2012 Kia Optima Sx Sedan 4-door 2.0l on 2040-cars

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5 Hyundai and Kia models have higher-than-average fire insurance claim rates

DETROIT — Owners of five Hyundai and Kia cars and SUVs file fire insurance claims at a rate far higher than the average for comparable vehicles, according to an insurance industry study. The Highway Loss Data Institute, which analyzes data from insurers representing about 85 percent of the U.S. industry, found that some Hyundai and Kia vehicles equipped with four-cylinder engines have double the noncrash fire claim rates than the average of comparable vehicles. Last week the South Korean brands announced they would recall about 168,000 vehicles to fix a fuel pipe problem that can cause fires. The problem stems from improper repairs during previous recalls for engine failures. They also announced additional sensor software for another 3.7 million vehicles. Hyundai and Kia started recalling 1.7 million vehicles in 2015 — about 618,000 of which are Kias — because manufacturing debris can restrict oil flow to connecting rod bearings. That can cause bearings in 2-liter and 2.4-liter four-cylinder engines to wear and fail. The problem can also cause fires. The repair in many cases is an expensive engine block replacement. Results of the Arlington, Virginia-based institute's study have been turned over the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which is investigating engine failures and fires in Hyundai and Kia vehicles. The agency is mostly closed this week due to the partial government shutdown. Hyundai said Tuesday that the majority of its models in the study are already being recalled or are part of additional actions to keep customers safe. "Hyundai actively monitors and evaluates potential safety concerns, including non-collision fires, with all of its vehicles and acts swiftly to recall any vehicles with safety-related defects," spokesman Michael Stewart said. Kia spokesman James Bell said the company is cooperating with NHTSA "and will take any necessary corrective action in a timely manner." Many of the fires involve vehicles included the engine failure recall and could have been prevented if owners had the recall repairs done, he wrote. The institute began studying fire claims after the Center for Auto Safety petitioned NHTSA last year seeking a wider recall of Hyundai and Kia vehicles. The center had found a higher-than-normal number of consumer complaints about Hyundai and Kia fires in the agency's database. NHTSA has used Highway Loss Data Institute studies in the past to help make recall decisions.

Kia's regionally inspired concepts converge on Las Vegas [w/poll]

Kia has, over the past couple of weeks, been steadily streaming an array of concept cars it's prepared for SEMA this year. But with the doors now open at the Las Vegas Convention Center, it's now released the full monte – so to speak – including one we hadn't seen before at all. The lineup takes a geographic approach, each representing a different region in this great country of ours, and each is based on a different model in the company's product line. Arguably the most outlandish is the A1A Optima. The sedan has been converted into a four-door convertible, taking its name and inspiration from the coastal highway in Florida. The project was carried out by Lux Motorwerks, which reinforced the Optima's bodywork for the chop job, fitted suicide rear doors, and painted it a bright shade of turquoise. It rides on 20-inch HRE alloys, with an interior trimmed out in cream leather and titanium accents. A coilover suspension drops it down to the tarmac, and a new exhaust system helps with the turbo four's sound. Next up is the PacWest Adventure Sorento, inspired by the Pacific Northwest with a woodsy approach. The Sorento crossover has been customized by LGE-CTS Motorsports with a candy-effect green paint job and matte black trim, tubular bumpers, a raised suspension, off-road tires, a snorkel for fording streams, and a pop-up tent on the roof. They're joined by the Photo Safari Sedona, which is a new addition we hadn't seen until now. The minivan has been thoroughly transformed into a rolling observation point for shutterbugs in the wild. The rear section has been converted into a pickup bed, the seats have been swapped out for deploying buckets to get closer to the action, and the whole thing rides on an air suspension with off-road tires on 17-inch wheels. It's even got an iMac workstation on board for processing photos. In short, it's everything you could want to embark on a photographic adventure in the Northeast – or anywhere else for that matter. Finally there's the Mud Bogger, a Forte Koup inspired by the South. It's jacked up four inches on an off-road suspension, with an open rollback vinyl roof to let in the elements. The bodywork has been painted a deep shade of blue, offset by the white powder-coated roll cage, brush guards, and wheels. And the interior has been stripped out and fitted with Sparco racing seats. Kia has also brought the Ballast Point Sedona back to the show this year.

2015 Kia K900 debuts as brand's RWD flagship model

Despite the fact that executives at both Hyundai and Kia alike have said on numerous occasions that the two companies are separate entities (and largely, they are), there's still a lot that's shared between the two brands. Common platforms and powertrains are found in a number of different Hyundai and Kia products, though the end results have typically been cars that, to the consumer's eye, are quite different. So when Hyundai got its first rear-wheel-drive sedan, the Genesis, a few years ago and followed it up with the larger, more luxury-oriented Equus, it was only a matter of time before sister company Kia got a slice of the RWD pie. And the first product to use this architecture is this, the new K900 sedan that makes its debut at the LA Auto Show.
Kia will offer the K900 with both V6 and V8 power.
Think of the K900 as something of a mix between the Genesis and Equus. All three share the same platform, but the K900 share the Equus' 119.9-inch wheelbase, as well as its front and rear tracks measured at 63.8 and 64.1 inches front and rear, respectively. But unlike the V8-only Equus, Kia will offer the K900 with both V6 and V8 power, like the Genesis. In fact, the K900 will offer the same two engines, although tuned slightly differently, as the Genesis: a 3.8-liter V6 producing 311 horsepower (no torque output is listed as of this writing) and the company's 5.0-liter Tau V8 producing 420 horsepower (oddly, Hyundai rates the Genesis and Equus at 429 hp with this same engine, though that's with premium fuel). Eight-speed automatic transmissions are standard with either powerplant, with Eco, Normal and Sport shift settings.