Kia’s presence at the 2011 SEMA Auto Show has been all about sports-inspired cars. The Optima Hybrid Griffin featured a basketball theme and the Kia Forte Hat Trick comes complete with a hockey theme, named after the act of a player scoring three goals in a single match. That feat is then followed by fans throwing their hats onto the ice.
Speaking of ice, the Forte Hat Trick is painted in a custom ice-metallic gray exterior paint and sits on a new set of 19" blue alloy wheels. Developed by Antenna, the car has also received a custom body kit and Forte Koup front bumper with carbon fiber accents and LED "hockey stick" fog lights, a quad-tipped exhaust, carbon fiber roof material, and a lowered suspension. The headliner features a built-in hockey coach’s play board and the rear cargo area features built-in compartments that house four carbon fiber hockey sticks and two jerseys color matched to the exterior of the car.
The interior also received a sporty makeover with two bucket seats with custom upholstery, custom-molded sports bottle drink holders in the center console, and a mini air hockey table mounted in the rear hatch area. The coolest part about the interior is the TVs mounted in the front seat headrests and wired to a Microsoft X-Box video game console featuring EA Sports NHL12 video game.
Updated 11/09/2011: Look in the picture gallery for new real life images of the Kia Forte Hat Trick from its official debut at the SEMA Show.
Throughout the past several weeks the economy of the United States and other large importers of oil have struggled to maintain positive amidst the turmoil in the middle-east. Civil unrest and pressure have led to a decrease in oil production and increase in the price for a single barrel. We have seen prices reach the $100 mark and beyond, and there are no signs of a ceiling.
These two year highs for the price of crude oil have led to OPEC releasing more supplies from our reserves, but it has not quelled the price hike. California is currently suffering from the highest prices nationwide and they have reached within a cent of $4.00 per gallon for regular unleaded. This has put added strain on a struggling economic environment for many people and, if this continues, it will drag our economy further down. With cars like the Toyota Prius and other hybrids hitting the market every week, it is good to see that the manufacturers are realizing that gasoline will not be the answer to our future problems.
The major auto shows and car introductions across the world, including the biggest in the United States, Detroit, are where auto manufacturers try to sell the public hot-air. Most of the amazing and futuristic concept cars are so far on the other side of being a production possibility they might as well be alien. The recent economic climate across the world has shifted the car companies in a new direction and the consumer continues to pull them even further. People are eager for cars that are economical and exciting – most people enjoy driving, just not having to pay $4.00 per gallon to do it.
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Kia brought a hybrid version of the Forte sedan to this year’s SEMA Auto Show with the intent to show the world that a compact hybrid sedan can be anything but boring. The model revealed in Las Vegas is just a concept, but if enough customers show enough interest in this hybrid concept, then we can’t imagine that Kia wouldn’t run to the production line with this one.
The hybrid concept was designed by Kinetic Motorsports and its hybrid system combines a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine fueled by liquefied petroleum gas (propane) and lithium polymer battery with accentuated design characteristics, including body panel enhancements and a lowered stance, to create a one-of-a-kind personality for the environmentally-friendly sedan.
The package is finished by cast aluminum alloy wheels and low-rolling resistance tires for improved fuel economy and reduced road noise. On the inside, interior panel treatments feature custom enhancements, while a 1200 watt Infinity®2 audio system will entertain passengers.
Press release after the jump.
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Kia’s smallest car, the Forte, will be coming to the 2010 SEMA Auto Show in what looks to be a future special edition model. Okay, so Kia says it’s only a concept, but the future for the Forte Koup Type R Concept, which was inspired by the company’s first season of racing in the Grand-Am Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge, is very bright. The concept was designed by Kinetic Motorsports, who built and campaigns Kia’s Forte Koup race cars.
The Type R Concept gets a matte gray exterior paint job that works with enhanced exterior panels to make the front fenders, rocker panels, and rear quarter panels appear longer. BBS RG 18-inch forged aluminum alloy wheels and racing-inspired tires along with a modified front end add to the overall look of the car.
The interior of the Type R now offers custom seat/door treatments as well as a few ergonomic improvements for the driver. Other additions include a short throw shift kit with Kinetic gear shift knob and carbon inlay, and a dampened composite fiber disc clutch.
Press release after the jump.
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So, you want to buy a small sedan for the family? Something that gets great mileage, offers decent room inside the cabin and the trunk and is also able to give out a little power here and there. Let’s not forget fuel economy, this little sedan needs to get 30 miles per gallon or better on the highway. So, what shall you buy?
Well, Kia is offering up the Forte. A new sedan that offers loads for your money, but isn’t as cheap as Kias used to be.
The Forte is the kind of... sort of...the successor to the Spectra, but that really isn’t the case at all. Gone are the bland and boring looks of the old Spectra, replaced by a great soulful product. Kia needed this car in a big way considering all of the competition in the segment from Honda, Toyota, Mazda, Ford and Chevrolet.
With a muscular body style, the Forte continues the wonderful looks that came previously on the Soul. With a pronounced shoulder line that extends back to the rear, the car has a very butch look. The stance is wide and low, giving the Forte good cornering ability. The sweptback headlights and curved grille help give the front fascia a clean appearance.
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