The production version of Kia Motors Corp.’s full-sized sports utility vehicle Mohave was shown to the press for the first time yesterday. The vehicle was introduced during a test-drive session at the automaker’s plant in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province. It is scheduled for launch on the local market in January 2008.
Mohave, short for “majesty of hi-tech active vehicle,” is Kia’s first full-sized SUV, and is the first one which embodies chief design officer Peter Schreyer’s “simplicity of the straight line” principle.
At the event, Schreyer explained that Kia is working on processes to develop a unique image, and that the Mohave represents the new aesthetic direction of the firm.
The car is the first from a Korean automaker to be equipped with a 6-speed automatic transmission produced by the German auto parts maker ZF Friedrichshafen AG.
And it comes with a 6-valve, 3-liter diesel engine that produces 250 brake horsepower. The car is also equipped with a button ignition system and curtain airbags that are deployed if the vehicle rolls over.
The SUV will be launched in North American markets in June of next year, and will be called Borrego, after another California desert. According to the company, the Mohave will be marketed against foreign automakers’ SUVs, including Ford Motor Co.’s Explorer and the Jeep Grand Cherokee. Export versions of the car will be available with a 6-valve or an 8-valve engine. [Source: Koreaherald]
November 26th, 2007 at 12:17 pm
Hey greg, saw the vid of your optima. This dark red is the most popular color for optima. This orange-ish brown colour on the Borrego looks very nice. I espeicially like the gray side cladding. Pete’s done really well with Mohave/Borrego. Now Kia needs a coupe sedan to compete with accord and altima coupe.
November 26th, 2007 at 12:51 pm
Hi Boris.
I heard next gen. Kia Amanti might become a coupe sedan in the future. There were some rumours Amanti could be built on Hyundai’s rear wheel drive platform!…
November 26th, 2007 at 5:21 pm
That would be great with the Sorento’s torque-on-demand.
November 26th, 2007 at 6:00 pm
Maybe the coupe should be based on the Kee concept with a larger V8 engine like Borrego’s. Or it could be Based on Optima as well.
November 26th, 2007 at 7:29 pm
Kia should produce a couple next year. It would make sense though for it to look a lot like the Kee. If they are going to use the Tiburon platform it would be quite easy to redesign the sheet metal to have that look. Plus, Kia should get a convertable before Hyundai. In order to make it sooner than later it would make sense for them to borrow the Tib platform on the first Kia Sport Coupe.
November 26th, 2007 at 10:42 pm
Hyundai will build a Coupe successor (smaller than Genesis Coupe) and I think Kia will share it’s platform to lower the development costs. I wish Kia would offer a hybrid version of Kee coupe for American market or a sporty diesel engine, like some other car companies did. Peugeot, BMW and Audi are selling their diesel equiped coupes very succesfully here in Europe. So Kia, why not trying the same?
November 26th, 2007 at 10:53 pm
You make a good point! I can’t stand the spoiler they put on the Tiburon! If Kia shared that platform and basic design, the spoiler’s got to go!
November 27th, 2007 at 1:08 am
and to get back to the Borrego, I have customers who are already putting in orders
November 27th, 2007 at 1:26 am
Really Colby? You’re actualy taking pre-orders for Borrego? How many people did that already? Is there great interest on Borrego already in US? What do people say about it so far? I know there were not many Borrego pics released, but do people like it’s design?
Do you think that record high gas prices will have a negative impact on it’s sales in the future? I think the timing is not in favour of large V8 or V6 engines right now. I posted many questions but ?’m interested what you think about that.
November 27th, 2007 at 1:30 am
Really? Pennsylvania Kia dealers supposedly sell the most Kias! Have you checked out Lifetime Kia?
November 27th, 2007 at 2:05 am
I have three customers of mine that are waiting on it to hit the shores in June. I think it will impact the sales somewhat but the US market is more impacted by the stock market. High gas prices have been the norm for almost 2years, so I think people have adjusted. Now if gas here in the US were to hit over $4 a gallon and stay there then Kia had better bring on some hybrids. The factor that will help the Borrego sell is if it still can under cut the exploder and the trailblaizer in overall price, value and style. Americans still buy over 1 million Mid-Full size SUV’s a year. And KIA’s name here in the states in the past year alone has become more prevalient with people. It has begun to move on from cheap to VALUE priced.
The store that I work for is in the Richest part of PA. We have one of the largest BMW stores, Honda sotres and Mercedes stores right next door. Yet we still sell over 100 new Kia’s a month to people in the area. Hell, I have traded in bmw’s and mercedes for Kia’s. I sell an average of 15-20 new kia’s amonth here and just in the past year I have seen my client’s change from credit challanged to credit worthiness
November 27th, 2007 at 2:07 am
yes lifetime is crazy.
November 27th, 2007 at 2:54 am
Last month Williams Kia in Traverse City, MI sold exactly 152 Kias I’m sure that trading in a new Mercedes for an Amanti, you would get the Amanti and a Rio free! A bimmer and you could get TWO Amantis!