Auto news and reviews from Car Buyer's Notebook.com: Kia Archives

June 7, 2008

Kia Loses New Jersey Class Action Suit

PHILADELPHIA -- Donovan Searles, LLC announces that a New Jersey jury has rendered a verdict against KIA Motors America, Inc. in the amount of $6,029,250 on behalf of a class of 8,039 New Jersey consumers.

The case is entitled Regina Little v. KIA Motors America, Inc., No. UNN-L-800-01 (Law Division Aug. 20, 2003), pending in the Superior Court of New Jersey in Union County.

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Posted by Frank at 12:46 AM | Filed under Auto Marketing | Auto News | Finance | Kia

June 5, 2008

Top Selling Minivans in the Unites States for May 2008

The minivan segment saw sales drop 16.6% in May, with Chrysler holding on to two of the top three spots, thanks in part to their gas rebate plan.

Of particular note was the 80% drop in Hyundai Entourage sales, that one can only hope was due to a supply problem -- point being, this is a bad time to be getting into the minivan business, as Volkswagen is about to find out.

The top 8 best selling minivans in the United States for May 2008:

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June 3, 2008

Kia Announces Best Month Ever, May Sales Up 9%

IRVINE, Calif. -- Kia Motors America (KMA) today announced its best sales month ever for the second consecutive month with record May sales of 31,047 units, an increase of nine percent over the same period last year, and year-to-date sales of 129,327 units.

May's record sales were led by Spectra and Optima, which both had their best months ever with 9,407 and 8,197 units sold respectively, increases of 10.5 and 120.8 percent over same period last year. Rio also continued with strong sales in its best month of the year at 4,474 units, a 28.6 percent increase over the same period last year.

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Posted by Frank at 4:40 PM | Filed under Auto News | Industry Statistics | Kia

May 29, 2008

Kia Sorento Receives Top Ranking in Vehicle Satisfaction Awards

IRVINE, Calif. -- The 2008 Kia Sorento is the top ranking midsize SUV in AutoPacific, Inc.'s 2008 Vehicle Satisfaction Awards (VSA), an industry benchmark for objectively measuring owner satisfaction of new vehicles.

In this competitive segment, Sorento received a higher rating than the Hummer H3, Jeep Liberty, Dodge Nitro and Nissan Xterra.

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Posted by Frank at 10:16 AM | Filed under Auto Marketing | Auto News | Kia

Cadillac Tops 2008 Vehicle Satisfaction Awards

TUSTIN, Calif. -- A study released today by noted automotive consulting firm AutoPacific, Inc. summarizes the results of its 2008 model year vehicle satisfaction research. AutoPacific's Vehicle Satisfaction Award (VSA) is an industry benchmark for objectively measuring how satisfied an owner is with their new passenger car or light truck.

In a year that promises to be the toughest in a decade, owner-based awards like AutoPacific's Vehicle Satisfaction Award will help customers make their purchase decisions.

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May 27, 2008

Kia to focus on small cars at Georgia plant

Kia officials have announced they will focus on building small cars at the plant they are building in West Point, Georgia. Kia is planning to build the Sorento SUV at the plant starting in 2009, but has scrapped plans to make a pickup truck, according to Automotive News. There is also the possibility Kia may build a similar Hyundai at the plant.

Kia has not announced which car they will build there, but could it be the new Soul vehicle?

Related: Kia bringing Soul to the U.S.

Kia bringing Soul to the U.S.

Kia plans to make the Soul concept a reality, bringing it to the United States sometime in 2009.

The five-seat elegant box will come with a 2-liter four-cylinder and have front-wheel drive.

Kia is also developing the Soul for the Chinese market and will build that version at a plant in China -- which leaves open the possibility that a Chinese made car will be sold in the United State faster than anyone expects.

May 19, 2008

Kia Sponsors 2008 NBA Performance Awards

IRVINE, Calif. -- Kia Motors America (KMA), the Official Automotive Partner of the NBA, congratulates the winners of the four season-end awards that are part of the NBA Performance Awards presented by Kia Motors for the 2007-08 season: Sixth Man Award winner, Manu Ginobili, San Antonio Spurs; Defensive Player of the Year, Kevin Garnett, Boston Celtics; Most Improved Player, Hedo Turkoglu, Orlando Magic; and Most Valuable Player, Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers.

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Posted by Frank at 1:35 PM | Filed under 5th Wheel | Auto Marketing | Auto News | Kia

May 12, 2008

2008 Fuel Economy Guide Available for Download

The EPA has issued a comprehensive PDF guide to fuel economy of all 2008 vehicles, which you can download by right-clicking here.

In today's gas market, buyers are more sensitive than ever about buying cars that get good mileage, and more important, they want the government ratings to be as accurate as possible -- nobody wants to buy a vehicle that gets 10% worse mileage in the real world than the sticker rating.

To address this situation, the EPA has started using an updated test to assign more accurate MPG ratings to new vehicles, and you can learn about that by watching the video in this post.

May 6, 2008

Microsoft and Hyundai-Kia Developing In-Car Infotainment

SEOUL, South Korea -- Today, Microsoft Corp. and Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group (HKAG) entered into a long-term agreement to co-develop the next generation of in-car infotainment systems.

Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft, and Mongku Chung, chairman of HKAG, were present as Martin Thall, general manager of Microsoft's Automotive Business Unit, and Hyun Soon Lee, president and chief technology officer of HKAG, signed the agreement in Seoul.

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May 4, 2008

Top twenty best selling small cars for April 2008

Americans rediscovered cars in April 2008, with small cars in particular accounting for nearly one in five of all vehicles sold in an otherwise down month.

Toyota had four vehicles in the top twenty, General Motors had three; Nissan, Hyundai and Kia had two apiece. And Dodge has a hit with the Caliber, which made the list at number 9.

With people paying nearly $4 per gallon of gas nationwide, it appears that the free market has achieved what environmentalists have been clamoring about for years -- to conserve fuel by buying smaller vehicles.

The top twenty best selling small cars for April 2008:

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May 2, 2008

Kia Announces Record April Sales Up 15.6%

IRVINE, Calif. -- Kia Motors America (KMA) today announced its best sales month ever with record April sales of 30,066 units, a 15.6-percent increase over the same period last year, and year-to-date sales of 98,280 total units.

Kia's April growth was led by Spectra and Optima, up 4.8 percent and 89.3 percent respectively over the previous month. Rondo sales increased 118.3 percent over the same period last year with 2,583 unit sales.

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Posted by Frank at 3:08 AM | Filed under Auto News | Industry Statistics | Kia

April 18, 2008

Kia Sedona Named a Top 10 Best Value

IRVINE, Calif. -- The 2008 Kia Sedona was named the minivan of choice on GAYOT.com's annual list of the "Top 10 Best Value Automobiles." GAYOT.com highlights its standard features, spacious cabin, functional interior and competitive price as the Sedona's winning points.

"Sedona garnering a 'top 10' award further displays Kia's dedication to providing consumers, especially families, with top quality vehicles without the premium sticker price," said Tom Loveless, vice president, sales of Kia Motors America (KMA).

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Posted by Frank at 6:49 AM | Filed under 2008 Vehicles | Auto Marketing | Auto News | Kia

April 17, 2008

Metro Kia Technician to Represent USt at Skills Competition in Seoul

IRVINE, Calif. -- Kia Motors America (KMA) announced Cranston, R.I. resident William T. Shaughnessy, 36, an automotive technician at Metro Kia in Johnston, R.I., will represent the United States and KMA at the 2008 Kia Skill World Cup in Seoul, April 17-25.

Shaughnessy recently competed in a field of 16 of the best Kia technicians from around the country at the 2008 Kia Skill National Cup at Kia's Irvine corporate headquarters. The top four earned the right to battle against the best Kia technicians from more than 40 countries at the World Cup.

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Jake Sweeney Kia Technician to Represent US at Competition in Seoul

IRVINE, Calif. -- Kia Motors America (KMA) announced Ryland Heights, Ky. resident Richard C. Middendorf, Jr., 42, an automotive technician at Jake Sweeney Kia in Florence, Ky., will represent the United States and KMA at the 2008 Kia Skill World Cup in Seoul, April 17-25.

Middendorf recently competed in a field of 16 of the best Kia technicians from around the country at the 2008 Kia Skill National Cup at Kia's Irvine corporate headquarters where he took first place. The top four earned the right to battle against the best Kia technicians from more than 40 countries at the World Cup.

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