Another great article coming from European press:

The sleek, mirrored facade of Kia Motor’s new 75million euro ($109million) design centre has carved out its own unique space in Frankfurt’s distinctive skyline.

In automotive circles, the city is famous for hosting Europe’s biggest motor show every other year. Now, with the arrival of Kia, the car industry’s presence has become permanent.

“The building and the location is quite a statement,” grins head designer Peter Schreyer as he looks out over the sprawling city. “It is part of our brand image positioning. It is a statement of our strong commitment to Europe.” (more…)

Do you remember Kia Kee concept car, crashing on it’s way to L.A. Auto Show? Well, here is a great news for you folks. The “new face” of Kia is coming back to USA!

While on it’s way to make American debut at L.A. Auto Show, the Kee got into an accident. Kia’s attractive concept car wriggled out of its cargo restraints and slammed it’s face into the front of it’s transporter. Kee’s face was crumpled and the consequences of that accident were impossible to hide. Kia sent the Kee back to Europe to get the damage repaired

And now, acording to Michael Choo, Kia’s International PR manager, Kee is finally fixed and ready to make a splash at North American International Auto Show in Detroit. It is scheduled to be unveiled at Kia’s press conference on Monday, January 13^th.

Get to know more about Kia Kee here!

Kia Motors America today announced its 14th consecutive year of record sales with 305,473 units sold, a 3.8-percent year-over-year increase. Kia saw nine months of record sales in 2007. Leading the way for the brand in 2007 were Rio, Optima and Sportage, which ended the year with its best month of the year.

“In a year that was not particularly good for the industry, Kia continued to thrive with another record year and the passing of the 300,000-units-sold mark,” said Len Hunt, president and CEO of Kia Motors America. “As we begin 2008, we are optimistic that with our current line-up and the introduction of the seven-passenger Borrego SUV, Kia will continue its trend of year-over-year record sales.”

Sportage sold 49,393 units, a 33.2-percent year-over-year increase while Rio sold 33,370 units, a 17.5-percent increase, and Optima sold 40,901 units, a 6.5-percent year-over-year increase. Rondo, in its first full-year on the market, sold 26,020 units. [Source: Kiamedia] (more…)

Kia Motors Corp. has finally launched it’s much anticipated large SUV!

The vehicle, which took 29 months to develop and costed Kia $245 million, is based on the Mesa concept car which was revealed in 2005.

In a similar move to Hyundai Motor Co.’s challenging foreign auto brands with the sports sedan Genesis, Kia Motors will also be pitting the Mohave against foreign carmakers’ SUVs, including the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Ford Explorer.

For this, Kia Motors has taken pains to ensure that the Mohave can match up to its supposed competitors. The car is equipped with a six-speed automatic transmission produced by the German parts maker ZF Friedrichshafen AG. The Mohave also comes with a 3-liter, 6-valce diesel engine in it’s home market, which puts out 250 brake horsepower and has a fuel economy of 11.1 kilometers per liter of fuel.

The car also comes with a host of safety features, including curtain and side airbags that are deployed when sensors detect that the vehicle is about to roll over.

According to the company, 75 percent of the car’s frame has been constructed with high-strength steel for increased integrity of the cabin, and is equipped with an array of electronic systems to help prevent accidents.

Aside from using the latest technology in building this car, Kia Motors has opted for the badge used for the company’s large sedan Opirus to set the Mohave apart from other vehicles.

The company has set an annual sales target of 20,000 units for the local market and 60,000 units for exports from 2009. For this year, the company aims to sell 18,000 units locally, and export 30,000 units.

Click image to enlarge!

American auto show season kicks off on January 19^th, when the 2008 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) opens it’s doors! Beeing held more than hundreed times in the past, it will once again showcase some of automotive industry’s most significant vehicle designs and technology debuts.

Major automakers debut dozens of new models and concept cars at NAIAS each year and 08 event will be no exception. Several car companies, including Kia, Hyundai, Toyota, Ford and Honda have already announced their premieres for NAIAS 08, while other automakers tend to do the same in upcoming days.

While we are waiting automakers to reveal all the secret cars, we can take a look at automakers press conference schedule:

Sunday, January 13, 2008

11:25-11:50 am General Motors with Lunch
12:00-12:25 pm Mercedes-Benz
12:35-1:00 pm Volkswagen
1:10-1:35 pm BMW
1:45-2:10 pm Honda
2:20-2:45 pm Audi
2:55-3:20 pm Subaru
3:30-3:55 pm Hyundai (more…)