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Kia and LeBron going biblical with K900 King James Edition

Kia looks poised to reveal a new special K900 sedan after its celebrity spokesman and NBA baller LeBron James revealed this image on his Facebook page. There's little to be discerned from the tightly cropped image, but judging from the badge it depicts and the accompanying #K900, it seems like we'll be looking at a special edition of the Korean automaker's flagship sedan called the King James Edition - an apparent play on the King James Version of the bible and LeBron's last name. The special sedan appears to wear a red and black color scheme that we wouldn't be surprised to see extend beyond the side grille to other blacked-out trim pieces (like the wheels, front grilles, mirrors, badges and window surround), but we'll have to wait for Kia to reveal the full thing to say for sure. We may not have to wait very long, though, as the other accompanying hashtag seems to suggest it could debut at the All-Star game taking place this weekend.

Kia recalls over 50k new Soul compacts over steering issue

Kia is recalling certain 2014 models of its adorable Soul due to a bad adhesive used in the steering system. According to the bulletin from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the "thread-locking adhesive" that attaches the plug between the pinion gear and steering gear assembly could come loose.
Should that happen, the condition could lead to a "loss of steering," which, of course increases the likelihood of a crash. The 51,641 affected cars were built between July 21, 2013 and January 17, 2014. There have been no reported accidents, let alone injuries or deaths due to this issue.
Kia is in the process of notifying owners of the affected vehicles as well as dealers in possession of the faulty Souls.

Kia Soul EV priced at $33,700*, leases start at $249/month

Kia must have thought VW was aiming a little high when the German automaker priced its upcoming electric vehicle for the US market. Kia has just announced that the price for its new Soul EV will be $33,700 (before any tax incentives) when it comes to the US later this year. That's well above the base model Nissan Leaf, which starts at $28,980, but a few thousand dollars below the Volkswagen e-Golf, which starts at $35,445. The upper end Plus model starts at $35,700. The Soul EV will come in two trim levels, with the upper end Plus model starting at $35,700. The extra $2,000 will get you leather-trimmed heated and ventilated seats, fog lamps and power folding mirrors. As any EV driver in a cold climate will tell you, heated seats can do a lot for your body comfort when electrons count. Every Soul EV will have an onboard 6.6-kW charger, a nav system, a rear camera and Kia's UVO EV Services connection (with app) – as well as Kia's $800 destination charge. There are a few more details in the press release below. The Soul also has something that its competitors don't: an official range of 93 miles thanks to a 27-kWh lithium ion battery pack. The Leaf sits pretty at 84 miles while the e-Golf has not yet been officially rated. For those more interested in leasing than buying, the cost will be $249 per month with $1,999 down for the base model. Kia will announce more lease details closer to launch this fall. By the way, the Soul EV will be "initially available in certain California markets only with limited availability," so only some of you will have the option to get one from the start. Kia has said that the Soul EV will be available in other states –Oregon, New York, New Jersey and Maryland – as well, so expect announcements on that front at some point. 2015 KIA SOUL EV PRICING ANNOUNCED Starting MSRP of $33,700(1)(not including federal tax rebate of $7,500) with an expected introductory lease price(2) of $249 per month makes all-new Soul EV a compelling offer for eco-conscious buyers The 2015 Soul EV is Kia's first mass-market, all-electric, zero-emissions car and the centerpiece of the brand's Clean Mobility program Fully electrified variant retains Soul's funky design while delivering best-in-class(3) EPA-estimated driving range of 93 miles(4) IRVINE, Calif., September 11, 2014 – Kia Motors America (KMA) today announced pricing for the all-electric version of its hugely popular urban passenger vehicle, the Kia Soul.