2012 Kia Optima Sx Turbo 10.5k Mi Loaded!!! on 2040-cars

Auto blog

A closer look at the 2015 Kia Soul EV

Kia is set to join the fully electric vehicle space this year, with the fresh-faced 2015 Soul EV. The all-electric Soul made its debut at the Chicago Auto Show earlier this month, and Autoblog west coast editor Michael Harley had a chance to speak with Orth Hedrick, Kia's vice president of product planning, about the new electrified hatchback. In its standard form, the Kia Soul offers tons a wealth of functionality with its upright packaging, and with a new 81-kilowatt electric motor underhood, the electric vehicle should be good for between 80 and 100 miles of driving range. Charging times vary from as long as 24 to five hours, depending on your setup, and Kia is partnering with Bosch, Leviton and AeroVironment to provide different charging solutions, depending on a customer's specific needs. Take another, closer look at the 2015 Kia Soul EV in the video, below.

Kia Australia confirms a pickup truck is in the works

Reports continue to indicate that there will be a Hyundai pickup truck, but this bit of news is about the potential of a Kia pickup. After all, if Hyundai does it, why can’t its corporate cousin Kia get a slice of the pie, too? WeÂ’ve heard rumors of a Kia truck before, but this report is much more definitive about the projectÂ’s existence. Damien Meredith, the Chief Operating Officer of Kia Australia told CarsGuide that the Kia pickup is a go. “Work has begun,” Meredith says. “WeÂ’re talking about a dual-cab, a single cab. What weÂ’ve requested is the full gambit (sic) for the ute, and that (includes) a dual cab with diesel and petrol.” Of course, this is Kia Australia talking. ThereÂ’s no one suggesting that any Australia-specific Kia truck would make it to the United States, but itÂ’s intriguing to know the designers and engineers are on the job. We didnÂ’t previously know that there would be a Kia pickup, but now Meredith is saying it will likely be arriving around 2022 or 2023. The latest on HyundaiÂ’s pickup is that itÂ’ll be launching in 2020, but Hyundai hasnÂ’t confirmed anything yet. Meredith also touted that the Kia pickup wouldnÂ’t be a “lifestyle vehicle,” but more of a serious pickup truck. Would Kia actually make a body-on-frame pickup to compete against trucks like the Ford Ranger or Toyota Hilux in other markets? ThatÂ’s certainly nothing like what we think the Hyundai Santa Cruz pickup is going to be like. That's expected to be a unibody pickup, similar to the Honda Ridgeline in stature and drivability. The more we read into this, the more this pickup is looking like a body-on-frame utility vehicle for markets outside the United States. Kia could sell the truck in Asia, Australia and other markets where the international version of the Ranger and Hilux are offered. Will it ever see the U.S. market if this is the case? Probably not. Although the Ranger ended up here, it did so after substantial re-engineering. The Hilux and other trucks like the VW Amarok remain for other countries only. We'd expect the Kia truck as described by Meredith to be so as well. 

2021 Kia Stinger engine details revealed, and it's getting more power

Powertrain details on the updated Kia Stinger are out, and the theme is more power. We got to see the revised looks a couple of weeks ago, but the information out of Korea today completes the picture of what the Stinger will soon look like. Kia is adding a new 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder to the lineup that makes more power than the old 2.0-liter turbo. The 2.5-liter engine is also exclusive to the North American market. Kia didn’t explicitly say it was dropping the smaller four-cylinder here, but itÂ’s no stretch to assume the less powerful engine will disappear once the new cars begin to ship. This 2.5-liter makes 300 horsepower and 311 pound-feet of torque, which is a big step up from the 255 horses and 260 pound-feet of torque produced by the 2.0-liter. The new engine produces peak torque between 1,650 and 4,000 rpm. Kia doesnÂ’t brag about better acceleration numbers, but itÂ’s surely quicker than before. Next up is the V6 in the Stinger GT. Kia stays the course with the 3.3-liter twin-turbo V6 in this case, but itÂ’s added a new electronic exhaust valve system that unlocks more noise and three extra horsepower. This leaves the final figures at 368 horsepower and 367 (unchanged) pound-feet of torque. Kia says thereÂ’s a small butterfly valve in the exhaust that opens in Sport driving modes, but remains closed in Comfort and Eco. A better exhaust note is one thing we badly wanted out of our long-term Kia Stinger GT. Finally, Kia has an answer — we canÂ’t wait to hear it. ThereÂ’s no change in transmission for the Stinger. All models will continue to come standard with an eight-speed automatic. Both rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive will be available for both the four-cylinder and GT models, too. In addition to the powertrain news, Kia has detailed new driver assistance systems available on the updated Stinger. Kia added its Highway Driving Assist tech, which weÂ’ve found to be extremely capable of tracing lines around corners on the highway in other Kias. The Blind-Spot Monitor that debuted in the Telluride is also onboard this year — it displays a video feed of your blind spot in the digital instrument cluster when you put your turn signal on. Other new systems include Lane Following Assist, Rear Occupant Alert and Safe Exit Warning. Several other systems are updated with enhanced functionality, too. WeÂ’re unsure of when this Stinger will make it to our shores, but sales are scheduled to commence in Korea sometime in the third quarter.