The 2011 Kia Soul Hamstar Special Edition has arrived. Gliding onto Kia showroom floors everywhere, bringing its funky styling, a cult following and a $20,000 price tag that includes a smooth 4 speed automatic transmission, the Soul Hamstar Special Edition continues to turn heads the same way it did when it landed at the 2010 SEMA show.

The is the sixth trip down Special Edition lane for the Kia Soul Hamstar. Funky and the Kia Soul are synonymous, and this 2011 Special Edition is no exception. This tricked out little beauty has millions of Youtube views for its commercials that feature cars, music and six foot tall hamsters. It even has its own hamster clothing line.

(more…)

Kia Motors UK plans to introduce new Rio, Soul CUV and Picanto mini-car to increase its sales!

Kia Motors announced aims to increase its yearly sales from 56.000 units – achieved in 2010 to as much as 70.000 units in the next 24 months. To achieve the 70.000 units sales mark, the fastest growing South Korean carmaker plans to introduce a number of stylish vehicles with great fuel economy to the consumers in the UK.

The all-new Kia Picanto is just around the corner. With its fresh new styling and improved safety, the new Picanto is expected to retain as one of the top selling Kia cars in Britain. Kia aims to sell 6.500 units of Picanto this year and increase its sales to 15.000 units when the three-door and five-door Picanto are available. The carmaker also wants to grab a 10 percent share of the city car segment in 2012.

(more…)

Diesel Car magazine names new Kia Sportage “Best Crossover Vehicle” in its annual Car of the Year issue!

“Best Crossover” award is already the fifth title won by Kia’s all-new compact crossover vehicle in the UK in less than 12 month. Unveiled in July last year, the Sportage crossover vehicle has also picked up a range of awards from overseas organisations including the prestigious red dot Design award in Germany and numerous magazine and industry awards from United States and South Korea.

CarBuyer made Kia Sportage its inaugural Car of the Year at the Geneva Motor Show in March this year, while Fleet News titled Kia’s popular CUV as the “Best Crossover of 2011″. Another award comes from Total Off Road Magazine which named the Sportage the Best Junior SUV. The Association of Scottish Motoring Writers started the ball rolling with both Best SUV and Car of the Year titles in November of last year, according to Kia Motors UK.

(more…)

Kia Motors America releases pricing information for its all-new Optima hybrid car…

Kia announced today that its first-ever hybrid vehicle is scheduled to go on sale in the United States in June, with a starting price of $26.500. The price excludes a $750 destination and handling fee.

Under its hood, the 2011 Optima hybrid features the carmaker’s highly-advanced hybrid powertrain technology that enables the car to deliver up to 35 MPG in city driving and 40 MPG on the highway. Kia’s in-house developed hybrid system is known as “full parallel hybrid system”  which means it also allows the owner to drive the car at full-electric drive mode with speeds of up to 62 miles per hour.

(more…)

Kia Motors America confirms plans to launch the 2012 Soul Hamstar Special Edition model!

(more…)

Kia K9 release date? The long-awaited RWD luxury sedan from Kia rumored to debut in the first half of 2012!

We have no official information about the Kia K9 luxury sedan release date at this point, however, latest rumors suggest that the South Korean second largest carmaker aims to unveil its first-ever rear-wheel-drive luxury sedan during the first half of 2012.

According to latest reports, Kia is planning to unveil the production version of the K9 luxury sedan early within a few months, possibly at the 2012 Seoul International Auto Show. Kia’s design head Peter Schreyer recently confirmed the existance of a range-topping rear-wheel drive sedan for Kia, but stopped short of confirming when such vehicle might be released.

(more…)

Kia Sorento and Soul crossover help Kia Motors America to increase its April 2011 sales by 56,7 percent!

Kia Motors America announced its April 2011 sales soared 56,7 percent thanks to increased demand for its fuel-efficient compact cars and crossover vehicles. By the numbers, Kia sold 47.074 new vehicles last month, up from 30.036 a year earlier.

The 2011 Kia Sorento and Soul crossover vehicle were top performing vehicles in the automker’s US line-up with sales of 12.001 and 10.459 units, respectively. Kia Soul sales eclipsed the 10.000 unit mark for the second consecutive month, while Sorento crossover remained the best selling Kia vehicle in the United States.

The Forte family fared particularly well last month, posting an increase of 46 percent and its best sales performance this year (8.535 units sold). The 2011 Kia Optima mid-size sedan was the fourth best-selling nameplate in Kia’s updated lineup, tallying 6.533 units sold to record its best month since its launch. Building on the success of the Optima sedan, Kia recently revealed the addition of 2012 Optima production at KMMG in Georgia.

(more…)

Kia K5 gasoline-electric hybrid car with 150-horsepower 2.0L four-cyl. Nu engine introduced in South Korea!

Kia K5 hybrid car has first been introduced to the South Korean consumers during the Seoul Auto Show last month. The South Korean second largest carmaker used the event to showcase its latest electric-hybrid powertrain technology that will soon debut in the Korean-specs K5 hybrid ( and possibly; Euro-specs Optima hybrid sedan).

The all-new Kia K5 hybrid features Kia’s new electric-hybrid car powertrain system which is slightly different than the one available in the US-specs Optima Hybrid. The US-market Optima Hybrid is fitted with a 169-horsepower 2.4L Theta II four-cylinder engine, while the above-mentioned Korean sibling features Kia‘s 2.0L Nu four-cylinder engine with slightly less power. The 2.0L Nu engine generates 150 horsepower, according to Kia.

(more…)