2014 Kia Cadenza Limited on 2040-cars

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Kia still said to be considering diesels in US

Is Kia making diesel rumors a biennial thing? The South Korean automaker once again may take a closer look at making an oil-burner available for US consumption, JustAuto says. All in the name of fuel economy, of course. Kia Motors America vice president Orth Hedrick tells JustAuto that the automaker may start selling diesels in the States during the next few years. Kia is getting ready to debut its Soul EV battery-electric in the US later this year, and with diesel powertrains gradually overcoming their perceptions of being slow and loud, the company may find a receptive audience in the US for these powerplants. The problem has always been the inconsistent emissions standards between Europe and the US, but that may be resolved by 2018, says Hedrick. Kia's obviously encouraged by rising diesel sales from German automakers such as Volkswagen and Audi, as well as the fact that it just completed a record-breaking six-month sales period for the US. Kia spokesman Scott McKee, in an email to AutoblogGreen, would only say that "identifying new opportunities for growth is part of our long-term strategy" but reiterated that no announcements have been made. Of course, there was a similar buzz during the spring of 2012, when reports surfaced that Kia would start making a diesel-powered Optima, which it provides to European customers.

Kia Sorento and Pierce Brosnan make The Perfect Getaway for the Super Bowl

Automakers keep rolling out their Super Bowl ads online days ahead of the actual game, but the extended cut of Kia's commercial for the 2016 Sorento is probably the best of the batch released so far. The spot does a great job of combining action and humor into a tight package, while showing off the CUV in the snow. The ad, titled The Perfect Getaway Vehicle, stars former James Bond actor Pierce Brosnan as he is pitched for the Kia commercial. Brosnan tries to imagine it all, but given a career mostly as a suave action star, he misunderstands the slightly more realistic style that the brand is going for.

2014 Kia Forte sedan priced from $15,900*

During our recent First Drive of the 2014 Kia Forte sedan, Kia revealed many of the sedan's specs, but left out pricing and fuel economy for its all-new compact sedan. With the new Forte set to hit dealerships soon, Kia has announced the starting prices for the sedan's two initial trim levels and released the fuel economy for the EX trim level equipped with the bigger engine. Marking a slight $500 jump in price over the current 2013 model, the 2014 Forte sedan will have a starting MSRP of $15,900 (*not including a destination charge of $800).
This price is for the base LX sedan with the 148-horsepower, 1.8-liter inline-four paired to the manual gearbox, but buyers wanting an automatic transmission will have to pony up an extra $1,500. Some of the notable features standard on the LX include Bluetooth and heated, power-folding door mirrors.
Stepping up to the EX trim level will run $19,400, but it also brings the peppier 2.0-liter direct-injected four-cylinder producing 173 horsepower and returning 24 miles per gallon in the city, 36 mpg highway and a combined rating of 28 mpg; Kia says these are EPA estimates, but the EPA's website does not yet list the 2014 Forte. Kia is still holding out on fuel economy for the base engine.