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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 Justin Hart on September 12, 2022 - 1:00AM
I’ve spent the last two days camping in my Kia Sorento plug-in hybrid (PHEV) on San Juan Island, WA. I have to say that my Sorento PHEV is an excellent camping vehicle and Friday Harbor is one of the most charming seaside towns I’ve ever seen.
By Justin Hart on September 10, 2022 - 2:37PM
I am finally taking a weekend camping trip in my Kia Sorento plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and that means not only will I be spending a couple nights sleeping in the back, I will also test fuel economy with a cargo box installed on the roof and about 850 pounds of people and stuff onboard. This is going to be epic!
By Justin Hart on September 6, 2022 - 11:41AM
Last week, Kia notched several new accolades from MotorTrend magazine for vehicles across its lineup, proving yet again that Kia is making some of the most desirable, impressive, safe, and value oriented vehicles one can buy.
By Justin Hart on September 2, 2022 - 2:29PM
Kia announced their August sales figures earlier this week and most of Kia’s models saw year-over-year (YOY) sales increases. Does this mean Kia has begun to turn the corner on the ongoing supply chain problems that has plagued the automotive industry recently?
By Justin Hart on August 30, 2022 - 3:22AM
I am bound and determined to thoroughly test my Kia Sorento plug-in hybrid’s fuel efficiency in Sport mode, because I want to definitively prove whether, or not, there are driving circumstances where the use of Sport mode might be more fuel efficient.
By Justin Hart on August 26, 2022 - 9:56PM
The 2022 Kia Sorento Plug-In Hybrid (and likely the 2023 model going on sale soon) has an EPA rated range of 460 miles. Several people on social media (myself included) have noticed that often the onboard range remaining display shows a lot less than 460 miles when the tank is full, and it may also be difficult to get something approaching that in real world driving.
By Justin Hart on August 26, 2022 - 5:58AM
The Sport mode in my 2022 Kia Sorento plug-in hybrid (PHEV) is bothering me, in a good way. Why would I say that? It’s because I keep reading accounts from people on social media that claim to get better gas mileage using it than what I would otherwise expect them to achieve if they did not use it, or minimized the use of it, at least.
By John Goreham on August 25, 2022 - 10:09AM
Both Hyundai and Kia are advising owners of their flagship SUV models to park outside to mitigate the risk of a fire. No solution is available at this time.
By Armen Hareyan on August 24, 2022 - 11:04PM
What can I say about the 2023 Kia Sportage hybrid. It offers a great 36-38 mpg, coupled with plenty of technology and a roomy cabin.
By Justin Hart on August 22, 2022 - 2:36AM
Kia has officially announced the pricing of their all-new, 2023 Sportage Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV) for the U.S. market. Kia confirmed it is also on sale in all 50 states and deliveries have already begun.
By Justin Hart on August 20, 2022 - 4:06AM
I spend just a teensy bit of time on social media, often checking out plug-in vehicle topics that people are gabbing about. Lately, I have seen a handful people post about getting better fuel efficiency (in miles per gallon) using the Kia Sorento plug-in hybrid’s Sport mode. Specifically, they use it to recharge the hybrid battery when it’s low and they think this gives them better fuel economy.
By Justin Hart on August 19, 2022 - 2:23AM
Earlier this week, when President Joe Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) into law, Kia vehicles and those from several other automakers lost eligibility for the U.S. federal tax incentive of up to $7,500.
By Justin Hart on August 13, 2022 - 4:30AM
My friend purchased a brand new Kia EV6 last week, in part based on feedback I had given him. He has never owned an EV, or any plug-in vehicle, before and had previously talked to me about purchasing a Tesla model Y before and after he drove my Model 3. I interviewed him to get his initial impressions about the Kia EV6 because I think a lot of prospective EV buyers might appreciate reading about his initial experience.
By Justin Hart on August 12, 2022 - 4:15AM
Are Kia and Hyundai planning to build a new electric vehicle manufacturing plant in Georgia in order to qualify for the new U.S. federal electric vehicle incentives? That is the question that popped into my mind after the recent news about the U.S. Senate’s passing of the Inflation Reduction Act.
By Justin Hart on August 6, 2022 - 4:23AM
The Sportage is Kia’s best selling SUV and also its best selling model overall in the U.S. in 2022, and with good reason. It is an attractive, spacious, capable and fuel efficient choice (especially the electrified versions) in the sizzling hot compact SUV market. The Sportage is also one of Kia’s longest selling models in the U.S. and that means Americans are quite familiar with it.
By Justin Hart on August 5, 2022 - 9:23PM
Not to sound like a broken record, but once again Kia has seen its monthly sales slip, but at the same time its electrified vehicle sales increased significantly, 86% in fact. This month however, those increased sales are from hybrid (HEV) and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) sales, specifically.
