Kia Motors and the Hyundai Motor Group as a whole are starting to revolutionize the way consumers use and communicate with their cars. Bluetooth wireless technology and voice commands have been around for several years now, but people were using a service or feature, not exactly talking to the car like we talk to Amazon Alexa or Google Home. Kia Motors isn’t quite there yet, but the automaker is inching closer as more technology is made available. Last year it was “Hello Kia”, an Intelligent Personal Agent, and this year it’s a joint venture between Kia and Google.

When you’re working with Google, you’ve finally become a legend. With the new “Kia Service” Google Voice Assistant, everyone with an Android or Google-powered phone with eventually get to use this new feature. Eventually, because the pilot phase for this feature has been launched all the way in Ireland. Why Ireland? Aside from the fact that the “Kia Service” Google Voice Assistant App was jointly developed by Kia Europe and Kia Ireland, I tried to test it on my Google Pixel 4a – no dice.

[click to continue…]

The 2021 Kia Sportage may be out and the 2021 annual year is still somewhat fresh, especially after all those April showers, but the 2021 model year is already starting to rev up for some automakers. Here we are, almost in May 2021, and Kia Motors has released some of the specs for the 2022 Kia Sportage. New for ’22 is an LX Value Edition Package, a new Nightfall Edition, and upgraded tech. Check out some of the highlights below.

Trims and Powertrain

The number of trims for the 2022 Kia Sportage are still just four, but with front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive available on each, Kia has eight different starting MSRPs. The MSRP for the 2022 Kia Sportage ranges from $24,090 to $35,250 (plus destination fee). The lineup is as follows: LX, Nightfall Edition, EX, and SX Turbo. The Nightfall Edition replaces the S trim for 2022.

Two engines are available but come standard on one trim or the other. The LX, Nightfall Edition, and EX trims are all powered by a 2.4L I4 engine with gasoline direct injection (GDI), able to generate up to 181 horsepower and 175 lb-ft of torque. The SX Turbo trim is the only one to come with a 2.0L Turbocharged I4 engine with GDI under the hood. Able to generate 240 horsepower and 260 lb.-ft. of torque, it’s mighty for the compact SUV. Regardless of trim or drivetrain, all vehicles come with a six-speed automatic transmission.

New Packages and Upgrades

The LX Value Edition Package mentioned above adds a couple of things to the LX trim for those who get the base trim but want more bang for their buck. This package adds 18-inch dark gray wheels, a Smart key with push button start, and heated front seats. Just a little more convenience, but the price has yet to be announced. Also being added as an upgrade is the panoramic sunroof, now standard on the EX trim.

Technology and safety features are also abound on the 2022 Kia Sportage. Two more packages, the EX Tech Package and SX Turbo have been equipped with new complimentary map updates including new points of interest and ADAS features support. For safety, now standard on all trims are the following: Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist with Pedestrian Detection, Lane Departure Warning, Lane Keeping Assist, Driver Attention Warning, and High Beam Assist. IF looking for extra safety features, Blind-Spot Collision Warning is standard on all trims but the LX, but is made available in the LX Value Edition Package. The same preference goes for Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Warning.

Consumers can also look forward to an 8-inch touchscreen with UVO link available on the Nightfall Edition with SirusXM Satellite Radio and Voice Recognition. This setup is available with voice-command navigation available on the EX trim. The 2022 Kia Sportage SX Turbo comes with UVO link, voice-command navigation, and SiriusXM Satellite Radio standard.

This is a bit of an early release, but the compact SUV is already available, consumers can start riding around in the 2022 Kia Sportage soon enough. Come to Miami lakes Automall and find your 2022 Kia Sportage today.

Photo Source/Copyright: Kia Media

Kia Motors is one automaker really raking it in lately. If it isn’t a new vehicle concept, then it’s another accolade from a big name in the industry. It’s springtime in 2021, and although we’re only a few months into the year, every publication and organization wants a piece of this automaker. Only a matter of time before J.D. Power names Kia Motors as a highly ranked automaker during the Initial Quality Study. Until then, we have other names that every consumer, especially parents, look towards when car shopping, especially if in the market for a would-be teen driver if they got behind the wheel of their own. PARENTS, the leading source for busy, millennial moms, just named Kia on its list for Best Family Cars 2021.

