2021 Kia Niro Plug-in Hybrid Ex Premium on 2040-cars

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How the Koreans are cracking the luxury market

South Korea's two largest automotive brands are no longer the same companies they were when they first entered the world stage.
Anyone who visits Seoul after a few years absence is likely going to be in for a shock. What was, not that long ago, a decidedly third-world city is today a thriving, sprawling metropolis increasingly on a par with the world's most modern cities.

Kia gives K900 Matrix spoof for Super Bowl commercial

Kia made a splash when it announced that Laurence Fishburne would revisit Morpheus, his bespectacled, blade-wielding badass character from the Matrix trilogy for a Super Bowl commercial. When we originally broke that story, we offered up a brief synopsis of the spot, produced by David&Goliath.
Now, we have an extended, 90-second version of the 60-second Kia K900 commercial that's slated to air during this weekend's Super Bowl. While it does stick to the brief we reported on a few weeks back, there's a big, ridiculous twist in the last bit of the video, not to mention a few easter eggs for fans of the movies. We won't spoil it for you, so scroll down and have a look.
After you've watched the video, scroll just a bit further down and have a look at Kia's official press release on the commercial.

Hyundai and Kia settle lawsuit over hybrid technology

Hyundai and Kia will end Paice's patent infringement lawsuit by signing a licensing agreement to use the firm's hybrid technology for their vehicles, according to Bloomberg. A statement by Paice says that this new contract ends any legal disputes between the companies, but doesn't disclose the cost of the settlement. A Hyundai spokesperson declined to comment about the case's resolution to Autoblog. Paice and the Abell Foundation, an investor, brought the case against Hyundai and Kia in 2012 over the tech in the Sonata and Optima Hybrids, and the court sided in the patent holder's favor in October 2015. The jury ordered the automakers to pay at least $28.9 million, but the judge could have tripled that amount because the infringement was allegedly intentional. Hyundai pledged to appeal the ruling. Paice's patents come from the work of Alex Severinsky and cover ways to make engines and electric motors work together. The company has a history of defending its tech, including settlements with Toyota and Ford. It also filed another case against the Blue Oval in 2014 over the hybrid or plug-in systems in the C-Max, Fusion, and Lincoln MKZ. Hyundai and Kia sign licensing agreement with Paice Paice, a pioneer in hybrid electric vehicle technology, has reached an agreement to license all of its hybrid vehicle technology to Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Motors Corp. Paice has now licensed all or part of its hybrid vehicle technology portfolio to Toyota, Hyundai/Kia, and Ford – three of the world's six largest automakers. These three companies currently account for 90% of all hybrid vehicle sales in the United States. "We are gratified to reach a licensing agreement with Hyundai and Kia, who are among the undisputed leaders in the hybrid industry. This agreement further validates the importance of our technology, and we hope to reach additional agreements with other major automakers," said Frances Keenan, chairman of the Paice Board of Directors. The confidential licensing agreement with Hyundai and Kia brings an end to all litigation between the companies. Paice and the Abell Foundation, a Baltimore-based non-profit organization that invested in Paice, filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Hyundai and Kia in U.S. District Court in 2012. After an eight-day jury trial earlier this year, the jury sided with Paice and Abell, awarding $28,915,600. Hyundai and Kia currently rank third in U.S. hybrid car sales.