Earlier this week, Kia released a few designer sketches previewing the up-coming Magentis / Optima replacement. To spice things up a little bit, we are adding a few real-life spy shots of a slightly camouflaged, near production Optima sedan to the set of official Kia sketches.

The long-anticipated sporty mid-size sedan, which looks absolutely stunning so far, will make its official global debut at the New York Auto Show on April 2nd, according to Kia.

Codenamed TF, the 2011 Optima sedan will first go on sale in South Korea in May, with a choice of two four-cylinder engines: the 2.0L CVVT and 2.4L with Gasoline Direct Injection technology and estimated 200 horsepower.

When the model goes on sale in the U.S. and other international markets, you can also expect to see a turbo engine, as well as hybrid powertrain to join the engine line-up.

We know that next-generation Kia Magentis will share its powertrain technology with Hyundai’s just recently launched Sonata mid-size sedan and that is expected to get a turbo four-cylinder engine soon.

There are rumors that Hyundai will unveil both, turbo engine powered Sonata and Sonata hybrid at the 2011 North American International Auto Show, but we predict that this could also happen earlier, at the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show.

Over the past couple of years, Hyundai used L.A. Auto Show to unveil many of its latest production and concept cars. Two years ago, the automaker revealed its hybrid car architecture developed to fit mid-size cars such as Sonata and Optima sedans, while this year they launched a brand-new Tucson crossover and Sonata at the event.

We are really looking forward to finally get a more performance oriented Kia sedan with a turbo engine and a few more ponies under the hood. There’s still some mystery around the up-coming turbo engine, but have learned that the unit will generate around 240+ horsepower.

Our excitement regarding Optima’s engine line-up does not end here. The all-new hybrid powertrain architecture sounds tempting as well. A combination of a four-cylinder engine, cvt transmission and electric motor should provide even better fuel economy ratings than the existing four-cylinder 2.4L already achieves.

With 24 mpg in the city and 35 mpg on the highway, the 2.4L four-cyl. powered Sonata beats just about every rival in the segment and you can expect those numbers to be repeated with the all-new Optima mid-size sedan.

This is what we know about the 2011 Kia Optima / Magentis at this point. With the official premiere approaching fast, you can expect to see more images and read more information about this stunning Kia sedan at our Kia blog, so stay tuned (Thanks for sending us the pics, Lee)

Kia Magentis / Optima spy shots:

First interior design details of the all-new 2011 Kia Optima interior surface to the web!

Guys, this past week was all about Kia Motors! First, we have seen exclusive photos of the 2011 Kia Sportage, which has been revealed in its full production form through a series of leaked images, and then, just a few days later, we have been told that Kia will unveil a brand-new concept car, called Kia Ray at the forth-coming auto show in Chicago.

And the “Kia week” is not over just yet as we have another surpising revealing for all of you, Kia fans. This time, we are bringing you some interesting spy shots of the new 2011 Kia Optima sedan.

Apparently, the fellows from ClubTF.com, a Korean Kia fan website dedicated to the upcoming Kia Optima replacement, had gotten their hands on a few exclusive shots that give us the very-first sneak peak preview at the all-new Optima sedan.

Codenamed TF, the 2011 Kia Optima is scheduled to reach the South Korean Kia showrooms in the second half of the 2010, with a choice of three four-cylinder gasoline engines and one diesel engine, coupled to either a six-speed manual or automatic gearbox.

The Korean-market Optima sedan will be named “K5″ and will be Kia’s second vehicle in Korean market to bear the automaker’s new alphanumeric nomenclature system.

Like all latest Kia models, the all-new Optima has also been penned under the guiding hand of Peter Schreyer, so you can expect to see a nicely executed exterior design lay-out with sporty and sleek lines applied to the car’s body. [Photo-source: ClubTF.com]

UPDATE: New image added to the Optima gallery!

New Kia Optima interior spy shots gallery:

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.

First spy shots of the 2011 Kia Optima appear on the web. Stunning exterior design for Kia’s next generation mid-size sedan.

If you like spy shot reports and new Kia cars, then you definately don’t want to miss this post. Our spy report today is related to next generation mid-size Kia sedan, known as Optima in the US market, Lotze in Korea or Magentis elswhere.

KGP photography crew managed to take a few shots of a heavily camouflaged prototype of next Kia Optima, which has been spotted while undergoing hot-weather testing in the US Death Vally. These very first spy shots reveal that Optima will undergo dramatic exterior styling changes. The 2011 Optima will be penned by Peter Schreyer, the creator of iconic Audi TT sports car, and will feature far more aggressive and sportier look than its predecessor.