This is no small feat. The PARENTS Best Family Cars 2021 list covers a wide selection of new-model vehicles including minivans, three-row SUVs, two-row SUVs, and family sedans. Just to make the list, a vehicle must provide high-tech performance, safety, and convenience features across multiple categories. As any family knows, life can be unpredictable. Having features to match that unpredictability with versatility makes any vehicle an instant win, but with over 50 vehicles being tested by PARENTS experts, competition can be rough. Sometimes, winners also come down to safety features, and Kia Motors has that on lock down with the Kia Drive Wise package, now known as Kia’s renowned Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS).

[click to continue…]

We’re only a few months into 2021, and Kia Motors continues to impress with new models like the electric Kia EV6 and Kia Carnival MPV, interesting technology, and more awards and accolades to add to the trophy cabinet. The latest honors comes from Vincentric for its Best Fleet Value in America Awards. Known as a mass-market brand, Kia Motors is surely at the top of “fleet” vehicles, constantly topping the charts for the J.D. Power Initial Quality Studies, and Kia Motors intends to extend that quality to the luxury class with the luxury sports sedan Kia K8. This time, the spotlight is on ownership value over the cost of a vehicle’s lifetime.

Vincentric is one of the many names in the automotive world known for working with data and analyzing that data to find the best vehicles on the market today. It takes data, knowledge, and insight into the automotive industry, and Vincentric is a key player that groups like AAA, JD Power, and even Stellantis read up on when looking for information for consumers and automotive insight on what they can provide. The Vincentric Best Fleet Value in America awards are held to recognize vehicles and trims which have the lowest total cost of ownership over its lifetime.

[click to continue…]

Kia Motors is an automaker that is either falling apart or building a conglomerate, because like the Hindu god, Durga, Kia has sprouted many arms and is working in multiple directions for the future. From electric vehicles (EV6) to multi-purpose vehicles (Carnival MPV), this South Korean automaker is one surprise after another. Year-after-year, Kia Motors ranks high in the J.D. Power Initial Quality Study, but only among mass-market vehicle brands, not all of them. To change that, the newest venture from Kia Motors is the luxury sports sedan, the K8, to dominate the luxury car segment as well. We’ve talked exterior, we’ve checked out the interior, now let’s look at some specs of the Kia K8.

Engineering

The massive interior space of the cabin is thanks to a larger vehicle overall, with extended length, optimal height and width, and a longer wheelbase. Even at the size, the K8 is still the lightest sedan on the market. So, what kind of powertrain will be under the hood of the vehicle? At launch, four powertrains will be available.

Two of the powertrain options are the same state-of-the-art 3.5-liter Smartstream powertrain, except offered with a GDI (gasoline direct injection) fuel delivery method for 295 horsepower and 264 lb-ft of torque, or a LPI (liquid propane injection) that can generate 236 horsepower and 231 lb-ft of torque. If looking to test the “Sporty” name that this sedan is aiming for, then consumers will want the 3.5 GDI Smartstream powertrain. A performance-orientated front-wheel-based AWD K8 model will also be available at launch. [click to continue…]

It was just two months ago that Kia Motors announced its all new 2022 Kia Carnival MPV. Usually referred to as a minivan, the South Korean automaker is trying to change the acronym to mean something more with premium design changes and high-tech convenience. Possibly alluding to the upcoming K8, an upcoming luxury sports sedan from Kia Motors, the automaker is launching into multiple directions with electric vehicle (EV) production such as the new BEV Kia EV6, producing purpose-built vehicles, designing a GT-line of vehicles, and leaving the mass-market auto industry to become a luxury car brand. Kia Motors sure is ambitious, and to celebrate the Carnival MPV, an “all-new category of vehicle”, a new marketing campaign shines the light on the upcoming vehicle.

