Here are the very-first spy shots of the all-new 2011 Kia Rio, codenamed UB!

It’s been a long, long wait, but it’s over now! The very-first prototype of next-generation Kia Rio sedan has finally stepped out in public for the first time and  Sonytone.com spies were on hand to capture the moment.

Codenamed UB, the prototype of the next-generation Rio sedan sports some heavy camouflage, which is covering the most important styling details of the new car. What is clear already is the fact that the 2011 Kia Rio will feature far more attractive exterior appearance as the current model.

Its exterior styling will be influenced heavily by the up-coming 2011 Kia Cadenza and next-generation Kia Optima mid-size sedans. It is evident from these spy shots that the 2011 Rio takes some styling cues from the afore-mentioned sedans, which is not bad since both of them look outstanding. It is also evident that the all-new Rio sports a new Kia family look as seen on new Kia Sportage, Sorento, Soul and Venga mini-mpv.

These very-first Kia Rio UB spy shots confirm that the 2011 Rio will initially be available as a sedan, like the new Hyundai Accent. A five-door hatchback is also expected to follow later.

According to initial reports, the next-generation Rio is going to share its powertrain technology with the up-coming 2011 Hyundai Accent. Under the hood, engines options will likely include a 1.4L and 1.6L four-cylinder engines packing 107 and 126 horsepower, respectively.

If that doesn’t sound interesting enough, Kia is also expected to introduce  a more potent 1.6L GDI four-cylinder engine, packing 140 horsepower, in the next-Rio. At least two modern diesel engines are also expected to be available in Europe.

Although there is no official word yet about the inaugural launch date of the 2011 Kia Rio UB, latest rumours suggest that full production of next-generation Rio will commence in the first half of 2011.

2011 Kia Rio gallery:

This is a guest post from our daily reader Rob Woodward from Canada. You might know him as an owner of Reptile Kia Soul.

Thank you to Kia-World blog for allowing my team and I to get our message out, and for the donation we received from Kia-World.net towards our goal. If you are wondering what I am talking about please read below.

Well I will be leaving the Reptile Soul in the driveway on the weekend of September 11^th and 12^th, trading it for a couple good pairs of walking shoes, and over those two days my team and I will be walking to raise money to cure womens cancers.

The cancers we are raising money for include breast, ovarian, cervical and uterine. All the money raised goes the The Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation (http://www.pmhf.ca), one of the world leaders in cancer research. You can visit the weekend site at www.endcancer.ca

Working together with health care and research professionals, patients, and the community, The Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation raises over $60 million annually to support breakthrough research and patient care and education programs of Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH). PMH is a recognized international leader in the fight against cancer. But none of this would be possible without the generous support, commitment and dedication of all its donors.

This is all the Foundation does, is work on finding a cure for cancer, so much in fact that there slogan or vision is TO CONQUER CANCER IN OUR LIFETIME.

We have just under 3 weeks left (deadline Sept 7^th at midnight EST), to reach our goal, and we are $1200 short. If anyone would like to donate to the cause it would be greatly appreciated. Please click one of the links below. All donation receive a tax receipt.

Donate here: http://www.endcancer.ca/site/TR/Events/Toronto2010?px=3414473&pg=personal&fr_id=1440

The highly-personalizable 2010 Kia Soul compact crossover vehicle receives yet another important citation.

For the second year in a row, Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com named the 2010 Kia Soul as one of the year’s “Top 10 Back-to-School Cars.” Students are going back to school and if kbb.com is right, we should see more students pulling over their new Kia Souls inside America’s leading campuses.

The popular website believes that high-school and college students will find the Soul’s modern style, wide interior space and modern technology very attractive.

With its unique styling and personalization options and outstanding safety and reliability ratings, the Soul appeals to both younger buyers and their parents. The award-winning five-door urban passenger vehicle, along with the 2011 Sorento and Sportage, reflects Kia Motors’ design-led transformation and continues to attract new buyers to Kia showrooms.