Underpinnings of the next Kia Optima, as well as engines and transmissions will be shared with next-generation Hyundai Sonata and will include a range of powerful EURO5 compliant diesel and gasoline engines, equipped with gasoline direct injection technology. For the first time, Optima will also be available with Hyundai-Kia’s new six-speed automatic transmission.

The all-new Kia Optima is expected to hit Kia dealers in Korea in the first half of the 2010, while US and European sales will likely commence in late 2010 or early 2011.

To find more info about the 2011 Kia Optima and see more images of the prototype, please, head over to blogs.edmunds.com.

Update: Worldcarfans crew published even more spy shots of the all-new Kia Optima. As you can see, the future Optima sedan will be a fantastic looking car and one of the best in its segment! Link: Worldcarfans.com

Kia Rio receives a facelift for the 2010 model year. Styling updates bring the car a whole new front fascia design and enhancements made to the interior. 

After a very long wait, we finally get the very first batch of images of the 2010 Kia Rio facelift. Called Kia Pride in South Korea, the current Rio has been on market since 2005, and it has been one of the top five selling Kia cars globally. Now, roughly four years after its introduction, the B-segment Rio receives a much needed facelift.

The 2010 Kia Rio gains a host of changes and upgrades outside and inside. The sheet metal updates up front include a completely redesigned front fascia with different front bumper and signature grille. The combination of a redesigned front bumper, which incorporates larger air-intake and updated fog-lights, and Kia’s new H-shaped signature grille give Rio more character and more distinctive exterior look.

The whole exterior set up now looks much more attractive and a lot closer to the latest Kia offerings. The 2010 Kia Rio reminds us of 2010 Kia cee’d, which has also been announced to receive a mid-life styling change for the new model year.

As for the interior, the Rio facelift packs a subtly revised center stack with new controls and upgraded audio system with Bluetooth connectivity. It also features new steering-wheel design and slightly updated gauges on the instrument panel.

The 2010 Kia Rio is believed to be on sale domestically in Korea within this or next month, while US sales could begin by the end of this year or early next year.

2010 Kia Rio facelift gallery:

First pictures of the 2011 Kia Sportage, codenamed SL, undergoing durability testing. Next generation Sportage scheduled to make official debut in February 2010.

Autospies have managed to catch the 2011 Kia Sportage while undergoing hot-weather testing on the US soil. Unlike our previous set of spy shots, these latest images reveal more details about the Sportage’s completely redesigned exterior.

While many details are still kept safe and very well hidden from our eyes, it’s clear the 2011 Kia Sportage will feature a sportier and much more exciting exterior design than the outgoing model. It also appears the new Sportage will bear a strong family resemblance to Kia’s new Sorento crossover and is going to adopt many styling elements from latest Kia concept cars.

Codenamed SL, the 2011 Sportage will be introduced with a wide range of four-cylinder engines including a host of technically updated gasoline engines as well as new 2.0L R-diesel engine with 184 horsepower. Mated to these engines will be a six-speed manual transmission or for the first time, a brand new six-speed automatic, co-developed between Hyundai and Kia.

The next-generation Kia Sportage has been scheduled to make its official home debut in February 2010. Following its Korean debut, the new Sportage is expected to arrive Stateside towards the middle of 2010, and will go on sale as a 2011 model.

The 2011 Sportage will compete in the compact crossover category and as such will go up against the 2010 Hyundai Tucson, Ford Kuga, VW Tiguan and other models in the segment.

You can see more spy shots of the upcoming 2011 Kia Sportage at Leftlane website. Follow the link to see them all… [Autovandaag]

Kia cee’d to receive a facelift this fall. A heavily camouflaged prototype spotted at the very famous Nurburgring in Germany. 

This year marks three years since Kia first introduced the five-door cee’d hatchback to consumers in Europe. Created especially for European consumers, Kia’s new C-segment model marked a major turning point in the history of Korean second largest carmaker. The cee’d has been the first-ever Kia model that was designed, engineered and manufactured in Europe.

It’s also the first Korean car that received maximum five stars at EuroNCAP crash tests and has made the finals of European Car Of The Year (COTY) awards. And the list of accolades does not end here. 

And now, three years since its introduction, the impressive Kia cee’d is coming in for a mid-cycle facelift. Spied while testing on the very famous Nurburgring, these latest spy shots reveal the 2010 cee’d will receive a plethora of exterior styling tweaks.

In front, the cee’d is expected to get a whole new front fascia, including Kia’s H-shapped signature grille and redesigned headlights, while changes at rear are foing to include a pair of subtly redesigned tail-lights. The interior is also expected to benefit from a mid-cycle refresh with an emphasis on quality to make the model even more appealing for the customers in Europe.

The 2010 Kia cee’d facelift will make its official European premiere at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show this fall, with sales projected to commence shortly afterwards. [Source: Autovandaag.nl]

One of my Korean colleagues sent me a candid photo of an unknown prototype vehicle that has been spotted in South Korea just recently. Since it’s been caught in Korea, the prototype must be belonging to one of the Korean car brands. Besides Kia and Hyundai, it’s possible that the vehicle is also badged either as Daewoo, Samsung-Renault or Ssangyong.

Majority of exterior body parts, including badging on rear trunk-lid, which could possibly reveal us it’s origin, have been covered with heavy camouflage. But the black plastic vinyls applied to the car are typical Hyundai-Kia coverings used to hide the final shape touches of the group’s future vehicles. That indicates us this could in deed could be one of the upcoming future Hyundai-Kia mid-sized four-door sedans.

I did a quick research on some of the upcoming mid-size sedans from Korean carmakers. In the works are next generation Hyundai Sonata, Kia VG, Hyundai Grandeur, Kia Optima, Renault-Samsung SM5 and Daewoo Leganza sedan. Based on some visible design elements and other facts (read below) I narrowed my choice to two vehicles: the 2011 Kia Optima (TF) and 2010 Hyundai Azera (HG).

Next generation Optima sedan, is rumored to make it’s official debut late in 2010 or early 2011, so I think it’s still a bit early to see prototypes doing the real-life testing. Based on the B-pillar design, which is similar to the one at Hyundai Genesis sedan, it seems more likely that this is an all-new Hyundai Grandeur (Azera in the US). The new Grandeur, codenamed HG, is expected to be unveiled sometime next year, just a few months after it’s sibling Kia VG  model.

Those are just my thoughts based on the image we got here. Now let me hear yours!

These are the latest spy shots of the upcoming Kia Forte Koup, codenamed XK. The Forte Koup is a two-door compact car built on the same platform as the European cee’d hatchback. It has been officially unveiled yesterday at the auto show in New York, where Kia released full details on it’s powertrain specification and equipment levels.

Find more info and official images here: 2010 Kia Forte Koup

These are the very first spy shots of the 2010 Kia Forte/Spectra coupe! We have been waiting for a very long time to see the first XK prototype, and finally, the stylish two-door Kia coupe has hit the streets.

Codenamed XK, the two-door Kia coupe has been first shown as a KOUP concept vehicle at New York Auto Show last year. With it’s attractive exterior form, the concept car gained a great response from auto show visitors and automotive press, therefore it was only a question of months when Kia brings it to production.

As we see here, the XK coupe retained the general exterior shape from KOUP concept, but most likely, production model will receive a few mild styling tweaks to differentiate it from the show car.

A wide range of engines will be available when the car is launched, starting with a 1,6L diesel, generating 128hp (Korean market only). Petrol power will come courtesy of a pair of four-cylinder engines (2.0L and 2.4L). Later, a sporty variant with a 2.0lL turbo engine is also likely to appear. 

There is still no word yet on a release date for the new Kia XK coupe but if these pictures are anything to go by it shouldn’t take too long. But according to some rumors spreading around, we can expect the XK coupe to hit the showrooms sometime by the end of the year.

UPDATE: New Kia Forte Coupe spy shots

2010 US-spec Kia Spectra

[Source: Motor Trend]

Click image to enlarge!

The 2010 mini-MPV from Kia Motors, has shown up again, this time in the snow. A prototype vehicle, heavily disguised with black camo covers, has been spotted in Northern Scandinavia during some cold weather durability testing.

The upcoming “cee’d plus” will go on sale across the Europe late this year, as a 2010 model, and to make sure that the car feels home in any climate, Kia engineers have taken the testing to cold and snowy northern parts of Europe.

As we mentioned before, the 2010 Kia YN will be manufactured by Hyundai Motor’s at it’s high-tech European manufacturing facility, located in Czech Republic, together with it’s sibling model from Hyundai.

Since the car is riding on the same platform that underpins the recently released Soul crossover, both vehicles will use the same propelling powerplants. The new “cee’d plus” engine range will consist of a fuel-sipping 1,4 and 1.6L four cylinder diesel and gasoline engines, each achieving a clas leading fuel economy.

The 2010 Kia YN will also feature an eco-friendly ISG (Idle Stop&Go) system, which achieves up to 15% fuel reduction during the city driving. The system has just recently been successfully incorporated to the cee’d ISG, which will go on sale accros the Europe by the end of the next month. [Source:Globalmotors.net ]

Would you like to receive latest Kia news to your e-mail? Subscribe to KIA-WORLD news!

