2015 Kia Sorento Lx on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Kia Seltos crossover: Aimed at millennials, named from mythology

In news that touches on proper placement of carts and horses, Kia announced that its new global compact crossover will be called the Seltos. This should surprise no one, since we posted a batch of "spy" shots last week of a naked Seltos that was decorated with Seltos badges and placards. What might surprise is the inspiration for the name: Greek mythology. Kia says we have the legend of "'Celtos,' the son of Hercules" to thank for the moniker. In case you ever need to take a test on this, you should know that Heracles was the Greek god. Hercules was the later Roman version, and the Romans focused more on Hercules' early, dismal relationships. Herc, as the story goes, got tricked by a princess named Celtine during a stint herding cattle, when he stopped by her father's place. The episode resulted in a boy named Celtus (or Celtos), one of his multitudinous brood, and that boy became the mythological father of the Celts. The Seltos crossover has a job almost as challenging as fathering a nation, that of being a lure to millennials the world over. Kia's tried to give the little people hauler a head start on the job by changing the first letter of Celtos' name to "S," said to imply speed and sportiness. Conveniently, that also fits into the carmaker's crossover and minivan naming scheme that already includes Soul, Sportage, Sorento and Sedona. Without details on available engines, we can't tell how much speed or sportiness there will be, but the design looks sophisticated enough. Designers have managed to put plenty of muscle and flourish into a small space without making a mess. With the exterior matching the sketches faithfully, we expect the same handsome results inside, led by the 10.25-inch infotainment touchscreen. Kia says it will reveal the Seltos later this month. Sales will begin in South Korea in the latter half of the year, with other markets to follow.

Dancer who portrays Kia hamster guilty of disability fraud

Tisk, tisk, dancing hamster. Kia's trio of anthropomorphic rodents may be down a member as the actor that portrays one of the dancing hamsters has been arrested on charges of disability fraud.
According to The Huffington Post, 27-year-old LeRoy Barnes accepted over $51,000 in disability payments following a workplace injury in 2010. While accepting the money, he's accused of performing under aliases, in addition to his costumed work for Kia.
"Fraudulently collecting disability benefits is not only illegal, it disrespects legitimately injured Californians who are unable to work," Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones said in a release obtained by HuffPo.

Electric Hummer is official, and Tesla's got momentum | Autoblog Podcast #612

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Senior Editor Alex Kierstein and Senior Editor, Green, John Beltz Snyder. They start things off with a discussion of the week's news: GMC is launching an electric Hummer truck with a Super Bowl ad, and Tesla was profitable in Q4, sending its stock soaring. Then they talk about what they've been driving, including a super badass Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, the Kia Telluride and their long-term Volvo S60 PHEV. There's no "Spend My Money" segment this week, so send in your questions for future podcast episodes. Autoblog Podcast #612 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown Hummer returns as electric GMC truck Further reading: Grappling with the dark side of EVs Tesla profitable for second straight quarter Cars we're driving: Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 3500XD Kia Telluride (whose safety tech won Autoblog's 2020 Technology of the Year Award) Long-term Volvo S60 T8 update Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.