2002 Kia Sedona Ex Mini Passenger Van 5-door 3.5l on 2040-cars

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Kia GT to debut in Paris, production in 2017

After years of waiting, the Kia GT four-door coupe (concept pictured above) could finally debut in production guise at the Paris Motor Show in October, and the brand would start making it in 2017, according to Autocar. The South Korean automaker could also create a hotter variant of the pint-sized Rio in 2018 to give the lineup a dash more performance. Kia debuted the rear-wheel drive GT concept at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show, and the svelte four-door offered some speed thanks to a 3.3-liter turbocharged V6 with 389 horsepower and 394 pound-feet of torque and an eight-speed automatic gearbox. Kia seemed primed to build the model several times over the years as a US-focused vehicle, but the latest report hinted that production wouldn't happen until 2017. Autocar claims that the final design incorporates cues from the sporty GT4 Stinger concept. Kia also intends to introduce performance-oriented models with the GT moniker lower in its range. According to Autocar, the Rio GT would ride on the vehicle's lighter next-gen platform and offer about 180 horsepower from a 1.6-liter engine to compete against the Ford Fiesta ST, which already has 197 hp. However, the South Korean automaker might want to consider a more potent powerplant to keep up in the hot hatch arms race, because spy shots already suggest the Blue Oval's development of a Fiesta RS with around 250 hp. Related Video: Featured Gallery Kia GT Concept: Frankfurt 2011 View 13 Photos News Source: AutocarImage Credit: Copyright 2016 Drew Phillips / AOL Design/Style Rumormill Paris Motor Show Kia Hatchback Concept Cars Performance Sedan 2016 paris motor show kia rio kia gt kia gt concept

Kia and CarMax pull LA Clipper sponsorships in wake of alleged Sterling comments

There's fallout across the automotive advertising world today as companies react to alarming, racially insensitive statements alleged to have been made Donald Sterling, owner of the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers franchise. Last Friday, entertainment website TMZ published excerpts from an audio recording, allegedly between Sterling and his girlfriend V. Stiviano, in which the Clippers owner said, among other things, that he didn't want her to bring black people to his games, including LA Lakers legend Magic Johnson. Sterling has yet to respond publicly to the allegations.
The story quickly gained steam over the weekend, and this Monday it has seen Kia Motors, auto sales website CarMax and insurance giant State Farm all pull sponsorship activities with the Clippers.
In a statement Kia said the alleged statements by Sterling were, "offensive and reprehensible," calling them "inconsistent with our views and values." Kia says it is "suspending" its advertising and sponsorship activities with the team, though has yet to clarify if that suspension includes commercials featuring NBA star and Clippers power forward Blake Griffin.

2017 Kia Sportage First Drive

It's hard to get excited about most mainstream crossovers, but the truth is this is one of the hottest segments of the market right now. The automotive space is saturated with a glut of these profit-making, two-box, semi-practical, soft-roading vehicles, and the tide isn't likely to abate soon. At first blush, Kia's redesigned 2017 Sportage isn't the most eye-catching of new products, but it's poised to do very well in the ongoing CUV wars. Progress in this kind of battle is often measured in inches of space, and the 2017 Sportage grows both inside and out. The new Kia measures the same 73 inches wide as its predecessor, but it gains 1.2 inches on the wheelbase, and 1.6 inches in overall length. There's more room overall for passengers, and there's 18-percent greater cargo space in back. Plus, the luggage floor can be moved down into a lower position to make more vertical space when needed. The Sportage was penned by renowned designer Peter Schreyer (he of first-gen Audi TT fame), but the end result is a bulbous-looking crossover, especially when viewed from the front – it's like a chipmunk with too many acorns in its cheeks. The "tiger-nose" grille – a hallmark of Schreyer – was moved up to accommodate the "ice-cube" fog lamps, while the headlights sweep back along the sides of the car. The A and C pillars are thinner, allowing occupants better visibility from inside the car, but from the outside, the rear three-quarter view looks blocky and cut up. The rear doesn't seem to match the rest of the car, either – it's more svelte and understated. Looking past its exterior design, the new Sportage is marginally, uh, sportier, thanks to a new, lighter, stiffer body, a redesigned suspension, and new engine tuning. Kia is mostly chasing improved fuel efficiency with its latest powertrain updates, as both engines have slightly lower outputs than their predecessors but have marginal improvements in fuel economy. The entry-level 2.4-liter inline-four (same as the Optima and Sorento) puts out 181 horsepower and 175 pound-feet of torque – decreases of only 1 hp and 2 lb-ft – and can be had with front- or all-wheel drive. Step up to the top-of-the-line SX Turbo and you get a 2.0-liter turbo-four that puts out 240 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque (that's 20 hp and 9 lb-ft less than before). Kia estimates the 2.4/FWD combination will return 23 miles per gallon city, 30 mpg highway, and 26 mpg combined, while the 2.0T/AWD will score 20/23/21.