Other vehicles that made it to the popular website’s list include the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze, Suzuki SX4 hatchback , Ford Crown Victoria, Saab 9-2X, Honda Fit, Pontiac Vibe, Mazda3 and Ford Fiesta.

The kbb.com editors made their choice according to these cars’ reliability, safety, affordability, practicality, and the latest safety and technology advancements. They were chosen from all new car models below $18,000 and used car models from whose retail value is under $12,000 based on the Kelley Blue Book Suggested Retail Value.

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Kia becomes the top-selling foreign automobile maker in Russia. July sales hit 10,000 units mark for the first time.

Kia Motors Company has been enjoying steady growth in terms of new car sales lately. The company has seen its sales soar in the US and South Korean market, as well as in Russia, where it has recently became the top-selling foreign auto brand in the country.

In July, Kia set a new sales record in Russia with sales surpassing 10,000 units mark for the first time since the company entered the market. According to latest reports from Autostat.ru, Kia sold 10.502 new vehicles there in July, up a whopping 105 percent from the same month a year earlier.

Year-to-date sales reports reveals that the South Korean carmaker sold 56.231 new cars in Russia during the first seven months of the year, which represents a 57 percent increase compared to the first seven months of 2009. This is quite an impressive sales result, especially when considering that the Russian car market has contracted sharply in the last few months or so, recording a 37 percent fall in sales in January this year when compared with the same month a year earlier.

Kia’s top-performing vehicle in Russia last month was cee’d hatchback, which saw its sales topping 3253 units. It was followed by Rio sub-compact car and Sportage crossover with sales of 3205 and 1677 units, respectively.

Taking second spot in July sales was Chevrolet, which sold 8.986 new cars. It was followed French automaker Renault and Toyota with 8.574 and 8.251 units sold, respectively. Kia’s sister firm, Hyundai Motor Company, took seventh spot among foreign automakers selling cars in Russia. Hyundai sold 7.201 new vehicles in July, while its sales soared 56 percent compared to a year ago.

According to Autostat.ru, Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group topped the Russia’s import market in the first half of the year.

Next generation Kia Rio is set to give tough competition to VW Polo in terms of quality, aesthetics, and endurance.

Kia Motors has made a foothold in the automotive industry with the latest vehicle introductions. Exclusive style, power packed design, and high-end technology is the essence of every new vehicle launched from the house of Kia and the next generation Kia Rio is another feather in the cap of the company.

The next generation Kia Rio is expected to hit the market by the end of 2011. Latest news from Kia representatives suggest that new Rio is going to matchup with quality and technique of new VW Polo but definitely surpass Volkswagen in terms of style as it is being designed by design chief and former Audi man Peter Schreyer.

Great attention is being given to the exterior appearance of the upcoming Kia Rio in order to make the vehicle look unique and distinctive. Its design will be highly influenced from latest corporate models, such as new Kia Venga, 2011 Sportage crossover and 2011 Kia Optima sedan.

During the official launch of new Sportage in the UK, Kia’s design chief  Schreyer revealed the new Rio will use the latest corporate grille design. Apart from that, no other information has been released to the press.

How about powertrain technology? The new Rio is expected to share its platform with the upcoming 2011 Hyundai Accent, so you can expect to see gasoline direct injection -GDI technology applied to at least one of the Rio’s engines (possibly the 1.6L gasoline four-cyl. engine). Kia’s fuel-stretching Start-Stop (ISG) system, which switches off and then restarts the engine in congested city driving, is also expected to be available across entire Rio lineup.

More details about the next generation Rio sub-compact, as well as other Kia plans for 2011, will be revealed at the forth-coming Paris Auto Show in October. The fastest growing South Korean carmaker is promising to take the wraps off  “something very exciting” at the French exhibition!!

American automotive data provider ALG has declared that 2011 Kia Sportage has the highest residual value rating in the compact CUV section. The outstanding rating of 61-percent of original MSRP for 3 years of ownership has made 2011 Kia Sportage stand in the league of BMW and Subaru.

The 2011 Kia Sportage Residual Value is 20 point more than 2010 model, which is remarkable leap in the automotive industry. This compact utility vehicle has created a benchmark in the history of Kia Motors by attaining the highest residual value rating the company has ever received for any vehicle from ALG.

The high Residual Value Rating from ALG of new Kia Sportage have definitely added to the brand value of Kia Motors and will probably increase demand for the vehicle. Apart from the Kia Sportage Residual Value, the new 2011 model has a first-rate design and is equipped with the latest technology.

The change in size and style of Kia Sportage has given a new dimension to look of the vehicle.  The stylish look of 2011 Kia Sportage will significantly leverage the Kia brand. Not only the design of the new crossover vehicle has been revamped but, it is also added with more power and improved fuel economy.

The 2011 Kia Sportage also supports some advance features like panoramic sunroof, push-button start, rear camera display, navigation, LED daytime running lights and an air-cooled driver’s seat that will enhance the performance of the vehicle considerably.

In addition to all amazing features, the vehicle is said to have the UVO powered by Microsoft 1 in-vehicle communication and entertainment system based on the Windows Embedded Automotive platform.

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Kia Motors America launches “Who’s Next?” talent search on Youtube with grand prize of $10,000!!

$10,000 awaits you. Show that you’ve got Soul. Produce the coolest video themed around the funky and innovative Kia Soul crossover and get to fly to Los Angeles for free.

What do Susan Boyle, Justin Bieber and Charice Pempengco have in common? They were all YouTube sensations before they became major stars. YouTube has launched their careers to legitimate international stardom. Who’s next? Who’s going to be the next Internet sensation?

That’s exactly the question being asked by the newest Internet talent search contest, “Who’s Next?” And guess who’s asking it? American Idol production? America’s Got Talent production? Guess again.

Kia Motors America (KMA). That’s right, Kia, the car maker is asking “Who’s Next?”

Riding on the success of its hamster ad campaign for the 2011 Kia Soul, Kia Motors America is inviting everyone to join Kia Soul’s video contest. Create your own talent video based on the creative uniqueness of the funky Kia Soul for a cool $10,000 prize.

In case you have not seen the award-winning TV ad, it goes a little something like this, to give you an idea. It begins with a shot of suburban city streets inhabited by hamsters who senselessly run in place inside their exercise wheels. A Molten Red Kia Soul then pulls up. Windows roll down and voila, inside are hip-hopping hamsters in hoods with head bobbing to the beat of loud R&B music. These cool hamsters have discovered “A New Way to Roll.”

That’s the point of the Kia Soul. It’s new. It’s cool. It’s a new way to roll. And that’s also the point of KMA’s video talent search. Show your own new way to roll.

Here is how to join Kia Motors America’s “Who’s Next?” Internet talent contest.

- The contest runs until the end of September. Everyone’s invited to submit a video themed around the Kia Soul, which by the way was declared one of the top 10 coolest new cars.

· Videos will be posted on Kia Soul’s video channel on YouTube (youtube.com/kiasoul). Make sure your video captures the Soul’s unique personality features, technology, style and popular music.

· August 9, judging will begin, and on August 20, YouTube fans and viewers can start voting which ones they like best. The judges are YouTube stars SMOSH, ShayCarl and Lisa Nova, whose combined channels have more than 640 million views and 2.62 million subscribers. Now, that’s a lot of people watching how you roll.

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European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association reported recently that Kia, together with its parent Hyundai Motor Company, outsold Toyota in Europe in the first half of the year. In addition to that, Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group also beat its main Japanese rival in the fast growing China market!

