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Kia and Amazon team up to sell at-home electric charging stations

Amazon really wants to be the one-and-only destination you go to for online shopping, and it's edging a little further into the car world with its latest partnership. Kia is teaming with the online retail giant to sell and install Level 2 chargers for your home. To buy the chargers on offer, you'll need to own/lease an electric or plug-in Kia, or at least have one on order. That includes the Niro EV, Soul EV, Niro PHEV and Optima PHEV. Amazon has previously partnered with Audi to offer installation services is preparation for the E-Tron rollout, but this version of the program is framed differently and meant for Kia owners. This is being done in an attempt to make buying and installing these kind of chargers easier. Most folks know and understand Amazon, so buying everything you might need to get an electric car charger up and running from them could be a comforting process. The benefit to this way of acquiring a 240-volt charger is that Amazon sets up the whole installation process. It'll call out an electrician to inspect your house to see if any changes need to be made to support it, then install the charger. A choice of three Level 2 car chargers are being sold through this partnership. The brands include Bosch, ChargePoint and JuiceBox, ranging from most to least expensive respectively. Access to a Level 2 electric car charger will make your life with an electric car all the better. The 2020 Soul EV (shown below) and 2019 Niro EV both get to a full charge in a little more than nine hours on a Level 2 plug versus a long 59-hour wait from a Level 1 charger. You can get by with Level 1 sometimes, but getting home on a depleted battery late at night then leaving early in the morning doesn't work. In these situations, juice at a faster rate is deeply needed. The chargers are available for purchase now. 2020 Kia Soul EV View 11 Photos

Kia Soul now has more turbo and 201 hp

Back in May, Kia revealed in a new hamster commercial that we would be seeing a turbocharged version of the Soul sometime this winter. After months of waiting, we finally get our first look at the Soul Turbo in the form of the European-market Soul SX. Obviously, the most important part of the newly-boosted Soul lies under the hood. There you will find the familiar turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder from the Veloster Turbo and the Elantra Sport. Unsurprisingly, it makes the same 201 horsepower as its corporate cousins. But that's still a healthy 37-horsepower improvement over the naturally aspirated 2.0-liter. The engine is bolted up to a new 7-speed dual clutch transmission. Kia didn't say anything about a manual option, but we certainly hope they'll offer one. The company claims the Soul SX has a 0-62 mph time of 7.8 seconds and a top speed of 124 mph. Aside from the engine, there are subtle exterior and interior tweaks that distinguish this quicker Soul. The front bumper gets a larger, more aggressive grille, and the side sills are slightly wider. The car also receives exclusive 10-spoke, 18-inch wheels, red accents and Soul badge, and a twin-tip exhaust. Inside, the Soul SX has a black cloth and leather interior featuring orange stitching and the obligatory flat-bottomed steering wheel. Kia also revealed that the Soul SX is now available for ordering. However, this is just the European model. We still have yet to see the final US-spec version, but we'll probably see it very soon. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2017 Kia Soul SX: Paris 2016 View 12 Photos Image Credit: Live photos copyright 2016 Drew Phillips / Autoblog Paris Motor Show Kia Crossover Hatchback Performance 2016 paris motor show kia soul turbo

Kia reportedly plans to increase production of Telluride SUV

A new report from overseas says that Kia will increase production of the new Telluride SUV to 100,000 units due to strong demand for the three-row hauler in the U.S. Korean news site Motor Graph reports the decision was announced on a conference call at Kia’s headquarters in Seoul; Autoblog has sought confirmation from a Kia spokesman. The news comes on the heels of word that the Telluride, along with its corporate sibling the Hyundai Palisade, were getting some minor price increases, the second for both, with the Telluride starting at $33,060, including destination, after launching at $32,735. ItÂ’s also the latest sign of the popularity and positive reviews of the Telluride, which went on sale in March of last year. The Telluride just won the title of 2020 North American Utility of the Year, vanquishing the Palisade and the Lincoln Aviator, and itÂ’s earned a slew of other honors from automotive publications and organizations. Kia builds the Telluride at its plant in West Point, Georgia and sold 58,604 models in the less than eight months it was on sale in 2019, with an established clip north of 6,000 per month by yearÂ’s end. Recent rumors have suggested Kia could be planning a range-topping trim level, complete with fancy new interior colors and an off-road package that could push the Telluride toward the $50,000 mark. Kia also plans to launch the compact Seltos crossover during the first quarter of this year. Meanwhile, corporate sibling Hyundai also launched the Palisade three-row ‘ute in 2019, one of two new Hyundai nameplates last year along with the compact Venue crossover, which launched in November. From its launch in June through December, the Palisade posted sales of 28,736, with steady month-over-month increases. A Hyundai spokesman said he had no information to share about production plans but said the Palisade was seeing good demand from car buyers. The Palisade is built in Ulsan, South Korea for the U.S. market. Related Video: