2004 Kia Optima Ex Sedan 4-door 2.7l on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Kia Soul to get AWD?

The funky Kia Soul is one of the three affordable, efficient and style-first boxes on sale today (along with the Scion xB and Nissan Cube). Like its competition, it sits atop a front-drive platform with a longitudinally mounted four-cylinder engine.
It's a dandy car in this setup, but it sounds like Kia may be looking to differentiate the Soul from the herd by offering an optional all-wheel-drive system in the future. According to the report filed by Kia World, the popularity of the small, stylish crossover segment is expected to expand considerably over the coming years, especially overseas.
Citing the optional all-wheel drive on the Renault Captur, Ford Ecosport and Opel Mokka (Buick Encore in the US), along with the eventual arrival of a sub-Tiguan Volkswagen, called the Taigun, an all-wheel-drive Soul seems to make a lot of sense for these foreign markets. In the American market, meanwhile, AWD would open the Soul up to a new segment of buyers that like its looks but want all-wheel ability. Kia World is claiming the Soul AWD could hit markets in 2016 wearing a ruggedized version of the sheetmetal shown on the 2014 Soul that debuted in earlier this year in New York. Expect a bit of extra ground clearance to accompany the new drivetrain. Finally, all-wheel drive would likely only be available on the mid-range Soul + and top-spec Soul !.

Kia's Detroit concept is called Telluride

Remember that Kia concept we told you about earlier this week? It's called Telluride – you know, like the ski resort town in Colorado. Kia just released this second teaser image of its big SUV concept, giving us a sneak peek of the interior. Design-wise, it looks cool, but there's more here than meets the eye. Kia is, as expected, short on details. But the automaker confirms many of the interior bits – including elements of the dashboard, door panels, and steering wheel – use 3D-printed components. We'll have to wait until next week's Detroit Auto Show to see exactly what Kia's talking about, though. In its short press release, Kia once again mentions its concept's "unique in-cabin health-and-wellness technology," but doesn't offer any more details. Maybe it's something similar to the Fit Driver stuff that Audi unveiled at CES this week. Look for the Telluride to debut during Kia's press conference at 2:15 PM Eastern on Monday, January 11, and click here to see the original teaser showing the SUV's shape. DETROIT CONCEPT TEASER #2 The boldly designed Telluride, set to unveil at the 2016 North American International Auto Show next week, pushes the boundaries of technology and luxury with unique in-cabin health-and-wellness technology. The concept highlights Kia's first use of 3D-printed components, which add a distinct, modern design element to the dashboard, door panels, and steering wheel.

Behold, Kia's Space Babies Super Bowl commercial

Kia is out to answer life's big questions in its ad for the upcoming Super Bowl. Questions like: Where do babies come from? The spot follows one father as he spins a tale to shield his young son from the world of adult truths. The story starts on planet Babylandia, where infants of every species live in peaceful coexistence until they're called to Earth. When that happens, the adorable little beings suit up and take a nine-month journey through space to their new home before parachuting from the heavens. Sure beats that tired old stork yarn.
Oh, and we forgot to mention there's a 2014 Kia Sorento in the spot as well. You can check out the whole shindig below for a quick chuckle. Expect to see the spot air during the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl, and keep your eyes peeled for the new Forte spot. We hear tell that ad features Alyssa Campanella in a robot get up. No, we don't get it either.