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Kia (Page 9)

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 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.
By Justin Hart on March 12, 2022 - 12:06AM
This week, the price of nickel has jumped up significantly. This almost certainly will lead to significant price increases, and or production halts, for electric, hybrid, and plug-in hybrid vehicles from most manufacturers since nickel is commonly used in most propulsion batteries in these types of vehicles. In fact it already seems to be happening.
By Justin Hart on March 8, 2022 - 3:23AM
Last week, Kia held an Investor Day event and announced additional EV models for its 5 year roadmap, including not one but two pickups and an affordable “entry level” model as well. Note that Kia’s news refers to its global strategy and at least one of these models is intended for emerging markets (and as such would not likely be sold in the U.S. or Western Europe).
By Justin Hart on March 6, 2022 - 1:08PM
Kia’s total February sales increased 2.3% year over year. That may sound like only modest growth. But it is important to note that last month Kia’s 2 EV models, the brand new EV6 and the returning Niro EV, also beat their previous best ever month, September 2021, by 181%.
By Justin Hart on February 27, 2022 - 11:41PM
Let me be direct, I love Car and Driver because, as a magazine, the writing and editorial skills of its staff are second to none. These folks can write (even better than they can drive, I dare say), and Ezra Dyer who penned a recent review of the 2022 Kia Sorento PHEV, is certainly no exception. But I think he has missed the mark, a little, when it comes to his conclusions in reviewing the Sorento PHEV.
By Justin Hart on February 25, 2022 - 11:38PM
On Kia’s Swedish website some interesting information has been revealed about the forthcoming 2023 Kia Niro Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV). Turns out, it will be getting a larger battery and a more powerful electric motor than the current 2022 model too (along with a completely restyled body that is slightly larger and more striking in appearance). This is more than a little bit surprising.
By Justin Hart on February 23, 2022 - 3:47PM
I have decided to review the Kia Soul because I have always been a fan of small, sporty (or quirky) and practical wagons and wagon-like vehicles. Perhaps that is because my first car, a Datsun 710 station wagon which was about as sporty as a raging case of athlete’s foot, imprinted something on me. I later owned a pair of late 1980’s Honda Civic wagons (with mad AWD capability!), a 2007 Honda Fit, a 2011 Nissan LEAF, and I still have a PT Cruiser Hot Wheels. One of those statements is totally false by the way.
By Justin Hart on February 21, 2022 - 1:24PM
Kia has managed to land six of its models on Car and Driver’s annual Editor’s Choice Awards list, and one of those models also landed on to its even more exclusive 10 Best List. Which models made it and what might that mean?
By Justin Hart on February 19, 2022 - 2:06PM
Kia has recently expanded its U.S. plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) range with the introduction of the 2022 Sorento PHEV and the forthcoming 2023 Sportage PHEV, which join the Niro PHEV already on sale for several years. But Kia may not be planning to offer any additional PHEV models after these, and that begs the question: Why?
By Justin Hart on February 18, 2022 - 4:04AM
Kia continues to outperform many other automakers in European sales, including the likes of Renault and Mercedes, on their own turf. The same is true for its partner, Huyndai.
By Justin Hart on February 12, 2022 - 1:25PM
Earlier this week, Kia announced the release of its 2023 Sportage PHEV scheduled for the 3rd quarter of this year. The Sportage PHEV follows last year's 3rd quarter release of the Sorento PHEV and introduces a few interesting features for the U.S. market that are not available, yet, on the larger and more expensive Sorento PHEV.
By Justin Hart on February 11, 2022 - 3:38PM
Kia’s new EV6 is one of the most exciting EVs on the market and it has only recently gone on sale in the U.S. I managed to get in touch with one of the first U.S. owners of the new EV6 to ask him some questions about Kia’s newest electric vehicle and his experience with it so far.
By Justin Hart on February 9, 2022 - 3:35AM
Beginning earlier this week, Ford is halting production on 3 different production lines, including the Cuautitlan, Mexico plant that produces the Mustang Mach-E electric vehicle. Is this only a brief pause, or is it the first sign of an impending miss for Ford as it attempts to massively ramp up EV production to compete with Tesla and out-sell other mainstream rivals vying for leadership in the race toward an electrified automotive future?
By Justin Hart on February 5, 2022 - 2:04PM
Like any good fuel efficiency data nerd, I keep my own record of my vehicles’ energy use, be that from electricity or gasoline. I own both a 2022 Kia Sorento AWD Plug-In Hybrid (PHEV) and a RWD 2018 Tesla Model 3 Long Range and I have approximately 800 miles worth of mixed use data regarding the efficiency of my Kia Sorento PHEV. Comparing information about the two vehicles’ respective efficiency has revealed something quite interesting.
By Justin Hart on February 4, 2022 - 2:28AM
After Tesla and Ford, GM had the best selling fully electric vehicle in the U.S. in 2021, the Chevy Bolt, at 24,803 combined for the two different models (EV and EUV). Thus, GM has set a precedent and may be able to compete for one of the top spots in 2022 BEV sales too, depending.
By Justin Hart on February 3, 2022 - 2:48PM
Kia has confirmed January 2022 sales figures for their entire lineup and though combined overall sales were down slightly compared to Jan 2021 figures, with 2,477 fewer units sold in January 2022, multiple models saw better sales this year. For the Kia Niro model line specifically, which includes only HEV, PHEV and BEV models, sales were up over 78% compared to January 2021.
By Armen Hareyan on January 31, 2022 - 7:14PM
Kia is bringing a host of exciting new features to its Stinger for 2022 and adding a new trim, the GT-Line to the Stinger line. This week Torque News is reviewing the top trim of the 2022 Kia Stinger, the GT2 RWD V8.
By Justin Hart on January 29, 2022 - 1:53PM
The Kia Niro EV just topped the ranks of JDPower’s 2022 Electric Vehicle Experience study as the highest rated mass market EV for the second year in a row. What might that indicate for Kia and Niro sales in comparison to its competitors, especially with the updated 2023 Niro soon going on sale?
By Justin Hart on January 27, 2022 - 2:22AM
Kia has revealed the pricing of their new EV6 for the U.S. market and the good news is that it has a lower starting MSRP, at $40,900, than almost every other compact EV SUV currently for sale. Only the VW ID.4 and Hyundai Ioniq 5 (when the RWD base model goes on sale) are priced lower than the EV6, and only a tad lower at $40,760 and $39,700 respectively.
By Justin Hart on January 23, 2022 - 10:15PM
Kia will offer more plug-in vehicle models in the U.S. than Ford for 2022. Ford will offer 3: Mustang Mach-E, F150 Lightning and the Escape PHEV (and technically a 4th, but it is a commercial cargo van and isn’t really a factor in the consumer market). Kia will offer at least 4 models: EV6, Niro EV, Niro PHEV and the Sorento PHEV, but more choices doesn’t mean Kia will sell more units. So which automaker is more likely to take 2nd place in the U.S. market for 2022?