Top Nice Cars: KIA

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Kia Shows More of its All-New Cee'd Hatchback Including the First Shots of the Interior

The all-new Kia Cee'd will make its world premiere at the 82nd Geneva International Auto Salon in March but the South Korean automaker wants us to get a better view of its VW Golf rival with the release of another set of photos, which include the very first pictures of its interior.

The car's overall appearance is in line with Kia's latest crop of models and especially the Optima sedan. This is even more evident inside with Kia promising a more premium look and feel, higher perceived quality and enhanced driving position ergonomics.

The dashboard layout features a driver-orientated fascia with the main switchgear positioned towards the driver.

Kia has not yet announced precise dimensions but it said that the new Cee'd is longer, wider and lower than its predecessor, while retaining the same wheelbase.

Earlier today, Kia dropped the first official renderings of its new rear-wheel drive flagship sedan that will launch in the Korean market in the second quarter of 2012, and these are spy shots of the production model, codenamed "KH", that was captured while completing the test phase in northern Sweden.

Even though Kia is trying out the full-size sedan in Europe, the South Korean automaker made it clear in a press statement today that the flagship model is "not coming to mainland European markets or the UK".

It's been known for a while now that Kia is planning to enhance its range with a flagship sedan model, which most refer to as the K9.

While the South Korean automaker has yet to confirm the name, what it did do is drop the first official sketches and details on its upcoming proposal in the in the large sedan segment.

For the time being, Kia tells us that the car known by its internal designation "KH" will be the company's first ever rear-wheel drive sedan and it will go on sale in Korea by June this year with launch timings for other markets including North America to be confirmed at a later date.

Ironically, increased demand can prove to be quite a problem for car manufacturers. Kia knows this well: despite posting a 37 percent increase in sales last year, it reckons it could have done even better if only it had the capacity to produce more vehicles.

Its all-new Optima mid-size sedan has proved to be a big hit in the U.S. in its first year, tripling its sales compared to 2010 to 84,590 units.

Along with the snazzy Track'ster concept study, Kia also revealed a new range-topping version of its Optima sedan called the SX Limited at the 2012 Chicago Auto Show.

The SX Limited, which as you may recall was teased through Kia's Super Bowl XLVI commercial this past Sunday, is based on the 274-horsepower turbocharged Optima SX adding a little bling to the mix with new 18-inch chromed alloy wheels, a chrome-accented rear spoiler, LED daytime running lights and red front-brake calipers.

Without doubt, the spotlights at this year's edition of the Chicago Auto Show are on the Koreans. Following the presentation of Hyundai's new Elantra GT and Coupe models, its sister company Kia has unveiled an impressive concept model for a sporty, three-door version of the Soul called the Track'ster

Of course, if you throw in a pair of round headlights and vertical tail lamps, the Track'ster could very well be a conceptual proposal for high-performance Mini model…

That's not to say the Track'ster hasn't got character but many details like the alloy wheel designs, the blacked out front pillars, the two-tone paint job and the prominent LED driving lights on the lower part of the front bumper do have a certain British flavor.

"The idea was to make the Track'ster tough looking, like a bulldog," said Tom Kearns, chief designer for Kia's Californian design studio, which was responsible for the creation of the Track'ster.

Even though the 2012 Chicago Auto Show will open its doors to the members of the press in less than 48 hours from now, Kia continues to play the teasing game with its new Track’ster concept car releasing a second picture of its Soul-based model.

The study is supposed to give us an idea of what a sportier three-door version of the Soul would look like with Kia saying that it's only a design concept for now. We assume that the company’s future plans will largely depend on the reactions of the public.

On Tuesday, January 31, U.S. President Barack Obama’s schedule included a visit to the 2012 Washington Auto Show. The White House informed automakers on a two days’ notice to bring their most fuel-efficient models to the show.

Naturally, they obliged. For example, Honda flew in the FCX Clarity from California, Kia brought the Optima hybrid and Mercedes-Benz a fuel-cell car. Carmakers also brought along their top brass to discuss green technologies with the President.

As Bloomberg reports, the problem is that Obama, who had half an hour in his disposal, ignored foreign manufacturers.

Instead, he spent most of his time with domestic brands, posing for the press with the Dodge Dart, the Chevrolet Malibu, the Ford C-MAX Energi, the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 and the Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1 (not pretty fuel efficient those two, by the way…).

Only a few days left for the big game, so Kia released the full version of its 2012 Super Bowl ad titled "Drive the Dream" for the new Optima Limited Edition featuring a slew of stars including Victoria's Secret super model Angel Adriana Lima, the Motley Crew, martial arts champ Chuck Liddell and bull rider Judd Leffew.

Out of all those stars, we all know who will capture the attention of most viewers.

Kia's marketing division came to the same conclusion as us and so it created a five-hour long looped version of the hot Brazilian model repeatedly waving her chequered flag. You can watch both videos after the jump.

It's been three years since Kia pulled the wraps off its conceptual Soul'ster convertible truck at the 2009 Detroit Motor Show. Kia fueled some rumors at the time that it was considering a production version of the car but never followed up on it. Until today, that is.

Unexpectedly, in the press statement on the Track'ster Concept that's scheduled to debut at the Chicago Auto Show next week, Kia dropped the ball saying that the Soul’ster convertible is "currently under final assessment for production".

The Korean maker did not elaborate further but we assume that if it receives the green light, the Soul'ster should be on its way to the market very soon.

The original concept is a two-door mixture of convertible and pickup models with seating for four passengers. It features a shortened windshield for a more hunkered down appearance and is equipped with a two-piece removable top residing on a roll bar that provides additional protections for the occupants.

This is the first official teaser rendering of Kia's latest concept based on the Soul crossover. It's called the Track'ster and it will make its first public appearance at the 2012 Chicago Auto Show next week.

Penned in Kia's California design studio, the Track'ster shows how a more sporty, three-door version of the Soul could look like, though the South Korean automaker is quick to point out that currently, there are no plans for a production version.

The 1 millionth vehicle rolled off the assembly line at Kia's Zilina plant in Slovakia just a little over five years since the factory opened, marking a significant landmark for the South Korean automaker.

The milestone model was a white, diesel-engined Cee’d SW that was handed over to a Slovakian children’s charity called the Red Nose Clowndoctors (no connection with Adult Swim's Children's Hospital…).

Following on from its world premiere at last September's Frankfurt Motor Show, Kia has now launched the three-door version of the new Rio supermini in the UK.

This is the first time that the model is available in a three-door guise with Kia expecting it to account for around 20 to 25 percent of the car's total sales.

The three-door model gets the same engine range and trim line-up as the five door model that went on sale last year but offers £600 saving compared to the equivalent Rio 5d with prices starting from £9,995 OTR.

Scary footage of a 2009 Kia sedan driving at highway speeds through the median on Interstate 81 in Dauphin County made its way on YouTube this week.

The video shows the car speeding through the snow and at times becoming airborne before it crashed into an embankment and came to a stop. Understandably, the incident could have easily gone horribly wrong if the car had passed on either driving lane.

As it turns out, the 61-year old woman driving the Kia suffered from a diabetic emergency at the time.

With the Super Bowl XLVI match-up between the New England Patriots and New York Giants just a couple of weeks away, automakers are preparing the public for their new ads that will air during the big football game on February 5.

At last year's game, Kia took on the time traveling theme to show off its new Optima sedan. For this year's commercial, the South Korean automaker has chosen the topic of dreams to introduce the new 2012 Optima Limited edition.

Brand loyalty among customers is something all carmakers aspire to achieve, but sometimes that's easier said than done as proved by the results of J.D. Power and Associates' 2012 Customer Retention Study.

There's a lot to say about the survey that measures the rate at which automotive brands retain their existing customers and which is now in its ninth year, but we can't help but to start from the winner.

Amazingly, the brand that manages to keep most customers is Hyundai with a retention rate of 64%. The South Korean brand's feat is even more impressive if you consider that just two years ago it ranked below average with 47%!

Last year, Kia broke its 2010 production records in Europe with 252,000 cars and more than 359,000 petrol and diesel engines rolling off the assembly lines at is Zilina plant in Slovakia. Compared to 2010, Kia's European arm built 10 percent more vehicles and posted a 12 percent increase in engine production. Read more »

2010 Kia Sorento SUV Geared

The new generation Kia Sorento that made its debut earlier this year is the latest object of Cobra Technology & Lifestyle's tuning affections. Not that most Sorento buyers will actually ever need bull bars - that is, unless your parking skills are worse 16-year-old that just got his license, but Cobra offers a variety of front, rear and rocker panel guards including a lower front bar with integrated LED daytime running lights. Once you're done with the body armor, you can also choose from numerous alloy wheel designs with diameters of 19 and 20 inches. The largest alloy wheels can be fitted with tires in size 265/45 R 20.

Top Nice Cars

Kia Shows More of its All-New Cee'd Hatchback Including the First Shots of the Interior

Spy Shots: New Kia K9 RWD Sedan Completes Tests, U.S. Rep says it's Still Evaluating Plans

Kia Teases New "K9" Rear-Wheel Drive Flagship Sedan with Official Renderings

Kia Ramps up Optima's U.S. Production as it Expects it to Become its Best-Seller in 2012

New 2012 Kia Optima SX Limited Edition adds Some Bling

MINI Beware: Kia Thinks Big with Track'ster Concept that Could Spawn a 3-Door Soul

Kia Publishes Another Photo of its Track’ster Concept Car

Non-U.S. Automakers Displeased After President Obama Snubs Them at Washington Auto Show

Kia's Dreamy 2012 Super Bowl Ad, Plus a 5-Hour Video of Victoria's Secret Model Adriana Lima

Kia Says Soul'ster Concept is Under Final Assessment for Production

New Kia Track'ster Concept based on the Soul Heads to Chicago Auto Show

Kia Builds 1 Millionth Vehicle at its Slovakian Plant

Kia Introduces New Three-Door Kia Rio in Britain, Priced from £9,995

Woman Suffers a Diabetic Attack on the Road, Drives Through the Median

Kia's 2012 Super Bowl Ad to Star Victoria's Secret Model Adriana Lima, Mötley Crue and More

New Survey Shows which Owners Would Buy from the Same Brand Again

Kia Makes a Record Number of Cars and Engines in Europe in 2011

2010 Kia Sorento SUV Geared