Here are the very-first spy shots of the all-new 2011 Kia Rio, codenamed UB!

It’s been a long, long wait, but it’s over now! The very-first prototype of next-generation Kia Rio sedan has finally stepped out in public for the first time and  Sonytone.com spies were on hand to capture the moment.

Codenamed UB, the prototype of the next-generation Rio sedan sports some heavy camouflage, which is covering the most important styling details of the new car. What is clear already is the fact that the 2011 Kia Rio will feature far more attractive exterior appearance as the current model.

Its exterior styling will be influenced heavily by the up-coming 2011 Kia Cadenza and next-generation Kia Optima mid-size sedans. It is evident from these spy shots that the 2011 Rio takes some styling cues from the afore-mentioned sedans, which is not bad since both of them look outstanding. It is also evident that the all-new Rio sports a new Kia family look as seen on new Kia Sportage, Sorento, Soul and Venga mini-mpv.

These very-first Kia Rio UB spy shots confirm that the 2011 Rio will initially be available as a sedan, like the new Hyundai Accent. A five-door hatchback is also expected to follow later.

According to initial reports, the next-generation Rio is going to share its powertrain technology with the up-coming 2011 Hyundai Accent. Under the hood, engines options will likely include a 1.4L and 1.6L four-cylinder engines packing 107 and 126 horsepower, respectively.

If that doesn’t sound interesting enough, Kia is also expected to introduce  a more potent 1.6L GDI four-cylinder engine, packing 140 horsepower, in the next-Rio. At least two modern diesel engines are also expected to be available in Europe.

Although there is no official word yet about the inaugural launch date of the 2011 Kia Rio UB, latest rumours suggest that full production of next-generation Rio will commence in the first half of 2011.

2011 Kia Rio gallery:

This is a guest post from our daily reader Rob Woodward from Canada. You might know him as an owner of Reptile Kia Soul.

Thank you to Kia-World blog for allowing my team and I to get our message out, and for the donation we received from Kia-World.net towards our goal. If you are wondering what I am talking about please read below.

Well I will be leaving the Reptile Soul in the driveway on the weekend of September 11^th and 12^th, trading it for a couple good pairs of walking shoes, and over those two days my team and I will be walking to raise money to cure womens cancers.

The cancers we are raising money for include breast, ovarian, cervical and uterine. All the money raised goes the The Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation (http://www.pmhf.ca), one of the world leaders in cancer research. You can visit the weekend site at www.endcancer.ca

Working together with health care and research professionals, patients, and the community, The Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation raises over $60 million annually to support breakthrough research and patient care and education programs of Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH). PMH is a recognized international leader in the fight against cancer. But none of this would be possible without the generous support, commitment and dedication of all its donors.

This is all the Foundation does, is work on finding a cure for cancer, so much in fact that there slogan or vision is TO CONQUER CANCER IN OUR LIFETIME.

We have just under 3 weeks left (deadline Sept 7^th at midnight EST), to reach our goal, and we are $1200 short. If anyone would like to donate to the cause it would be greatly appreciated. Please click one of the links below. All donation receive a tax receipt.

Donate here: http://www.endcancer.ca/site/TR/Events/Toronto2010?px=3414473&pg=personal&fr_id=1440

The highly-personalizable 2010 Kia Soul compact crossover vehicle receives yet another important citation.

For the second year in a row, Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com named the 2010 Kia Soul as one of the year’s “Top 10 Back-to-School Cars.” Students are going back to school and if kbb.com is right, we should see more students pulling over their new Kia Souls inside America’s leading campuses.

The popular website believes that high-school and college students will find the Soul’s modern style, wide interior space and modern technology very attractive.

With its unique styling and personalization options and outstanding safety and reliability ratings, the Soul appeals to both younger buyers and their parents. The award-winning five-door urban passenger vehicle, along with the 2011 Sorento and Sportage, reflects Kia Motors’ design-led transformation and continues to attract new buyers to Kia showrooms.

Other vehicles that made it to the popular website’s list include the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze, Suzuki SX4 hatchback , Ford Crown Victoria, Saab 9-2X, Honda Fit, Pontiac Vibe, Mazda3 and Ford Fiesta.

