This year’s line-up of judges includes Cee-Lo, Christina Aguilera, and that overly-handsome dude who fronts Maroon 5.

Kia will use the opportunity to promote their fuel efficient vehicles, like Kia Forte and Optima hybrid, along with their cross-utility vehicles. Performers will be seen driving the cars and using in-car voice-activated communications systems. There will also be a series of Webisodes featuring Dia Frampton in the Kia Sorento.

Video: The Voice, Season 2 Teaser:

Season Two of The Voice debuts after the Super Bowl, this Sunday.

Source: Mediapost.com

Available since the end of 2010, Kia’s prized Sportage has become one of the top selling vehicles this year. Low maintenance charges and a sleek design have surely helped.

Local Denver Kia owners have raved about Sportage’s All Wheel Drive options, and drivers in Florida can’t be thankful enough for the vehicle’s powerful acceleration, even with A/C blasting.

Inside Line took another shot at Sportage, after 7 months of tooling around Detroit. They grew to love the American-made Korean vehicle.

After 15,000 miles, this Kia was in for regular maintenance twice: once for oil and filter change ($51.27), and another for oil and cabin air filter replacement ($97.89). In general, Sportage is not an expensive vehicle to own, which is great for the size you get. At a base price of $18,990, Sportage includes a 4-cylinder powerplant making 176-hp from its 2.4-liter engine. Connected to a manual transmission, the front wheel drive variant includes 16-inch wheels, stability and hill-descent control, six airbags, and Bluetooth. AWD starts closer to $27,000, and includes automatic transmission.

AWD Sportage performs best in snow. Those living in parts of the US and Canada receiving ample precipitation will have no problem getting from points A to B in their 2011 Sportage.

Here are the finer specs of Sportage AWD for 2011:

ENGINE: Turbocharged, intercooled DOHC inline-4
Power: 260 hp @ 6000 rpm
Torque: 269 lb-ft @ 1850 rpm

TRANSMISSION: 6-speed automatic with manual shifting mode

PERFORMANCE:
Zero to 60 mph: 6.4 sec
Top speed: 132 mph

FUEL ECONOMY:
EPA city/highway: 21/25 mpg

Source: InsideLine

Competition for hatchback and wagon vehicles is increasing, as everyone from Chevy to VW now offers some variant 3 to 5 door vehicle. With a starting price around $14,500, tech features throughout, and fuel economy averages near 26-27 mpg city, 31+ highway, Soul is ready to beat them all.

There are two engines available for the new Soul, a 1.6-liter and 2.0-liter. Both are matted to a 6-speed automatic transmission, with optional manual available. This is an improvement over the 4-speed auto in 2011′s Soul. The 1.6-liter direct injection produces 138 bhp and 123 lb.-ft. of torque. The revised 2.0-liter makes 164 bhp and 148 lb.-ft. of torque.

Some fun standard options available inside 2012′s Soul are a tilt and telescoping steering wheel, Vehicle Stability Management, Hill-start Assist and sound insulation. A new 4.3-inch UVO voice-activated touchscreen system is also standard, along with a 350-watt 7-speaker Infinity sound system.

As for any notable changes, Soul’s outer shell includes new side mirrors with added turn signals, sculpted hood, revised head/taillights and new bumpers. Overall length has grown slightly by 0.6 inches.

As 2013 and 2014 come closer, the outer shell of Soul will undoubtedly morph. But as long as Kia brings the goods to young drivers year after year, this small but mighty hatchback should continue to attract buyers.

Source / Pics: Road & Track

Let’s start with redesign:

The car features Kia’s new, meaner front grille design. It’s a sleek model that looks almost nothing like the outgoing model. The car is fast, and appears so. Angled lines shoot up from the stunning headlights across the sides of this roomy hatchback, connecting it to a high-rise rear end. That fifth door holds a full compartment with plenty of cargo room for a young driver.

Under the hood, Kia has placed a new engine with the capability of reaching over 130 horsepower and a top speed of 105 miles per hour. Fuel economy is key in smaller cars, and the all new 2012 Rio 5-Door achieve top numbers of 26 mpg city, 36 mpg highway. Matted to a six-speed transmission (as well as manual options for those looking to really save a buck) the Kia Rio will appeal to those in the city as well as American Suburbia.

