2012 Kia Rio Sx Tdi on 2040-cars

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2015 Kia Rio freshens up for France

We've always felt that the current-generation Rio is styled with European flair, so good on Kia for showing its refreshed new look here at the Paris Motor Show.
The B-segment hatchback's aggressive looks get modestly more so for the new model year, with a revamped tiger nose grille and new light fixtures, along with a pair of hash marks in the fog lamp area. To us, the current car, introduced for 2012, still looks quite fresh, but we like the subtly new light fixtures and suite of new wheel designs.

Kia begins developing a Hummer-like military vehicle based on its burliest SUV

Kia confirmed its global range of SUVs will soon include a Hummer-like off-roader developed primarily for military use. While the model will report for combat in South Korea, it might end up rock crawling in Moab. Engineers are currently developing the truck, which is described as an open-top all-terrain vehicle (ATV), but they're not starting from scratch. Kia explained the model will be built on a frame borrowed from the Mohave, a civilian SUV that received comprehensive updates in 2019. It probably doesn't ring a bell because it's not sold in the United States, where the biggest member of the company's range is the Telluride. And yet, it's not entirely foreign. It's an evolution of the V8-powered Borrego introduced in America in 2009 and canceled for 2010. Kia released a rendering that illustrates what the model could look like, and it depicts an off-roader which shares absolutely no styling cues with any member of the firm's current line-up. Don't look for friendly hamsters here. Boxy and tall, it's strongly reminiscent of the AM General Humvee, GM Infantry Squad Vehicle and the Toyota BXD10, which is hardly a surprise and almost inevitable. All of these vehicles were created by following the same basic guidelines. What soldiers in South Korea will receive is admittedly of little interest to most American enthusiasts, but you might not need to travel across the Pacific to slip behind the wheel. Kia pointed out the lessons it learns from developing the ATV will help it improve the durability of its civilian models. Better yet, the yet-unnamed truck will spawn variants for different industries, including the industrial and leisure sectors. While nothing is official yet, the lucrative leisure segment's gravitational pull is what transformed the Humvee into the Hummer, and what turned the BXD10 into the BXD20, which was also called Mega Cruiser and sold in tiny numbers during the 1990s. Kia expects the first ATV prototypes will be ready in 2021. Production will start by the middle of the 2020s. What else is Kia sending to battle? Simultaneously, the company is developing 2.5- and 5-ton trucks for the South Korean military. Unlike the ATV, they won't be related to series-produced cars built for commuters. Both will be built on a standardized platform to keep development and manufacturing costs in check, and they'll be powered by a 7.0-liter turbodiesel engine bolted to an automatic transmission.

Recharge Wrap-up: Kia Soul EV wins Canadian Green Car of the Year, Proterra logs 1 million miles

The Kia Soul EV has been awarded the inaugural Canadian Green Car of the Year Award. It beat out three other finalists - the Honda Fit, Subaru Legacy and Toyota Camry Hybrid - to receive the honors at the Vancouver International Auto Show from the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC). Before narrowing the field to the four finalists, seven eligible cars were chosen after back-to-back testing during the AJAC's "TestFest" last fall. "This acknowledgement is testimony to Kia's ongoing commitment to deliver environmentally friendly automotive solutions and diverse powertrains to consumers without compromising on design or comfort," says Kia Canada Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Maria Soklis. Read more in the press release from the AJAC. Proterra electric buses have logged a cumulative 1 million miles of revenue service. To celebrate, Proterra held a special event at its Greenville, SC plant, wherein it recognized each of its transit agency partners with an award commemorating the milestone. Proterra President and CEO Ryan Popple say Proterra and its partners "can offer the world a million proof points to bolster the fact that electric vehicles not only offer great performance, but represent the best total cost of ownership and environmental option for transit agencies." Proterra estimates its customers have saved 250,000 gallons of fuel and 3.5 million pounds of emissions over those million miles. Read more in the press release from Proterra below. EV Connect and GE are teaming up for a joint marketing and product agreement. The agreement makes GE the preferred provider of charging stations for EV Connect, giving them access to GE's WattStation and DuraStation chargers and WattStation Connect cloud-based operating platform. Of course, the agreement also makes EV Connect GE's preferred management company. "Together with EV Connect, we will be able to provide customers with an innovative, end-to-end solution capable of meeting customers' everyday EV charging station requirements," says GE's Seth Cutler. The agreement also expands the market of both companies worldwide. Read more in EV Connect's press release.