The United Kingdom is the next stop for Kia's brand-new, second generation Cee'd hatchback, after its world premiere at the Geneva Salon earlier this year. The five-door model goes on sale in the UK on 1 June with on the road prices starting from £14,395 and topping out at £23,795. Read more »
In all fairness, we are not sure if we should call any duel between a U.S. army Humvee and a Republic of Korea (ROK) Army Kia Retona, a small 4x4 based on the Kia Sportage from the late 1990s, a street race, but if anything else, these guys seem to be enjoying themselves.
Watch the amusingly slow street race between the two armed forces in the video that follows after the break.
Back in the late 1980s, two automakers with very different values and historical backgrounds each set out to build a roadster model for mainstream enthusiasts. The two brands were Mazda with its MX-5, also known as Miata in North America and Eunos Roadster in Japan, and Lotus, then owned by General Motors, with the Elan M100.
Both two-seater models were presented in 1989, but only one managed to become a phenomenal sales success, and that was the MX-5.
Ironically, Mazda's goal was to create a direct descendant of the original Lotus Elan from the 1960s, with a nostalgic feel in terms of styling, lightweight philosophy and rear-wheel drive setup, adapted of course, to the times.
On the other hand, the British automaker purposely designed a futuristic successor that maintained the handling and nimbleness of the original Elan, but instead of RWD, opted for a FWD layout, the first and last time Lotus tried it on a production model.
Even though the modern Elan was praised for its handling and forward looking styling, it ultimately fell victim to its high price having to compete with the cheaper and more reliable MX-5, and the fact that it was not as entertaining on the road as a rear-wheel driven model.
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For our 2012 April Fool's Day joke, we hacked in a BMW grille and renamed Kia's new K9 flagship sedan the 9'Series for the North American market. True, our designation cannot be taken seriously, but Kia still needs a model name for the K9 in overseas markets.
The South Korean automaker posted on its Facebook page that it is interested to hear some naming suggestions for the K9 sedan, which was launched in its home market on Wednesday (read more about that here).
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Kia's most ambitious new model, the K9 flagship sedan that eyes the BMW 7-Series both in style and in size, went on sale in South Korea on Wednesday.
The full-size, rear-wheel drive sedan is currently offered with two V6 engines, while pricing in Korea starts at 52,900,000 won (US$46,900 / €35,500) and rises to 86,400,000 won (US$76,500 / €57,900).
Kia said today that after its introduction in South Korea, the K9 will launch in a number of key overseas markets starting in the fourth quarter of 2012, though the company would not elaborate further. It is expected, however, that the U.S.A. and Canada will be amongst those markets to receive Kia's new flagship.
"K9 is our first rear-wheel drive large sedan for more than a decade and sets new standards for advanced design, new technologies and driving performance, representing the 'best of the best' of Kia," commented Soon-Nam Lee, Kia's Director of Overseas Marketing Group.
With the K9's domestic market launch drawing nearer, Kia has published a new trio of photos as well as the first official television ads for its new full-size, rear-wheel-drive sedan.
Two of the new photos provide us our first glimpse at the luxury model's interior including the instrument panel and part of the steering wheel as well as Kia's very BMW-like automatic transmission shifter and parking brake button and infotainment system control knob.
Kia says that the K9 will be equipped with an array of technological and safety features such as a latest generation, full-color heads-up display, full adaptive LED headlamps and a large 12.3-inches LCD screen for the infotainment system.
Furthermore, Kia revealed that the K9 will launch in South Korea this summer with two engine options, a 3.3-liter V6 rated at 296HP (300PS) and a 3.8-liter V6 producing 329HP (334PS).
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While some of you were having some chortles with our Kia 9'Series, the South Korean automaker shared a video about the K9 sedan starring none other than the brand's styling chief, Peter Schreyer.
The man who has completely transformed the design and ultimately, the way we view Kia's modern day lineup, explains the styling process behind the creation of the brand's first rear-wheel drive luxury sedan while drawing a sketch of the car.
You can watch the video for yourself right after the break.
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Hiding behind these two lovely presentations at Kia's Geneva Motor Show stand is the all-new, second generation Cee'd.
The South Korean firm's entry in the compact hatchback category with rivals like the Opel Astra and Ford Focus is larger, more stylish and promises to offer improved quality throughout over the outgoing model.
“Just as the original cee’d represented a major step forward for Kia in 2007, this second-generation model represents a further leap for the brand – both in terms of the capability and sophistication of the vehicle, and what it will do to drive further momentum in our European sales," commented Paul Philpott, Chief Operating Officer, Kia Motors Europe.
The new Cee'd was designed and engineered in Europe with manufacturing taking place at the company's Zilina facility in Slovakia.
Compared to the previous model, the overall length of the new car has been is increased by 50 mm to 4,310 mm while overall height has been reduced by 10 mm to 1,470 mm by lowering the ride height.
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