Kia Rondo recalled for fuel pump issue
September 24, 2008 by tsikot · Comments Off
Filed under: Minivans/MPVs, Recalls/TSBs, Safety, Kia
2008-’09 Kia Rondos packing four-cylinder engines are being recalled to fix a fuel pump issue that could lead to fuel starvation. Nearly 7,000 Rondos in EX and LX trim are effected, and will get an improved fuel pump to resolve the issue. The NHTSA has warned that the problem is unusually severe, and vehicle behaviors such as poor starting and hesitation could lead to a crash. If you own Kia’s funk-tacular MPV with the 2.4-liter engine, get thee to a dealer, or call Kia at 800-333-4542.
[Source: Inside Line]
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Spy Shots: See inside Kia’s Soul
August 29, 2008 by tsikot · Comments Off
Filed under: Spy Photos, Economy, Hatchbacks, Kia
A glimpse inside the Kia Soul has revealed a lot of black tape and some shiny knobs, but nothing that’s any cause for alarm. In fact, if lit properly — that is, lit cool enough to please the demographic the car is aiming at — it should be pretty swish inside. The center pod looks to keep things quite simple, but we would like to know what the button-like appendage above the radio screen opens; just a cubby, or navigation? The tape on the top of the dash is hiding quite a few lumps — we would expect the semicircle up top to be interesting, while the bands over the passenger area are anyone’s guess. Also of note: the Soul appears to have an enormous key fob for just two buttons…
[Source: Global Motors]
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VIDEO: Kia Forte eats a Bentley, yum!
August 11, 2008 by tsikot · Comments Off
Filed under: Car Buying, Etc., Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Bentley, Kia
Kia’s hungry for your business, which explains the pending arrival of the Forte. The Spectra is a good car, but blends in far more than the attractively turned out Forte. It seems the Forte also has an appetite, and it’s for the good stuff. Kia wants to bolster its image, so what better way than a clever commercial that infers that inside the Kia is all the goodness of a partially digested Bentley? Of course it’s hyperbole, that’s why it’s so cool! Video embedded after the jump. Thanks for the tip, Alberto!
[Source: kia-world.net]
Continue reading VIDEO: Kia Forte eats a Bentley, yum!
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Spy Shots: Azera-based Kia luxury sedan spotted
August 5, 2008 by tsikot · Comments Off
Filed under: Spy Photos, Sedans/Saloons, Kia
Click above for high-res gallery of spy shots
Our spy photographers from KGP caught another vehicle out testing in the desert recently, though this time it comes to us all the way from Korea instead of Japan. Kia is supposedly developing a new near-luxury sedan using the best bits of the Hyundai Azera. These spy shots reveal some of the car’s design cues, including a nice set of complex element headlights that reach far up the fender wall, LED taillights and exhaust tips integrated into the rear apron. Clearly this is going to be more upscale than any Kia with which we’ve crossed paths before, as the brand’s current big sedan, the Optima, can barely compete in the midsize family sedan segment. This larger sedan, reportedly codenamed VG, appears to at least have a smooth and sophisticated design beneath all that covering. We expect to learn more about this car in the coming year when it debuts at either the Chicago or New York Auto Show. Check out more pics from every angle in the gallery below.
[Source: KGP Photography]
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Top Gear USA: Howie Mandel, Melanie B to flog Kia Rio
July 26, 2008 by tsikot · Comments Off
Filed under: Kia, Celebrities
What would Top Gear be without a star in a reasonably priced car? Well… better, for one thing. But that hasn’t stopped NBC from porting over the red-headed step-child of Top Gear segments to the imported version of the show. According to Jalopnik, during tomorrow’s taping, B-listers C-listers D-listers Howie Mandel and Melanie B (former Spice Girl) will be piloting the U.S.’s own version of a reasonably-priced car - a Kia Rio - around the newly minted Top Gear test track. What can we expect? Nothing good, we thinks. Nor does it bode well that both pseudo-celebs are part of the NBC franchise. Depressed? We thought so. But the taping is tomorrow, so we’ll try to remain upbeat until the first reports from inside the studio surface.
[Source: Jalopnik]
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