has warmed up to the point that it'd potentially be better suited towards a proper romp down twisting B-roads than serving as a celebrity punching bag.
Since Kia's first genuine performance model (like the model upon which it's based) isn't offered Stateside, we jumped at the opportunity to drive it while on a recent trip to the UK. Read on to see what we found.