Comments on: Hyundai-Kia aims to attract premium brands customers

By: Colby

Colby — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 23:14:56 +0000

Did anyone read the new blog on Kia-buzz?? They state that with the addition of the borrego they are going to unviel another new vehicle this year but didn’t state what it was going to be. They already announced the Soul is going to be out in October and the Borrego this Spring. So thier is going to be 3 “new” designs for 08. I am excited.

By: Greg

Greg — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 17:34:38 +0000

Excuse me, in the first word, I meant to type “Kia” . Really easy mistake!

By: Greg

Greg — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 17:32:00 +0000

Kis is trying to get tier2bin5 diesels as quick as possible, but it just isn’t happening. Kia is really lagging behind Japanese automakers in hybrids. Kia should do more with Ethanol too. I was watching the Science Channel the other day, and saw how it is easier to make Ethanol out of food scraps than actual corn. If we did start using more ethanol made with waste scraps we could easily reduce pollution, oil consumption, and help keep landfills less full.

By: himi

himi — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 14:47:55 +0000

I’m with you Colby! What Kia needs right now is an affordable and attractive sports coupe and perhaps it’s cabrio version. The Kee mada a lot of buzz already amd impressed people who have seen it. So it would be the perfect image car for Kia.

Second, I hope to see a Spectra replacement as soon as possible. Kia needs a true competitor to Civics and new Saturn Ion. Current Spectra is a great value car but lacks refinement and sporty feel that competitors offer.

I wouldn’t go for a pick up truck! It’s a though market and sales numbers are going down due to the rising fuel prices and changing demands of US consumers right now.

If I was at Kia, I’d push for diesel engines to be offered in their SUVs and sedans! The perfect combination for US market would be the next gen Spectra with a 2.0clean diesel engine.
Such vehicle would have low fuel consumption (lower than hybrids) and not much of competition from other automakers.
Although the cost of a new car would most probably be slightly higher compared to gasoline powered Spectra, it would still be lower than the price of hybrid car. Plus, it would be lighter than a hybrid, which also means better performances.

By: K-Sport (Boris)

K-Sport (Boris) — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 22:46:00 +0000

Hi everyone.
here’s something about Hyundai from India (Goa). When I first arrived there, I saw heart-breakingly few hyundai i10 hatches. BUt soon I was seeing at least one each day. looks so cool. the rear lights were quiet big. OK. have to read the other posts thats I missed.

By: JTZ

JTZ — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 21:24:07 +0000

Now the 3rd generation Spectra looks ready to be shown next year. The Optima is supposed to get the minor facelift and I know about the 3rd gen Rio but I didn’t expect this model to arrive so fast. It is only 2 years old (well it will be 2 next year).

Kia should look at Suzuki and see how bad their Nissan titan sell before giving their pick-up truck the green light.

By: Colby

Colby — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 17:46:51 +0000

I would be going sports car. Not pickup if I were Kia. Truck sales are at all time lows on the US. It would be a stupid move for Kia. The latest report for GM, Ford, Nissan state that they have double the amount of trucks than buyers for them. Which is really bad. You want to have a two month supply for a vehicle. Not a 5 month supply like they have now.

By: Greg

Greg — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 17:32:17 +0000

No, because it says 3 new and 2 redesigned! The Sportage and Rio will get the redesign. There is still one vehicle that we will get that Kia is keeping a secret. A Kia official I e-mailed confirmed that we will get 3 NEW and 2 REDESIGNED. He also confirmed that Borrego and Soul are coming for sure, and the 3rd vehicle is Kia’s biggest secret to date. I really, really hope it’s a pick-up!

By: himi

himi — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 21:51:38 +0000

First of the three is Borrego, second is the Soul crossover and third could be either Sportage, Rio or new Spectra. But I belive Spectra will debut in 09…

By: Greg

Greg — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 21:40:46 +0000

3 new vehicles? Borrego, Soul, and Mojave? Maybe the dealership was right in saying that Kia will debut a pickup, or maybe a commercial vehicle for the American market. The two that will get the makeovers is Spectra and Rio for sure. Well, at least Spectra for sure. The Sportage might get redone. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.