The Geneva International Auto Show will offer us the world premiere of one of the most anticipated future Kia vehicles: the 2010 Kia Sorento. With Geneva Auto Show less than two months away, the future Sorento, codenamed XM, is undergoing through some final testing rounds on the roads of South Korea.

What we learned so far about the 2010 Kia Sorento is that the vehicle will undergo some major, not only design, but also technical changes. Gone will be the body-on-frame platform, and replaced by a unibody architecture, which is expected to provide better ride, but unfortunately, also limited maximum towing capacity and off-roading capabilities.

On the other hand, Kia engineers are confident the 2010 Sorento will be a lot more exciting to drive while offering improved handling and more comfortable ride at the same time. In addition to that, new diesel engines and upgraded gasoline ones are expected to deliver class leading horsepower ratings and fuel efficiency.

According to Whatcar( yes, they are the one who got behind the wheel of 2010 Sorento!!), upcoming Kia’s midsize crossover seems to be improved in just about every area. It feels more refined on the road, it handles better and new engines also bring a lot more power. If interested, you can read a sum-up of their exclusive Sorento test-drive report here. [Source: luv-xm.net ]

Click image to enlarge!

2010 Kia YN spy shots

New series of Kia spy shots have surfaced to the web today and they preview an eagerly awaited mini-MPV from Kia, which is expected to make it’s European public debut as a concept vehicle at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show, opening it’s doors in March.

The test mule seen on the spy shots is heavily disguised and it reveals less details than YN prototype we have seen here a few weeks ago. These picture do however showcase the YN’s design will speak a completely different design language than the similar-sized Kia Soul.

The Soul has a box-like exterior design, while the YN features more rounded body shape and softer lines. At quick glance, the YN looks like a cross between Fiat 500 and Toyota Yaris.

Kia has yet to provide concrete details, but production ready Kia YN is expected to bow later in the year with it’s official debut rumoured to happen at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show in September. The YN mini-MPV will be powered by the same range of diesel and gasoline engines as one can find in Kia’s recently launched Kia Soul crossover.

Click image to enlarge!

Kia Sorento -XM

The 2010 Kia Sorento is one of the most eagerly awaited crossovers that will appear on the automobile market in next year. As first spy shots revealed, the 2010 Sorento will get a complete exterior makeover and will undergo some major technical changes. It will also be the first Kia vehicle to house a brand new six-speed automatic transmission. [2010 Kia Sorento]

Kia “cee’d plus” -YN

The all-new Kia mini-MPV is rumoured to join the Kia range in 2009. Rumoured to debut as a concept vehicle at the 2009 Geneva Motors Show in March, the production ready model is expected to be displayed at the Frankfurt’s Auto Show in September.

Codenamed YN, the mini-MPV is about the same size as Soul crossover and also shares major technical components with it. It will be built by Hyundai in it’s new European factory based in Czech Republic and will later get a twin model from Hyundai. Latest reports suggest that YN will be will be “Europe only” Kia model.[2010 cee’d plus]

Kia sedan -VG

The lack of information makes the VG as one of the most interesting upcoming Kia vehicles. Details are very slim and at the moment, we only know that the VG sedan will go on sale in Korean market in September 2009 and will be powered by 2,4L  4-cylinder Theta and 3,3 V6 engines.

It shares it’s platform with next generation Hyundai Azera and is expected to replace the slow selling Amanti on US market. [2010 Kia VG]

Kia Spectra coupe -XK

Sometime during the summer, the US market will be getting a two-door variant of the Forte (Spectra) sedan. Codenamed XK, the two-door model is expected to share technical components with Spectra sedan, but feature a different exterior design.

We have not seen any prototypes caught so far, but those working on the XK project revealed to us that the two-door XK coupe is expected to retain the exterior shape of the Koup concept, which made it’s official debut at the auto show in New York earlier this year. [Kia spy shots]

Kia Soul -AM

Worldwide Soul sales is scheduled to commence in the first quarter of 2009. It will first go on sale in Europe in February and USA in April. More than 60 different accessories that Kia will offer for the Soul will allow the customers to personalize their vehicles to match their personal style.

Kia also plans to debut an exciting Soul concept at the upcoming North American Auto Show in January. [Kia Soul]

Kia Forte -TD

Forte will succeed the current Spectra sedan. It will go on sale in US in the first quarter of the 2009 with the choice of three four-cylinder engines. [Kia Forte /Spectra]

Click image to enlarge!