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2014 Kia Sportage facelift arrives with updated 2.4L, new grille

The third-generation Sportage has been around for a few years now, but Kia is making some minor changes to its compact crossover for 2014. As expected with a small, mid-cycle refresh, there isn't anything too major to report here, but the important news for the 2014 Sportage involves what's behind that modestly updated fascia.
Kia has revamped the Sportage's base 2.4-liter inline four-cylinder engine to add direct injection, which is said to improve efficiency, although no fuel economy numbers have been released yet. Switching to DI has also increased the engine's output, up slightly from 176 horsepower and 168 pound-feet of torque in 2013 to 182 hp and 178 lb-ft for 2014. Additionally, LX models now receive the sportier shock setup previously available only on EX and SX trims.
More importantly, the base trim level has been dropped from the 2014 Sportage lineup, meaning the car's manual transmission has been axed, as well. Pricing hasn't been released yet, but the 2013 Sportage already undercut competitors like the Chevy Equinox and Toyota RAV4 by thousands of dollars, so even a modest increase for 2014 would still position the Kia rather nicely in the segment.

Hyundai And Kia Penalized $350 Million For Overstated MPG Claims

Nearly two years after Hyundai and Kia announced they exaggerated fuel economy numbers for several of their most popular models, the two Korean automakers have paid a heavy penalty for the transgressions. The Department of Justice and Environmental Protection Agency announced a settlement Monday that will cost the two car companies approximately $350 million. The financial sum includes a $100 million fine, the largest ever levied under the Clean Air Act, and about $200 million in forfeited greenhouse-gas emissions credits. At a time when car buyers rank fuel economy as a top concern when they head to dealerships and the federal government has mandated increased efficiency, Attorney General Eric Holder said the settlement should serve as a warning to automakers not to fudge their numbers. "This will send a strong message that cheating is not profitable," he said. The settlement ends a federal lawsuit filed against the automakers in U.S. District Court, but it's important to note that it doesn't end a class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of consumers. A preliminary settlement in that case, based in Los Angeles, was approved last month, but final approval isn't expected until July 2015. Officials with the EPA said the $100 million figure roughly equals the economic benefits the two companies received from exaggerating the mileage claims on the window stickers of new cars. Fuel-efficient boasts helped Hyundai and Kia establish a strong foothold in the U.S. marketplace. Advertisements for the Hyundai Elantra stated the vehicle achieved 40 miles per gallon in highway driving, and helped the car win the prestigious North American Car Of The Year honors at the Detroit Auto Show for its 2012 model. In July 2011, the advocacy group Consumer Watchdog began receiving complaints from consumers that the Elantra and other Hyundai models fell short of their stated mileage claims in real-world driving. The group wrote to the EPA and Hyundai, asking both to investigate. Government officials said Kia had overstated the mileage on its popular Kia Soul crossover by 6 miles per gallon, and more than a dozen overall models were affected. On Monday, EPA administrator Gina McCarthy said the violations were "egregious." Based on the exaggerations, the EPA calculated that Hyundai and Kia had underreported the greenhouse gas emissions of their fleets by about 4.75 metric tons over the estimated lifetime of the vehicles. That figure aided in the $200 million credit forfeiture.

Rimac will help Kia turn the Imagine concept into a high-performance flagship

The segment-bending Imagine concept Kia unveiled at the 2019 Geneva auto show will spawn a high-performance flagship in 2021. Rimac, which Kia and Hyundai jointly invested in, will help bring it to the market. "This car will have a significant effect on how consumers perceive Kia and its part in future electrification. We want it to demonstrate super-high performance levels but in a package that is different," affirmed Carlos Lahoz, the automaker's marketing chief, in an interview with British magazine Autocar. "Super-high performance" isn't a term we've ever used to describe a Kia, even the Stinger doesn't merit this label, so Lahoz's comments sketch an image of a model that breaks all ties with members of the company's current range. Croatia-based Rimac, an expert in making quick electric cars, will play a role in the development process. The extent of Rimac's involvement remains a mystery. Similarly, we don't know how Kia defines the term "super-high performance," and whether it alludes to straight-line speed, Tail of the Dragon-taming handling, or both. Like the Imagine concept (pictured), the production model will arrive as a sedan-crossover cocktail vaguely reminiscent of the short-lived Volvo S60 Cross Country, among other high-riding four-doors. Its front and rear ends will likely be toned down, but Kia stylists have been on a roll in recent years so we expect a head-turning design. As for the 21-screen infotainment system, which Kia labeled a "humorous riposte" to the industry's obsession with in-car displays, we're betting it won't make the leap from the show floor to the showroom floor.  The sheet metal will hide a new platform Kia is developing jointly with Hyundai specifically to underpin electric cars. Autoblog understands it will underpin future Genesis models, too. The architecture will be compatible with an 800-volt electrical system that charges the battery from 20% to 80% in 20 minutes, and Autocar reported the Imagine will offer up to 310 miles of driving range, though odds are that's on the optimistic WLTP testing cycle. Kia's announcement that the Imagine — a name the production version won't wear — will arrive in 2021 suggests it could land on our shores for the 2022 model year. The company hasn't revealed whether it will sell the model in the United States, however. Don't let the idea of a high-horsepower, quasi-luxury electric car from Kia fool you.