By Justin Hart on July 29, 2022 - 9:07PM
I love my 2022 Kia Sorento Plug-In Hybrid (PHEV), but even so, there are a few things that bug me about the way Kia has implemented this otherwise fantastic vehicle. Note, I am calling these things out in the spirit of objective feedback (in the hopes someone at Kia might make improvements in future iterations and or software updates) and in support of the owner community that I frequently interact with on social media.
By Armen Hareyan on July 23, 2022 - 10:41PM
Direct cousin of the Hyundai Ioniq 5, the KIA EV6 is sharing the same powertrains and battery technology. However, while the range figures do vary, with the KIA EV6 we finally have a decent competitor to Tesla Model Y. Last week Torque News test-drove the 2022 KIA EV6
By Justin Hart on July 23, 2022 - 6:11AM
InsideEVs recently broke the news about the best selling plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) in the U.S. in 2022 so far. Surprisingly, the company selling the most PHEVs in the U.S. is Stellantis.
By Justin Hart on July 21, 2022 - 2:52PM
I just wrapped up a visit with my auntie and uncle in Kauai. They want to purchase either a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) or electric (EV) subcompact - midsize SUV/crossover. My family are most concerned about seating position, cargo and passenger volume, and adequate ground clearance. To help them and others looking for similar vehicles at somewhere near the average price of a new vehicle, I have collected information on all such vehicles currently or soon to go on sale in the U.S (by end of 2023).
By Justin Hart on July 14, 2022 - 5:15PM
I am on vacation on the island of Kauai, visiting my auntie and uncle in Lihue. They both just retired from long careers as teachers here and are looking for their first plug-in vehicle. They want an SUV or crossover with a higher seating position with at least enough ground clearance to handle a rutted dirt road leading to a hike or beach somewhere on the island. They might be like any other car shopper looking for their first plug-in vehicle, so I decided to help them out with a little research.
By Justin Hart on July 8, 2022 - 2:05PM
Kia’s U.S. vehicle sales trends for the month of June and for the first half of 2022 haven’t changed that much from the previous months and quarters for 2022. Their electrified vehicle sales, which include hybrid (HEV), plug-in hybrid (PHEV), and electric (EV) vehicles, are up significantly year-over-year, while their overall vehicle sales have slumped.
By Justin Hart on July 2, 2022 - 8:32AM
Bloomberg.com’s U.S. Edition recently declared that the “hottest” electric cars on sale in the U.S. are no longer Teslas. Rather, they suggest that the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6 are the EVs capturing the most attention, lately.
By Justin Hart on June 28, 2022 - 3:53AM
In March this year, Kia recalled a small number of Sorento Hybrid and Plug-in Hybrids manufactured between July 12th and July 28th, 2021 for a potentially dangerous issue with their seat belts. Now the recall is expanding with new VIN numbers being included in the recall as of today.
By Justin Hart on June 26, 2022 - 10:10PM
The first reviews of Kia’s newest plug-in hybrid, the 2023 Sportage PHEV, have come out in European media. Unsurprisingly, the reviews tend to be similar to what I and others in the U.S. have said about the larger Sorento PHEV which came out last year. For the sake of U.S. shoppers interested in Kia’s slightly smaller 2 row PHEV, coming sometime in Q3, I have pulled together a few new details from the first European driving reviews.
By Justin Hart on June 24, 2022 - 1:26PM
Earlier this week the largest electric vehicle battery maker in the world, Chinese manufacturer Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd (CATL), announced it is supplying South Korean automaker Kia with batteries for its electric vehicle (EV) lineup.
By Justin Hart on June 20, 2022 - 4:13AM
The other day I revisited a battery only driving range test in my 2022 Kia Sorento plug-in hybrid (PHEV). This time through the test, I drove as hard as I could without forcing the Sorento out of its battery-only EV mode and compared my range to my previous test in which I drove as gently as possible to try and achieve maximum EV range.
By Justin Hart on June 18, 2022 - 1:46PM
Earlier this week, Kia announced small price increases on two of its non-electrified models for the 2023 model year in the U.S. market, the Seltos subcompact SUV and Carnival minivan. These price increases are all less than $1,000, due to inflation and increased shipping costs, and don’t necessarily affect all trim levels of these models. But it begs the question: Will Kia be raising prices on its other models soon too?
By Justin Hart on June 17, 2022 - 2:19PM
Conspicuously, Bloomberg Intelligence has completely ignored one of the largest and fastest growing electric vehicle (EV) producers in the world in its recent business intelligence piece on global battery-electric vehicles sales. More accurately, I should say they ignored two of the largest and fastest growing companies, Kia and Hyundai, which are so closely tied we can justifiably consider them as one company.
By James Walker on June 15, 2022 - 9:30AM
Kia's high-performance electric flagship will debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed later this month.