And In Super Bowl Ads, It’s Kia For The Win

We knew that Kia would have a hard time topping last year’s Super Bowl epic, which featured everything from a fake motorcycle cop through Optima-worshipping Mayans. We weren’t sure where they were going when we first saw the brief video of Adriana Lima waving the checkered flag, and then we were pretty sure Kia had lost its mind when it posted a five-hour video of Lima waving a checkered flag. Read more

Is Kia Working On A V-8, Rear Drive Sports Car?

In the automotive world, the summer months can easily be referred to as the “silly season.” There aren’t any significant auto shows going on, and most manufacturers avoid summer releases of product. If you cover news from the auto industry, this time of year leaves you scrambling for things to write about; after all, how many times can you cover the latest Consumer Reports trends, or J.D. Power rankings, or FBI crime stats? Read more

Can Kia Save Its Soul?

Kia’s funky urban utility vehicle, the Soul, was introduced to the market in 2009, late to the party started by the Scion xB and the Nissan cube. To make up lost ground, Kia launched an ingenious marketing campaign featuring hip-hop hamsters, and suddenly Kia’s box-on-wheels was everywhere. To keep it fresh, Kia released a series of limited production “special editions”, like the Soul Denim and the Ghost Soul, but these were largely paint and trim packages. As cool as the Soul was, it lacked power and suffered from less-than-optimal fuel economy, so the company routinely lost buyers to Nissan and Scion. Read more

Is Kia Working On A Mazda MX-5 Rival?

When it comes to manufacturing products, it’s best to not under-estimate the Koreans. As a Hyundai insider once told me, they’re the only people of the planet who can make the Japanese look like slackers. Just look at Hyundai and Kia if you need proof; two decades ago they were the butt of jokes, but today they’re on fire. The Hyundai Elantra is kicking ass and taking names in the compact car segment, and their Sonata is doing the same in the midsize class. Kia’s Optima and Optima Turbo are poised to give Hyundai a run for their money, and it looks like Hyundai is positioning Kia as a younger, more sporting brand. When Kia says they’re looking at building a rival to Mazda’s MX-5, I believe they’ll succeed where others have failed. Read more

Rumored Kia Luxury Sedan: Kia K9 Sketches Released

Everyone wants to have an entry into the luxury sports sedan segment these days including, you would never guess, Kia! Yes, that’s right; Kia has introduced sketches of their upcoming Kia K9 luxury sedan. The counterparts rumored to be a part of this upcoming Korean luxury sports sedan are shared with the Hyundai Genesis sedan.  The Kia K9 would virtually be a sister car to that of the Genesis Sedan sporting a V8. Would that put a Kia up against the likings of an Audi A8 and BMW 7-series? Only time will tell. For now, enjoy the sketches of the upcoming Kia K9… and it is not a dog.

2010 Kia Soul+ Review & Test Drive

Automotive Addicts had the chance to test drive the new 2010 Kia Soul+. After an extensive drive and rigorous analysis of the “Korean Scion”, as we like to call it, we walked away very pleased in several aspects of this new-generation-x automobile.

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Look Into Your Soul, Kia Soul that is!

My God, I never thought I would be saying that a Kia looks good but here goes. The Kia Soul looks nice. Okay, there, I said it. So what!

The Kia Soul is a definite contender. I mean, look at the new commercial of the Kia Soul. It literally has Soul! It has the looks, the right price and a great warranty to complete the package. I have not driven one of these things personally but I plan on it very soon.

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