How do you spin your wheels? Take a look at this interesing video of Kia Soul Ignition burning out the tires and let a grandma teach you. Have fun!

The all-new 2011 Kia Sorento prices to start at $20.790  (including a $795 destination charge).

The all-new 2011 Kia Sorento will be making its inroads into Kia’s dealerships across the USA in January next year, with a starting price tag of $20.790 for an entry-level, front-wheel-drive model, while prices will top out at $29.690 for the all-wheel-drive Sorento crossover with 6-speed automatic gearbox and more potent six-cylinder engine.

The entry-level Sorento with front-wheel-drive drivetrine offers seating for five people and is equipped with 2.4L Theta II gasoline engine. The four-cylinder unit, which produces 175 horsepower, is paired with six-speed manual transmission.

The top-of-the-range Sorento model is equipped with more potent six-cylinder Lambda II engine, which puts out class-leading 276 horsepower and 248 ft-lb, and mates Kia’s all-new six-speed automatic transmission. It is available in either front-while-drive or all-wheel drive variants with prices ranging from $27,990 to $29,690.

The all-new 2011 Kia Sorento crossover is the very first Kia vehicle that is being produced at Kia’s Georgia-based production facility, which can build up to 300.000 new vehicles per year. Production of the 2011 Sorento has already begun, while sales are scheduled to commence during January 2010.

2011 Kia Sorento prices (Note: prices include $795 shipping charge):

Base model: 2.4L four-cylinder engine, Manual Transmission, 4×2 = $20.790

Sorento LX: 2.4L four-cylinder engine, Automatic Transmission, 4×2 = $23.190

Sorento LX: 2.4L four-cylinder engine, Automatic Transmission, 4×4 = $24.890

Sorento EX: 2.4L four-cylinder engine, Automatic Transmission, 4×2 = $25.390

Sorento EX: 2.4L four-cylinder engine, Automatic Transmission, 4×4 = $27.090

Sorento EX: 3.5L six-cylinder engine, Automatic Transmission, 4×2 = $27.990

Sorento EX: 3.5L six-cylinder engine, Automatic Transmission, 4×4 = $29.690

Update: Kia Motors America just recently updated Sorento line-up by adding a new trim package. Find out more about 2011 Kia Sorento SX here.

New 2010 Kia Soul Ingnition Special Edition arrives to Kia dealerships across the USA.

Kia Motors America today announced the arrival of the Soul Ingnition Special Edition model. The Soul Ignition is the second Kia Soul Special Edition thus far in 2009, after the Soul Denim, which has been unveiled earlier this year, and represents the second out of four Special Edition Souls that are destined to hit Kia’s U.S. within the next couple of months.

What sets the Ignition Kia Soul apart from other Souls is its attractive exterior appearance, spiced-up by attractive unique body paint and off-set black racing stripe that runs the length of the car. The orange colour is called Ignition and it is the only exterior paint offered for the 2010 Ignition Soul.

Rounding up the unique orange-black exterior treatment of the all-new Kia Soul Ignition are cool looking 18-inch alloy-wheels with machined accents, aluminum gas door, rear spoiler and athletic-looking body kit.

Just like the very first special edition Kia Soul, the Soul Denim, the 2010 Ignition Soul is also built upon the Soul+ model, which hosts a plethora of standard features, but ads a few extras including an Audio Upgrade Package, which involves subwoofer, center speakers, external amplifier and LED lights built-in front speakers that pulse to the beat of the music. The Audio Upgrade Package also includes standard i-Pod cable and steering wheel controls.

Other standard features also include sun-roof, carpeted floor mats, fog-lights and fender vents with side marker repeaters. The special edition Kia Ignition Soul is priced at $17.500 for the five-speed manual. If you are interested in this cool-looking urban crossover vehicle, you better act fast as only a limited number of vehicles will be produced. [Photo-source: Kia Soul Forum]

New Kia Ignition Soul Special Edition gallery:

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Latest spy shot of the 2011 Kia Sportage, codenamed SL, reveals attractive front fascia design.

Our popular spy shots reports from the past couple were mostly based on Cadenza sedan and new Kia Venga mini-MPV appearances, but since both models already made their official premieres, our attention is now slowly turning to Kias next “big thing”, the all-new, 2011 Kia Sportage compact crossover.

The 2011 Kia Sportage is expected to make its official domestic debut in the second quarter of next year with worldwide sales scheduled for the second half of 2010.

As mentioned in our previous post, where we showed you exclusive spy shots revealing the interior of new Kia Sportage, the new model will undergo a major overhaul, which includes complete design makeover and new power-train technology.

The 2011 Kia Sportage will share most of the technical components with its sibling model from Hyundai, the all-new Tucson crossover. The Tucson made its official US premiere at L.A. auto show last week and goes on sale across the U.S., according to Hyundai Motor America, already this month.

Both crossover vehicles, the all-new Tucson and Kia’s forthcoming Sportage, will sit on the same platform and will share major technical components, including a range of four-cylinder engines, manual and automatic transmissions and other tech gadgets. They will however, differentiate by their exterior and interior designs and possibly, with ther suspension set ups.

As you know, the Korean auto giant, the Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group, tries to differentiate their products as much as possible to avoid competition between the models, therefore, in addition to different design language, you can also expect the Sportage to have a little firmer and sportier suspension set up when compared to new Tucson.

The image we have here confirms the theory. The exterior look, including the front fascia design of new Sportage is sleeker than that from Tucson.

At first glance, it looks pretty close to Sorento’s front-end design, but when you pay attention to details, you can notice the front fascia design is not simply copied from larger Sorento, but rather tweaked to look even more exciting.

The new Sportage does borrow Kia’s latest design language and signature elements from Kia‘s latest products. Those include massive. chrome surounded, front signature grille with the shape of tiger nose, swept-back headlights and LED technology. This styling trend has begun with the introductions of facelifted Magentis sedan and Soul crossover a while ago and has been continued with just recently launched Kia Cadenza premium-sedan, Venga mini-MPV and Sorento CUV.

To see larger image of the 2011 Kia Sportage -SL, please, head over to this website.

Global Kia sales in November increase 52 percent. China and European Kia sales up 190 and 43 percent, respectively!

November has proven to be a very successful month for the Korean second-largest carmaker with overall global sales coming in at 152.826 units, a year-on-year increase of 52 percent!

By region, Kia achieved the largest year-on-year sales increases in China, the world’s largest car market, where it has sold 29.957 new vehicles. Compared to the same month a year ago, Kia’s sales in China soared 190 percent!

November sales figures also reveal, that Kia cars have been in high demand in Korea, as well as in Europe, where the automaker sold 38.687 and 31.188 new vehicles, respectively. Kia sales have also grown 19 percent (21.419 units) in North America and 34 percent in general markets.

Global Kia sales to date increased 17 percent to 1.489.204 units when compared to last year’s figures. The Chinese market experienced the highest sales increase with 221.722 units sold to date., while Korea and North America also showed cumulative year-on-year sales increases of 27 percent (366.229 units) and 9.5 percent (322.488 units sold), respectively.

With 269.864 units sold to date, the Forte compact car (known also as Cerato at some International markets) has been the best selling Kia vehicle this year. Kia’s B-segment Rio and Sportage SUV are in the fierce battle to take the second spot with 159.385 and 157.312 units sold, respectively.

Taking fourth place, with 114.498 units sold, is a cee’d hatchback, which leads the Picanto mini-car, which concludes the top five best selling car list with 93.826 units sold so far this year.

“This month we saw growth across all markets and we will seek to continue to satisfy customers with our ongoing rollout of new, stylish and fuel efficient products, including the recently launched Cadenza luxury sedan.” said Hyoung-Keun Lee, President of Kia Motors Corp. [Source: Kia]

New Kia Sportage spy shots reveal a completely undisguised interior lay out…

The all-new 2011 Kia Sportage is currently undergoing intensive pre-production testings at various locations around the world. While being out in the wild and readied for production, car spies have managed to snap some great spy shots of its exterior and a completely undisguised interior.

As seen from the interior spy shots, the 2011 Kia Sportage crossover will feature a nicely executed “two-piece” center console, with upper part incorporating vertical air vents and MP3 audio system (or optional in-dash navigation system) placed in-between.

At its lower part, the center console features a dual-zone automatic air-conditioning system with two large shift knobs placed aside the abundance of smaller buttons. Underneath, there are also two 12-volt power outlets with auxiliary audio and USB input jacks.

