Kia Forte Ex Low Miles 4 Dr Sedan Automatic Gasoline 2.0l 4 Cyl Engine Spicy Red on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Kia GT to debut in Paris, production in 2017

After years of waiting, the Kia GT four-door coupe (concept pictured above) could finally debut in production guise at the Paris Motor Show in October, and the brand would start making it in 2017, according to Autocar. The South Korean automaker could also create a hotter variant of the pint-sized Rio in 2018 to give the lineup a dash more performance. Kia debuted the rear-wheel drive GT concept at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show, and the svelte four-door offered some speed thanks to a 3.3-liter turbocharged V6 with 389 horsepower and 394 pound-feet of torque and an eight-speed automatic gearbox. Kia seemed primed to build the model several times over the years as a US-focused vehicle, but the latest report hinted that production wouldn't happen until 2017. Autocar claims that the final design incorporates cues from the sporty GT4 Stinger concept. Kia also intends to introduce performance-oriented models with the GT moniker lower in its range. According to Autocar, the Rio GT would ride on the vehicle's lighter next-gen platform and offer about 180 horsepower from a 1.6-liter engine to compete against the Ford Fiesta ST, which already has 197 hp. However, the South Korean automaker might want to consider a more potent powerplant to keep up in the hot hatch arms race, because spy shots already suggest the Blue Oval's development of a Fiesta RS with around 250 hp. Related Video: Featured Gallery Kia GT Concept: Frankfurt 2011 View 13 Photos News Source: AutocarImage Credit: Copyright 2016 Drew Phillips / AOL Design/Style Rumormill Paris Motor Show Kia Hatchback Concept Cars Performance Sedan 2016 paris motor show kia rio kia gt kia gt concept

Kia's brand perception still painfully lags behind reality

I can't tell you how many times I've been driving with friends or family in a decidedly nice Korean press car, only to have a passenger notice the logo on the steering wheel and exclaim, "Wait... this is a Kia?" For every time I roll my eyes at a story with a lede about how Hyundai "is really gaining momentum these days," I get equally annoyed when people comment on how Kia is finally starting to make decent cars. This is hardly news. The brand has been pumping out really solid stuff for a while now.
But as it turns out, not everyone knows that. According to Ward's Auto, speaking to Kia marketing chief Michael Sprague, the automaker recently placed third-to-last in a recent ALG Brand Perception of Quality study, only besting Suzuki and Smart. Wow.
Ward's notes that Kia recently earned a credible sixth place in J.D. Power & Associates' Initial Quality Study, and yet still fell way behind pretty much every other brand in the ALG study. The Korean automaker's cars have also won numerous awards in recent years, and have generally earned positive reviews from the media, Autoblog included.

Driving the Kia K5 and Mini Cooper JCW GP, plus an interview with Jimmy Chin | Autoblog Podcast #637

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Senior Editor, Green, John Beltz Snyder and News Editor Joel Stocksdale. They veer off right away into talking about their dream project garages. Next up is news, including some info on the next Nissan Z car, the Honda Fit being discontinued in the U.S., new Mercedes-Benz EQS details, and some talk about the new, electric GMC Hummer being adapted for the military. Then they talk about driving the new Kia K5 sedan and the Mini Cooper JCW GP, before they opine about the 1966 Pontiac GTO. Autoblog Senior Producer Chris McGraw interviews Oscar-winning filmmaker Jimmy Chin about his collaboration with Ford for the Bronco reveal, and more. Finally, our editors help a listener in the U.K. pick a used vehicle in the "Spend My Money" segment. Autoblog Podcast #637 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown Some thoughts on project cars News Nissan suggests the next-generation Z won't be electrified at launch Fit Is Gone! Honda drops subcompact hatch in U.S. Mercedes-Benz announces the electric EQS will offer over 435 miles of range GMC's electric Hummer could someday serve alongside the Humvee in the U.S. Army Driving the 2021 Kia K5 Driving the 2020 Mini Cooper JCW GP 1966 Pontiac GTO: Love it or hate it? We talk Ford Bronco and other adventures with Oscar-winning filmmaker Jimmy Chin Spend My Money Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video: