2015 Kia Sorento Lx on 2040-cars

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NHTSA investigating 8 million airbags not made by Takata

In a shocking turn of events, we have a line of airbags under investigation that weren't made by Takata. Rather, Automotive News reports that 8,000,000 airbags made by ARC Automotive Inc. are under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). According to Automotive News, NHTSA is looking into ARC's airbags after two injuries and a recent death were attributed to the company's products. The two injuries occurred first and prompted the initial inquiry of 490,000 airbags, which then expanded after an airbag from a different line caused the death of a Canadian driver. The airbags in question are found in GM, FCA, Hyundai and Kia products, and all automakers are cooperating with the investigation, Automotive News reports. It is also important to note that these airbags have not been recalled, as NHTSA is trying to determine the issue and whether a recall is necessary. NHTSA also told the news outlet that the ARC inflators use a different design than those from Takata, instead using some pressurized gas and an ammonium nitrate charge. While the design may be different, the Takata inflators also used ammonium nitrate propellant, which other manufacturers have avoided. We will be watching this situation closely to see what develops. Here's hoping – for our collective safety and sanity – that we won't have to go through another airbag crisis like with the Takata recall. Related Video: News Source: Automotive NewsImage Credit: Shutterstock Government/Legal Hyundai Kia Safety FCA airbag fiat chrysler automobiles

Kia shows the inside of its body-on-frame Mohave the Master SUV

Kia published a sketch showing the inside of a full-size SUV named Mohave the Master that it plans to launch in its home market in the coming weeks. The family hauler will be positioned near the top of its South Korean range as its most expensive high-riding model, and unverified rumors claim it could appear in American showrooms sooner or later. Presumably named after the Mojave Desert, the Mohave lives up to its upmarket positioning with an elegant-looking interior characterized by horizontal surfaces that emphasize its width, wood trim, plus contrast stitching on the dashboard and on the door panels. Keep in mind the sketch might show a relatively expensive trim level, and lesser variants could look considerably less posh. The sketch suggests the Mojave shares no parts with the Telluride, the three-row SUV Kia launched on the American market in 2019. The infotainment system's touchscreen is neatly integrated into the dashboard, not propped up on it, and silver accents frame the piano black center console. The Telluride is Kia's answer to the Volkswagen Atlas; the Mohave looks like the firm's Touareg. kia-mohave-the-master-exterior-1 View 3 Photos Stepping outside, the Mohave wears a bold design defined by an upright grille with chrome-look vertical slats, LED headlights and a model-specific emblem instead of the usual Kia logo. Its rear end receives a wide light bar with LED inserts that echo the shape of the grille. The fresh design hides an evolution of the body-on-frame architecture found under the previous Mohave, which the firm's American division launched as the short-lived Borrego in 2008. While Kia hasn't released technical specifications, the emblem on the hatch confirms one of the engines offered will be a 3.0-liter V6. It might be the turbodiesel unit currently available in the Mohave, though it's not unreasonable to assume Kia will also offer a gasoline-powered six. Another emblem denotes the availability of four-wheel drive.  The Kia Mohave the Master will allegedly go on sale in South Korea in September, so a full reveal is imminent. Rumors point to an American comeback, but Kia hasn't announced plans to add another SUV to its line-up in the United States. Auto News Kia SUV

2020 Kia Cadenza gets a bigger touchscreen and a new dash to fit it

Admit it, you forgot the Kia Cadenza existed. You might've even thought it was something you put in the living room somewhere between the hutch and the chesterfield. But the 2020 Kia Cadenza is a thing, still, and the full-size sedan's even been given a nip, tuck and extra features for this new model year. To the surprise of no one, this revised Cadenza is identical to the Korean-market K7 we showed you last June. We even included some of those images in the above gallery since Kia only provided a pair of pics for the Chicago Auto Show reveal. However, as it seems likely you'll need side-by-side images to tell the difference between the 2019 and 2020 Cadenzas, here you go. There. As you can now tell, the 2020 Cadenza has an enlarged concave grille that nevertheless maintains Kia's signature "tiger nose" shape. The headlights are now all-LED and fit within a sleeker slit-like housing. The bumper portion has also been redone with the old quad pod of LED lights in each corner giving way to an architectural metallic trim piece that spans its width. The rear bumper and taillights have also been given a re-think. The interior gets more noteworthy changes, however. The dash has been redone to accommodate the standard 12-inch panoramic touchscreen that migrates from the Telluride and other higher-end vehicles in the Hyundai empire. The air vents are now below the screen rather than on either side of it, and the screen itself fits just forward of the concave dash surrounding it. The design achieves the purpose of reducing visual bulk without resorting to the iPad-glued-to-the-dash look. The climate and secondary infotainment controls were also lowered and rearranged into a waterfall panel that now meets up with the center console. 2020 left, 2019 right Interior feature content is largely the same apart from three extra USB ports (one more up front, two in the rear) and an enhanced 10-watt wireless charging pad. It's the safety tech roster that really gets bolstered, however, as Kia's Drive Wise suite of driver assistance features now comes standard. This includes the extensive blind-spot monitoring system that won Autoblog's Technology of the Year award, as well as forward collision warning with pedestrian/cyclist detection and automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping assist, adaptive cruise control with steering assist and navigation-system input, and the Safe Exit Assist feature that warns passengers when traffic is detected from the rear.