2010 Kia Forte Ex Sedan One Owner Well Maintained on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Kia to reveal 2015 Sedona minivan in New York

Hold on to your sippy cups, America. The Kia Sedona minivan may have gone to recess for the 2013 model year, but it mounted a quiet comeback for 2014 sporting the slightest of updates. Thankfully, those minor tweaks will only have to sustain it a short time. Kia knows it can't afford to nap for another year against strong rivals like the Honda Odyssey and Chrysler Town & Country, and the Korean automaker remains committed to duking it out in the kinshlepper segment. So committed, in fact, that Autoblog has learned it will launch its third-generation minivan at April's New York Auto Show.
As seen in these spy shots captured last August, the 2015 Sedona will incorporate styling cues from Kia's well-recieved 2012 KV7 concept, and it's predicted to feature more refined drivetrains and interior appointments, including Kia's latest UVO infotainment system and available rear-seat entertainment. We further expect fuel economy figures to get a nudge upwards thanks to fuel-saving features like electric power steering and direct injection.
Given the minivan segment's 'safety first' mindset, look for the next Sedona (known elsewhere as the Carnival) to offer a full quiver of active safety features, including blind-spot detection and a lane-departure warning system - two popular features the 2014 model does without.

Hyundai confirms a shift to EVs, unveils fuel cell SUV

SEOUL — Hyundai confirmed on Thursday it was placing electric vehicles at the center of its product strategy — one that includes plans for a premium long-distance electric car as it seeks to catch up to Tesla and other rivals. Like Toyota, Hyundai had initially championed fuel cell technology as the future of eco-friendly vehicles but has found itself shifting to electric as Tesla shot to prominence and battery-powered cars have gained government backing in China. Hyundai's debut of its more modestly priced Ionic hybrid and electric has been well-received. But the pure electric's per-charge driving range is much shorter than the Tesla Model 3 or Chevrolet Bolt. Toyota is now also working on longer-distance, fast-charging electric vehicles. Hyundai first started signaling this strategic shift back in May when it first discussed plans to launch an electric sedan under its high-end Genesis brand in 2021 with a range of 500 km (310 miles) per charge. It will also introduce an electric version of its Kona small crossover with a range of 390 km in the first half of next year. "We're strengthening our eco-friendly car strategy, centering on electric vehicles," Executive Vice President Lee Kwang-guk told a news conference, calling the technology mainstream and realistic. The automaker and affiliate Kia, which together rank fifth in global vehicle sales, also said they were adding three plug-in vehicles to their plans for eco-friendly cars, bringing the total to 31 models by 2020. Underscoring Hyundai's electric shift, those plans include eight battery-powered and two fuel-cell vehicles — a contrast to its 2014 announcement for 22 models, of which only two were slated to be battery-powered. Hyundai also confirmed a Reuters report that it is developing its first scaleable, dedicated electric vehicle platform, which will allow the company to produce multiple models with longer driving ranges. HYDROGEN SUV Hyundai unveiled a near production version of its new fuel cell SUV with a driving range of more than 580 km per charge, compared with the 415 km for its current Tucson fuel cell SUV. The mid-sized SUV will be launched in Korea early next year, followed by U.S. and European markets. A fuel cell electric bus is slated to be unveiled late this year, while a sedan-type fuel cell car is also planned. Even so, analysts noted that gaining traction with fuel cells was going to be a long hard slog partly due to a lack of charging infrastructure.

Hyundai now on the electric offensive to catch up with Tesla

SEOUL — Hyundai, an early backer of hydrogen cars, has watched the electric rise of Tesla, including on its home turf. Now's it's going on the offensive in the battery-powered market led by its U.S. rival. The South Korean company plans to introduce two production lines dedicated to electric vehicles (EVs), one next year and another in 2024, according to an internal union newsletter seen by Reuters. Euisun Chung, leader of the Hyundai Motor Group conglomerate that also includes Kia Motors, has also held a series of meetings since May with his counterparts at Samsung, LG and SK Group, which make batteries and electronic parts. The purpose of the talks, which were publicly announced, was for Hyundai to try to secure batteries at a time of tight supply as the race for EVs intensifies, according to several industry sources. Those manufacturers also supply the likes of Tesla, Volkswagen and GM. Hyundai told Reuters it was collaborating with Korean battery suppliers "to scale up" its electric car production efficiently. It declined to comment on any plans to introduce dedicated production lines. Samsung, LG and SK declined to comment. The moves indicate the carmaker is moving aggressively to expand its electric capacity, days after Chung announced on July 14 that Hyundai Motor Group aimed to sell 1 million battery EVs a year and grab a global market share of over 10% by 2025. There's some way to go; Hyundai Motor Group sold 86,434 battery EVs last year, according to data from industry consultant LMC Automotive. That was above the 73,278 sold by Volkswagen Group but behind the 367,500 delivered by Tesla. Hyundai, the world's No.5 automaker together with Kia Motors, said its agility allowed it to lead the charge into EVs. "We are certain Hyundai is never going to fall behind," it added. No Kodak moment A senior Hyundai insider, who declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the issue, said the company had not been concerned about Tesla when the Silicon Valley company was producing high-end cars. But it became more worried when Tesla brought out a cheaper Model 3 in 2017, according to the insider, who described it as a "strategic victory." No traditional automaker has been successful yet in catching up with Tesla, which retains an edge in battery and software technology.