Ever since Peter Schreyer – a former designer for Volkswagen and Audi – jumped on the Kia bandwagon to become its new design chief, the aesthetic quality of Kia cars have, to say the least, bumped up into the ranks of the ‘that’s actually a pretty classy-looking ride’ category.
Coincidence or not, you still have to give credit where it’s due and Schreyer has to receive – even if it sounds obligatory – some props for what he’s done to Kia. By taking some styling cues from his previous employers, Schreyer has turned cars like the mid-sized 2011 Cadenza sedan into something worthy of a positive double-take.
While there are still other qualifications we should judge the 2011 Cadenza on – handling and price tag come to mind – we can all take comfort knowing that Kia’s newest mid-sized sedan can hold its own in the aesthetic department against other more high-profile brands in the same class.
If you still need some further convincing on the design merits of the car, take a look at these promo videos and judge for yourself. It may not generate an overwhelmingly positive response but given it’s track record – which is, to say the least, average – the 2011 Cadenza looks like a Thanksgiving Day touchdown.
Kia revealed today on the Korean market the 2010 Cadenza (known in there as the K7) luxury sport sedan. According to the company the new Cadenza will be a ’big step into the future’ for Kia when it goes on worldwide sale next year.
The car’s design is inspired by the KND-5 concept car revealed last April at the Seoul Motor Show: a distinctive ’tiger nose’ front with its signature grille and second-generation LED position lights and a combination of lamp clusters at the rear, together with the dual mufflers integrated into the bumper.
The 2010 Cadenza is powered by a range of of three gasoline engines with output ranging from 165 hp to 290 hp. All models will feature front-wheel drive and Kia’s all-new six-speed automatic transmission.
Sure, it wasn’t necessarily a cure for cancer but judging from the elaborate celebration Kia hosted after rolling out production car no.1 in the US, it sure looked like one.
The 2011 Kia Sorento made history of sorts in the US after it became the first ever vehicle to be rolled out of the Kia Motors Manufacturing plant in Georgia. The occasion marks a milestone achievement for Kia as the Sorento likewise became the first-ever Kia vehicle to be built in America.
Kia’s vision to become a major player in the US took a huge step forward after the Korean automaker officially opened the 2,200 acre facility in Georgia. As it stands, the plant has over 2,500 employees and, more importantly, has the potential to produce 300,000 cars per year.
According to B.M. Ahn, president and CEO of Kia Motors America and KMMG, “The start of production at our first manufacturing facility in the United States further demonstrates our commitment to growth in North America and we are proud to be adding 2,500 jobs to the local economy.”
With the opening of the KMMG, Kia has spiked its global production capacity to over 2.56 million units year after the Georgia plant joins other production plants located in Europe, Asia, and Africa.
Relatively speaking, this occasion is monumental given the circumstances surrounding the auto industry over the past couple of months. Opening a state-of-the-art facility amidst strenuous times shows that Kia is moving on to become one of the major players in the industry now and in the future.
The last customized SOUL Kia presented at the SEMA Show is the Gogogear SOUL. The car will be the official peace car at the 2010 US Touring Car Championship (USTCC) season.
"Building on our involvement in the GRAND-AM KONI Challenge Series and in an effort to introduce the Kia brand to even more racing fans, apparel maker GoGoGear.com has created a highly modified version of the popular Soul urban passenger vehicle which will serve as the official pace car at several races throughout the 2010 US Touring Car Championship (USTCC) season."
While the first customized SUV presented at SEMA Show was black, the second one features a baby blue exterior by Lux Motorwerks. The Antenna Soul features a matte brown painted roof, grill trim, side vents and custom exhaust and 20-inch wheels paired with Nitto Tires and a lowered suspension.
The Antenna Soul includes a pop-up "shop" of the latest trends in clothing and accessories from Original Penguin, Huff and etnies. Custom seats feature Cone Denim, bespoke stitching and Rufus shirt material, and a G-shock clock is mounted on the dash. Perforated leather and denim adorn the interior along with a RICTA skateboard wheel gear shift knob, leather-wrapped mounting holsters for personal electronics, a custom display case in the glove box for fashionable watches and stylish sunglasses, a refrigerator in the back seat and a skate board in the roof liner. Arrive in style - or even fashionably late - for any occasion in the Antenna Soul with clothing packed neatly in a motorized organizer in the trunk featuring exclusive apparel and accessories.
Kia came at the SEMA Show with a line-up of customized SOUL crossovers. The first of them is Black “Sinister” Soul created by BuBuck Wild Designs. The matte sinister black exterior paint job is combined with Spectral gray accents and black-out custom trim.
The SOUL’s ride has been lowered and placed on 20-inch black rims. Its dark appearance is being accentuated by smoked-out headlamps and tail lamps.
The Sinister SOUL features a 11-speaker 1,300-watt sound system, a pair of 12-inch single voice coil (SVC) subwoofers, driven separately by an 800-watt amplifier.
Hot off the release of the Kia Soul Samba, Kia’s UK Division is moving ahead with plans of releasing another limited edition Soul in November. Called the ‘Tempest’ the special edition Soul is the next-in-line to be released as part of Kia’s Original Collection.
The car, which will be sold for £12,845, comes with a 1.6-liter engine in either gas or diesel variants. Its Titanium Silver finish goes well with the black high-gloss bumper inserts, giving it a sleek and aggressive look. The black 18-inch alloy wheels also compliments the overall burnished effect of the Soul Tempest.
For a vehicle that comes with a pretty affordable price tag, the Tempest’s interior has also been upgraded to the brim. It has a black seat trim with metallic centre fascia that goes well with the overall theme of the car. The Tempest also has a reverse camera system with electrochromatic rear-view mirror and a fully-prepped sound system that has a dash-top speaker, an external amplifier, and a rear sub-woofer.
It goes without saying that a car that comes with a plethora of features and only sells for £12,845 is a downright good deal in every sense of the word.
The South Korean automaker Kia has just revealed the first images of the all new 2010 Cadenza, a mid size four door sedan that is slated to replace the Amanti here in the U.S. The Cadenza will make its world debut towards the end of this year at the Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Dubai international motor shows in the middle east. On the exterior the new Cadenza looks almost identical to the identical to the KND-5 concept that Kia brought to the Seoul Motor Show earlier this year and features the same design language as the new compact Forte and second generation Kia Sorento.
The Korean automaker Kia has finally spilled the beans about the 2011 Sorento, the first vehicle to roll off the new assembly line at Kia Motors’ state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in West Point, Georgia with sales will begining in January of 2010.
For 2011, the Sorento will be offered with a choice of two engines: a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine that delivers 172 HP or a larger 3.5-liter V6 with 273 HP, either way both coupled to a new six-speed automatic transmission for effortless shifts.
The car will be longer and roomier than the previous-generation Sorento, with an overall length of 184.4 inches and overall width of 74.2 inches. First on a Kia model, the 2011 Sorento comes with a panoramic sunroof. Also standard equipment includes: AM/FM/CD/MP3/Sat audio system with SIRIUS Satellite Radio capabilities with three months complimentary service2, auxiliary and USB audio input jacks for connecting personal MP3 players, and Bluetooth connectivity with steering wheel-mounted voice activation controls.
Kia unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show the new Venga MPV. The new model will go on sale later this year and will be manufactured in Europe.
At the launch the new Venga will be offered with 1.4 CRDi, a 1.6 CRDi, a 1.4 petrol and a 1.6 petrol, with output ranging from 90 hp to 128 hp. Transmissions available for the range are a 5-speed manual, a 6-speed manual and a 4-speed automatic depending on the model.
The new model will be offered in three trim levels, the LX, EX and the TX. All the versions will be offered with USB and iPod connection, a circular central ‘master’ control for the radio/ CD player, a 3.5-inch LCD display panel, wheel-mounted audio equipment remote controls, cruise control and a speed limiter.
Post a comment
Picture Gallery
RSS -
Webmaster free news |