Under the hood, Kia’s upcoming Sportage crossover will feature two gasoline engines and one diesel engine. The power to propel next Sportage will come from 2.0L and 2.4L Theta II gasoline engines and 2.0L R-diesel unit, with two different horsepower outputs ranging from 150 to 184 hp.

Available four-cylinder engines will be linked to either a six-speed manual transmission or in-house developed 6-speed automatic gearbox.

The 2011 Kia Sportage with fresh styling and more advanced powertrain technology is expected to make its official premiere in May next year, with sales scheduled to commence in the second half of 2010.

New Kia Sportage gallery:

Is this the much anticipated Kia K9 luxury sedan, based on Genesis’ rear-wheel-drive platform?

The attendees of the Songdo design conference, held in South Korea, have been revealed a very interesting designer sketch from Kia’s chief designer, Peter Schreyer. During his on-stage presentation, an image of mysterious Kia vehicle appeared on the back-screen.

Many believe that this was the very first sneak peak preview of Kia’s upcoming rear-wheel-drive luxury sedan, codenamed CH, which has been expected to hit the Korean market in late 2010 and will be positioned above the just recently launched Kia K7 luxury sedan.

The rumoured Kia K9 sedan is expected to share its rear-wheel-drive architecture with Hyundai Gensis sedan. It is also expected to be equipped with Hyundai-Kia’s all-new 8-speed automatic transmission which will soon be applied to the high-end Hyundai Equus luxury sedan.

If we speculate further, the K9 luxury sedan will likely feature similar engine line-up as its sibling model from Hyundai, but according to some reports from various Korean magazines, the automaker also plans to introduce a brand-new, high-performance 4.0L V8 engine in the K9 sedan.

Sometime ago, we published a leaked document that outlined the release dates of Kia’s upcoming vehicles. According to the document, the all-new CH should have been unveiled in September 2010, but recent rumours suggest its January 2011 release. [Source: aboutcar.co.kr]

Kia K9 gallery: 

Kia will launch volume production of the 2010 Hyundai ix35 (known as Hyundai Tucson in US) at the beginning of 2010.

Hyundai will start assembling its all-new Tucson crossover at Kia‘s state-of-the-art manufacturing plant in Slovakia, according to Kia. The all-new Tucson, which made its official debut at the LA auto show, will be named the ix35 when it goes on sale in Europe at the beginning of 2010.

The all-new Tucson (ix35) is brand-new compact crossover from Hyundai, which is replacing the very successful first-generation Tucson model after six years on the market. The 2010 Tucson now features a completely redesigned exterior and interior, as well as a brand-new platform with state-of-the-art powertrain technology, including a range of new gasoline and diesel engines and new manual and automatic transmissions.

Overall, its a great package and according to several automotive publications, this is probably the best and the most competitive made-by-Hyundai vehicle ever!

And now the most important thing, technically, the all-new Tucson is a twin model of the upcoming Kia Sportage crossover, which is scheduled to make its official debut in the first half of next year.

The 2011 Kia Sportage is expected to feature all the goodies you can find in the all-new Hyundai Tucson, and, as latest spy shots revealed, it will continue the evolution of Kia’s striking design language that combines appropriately designed proportions, surfaces and lines, so expect to see a very modern executed exterior and interior design lay-outs!

The upcoming 2010 Kia Venga mini MPV receives prestigious iF product design award!

Stylish Kia Venga mini MPV is not even on sale just yet, but it has already won its very first prestigious accolade. The B-segment mini-MPV, which goes on sale in 2010, has been awarded the iF product design award, which is rated as one of the most prestigious international design awards that a vehicle can receive.

The international jury of experts honored the Kia Venga for its design quality, level of innovativeness and eco-friendliness!

“B-segment MPVs have traditionally been the type of vehicles purchased out of necessity – they are cars of function and practicality,” explains Peter Schreyer – Kia Chief Design Officer- who led Kia Venga’s design team.  “Now all that is about to change.  With the new Venga we have designed a car that will fulfill European consumers’ practical requirements, while also being genuinely desirable and fun to drive.

