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Provo concept name has Kia embroiled in terrorism controversy?

In the relatively lengthy press release that Kia composed for the launch of its Provo concept car at the Geneva Motor Show this week, the company never mentioned where the name came from, or what it means for the car. A very basic web search for "Provo" reveals that the inspiration for the hatch could have been a city in Utah, a township in South Dakota or a village in Bosnia. The name could be a reference to either an American (Fred) or Canadian (Dwayne) football player, and Provo might also accurately reference a "Dutch counterculture movement in the mid-1960s" or a ship in the US Navy. More likely than any of those, however, is that the Kia designers of the concept - a car that was wholly a product of the Korean automaker's design studios in Frankfurt, for the record - meant it as a play on the existing Pro_cee'd hatchback.
What the designers and Kia executives that signed off on the Provo almost certainly did not have in mind was a reference to a street name for the Provisional Irish Republican Army. That "Provo" was, according to TheDetroitBureau.com, an outlawed army faction that was blamed for some 2,000 deaths in Northern Ireland during a period stretching from 1970 to 1997.
And yet, it was that association that led Gregory Campbell, a member of parliament from Northern Ireland, to introduce legislation that would ban Kia from selling a car under the name Provo. Kia, quick to realize the sizable gaffe it has stumbled into with the name, has reportedly already promised not to use the name for a production vehicle.

Kia putting GT Concept into production, roadster concept due in Detroit

If you were enamored of the GT concept that Kia unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show two years ago, we've got good news for you. According to the latest reports, Kia is planning on putting it into production.
The big question at this point is how closely the production model will shadow the four-door coupe concept. The svelte shape will undoubtedly have to make some concessions toward roadworthiness and production feasibility, but just what platform Kia will use to underpin it remains unknown. It could base it off the large, rear-drive K9 or borrow the platform from sister-company Hyundai's Genesis Coupe. Either of those options would enable the production Kia GT to keep the concept's rear-drive orientation, but other routes would make it either front-drive or potentially all-wheel drive.
Word has it also that Kia is planning to reveal a small roadster concept in the mold of the Mazda MX-5 at the upcoming Detroit Auto Show in January. If public feedback is positive enough, that could see production before the end of next year as well.

2014 Kia Cadenza goes on sale this month priced from $35,100*

Kia's sedan lineup is about to get much more luxurious with the addition of the new Cadenza and range-topping Quoris models, but the Amanti-replacing 2014 Cadenza will be the first to hit dealers this month with a starting price of $35,100 (*not including $800 for destination). For those keeping record, that's more expensive than Hyundai's version of this car, the Azera, and about $1,000 more than the Genesis, but it sounds like the new front-wheel-drive Kia will be getting a few more advanced features than its Hyundai counterpart.
In base form, the Cadenza comes standard with leather seating, navigation and a premium Infinity 12-speaker audio system, and the $3,000 Luxury Package adds nappa leather seats with a ventilated driver's seat, a seven-inch thin-film transistor (TFT) display, heated rear seats, power tilt and telescoping steering column, adaptive HID headlights and a panoramic sunroof. On models already equipped with the Luxury Package, buyers can also add on the Technology Package, which includes adaptive cruise control, blind spot detection, lane departure warning and hydrophobic glass on the front doors - previously, Kia stated that the Cadenza would be getting this water-repelling technology on the windshield, but this press release specifies that it will be applied to the front side windows. And if these two packages aren't enough luxury for you, Kia's cherry on top is a no-cost White Package that adds white nappa leather seats, woodgrain trim and a premium headliner.
All in, the 2014 Cadenza will run $41,100 with every option box checked, so we can only imagine how much the Qurois is going to cost when it makes its debut. Scroll down for the press release detailing the pricing for the new Cadenza.