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Kia unveils refreshed 2019 Sportage small crossover

Kia has released official images of its refreshed 2019 Sportage and offered new details on interior updates and its 48-volt diesel mild hybrid system. Though the diesel version isn't likely to come to the States, the Sportage's new EcoDynamic+ diesel mild hybrid powertrain represents the first step in Kia's global electrification strategy, which will see the automaker launch 16 electrified or fuel-cell powertrain vehicles by 2025. For 2019, Kia will offer a 2.0-liter 'R' diesel engine paired with a 48-volt battery and an engine-off generator unit. Kia is also swapping an efficient new 1.6-liter 'U3' common-rail direct-injection diesel engine for the existing 1.7-liter diesel. The system is expected to eventually come to gas-engine models, so the technology could come stateside, too. We brought you spy shots of the 2019 Sportage undergoing testing last week, which showed the small crossover's updated front and rear bumpers and lamps. Kia says the exterior changes are rounded out with new 16-, 17- and 18-inch alloy wheels. The GT-Line models also get a gloss black radiator grille, gloss black and silver skid plate and dark chrome inserts on the side sills and rear tailgate. Inside the cabin, the 2019 Sportage gets a new steering wheel, revised instrument cluster and new black-and-grey two-tone upholstery. It gets Kia's Smart Cruise Control with Stop & Go, an Around View Monitor to help with parking and Driver Attention Warning, which sends an alert when it senses the driver getting drowsy. European customers will get a choice of new infotainment systems — a 7-inch touchscreen or new "frameless" 8-inch system. Kia sold more than 131,000 units of the Sportage in Europe in 2017, while the model's U.S. sales dropped 10 percent to 72,824. The 2019 Kia Sportage goes on sale in Europe during the third quarter. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Featured Gallery 2019 Kia Sportage Image Credit: Kia Kia Crossover Diesel Vehicles Hybrid diesel hybrid mild hybrid kia sportage

U.S., South Korea strike a new trade deal

WASHINGTON — The United States and South Korea have reached agreement on a new trade pact, the White House said on Tuesday. "We have come to an agreement in principle, and we expect to roll out specific details on that very soon," White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told a briefing. Her comments were the Trump administration's first confirmation that the two sides had reached an agreement in trade talks covering revisions to the U.S. South Korean Trade Agreement (KORUS) and a South Korean exemption from new U.S. metals tariffs. Seoul on Monday announced a deal to limit exports to the U.S. of South Korean steel, while extending high U.S. tariffs on any possible South Korean pickup trucks and increasing U.S. automakers' access to the Korean market. But details of the agreement have not yet been released by the U.S. Trade Representative's office, which led the negotiations for the United States after President Donald Trump last year called the 6-year-old bilateral pact a "horrible deal" that had doubled the U.S. trade deficit with South Korea since 2012. The deal is expected to permanently exempt South Korea from Trump's tariffs of 25 percent on steel and 10 percent on aluminum, but South Korea will have to reduce its steel exports to the United States by 30 percent from its average over the past three years to about 2.68 million tons. South Korea was the third largest steel exporter to the United States last year after Canada and Brazil. The agreement also was expected to double South Korea's import quota for cars meeting U.S. safety standards — not necessarily Korean standards — to 50,000 per manufacturer per year from 25,000 previously. The big challenge now would be getting unimpressed Korean consumers to buy them. The 25 percent U.S. tariff for pickup trucks, which was due to begin a phase-out starting in 2019, would be extended for another 20 years, according to South Korean officials. This would virtually ensure that any pickup truck contemplated by Korean automakers Hyundai or Kia for the U.S. market would be built in the United States.Reporting by Ayesha Rascoe and David LawderRelated Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Image Credit: Reuters Government/Legal Hyundai Kia

Kia Niro EV concept coming to CES

Kia announced that it will show a new electric concept car at this year's Consumer Electronics Show. The announcement didn't explicitly say what the vehicle is, but that's fine, because the teaser images above reveal the car's "secret" identity. At the back of the car are bright glowing letters spelling out the name "Niro EV." Even without seeing the name, the images make it pretty clear this is a Niro of some sort. The profile fits the production hybrid and plug-in hybrid production cars, especially the upright and wide rear hatch. It also has the Niro's distinct hood with twin creases above the headlights. There are a number of styling changes, though, mainly up front. The headlights look to be more swept back and have LED strakes for style. The taillights mirror this design, and they add a center portion between the main elements to make the lights full width. Additional three-pointed fog lights are also added front and rear. The grille at the front is no longer a grille, instead now featuring a bunch of little lights. This may have something to do with the "motion graphic" lighting technology Kia will show on the car, since it looks like the pattern and intensity could change. The shape of this faux grille panel also looks wider and slimmer than that on the production Niro. On the topic of production Niros, we wouldn't be surprised if this full EV Niro makes it to market. The Niro is based on the Hyundai Ioniq, which itself offers normal hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and full electric variants. And since the Niro is already available in hybrid and plug-in versions, a full EV would round out the model nicely. It wouldn't be without work, since the electric version of the Ioniq has a torsion bar suspension rather than the multi-link setup in the hybrid Ioniqs and Niros in order to fit the larger battery pack, but it's far from impossible. Stay tuned for more info on the concept and any news on a production version. Related Video: