Kia Motors seems to be racking up awards one after another these past days. Now, it is the Kia Soul which has solicited another award, bagging the 2010 Automotive Excellence Award by Popular Mechanics. The Kia Soul has already pocketed previous awards including the Top Safety Pick and the Coolest New Cars Under $18,000. Apparently its features which include its appealing style, fuel efficiency and overall value have been responsible for these awards. The Kia Soul is 1 of 10 vehicles acknowledged from the list.

The Kia Soul is available in four trims with starting prices at $14,000.00. Packed with features that include a SIRIUS Satellite Radio and audio (CD/MP3) peripherals, there is no doubt that the Kia Soul is truly a classy vehicle to consider. But add these to the overall stature of the Kia Soul 2010 and you know why this 5-door vehicle is truly getting the recognition it so truly deserves!

Image Credits

(Source) Reuters

Tags: audio cd mp3, automotive excellence, excellence award, fuel efficiency, image credits, KIA, kia motors, new cars, no doubt, peripherals, popular mechanics, reuters, sirius satellite radio, stature, trims

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Kia Motors has announced a new luxury model in their vehicle line up with the KND-5 Concept car. This new luxury model aims to satisfy the growing demands for vehicles who are looking for refinement and safety for ideal driving conditions. The new luxury sedan will be known as the Cadenza outside Korea and will make its debut in the Middle East. Cadenza is a name derived from an Italian music term which stands for elaborate, ornamental flourish for a concerto.

Among the notable features of the Cadenza include its sporty look, bold headlamp design, stylish taillights and passenger friendly high-tech features. It also carries the usual vehicle features like power steering, extendable seat cushions, and auto defogging of windshield and ventilation front seats.

(Source) Press

Tags: cadenza, concept car, concerto, debut, driving conditions, flourish, italian music, KIA, kia motors, Korea, luxury model, music term, power steering, refinement, seat cushions, taillights, vehicle features, ventilation, windshield

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Kia Motors continues to introduce larger vehicles as it has revealed that an all-new Kia Sorento model will start production at their U.S. plant. The latest model is the 2011 Kia Sorento CUV which is scheduled to begin rolling off the assembly line at the West Point, Georgia plant.

The 2011 Kia Sorento CUV boasts of an improved fuel economy and more passenger room and seating capacity that previous Kia Sorento models. It will be longer and lower and carries a sleek styling and futuristic touch. The 2011 Kia Sorento CUV will also highlight two- and four-wheel drive options and a variety of upscale appointments to appeal to a wide range of consumers.

(Source) Pres

Tags: appointments, assembly line, consumers, CUV, four wheel drive, fuel economy, georgia plant, KIA, kia motors, kia sorento, models, west point georgia, wheel

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The winner of the FIFA Interactive World Cup Final in Spain not only gave him the title of being the best gamer in the world but also came away with a brand new Kia Soul. Kia Motors proudly presented one of its new Kia Soul urban crossover passenger vehicles to France’s Bruce Grannec, 22, winner of the FIFA Interactive World Cup final in Barcelona, Spain.

Grannec beat more than 530,000 online gamers and football enthusiasts from 52 countries around the world to compete in this weekend’s final. In addition, he takes home USD 20,000, an invitation to the FIFA World Player Gala 2010 and a brand new Kia Soul.

“Our new Kia Soul truly speaks to the hearts and minds of a young-at-heart audience,” said Hyoung-Keun Lee, Senior Executive Vice President and COO of the International Business Division, Kia Motors Corporation. “Participating in this on-and-offline tournament in conjunction with FIFA was a great opportunity to showcase the Soul and its customizable options for tech-savvy, individually-minded drivers. They can truly appreciate what this car, and our brand, has to offer.”

Since October 2008, Kia has sponsored qualifying offline tournaments in South Africa and Italy for the FIFA Interactive World Cup 2009. During the tournaments, Soul related memorabilia was distributed to increase brand awareness. As the official automotive sponsor, 11 Kia vehicles were used during the final tournament for members of the press and other VIP guests in Barcelona.

(Source) Press

Tags: barcelona spain, fifa interactive world cup, fifa world player, football enthusiasts, hearts and minds, KIA, kia motors, kia vehicles, minded drivers, passenger vehicles, senior executive vice president, vip guests

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Kia Motors adds another award to its repertoire of vehicles as the 2010 Kia Soul has been named as the “Grooviest Interior” on the Ward’s AutoWorld “Interior of the Year” list. Recently launched in Miami and on sale now in dealerships nationwide, Soul was one of only 11 vehicles honored for offering great looks and great value along with extensive safety features, comfort and convenience features.

“We are extremely pleased with Ward’s recognition of the Soul as a youthful, aesthetically pleasing vehicle that offers consumers tremendous value,” said Michael Sprague, vice president, marketing of KMA. “As we continue to focus heavily on design, both with the Soul and our upcoming 2010 Kia Forte, we are confident that consumers will recognize our continued commitment to providing stylish vehicles with an emphasis on value, safety and quality.”

