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Recharge Wrap-up: Kia Soul EV wins MotorWeek award, Virgin Hotels offering Tesla Model S rides

The Kia Soul EV has been awarded a MotorWeek's Drivers' Choice Award. Winning the honor for Best Eco-Friendly Vehicle, "The Kia Soul EV is the perfect EV," according to MotorWeek host and executive producer John Davis. "It has more power and range compared to other affordable all-electric vehicles. Plus, its funky style makes driving the Kia Soul EV really cool." The Soul EV has a driving range of about 93 miles on a single charge, and offers an interior roomy and comfortable enough to earn MotorWeek's praise. Read more in the press release below. Virgin Hotels will provide its Chicago guests car services in the Tesla Model S. Guests can get rides to and from the hotel in a red, dual-motor Model S P85D. Virgin Hotels offers the EV services as part of its sustainability program. "Tesla is the hottest electric car on the road right now, and we're elated to provide our hotel guests with this chic house-car service while also helping to reduce our carbon footprint," says Virgin Hotels vice president of sales and marketing Doug Carrillo. "For Virgin Hotels it's important to provide services our guests desire but do so with the environment in mind whenever possible." Hyundai has announced the first lease of its Tucson Fuel Cell in Canada. Hyundai chose the Vancouver couple, Jennifer Ma and Clayton Crawley, as the first buyers in part because they live near both a dealership and a fueling station, the latter of which sources its hydrogen from a chemical company that produces the gas as a byproduct. Crawley, whose children love the beach, says, "Getting there while reducing our environmental impact will be awesome." Read more at Automotive News. The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is providing $30 million in grant money for Proterra electric buses. Six transit agencies will buy 28 of the EV buses for a variety of projects. Proterra CEO Ryan Popple calls the funding a "tremendous validation for the company." In total, the FTA is handing out $55 million in grant money for the deployment of American-made electric buses. Four other agencies will receive buses from BAE Systems and New Flyer as part of the program. Read more at Charged EVs. Kia Soul EV Wins 2015 MotorWeek Drivers' Choice Award Kia's First All-Electric Vehicle Wins Best Eco-Friendly Honor - Soul EV praised for funky style, power, range and roomy interior - MotorWeek's annual list of winners serves as a buying guide for the show's nationwide audience CHICAGO, Feb.

Kia hatches sporty wagon concept for Frankfurt Motor Show

Kia pulled the covers off a new unnamed concept car that will debut Sept. 12 at the Frankfurt Motor Show. It's a sleek hatchback that previews Kia's direction for the next-generation Cee'd model sold in Europe. This concept is longer, sportier and has more of a sport wagon dynamic than the current Cee'd, which is a homely runabout for the Continent. This concept was conceived at Kia's design center in Frankfurt, Germany, which sits 500 meters, or about 5 1/2 football fields from the Frankfurt Motor Show. No other details were immediately available, but Kia has a history of revealing striking concepts and using elements of them in production models. Kia has also increasingly mined its European design studio for top stylings as it elevates the profile of the brand globally. Meanwhile, Kia will also show the Stonic small crossover in Frankfurt, a vehicle that's a sibling to the Hyundai Kona. IHS Markit, an automotive research firm, forecasts the Stonic will sell about 118,300 units — its peak level — in 2019 as Kia capitalizes on the compact utility trend. Related Video: Design/Style Frankfurt Motor Show Kia Hatchback Wagon Frankfurt 2017 kia ceed

2019 Kia K900 First Drive Review | The Stinger GT grows up

The Kia K900 has been an afterthought in the luxury market almost since it was launched about 4 years ago. Or maybe a never-thought. Through September of this year, Kia sold just 260 examples, which was about 90 fewer than the same time last year. And with sales like that, most of us figured Kia would just let the model quietly disappear into the ether, especially with the launch of the new Genesis luxury brand, and Kia's new halo, the Stinger. Considering the car's yacht-like demeanor and forgettable looks, we wouldn't have missed it. Yet Kia is determined to keep the K900 alive in America, and has introduced a completely redesigned model. Perhaps even more surprising than the fact that the model is back, is that it's actually quite good. Think of it as a bigger, more plush Kia Stinger. That may be hard to believe by just looking at it. While it's certainly better proportioned than its predecessor, with a body that highlights its rear-drive bones, it's boring. It hides its roots well, not getting the onlooker excited or leaving a major impression. There's hardly a sharp crease or bold character line to be seen – a stark contrast to the fierce, outre Stinger. It doesn't even look much like other Kias, which all share a family resemblance in their grilles and athletic stance. The K900 is a lot larger than the Stinger, too. The wheelbase is about 8 inches longer, and overall length is up by nearly a foot. Width and height are greater by roughly 2 and 3 inches respectively. This all puts the K900 in the size territory of full-size luxury flagships, but Kia says it's targeting buyers of midsize luxury sedans such as the Audi A6 and BMW 5 Series with a price of around $60,895 for the base model, and $64,895 for the VIP model. These are close estimates. It's a "more for your money" sort of argument, but there are more direct competitors to the K900 that muddy the water, like the Volvo S90, Lincoln Continental, and Cadillac CT6. On paper, all three seem to be compelling options to the K900 with lower base prices, similar size, and more distinctive styling. But the K900 has a major power advantage with its standard 365-horsepower twin-turbo V6. The S90's standard engine makes just 250 horsepower, and the optional non-hybrid engine just makes 316 horses. To beat the Kia, you have to get the hybrid S90 with 400 horsepower, and a base price of over $64,000.