Autoblog

Click above to see the Kia Soul in a kaleidoscope of colors

We've seen plenty early pictures of the upcoming Kia Soul, but only a few in any of the available production colors. No longer. Kia-World has managed to snag what appears to be some leaked official shots of the upcoming mini 'ute in all its production hues. We think there's a good chance that the Soul will fill a boxy void left when the last-gen Scion xB was lost as Toyota's entry-level brand went upmarket. Take a gander at the gallery below as Kia bares its Soul in Green Tea Latte, Cocktail Orange, Java Brown, Tomato Red, Moonlight Blue, Black Soul, and Clear White. Also available, though not officially shown as of yet, will be Blue Stone, Titanium Silver, Vanilla Shake and Bright Silver. That's a lot of choices, which is a good thing since buyers in this segment historically like to individualize their whips. The production model should debut at the Paris Motor Show in October and go on sale in the U.S. next April in all of its technicolor glory.


[Source Kia-World]

Click above for high-res gallery of the Kia Forte

The Kia Forte has been caught out again, this time in more press photos and the official Korean-market brochure. The 2009 Spectra replacement is a looker... even if it borrows some of those looks from other vehicles. Regardless, those shapely front fenders, strong shoulder line that terminates into the A-pillar and concave space right above the sills are definitely elements not usually found in the economy car class. The car will probably come to the U.S. with a slight price bump over the $13,000 Spectra, but there'll be more power, space, and fuel economy to go with it. Check out the gallery of hi-res photos below, and if you read Korean and see anything newsworthy in the brochure feel free to let us know in the comments.


[Source: Carscoop]

Click above for more detail shots of the Kia Forte

Kia's new Forte sedan will make its formal debut in Korea any time now, and, as often is the case, some shots have leaked just a bit early, including images of the interior. According to the press release that's pasted after the break, the Asian Forte will come with two separate 1.6-liter four cylinder engines, one gas and one diesel. Both of them pack a bit over 120 horses under the hood while the diesel, as expected, returns better fuel economy. The new Forte will begin at 11.9 million won in Korea -- about $11,300 in U.S. currency -- and reach 19.6 million won when totally loaded. We wouldn't put too much stock in those numbers when the car finally makes it Stateside, as the Spectra that it will replace costs over $13,000 to start. Unlike its Korean counterpart, though, the U.S.-spec Forte will likely be equipped with a larger 2.0-liter engine as its sole powerplant option. We'd imagine all that equipment, including the excellent iPod integration, will make it to our shores, as well.


[Source: Kia-World]

Kia's hungry for your business, which explains the pending arrival of the Forte. The Spectra is a good car, but blends in far more than the attractively turned out Forte. It seems the Forte also has an appetite, and it's for the good stuff. Kia wants to bolster its image, so what better way than a clever commercial that infers that inside the Kia is all the goodness of a partially digested Bentley? Of course it's hyperbole, that's why it's so cool! Video embedded after the jump. Thanks for the tip, Alberto!

[Source: kia-world.net]

Click above for high-res gallery of spy shots

Our spy photographers from KGP caught another vehicle out testing in the desert recently, though this time it comes to us all the way from Korea instead of Japan. Kia is supposedly developing a new near-luxury sedan using the best bits of the Hyundai Azera. These spy shots reveal some of the car's design cues, including a nice set of complex element headlights that reach far up the fender wall, LED taillights and exhaust tips integrated into the rear apron. Clearly this is going to be more upscale than any Kia with which we've crossed paths before, as the brand's current big sedan, the Optima, can barely compete in the midsize family sedan segment. This larger sedan, reportedly codenamed VG, appears to at least have a smooth and sophisticated design beneath all that covering. We expect to learn more about this car in the coming year when it debuts at either the Chicago or New York Auto Show. Check out more pics from every angle in the gallery below.

[Source: KGP Photography]

What would Top Gear be without a star in a reasonably priced car? Well... better, for one thing. But that hasn't stopped NBC from porting over the red-headed step-child of Top Gear segments to the imported version of the show. According to Jalopnik, during tomorrow's taping, B-listers C-listers D-listers Howie Mandel and Melanie B (former Spice Girl) will be piloting the U.S.'s own version of a reasonably-priced car – a Kia Rio – around the newly minted Top Gear test track. What can we expect? Nothing good, we thinks. Nor does it bode well that both pseudo-celebs are part of the NBC franchise. Depressed? We thought so. But the taping is tomorrow, so we'll try to remain upbeat until the first reports from inside the studio surface.

[Source: Jalopnik]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the 2009 Kia Soul.

In April of 2009, the Scion xB will finally get some stiff competition from Kia in the form of the Soul. As reported previously, the new model will debut at the Paris Motor Show in October, measuring 161 inches long, 70 inches wide and 63 inches tall. According to Automotive News, the Soul will be packing either a 1.6- or 2.0-liter gasoline engine powering the front wheels when it arrives in the States, while European consumers get a choice of a 1.6-liter gasoline or diesel engine.

In addition to aping the xB's boxy shape, Kia will be offering a similar line of customization parts to make each Soul unique, so expect a variety of accessories, options and color combinations inspired by the Soul Burner, Diva and Searcher concepts that debuted in Geneva. Pricing has yet to be announced, but if Kia expects to compete with Scion, the Soul won't be knocking on the $20k ceiling.



[Source: Automotive News – Sub. Req.]

Click above for high-res gallery of the 2009 Kia Borrego

Could there be an any worse time to debut a brand new body-on-frame SUV like Kia has done with the new 2009 Borrego? Gas prices have most every new car shopper running from SUVs into small cars with four-cylinder engines. In fact, many SUV early adopters are now driving much smaller sedans like those models that make up Kia's bread-and-butter line. Enough new Korean vehicles were sold in America so far this year that the Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group managed to outpace mighty Honda in total sales as it roared into the number five worldwide automaker spot. Therefore, our immediate thought is that Kia must be crazy to go ahead and introduce the new Borrego in the American market... but Kia would have you believe otherwise.

As Kia's sales team sees it, since the Korean automaker currently offers no contenders in the true midsize SUV category, any slice of the dwindling market is a win. Is the Borrego good enough to win over any remaining SUV buyers? Read on.


All photos copyright Jeremy Korzeniewski / Weblogs Inc.

Spies have caught a sleek new sedan doing the rounds in Korea. Word is that it's codenamed VG, will be arriving in '09, and will be "closely related to" the Hyundai Azera. While there is no word on engines yet, the car is expected to be front-wheel-drive. That doesn't exactly bode well for Kia's brief of being the sporty brand -- so sayeth Hyundai -- but the car is supposed to be "near luxury" and appears to have some all right lines, even under the camo. We look forward to seeing more.

[Source: Kia World]

Click above for a hi-res gallery of the Kia Soul

While the production Kia Soul won't be revealed until later this year at the Paris Motor Show, the opening of the London show brings the release of more official images from the automaker. One thing's certain: it'll be hip to be square in 2009, when both the Soul and the Nissan Cube arrive to give the Scion xB some company. Kia also officially announced that the car will be offered exclusively in a front-engine/front drive layout and that it's 4,105 mm (161 in) long, 1,785 mm (70 in) wide, 1,610 mm (63 in) tall, and has a 2,550 mm (100 in) wheelbase. In case you were wondering, compared to the xB, it's got a shorter wheelbase and overall length, but is a hair wider and taller. The engine selection in Europe will consist of 1.6L gasoline and diesel four-cylinders. As you can see, the photos show a neat package that'll probably have plenty of folks embracing their inner geeks when it arrives in U.S. showrooms next April.


[Sources: Kia]