Available in four trims (Soul, Soul+, Soul! and Soul sport) and with a base price of $13,300, Soul offers consumers a highly personalizable vehicle with an equally “groovy” yet user-friendly and practical interior space. With design elements influenced by the car’s audio system, Soul offers an uncluttered dashboard with a three-dial instrument cluster, LCD illumination and floating center stack design that provides access to the AM/FM/CD/MP3 audio system outfitted with SIRIUS Satellite Radio capabilities and three months complimentary service.

Standard USB and auxiliary input jacks also are in the center console with full iPod and MP3 controllability via the audio head unit and steering wheel controls achieved with an optional accessory iPod cable.

Passengers also will be treated to unique patterns and style regardless of trim. The Soul+ trim offers funky black cloth seats with “glowing” Soul logo inserts while the Soul! trim comes with a distinctive sand-black interior with houndstooth-patterned inserts. The Soul sport presents a bold red-black interior trim with red-trimmed cloth seats and metal-finish interior accents. Further enhancing the personal lounge feel, an Audio Upgrade Package (optional for Soul+, standard for Soul! and Soul sport) offers speaker lights that pulse to the beat of the music or simply add mood lighting to the interior cabin.

(Source) Press

Tags: autoworld, auxiliary input, input jacks, instrument cluster, interior space, kia motors, steering wheel, stylish vehicles

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Kia Motors North America has officially launched the 2010 Kia Urban in Miami. The 2010 Kia Soul Urban passenger vehicle is on sale at dealerships across the United States. Available in Soul, Soul+, Soul! (exclaim) and Soul sport, pricing for the versatile five door begins at $13,300(1) for the base model, while Soul+ starts at $14,950 and tops out at $17,100 with all options. Soul! begins at $16,950 and peaks at $17,900 with all available options, and Soul sport starts at $16,950 and tops out at $18,600 with all options included.

Built on an all-new front-wheel drive platform, Soul features a high roofline and wide, distinctive stance. With a wheelbase of 100.4 inches, length of 161.6 inches, width of 70.3 inches and height of 63.4 inches, the five-passenger Soul offers a comfortably roomy interior.

Soul is available with two engines – a 1.6-liter, four-cylinder mated to a five-speed manual transmission (base only) and a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine is available with either the five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic transmission (Soul+, Soul! and Soul sport). The former produces 122 horsepower and 115 pound-feet of torque while the latter produces 142 horsepower with 137 pound-feet of torque. Fuel economy for the 1.6-liter manual is 26/31 mpg (city/highway) while the 2.0-liter offers a fuel-sipping 24/30 mpg for both the automatic and manual transmissions(2) , besting the Scion xB.

(Source) Press

Tags: base model, cylinder engine, fuel economy, horsepower, KIA, kia motors, manual transmission, manual transmissions, north america, roofline, Scion, scion xb, united states

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Another company that has been reportedly trying to survive the odd economic times is Hyundai Motors and affiliate Kia Motors. Unlike in previous months where exported cars were striking in numbers, car exports plunged last month due to the worsening economic slowdown.

Exports of Korean-built cars, led by Hyundai and Kia, to the Central and South American market fell 71.4 percent to 7,161 vehicles in January, compared with 25,090 units a year ago. Shipments by Hyundai and Kia to the Eastern European market dropped 64.2 percent on an annual basis to 6,126 units during the same period.

Meanwhile, Hyundai and Kia exported 35,898 vehicles produced in Korea to the North American market last month, down 35.4 percent from a year ago.

(Source) JoongAng Daily

Tags: car exports, Cars, economic slowdown, Hyundai, hyundai motors, KIA, kia car, kia motors, Korea

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Kia Motors officially unveiled the Kia Mohave, another SUV for the growing market of car lovers looking toward stylish motoring on a budget. The best thing about this Kia Mohave (or Borrego) is that it thrives on new technology, using a new hydrogen-powered electric vehicle built from a Mohave.

Their previous prototype was based on the Sportage, but maybe this one even goes off-road. It is being showcased at the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show.

Numerous innovations including a higher output 154 hp fuel cell and a new 450-volt Supercapacitor give the Borrego FCEV higher performance, a greatly extended driving range and cold-weather starting capability to operate in sub-zero temperatures.

Available with two and three tank systems with 70MPa pressure, the Borrego FCEV’s power plant is located under the center floor and boasts an additional 47 horsepower of power to produce a peak output of 154 hp (a 44-percent increase compared to the previous generation) and propel the vehicle to a top speed of 161 kph while boasting a best-in-class system efficiency of 62 percent.

With a 202-litre hydrogen storage tank located underneath the vehicle and ahead of the rear wheels, this latest Kia Motors research vehicle has a range of around 685 km.

(Source) Aving

Tags: Borrego, electric vehicle, fuel cell, hydrogen storage tank, KIA, kia motors

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