2015 Kia Lx on 2040-cars

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Lexus NX, BMW i3 to get Super Bowl commercials

At this point last year, we'd been getting news on automotive-focused Super Bowl commercials for more than two months. The teasers hadn't come out yet, but manufacturers lined up for the super-expensive spots were making their intentions known. This year? Almost nada, until this week. BMW has said it will air a 60-second spot promoting the i3 during the first quarter of the game, the Munich firm returning to The Big Game after a four-year absence. BMW says, "Big ideas like the BMW i3 take a little getting used to, and the creative idea surrounding our spot will play on this analogy." We say that pitching a tiny range-extended hatchback during the beer-iest American sports orgy of the year should make for some neat commentary afterward. Lexus is putting its new NX crossover in the second Super Bowl commercial it's ever aired, eschewing the glitter of celebrities and glamor for a straight-shooting spot and the tagline, "Be seen, be heard, make some noise." Joining those two are Kia, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan and Toyota. The six confirmed carmakers are down from eleven last year, when car spots made up a quarter of the total ad time. The price to do business for 30 seconds this year: reportedly around $4.5 million, up a stacks from last year's $4 million. You can watch the Lexus commercial in the video above, and beneath that, the BMW press release below has a bit more information on its effort. BMW to Advertise All-Electric BMW i3 during Super Bowl XLIX. The all-electric BMW i3 is featured in a 60-second spot during Super Bowl XLIX on Sunday, February 1, 2015. Woodcliff Lake, NJ – January 15, 2015... Today, BMW announced plans to feature the all-electric BMW i3 in a 60-second spot during Super Bowl XLIX on Sunday, February 1, 2015. After a 4-year hiatus, BMW will be returning to the big game with a commercial during the first quarter. "As one in three Americans will tune in to watch the Super Bowl, we are thrilled to use this platform to educate viewers on the importance of electric mobility," said Trudy Hardy, Vice President of Marketing, BMW of North America. "Big ideas like the BMW i3 take a little getting used to, and the creative idea surrounding our spot will play on this analogy." BMW i is BMW's forward-looking and sustainable brand dedicated to solving many of the mobility challenges faced by the world's most densely populated cities. The BMW i3 is the first of the BMW i vehicles constructed from the ground up primarily of carbon fiber.

2016 Kia Cee'd GT Line brings new 1.0-liter engine to Geneva

The Kia Sportspace Concept might exhibit the future of the Korean brand's styling, but the Cee'd GT Line at the Geneva Motor Show is the first glimpse at two of the company's powertrain innovations – at least for the European market. The GT Line is meant as a compromise between the sporty Cee'd GT and the regular model. By taking this path, buyers get slightly angrier styling on the outside but more efficient engines under the hood. Offered in the three-door, five-door and wagon bodies, these models get LED running lights up front, lower side sills, an updated rear bumper, a revised exhaust design and 17-inch wheels. However, what really makes the GT Line something special is this is the first opportunity for European buyers to get Kia's new 1.0-liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine and separately its seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. The tiny mill with stop/start makes 118 horsepower and 127 pound-feet of torque in the Cee'd and is only available with a six-speed manual. Conversely, customers that want the new gearbox need to order the upgraded 1.6-liter diesel four-cylinder with 131 horsepower and 210 pound-feet of torque. All versions of this slightly warmer hatch go on sale in the fourth quarter across the pond. SPORTY KIA CEE'D GT LINE LAUNCHED WITH NEW ENGINE AND DUAL-CLUTCH TRANSMISSION GT Line model blends the looks of sporty cee'd GT and versatility of the conventional cee'd , inside and out Debut for Kia's all-new three-cylinder 1.0-litre T-GDi engine More power and torque and fewer emissions form new seven-speed DCT Kia cee'd GT Line available across Europe in Q4 2015 Kia Motors Europe will unveil a new Kia cee'd 'GT Line' specification at the 85th Salon International de l'Automobile in Geneva on 3 March 2015. In addition to a range of visual upgrades, the new cee'd GT Line signifies the arrival of Kia's all-new downsized 1.0-litre T-GDi (turbo gasoline direct injection) engine and new seven-speed dual-clutch transmission in Europe. The look of the GT, the versatility of a conventional cee'd The new GT Line offers buyers the sporty looks of the high performance Kia cee'd GT and pro_cee'd GT and the versatility of the conventional cee'd model family. The GT Line specification is available on all three cee'd body types – five-door cee'd, three-door pro_cee'd and cee'd Sportswagon.

2014 Kia Soul to get quasi-SUV look for Europe [w/poll]

The 2014 Soul is bigger and more refined, and Kia says its look has been inspired in part by the Track'ster concept. Interestingly, European buyers will get the option of a different look than what we'll see in our showrooms. They'll be able to specify the SUV Styling Pack seen here, which includes matte-black cladding on the front and rear fascias, along with what Kia refers to as piano-black trim on the wheel wells and side skirts. The roof is available painted black, white or red. With all of that black trim and slightly tougher look, the styling reminds us of the Fiat 500L Trekking, a model the Soul will compete directly against.
European markets also have the ability to spec their Souls like our North American version, which substitutes body-color trim for most of the black pieces. Currently, there are no plans to bring the SUV Styling Pack to the US. But that doesn't mean we'll never be able to buy this butch-look Soul on our side of the Atlantic. Company spokesperson James Hope confirms to Autoblog, "[Kia] has no plans to offer something similar to the EU-spec Soul at this time. However, we are always monitoring the market and if we saw an opportunity we would certainly look into it."
Feel free to peruse the press release below for more details on the Euro-spec Soul - which is slated to debut at next month's Frankfurt Motor Show - and then let Kia know if they should bring the SUV Styling Pack here by participating in our poll below.