“The all-new Kia Venga is definitely going to re-ignite interest among consumers in B-segment MPVs, by setting new standards for the class!” added P. Schreyr.

Since its launch in 1953, the iF product design award, which is awarded annually, has been one of the world’s most important prizes for excellence in design.  The award has its origins in the product shows “Die gute Industrieform” (Good Industrial Design) initiated by Hanover Messe and is now one of the world’s largest design competitions.

A total of 2.486 products were entered in 16 different categories for the 2010 iF design award, with Kia Venga winning in the Transportation Design category, which also includes trains, planes, ships and other vehicles.

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The all-new 2011 Kia Sorento CUV makes its official US premiere in Los Angeles! Here’s the official press release from Kia Motors America.

Kia Motors America today announced the official North American debut of the all-new Sorento crossover utility vehicle (CUV) during a press conference at the 2009 Los Angeles Auto Show.

The first vehicle to be built at the all-new, state-of-the-art manufacturing facility, Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia (KMMG) in West Point, Georgia, Sorento encompasses both the brand’s signature design cues as well as its distinct combination of value, safety and style. Coming to market in early 2010 as a 2011 model-year vehicle, the all-new Sorento presents consumers with a well-equipped, well-appointed CUV with best-in-class power2 suited perfectly for the fun, dynamic and discerning driver.

With a streamlined and attractive look, the new Sorento represents a modern CUV that is just the right size for today’s consumer. Completely redesigned for 2011, the all-new Sorento now employs a unibody design with the ability to comfortably fit up to seven passengers, offering more space and ride comfort than the previous-generation model.

Prominently displaying the signature tabbed grille and wraparound headlamps soon to be seen on all Kia models, Sorento offers a more aggressive stance and sleeker profile than the previous version.

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Kia Motors America today reported its November 2009 sales were up 18.3 percent over a year earlier to 17.955 vehicles.

Kia’s all-new, four-door compact sedan, the Forte, and its two-door sibling model once again performed extremely well, and posted one of their best sales months ever with 4.044 units sold. The Soul, Kia’s first compact crossover vehicle also posted strong November 2009 result with 2.505 units sold last month. The Soul was Kia’s third best-selling model behind the sub-compact Rio, which took the second spot with 3.496 units sold.

Kia Soul crossover once again out-sold its main rival, the Cube from Nissan. A mere 1.500 units of Cube were sold in November, while Kia sold 2.505 Souls. In the first 11 months, Nissan sold 18.414 Cubes to US consumers, while at the same period of time, 28.805 Souls found their new homes.

Compact and sub-compact cars lead strong Kia sales in November, however, other larger-sized models, including Optima, Sedona and Borrego also performed well. With 1.895 units sold, the Sedona minivan lead Sorento and Optima sedan closely tied at fifth and sixth spot with 1.657 and 1.644 units sold, respectively.

We are thrilled with Kia’s overall November 2009 sales performance, but more so we are happy to see the up-to-date sales numbers that reveal Kia sold 279.015 new vehicles in the United States so far, this year. Compared to the first 11 months from a year ago, Kia managed to increase its sales volume by 8 percent, while at the same time it also gained larger U.S. market share.

Kia’s lineup of attractively designed new models (Soul, Forte Koup, Forte sedan) accounted for 36 percent of the monthly sales volume in November, while overall, small car sales delivered more than 55 percent of the sales volume last month, according to Kia.

With a wide range of distinctively styled compact cars and the all-new Sorento crossover and up-coming Cadenza premium sedan just around the corner, we are pretty confident that Kia will continue to post even stronger sales results in the following months.

Kia car sales in November 2009:

Kia Cadenza eyes to take 40 percent of full-sized sedan market in Korea.

When Kia officially unveiled the all-new K7 (Cadenza) in Korea this Tuesday the company revealed it eyes to take 40 percent of the local full-size sedan market. According to the company, around 100.000 units of full-sized sedans are sold on average each year in the country, which means Kia targets to sell 40.000 Cadenzas per year.

For the 2010, Kia has set its domestic sales target at 35.000 units, while in the following year, the company hopes to raise domestic sales to 40.000 units. Kia also plans to increase its exports to overseas countries from 5.000 in 2010 to 25.000 units in 2011.

In Korea, the all-new Cadenza will compete head to head against similarly sized sedans, all built by domestic car companies (Hyundai Grandeur/Azera, Samsung SM7 and Daewoo Veritas), as well as against a number of European and Japanese rivals.

As seen in the official press release Kia Cadenza comes equipped with a host of safety and convenience features including lane departure warning and tire pressure monitoring systems, a reversing safety camera with interior mirror display screen, front and rear park assist system, cooled front seats, heated steering wheel, powered extendable seat cushions, panoramic sunroof and many other features.

The Korean-market Cadenza is available with a broad range of engine options. Available as an entry-level engine, the 2.4L Theta II engine which produces 180 horsepower and achieves 11.8 kilometers per liter of fuel.

The 2.7L V6 engine generates 200 horsepower and manages 11 kilometers per liter of fuel, while the top of the range 3.5L V6 tops out at 290 horsepower and the fuel economy clocks in at 10.6 kilometers per liter. In addition, Korean-specs Kia Cadenza will also be available with a 2.7-liter liquefied petroleum gas engine that churns out 165 horsepower.

Pricing for the entry-level Cadenza, equipped with four-cylinder engine, ranges from 28.4 million won to 30.7 million won ($24.200 to $26.100 ), while the trim fitted with 2.7L V6 engine is priced between 30.6 million won to 38 million won ($26.100 to $32.300). The 3.5L V6 powered Cadenza starts at 38.7 million won ($32.900) and goes up to 41.3 million won ($35.100) for the top of range Kia Cadenza/K7.

Kia Cadenza gallery (image source: rpm9.com):

Kia Cadenza luxury sedan to feature a range-topping 290-hp V6 mated to an all-new 6-speed automatic transmission and a variety of high-tech features including “Welcome” system, as well as cabin mood lighting and RPAS reversing sensors.

The long-anticipated Kia Cadenza has been officially unveiled to the South Korean consumers today. The 4965 mm long Cadenza sedan will take over the role of large luxury sedan for the Kia marque from the 10-year old Opirus and is destined to totally transform Kia’s sales performance in the D2 segment.

The Cadenza name is derived from an Italian musical term used to describe an elaborate, ornamental flourish for a concerto or aria.  It perfectly symbolizes the dynamic sedan’s striking design philosophy and upscale image.

Under the direction of Kia’s Chief Design Officer, Peter Schreyer, the large sedan design team in Korea was determined to transform every aspect of the brand’s range-topping model, to deliver sporty and sleek styling, agile and dynamic performance, exceptional comfort and refinement and competitive high-tech features.

“With the Cadenza, we have created an all-new, large sedan that will revitalize Kia’s fortunes thanks to its exciting appearance, strong performance and luxurious cabin which will guarantee a much broader consumer appeal, attracting thousands of new customers to our brand,” commented Mr Hyoung-Keun Lee, President, Kia Motors Corporation.

According to Kia, the all-new Kia Cadenza will make its very-first overseas appearance at the Riyadh Motor Show in Saudi Arabia on 12th of December, while the model is also set to be displayed at the forth-coming Dubai Motor Show, which opens its doors on December 15th.

Continue your read after the jump to find more information on the all-new Kia Cadenza…

Kia Cadenza gallery: 

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The winner of November Soul of the month competition is a proud owner of black Kia Soul with really attractive black-yellow alloy-wheels and striking yellow decals. We asked the owner a few questions about his ride and here are some thoughts from him. Enjoy your read!

1. How long have you owned your Soul and what are your experiences so far?
We’ve had the car since August and we couldn’t be more pleased. We get stopped by people asking what it is all of the time. It is also truly a pleasure to drive. Sitting at a stop light or in a parking lot, virtually anyone that sees it has to do a double take. It’s quite interesting.

2. If you had to pick one thing what was it that really sold you on the Kia Soul?
I think just the unique style of the Soul. It doesn’t look like anything else and it stands out in a crowd. Sharon didn’t want to drive something plain.

3. Did you name your Soul?
Yes.

4. How and when did you find out about the Kia Soul?
TV commercial.

5. Can you tell us some interesting comments that you have heard about your ride from friends, family and other people?
People are always staring at it. Women look at the car, men look at the wheels. People ask what it is, where we got it, if it came this way etc. It’s quite entertaining.

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