2013 Kia Sorento Lx on 2040-cars

Auto blog

2015 Kia K900 proves Korea's other brand has arrived

Kia entered the US market in 1993 with the Sephia, a compact economy car you probably don't (want to) remember, and two decades later it has stepped on stage at the LA Auto Show to unveil a rear-wheel-drive, fullsize luxury sedan called the K900. The achievement here isn't the car itself, its handsome styling or the incredible value it might be (pricing has yet to be announced), but rather that no one thinks it's strange for this company that once sold us the Sephia to compete head-to-head with the best luxury brands in the world. It's a testament to what 20 years of hard work can do.
No one thinks it's strange for this company that once sold us the Sephia to compete head-to-head with the best luxury brands in the world.
As for the car itself, it does indeed have handsome styling. Kia's design language wears nicely on the K900's larger frame. The large, 19-inch, multi-spoke wheels keep that big body from looking disproportionate, and the all-LED headlights give the front end a suitably high-tech appearance that's required in this class of overachievers.

Weekly Recap: Kia leads Korea's quality surge

The rapid rise of Korea's auto brands in the US market has been apparent on the sales charts for several years, and now it's showing up in an area that's just as crucial: quality. Kia and Hyundai earned the highest rankings among mainstream brands in the J. D. Power Initial Quality Study released on Wednesday. The study tracks problems owners report during the first 90 days they own their car. Kia reported 86 problems per 100 vehicles, or fewer than one problem per car sold, to take second in the rankings behind luxury sportscar-maker Porsche (80). Kia's score improved by nearly 20 percent compared with the 2014 study. "The big industry story is Kia," Renee Stephens, vice president of U.S. automotive quality at J.D. Power, said in a video statement, noting Kia's infotainment systems were the key reason for its improved performance. Hyundai was fourth for the second straight year, though its score actually worsened by one, to 95. Even with Hyundai's slight dip, Korean quality increased 11 percent, according to the study, which far outpaced American and European companies' three-percent increases. Japanese brands improved one percent. Hyundai Motor Co. (parent company of the Hyundai and Kia brands) captured four individual vehicle awards, which tied for the most with General Motors, Nissan, and Volkswagen. "The Korean brands have really taken off," Stephens said. "There's movement in the industry, and the patterns are shifting." Another luxury brand, Jaguar (93 problems), slotted in between Hyundai and Kia in third place. Infiniti was fifth, followed by BMW. Chevrolet was the highest domestic brand, taking seventh place, followed by Lincoln, Lexus, and Toyota, which were all well above the industry average of 112 problems per 100 vehicles. OTHER NEWS & NOTES Kirk Kerkorian dead at 98 Kirk Kerkorian, a billionaire activist investor who wielded enormous influence on the Detroit Three car companies in the 1990s and 2000s, died Monday. He was 98 years old. Kerkorian made headlines in 1995 for trying to take over Chrysler – with the help of former chairman Lee Iacocca – before being fended off by Chrysler management. His takeover attempt ultimately pushed Chrysler to be sold to German giant Daimler. He tried to buy Chrysler again in 2007 when Daimler put Chrysler on the market, but Kerkorian fell short and the automaker was sold to private equity firm Cerberus.

Kia Sportage makes a funny face in Frankfurt

The all-new Kia Sportage has made its big debut at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show, introducing sheet metal inspired by the brand's previous concepts. Our first post on the new model only featured a trio of exterior images, we now have shots of the redesigned cabin. As we said originally, both the Provo and Niro, a pair of 2013 concepts from Geneva and Frankfurt, inspired the exterior design. We still aren't sold on the new fascia, which reminds us of the old Subaru B9 Tribeca. Perhaps it'll grow on us. As for the interior, which we're seeing for the first time, it's, well, kind of exactly what we expected. The quality appears to be good and the overall design conservative. Conventional instruments flank a small color display that looks to be no more than four inches, while a larger touchscreen sits atop the center stack. Its main functions are controlled via a series of buttons found below the screen and above the HVAC controls. While the model on display in Europe sports a manual transmission, we'd expect no such gearbox to be offered in the US. Here, the smart money is on a six-speed automatic being standard, and we're betting there won't be any huge changes in the engine lineup. That should mean a 2.4-liter, four-cylinder in the base and volume models, while the range-topping SX will likely offer Hyundai/Kia's popular 2.0-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder, just like today's Sportage. We've got a full gallery of live images of the new Sportage available at the top of the page. Have a look and let us know what you think of Kia's work.