2011 Kia Optima Ex Sedan 4-door 2.4l on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Kia previews new minivan ahead of New York debut

Kia has grown by leaps and bounds in recent years, but the Sedona has hardly been representative of that maturation. Known in some overseas markets as the Carnival, Kia's current minivan was introduced 2006, withdrawn from US showrooms at the end of 2012, then reintroduced again a year ago. Despite the product renaissance, however, the Sedona is essentially the same dated vehicle it has been for eight years now, but Kia is intent on replacing it.
We've been seeing spy shots of a new Kia minivan for several months now, and broke word a couple of months ago that the finished product would be unveiled in New York this month. Now Kia has not only confirmed the new Sedona's imminent arrival, it has released this teaser image to keep us on our toes.
The teaser shows a vehicle more or less in line with what we'd expect of a modern Kia, tabbed grille and all. This view suggests fewer design cues from the KV7 concept have been carried over than was previously thought, but we'll need to see the entire vehicle to know for sure. Kia isn't saying much about its "all-new midsize multi-purpose vehicle" in the press release below at this point, revealing only that it "will challenge the segment and will offer the functionality to transport as many as eight passengers and their belongings while also serving as a purposeful offering for adventure seekers."

Kia recalls 2014 Cadenza over wheel fractures

Kia is officially recalling just over 3,100 2014 Cadenza sedans. While that might not seem like a lot of vehicles, the reason for the recall is particularly troubling - the optional 19-inch wheels on these cars are prone to cracking. Doubly troubling? Cold weather tends to make things worse, so if you drove your new Cadenza during this past Winter of Hell, you'll want to get on the horn with your local dealer.
The affected cars, all of which have 19-inch wheels, were built between February 1, 2013 and August 27, 2013. Kia is in the process of notifying owners, and should be completed by the end of the month. Based on the recall documents, it doesn't appear that there have been any injuries or crashes due to the wheel fractures.
Owners will need to report to dealers, where their cars will be fitted with replacement wheels, free of charge. Scroll down for the official bulletin from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Hyundai Kia asked to pay $28.9M in patent infringement case

After years of litigation, Hyundai and Kia have lost their hybrid technology patent infringement case against Paice LLC. The jury ordered the South Korean automakers to pay $28.9 million, but according to Bloomberg, because the violation was allegedly intentional, the judge could triple that amount. The automakers have announced plans to appeal the ruling. Paice's patent dates from 1994 on a piece of tech called the Hyperdrive, and it was a way to seamlessly switch between power from an electric motor and an internal combustion engine. This lawsuit was first filed in 2012 and covered the systems in the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid and Kia Optima Hybrid. According to Bloomberg, the companies tried to argue that the patent was no longer valid, but the strategy failed. "Hyundai strongly believes its position and will appeal any remaining adverse findings to the Federal Circuit," the company said in a statement to Autoblog. Paice is certainly no stranger to litigating over the Hyperdrive patent, though. It and Toyota had a similar court battle that lasted years. Eventually, there was a settlement, and the result was Paice getting royalties for each hybrid that the Japanese automaker sold. Similarly, there's a lawsuit pending against Ford over tech in the C-Max, Fusion, and Lincoln MKZ. Hyundai Statement: Hyundai believes that the verdict returned by the jury today in the matter of Paice v. Hyundai Motor Company et al., is not supported by the evidence. Accordingly, Hyundai has requested that the presiding judge enter a judgment in its favor notwithstanding the verdict. Hyundai strongly believes its position and will appeal any remaining adverse findings to the Federal Circuit.