Kia has confirmed it will expand its model line-up with the addition of a compact SUV in early 2009.

The new model, which has not yet been officially named, is based on the Soul concept car which was first seen at last year’s Detroit Motor Show. The production car will make its European debut at the Paris Motor Show next September and will reach UK dealerships by February 2009.

The B-segment car was designed at the brand’s Californian design studio but will not feature the concept model’s rear suicide doors.

The brand has also announced the launch of a new mid-size Borrego SUV which will debut at the Detroit Motor Show in January. The seven-seater will go on sale in mid-2008 in left hand drive markets but the brand has yet to decide whether it will receive a UK launch.  [Source: Motortrader]

With Its Subtle Interior Design Giving It A Much Classier Look, The Picanto Has Finally Grown Up

It’s funny how even the smallest of details can turn an already pretty decent product into something that’s pretty spectacular.

Well, that’s just what those interior designers at Kia have done with their latest incarnation of the little Picanto.

Gone are those acres of yucky battleship grey plastic and fabrics that really did overwhelm the interior of the funky city car. (more…)

Kia Motors America (KMA) today announced it will promote Len Hunt to president and chief executive officer.

Mr. Hunt has served as the executive vice president and chief operating officer for KMA during the past two years, and replaces B.G. Lee who has returned to Korea.

“This decision reflects a solid vote of confidence in the leadership of Len Hunt,” said E.S. Chung, president and CEO of Kia Motors Corporation (KMC).

“He has put together and empowered a team of seasoned professionals to help Kia flexibly meet the changing U.S. market situation, and he is the right choice to lead the company going forward.” [Source: Kia]

Congratulations to Mr. Len Hunt from KIA-WORLD blog! Keep up with the good work at Kia Motors America!

A few months ago we talked to Mr. Len Hunt about Kia’s future. He was Executive Vice President and a Chief Operating Oficer at Kia Motors America at that time. In case you missed the opportunity to participate, you now have a chance to read the chat script!

Kia officials talk! (click here to read)

Rapidly growing Korean car company Kia says that its new Slovakian manufacturing plant is on course to become Europe’ most productive.

The one-billion-euro facility at Zilina in Slovakia is said to be operating so efficiently that production of the new Kia Pro-cee’d has begun six weeks ahead of schedule and will now reach UK showrooms in February.

The 2,600 employees are working two shifts a day to build four different Kia models and will soon be making them at the rate of 100 cars per employee. (more…)

Kia has confirmed it will add ‘eco’ versions of the strangely named cee’d model to its product line up early in 2009 – the year we may see the cee’d arrive in Australian dealer showrooms.

Based on the Eco_cee’d concept car seen at the recent Frankfurt motor show, the new ”green” versions of Kia cee’d will achieve better fuel consumption with fewer emissions.

All the technologies featured on the Eco_cee’d concept will be adopted by the new ‘eco’ production models the Korean brand is planning to manufacture at its Zilina facility in Slovakia from December next year. (more…)

Bad news for the folks at Kia. The European-designed Kia Kee concept car, touted as the “new face of Kia,” was en route to its North American debut at next week’s 2007 Los Angeles Auto Show when it broke free of its cargo restraints inside the car transporter and smashed its front end.

Kia spokesman Alex Fedorak says, “We had to send the car back to Italy to get repaired and there is no way it’s going to make it back to the States in time for the LA show.”

The 197-horsepower Kee 2+2 made its world debut at the 2007 Frankfurt Auto Show in September, and was scheduled to stop at Kia’s dealer meeting in Las Vegas before arriving at the L.A. Convention Center when the accident occurred.

[Source: Edmunds]

Further confirmation that the popular Kia cee´d is becoming a major attraction for C-segment family car buyers in Europe comes with news that this model has claimed the No1 sales spot in two countries during October.

In the Czech Republic, Kia cee´d was the best-selling imported car (the top non-Skoda) for the first time in October and was the top-selling imported C-segment car for the second time, having also achieved this accolade in April.

Kia´s total sales in October jumped 63% as the brand claimed a 3.47% market share. Over the first 10 months of 2007, Kia sales have climbed 67% enabling the brand to claim a Top 10 position, closely following Opel and beating Fiat. (more…)

Kia will make a midsize sports utility vehicle similar to the Hyundai Santa Fe made in Montgomery when its plant in west Georgia is finished in 2009. The Korean automaker made the announcement about the Sorento model Tuesday at its annual dealers meeting in Las Vegas, according to spokesman Alex Fedorak.

The engine for the Sorento will be made at Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama.The 2010 Sorento will be the only vehicle manufactured at the plant when it opens.

Kia will have a production capacity of 300,000 vehicles annually, allowing it to produce at least one more model but Fedorak said a second model would not be added until after the plant goes through the break-in process. [Source: Montgomery Advertiser]

Kia has finally released some secrets of their upcoming midsize SUV. Here is their official press release:

Kia Motors America (KMA) today announced it will give its new midsize SUV the moniker of “Borrego” when it debuts in January at the Detroit Auto Show.

Code-named HM during development, the new Kia Borrego is the first mid-size SUV from Kia and features a body-on-frame construction incorporating the latest NVH engineering philosophy for enhanced refinement.

With room for up-to-seven occupants, the newest addition to the Kia model line-up gives the brand a truly comprehensive global product range that delivers value, safety and ownership peace of mind to consumers. (more…)

The futuristic looking Soul crossover will hit the dealers sometime next year and bosses at Kia have promised that the final version of the boxy people carrier will be virtually identical to the show car we have seen at SEMA last week.

To support their claim you can see some of the latest spy shots when Soul beeing tested. You can clearly see the unusual sloping roof and squared-off proportions of the car. Most of it’s design elements are taken from a Soul concept car, but some body parts could also be inspired by the Kee concept car.

Don’t be surprised if the newcomer features Kia’s latest grille design, as previewed by Kia KEE coupe. The Frankfurt show car’s H-shaped design is set to become a Kia trademark, and will most likely appear on the five-door Soul.

Click image to enlarge!

Kia Motors Corp. announced last week that it has sold a record number of vehicles during October. The affiliate of Hyundai Motor Co. said it sold more than 140,000 units during the month, an increase of 35 percent from the same month last year. The company’s previous monthly sales record was about 132,500, in November last year.

Of the 140,000 vehicles the company sold last month, more than 115,000 units were accounted for by overseas sales – including exports and vehicles produced at the company’s overseas plants. Kia Motors’ overseas sales for September were recorded at just below 90,000 units and the figure for October last year was less than 80,000. (more…)

The most exciting moment for me as a designer is to get the first reactions on our new developed products, like now for the Borrego.The Borrego will be our key to entering the traditional full-size SUV segment and a strong statement of Kia´s intent to attract new costumers.

Along with our well established Sportage and Sorento models, the Borrego will round out our SUV line-up and enable Kia to satisfy distinctly different customers ranging from the young, hip and cool to those searching for a more premium appeal.

With the Borrego we will enter into an SUV segment that attracts a more refined target group. This consumer group embraces clean, pure design and associates it with an aspiration for timeless value and quality. (more…)

Growth in South Korean car exports is expected to accelerate next year on solid demand from emerging markets and on new models, a research unit of Hyundai Motor Group said on Tuesday.

Korea Automotive Research Institute forecast combined overseas sales from the country’s five car makers, including Hyundai Motor Co and affiliate Kia Motors Corp , to grow 7.2 percent to 3 million units in 2008.

That compared to a 5.6 percent rise forecast for this year.

“Demand from emerging markets is likely to keep rising, although growth in the global economy may slow due to the impact from the financial market turmoil related to the U.S. subprime mortgage sector problems,” the institute said in a statement.

Domestic sales, which usually carry higher margins, are expected to rise 6.3 percent to 1.36 million vehicles next year, exceeding 1.3 million units for the first time in five years.

The study also said global car sales would grow 4.9 percent to 71.8 million vehicles in 2008.

Overall car sales in China, the world’s fastest-growing auto market, are seen increasing 13.9 percent to 10.2 million units, and India’s sales are expected to rise 16.8 percent to 2.23 million.But U.S. car sales are expected to edge up only 0.2 percent overall to 16.1 million.