2020 Kia Sorento L on 2040-cars

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Kia previews drop-top Optima for SEMA

You don't see a lot of four-door convertibles these days, but that's just what Kia has in store for the SEMA show this year. It's called the A1A, and it's based on the Optima sedan you can pick up at your local showroom. Just don't expect this one to go into production anytime soon. The Kia Optima A1A concept is just one in a series of regional specials that the Korean automaker is preparing for the tuner expo in Las Vegas. It's already given us glimpses at a Sorento inspired by the Northwest Coast, and a Forte Koup that pays tribute to the South. The Optima A1A joins in on the action to represent Florida, adopting not only an open-air body-style but also suicide rear doors and 20-inch chrome wheels fitted on a dropped coilover suspension. It's all done up in bright teal with an off-white leather interior. The turbo four produces the same 245 hp as stock, but is fitted with a high-performance exhaust. It's one of six concepts - four of them never seen before - that Kia will be presenting at SEMA this year, and we're looking forward to seeing what the next one will look like before there'll all presented in full on Tuesday. Related Video: KIA'S 2015 SEMA PRESS CONFERENCE INFORMATION America's wanderlust is found from coast to coast and everywhere in between. The A1A Optima takes inspiration from the iconic Florida A1A highway by letting the sunshine in and taking the all-new 2016 Optima in a new direction with its sliced top, shortened windshield and room for four. Reinforced steel tubes have been discretely hidden within the body so that the vehicle retains a rigid structure. The back doors of the A1A Optima swing open on rear-mounted hinges, adding a touch of whimsy and fun while complementing the roadster style. A gleaming set of 20-in. wheels are bolted to a Ksport coilover suspension, which dramatically lowers ride height. Soft butter-cream leather bucket seats up front and custom double buckets in back are separated by extended armrests and a custom center console. The powerful 245-horsepower turbocharged four-cylinder engine is combined with a high-performance exhaust. Kia Motors America will unveil four all-new custom vehicles at its press conference Tuesday, November 3 at 9:00 AM, booth #10809

Kia Sorento spotted high-altitude testing after 'Ring run

Some models stick around the market longer than others. The Kia Sorento, for example, lasted for a good eight years in its first iteration, and the second-generation model has been around for five years now. Sure, it had a facelift a couple of years ago, but if it's going to make it in the highly competitive midsize crossover market, Kia is going to have to do better than that.
And that appears to be just what it has in store. Following the previous spy shots we brought you from the Nürburgring the better part of a year ago, the next-generation Sorento has now been spotted shlepping a trailer up a mountain.
Expected to debut as soon as the Paris Motor Show in October, the third-generation Kia Sorento appears to have grown longer in order to better accommodate third-row passengers. You can also expect the latest technologies on board and maybe, just maybe, a plug-in hybrid powertain option. Watch this space for more and scope out the spy shots in the gallery above for a closer look.

EPA says it will more closely monitor fuel economy claims from automakers

The unintended acceleration brouhaha at Toyota led to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration tightening the vise on recall procedures. Likewise, the fuel economy kerfuffle that blew up with Hyundai and Kia's admission of overstated fuel mileage claims could lead to the Environmental Protection Agency policing automaker assertions by performing more audits.
At least, that's what a senior engineer with the government agency said while in Michigan giving a talk, according to a report in Automotive News. What that actually means, however, is still in question. Just ten to 15 percent of new vehicles - something like 150 to 200 cars per year - are rested by the EPA to verify automaker numbers. The EPA's own tests include a "fudge factor" to adjust lab mileage for real-world mileage, and the agency still relies on automakers to submit data for tests that it doesn't have the facilities to perform. How much more auditing can the EPA really expect to do, or perhaps a more relevant question would be how much more accurate could the EPA's audits become?
The price of gasoline, the psychological importance of 40 miles per gallon to a frugal car buyer, an automaker wanting to further justify the price premium of a hybrid, all of these things contribute to fuel economy numbers that insist on creeping upward. Perhaps the senior engineer encapsulated the whole situation best when he said, "Everybody wants a label that tells you exactly what you're going to get, but obviously that's not possible. A good general rule of thumb is that real-world fuel economy is about 20 percent lower than the lab numbers." If the lesson isn't exactly 'buyer beware,' it's at least 'buyer be wary.'