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Kia (Page 17)

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 Marc Stern on October 31, 2016 - 8:20AM
The quirky Kia Soul and the all-new Cadenza were major winners in this years Active Lifestyle Award. Soul took Lifestyle of the Year.
By Marc Stern on October 30, 2016 - 9:09PM
An agreement Friday between 33 states, the District of Columbia and Hyundai and its Kia subsidiary settles the four-year cloud of mileage overstatement that resulted in fines and fees of almost $800 million.
By Marc Stern on October 17, 2016 - 11:31PM
Kia has recalled 12,200 2016 Optimas to fix a major problem with their right front axle driveshaft. The automaker took quick action when it was determined the problem could cause the front axle to fail.
By Marc Stern on October 6, 2016 - 12:09AM
Kia has had quite a change over the last decade. Starting as a brand looked at primarily as an inexpensive alternative, it has evolved to become the leader in the J.D. Powers annual vehicle quality survey.
By Parks McCants on October 5, 2016 - 10:53AM
It is said that the number one consideration for the majority of minivan buyers is safety.
By Marc Stern on October 4, 2016 - 11:30PM
Kia has done a major redesign job on its top-selling vehicle, the Rio. The new design, completed by studios in California and Germany, is mature and more refined.
By Marc Stern on August 24, 2016 - 10:43AM
Kia Motors, Hyundai's subsidiary, has a major introduction planned For Sept. 29 at the Paris Auto Show. According to the company, its newly restyled Rio will debut.
By Marc Stern on August 22, 2016 - 9:39AM
Auto spies saw the planned Kia compact crossover recently as the carmaker put the as-yet-unnamed vehicle through its paces. Kia is slotting it below the Sportage which is illustrated above.
By Marc Stern on August 5, 2016 - 4:57PM
Hyundai joins General Motors, Kia and Fiat Chrysler in ARC probe, while Takata recall affects 31 makes.


By Will Maley on August 4, 2016 - 4:16PM
Do you ever wish that there was a hotted-up version of a Kia? We have some good news for you.
By Parks McCants on August 3, 2016 - 2:18PM
July continues the upward sales trajectory for Kia with the Soul compact hatchback leading the lineup.
By Will Maley on July 25, 2016 - 9:32AM
One of the downsides of having an older vehicle is not being able to get the latest and greatest in terms of features. A key example is Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatibility. But if you own an older Kia, you'll be able to get this feature in the near future.
By Parks McCants on July 21, 2016 - 2:34PM
Kia’s best selling crossover the “Sorento” has earned top safety honors from the Insurance Institute For Highway Safety. Although mostly “a carryover" for 2017, KIa adds a bit of value to this exceptional CUV with a modest price increase.
By Will Maley on June 22, 2016 - 2:32PM
For the past twenty-seven years, J.D. Power's Initial Quality Study had a premium brand stand on top. But this year's study saw a dramatic change, a non-premium automaker was on top.
By Patrick Rall on June 16, 2016 - 2:45PM
The 2016 Kia Forte 5 SX isn’t marketed as a performance model, but this compact 5-door handles well and it has enough power to make it a fun daily driver – falling just short of the “hot hatch” designation without even trying while preserving all of the comforts needed to be driven through the daily grind.
By Will Maley on May 26, 2016 - 3:07PM
Sometimes, an automaker will pull a fast one when announcing new model or variant. Whether it be flashing an image during a commercial or dropping bread crumbs in a press release.
By Will Maley on May 23, 2016 - 10:05AM
You need a midsize sedan that does decently on fuel, but you don't want to put down a lot of cash for it. Lucky for you, Hyundai and Kia offer such a vehicle.
By Parks McCants on May 3, 2016 - 12:42AM
It's often tough to capture in a few words what a car will or will not do. Such is the case with Kia's 2017 Sportage SX FWD, the affordable performance crossover.
By Will Maley on March 30, 2016 - 10:04AM
Almost seven years ago, Kia starting building vehicles in the U.S. at a new production facility in West Point, Georgia. Recently, the facility reached a milestone.
By Will Maley on March 23, 2016 - 4:23PM
The full-size sedan class is one that carries one without many changes. But whenever an automaker introduces a redesigned or an all-new model, people take notice.
By Parks McCants on March 13, 2016 - 11:57PM
The difference that is 2016 Kia Soul begins with the interior image pictured above. How did Soul beat out Honda Civic, HR-V, Ford Escort and others for top family honors?
By Patrick Rall on February 19, 2016 - 3:35PM
The new 2016 Kia Optima was the subject of a Super Bowl commercial featuring Hollywood tough guy Christopher Walken in which they likened the sporty midsized sedan to a really flashy pair of socks, but after spending a week driving the turbocharged Optima, I feel that they are selling the car a little short – as this car is far better than my favorite socks.
By Will Maley on February 18, 2016 - 1:48PM
Wagon fans, we have some good news and some bad news for you.
By Will Maley on February 12, 2016 - 9:42AM
Kia has offered a hybrid version of the Optima sedan for a few years now. But they never had a model that was built solely as a hybrid. That changed yesterday at the Chicago Auto Show as Kia pulled the covers off a new dedicated hybrid model.
By Will Maley on February 5, 2016 - 3:37PM
While Hyundai is busy working on its upscale Genesis brand, Kia is trying to position itself as the youthful, sporty brand. What better way to set this image up than with a sports sedan?
By Will Maley on January 26, 2016 - 4:33PM
After being shown in concept form at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show and numerous reports saying a production model would be shown, we might actually get a chance to see the production version of the Kia GT.
By Will Maley on January 14, 2016 - 11:03AM
Next month will be the Chicago Auto Show. While it is the smallest auto show in the U.S., some automakers save some big debuts for it.
By Will Maley on January 7, 2016 - 2:23PM
Whether or not you are prepared for it, the age of the autonomous car is coming. Kia is preparing itself for it by announcing a new sub-brand that will deal exclusively in autonomous tech.
By Parks McCants on January 7, 2016 - 12:54PM
After viewing Kia’s automotive entourage of cutting edge, light-truck-based concepts at the 2015 Los Angeles Auto Show, we would expect nothing less from the Korean upstart.
By Will Maley on December 15, 2015 - 8:34PM
If you're driving along this state's road and see Kia Soul or a Hyundai Tucson without a driver, don't panic.