2015 Kia Sorento Lx on 2040-cars

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A hotter hamster wheel | 2017 Kia Soul Turbo First Drive

Finally. Finally. After much teasing, taunting, and auto show concepting, Kia is making its funktastic hatchbox, the Soul, with a turbocharged engine. The new, 2017 Soul Turbo takes all the good things about the standard car – the space, style, comfort, and long list of standard and optional equipment – and adds a dose of performance, courtesy of the 1.6-liter turbo four-cylinder also used in the Forte5 SX and Forte Koup, as well as Hyundai's Elantra Sport and Veloster Turbo. It was a long time coming. According to Kia, consumers like the Soul – to the tune of almost 150,000 units last year – but aren't as fond of its previous two-engine lineup, which previously topped out at a 161-horsepower, 150-pound-foot naturally aspirated four-cylinder. Alongside all-wheel drive, more power was at the top of the customer wish list. While all-wheel drive is absent here – the packaging is too tricky and the cost too high, Kia tells us – the Soul Turbo hits a market white space, offering small CUV utility with entertaining but not overwhelming straight-line performance. This is, in the end, a higher-power version and not a full-on performance model, and the changes were made without compromising the friendly look and comfort we like. Yes, the Turbo-specific 18-inch wheels look lovely, but they're shod in the same 45-series all-season rubber as the 18s available on other Souls. And while the handsome leather-wrapped, flat-bottom steering wheel is sporty, the supportive-but-not-claustrophobic seats are a reminder that this is an everyday vehicle. Even the exterior accents – new front and rear fascias, side sills, red exterior badges and accents, and a dual-tip exhaust – aren't enough to overshadow the Soul's funky, friendly, and cute look. Even the oily bits aren't free of Kia's balanced approach. Admittedly, that's not entirely evident after looking at the powertrain details. The turbo 1.6-liter produces 201 hp and 195 lb-ft of torque, which isn't a lot for cars like the Veloster Turbo or Forte5 SX, but compared to other small CUVs and the Soul's 130-hp non-turbo 1.6-liter and 161-hp 2.0-liter, it's a big improvement. That 2.0-liter engine is likable, with enough low and mid-range torque that we can't complain about the 4,700-rpm peak, but the total figures are so low and the Soul's 3,163-pound curb weight so high, getting anywhere briskly means wringing everything out of it. The Soul Turbo does not have this problem.

Hyundai Palisade and Genesis GV80 production idled

In February of this year, the coronavirus pandemic forced Hyundai Motor Company to idle production at most of its factories in South Korea. The Chinese suppliers that provided wiring harnesses for models like the Hyundai Palisade and Genesis GV80 hadn't recovered from their COVID-19 shutdowns, causing a shortage of components. Since then, Hyundai, along with automakers around the globe, has faced repeated hurdles to restoring desired production numbers. Just-Auto reports another hiccup, with Hyundai compelled to shut down lines that build the Palisade and GV80 at its Ulsan, South Korea complex again last week over a lack of parts. Just-Auto didn't specify the parts in question. On top of that, Hyundai had already idled three lines at two plants after an employee at a supplier died, the cause of death thought to be COVID-19. Kia needed to do the same for two entire facilities in South Korea after two plant workers were diagnosed with the illness. In the U.S., Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama was idled from March 18 to May 4, resuming production at lower output on May 4 to manage inventory after the coronavirus and lockdown measures gutted new car sales.   Hyundai, like giant Ford and tiny McLaren, will be ruing the lost momentum of its recovery. The group turned in its best quarterly profit since 2017 at the end of last year, thanks to the larger margins that crossovers and SUVs deliver. Hyundai brand U.S. sales last year of 688,771 units was tantalizing close to an annual sum the brand hasn't hit since 2012. In January, the automaker predicted it would improve on last year's 3.5% group operating profit margin by hitting 5% this year. The nearly 10,000 reservations taken for the GV80 fueled the optimism, when Genesis sold just over 21,000 vehicles in total last year in the U.S. However, through the first quarter, group sales were down 11% globally and in the U.S. Worse, Just-Auto says the group's global sales have nosedived 26% through the first five months. The production halts on the models that deliver the best return will prolong the pain and make it sharper. Related Video:

Hyundai Motor heir Euisun Chung takes over from father after 20 years in waiting

SEOUL — Hyundai Motor Group appointed Euisun Chung as group chairman on Wednesday, cementing his succession from his octogenarian father in a move likely to give impetus to the world's fifth-largest automaker's push into electric vehicles and flying cars. In the first generational handover at the South Korean automobile giant in 20 years, Chung, 49, said he hoped to lead change at South Korea's second-biggest conglomerate as it battles to stay ahead of the pack in a time of rapid technological innovation in the global auto industry. "Carrying on their bold and innovative legacies, I feel privileged, yet also a sense of great responsibility for opening a new chapter of Hyundai Motor Group," Chung said in his inauguration speech to employees. Chung identified autonomous driving, electrification, hydrogen fuel cell, robotics and Urban Air Mobility (UAM) — industry jargon for flying cars — as his initiatives for the future. Hyundai Motor shares were trading up 0.3% after rising as much as 2.5% after the appointment, while the wider market was down 0.6%. Kia Motors and Hyundai Mobis fell 1.6% and 1.1%, respectively.   Legacies Hyundai Motor Group earlier on Wednesday said Chung had been promoted to chairman from executive vice chairman, replacing his father, Mong-Koo Chung, who was made honorary chairman. Key affiliates of Hyundai Motor Group, including Hyundai Motor, endorsed his inauguration unanimously. The appointment makes Chung the latest third-generation leader to take over one of South Korea's family-led conglomerates, which have been credited with lifting the war-stricken country out of poverty since the 1950s. His father took the wheel of the group in 2000 and transformed the company, once mocked for poor vehicle quality, into the world's No.5 automaker. The 82-year-old has been stepping back from frontline operations in recent years, and gave up his board seat in Hyundai Motor earlier this year. Euisun Chung has played an increasingly visible leadership role since September 2018 when he was promoted to executive vice chairman. Hyundai Motor Group invested $1.6 billion in a self-driving technology joint venture with U.S. Aptiv, forged a partnership with Uber on electric air taxis and invested in ride-hailing firm Grab. In July, Chung set a goal to win more than 10% of the global market for battery EVs by 2025.