2009 Kia Rondo Lx Wagon 4dr 4a on 2040-cars

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Kia using quality and technology to increase sales and brand prestige

Kia is a long way from hawking the anonymous lozenge known as the Sephia on our shores. That was only 1994, though, and in less than 20 years the company has gone from judging its aspirations against Japanese budget competition to walking auto show floors checking out the German standard-bearers for tips on how to increase sales and brand prestige. In an interview with Automotive News, Kia executives laid out their plan for carving out a Volkswagen-like niche for the company whereby they could be viewed as the premium pick in a volume segment. Concepts like the Kia Cub, above, would seem to point in this direction.
Kia is keen to make sure its sales targets don't impinge on its quest for better and better quality.
Kia's prime directive is "an unrelenting focus on quality." The Japanese brands earned a reputation for bulletproof reliability, and Kia is keen to make sure its sales targets don't impinge on its quest for better and better quality - neither in-house nor for its suppliers, a trade-off we've seen go wrong before. It has a Pilot Center that studies each new model for potential production problems before being given the approval for manufacture, and it isn't until the quality control department gives the okay that manufacture can begin.

Kia Soul EV will start sales in five more states by June

The Kia Soul EV has proven itself to be enough of a hit that it will be headed to Texas and four other states by this summer. Yee-haw. The Soul EV, which started US sales in California late last year, will go on sale in the Lone Star State, as well as Georgia, Oregon, Washington and Hawaii by June. Kia says residents of those states have "expressed significant interest" in the Soul EV, and notes that those five states have more than 1,800 publicly available charging stations combined. Other states will get the Soul EV next year. The Soul EV just won the first-ever Canadian Green Car of the Year Award from journalists in the Great White North. The Soul EV, notably associated with those grooving hamsters in the TV ads, beat out the Honda Fit, Subaru Legacy and Toyota Camry Hybrid. The Soul EV starts at $33,700 and has a single-charge range of 93 miles and delivers 109 horsepower. We've got Kia's press release on the expanded sales areas below and our Quick Spin of the Kia Soul EV for you right here. Related Videos: KIA MOTORS AMERICA EXPANDS SOUL EV AVAILABILITY TO FIVE ADDITIONAL STATES Hot-Selling Soul Electric Vehicle Will be Available for Sale in Georgia in Q2; Oregon, Washington, Texas and Hawaii Anticipated in June Expansion into five new states underlines Kia's commitment to green mobility and its fun and funky alternative fuel vehicle Solid infrastructure and consumer demand propel Soul EV beyond California IRVINE, Calif., March 25, 2015– Following the successful launch of the Soul EV late last year in California, Kia Motors America (KMA) is proud to announce it is expanding availability of its fullycharged urban runabout into five new states: Georgia, Texas, Oregon, Washington and Hawaii. Electric vehicle demand has been growing in these states, and consumers there have expressed significant interest in Soul EV. And with more than 1,8001 charging stations combined, the robust EV infrastructure within these markets makes battery-powered travel convenient and an increasingly appealing choice for consumers. Within each state, select Kia retailers will be certified to sell and service the Soul EV, and customers will have access to charging stations installed at these facilities. The Soul EV-authorized Kia dealership locations will be announced closer to the Soul EV's on-sale date in the expansion states later this year. Additional markets are set to come online in 2016.

Kia offers first glimpse at new Optima ahead of New York debut

The Optima is far and away Kia's top-selling model in America, outstripping anything else in the Korean automaker's lineup by some margin. But after four years, Kia is set to roll out an all-new model at the New York Auto Show next week. Before it does, though, it is giving us our first glimpse at the new sedan with the image above. Previewed by the Sportspace concept earlier this month in Geneva and in the pair of teaser renderings from last week, the new Optima should be instantly recognizable to anyone familiar with the current model – particularly from the front end we see here. The headlights line up with the tiger-nose grille, but now bear a little kink in the lower edge, and the full-width lower air dam has now been split between a taller center section flanked by twin vents. That front fender vent is still evident, a black roof is once again framed by the body-color window surrounds, but the hood appears more sculpted. Kia says the new Optima will be "available with multiple engine choices" and "features a more spacious interior, class-up premium features and a number of technologies not previously offered on Kia's best-selling midsize sedan." Just what those engine options and new technologies will be, we can't say for sure at this point, but the current model is offered around the world with a range of four-cylinder gasoline, diesel and hybrid engine options. We'll just have to wait another week or so to find out more. ALL-NEW 2016 KIA OPTIMA MAKES GLOBAL DEBUT AT NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL AUTO SHOW Instantly recognizable yet thoroughly fresh, Kia will introduce the all-new 2016 Optima at the upcoming New York Auto Show on April 1st at 1:20 PM. Available with multiple engine choices, the all-new Optima features a more spacious interior, class-up premium features and a number of technologies not previously offered on Kia's best-selling mid-size sedan. #KiaOptima #NYIAS