2013 Kia Optima Sx on 2040-cars

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Kia Cross GT concept gives glimpse of future premium CUV

Kia is looking to bolster its premium-car lineup beyond newly conceived products like the Cadenza and Quoris. Perhaps the best evidence of this initiative, to date, is the Cross GT Concept that has just been unveiled at the Chicago Auto Show. Showing a larger, more premium crossover to slot in above the Sorento, the Cross GT Concept hints at a future product that could be what the ill-fated, body-on-frame Borrego never had a chance to be.
Compared to the current Sorento, the Cross GT Concept is 8.4-inches longer, 4.9-inches wider and rides on a wheelbase that is increased by 15.7 inches, and it shows a new possible styling direction for Kia as the automaker continues to attempt to venture up market. Some of the upscale styling cues include the clamshell hood. upright front end with signature Kia tiger nose grille and the multi-panel panoramic roof. The true luxury of the Cross GT is apparent inside where Kia has used real wood trim and rich leather on the seats, and there's also the buttonless, touch-screen infotainment system; rear occupants will have flat screen monitors with Internet access.
Based on a chassis shared with the rear-wheel drive GT Concept, which we first saw at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show, the fullsize Cross GT crossover is powered by a 3.8-liter V6 paired to Kia's hybrid system that gives the luxury crossover a combined output of 400 horsepower and 500 pound-feet of torque, as well as an all-electric driving range of 20 miles. The engine is paired to an eight-speed automatic transmission, which helps send power to the wheels through an advanced, torque-vectoring all-wheel-drive system

Kia Cee'd GT and Pro_cee'd GT are Korean for "hot hatch" [w/video]

Kia has pulled back the curtain on its sportiest offerings to date at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show. The Cee'd GT and Pro_cee'd GT benefit from a direct-injection, turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine good for 204 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque. Those numbers are up 51 percent and 61 percent over the models' base engine, respectively. A six-speed manual transmission puts power to the front wheels, and Kia says the hatches can spring to 60 mph in 7.7 seconds. Top speed for both sits at 143 miles per hour. Penned by design guru Peter Schreyer, the cars wear tweaked front fascias complete with new grilles, headlamps and fog lamps.
Out back, dual-exit exhaust separate GT models from their common kin, and 18-inch alloy wheels are standard equipment. Indoors, buyers can expect to find a set of Recaro sport buckets and a specially designed TFT instrument cluster. Take a peek at a brief video of the Pro_cee'd GT and the official press release below.

Kia confirms $1B factory in Mexico to be completed in 2016

Kia is the latest in a string of automakers to announce plans to build new or expanded factories in Mexico. The Korean company has signed a $1 billion deal to establish a plant in Monterrey in the state of Nuevo León, with construction starting in late September. If everything proceeds on schedule, the facility should be complete in the first half of 2016 and be able to produce 300,000 vehicles a year.
The $1-billion investment will create a "new, highly automated manufacturing plant," according to Kia's announcement, a facility covering 1,235 acres of land. Confirming earlier rumors, Kia will produce compact models there, but the company won't reveal specific model names, just yet. When complete, the factory in Mexico will boost the automaker's annual capacity to 3.37 million vehicles a year with 1.69 million of those in Korea and 1.68 million abroad. It will also join Kia's plant in Georgia (where the Optima and Sorento are made) as the business' other North American location.
Kia hasn't kept plans for the Mexican factory a very close secret and openly admitted it was "being considered as a possible location" to Autoblog. The country was chosen partially because of its free-trade agreements (read: NAFTA), that make it less costly to move models elsewhere, not to mention its easy access to the North, Central and South American markets. The new plant should also alleviate some of the tight supply issues Kia has had in the US.