The kbb.com editors made their choice according to these cars’ reliability, safety, affordability, practicality, and the latest safety and technology advancements. They were chosen from all new car models below $18,000 and used car models from whose retail value is under $12,000 based on the Kelley Blue Book Suggested Retail Value.

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Stunning Kia POP concept car set to make its official premiere at the forthcoming 2010 Paris Auto Show!

Kia Motors Corporation today released a set of images previewing the all-new POP concept car, which is scheduled to make its official debut at the upcoming Paris Auto Show.

With the new POP concept car, Kia continues its tradition of unveiling an eye-catching and environmental friendly concept vehicles at motor shows, which are all primarily used to showcase the automaker’s design and development capabilities.

According to Kia, the all-new POP concept car is a zero-emission electric vehicle, which features electric motor and next-generation lithium polymer battery.

As evident from the released pictures, the POP concept car offers seating for three, with two seats placed at front and additional one at rear. With only 3 meters in length, the POP concept vehicle is smaller than Kia Picanto, which is currently the smallest vehicle in the automaker’s model line-up. Its about the same size as Toyota iQ, which is already on sale in Europe.

The latest Kia concept is inspired by Kia Ray electric concept car, which has been unveiled earlier this year at New York Auto Show. It features LED lightning and large panoramic roof that reveals vehicle’s purple colored interior and chromed dashboard.

Kia announced it will take the wraps of its latest Pop concept car at the 2010 Paris Auto Show on September 30.  That’s when we expect to see more official shots and hear more details about the vehicle’s powertrain technologies and capabilities. Stay tuned!

Kia POP concept car image gallery:

Kia becomes the top-selling foreign automobile maker in Russia. July sales hit 10,000 units mark for the first time.

Kia Motors Company has been enjoying steady growth in terms of new car sales lately. The company has seen its sales soar in the US and South Korean market, as well as in Russia, where it has recently became the top-selling foreign auto brand in the country.

In July, Kia set a new sales record in Russia with sales surpassing 10,000 units mark for the first time since the company entered the market. According to latest reports from Autostat.ru, Kia sold 10.502 new vehicles there in July, up a whopping 105 percent from the same month a year earlier.

Year-to-date sales reports reveals that the South Korean carmaker sold 56.231 new cars in Russia during the first seven months of the year, which represents a 57 percent increase compared to the first seven months of 2009. This is quite an impressive sales result, especially when considering that the Russian car market has contracted sharply in the last few months or so, recording a 37 percent fall in sales in January this year when compared with the same month a year earlier.

Kia’s top-performing vehicle in Russia last month was cee’d hatchback, which saw its sales topping 3253 units. It was followed by Rio sub-compact car and Sportage crossover with sales of 3205 and 1677 units, respectively.

Taking second spot in July sales was Chevrolet, which sold 8.986 new cars. It was followed French automaker Renault and Toyota with 8.574 and 8.251 units sold, respectively. Kia’s sister firm, Hyundai Motor Company, took seventh spot among foreign automakers selling cars in Russia. Hyundai sold 7.201 new vehicles in July, while its sales soared 56 percent compared to a year ago.

According to Autostat.ru, Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group topped the Russia’s import market in the first half of the year.

Next generation Kia Rio is set to give tough competition to VW Polo in terms of quality, aesthetics, and endurance.

Kia Motors has made a foothold in the automotive industry with the latest vehicle introductions. Exclusive style, power packed design, and high-end technology is the essence of every new vehicle launched from the house of Kia and the next generation Kia Rio is another feather in the cap of the company.

The next generation Kia Rio is expected to hit the market by the end of 2011. Latest news from Kia representatives suggest that new Rio is going to matchup with quality and technique of new VW Polo but definitely surpass Volkswagen in terms of style as it is being designed by design chief and former Audi man Peter Schreyer.

Great attention is being given to the exterior appearance of the upcoming Kia Rio in order to make the vehicle look unique and distinctive. Its design will be highly influenced from latest corporate models, such as new Kia Venga, 2011 Sportage crossover and 2011 Kia Optima sedan.

During the official launch of new Sportage in the UK, Kia’s design chief  Schreyer revealed the new Rio will use the latest corporate grille design. Apart from that, no other information has been released to the press.

How about powertrain technology? The new Rio is expected to share its platform with the upcoming 2011 Hyundai Accent, so you can expect to see gasoline direct injection -GDI technology applied to at least one of the Rio’s engines (possibly the 1.6L gasoline four-cyl. engine). Kia’s fuel-stretching Start-Stop (ISG) system, which switches off and then restarts the engine in congested city driving, is also expected to be available across entire Rio lineup.

More details about the next generation Rio sub-compact, as well as other Kia plans for 2011, will be revealed at the forth-coming Paris Auto Show in October. The fastest growing South Korean carmaker is promising to take the wraps off  “something very exciting” at the French exhibition!!

American automotive data provider ALG has declared that 2011 Kia Sportage has the highest residual value rating in the compact CUV section. The outstanding rating of 61-percent of original MSRP for 3 years of ownership has made 2011 Kia Sportage stand in the league of BMW and Subaru.

The 2011 Kia Sportage Residual Value is 20 point more than 2010 model, which is remarkable leap in the automotive industry. This compact utility vehicle has created a benchmark in the history of Kia Motors by attaining the highest residual value rating the company has ever received for any vehicle from ALG.

The high Residual Value Rating from ALG of new Kia Sportage have definitely added to the brand value of Kia Motors and will probably increase demand for the vehicle. Apart from the Kia Sportage Residual Value, the new 2011 model has a first-rate design and is equipped with the latest technology.

The change in size and style of Kia Sportage has given a new dimension to look of the vehicle.  The stylish look of 2011 Kia Sportage will significantly leverage the Kia brand. Not only the design of the new crossover vehicle has been revamped but, it is also added with more power and improved fuel economy.

The 2011 Kia Sportage also supports some advance features like panoramic sunroof, push-button start, rear camera display, navigation, LED daytime running lights and an air-cooled driver’s seat that will enhance the performance of the vehicle considerably.

In addition to all amazing features, the vehicle is said to have the UVO powered by Microsoft 1 in-vehicle communication and entertainment system based on the Windows Embedded Automotive platform.

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New Kia Venga MPV wins prestigious award from Autoexpress’ New Car Awards…

Kia’s hot loking Venga MPV has won another prize from automotive media. This time, the B-segment mini-MPV has won a highly coveted Best Supermini MPV award from UK’s Autoexpress.

Auto Express Editor-in-Chief David Johns told: New Kia Venga is a refreshingly honest machine that doesn’t rely on gimmicks or high-profile gadgets for its appeal. Instead, it simply provides lots of cabin and load space in a handsome package that also happens to be very attractively priced and good to drive.”

Critically acclaimed since its launch in February 2010 the European designed and built Venga combines attractive styling along with the practicalities and features of a larger car in a compact sub-four-metre package.

Kia Motors UK’s Managing Director, Michael Cole told: “Competition in this segment is particularly tough because customers are looking for an unrivalled combination of quality, style and value so I’m delighted that Venga has been recognised as the best in its class with one of the industry’s most prized awards.”

Other Kia Venga awards include: iF product design award and Red Dot design award.

Kia Motors America launches “Who’s Next?” talent search on Youtube with grand prize of $10,000!!

$10,000 awaits you. Show that you’ve got Soul. Produce the coolest video themed around the funky and innovative Kia Soul crossover and get to fly to Los Angeles for free.

What do Susan Boyle, Justin Bieber and Charice Pempengco have in common? They were all YouTube sensations before they became major stars. YouTube has launched their careers to legitimate international stardom. Who’s next? Who’s going to be the next Internet sensation?

That’s exactly the question being asked by the newest Internet talent search contest, “Who’s Next?” And guess who’s asking it? American Idol production? America’s Got Talent production? Guess again.

Kia Motors America (KMA). That’s right, Kia, the car maker is asking “Who’s Next?”

Riding on the success of its hamster ad campaign for the 2011 Kia Soul, Kia Motors America is inviting everyone to join Kia Soul’s video contest. Create your own talent video based on the creative uniqueness of the funky Kia Soul for a cool $10,000 prize.

In case you have not seen the award-winning TV ad, it goes a little something like this, to give you an idea. It begins with a shot of suburban city streets inhabited by hamsters who senselessly run in place inside their exercise wheels. A Molten Red Kia Soul then pulls up. Windows roll down and voila, inside are hip-hopping hamsters in hoods with head bobbing to the beat of loud R&B music. These cool hamsters have discovered “A New Way to Roll.”

That’s the point of the Kia Soul. It’s new. It’s cool. It’s a new way to roll. And that’s also the point of KMA’s video talent search. Show your own new way to roll.

Here is how to join Kia Motors America’s “Who’s Next?” Internet talent contest.

- The contest runs until the end of September. Everyone’s invited to submit a video themed around the Kia Soul, which by the way was declared one of the top 10 coolest new cars.

· Videos will be posted on Kia Soul’s video channel on YouTube (youtube.com/kiasoul). Make sure your video captures the Soul’s unique personality features, technology, style and popular music.

· August 9, judging will begin, and on August 20, YouTube fans and viewers can start voting which ones they like best. The judges are YouTube stars SMOSH, ShayCarl and Lisa Nova, whose combined channels have more than 640 million views and 2.62 million subscribers. Now, that’s a lot of people watching how you roll.

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European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association reported recently that Kia, together with its parent Hyundai Motor Company, outsold Toyota in Europe in the first half of the year. In addition to that, Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group also beat its main Japanese rival in the fast growing China market!

According to the report, Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group was the best-selling Asian automaker in Europe during the first six months of the fiscal year. The South Korean auto giant sold nearly 3,000 automobiles more than Toyota, which saw its sales plummeting 11 percent, compared to a year ago. Speaking of decreasing Toyota sales,  sales of other Japanese carmakers, such as Honda and Suzuki, also fell sharply. Their sales plunged by 21 and 20 percent, respectively.

During the first six months, Kia Motors sold 138,357 vehicles, while Hyundai Motor Company sold 191,338 vehicles in the European market. According to European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association, the combined total of 329,695 units is 2,904 more than Toyota’s sales of 326,791.

Both South Korean carmakers also managed to increase their market shares. Hyundai’s market share rose 0,3 percent to 2,6 percent, while Kia’s market share soared 0,2 percent to 1,8 percent.

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Back-up camera is available in the 2010 Kia Soul crossover vehicle…

The hot-looking Kia Soul is a popular box-crossover vehicle, which outsells all of its competitors on sale in the US-market. The main competitor of the new Soul is Nissan Cube. While the boxy crossover vehicle features similar design philosophy and targets same consumer (younger crowd) it can hardly challenge the Soul when it comes to pricing.

The popular Kia Soul crossover starts at a base price around $13.300, while the top-ranging model costs around $17.000. Even with the inexpensive price tag, those buying the 2010 Soul crossover vehicle will probably be pleasantly surprised with the necessary amenities that the funky Kia model offers.

Those include complete safety features, including 6-airbags (front driver – passenger airbags, side airbags and curtain airbags that protect heads and necks of those seating in front of the car, as well as those seating at back), ABS, sunroof, speakers with adjustable lighting, and luxuries, such as MP3 audio unit, back up camera, which is connected to the LCD display (placed in the rear-view mirror), 18-inch alloy-wheels and leather equipped interior.

Kia Motors UK announced today that it has secured a deal to supply 120 Kia cee’d SW EcoDynamics vehicles to a leading building technologies group.

The fleet will consist of 120 cee’d SW EcoDynamics cars and will be used by engineers within security, tele-care and fire protection companies – namely, Cirrus, Interphone Security Group and Instant Fire Protection – whilst they visit clients across the United Kingdom to perform installations, upgrades and on-site maintenance.

Following a review into operating costs, the group of companies re-evaluated its existing vehicle fleet and searched the market for a new vehicle that met all the product criteria they were looking for whilst offering significant savings, in terms of contract hire rates, environmental impact and whole-life costs.

“Concerned at the rise in our fleet operating costs we researched the market for a mid-sized estate car that satisfied a number of operational requirements. We were seeking to reduce operating costs for both ourselves and our drivers, demonstrate to our customers we are taking positive steps to reduce our carbon footprint and enhance driver satisfaction by providing a fit-for-purpose vehicle that provided plenty of space, comfort and specification,” explained Ian Green, Group Fleet Manager.

“Kia clearly demonstrated how this could be achieved with the cee’d SW EcoDynamics by offering us savings on our contract hire rates, National Insurance contributions and Benefit-In-Kind. The seven year warranty was also an important factor. Combine all of this with great feedback from our drivers on the cee’d SW’s performance, fuel consumption and specification and I believe we have found the ideal fleet car for our engineers’ use” added Green.

Andrew Sellars, Head of Fleet & Remarketing for Kia Motors UK said: “I’m delighted that our EcoDynamics range has again been chosen by a group seeking a great combination of pricing, ownership costs, equipment and low emissions. Combined with our industry-leading seven year warranty it’s no wonder that many fleet managers are now adding Kia to their shopping lists.”

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Kia’s global sales in June 2010 rise 16 percent to 184.111 units. Cee’d hatchback joins the group of 5 best-selling Kia cars.

Kia Motors Corporation announced today its global sales figures for passenger cars, recreational vehicles and commercial vehicles for June 2010, recording a total of 184.111 units sold. This represents a year-on-year increase of 16,2 percent.

Cumulatively, through the first six months of the fiscal year, Kia’s overall global sales surpassed the 1-million unit mark, posting an increase of 34,1 percent year-on-year and reaching 1.004.724 units. China has experienced the highest gain of 75.6% based on sales of 170,977 units to date in 2010.

During the month of June, the South Korean carmaker experienced healthy year-on-year sales increases in all overseas sales regions. Sales in general markets rose to 39.656 units (+52 percent), while sales in China eclipsed to 26.663 units. North America sales were up 17 percent (37.770 units sold), while European sales rose 12 percent to 35.591 units.

The C-segment Cerato (sold as Forte in some markets) was Kia’s top-selling vehicle in June. Kia sold 33.803 units of Cerato worldwide. The model was followed by the B-segment Rio and Sportage SUV with sales of 18.413 and 16.827 units sold, respectively.

The 2011 Sorento crossover recorded the sales of 15.322 units last month, enough to take one spot above the Kia cee’d. Kia cee’d, which is on sale only in Europe, rounds out the top five best-selling Kia vehicles in June with sales of 12.247 units.

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New Kia car sales in June up 12 percent compared to a year ago. Kia Sorento sales break 8,600 units.

Kia Motors America announced it has sold 31,906 new vehicles in the United States last month, up 12,8 percent from year-earlier levels. June 2010 sales were led by Kia’s Georgia-made Sorento crossover with 8,608 units sold. The popular Sorento CUV also remains the company’s best-selling model in the US-market in the first six month. So far this year, Kia dealers delivered 50,021 new Sorentos to consumers across the USA.

“Kia Motors’ design-led transformation is attracting new buyers to Kia showrooms, as evidenced by our best-ever first half of the year sales,” said Byung Mo Ahn, group president and CEO of KMA and Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia (KMMG). “Consumers are taking notice of the eye-catching design and long list of comfort, convenience and technology features found in our new generation vehicles, including the Sorento, Soul and Forte, and our aggressive launch schedule will continue with the arrival of the all-new Sportage this summer followed just a few months later by the all-new Optima.”

New Kia K5/Optima sedan sales hit 10,673 units last month. The K5 dethrones Sonata as the top-selling car in Korea!

According to latest new car sales data from South Korea, the newly unveiled Kia K5 mid-size sedan (known as Kia Optima overseas) has outsold the long-time sales leader Hyundai Sonata in the domestic market. It has happened for the first time that Kia’s mid-size sedan has topped the monthly sales chart in Korea.

Last month, Kia dealers sold 10.673 units of the K5 sedan, while Hyundai sold 9.957 Sonatas. From its very first day on the market, the K5 has been in high demand. The K5 sold 3.552 units within the first five days of its debut on May 25 with the number of sales contracts rising to an average of 831 vehicles per day.

Market watchers are calling the K5’s rise above the Sonata an industry landmark. The Sonata was the invincible leader of the mid-sized sedan category for 11 years, and it continually ruled the monthly sales chart except for July 2003 when it was overtaken by the Renault Samsung SM5 due to a Hyundai labor strike.