According to the report, Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group was the best-selling Asian automaker in Europe during the first six months of the fiscal year. The South Korean auto giant sold nearly 3,000 automobiles more than Toyota, which saw its sales plummeting 11 percent, compared to a year ago. Speaking of decreasing Toyota sales,  sales of other Japanese carmakers, such as Honda and Suzuki, also fell sharply. Their sales plunged by 21 and 20 percent, respectively.

During the first six months, Kia Motors sold 138,357 vehicles, while Hyundai Motor Company sold 191,338 vehicles in the European market. According to European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association, the combined total of 329,695 units is 2,904 more than Toyota’s sales of 326,791.

Both South Korean carmakers also managed to increase their market shares. Hyundai’s market share rose 0,3 percent to 2,6 percent, while Kia’s market share soared 0,2 percent to 1,8 percent.

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Kia’s global sales in June 2010 rise 16 percent to 184.111 units. Cee’d hatchback joins the group of 5 best-selling Kia cars.

Kia Motors Corporation announced today its global sales figures for passenger cars, recreational vehicles and commercial vehicles for June 2010, recording a total of 184.111 units sold. This represents a year-on-year increase of 16,2 percent.

Cumulatively, through the first six months of the fiscal year, Kia’s overall global sales surpassed the 1-million unit mark, posting an increase of 34,1 percent year-on-year and reaching 1.004.724 units. China has experienced the highest gain of 75.6% based on sales of 170,977 units to date in 2010.

During the month of June, the South Korean carmaker experienced healthy year-on-year sales increases in all overseas sales regions. Sales in general markets rose to 39.656 units (+52 percent), while sales in China eclipsed to 26.663 units. North America sales were up 17 percent (37.770 units sold), while European sales rose 12 percent to 35.591 units.

The C-segment Cerato (sold as Forte in some markets) was Kia’s top-selling vehicle in June. Kia sold 33.803 units of Cerato worldwide. The model was followed by the B-segment Rio and Sportage SUV with sales of 18.413 and 16.827 units sold, respectively.

The 2011 Sorento crossover recorded the sales of 15.322 units last month, enough to take one spot above the Kia cee’d. Kia cee’d, which is on sale only in Europe, rounds out the top five best-selling Kia vehicles in June with sales of 12.247 units.

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New Kia car sales in June up 12 percent compared to a year ago. Kia Sorento sales break 8,600 units.

Kia Motors America announced it has sold 31,906 new vehicles in the United States last month, up 12,8 percent from year-earlier levels. June 2010 sales were led by Kia’s Georgia-made Sorento crossover with 8,608 units sold. The popular Sorento CUV also remains the company’s best-selling model in the US-market in the first six month. So far this year, Kia dealers delivered 50,021 new Sorentos to consumers across the USA.

“Kia Motors’ design-led transformation is attracting new buyers to Kia showrooms, as evidenced by our best-ever first half of the year sales,” said Byung Mo Ahn, group president and CEO of KMA and Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia (KMMG). “Consumers are taking notice of the eye-catching design and long list of comfort, convenience and technology features found in our new generation vehicles, including the Sorento, Soul and Forte, and our aggressive launch schedule will continue with the arrival of the all-new Sportage this summer followed just a few months later by the all-new Optima.”

New Kia K5/Optima sedan sales hit 10,673 units last month. The K5 dethrones Sonata as the top-selling car in Korea!

According to latest new car sales data from South Korea, the newly unveiled Kia K5 mid-size sedan (known as Kia Optima overseas) has outsold the long-time sales leader Hyundai Sonata in the domestic market. It has happened for the first time that Kia’s mid-size sedan has topped the monthly sales chart in Korea.

Last month, Kia dealers sold 10.673 units of the K5 sedan, while Hyundai sold 9.957 Sonatas. From its very first day on the market, the K5 has been in high demand. The K5 sold 3.552 units within the first five days of its debut on May 25 with the number of sales contracts rising to an average of 831 vehicles per day.

