2015 Kia Sorento Sx on 2040-cars

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2017 Kia Niro hybrid's $23,786 price undercuts the Toyota Prius

We're close to the commercial launch of Kia's hybrid crossover, the pointless-record-breaking but decidedly "solid" Niro. The ad campaign has begun with Melissa McCarthy voicing the TV spots, and with the Super Bowl tease already in full swing, curious customers are going to want to know what they'll have to shell out for the fuel-sipping family car. Kia has announced that the Niro will start at a base MSRP of $23,785. The 50 mpg (combined) Niro FE's sub-$24k price includes 16-inch wheels, keyless entry, a seven-inch touchscreen display with rearview camera, and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The $24,095 LX adds push-button start, roof rails, and LED rear lighting. The LX also offers the $1,450 Advanced Technology Package, adding forward collision and lane departure warnings, and autonomous emergency braking. At $26,595, the EX provides heated seats, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, LED daytime running lights, fog lights, and heated power folding mirrors. It also includes a few driver assistance features, such as blind spot detection, rear cross-traffic alert, and lane change assist. A $2,300 Advanced Technology Package includes a power sunroof, smart cruise control, the collision and lane departure warnings, and autonomous emergency braking. Just below the Touring trim is the Launch Edition at $28,895. It comes in either Snow White Pearl or Aurora Black Pearl paint with a unique metallic grille and Hyper Gray 18-inch alloy wheels. It includes an eight-inch touchscreen navigation system and an eight-speaker Harman Kardon sound system. Topping the line is the $30,545 Niro Touring, which includes a power sunroof, park assist, heated and ventilated seats, heated steering wheel, and the Harman Kardon premium sound system. This level also offers the Advanced Technology Package, and $1,900 adds HID headlights, wireless phone charging, smart cruise control and the warning and braking systems offered at the other trim levels. Unfortunately, both the Touring and the Launch Edition suffer in fuel economy, at 43 mpg combined. For comparison, the base Kia Niro comes in $1,765 cheaper than the just slightly more efficient Toyota Prius's $25,550. The Ford C-Max Hybrid starts at $24,995, and falls short by about 10 mpg. The Niro is about the same price as the slightly larger, but much less efficient Hyundai Tucson.

Kia shows Cee'd GT and Pro_cee'd GT ahead of Geneva debut

Kia has been releasing a lot of new models lately, showcasing improvements in both design and luxury, but a pair of introductions at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show could bring the automaker into the performance mindset. The five-door Kia Cee'd and three-door Pro_cee'd will be getting new GT trim levels that bring a little more horsepower and sportier styling to the compact hatchbacks.
For added power, the 1.6-liter direct-injected inline-four packs a new turbocharger that bumps engine output to 201 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque (an increase of 68 hp and 74 lb-ft), which is good enough to quicken the cars' 0-60 times to under eight seconds flat. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that there are any suspension upgrades, but the cars do get a dual exhaust system and 18-inch alloy wheels. Red brake calipers and a unique front fascia finish off the exterior styling, while Recaro buckets and a "GT" embroidered steering wheel can be found inside.
Both the Cee'd GT and Pro_cee'd GT will be on sale by the end of this year, and although we don't expect to see these cars in the US, adding a GT model to the Rio or Forte doesn't seem like it wouldn't be that hard.

Are old airbags killers?

Takata airbags may not be the only ones with some very serious problems. A new report from TheDetroitBureau.com claims that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened its second investigation into bad airbag inflators, and this time, they aren't from Takata. The focus of this latest case is on the airbag inflators in some 500,000 older Chrysler Town and Country minivans and Kia Optima sedans, all of which come from ARC Automotive. While the Takata case looks at problems stemming from the engineering and production process, the ARC investigation focuses on the age of the inflators. As TDB explains, airbag inflators are essentially what the military refers to as shaped charges, sort of like Claymores (for fans of the Call of Duty series). In combat, they blow up in a specific direction, protecting those behind the explosion, although in the case of airbags, the explosion "[creates] a precise rush of hot gases" that inflate the bags. NHTSA's worry is that with the increased average age of today's vehicles, years and years of being bounced, jolted, and shaken about and exposed to often-radical temperature changes have altered the nature of the explosives in these vehicles, causing too big of an explosion. "It may be a reasonable assumption that as these things age they deteriorate." – Analyst George Peterson "It may be a reasonable assumption that as these things age they deteriorate," analyst George Peterson told TheDetroitBureau.com. NHTSA boss Mark Rosekind backed up aging angle. "Cars are lasting on the road a lot longer than ever before," Rosekind told TDB, adding that seals could start breaking down. "Is aging now an issue? That's part of the investigation going on." NHTSA has only identified two "incidents" so far, although according to Center for Auto Safety Director Clarence Ditlow, there's genuine concern that there could be additional unidentified cases. "Could we have missed more? That could be the case," Ditlow told TDB, citing the misidentified deaths in the Takata investigation. Ditlow was quick to point out that, even in older vehicles, airbags are much more likely to protect than harm. "No one is saying you should disable your airbags," the safety advocate told TDB. "You're far more likely to be helped than hurt by one if they go off." At least one automaker, meanwhile, has already been advised of the investigation by NHTSA and is checking its airbags.