A few years ago, if anyone had said that Kia and Hyundai would end up producing vehicles that would target luxury models from the likes of Audi, BMW, and Mercedes, many people probably would have laughed in their faces. Now, the two companies are chipping away at their cheaper car reputation and we have a series of new spy shots to prove it. The vehicle seen here is the new Kia K9, as it takes its turn in Northern Sweden for some winter testing.
Known as the Maserati Quattroporte from Korea (weird), the Kia K9 will be based on the rear wheel drive platform from the Hyundai Genesis sedan and will take most of its design cues from the recently announced GT Concept, including the concept’s full LED headlights.
The engine line-up will include a series of three petrol engines, plus a diesel for the European market. The entry-level will use a 3.8 liter V6 engine that will deliver about 333 HP, then there will be a 4.6 liter V8 version delivering 385 HP, and the top model will use a 5.0 liter V8 with a powerful 429 HP. The engines will be offered with a choice of an 8-speed automatic transmission, but a new 10-speed automatic transmission that is currently under development could find its way in the K9 as well.
The new Kia K9 will make its world debut at the end of 2012 as a 2013 model.
Kia has brought a new range topping Optima to the 2012 Chicago Auto Show. The special Optima SX Limited will go on sale in March and will be offered exclusively in three exterior colors: Ebony Black, Snow White Pearl, and Titanium Metallic.
The special edition Kia Optima SX Limited will be distinguished by LED daytime running lights, a chrome-accented rear spoiler, lower door sills, wood interior trim, and a new set of uniquely designed chrome 18-inch wheels. The interior has been dressed up in black or white Nappa for the leather seats, door panels, center console armrest, and center fascia trim for a premium feel. All of these elements are combined with wood accents on the steering wheel, interior door trim, and shift knob, and a black tricot fabric lends a premium feel to the headliner, sun visor, and A, B, and C pillars.
The Kia Optima SX Limited is powered by the vehicle’s usual 2.0-liter turbo GDI V6 engine that delivers a total of 274 HP and achieves 22/34 mpg city/hwy.
Okay, so at first we thought Kia’s ad for this year’s SuperBowl was going to be the five-hour long video of Victoria’s Secret supermodel Adrianna Lima waving a checkered flag back and forth repeatedly. Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on how you look at it, Kia has another way of advertising during the biggest football game of the year.
Their true SuperBowl commercial is called "A Dream Car. For Real Life." It features a couple who are visited by a sandman who sprinkles a little special dust on them to make for a couple of fabulous dreams. He accidentally drops the entire man on the gentleman and his dream because Kia’s high-powered ad featuring the Optima. In this ad, the man cruises around in his Optima while getting an eyeful of Adrianna Lima, UFC fighter Chuck Lidell, and American heavy metal band Mötley Crüe, among other things. He performs the ultimate task however, when he rides into his wife’s perfect dream and rescues her from her dream man on the white horse.
If this commercial isn’t enough for you and you’re looking for a little more of the scantily clad Adrianna Lima, hit the jump. There, you’ll find five hours worth of some bare skin and flag waving.
The Chicago Auto Show is one of America’s biggest auto events, yet it doesn’t hold the same glamorous standards as that of its counterparts in Detroit, New York, and even Los Angeles.
That being said, a lot of automakers have used Chicago as the venue for their concept debuts and it’s no different this year as Kia prepares to roll out the Track’ster Concept.
The Tracks’ter Concept is being touted as "the ultimate performance" Soul that features an aggressive hatchback body with a low and aggressive bodykit. Looking at the Soul’s overall design, it should be easy to paint a picture of the Tracks’Ter as a concept that carries a far edgier look to coincide with the Korean automaker’s evolving design language, one that’s a far departure from the conservative approach the company used to be known for.
Performance details on the Tracks’ter Concept have yet to be announced, but considering what we’re looking at and how it’s being touted, we wouldn’t be surprised if it packs the same 1.6-liter four-cylinder powertrain that can be found under the hood of the Hyundai Veloster Turbo.
Whatever the case may be, we’re all looking forward to seeing the Kia Tracks’Ter Concept make its world debut in Chicago later this month.
Korean automaker, Kia, has been far more aggressive in expanding its company profile in the past couple of years and establishing itself as one of the most popular automakers in the world.
Now we’re learning that Kia is set to venture into a whole new market after news broke that they have green-lighted the production of the Kia GT Concept sports car for 2013. We first saw the GT Concept at the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show a few months ago and were left breathless at the car’s cutting-edge design and significant - at least for Kia - performance numbers.
For the production GT Concept, Kia is looking at a comprehensive line-up that not only includes a sedan version, but also a two-door coupe variant and, quite possibly, even a station wagon.
What we do know is that the production GT will be made to provide the market a Korean alternative to many of the German automakers, particularly Audi and BMW. If you ever thought the day would come wherein Kia would be mentioned in the same sentence as those two German automakers, then your day has finally come.
As it stands, details on the production version of the GT Concept are still being kept under wraps. The concept we saw at Frankfurt carried a 3.3-liter turbocharged V6 engine with 390 horsepower so you can probably expect something along those lines.
Whatever the case may be, Kia’s decision to push for the production of the concept shows without a tinge of doubt that they’re ready to play with the Germans. And the best part is, they sure as heck aren’t backing down.
