Kia's Facelifted 2012 Soul Lands in Britain

The refreshed for the 2012 model year Kia Soul is on sale in the UK with on-the-road prices ranging from £12,495 for the basic petrol model to the £17,795 for the fully equipped diesel variant.

The most important change for the 2012 Soul is the presentation of a new 1.6-liter petrol engine and a revised version of the 1.6-liter turbo diesel, both hooked up to a six-speed manual gearbox that replaces the previous five-speed unit. Furthermore, the diesel model is optionally available with a new 6sp auto in place of the former 4sp transmission.

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Bob Lutz Says General Motors, Volkswagen and Hyundai are the World's New Big Three

It's fall again, time for Bob Lutz to make headlines. Less than a month after "Maximum Bob" made his official comeback to General Motors as a consultant, the semi-retired car executive and onetime Marine pilot gave an in-depth interview to German monthly Manager Magazin.

Lutz was questioned about a variety of subjects that mainly concentrated on Opel and its relationship with General Motors, but he was also asked about the future of the industry in general, and whom he sees as being the major players.

According to Captain Lutz, the new big three in the automotive industry are General Motors, the Volkswagen Group and –wait for it- the Hyundai Group. And what about Toyota and the rest of the Japanese carmakers like Honda? According to the GM exec, Japanese automakers have lost it… Follow the jump for his (translated) response as well as the original Q&A.

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Kia will Focus on Quality, not Quantity says co-CEO

Kia Motors does not intend to build new plants despite increased worldwide demand for its products, the automaker’s co-CEO, Lee Sam-ung told Autonews in a recent presentation. The Korean company will instead focus its efforts on quality.

“Quantitative growth is important, but qualitative growth is also important. We plan to focus on improving product quality and our brand," Sam-ung said at the launch of the new Rio.

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Report: Hyundai Will Offer 10-Speed Auto Gearbox from 2014

Can you count to 10? Well done, so does Hyundai, and in particular the Korean company’s engineering team responsible for car transmissions. According to a Bloomberg News report, Hyundai Motor Group president Park Seong Hyon said that 10-speed automatic transmissions will become available in the group’s luxury models from 2014.

Only a few years ago, six-speed automatic gearboxes were available only in top-of-the-line cars. Then the gear count started to increase gradually: first at seven, which seemed like a novelty, and quite recently at eight, which most luxury carmakers rushed to adopt.

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All-New 2012 Kia Rio 5-Door Hatch Priced from $14,350* in the U.S.

Unveiled earlier this year alongside its four-door sedan counterpart at the 2011 New York International Auto Show, the all-new 2012 Kia Rio 5-door hatchback launches in the States with a starting price of $13,600 for the manual gearbox model, not including a $750 destination and handling fee (*total $14,350).

If you prefer an automatic transmission, the starting price is $15,450, while the range-topping SX trim will set you back $18,750, with all prices including the $750 destination fee.

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The 2011 Kia Optima

The 2011 Kia Optima, a midsize sedan for 5 trim levels: LX, EX, EX Turbo, SX, and Hybrid.

The 2011 Kia Optima LX and EX driven by a 2.4-liter four-cylinder that produces 200 hp and 186 pound-feet of torque. The LX Manual six-speed manual standard, while the six-speed automatic all others OPTIMA. The California emissions states, the Optima is a Super Ultra Low Emission rating (as opposed to Ultra-Low otherwise), resulting in a decline in power 192 horse power and 181 lb-ft.

Performance testing of the completed Optima EX SULEV increased from zero to 60 mph in 8.9 seconds - the ULEV Optima will be a bit faster, but either way, the car on par with the other vehicles in the class. EPA fuel estimates are 24 mpg city/34 mpg highway and 27 mpg combined automatically.

The 2011 Kia Optima SX and EX Turbo received a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, 274 HP and 269 lb-ft of torque produced. We tested an SX-Sonata and manages a fast 0-60 mph time of 6.5 seconds.

The 2011 Kia Optima Hybrid is powered by a gasoline engine 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine with 166 hp and 154 lb-ft of torque with an electric motor makes 40 hp combined power. Combined, the two units good for 206 horsepower and peak 193 pounds-feet of torque. A six-speed automatic transmission is again standard.

Price :
- KIA Optima LX :$18,995
- KIA Optima EX :$22,495
- KIA Optima Turbo:$24,495
- KIA Optima SX :$25,995
- KIA Optima Hybrid :$26,500

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Kia to Add Third Shift at Slovak and US Plants Due to High Demand

To keep up with rising demand for Kia models in Europe, the South Korean has decided to introduce a third shift at its Zilina plant in Slovakia and hire another 1,000 new employees. The company expects the recruitment process to be completed by December and have the three-shifts operational in the first quarter of 2012. Read more »

IAA 2011: Kia's RWD GT Concept Hints at Production Version [Updated Gallery]

The all-new Kia GT Concept that will made its world premiere at the 64th IAA is the South Korean company's first ever attempt to create a rear-wheel drive model. It is also the most powerful thanks to a 3.3-liter turbocharged V6 engine that delivers an output of 390HP and 534 Nm (393.8 lb-ft) of torque that are sent to the rear wheels via an 8-speed automatic gearbox.

Even though development of the concept began less than a year ago, in November 2010, Kia’s European design team has been considering a rear-wheel drive car for quite some time.

The South Korean manufacture's chief designer Peter Schreyer explains: “This concept allows us to explore exciting new design directions, as using a rear-wheel drive layout creates very different proportions compared to a front-wheel drive car".

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IAA 2011: Kia Enhances Rio's Presence in Europe with New Three-door Version

Although five-door versions of most B-segment cars are more popular in most markets, in order to satisfy those customers that don’t need the practicality of the two extra doors and prefer a more dynamic look, Kia launched a three-door version of its new Rio at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show. Read more »