News Opinion (Page 97)

Kia announced that its sales for February 2014 were down but unlike its sibling brand did not hide behind excuses and touted the success of the Soul and Forte models.

Hyundai says it's the cold weather that hurt sales in February but if truth be told (i.e. the numbers studied a little more in-depth), the problems with sales dropping comes down to two models: the Genesis and the Sonata.

As predicted by Torque News back in December, Honda will discontinue production of the original Honda Hybrid. We discuss why Honda has discontinued the lowest priced Hybrid in North America.

Quaker State and Hyundai have teamed up to provide an exclusive oil change deal that could be good for you as an owner because of two strong warranties. Just make sure you read the fine print on the deal and don't plan on redeeming the 300,000 mile warranty.

The 2015 Hyundai Sonata is going to be introduced at the New York Auto Show but earlier pictures reveal it's going to be inspired by the 2015 Hyundai Genesis and 2014 Hyundai Equus. Will that be enough to ensure that it's a success?

With the 2014 Ridgeline fuel economy and load capacity taking 3rd position to Chevrolet and Ford, Honda will pull Ridgeline off the market for a year or two. We believe the 2016 Ridgeline will return as the #1 Hybrid pickup truck in North America.

When Hyundai introduces the 2015 Hyundai Genesis near-luxury sedan at the Geneva Auto Show next week it plans to do so with the intention of making it an exclusive car with limited sales.

Since the 2015 Ford F150 was introduced at the 2014 North American Auto Show in Detroit, the news that the next generation half ton Ford pickup would weigh 700 pounds less has some F Series fans concerned that the upcoming trucks won’t be able to work as hard as the current models – but I am here to assure you that there will not be any reduction in capabilities due to weight reduction.

Ford truck fans have long been hoping for a diesel powered version of the top selling F150 pickup and with the popularity of the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel and the plans by both Nissan and Toyota to introduce a diesel – the newest F150 could finally bring a small, powerful and efficient diesel engine to Ford’s half ton truck lineup.

The Hyundai Genesis is a beautiful sedan – even more so the upcoming 2015 model that was introduced at the Detroit Auto Show. But a Hyundai Genesis stretch limo? Let's call that the dumbest Hyundai Genesis ever.

The Hyundai Intrado concept being introduced next week at the Geneva Auto Show is interesting not so much for what it is but who oversaw its design: Peter Schreyer. His involvement signals an evolution of Hyundai's designs and could give the brand a much needed point in the right direction for better sales.

Honda’s practice of including exceptional mechanical engineering,technology and safety features “standard” across the line, is paying off for the original Japanese owned auto manufacturer to build cars in North America.

In advance of the Geneva Motor Show, taking place the first week of March, Hyundai has unveiled its coolest concept ever – a design exercise done with students from the Istituto Europeo di Design in Turin, Italy.

The all-new European spec 2015 Subaru WRX STI will make its debut at the Geneva International Motor Show. It could be coming with a few surprises.

Ford and Volkswagen are seeing some competition for street cred with the return of Hyundai to World Rally Car racing after being absent for more than a decade. It's a smart move for the Korean automaker.

Looking to Europe and Asian markets, hatchbacks are all the rage. While Honda offers the much coveted Civic 3 and 5 door ‘ over there,’ you won’t find a 2014 Civic Hatchback in North America. We believe that North America wants one.

Recently, I posted about the 2015 Hyundai Genesis and 5 reasons love for it will spike. One of the items mentioned was its multi-mode all-wheel-drive availability because true sports sedans now need all-wheel-drive capability.

This past weekend, the 2014 Chevrolet SS Daytona 500 Pace Car being driven by former NASCAR driver Brett Bodine as one of the primer races ahead of the big race exploded into flames while lapping the track – a problem which General Motors believes was caused by the auxiliary electrical system that is necessary for the pace car duties.

What can we say. A clean minivan is a happy minivan. In the 2014 Honda Odyssey Tour Elite you will find the option of a built in vacuum cleaner. For that innovation Honda is awarded Good Housekeeping Magazine’s VIP award.

Growing up in the Los Angeles of the 1960s and 70s, Honda V.P. Robert Bienenfeld reflects on the cause and effect of California clean air legislation on the auto industry.

As consumer and automotive journalism accolades pile high in the hallowed halls of American Honda Motors, Torque News-Honda takes a closer look at the soon to be most award winning luxury SUV in North America; the 2014 Acura MDX.

It's no secret that Kia as a brand suffered in 2013 with sales down 4 percent while the industry was up 8 percent but 2014 should be a different year, especially because the supply of Kia Fortes is going to increase.

One of those silly surveys that gloms onto a holiday was released on Valentine's Day showing the Hyundai Genesis was tied for the honor of most-loved, near-luxury car on the market. It was tied with the Lexus ES 350, which has to be the strangest automotive odd couple ever. But there are 5 reasons love for the Genesis will make it stand alone next year.

The all-new 2015 Mercedes-Benz GLA is launching later this year, but will it be tough enough for off-road adventures?

While we know that Type- R production was halted in 2010 due to emission standard constraints, Honda engineering tackled the problem with the development of a high compression turbocharged 2.0 liter. Europe will take delivery on the latest Civic Type-R, midyear 2014.

General Motors has issued a recall for 778,000 small cars due to ignition switch failures with reports of 6 deaths as a result of the problem, but doing some research into the whole situation reveals that those deaths may not have been caused by the ignition issue and those deaths are being mentioned to help spice up a fairly drab recall situation.

Kia is in the midst of introducing the 2015 Kia K900 to the American automotive journalists in Orange County. Has the brand succeeded in making it stunning enough to be a success in the luxury market?

There's a problem Hyundai is having in Europe. Consumers see it as a value brand, which could be problematic for the launch of the 2015 Hyundai Genesis, a vehicle that needs to sell in Europe to become a true global success.

The #91 SRT Viper GTS-R was part of the SRT display at the 2014 Chicago Auto Show in the exact form that it finished complete with all of the grime that comes with a 24 hour long race, but sadly, some disrespectful show goers took it up themselves to desecrate the mighty Viper race car.

14 years and counting, the # 1 minivan in North America also holds the record for consecutive safety awards. On the eve of the Tuesday announcement, Honda and Accord now hold the most NHTSA, IIHS 5 Star safety awards for any automotive brand sold in North America.