2014 Kia Optima Sxl Turbo on 2040-cars

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Kia GT five-door approved, will tackle A7, Panamera

Kia might finally be entering the four-door coupe market in the near future with a production version of its GT Concept from the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show. According to Edmunds, Kia execs at that Paris Motor Show confirmed that the swoopy model finally has been given the green light to go on sale, and that would likely be sometime in 2016 in the US.
Kia would reportedly focus the GT on the US market, but a European version with a diesel is also a possibility. As with the K900 premium sedan, the brand is taking on some established competition with the new model, including the likes of the Audi A7 and Porsche Panamera. Judging from the rest of the Korean company's range, an attractive feature for many buyers would likely be a price several grand lower than the challengers in the segment.
"Four-door coupes aren't necessarily sales champs, but right now they are popular, just as the retro theme was the "in thing" 15 years ago," said auto industry analyst Dave Sullivan from AutoPacific to Autoblog. Something like the GT would also help with Kia's increasing focus on improving its design design because it can "make a statement about what your brand stands for."

Autoblog Podcast #344

Doug DeMuro from Plays With Cars, Infiniti Q50, Subaru BRZ STI, Porsche Macan
Episode #344 of the Autoblog podcast is here, and this week, Dan Roth and Executive Editor Chris Paukert are joined by Doug DeMuro, author of Plays With Cars and prolific internet autowriting presence. Topics include the latest spy shots of the Porsche Macan, the 2014 Infiniti Q50, and the teaser images we've recently seen of a Subaru BRZ wearing STI badges. As always, we start with what's in the garage and finish up with some of your questions. For those of you who hung with us live on our UStream channel, thanks for taking the time. You can follow along after the jump with our Q&A. Thanks for listening!
Autoblog Podcast #344:

Good Samaritans rescue driver from sinking car in Florida

A pair of good Samaritans and three police detectives saved an elderly Florida man from drowning in his car after it crashed into a pond this week. According to Port Saint Lucie police, Hixford Banton was traveling westbound along Port Saint Lucie Boulevard in Port Saint Lucie when his Mercedes sedan was struck by another motorist attempting a turn on to the street from Arioso Boulevard. The collision caused Banton to lose control of his Mercedes. In his confusion, he ran off the road, drove across a lawn, and crashed into a pond in front of the town's City Hall. James "Randy" Brazier was across the street when he heard tires screeching, and turned to see Banton's Mercedes go into the pond. He rushed across the busy street, jumped into the pond, and swam to the rapidly sinking Mercedes to save the driver. Once Brazier reached the car and opened the door, it immediately capsized and sank to the bottom of the pond. "When I got to the guy, he was real scared, so I told him to calm down, " Brazier told the TCPalm newspaper. "I opened the door and got him out, he panicked, took us both under and then I hit the bottom, pushed ourselves back up." Brazier was assisted by another passerby named Charles Proulx, who waded into the pond to help the struggling men. Three Port Saint Lucie police detectives–Stephen Reuther, Peter Chunn, and Maiga Auguste–arrived soon after with a rescue ring and helped to pull the men out of the pond. Once everyone was ashore, salvage divers were brought in to locate the car and pull it out of the pond. Thanks to the murky water and the pond's surprising depth, roughly fifteen feet, it took divers nearly thirty minutes to locate the car. Later, at the police station, Banton said that he had yet to meet his rescuer. "Somebody I have yet to meet came in and helped me. He came to me and he said, 'I got you, I got you, are you ready?'" Banton said. "And he opened the door, and I just went out." Banton also stated that he could not swim, and that he would have died had Brazier not come to his aid. Soon after, the two were reintroduced under less stressful circumstances. News Source: TCPalm, Palm Beach Post, WPBF Government/Legal Weird Car News Kia Driving Safety Autoblog Minute accident