When the Kia Soul dropped onto the U.S. market in 2010, hipsters everywhere saw Kia in a whole new light. This boxy compact car had all the tuning capabilities the Honda Civic had when it was a tuning phenomenon through the late 1990s and early 2000s, plus it had a catchy commercial with hip hop hamsters. All was well in the world of the Soul, and it’s about to get even more real with the preparation of the future-generation model.
Fresh off of its facelift in 2011, the most sold model from Kia has just entered a new generation. The 2014 Kia Soul was unveiled at the 2013 New York Auto Show and will be put on sale in the third quarter of this year.
For the new generation, the Soul has switched to a new chassis, received a new design language inspired by the Track’ster concept and features significant suspension upgrades.
Updated 03/29/2013: This review has been updated with the official details, images and specs.
When Porsche announced the initial specifications for the upcoming 918 Spyder, it announced a combined output of 795 horsepower.
Apparently, that was a little bit off, as it is now rumored that the supercar will be significantly better than initially claimed. The output will go somewhere in the 875-horsepower area, the weight will be lower and the Nürburgring time will be under 7 minutes.
Also, one buyer said at the Goodwood Festival of Speed said that he has seen the final production version, and when compared to it, both the LaFerrari and McLaren P1 look “mediocre.” Also, the same buyer claims that while everyone thinks they know how the supercar looks like, we are all in for a huge surprise when the production model drops.
The buyer also stated that the 918 Spyder will be a targa model and "will travel at 150 kms on electric alone." This can be taken one of two ways. The first way is that he means it delivers an electric-only range of about 150 kilometers (93 miles) — a rather stout number. The second meaning is that it has a top speed of 150 km/h (93 mph).
The new Porsche 918 Spyder will make its world debut in September at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show.
The GT-R just keeps on getting better and it appears as if Nissan is not planning on slowing down any time soon. This is courtesy of Nissan North America’s senior vice president saying to “stay tuned later this year for news that will electrify our legions of GT-R fans worldwide” at the 2013 New York International Auto Show. A rather innocuous statement on the surface, but if you look at that statement in a literal sense and also remember that Nissan has already planned a hybrid racer in the future, that makes you wonder if there was a more literal meaning to that statement.
Reading between the lines makes us wonder if this statement means that the hybrid system that Nissan is planning to use at the 2014 Le Mans may make its way into a production GT-R in the near future. Now we’re not talking about a hybrid system to drastically improve mpg – though it usually will just a little. Rather, we are talking about a high-performance hybrid system seen in the likes of the Porsche 918 and the Ferrari LaFerrari.
We already saw a shrunken down variant of the GT-R engine – a 3.7-liter V-6 – strapped inside the Infiniti Essence Concept with a powerful electric motor to add some extra ponies. Chances are, this concept was simply the first example of what Nissan plans to do with the existing 3.8-liter.
Imagine the GT-R with the added boost of an electric motor. We’re talking well over 700 horsepower and we are thinking conservatively here. That sounds like sweet music to our ears but also a nightmare to our wallets. Chances are that if Nissan does pull the trigger on “Electrifying” fans in a literal sense, the base GT-R would likely remain as a – dare we say – “cheaper” option.
The 2014 Kia Optima SX Limited made its debut at the New York International Auto Show and offers a sporty package for the mid-sized sedan market.
The Kia Optima line is the best-selling line for the Korean automaker and the SX Limited model offers a more upscale feel. The cars styling has subtle details that set it apart from the other cars in the model’s lineup.
The SX Limited offers a high performing engine and a lot of tech goodies. The more powerful engine option is given away with styling cues such as larger chrome alloy wheels, red brake calipers and chrome accents. Kia is hoping that this model will help give the car a bit more excitement than the lower level cars in the model’s lineup.
The design of the car was out of Frankfurt Germany to help ensure a pleasing European design. The Limited is styled to compete with sporty mid-size sedans from Europe and Japan and looks like it will give them a run for their money.
Hit the jump to read more about the 2014 Kia Optima SX Limited.
Though Ford decided not to offer any big unveilings at the 2013 New York Auto Show, Shelby American came with a tuning kit based on one of its pickups, the 2013 Ford SVT Raptor. The kit adds enhanced power and handling, and a specially designed exterior and interior.
Shelby installed a 2.9-liter Whipple supercharger onto the standard 6.2-liter V-8 engine in the Raptor and a new Shelby Stinger exhaust system. As a result, the engine’s output jumps from the standard and already awesome 411 horsepower up to a total of 575 horsepower. The engine is mated to a six-speed automatic gearbox that transfers the power to all four wheels. Additionally, an "Off-Road" mode that calibrates the transmission, stability and traction control systems for optimal operation at high speeds off road.
The package includes a set of Shelby side fender heat extractors to keep the engine cool and make the truck look downright sweet. Also included for the exterior is your choice of one of three Shelby graphics packages – Traditional, Shelby Splash and Shelby Super Snake – so everyone knows that this isn’t any old SVT Raptor.
