Kia is getting ready to expand it’s line-up with the company’s first ever coupe model! The upcoming two-door coupe will reportedly be based on Kia KOUP concept, which was first shown at New York Auto Show a couple of months ago.

Early next year, Kia will be replacing its Spectra with a new sporty sedan -named Forte, and within a couple of months, the production version of Kia KOUP concept will emerge. Automotivenews.com today reported that the coupe will be used to replace the 5-door Spectra hatchback, which hasn’t proven to be the best seller on the U.S. market.

The debut of the company’s first ever 2-door coupe was already hinted by many Kia officials during the press days of 2008 New York Auto Show and more so after the company received an overwhelming response and numerous inquiries as to the viability of KOUP finding its way for production.

When the new sedan and coupe models bow in 2009, they will be renamed to Forte sedan and possibly, the Forte coupe. According to Lee Hyun-soon, president of Kia-Hyundai research and development division, the upcoming Kia models will not retain the Spectra name.

IMPORTANT UPDATE: Live from New York auto show. The 2010 Kia Forte Koup debuts!!!

1. How long have you owned your Spectra?
I have had my Spectra for a little over 3 years now.

2. What cars did you own before?
Before the Spectra I had a 2003 Rio, 1987 Mazda B2000 pickup and a 1979 Chevy Custom Delux pickup.

3. Honestly, what was your intention when you bought your Spectra?
I needed a bigger car than the Rio. I went to the dealership to look at new cars and the dealer showed me the only 2004.5 Spectra they had available. He knew I like to drive fast and would not be leaving the car stock so when we left the lot he said “Open her up!” So I did, and fell in love! I traded in my Rio, getting more for it in trade value than I paid for it, and drove home my new Spectra.

4. In a few words, describe the style of your Spectra?
Me. I am making the car to fit me and my personallity and not for anyone else. Though my wife did admit to me she likes being seen in it.

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The Kia Mohave is named after Kia’s rigorous testing ground in the US desert which intrudes on four states and has Las Vegas as a glittering oasis in its centre. So in theory, having been honed in such a demanding environment – the desert, not Las Vegas – it should be perfectly suited to the Middle East.

At the press launch that Kia Motors held in the UAE (United Arab Emirates) last week, journalists were treated to a leisurely drive from the centre of Dubai out into the middle of the desert, where they hoped to be able to put Kia Mohave through it’s paces both on and off road. [read more]

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Just a day after we brought you a teaser shot of 2009 Kia Forte (Spectra successor), Brenda Priddy&Co. spy photographers surprised us and delievered an awesome set of spy pics showcasing Kia Forte prototype undergoing testing on US soil. The higher frequency of the appearance of Kia’s four door sedan indicates that Forte entered the final stage of testing and points at it’s nearing debut.

Despite the camo attached, it’s clear that the upcoming Kia sedan, code-named TD, takes it’s styling cues from Kia’s two door KOUP concept. The automaker’s new design language, set by automobile design guru Peter Schreyer -former Audi employee, will influence every aspect of the four door’s exterior with a clean and sporty lines.

While Kia has already cleared it’s intentions to officially launch Korean-market Forte on 21st of August, it remains unknown when precisely the new model will be hitting US dealerships. Fast spreading rumours indicate Forte will be making an official US debut at the North American International Auto Show next year and should arrive at dealerships early in 2009.

No official information is yet available about possible powerplant options that might be offered on US Kia Forte, however we can speculate that one of the likely engine trim will include the 143hp – 2.0L engine, already used in European Kia cee’d. [Source: Leftlanenews -more pics!!!]

Related link: Forte interior image

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Today, Byung Mo Ahn, group president and CEO of Kia Motors America -KMA and Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia -KMMG, was joined by local and state representatives for the grand opening ceremony of the new 21.7-acre Kia U.S. corporate campus in Irvine, Calif. The $130-million investment includes the Kia Motors America Corporate Headquarters and state-of-the-art Kia Design Center America -KDCA.

“The investment in our new corporate campus reaffirms our commitment to the United States market and California,” said Ahn. “Our new U.S. Corporate Headquarters and Design Center enables us to develop products specifically for Kia that are designed and tuned for North American consumers.”

Now fully operational, the Irvine campus currently employs approximately 400 permanent full-time employees and has the potential to house approximately 600 employees at full capacity. The corporate headquarters is a custom-built facility that is home to the KMA U.S. sales division, as well as its marketing, public relations, consumer affairs, technical service, research and development, product planning and administration departments. The new facility also houses the KMA western region office and IT services.

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How do you make your stock cee’d look more unique, sporty and aggressive? The UK based Hendy Group, a dealer franchise with plenty of motorsport experience, seems to have an answer. Their experts have revealed the way to improve the popular cee’d hatchback in three areas: power, control and styling.

Underhood, the engine gets reprogrammed ECU (Engine Computing Unit) that adds 29 extra horsepower out of the ceed’s 1.6L common-rail diesel engine, bringing total output to a very respectable 142hp. Torque also goes up to a hefty 305Nm from 255Nm in stock tune.

To stabilize the cee’d while increasing driving performance, the suspension gets overhauled, too, with stiffer dampers, Eibach springs and rear anti roll bar – taken from the three door Pro_cee’d.

Exterior modifications include the front bumper and lights from three door Pro_cee’d, low-profiled 17-inch ruber and a set of hot looking alloys in a black finish. The package is completed by tinted windows and a pair of black stripes on the hood, roof and back of the car.

And how does the modified cee’d feel on the road? Autoexpress got behind the wheel of it and you can read their verdict – after the jump( more pics included)… (more…)

Kia Forte is back! Last month, we were initially teased with an image showing the side profile of the upcoming Forte sedan, and today, another teaser shot surfaced throughout the web. This latest image gives you a brief peek of Forte’s front fascia, which features the  H-pattern grille and Civic-like headlights.

New Kia Forte takes many of its styling cues from the KOUP concept, that debuted at New York International Auto Show and signals new design direction for Kia brand.

As you already know, the Forte sedan will be replacing aging Kia Spectra, called also as Cerato in some overseas markets. It’s Korean premiere is scheduled for August 21st, and that’s when more details will be revealed.

UPDATE: Check out the official images of the 2010 Kia Forte; released by Kia Motors today!!!

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The eagerly awaited Kia Soul will tease concertgoers this summer with a sneak-peek appearance during the 2008 Vans Warped Tour®. As part of Kia Motors’ exclusive vehicle sponsorship of the tour, a specially-designed lightly camouflaged preproduction Soul will be on display at the Kia Soul Lounge at every Vans Warped Tour stop.

This will be the public’s first opportunity to see the Soul up close before the production vehicle makes its world debut later this year at the Paris Motor Show. The Soul will go on sale in the United States spring 2009.

The Kia Soul is not ready to bare all just quite yet. While much of the car will be on display for all to see, its dress leaves much to the imagination. The Soul will feature a “pair of Vans” in the form of partial front and rear masks bearing Vans’ signature checkerboard pattern.

Red wheel spokes and side mirrors tease out its fun and naughty side, while darkened windows help Soul maintain its mysterious allure until its Parisian debut. Kia and Vans Warped Tour badges on the front and rear with Vans logos running down each side scream that this vehicle is ready for action.

     
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Kia Motors Corporation announced today that its global sales of passenger cars, recreation vehicles (RVs) and commercial vehicles in May 2008 recorded 127,323 units, representing a 16.5% year-on-year increase.

By vehicle category sold overseas, 68,723 Kia passenger cars were sold in May, an increase of 30.6% year-on-year. So far in 2008, Kia’s best selling model in overseas markets has been the C-segment Cerato (Spectra) with 88,470 units sold. It is followed by a close group of three vehicles.

The B-segment Rio with 64,588 units sold, the C-segment cee’d with 64,006 and the Sportage compact SUV at 62,003. The A-segment Picanto with 45,721 units sold rounds out the group of top five best selling models overseas. (See the sales table after the jump)

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Kia Lotze Innovation officially went on sale in Korean dealerships on Friday. The car, that hints at a new face of Kia, took almost 18 months and $70 millions to develop. Lotze Innovation was designed under the direction of the company’s chief design officer, Peter Schreyer.

It’s the first mid-sized sedan from a Korean car company that will be fitted with button ignition, smart key system, paddle shifters mated to the 5-speed automatic transmission and a very cool feature called ECO driving system, which alerts the driver when the car is operating under the most efficient conditions in terms of fuel economy.

In Korea, Lotze Innovation is avaliable in two powertrain configurations. The car can be equipped with either a 2.0L engine that produces an impressive 163 horsepower (the highest output among domestic models in the segment) or a 2.4L with the maximum output of 179 hp. Both models have a fuel economy of 11.5 kilometers per liter for vehicles fitted with automatic transmissions while the manual transmission version of the 2.0L trim can travel 12.8 kilometers on a liter of fuel.

Prices start at 17,53 million won ($17.000) for a base models, while the top model boosts it’s sticker to 27,50 million won. The company expects to sell 140.000 units annually – 60.000 at it’s home market and 80,000 units overseas.  (more…)

These are the first spy pictures of the new mini MPV, codenamed YN, that Kia has been secretly developing at it’s Namyang research and development center in South Korea. The first prototype was captured recently, by the crew of Autowereld spy photographers, when undergoing road testing. When mini MPV goes on sale, this will be Kia’s first venture into the mini MPV market, currently owned by Opel Meriva and Renault Modus.

Latest info coming from Kia states that the minivan will be based on the same platform as upcoming Kia Soul and Hyundai i20 compacts. We don’t know much at this point as far as engines go, suffice to say a wide range of four cylinder diesel and gasoline engines will be avaliable.

Production is expected to start at the Zilina, Slovakia, facility in the spring of 2009 with cars reaching dealerships across the Europe shortly afterwards as a 2010 model. Official presentation of the new Kia minivan is expected to happen at Geneva Motor Show next year. [Source: Autowereld.com]

Follow the link to get more news on the 2010 Kia cee’d plus.

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The interior of recently updated Kia Lotze Innovation (Optima in US) received a host of new changes and features. Updated trim materials and colour schemes, new barrel-type instrument cluster design adopting a sporty red-blue illumination, in-dash mounted navigation system with better audio system are only a few to mention (find more).

Improved Lotze Innovation interior will also feature Kia’s first steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters to enable you to manually up and down shift. The paddles are located above each side of the steering wheel and enables you to simply use your index fingers to tap the right paddle for an upshift and left paddle downshift.

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Last month, Kia UK confirmed it’s attendance at the British International Auto Show, which kicks off on July 23rd. In it’s statement, Kia UK announced it will be bringing at least five concept cars to the show to highlight the rapid growth and development of the brand.

Managing Director of Kia Motors UK, Paul Philpott, said; ” British International Motor Show is an important event for Kia Motors, and an exciting one! This will be the first time the latest generation of Kia concepts will be placed together, making the auto show a unique opportunity to see how the cars reflect developing design cues. By gathering together the latest crop of concept cars (trio of Soul concepts, Ex_cee’d cabrio and a four seat Kee coupe) and current models, we aim to show how far Kia has come in such a short space of time. From being just a value brand we are now viewed as being more quality and design.”

Alongside a truely exciting concept line-up at the stand, Kia also chose British International Auto Show to reveal some new details about a forthcoming product (Soul crossover), which will head to showrooms across the world in the beginning of 2009. The stylish Soul crossover sports a unique and cohesive design and will give us the clearest indication of future design direction Kia is heading to.

Our excitement about the Soul keeps growing day by day and we hope to gain as much details as possible from the auto show. Of course, it’s hard to imagine Kia would release all of the core informations prior Soul’s world premiere (October 2008), that’s why we are hoping the promised news pack to include at least some general information regarding the powertrain and transmission options, and perhaps a few additional exterior and interior images.

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One of our readers (Greg), who has been with us since the beginning (of KIA-WORLD blog), recently applyed for Borrego test drive carried out by one of Kia dealers near his home. He had gotten his hands on a brochure that reveals the Borrego in it’s full production glorry.

The production model of Borrego SUV was first unveiled at North American International Auto Show in January and is scheduled to go on sale next month. Borrego marks Kia’s first entry into an increasingly competitive market of 7-passanger SUVs. From the bottom up, Borrego is a vehicle of firts, boasting Kia’s first ever V8 engine (337hp), 6-speed Sportmatic transmission, navigation system, rear camera display, 7500 pounds towing capacity, Downhill Brake Control (DBC), Hill Assist Control (HAC), SIRIUS satellite radio and much more.

The first thing that jumped out at us were the fuel consumption numbers of Borrego’s V8 engine. Acording to Kia, it’s new V8 engine delivers 337hp (323 lb-ft of torque) and up to 22MPG when highway driving!! That’s much better than most of it’s V8 competition.

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