Lx Suv 3.5l Cd 4x4 A/c on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Hyundai and Kia set aside $412 million for false mileage claims

We still don't know how the whole fuel economy ratings debacle is going to play out for Hyundai and Kia, but both automakers are preparing to make good on their promises to reimburse vehicle owners for lower-than-promised mileage figures. According to Automotive News, Hyundai and Kia have set aside a combined total of $412 million ($225 million for Hyundai and $187 million for Kia) as compensation, which will be sent out on a case-by-case basis via debit cards depending on the vehicle and the mileage driven.
Announced back in November, the exaggerated miles per gallon claims affect around 900,000 Kia and Hyundai products produced for the 2011 through 2013 model years sold in the US and Canada. This whole deal has had plenty of action ranging from suspected whistleblowing from a rival US automaker and even insider trading, but it has probably been most frustrating for vehicle owners who, in most cases, saw their vehicles' city and highway ratings drop between one and three digits.

Kia is bringing a fullsize SUV concept to Detroit

Hey, remember the Borrego? Kia took a stab at the fullsize SUV market in 2009 with a body-on-frame SUV, and after only one year of production, the Borrego was discontinued. Bummer. But Kia's apparently interested in rejoining the fullsize SUV segment, and will show the big concept you see here at the Detroit Auto Show next week. That's really all we know right now. Kia only offers a super short statement (that you can read below) confirming its SUV concept was designed in California and features "an abundance of advanced technology," including "state-of-the-art health-and-wellness technology" – whatever that means. It's simply meant to "[suggest] styling of a possible future premium large SUV in the brand's lineup." From this one image, the most noticeable design elements are a rear end that looks surprisingly similar to the Volvo XC90 in profile, and front and rear door handles that flank the B pillar, sort of like a minivan. Should this SUV come to production, we doubt it'll use body-on-frame architecture, since Kia doesn't have anything like that in its current portfolio. Maybe it'll ride on a version of the rear-wheel-drive platform that underpins the fullsize K900 sedan (or the upcoming Genesis G90). At this point, your guess is as good as ours. We'll know more next week. Detroit Concept Teaser #1 Kia Motors America will reveal a new concept car January 11 at the 2016 North American International Auto Show. Conceived at the automaker's California design studio, the concept offers an abundance of advanced technology – including state-of-the-art health-and-wellness technology – and takes Kia's design language in a bold new direction, suggesting styling of a possible future premium large SUV in the brand's lineup.

The anti-Prius | 2017 Kia Niro Hybrid First Drive

The 2017 Kia Niro is a significant model for the brand. It's the company's first car designed from the get-go to be a hybrid. And as Kia's VP of product planning explains, it's helping lead the company's push to improve fuel economy by 25 percent across the board. So it's kind of funny that almost everything about this car reads as "conventional" or simply "normal." There are exceptions to this. Under the attractive – if not adventurous – skin is some interesting technology. Most of the mechanicals are shared with the upcoming Hyundai Ioniq, including the direct-injected 1.6-liter inline-four and electric motor that send power to the front wheels. The powertrain makes a combined 139 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque. Kia also implemented various aerodynamic and weight aids to make the most of the engine and motor. The Niro features air curtains, a rear spoiler, and active air shutters to help achieve a 0.29 coefficient of drag, and the hood, hatch, brake calipers, and some suspension components are all made of aluminum. Plus, when ordered with navigation, the Niro will provide tips on driving more efficiently, and will use topographical information to use electric power in the most efficient manner. The various bits of fuel-maximizing technology mean the Niro manages Prius-like fuel economy ratings of 52 mpg in the city, 49 on the highway, and 50 combined. That's only for the base FE model, though. Moving up to the slightly better-equipped LX and EX models yields a small decrease to 51 city, 46 highway, and 49 overall. If you opt for the Touring model, shown here, because you want all the bells and whistles, be ready to sacrifice more mileage – it only manages 46 city, 40 highway, and 43 overall. Kia says this is due to the increased weight of the standard features, different roof rails that change the aerodynamic profile, and the larger, wider 18-inch wheels and tires that increase the rotational mass and rolling resistance. All of the effort Kia put into making the Niro a highly efficient Prius fighter seems to have been matched by an effort to make the car appear as normal as possible and give it the broadest appeal. So, no polarizing looks like on the latest Prius and Prius Prime. Glancing at it, you'd say the Niro is just another crossover. The greenhouse looks like a scaled-down version of the Sorento's. That's not necessarily a bad thing, since the larger Kia crossover is fairly handsome.