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2021 Kia Seltos falls short of IIHS Top Safety Pick

The 2021 Kia Seltos missed out on an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) Top Safety Pick award due to under-performing headlights, the organization announced Thursday. Kia's new baby SUV aced the safety watchdog's crash safety and collision avoidance tests, but none of its available trims had headlights capable of scoring at least an "Acceptable" rating in IIHS testing.  "With at least one good or acceptable headlight rating, the Seltos would have qualified for a 2020 TOP SAFETY PICK award. Good or acceptable headlight ratings across all trim levels would have earned it the higher-tier TOP SAFETY PICK+ award," IIHS said in its announcement.  IIHS updated its testing regimen for the 2021 model year, further emphasizing the performance of exterior lighting and pedestrian safety systems. Previously, a vehicle could receive a Top Safety Pick Plus rating so long as it at least had optional headlights that performed well; this year, vehicles must have headlights rated at least "Acceptable" on all trim levels to qualify for the highest ratings. The lesser Top Safety Pick designation is more lenient, but Kia's new entry falls short of even those requirements. Kia offers three different headlight configurations on the Seltos — two halogen and one LED — and all three were rated "Poor" due to inadequate illumination in curves, says IIHS. Its other equipment, including its optional collision mitigation systems, all received high marks.  The base-model LX comes standard with all-wheel drive, but is woefully devoid of advanced safety features, coming with only a rear seat occupancy reminder and government-mandated tech such as a rearview camera and lots of airbags. Above the LX, the Seltos gets standard forward collision warning with pedestrian detection and automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning and lane-keeping assistance, a driver inattention warning system and automatic high beams. The EX, S Turbo and SX Turbo add blind-spot and rear cross-traffic warning, while the SX Turbo adds adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go capability and an enhanced automatic emergency braking system that includes cyclist detection. Related Video:    

Kia confirms Soul EV headed to US, cue the electric hamsters

Kia has been toying with the notion of an electric vehicle for years now. In the two years since the Korean automaker revealed the Ray EV concept, rumors of a battery-powered production vehicle have persisted, evidenced most recently by spy shots showing an electric version of the Soul hatchback this past July. Now Kia has officially announced that the Soul EV is heading for production.
Although Kia has yet to reveal official photos or specifications, this is the first confirmation we've received that the Soul EV is indeed headed for a showroom near you. Set to arrive sometime next year, the Soul EV promises to pack an as-yet unspecified arrangement of electric motors and batteries and visual cues that aim to improve the vehicle's aerodynamics and differentiate it from the conventionally powered Soul.
We'll have to wait until its debut approaches at an undetermined upcoming auto show in the US for more details, but for now you can delve into the official announcement below and scope out those same spy shots in the gallery above.

Lower gas prices mean there are excellent deals on green cars right now

The phenomenon was big enough to make news in 2006, then in 2008, in 2011, in 2012, in 2013, and again last year: a big move in gas prices means a big move in alternative-fuel-vehicle sales. True Car's TrueSavings report, which averages transaction prices across the country to figure out what people are paying compared to MSRP, shows that electric cars and hybrids are ripe for excellent savings right now. The Ford Focus Electric presents the greatest disparity, with the average transaction price of $25,168 representing a 16.1-percent saving off its $29,995 MSRP. The Kia Optima Hybrid and Toyota Prius also snagged spots in the top five, with the Kia offering a 10.7-percent discount and the Toyota a 10.1-percent discount. One hybrid managed to show up among the top five lease offers, too: the Lincoln MKZ Hybrid is just $315 a month for 36 months after $3,875 down in some markets. Alt-energy vehicles got bumped out of the top five finance deals, however. That was dominated by light trucks and, oddly, two subcompacts. The press release below has more details. TrueCar finds hybrids, EVs top list of best savings in January Gasoline price plunge = savings for consumers on alternative fuel vehicles SANTA MONICA, Calif., Jan. 15, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Ford's Focus Electric hatchback, which sells at an average of 16 percent off MSRP, tops January's list of best savings on new vehicles, according to TrueCar, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRUE), the negotiation-free car buying and selling platform. The "TrueSavings" monthly report analyzes current transaction prices and identifies opportunities for consumer savings. "Fuel savings are not top of mind to many consumers right now, and that makes this a great time to buy a hybrid or electric vehicle," said John Krafcik, president of TrueCar. "With gasoline prices now averaging just $2.10 per gallon, and vehicle preferences tied so closely to short-term gasoline prices, automakers are heavily discounting their most fuel-efficient cars to clear inventories." Toyota's Prius, the world's best-selling alternative fuel vehicle for more than a decade, also makes January's list of best savings. Customers who purchase a Prius Two model this month can save 10 percent off the hybrid car's $25,025 MSRP. "Gasoline prices and vehicle type preferences are strongly related, and this relationship is cyclical in nature," said Krafcik.