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2015 Kia Soul EV whirrs in to the Windy City

Earlier this week, we got our first glimpse of the 2015 Kia Soul EV out on the road, completely uncovered. And even before then, executive editor Chris Paukert had the opportunity to drive a camouflaged electric Soul prototype on Kia's home turf in Korea. But now, finally, officially, the electron-happy Soul makes its debut at the Chicago Auto Show.
Powering the Soul EV is an 81-kilowatt electric motor that sends 109 horsepower and 210 pound-feet of torque to the front wheels. That's not immensely powerful, with Kia quoting a 0-60 time of "fewer than 12 seconds," but we're big fans of the instant torque thrust that EVs like the Soul provide. Top speed is electronically limited to approximately 90 miles per hour.
Kia says the Soul EV is good for roughly 80 to 100 miles of driving range.

Kia says fewer than 30% of its dealers will get 2015 K900

Kia is moving into unknown territory with its $60,000 K900 luxury sedan in many ways. Not only will it act as the company's flagship model, it will be the Korean brand's first in the US with rear-wheel drive and a V8 engine. The first batch will hit showrooms in March, but according to Edmunds, it will be a soft launch in some ways, because only around 30 percent of dealers have paid a premium to sell the plush ride.
Kia has sent the selected dealers back to school to make sure they are prepared to sell the K900 to the industry's famously finicky luxury sedan buyers. The company believes its flagship model will be "a catalyst in support of our long-term strategy to elevate the ownership experience," said James Hope, Kia's National Manager for product communications, to Autoblog in an email. According to Edmunds, the dealers paid about $30,000 each in required training, tools and showroom displays. It wants the improvements to "shift the culture" in its dealers to be ready to welcome luxury buyers, according to Hope. Kia Director of Public Relations Scott McKee told Autoblog that the brand expects buyers to be "independent thinkers" from a blend of current Kia owners stepping up to the K900 and conquests from other luxury brands.
Kia has been slowly building awareness of the K900, especially with its Super Bowl ad, but it still has a long road ahead of it to prove what makes it crown jewel different. The company believes more dealers will sign up to sell it once public awareness for the new sedan grows. "There has never been a better time to challenge the status quo," said Hope. Also, a V6 model will launch in the future at a lower price, which should bring more people into the updated showrooms. Given what Kia has accomplished in the US in the last 20 years, it would be foolish to count the K900 out, but that doesn't mean it will be easy to break into the luxury sedan market.

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."