Inside, all Rio models come standard with air conditioning, power steering, AM/FM/CD/MP3 audio system with USB, and SiriusXM satellite radio. Safety features have been updated for 2012 models, including electronic stability control, vehicle stability management, four-wheel anti-lock brakes and hill-start assistance.

The dash looks like a sports car, not a Kia. This Korean auto maker is taking amazing strides to shed the “cheap car” stigma of its past.

Source: TTAC

They drove across our glorious country in a factory-standard car, hitting 7,899 miles recording an average fuel economy of 64.55 miles per gallon. This beat the official EPA highway fuel-economy rating by 61%.

“The team climbed through the formidable Rocky mountain chain and negotiated rush hour traffic in Chicago, New York City and Las Vegas – which makes the Optima Hybrid’s fuel consumption figure all the more impressive,” said Kia’s senior executive vice president Thomas Oh.

After 14 days and 564 miles per day, Optima hybrid used about 5.5 tanks of gas, and traveled around 1,418 miles between fill-ups. The official Guinness World Records title: “Lowest fuel consumption driving through all 48 contiguous U.S. states in a gasoline hybrid car.”

Source: WSJ

Specifically, the company provides lunch break soccer matches on three artificial-turf fields, dormitory lodging for unmarried employees, a company hospital and fire station near the factory entrance. This from a facility that only a decade ago wasn’t sure if it would stay in business.

The plant in Hwasung is running at full capacity, pumping out 547,000 vehicles to meet global demands.

We had to get back to the basics,” says Tae-Hyun “Thomas” Oh, chief operating officer, at Kia headquarters. “We worked hard in pursuing product quality. We knew we couldn’t sell our cars without it.” The plans included designing sleek models for the “young at heart,” spending more on youthful ads.

With both 4-door and hatchback variants, the compact Kia Rio has been one of the best selling vehicles from the Korean auto maker. For 2012, the company has overhauled Rio, giving it a meaner grill, sleeker styling and a more powerful (yet equally fuel efficient) engine. Check out the official press release, distributed prior to Rio’s New York International Auto Show debut:

Kia Motors Corporation has today revealed the first official photos of the forthcoming next generation Rio, which boasts a bold and distinctive personality, bringing the newcomer in line with the rest of Kia’s striking design-led model range.

Kia’s B-segment newcomer will be manufactured with an extensive range of fuel-efficient and low-CO2 gasoline and diesel engines – including a 1.1-litre diesel unit generating 70 ps, with CO2 emissions from as low as 85 g/km. An all-new, high-performance 1.2-litre Turbo Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI) will also be available from 2012.

Shown only in these photos, the two door vehicle will have a unique body styling and interesting color options. There aren’t too many close up pictures on the web, nor are there any solid images of what its interior is like. Of course, Kia design has grown up since 2007, so who knows if Kee 9 will even appear similar to its concept.

I’d like to have a Kia MX-5,” said Paul Philpott, Kia’s European CEO. “2011 and 2012 are about establishing the brand. But for 2013 and 2014, we’re thinking about halo models that stretch the company forward.”

According to the 2007 specs, The Kia Kee concept stretches 169.3 inches. This makes it about a foot longer than MX-5. Unlike the MX-5, Kee features a 2+2 layout, which could help to differentiate it from the Japanese model. Pricing should begin under $23,000, which is what the MX-5 currently goes for.

Leftlanenews

What happens when the Koreans take a minivan, a small hatchback like the Soul, and combine it with spaceship interiors? You get something like the KV7 concept. Add in gullwing passenger doors and Winnebago-type seating and you’ll really turn heads. People in Detroit were excited to see this boxy test model on the showroom floor.

KV7 will be powered by a 285 horsepower turbocharged four cylinder. The car will also include wi-fi (built in) and caters to those who are not your “typical suburban family.” Kia calls these types Ringleaders:

“Rather than using a van to transport children and their accompaniments, Ringleaders are busy organizing road trips, social outings and new adventures for themselves and their friends to experience together.” Ok terrific.

Source: Jalopnik