2011 Lx Used 2.4l I4 16v Automatic Fwd Suv on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Kia provides first details on Soul EV arrival, specs

When Bob Dylan and his guitar-driven poetry embraced the amp in the mid-Sixties, he famously endured cries of "Judas!" from at least one dejected folkie. The Voice Of A Generation had gone electric, and apparently not all of his concert-goers were ready for the transition. We suspect the Kia Soul and its dancing hamsters will have an easier time of it.
In early October, Kia confirmed what had already long been rumored - the Soul is going electric, too, and now it's revealing some initial details and specs. The automaker's mega-popular 'box' car will be the company's first EV sold in North America - or indeed, anywhere outside of its home market (Kia has offered its tiny Ray EV to government fleets in Korea in limited numbers). For the moment, officials aren't saying exactly when the Soul EV will hit its North American dealers, but it has pinned down the "second half of 2014," for global overseas deliveries to begin, so it's fair to assume the car will carry a 2015 model year designation.
Kia is touting "class-leading range" in excess of 120 miles

Kia Niro shares Hyundai Ioniq parts, could become an EV

It's time for the Chicago Auto Show, so it's no surprise that Kia has warmed up the chilly February air here with a green vehicle debut. This year it was the Niro, the brand's first dedicated hybrid, and it follows past Chicago debuts like the Soul EV and the Optima Hybrid. Like those vehicles, the Niro is not going to take long to get from the concept stage to showroom. Steve Kosowski, Kia Niro project manager, told AutoblogGreen that the first Niro hybrids will arrive in all 50 US states in about 11 months. The Niro will only be offered as a hybrid – both with a plug and without – but Kosowski could not say when the PHEV will arrive, other than, "a little later in the lifecycle." The standard hybrid will be certified as a 2017 model-year vehicle, but the PHEV might become a 2018, or even later. A PHEV will arrive "a little later in the lifecycle." Kia is on a mission (with Hyundai, see below) as it develops the Niro to get incredibly high fuel economy. Kosowski said that the defining mantra was, "Let's see what we can do when the resources are focused on hitting 50 miles per gallon and the only way the car is going to be built is with an electrified powertrain," he said. View 18 Photos Knowing that the Niro would have a battery allowed Kia and Hyundai engineers to plan things out together, because the Niro will share a lot of components with the upcoming Hyundai Ioniq. "The whole powertrain is essentially shared between the two," Kosowski said. "There are a few little tuning differences, but it's a 1.6 GDI, four-cylinder from the Kappa engine family that is the basis for both cars. The motor is sandwiched between the engine and the transmission, there's a clutch there. And the DCT is also shared between both cars." They both ride on the same 103-inch wheelbase, and the track width is similar as well. There might be some changes with the ratios and the tunings, Kosowski said, but the two companies are obviously working together to make these two vehicles very real, very soon. The main difference between the Niro and the Ioniq that the Kia is a CUV while the Hyundai is a sedan. "The market for electrified vehicles is changing rapidly." - Steve Kosowski Going into the process with electrification in mind meant "that the engineering, the platform layout, the way the car crashes, the way the car comes together, the way the car is assembled, all of that is engineered around having a battery," Kosowski said.

Kia to launch four-door coupe next year

Kia has been toying for some time with the idea of building a sporty four-door model. But according to the latest reports from Seoul, the Korean automaker intends to stop showboating and finally put one into production. And it could come as early as next year. Reuters reports that the project known internally as CK will join Kia's lineup as its second rear-drive model, alongside the larger K900. Power would reportedly come in from engines displacing 2.0, 2.2, and 3.0 liters. The target would apparently be the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe, but with a sportier, more youthful edge. That's something which Kia has been keen to capitalize on since the success of the Soul. It took similarly unconventional approaches with the new Sportage and the recent Telluride concept, but has not managed as of yet to transfer that youthful, unorthodox vibe to the lower-slung side of its lineup. With parent company Hyundai having recently launched the Genesis premium sub-brand, the sporty, young image could be left for Kia to pursue. Only time will tell if Toyota's abandonment of its Scion brand will leave room for Kia to swoop in, or if it'll be a dead end. Reuters anticipates the new Kia to launch in May 2017, with a targeted annual production of 60,000 vehicles worldwide. Expect some elements to carry over from recent four-door coupe concepts like the Novo (pictured) from last year and the GT concept of 2011. Reports have been circulating since then that the latter would reach production. Related Video: