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Kia (Page 8)

Kia

In this section of Torque News you can find the latest news from Kia and news about Kia vehicles. Keith Griffin is the Hyundai/Kia news reporter at Torque News and can be followed on Twitter at IndepthAuto.

Kia became a company in the 1940s but didn’t sell its first car in the U.S. until 1992. It now sells in over 180 countries. Since joining forces with its Korean rival Hyundai in 1998, Kia models have come a long way from what they used to be and are now well-designed vehicles with the latest the industry has to offer.

The combined Hyundai – Kia operation is the fifth largest automaker in the United States. Kia has a manufacturing facility in West Point, Georgia where it produces three models: the top-selling Telluride CUV, Sorento CUV, and the new K5 midsize sedan. It also ships vehicles for sale in Canada, Mexico, and Caribbean and Pacific nations.

Here’s a little bit of trivia for you. The word “Kia” is derived from the Chinese characters Ki, meaning to “arise or come up out of” and a, referring to Asia. So when put together, Kia means to “arise or come up out of Asia.”

Kia’s extensive lineup includes sedans and SUVs of all sizes, hatchbacks, a minivan, an all-electric model, hybrids and plug-in hybrids, a quick and sporty four-door hatchback, and a large and very luxurious sedan.

Unlike Hyundai’s more conservative lineup, Kia offers sportier designs and driving dynamics. The quick Stinger GT and Forte GT are fun-to-drive examples while models like the Optima, Sportage, and Telluride offer sleek and sporty looks.

The Telluride, K5 and Forte models are some of the brand’s top sellers. Other models include the Soul hatchback, the Niro hybrid SUV, the Rio, the Sedona minivan, and the Niro EV. The Stinger is Kia’s rear-drive sports car and the Cadenza and K900 big sedans are the brand’s luxurious offerings but have some of the poorest sales in the lineup.

New models include the big three-row Telluride SUV, the compact Seltos SUV, the the Soul EV, and the sporty K5 that replaces the Optima for 2021.

Below is a list of Kia’s models with starting prices (excludes delivery charges):

  • 2021 Kia Seltos – $21,990
  • 2021 Kia Soul – $17,490
  • 2020 Kia Niro – $24,590
  • 2020 Kia Niro Plug-in Hybrid – $29,400
  • 2021 Kia Sportage – $23,990
  • 2021 Kia Sorento – $29,390
  • 2021 Kia Telluride – $31,990
  • 2020 Kia Rio – $15,850
  • 2021 Kia Forte – $17,890
  • 2021 Kia K5 – $23,390
  • 2021 Kia Stinger – $33,090
  • 2020 Kia Cadenza – $37,850
  • 2020 Kia K900 – $59,900
  • 2020 Kia Niro EV – $39,090
  • 2021 Kia Soul EV – Discontinued?
  • 2021 Kia Sedona – $30,400
By John Goreham on May 27, 2022 - 9:36AM
We drive and review the all-new Kia EV6, and find that the newest battery electric vehicle from Kia has broad appeal.
By Justin Hart on May 26, 2022 - 11:08AM
My family and I are spending a week on the Oregon coast. Our Airbnb host gave us the okay to plug in our Kia Sorento PHEV and we also made use of public charging options, when convenient. By charging up at least once every day so far, we have stretched a single tank of gas (12.4 gallons) to over 600 miles of total range.
By John Goreham on May 23, 2022 - 12:06PM
Kia has updated the Soul line. Here are the updates and improvements that you can expect for 2023.
By Justin Hart on May 22, 2022 - 1:42PM
Today I drove a skosh over 223 miles in my 2022 Kia Sorento plug-in hybrid (PHEV), from the Seattle area to Rockaway Beach, Oregon, with about 750 pounds of people and cargo on board plus a 12.5 ft stand up paddle board strapped to my roof racks. My fuel efficiency was about 37.2 miles per gallon (factoring in the miles I drove solely on electric), which is, in short, impressive.
By Justin Hart on May 21, 2022 - 11:46AM
Kia has announced plans to begin construction of its first electric Purpose Built Vehicle (PBV) plant in South Korea in 2023. This plant is part of their Plan S strategy and will be located within their existing Hwaseong plant. Kia’s goal in Plan S is to become a global leader in sustainable mobility solutions.
By Justin Hart on May 19, 2022 - 10:51AM
Kia has done it again! With last week’s announcement of the EV6 model winning yet another important automotive press accolade, the automaker undoubtedly has a verifiable hit on its hands.
By Justin Hart on May 15, 2022 - 2:40PM
How do the Kia EV6 and Nissan Ariya compare, specs wise? Are they comparable vehicles? Is one more likely to be a sales hit? Let’s take a few moments to ponder the two, on paper, focusing on a few of the features that may matter most to potential buyers.
By Justin Hart on May 13, 2022 - 1:42PM
It took much less time than I thought it might, but Kia has achieved the number two spot in the U.S. EV sales race, second only to Tesla (of course).
By Justin Hart on May 12, 2022 - 3:32AM
Before you buy a plug-in vehicle, it’s probably worth doing some research into where, besides your own home or perhaps your workplace, you can recharge your vehicle. Frankly, to not do so is somewhat reckless, since there are a number of regions in the country where your options for public charging may be limited.
By Justin Hart on May 7, 2022 - 6:25PM
So, you have decided you want to buy a Kia SUV or crossover (or for the sake of argument I’ll pretend you did). You also want this purchase to be electrified, because you care about air quality, climate change, the bottom line, or just efficiency. So which of Kia’s electrified options might suit you the best?
By Justin Hart on May 6, 2022 - 1:15PM
Though Kia’s overall U.S. sales were down last month, the silver lining is that Kia’s electrified vehicle sales continue to set records, month after month. What’s more, Kia’s electrified sales records were not just narrowly exceeded, they were absolutely shattered.
By Justin Hart on May 3, 2022 - 11:40AM
The Korea Herald recently reported Q1 “eco-friendly” car exports for Kia and Hyundai. As far as I can tell most (but not all) of Kia’s new plug-in vehicles exported outside of South Korea are destined for either Europe or North America. At least some percentage goes to other parts of the world (Australia, for example). What I want to know is: how many plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) is Kia delivering in North America?
By Justin Hart on April 30, 2022 - 2:55PM
Kia, via its sister company Hyundai, is ranked among the best automotive brands for its Lane Keep Assist features according to Consumer Reports. Kia uses the same or similar systems as Hyundai. Two of Kia’s best selling family vehicles, the Sorento and Telluride, offer a suite of Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS), but there are differences in feature availability between them. These models are often cross-shopped and safety feature availability/performance may be a key decision factor for some.
By Justin Hart on April 25, 2022 - 11:52PM
My family and I just spent a few days exploring the wines and landscape of the Red Mountain AVA (American Viticultural Area) in our 2022 Kia Sorento PHEV and managed to learn a few things about the wine, the region, and a few more things about the features of our Sorento in the process.
By Justin Hart on April 23, 2022 - 1:19PM
Today we set out on a weekend road trip in our 2022 Kia Sorento PHEV to visit Washington State’s warmest AVA (American Viticultural Area), Red Mountain, for a weekend of wine tasting. This AVA is located near Benton City, WA (which isn’t so much a city as it is a small community located just outside the greater metropolitan area known as the Tri-Cities of Washington - Pasco, Richland, and Kennewick), itself a “mid-sized” urban area of roughly 300,000 people, according to Wikipedia.
By Justin Hart on April 20, 2022 - 4:22AM
Last week at the New York International Auto Show (NYIAS), a Kia American executive confirmed in an interview with Green Car Reports that Kia is waiting to see what sales are like for the companies now selling or soon to be selling electric pickups in the U.S. This sounds perfectly logical, but it also begs the question: is Kia being coy?
By Justin Hart on April 16, 2022 - 1:20PM
This week Kia released new details about the forthcoming 2023 Telluride mid-size SUV. Technically this will be a mid-cycle refresh for the Telluride, but that didn’t stop Kia from cramming more new features into its star SUV than you can shake an empty sack of road trip snacks at.
By Justin Hart on April 15, 2022 - 4:11AM
Earlier this week, Kia unveiled its 2023 Kia Niro lineup, including hybrid (HEV), plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and electric (EV) versions at the New York International Auto Show (NYIAS). With the unveiling also came some additional details about the new models that will go on sale this summer.
By Timothy Boyer on April 13, 2022 - 5:07PM
Looking to buy a new car, but not sure which deals are good, and which are bad? Here’s a recent list from Consumer Reports analysts who found that this one popular make clearly dominates their findings of the worst deals on new cars right now.
By Justin Hart on April 11, 2022 - 4:23PM
Owning a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) comes with some special perks including the ability to utilize two forms of fuel, one of which is sometimes available for free and allows the blissful experience of all electric driving. We just spent a week at a resort on the Deschutes River near Bend, Oregon which also offered the luxury of free 240V charging.
By John Goreham on April 11, 2022 - 3:55PM
Kia leads in the United Kingdon’s vehicle market. Here are some interesting facts.
By Justin Hart on April 9, 2022 - 2:27PM
Kia had a number of announcements this week that those interested in the brand, or in “eco friendly” small and compact SUVs, or even in larger SUVs that aren’t quite as eco-friendly, may be excited about. Here’s three of the most significant announcements this week.
By Justin Hart on April 7, 2022 - 4:18AM
For Kia, overall U.S. sales are down about 5% for the first quarter of 2022. However, there is actually some very positive news in Kia’s first quarter figures that this one statistic doesn’t reveal. Let’s dive into the numbers and compare them a bit to other sales data from competing makers to put things in perspective.
By Justin Hart on April 5, 2022 - 1:44AM
Day 2: We load up our rig in my brother’s driveway in Olympia, Washington and head out for Bend, Oregon with our KIA Sorento PHEV via a lunchtime stop at a winery in Hood River, Oregon (more on that in a moment). Gray skies threaten rain, and it's a cool 52F as my wife takes the wheel for the next leg of our journey (about 170 miles).
By Justin Hart on April 3, 2022 - 4:37AM
It’s finally time to take our first family road trip in our new 2022 Kia Sorento plug-in hybrid (PHEV)! We have 800-1,000+ miles (round trip) of driving in store, between our home in the Seattle area and Bend, Oregon and its environs for a week spent basking in the sun, imbibing some of the best craft brews in the U.S. and taking in some of the breathtaking natural beauty of the landscapes of central Oregon.
By Justin Hart on March 25, 2022 - 2:16PM
I bought a 2022 Kia Sorento because I wanted an SUV large enough to haul up to 6 family and friends along with our stuff. My Sorento also happens to be a plug-in hybrid (PHEV), because I know my 3 row SUV’s ability to travel 32+ miles on a full charge means I will be able to cover the majority of the miles I drive on electricity, and burning less gas matters.
By Justin Hart on March 22, 2022 - 3:11PM
In the short time that Kia’s EV6 has been on sale in the U.S. (since early February), it is already outselling the best selling non-Tesla EV from 2021, the Ford Mustang Mach-E. To be clear, that is for only a single month of sales, so far. But Kia’s EV6 isn’t the only Korean EV outselling Ford, Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 also outsold the Mustang Mach-E last month. Note, February was only the second month the Ioniq 5 was on sale in the U.S.
By Justin Hart on March 19, 2022 - 1:31PM
Kia has had another strong sales month in Europe, seeing year over year growth for the month of February of 24.8%. Kia’s corporate sibling, Hyundai, also saw a healthy increase in European market sales of 25.5%.
By Justin Hart on March 18, 2022 - 7:37PM
The Kia EV6, along with the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and the Ford Mustang Mach-E, is a finalist for the prestigious World Car of the Year Award. This is not the first time an EV will win the award, but it is perhaps most interesting that the three finalists are all electric vehicles (as this may be the first time this has happened).
By Justin Hart on March 13, 2022 - 6:36PM
Last week the Washington State legislature passed a bill, now heading to Governor Inslee’s desk, that bans the sale, registration, and purchase of new gasoline powered vehicles, beginning with model year 2030. An earlier bill proposing the same, though also including a controversial road usage fee, was rejected last year. This time the bill doesn’t include the fee and is likely to pass. If it does, Washington State’s ban will go into effect before all other states.