On the inside, the base kit comes with a custom interior that includes two-tone leather with contracting stitching, a serial numbered dashboard badge, and boost and fuel pressure gauges to make sure everything is within spec.
There are also a number of optional items you can add to the base kit, for a fee of course. First up is an optional set of customs wheels wrapped in 35-inch Goodrich All-Terrain tires, a Shelby roof-mounted light bar, front and rear Shelby-spec bumpers, a spare tire and bed-mounted spare tire carrier. More options are coming down the pipe soon.
The update package is priced starts at $17,995 – a relative bargain – and will be limited to only 100 units, so get to ordering.
Subaru is going to expand the XV lineup with the addition of a XV Crosstrek Hybrid version – the brand’s first-ever production hybrid vehicle. The model made its world debut at the 2013 New York International Auto Show and will be put on sale in the fourth quarter of 2013.
With the new XV Crosstreck Hybrid, Subaru managed to keep all the features offered in the standard version, but enhanced it with higher fuel efficiency. The model is powered by a compact hybrid system that weighs just 209 pounds, so the new hybrid model weights just 300 pounds more than the gasoline engine XV Crosstrek.
The model displayed in New York featurs a very cool Plasma Green Pearl exterior color - an exclusive feature for the XV Hybrid.
Updated 03/28/2013: This review has been updated with the official details, images and specs.
Hit the jump to read more about the 2014 Subaru XV Crosstrek Hybrid.
We knew that Dodge would be offering an updated version of its Durango SUV at the 2013 New York Auto Show for quite some time now, but today the redesigned Durango SUV has been officially unveiled in the Big Apple.
Just two years removed from its re-introduction onto the market, Durango received a series of updates that made the ultimate "no compromise" SUV even better. Numerous changes have been made in order to update the SUV’s design, capability and functionality, but the most impressive feature is the addition of the new eight-speed automatic transmission - a first for its market segment.
The 2014 Dodge Durango will be put on sale in the third quarter of 2013. Customers will have to choose between five trim levels, each offering a different level of customization: SXT, Rallye, Limited, R/T and Citadel.
Updated 03/28/2013: This review has been updated with the official details, images and specs.
Hit the jump to read more about the 2014 Dodge Durango.
With the exception of the FR-S, Scion has long been a brand we pretty much shied away from. Not that there’s anything wrong with it; it’s just not the type of automaker that we follow. However, when Scion began teasing the fact that it was set to unveil an all-new tC at the 2013 New York International Auto Show, our ears perked up just a little bit.
For those that don’t remember, the tC was, at one time, the talk of Scon, as it was the only real “sports” model that the econo-box manufacturer offered. However, when Scion redesigned the model in 2011, it left a whole lot to be desired.
Well, with all of the teasing coming out of the Scion offices about the 2014 tC, we should be ready for something that’ll take our breath away, right?
Update 5/9/2013: Scion has just revealed the base pricing for the tC and tC 10 Series. See the pricing after the jump.
Click past the jump to find out if the tC impressed or fell on its face
Scion is celebrating its first 10 years in business with the launch of a series of special editions applied to the every vehicle in its lineup. Called 10 Series, this new limited edition made its world debut today at the 2013 New York Auto Show.
The model that catches our attention is the FR-S variant, of course. The special 10 Series FR-S is painted in an exclusive premium color called Silver Ignition combined with an LED Scion locator badge that lights up when the driver unlocks the car. Most of the updates were made inside the cabin, where the new 10 Series adds silver seat belts, a solar-powered illuminated shift knob, sequentially numbered interior badge and a Scion 10 Series logo placed on the dash.
For the FR-S, Scion also offers HID headlamps with integrated LED daytime running lights, dual automatic climate control and a smart key with push-button-start ignition.
The new 10 Series special edition will arrive in dealerships this June. Scion plans a total of 10,000 10 Series units, and the FR-S will make up 2,000 of those units units.
Update 5/9/2013: Scion has just released pricing for the 2014 FR-S 10 Series. The six-speed manual transmission model will start at $27,425 and the automatic transmission model will start at $28,675.
Hyundai unveiled an updated version of its Equus luxury sedan at the 2013 New York Show. After teasing it for a few weeks, the updated Equus wowed the world today in the Big Apple.
According to Hyundai, the 2014 Equus will receive more than 30 new and enhanced features on both the exterior and the interior. These updates will include higher-quality materials, tweaks to ride and handling, an updated driver information display and new safety features.
On the exterior, the 2014 Equus receives a new front bumper fascia and grille design, new side mirrors and taillight graphics, plus a new set of wheels combined with revised suspensions. The interior receives a completely redesigned instrumental panel and center stack, plus a new series of updates for the materials, rear seats and steering wheel.
Updated 03/28/2013: This review has been updated with the official details, images and specs.
Hit the jump to read more about the 2014 Hyundai Equus.
