2019 Kia Sorento Sx on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Ward's releases 10 Best Interiors list for 2014

While we're still a ways off from the automotive awards season proper, where things like North American Car and Truck of the Year, Motor Trend's Car of the Year and Car and Driver's Ten Best are named, that doesn't mean there aren't trophies being handed out to deserving automakers. Ward's 10 Best Interiors being one of them.
As the name might imply, the magazine focuses on the very best interior treatments in the US market. Whereas some awards purposely exclude extreme, high-dollar offerings, Ward's considers them - the only requirement is that a vehicle has a "new or significantly redesigned interior."
Ward's offered up the list of winners in simple, alphabetical order, and it only seems fair to do the same:

Kia Provo Concept is the hybrid bruiser we've always wanted

Kia has taken a stab at the sport hatchback segment with its Provo Concept. Unveiled at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show, the machine features menacing styling that could give the Mini Cooper or Citroën DS3 something to sweat over. Kia says the concept features a hybrid drivetrain comprised of a turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine with 201 horsepower that spins the front wheels, while a 44 hp electric motor can add extra thrust to the back rollers when necessary for simulated all-wheel drive. The setup can also provide electric-only propulsion at low speeds.
The interior serves up a carbon fiber dash adorned with analog gauges and a small digital display. Aluminum toggle switches control most of the vehicle's systems while column-mounted paddle shifters take care of swapping gears. If this all sounds too good to be true, it is. Kia says it has no plans to bring the Provo to life. Hit the press release below for a closer look at the concept.

K900 probably won't be last time Kia goes alphanumeric

This is part of an effort to ensure that the vehicle brand itself registers with consumers more than the model name.
The new Kia K900 luxury sedan stands as a four-wheeled flag in the ground of the financially fertile turf of the world's premium automakers. It's a bold move for a Korean manufacturer that was best known for inexpensive MSRPs and easy credit only a few years ago. The company has made sure it has the requisite trappings of premium motoring: indulgent size, rear-wheel drive, a powerful V8 engine, real wood trim and rich leather seats. It has also ensured the model has another important earmark of luxury - an alphanumeric name. These days, everyone from Audi to BMW to Cadillac to Lexus to Volvo rely on a jumble of letters and numbers to make up their model names. We've been told this is all part of an effort to ensure that the vehicle brand itself registers with consumers more than the model name.