2014 Kia Forte Ex on 2040-cars

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Next-gen Kia Sedona drops more camo, shows KV7 cues

It was just two weeks ago that we saw our first glimpse of the 2015 Kia Sedona testing in full camouflage, but now Kia has stripped away some of the heavy cladding to give us an even better idea what its new minivan will look like. As we pointed out before, the next Sedona doesn't use as many design cues from the 2012 Kia KV7 as we initially hoped, but it should be interesting enough to stand out from the current crop of minivans.
Even though most of the body is still covered with the black and white pattern and the side doors still have cladding, these spy shots show off plenty of details about the new Sedona. Starting up front, Kia gave its minivan a more upright shape that we've seen a lot of on current Kia designs, while the reduced camo also makes the van's new side window shape more obvious. This pinched daylight opening (DLO) along the side is the same as what we saw on the KV7, and the window line dips back down again for the liftgate glass. While we're focused on the rear of the Sedona, that liftgate spoiler looks a lot like what we're used to seeing on the back of a Porsche Cayenne.
Kia has still yet to announce when its new minivan will be unveiled, but as things seem to be pretty far along in development, we'd expect to see something on the 2015 Sedona fairly soon.

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.

2014 Kia Sportage facelift arrives with updated 2.4L, new grille

The third-generation Sportage has been around for a few years now, but Kia is making some minor changes to its compact crossover for 2014. As expected with a small, mid-cycle refresh, there isn't anything too major to report here, but the important news for the 2014 Sportage involves what's behind that modestly updated fascia.
Kia has revamped the Sportage's base 2.4-liter inline four-cylinder engine to add direct injection, which is said to improve efficiency, although no fuel economy numbers have been released yet. Switching to DI has also increased the engine's output, up slightly from 176 horsepower and 168 pound-feet of torque in 2013 to 182 hp and 178 lb-ft for 2014. Additionally, LX models now receive the sportier shock setup previously available only on EX and SX trims.
More importantly, the base trim level has been dropped from the 2014 Sportage lineup, meaning the car's manual transmission has been axed, as well. Pricing hasn't been released yet, but the 2013 Sportage already undercut competitors like the Chevy Equinox and Toyota RAV4 by thousands of dollars, so even a modest increase for 2014 would still position the Kia rather nicely in the segment.