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Kia America shuffles executives

Kia announced a sudden and massive shuffle of its most senior executives in North America, including the resignation of its CEO and new roles for some of his top lieutenants. The biggest change is the departure of Byung Mo Ahn, who had until now served as both CEO of Kia Motors America and head of the company's manufacturing operations in Georgia, as well as a group vice chairman. Ahn is stepping down from all three positions with immediate effect, but will stay on in an advisory capacity. In his place, Jang Won Sohn moves from his previous post as a senior vice president at the home office to take over Kia Motors America. The task of running Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia will fall to Hyun Jong Shin, currently the plant's executive vice president and chief operating officer. Along with those replacements, Kia promoted Michael Sprague (pictured) to the newly created position of COO and executive vice president for Kia Motors America – a step up from his current title as EVP of sales and marketing. He reports directly to Sohn and takes over responsibility for product planning as well as sales, marketing and service. KIA MOTORS AMERICA STATEMENT REGARDING ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGES Effective immediately, the Group Vice Chairman and CEO of Kia Motors America (KMA) and Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia (KMMG), Byung Mo Ahn, has left these positions and will become a company advisor. Jang Won Sohn, formerly a Senior Vice President at KMC, assumes the position of President and CEO of KMA, and Hyun Jong Shin, formerly KMMG's Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, assumes the position of President and CEO of KMMG. Michael Sprague, formerly KMA's Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing, has been appointed to the newly created position of Chief Operating Officer and EVP of KMA, reporting directly to Mr. Sohn, and will serve as the central point of contact for all sales, marketing, service and product planning functions.

Kia Stonic is a compact crossover with a weird name

With Hyundai on the verge of revealing its new Kona subcompact crossover, it isn't surprising that Kia has one to show as well. It's called the Stonic, which is a fairly bizarre name with an equally odd origin. "The name 'Stonic' combines 'Speedy' and 'Tonic,' which refers to the first and last note in the musical scale," Kia explains. "Thus, 'Stonic' suggests that the vehicle is agile and offers something new and fresh in the compact SUV segment." It will be interesting to see if Kia sticks with the name, especially considering it's only one letter away from the name of a certain Chevrolet. Funky name aside, the Stonic looks like it will be fairly handsome, if a bit conventional-looking for a segment that includes the Nissan Juke and Toyota C-HR. The renderings show the car adheres to Kia's design language with organic curves and the corporate Kia grille. It then adds chunky features like beefy fender arches and a thick, raked C-pillar, all of which are bolstered by prerequisite black plastic cladding and aluminum-look faux skid plates. The interior doesn't get any more adventurous. In fact, comparing the rendering with the interior of the new Kia Rio, they look just shy of identical. The only visible differences are a slightly different dash pad over the passenger air bag, and slightly altered air vents. Though the base vehicle isn't exactly revolutionary in its design, it does sound as though owners will be able to personalize it a bit. Kia says the Stonic is "the most customizable Kia ever." Exactly how this will be realized is yet to be seen, but expect many options for interior trim, exterior colors, wheels, and more. We'll also learn the details soon, since Kia says the car will go on sale later this year. Related Video: Kia Crossover Economy Cars hyundai kona

Kia releases first photos of new Sportage

Occasionally, an automaker introduces a great looking concept that translates seamlessly into a very handsome road car. This isn't exactly one of those times. Kia has released the first three images of the new Sportage, the company's small CUV. The company says they drew inspiration for the production model from the Provo Concept, shown at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show, although we see quite a lot more inspiration from the Niro Concept, originally introduced at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show, particularly around the front fascia. In fact, when we originally covered the Niro, commenter sp33dklz went as far as saying, "So, by the time this gets to us it will be a new four-door Sportage?" Gold star to you, sir. The front end is a rather busy place, although the rest of the design appears far cleaner. In front, you have almost top-mounted headlights that remind us a bit of the original Subaru B9 Tribeca. Kia's Tiger Grille is there, and it's flanked by four-unit LED running lights, like those used on the Sorento and Optima. While there's a bit too much going on up front, the rear end is a much cleaner affair. A chrome strip ties together the flattop taillights, while a pair of oval exhaust poke out of the silver-colored diffuser/bumper guard. The greenhouse gets an aggressive shape and a thick D-pillar, while meaty wheel arches and large alloy wheels – we're betting they're at least 18s – add some spice to the two-box profile. Check out the trio of images of the new Sportage at the top of the page. Then scroll down for the official press release and register your opinion in Comments. We'll have much more on the all-new Sportage when we make the trek to the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show next month. FIRST EXTERIOR IMAGES OF ALL-NEW SPORTAGE All-new Sportage to be unveiled at IAA Frankfurt New "face" is biggest design change European Design Centre led styling Kia Motors has today revealed the first official exterior images of the all-new Kia Sportage, featuring a dynamic and strong new design. The all-new Sportage will make its global debut at the Frankfurt International Motor Show on 15 September 2015. Entering its fourth-generation, the all-new Kia Sportage features a bold, progressive design, with the vehicle's designers creating a sense of power and agility from every angle.