Market watchers are calling the K5’s rise above the Sonata an industry landmark. The Sonata was the invincible leader of the mid-sized sedan category for 11 years, and it continually ruled the monthly sales chart except for July 2003 when it was overtaken by the Renault Samsung SM5 due to a Hyundai labor strike.

Should I buy a Kia Soul crossover? Tell me some facts about the Soul, such as reliability – quality reports, engines, dimensions…

The Soul crossover vehicle is not a brand-new vehicle. It has been on sale in the US-market and elsewhere in the world for about two years. It has been a popular choice among younger consumers, especially those looking to purchase their very first vehicle, as well as those older ones looking to buy a comfortable daily commuter.

Until now, Kia Soul has never been recalled, which suggests that the model is quality built. There were  also no major complaints reported bout the vehicle on other automotive boards. So we can safely say the quality of Kia Soul is close to superb. We are not saying the vehicle is problem-free (any model can have some problems) but recent owners reports, based on a two year ownership,  do not reveal any major issues with the car at all.

The popular Soul crossover is available with three different engines (depending on market). Those include a 1.6L diesel (Europe only) and gasoline engines, as well as more potent 2.0L gasoline unit. Each of the powerplants mentioned here has enough power to move the vehicle fast enough to satisfy an average driver. Those are, however, no high performance engines that would take you from 0-60 mph faster than a Ferrari, but they offer decent acceleration and, on the other hand, do not consume too much fuel.

Kia Soul is about as large as the current Nissan Cube, which is the model’s main rival. According to latest Soul sales reports, the popular Kia compact crossover vehicle outsells the Cube by a large margin – check out our monthly Kia sales reports to see the latest Soul sales numbers. The Soul is the best-selling compact crossover vehicle in the US and outsells Nissan Cube, Scion XB, Hyundai Accent and Honda Fit.

There are many, many other facts why you should buy a Kia Soul crossover vehicle. We only mentioned a few of them. In order to find more information about this popular funky crossover vehicle, browse through our daily-updated Kia blog and get yourself a real picture of the new Soul.

Kia Motors launches serial production of the all-new 2011 Sportage SUV in Europe…

Kia Motors Slovakia today launched serial large volume production of its brand-new Sportage crossover. The vehicle, which made its official worldwide premiere at the 2010 Geneva Auto Show earlier this year, will be built in Slovakia (Europe) alongside completely redesigned Hyundai ix35 (known also as Hyundai Tucson in some markets) and cee’d hatchback.

According to Kia, the launch of a new model is expected to boost production of Kia cars in Europe back to pre-crisis levels. “We plan to produce more than 35.000 units of new Sportage SUV until the end of this year, while the overall production is expected to soar from 150.020 units produced in 2009, to around 200.000 units by the end of 2010.

“Spacious and practical Kia Sportage is our next step forward. The adjustment of production lines and installation of technologies for its production was realized from the beginning of the year and the trial production went smoothly. On July 28th, we are launching the volume production in which we focus on quality, productivity and efficiency. We believe to fulfill our production plan and new Kia Sportage will become our key product on the European market,” said In-Kyu Bae, President and CEO of Kia Motors Slovakia.

The all-new Kia Sportage is currently available in Europe with a 2.0L R-diesel engine that can develop 136 or 183 horsepower and 2.0L four-cylinder gasoline engine that generates 163 horsepower. The engine line-up will be expanded later in the year, when the automaker plans to introduce an all-new 1.7L diesel and 1.6 gasoline units.

The 2011 Sportage SUV is fitted with a fuel-saving ISG (Idle, Stop & Go) system that helps reducing fuel consumption while the engine is idling. The vehicle also features several body elements that reduce air resistance and ensures that the fuel consumption decreases at higher speeds.

Kia offers its new Sportage SUV with a choice of 10 exterior colors. As we have seen on teaser images earlier this year, there’s also a new attention-drawing exterior paint in the Sportage color pallete. Kia calls it Techno Orange.

For the first time, Kia Sportage will also be equipped with an automatic parking system, which will help the driver to park the vehicle. Kia says the driver only needs to find the suitable parking place and switch the button. The vehicle will then move automatically to a desired parking place. The only thing that driver needs to do is to control the speed of the vehicle. Nice feature, isn’t it!? Hopefully, it will soon appear in other Kia vehicles!

All-new Kia Sportage 4×4 goes through final development testing before it goes on sale in the UK.

The all-new Kia Sportage is probably the hotest-looking crossover vehicle that is set to hit the UK roads this year. Featuring Kia’s new design direction, the vehicle is facing some final suspenson development works before it enters the UK market.

UK is the largest European market for Kia Motors, therefore the company wants to ensure that the 2011 Sportage not only looks good and feels European but also performs just as UK customers expect it to. Following the Soul crossover, Venga mini-MPV and Sorento crossover, the forth-coming Kia Sportage 4×4 is already the fourth Kia to be specifically developed with UK roads and drivers in mind.

When Kia launched new Soul in the UK, it was announced that the company had worked with Lotus engineers to create a bespoke ride and handling package for the vehicle. This time, nobody said anything about the Lotus company, so it is quite possible that Kia engineers used their experience from previous projects and worked on the entire suspension set-up on their own…

To find out more about the development of new Kia Sportage 4×4 read the official press release from Kia Motors UK:

The new Kia Sportage, which goes on sale in August, is Kia’s latest European-designed model to have been specifically developed for the UK’s roads and drivers. Research and development experts from Kia Motors UK have been involved with the testing of the new Sportage, to be built at the plant in Slovakia, from the prototype stages in mainland Europe right up until final testing in the UK itself during the early part of 2010.

Kia Sportage 4×4 crossover gallery:

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The Kia Soul hamster commercial has been receiving raves not only from viewers and car owners but also from a number of award-giving organizations. It was recently honored as the Nielsen “Automotive Ad of the Year” for effectively gaining positive consumer recollection. It takes creativity and pure genius to come up with a TV commercial that can stand out from so many commercials and be remembered by the viewers.

Both the TV commercial and the vehicle itself, the 2010 Kia Soul five-door urban passenger vehicle, are uniquely styled and reaping so many awards. Recently, the American Marketing Association based in New York awarded its Silver EFFIE Award to the cool and hip Kia TV hamster commercial. The EFFIE Awards (short for effective) annually select and honor the most effective advertising campaigns in the United States. Kia Soul’s television commercial won the EFFIE in the “David vs. Goliath” category. As the title of the award implies, it cites smaller, new or emerging brands that stood up to challenge industry leaders head-on.

Quite appropriately, the TV commercial was created by David&Goliath media outfit for Kia. The hip commercial shows an entire city and suburban streets inhabited by hamsters who senselessly run in place inside their exercise wheels.

A Molten Red Kia Soul then pulls up and hip-hopping hamsters inside the Soul roll down the window as they tap to the music inside the car. These hamsters seem to have discovered “A New Way to Roll” as they bob their heads to the beat of loud music coming from the Soul’s highly specified audio system that includes pulsating speaker lights. The hamsters are listening to four different music tracks that appear in slightly different versions.

Michael Sprague, marketing vice president of Kia Motors America, talks about Soul. “Designed to offer consumers a ‘new way to roll’ with a distinct style and a number of personalization options, Soul is aimed at the young and young-at-heart looking for a vehicle perfectly suited to their personalities”

Sprague then talks about the TV commercial. “The hamsters’ immediate popularity helped position Soul as Kia’s halo vehicle and showcased the brand’s emerging signature design direction, which, along with quality, safety and value, has propelled Kia to tier-one status.”

Regarding the EFFIE Awards, renowned business leaders from different parts of the globe serve as judges. The winners were selected over two evaluation rounds as all the entries were analyzed on a stand-alone basis. They were then compared against the other category finalists.

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