2010 Kia Rio Base Sedan 4-door 1.6l on 2040-cars

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Kia Forte and Forte5 bring fresh new duds to Detroit

The Telluride concept may be the biggest news from Kia in Detroit this year, but it's not the only new metal the Korean automaker has on display at Cobo. Alongside it, Kia also rolled out new versions of the Forte. As before, Kia offers the Forte in both sedan and Forte5 hatchback trim, and each got its own set of updates. Both feature distinct front-end styling, with a tiger-nose grille that stretches width-wise to join the more angular headlights and more closely resemble the snout on the all-new Optima. The sedan and hatchback also feature their own unique LED taillights. And inside they both feature a new 7-inch infotainment display powered by Kia's UVO system, soon to support Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The Forte now comes in three trim levels – based LX, loaded EX and a sporty S (in between the two on the sedan) or SX (at the top of the line for the hatchback). Of course, the sedan ends with a trunk at the back and the hatchback with a liftgate, but they also receive slightly different powertrain options. Every version comes with a 2.0-liter inline four mated to a manual or automatic transmission with six speeds – save for the Forte5 SX. That remains the enthusiast's choice with a 1.6-liter turbo, mated to either a six-speed manual or a new seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. All that's left now is for Kia to reveal the new two-door Forte Koup, but we'll have to hold on for that to come at a later date. In the meantime, you can scope out the live images of both new models from the floor of the Detroit Auto Show, and watch the full Kia press conference with live reaction below. 2017 Forte overview Compact Sedan Receives Updated Design, New Powertrain and Advanced Tech, Including Android Auto and Apple Car PlayTM - 2017 Forte adds 2.0-liter engine, plus updated six-speed automatic transmission - Advanced driver assistance features including Autonomous Emergency Braking, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Front Collision Warning, and Dynamic Bending Lights3 are newly available - Sporty S trim pumps up Forte's sport factor with exclusive interior and features Irvine, Calif., Jan. 11, 2015 – The Motor City today got an up close look at the refreshed 2017 Forte when Kia Motors America pulled the silk off the updated compact sedan at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

Hyundai-Kia fuel-economy errors trigger $300M in federal penalties [w/video]

This amount includes $100-million in civil penalties, the largest such fines in EPA history.
Hyundai and Kia are getting more than a slap on the wrist for overstating the fuel economy of an estimated 1.2-million vehicles in their 2011-2013 model ranges. The Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Justice and the California Air Resources Board are hitting the automakers with collective penalties valued at around $300 million for Clean Air Act violations. This amount includes $100-million in civil penalties, the largest such fines in EPA history. Specifically, Hyundai is paying a $56.8 million penalty and relinquishing 2.7-million greenhouse gas emissions credits. Kia is paying $43.2 million in penalties and giving up 2.05-million credits.

A car writer's year in new vehicles [w/video]

Christmas is only a week away. The New Year is just around the corner. As 2014 draws to a close, I'm not the only one taking stock of the year that's we're almost shut of. Depending on who you are or what you do, the end of the year can bring to mind tax bills, school semesters or scheduling dental appointments. For me, for the last eight or nine years, at least a small part of this transitory time is occupied with recalling the cars I've driven over the preceding 12 months. Since I started writing about and reviewing cars in 2006, I've done an uneven job of tracking every vehicle I've been in, each year. Last year I made a resolution to be better about it, and the result is a spreadsheet with model names, dates, notes and some basic facts and figures. Armed with this basic data and a yen for year-end stories, I figured it would be interesting to parse the figures and quantify my year in cars in a way I'd never done before. The results are, well, they're a little bizarre, honestly. And I think they'll affect how I approach this gig in 2015. {C} My tally for the year is 68 cars, as of this writing. Before the calendar flips to 2015 it'll be as high as 73. Let me give you a tiny bit of background about how automotive journalists typically get cars to test. There are basically two pools of vehicles I drive on a regular basis: media fleet vehicles and those available on "first drive" programs. The latter group is pretty self-explanatory. Journalists are gathered in one location (sometimes local, sometimes far-flung) with a new model(s), there's usually a day of driving, then we report back to you with our impressions. Media fleet vehicles are different. These are distributed to publications and individual journalists far and wide, and the test period goes from a few days to a week or more. Whereas first drives almost always result in a piece of review content, fleet loans only sometimes do. Other times they serve to give context about brands, segments, technology and the like, to editors and writers. So, adding up the loans I've had out of the press fleet and things I've driven at events, my tally for the year is 68 cars, as of this writing. Before the calendar flips to 2015, it'll be as high as 73. At one of the buff books like Car and Driver or Motor Trend, reviewers might rotate through five cars a week, or more. I know that number sounds high, but as best I can tell, it's pretty average for the full-time professionals in this business.