“The Carnival MPV defines a new vehicle segment – the multi-purpose vehicle: versatile, capable and comfortable, and provides owners what they need, when they need it…From daily commuting and long-haul road trips to camping adventures, family vacations and moving duty, the Carnival MPV easily transforms from a stylish and sophisticated adventurer to a cavernous cargo hauler. And everything in between.” – Russell Wager, vice president, marketing, Kia Motors America

[click to continue…]

Back in 2019, during the 2019 Geneva International Motor Show, Kia Motors had recently announced that it would become an all-electric automaker with an Imagine by Kia concept. Later that year, Kia released one all-electric concept, the Futuron, and later another electric concept in April 2020. It would seem that the automaker has since split off into three directions since then – electric vehicles, purpose-built vehicles, and sports cars. If the 2021 Kia K5 is anything to go by, the new generation of the Kia Optima, then sports cars are alive and well in the Kia Motors lineup, and after the first wave of the pandemic, Kia Motors and parent group Hyundai Motors were in talks of purpose-built-vehicle (PBV) production. Did Kia Motors forget about electric vehicles (EVs)?

Not even close.

Before the first wave of the pandemic went global, Kia Motors announced its Plan S Strategy to become the leading automaker in the EV market. With a goal of a 6.6-percent global EV market share and 25-percent of all sales coming from eco-friendly vehicles by the end of 2025, there is still a ways to go. Still, this isn’t to say Kia Motors hasn’t been gearing up for its all-electric future. After the first wave of the pandemic hit and businesses started getting back to work, Kia Motors was quick to invest in a new 800-volt battery system for upcoming EVs. Before the end of 2020, the Hyundai Motor Group (HMG) and Kia Motors debuted a new BEV platform, called the E-GMP, dedicated to electric vehicles and future EV production.

[click to continue…]

Now that March 2021 has passed and the first quarter is over, many automakers are reporting their sales, and a lot of good news is going on compared with last year and the hit many in the industry took after the initial COVID-19 shutdown. Two years ago, the Kia Telluride was released in the first quarter of 2019, and this SUV spearheaded the sales for Kia Motors, making March 2019 the best first quarter performance for Kia Motors since 2016. Kia Motors sold 55,814 vehicles, with the all-new Telluride SUV making up about a tenth of those sales, with 5080 units sold. With the release of the Seltos, K5, Sorento, Carnival MPV in 2020 and 2021, sales have blown through the roof with 66,523 vehicles sold in March.

“After outpacing the industry last year, Kia is on the move again in 2021 and setting sales records as more new customers discover the world-class design and quality built into every one of our sporty sedans and capable SUVs…The successful launches of the all-new Sorento and Carnival have added to the momentum established by the Telluride and helped push the Kia brand to new heights with even greater potential for future growth.” – Sean Yoon, president and CEO of Kia Motors North America

[click to continue…]

A few weeks ago, Kia Motors gave the world a preview of its first all-electric vehicle. That is to say, Kia Motors has had electric vehicles before, with the Kia Soul EV and Kia Niro EV, but this would be the first time the automaker produced an all-electric vehicle before a gasoline internal combustion engine or plug-in hybrid vehicle. Going straight for zero carbon emissions and all battery power, the new Kia EV6 is an icon of what comes next for Kia Motors.

“EV6 is the embodiment of the new Kia. It is born to inspire every journey, through bold design, progressive engineering, innovative technologies, and exciting electric performance…EV6 also represents the beginning of Kia’s long-term commitment to sustainable mobility, accelerating the transition not only to clean transportation, but also products, materials and manufacturing.” – Ho Sung Song, Kia’s President & CEO

All-Electric Power

Making up the powertrain for this EV is a pair of 430kW motors. Showing off the power of an electric motor, the EV6 comes with an all-wheel drive GT trim, able to generate 545 lb-ft of torque and accelerate from 0-60 mph in 3.5 seconds with a top speed of 161 mph. Equipped with an electronic-Limited Slip Differential software, the EV6 GT will give drivers a greater sense of control and dynamic ride and handling in all conditions. And people thought a high-performance electric vehicle was nonsense.

[click to continue…]