Hyundai + Kia Aiming To Triple “Fuel-Efficient Car” Offerings By 2020

The affiliated auto manufacturers Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Motors are aiming to triple the number of “fuel-efficient cars” that they have on offering by 2020, according to recent reports.

The move is intended as a means of improving the manufacturers’ image and standing with regard to competitiveness in fuel economy — partly owing to concerns raised by investors about the fact that Hyundai’s latest Genesis, and Kia’s Soul, have lower fuel mileage than their predecessors. Also, concerns are partly owing to the relatively recent $350 million fine received in the US for the overstatement of vehicle fuel economy.

The announcement of the recent aims comes only a week or so after the pair also pledged to increase the fuel economy of their offerings by 25% by 2020 — to meet emissions regulation standards in the US, Europe, and South Korea.

The pair also made the announcement recently that it would buy back 670 billion won ($602 million) worth of shares. This move was reportedly made as a means of appeasing investors who were angered at a recent $10 billion bid for a piece of property to be used as a new headquarters.

As analyst Yim Eun-young of Samsung Securities, put it: “Investors have complained about Hyundai’s lack of shareholder-friendly policies and communication about its vision, especially after the land deal. Today’s announcement seems to be part of its efforts to soothe shareholders and better communicate with the market.”

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Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors Lift 2014 Global Sales Target to 8 Million Vehicles

SEOUL: Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors on Monday raised their target for 2014 global sales to at least 8 million vehicles, anticipating record-high China sales to offset slowing growth in the United States and Europe.

The South Korean automakers, which together rank fifth in global vehicles sales, said in a statement the new sales target would represent an almost 6 per cent increase from last year.

Sales this year will also be boosted by higher numbers from India, Russia and Brazil, the automakers added.

New launches and more local manufacturing will help Hyundai and Kia sell more cars in China, the world's biggest auto market, this year, said Suh Sung-moon, an analyst at Korea Investment & Securities.

He said Hyundai was likely to miss its US sales target for this year on a weaker-than-expected reception for its new Sonata sedan in its biggest market after China.

In Europe, Hyundai expects to see a sales recovery driven by its new i20 model, which will be launched this month.

Hyundai and Kia had in January set a global sales target of 7.86 million vehicles for this year.

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More Kia Models To Get Dual-Clutch Auto From 2015: Report

Four models in the international Kia range will feature the company’s new dual-clutch automatic transmission from next year, according to fan site Kia-World.

The new seven-speed ‘DCT’ auto, revealed in Geneva earlier this year, is expected to accommodate petrol models with up to 270Nm of torque, along with diesel models offering up to 320-330Nm.

The DCT has long been expected to appear in the European Cee’d hatch and the halo Pro_Cee’d GT sports hatch (265Nm) already available in Australia in six-speed manual form.

This latest report, although citing no official comment from Kia, claims that the upcoming next-generation Optima sedan will be the next new model to pick up the advanced auto.

Kia has yet to confirm a launch date for the new Optima, although TMR’s spy photos of a production-bodied prototype suggest that a debut in the new year is likely.

The report adds that the freshly facelifted Rio light hatch will also pick up the new auto in 2015, although the Australian range has so far been confirmed with only four- and six-speed conventional torque-converter autos. Another light update in 2016 could see that change, but we likely won’t hear word on that in the immediate future.

Lastly, late in 2015, a “major makeover” for the Sportage will reportedly also bring a debut for the DCT auto, replacing the six-speed auto currently offered with the midsized SUV. This, again, has yet to be confirmed by Kia.

We can likely expect the new auto to hit more Kia models in the following year, including the Cerato range and the small Soul crossover hatch, through to the big new Sorento SUV and Carnival people-mover.

Likewise, expect the new transmission to appear in Hyundai models over the coming year.

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2015 KIA Soul EV First Drive Review

Kia Sorento Wolverine Car Revealed

Kia has revealed their new Kia Sorento Wolverine, a car based on Wolverine from the X-Men movies (via Motorward). The car is a promotional device intended to drum up hype for the Blu-ray release of X-Men: Days of Future Past.

The Kia Sorento Wolverine is based on the 2016 model Sorento, with a black paint job, and Wolverine’s signature claws in the front and back.

With Wolverine actor Hugh Jackman being Australian, Kia will be showing the car off at the Australian Open, which they are the primary sponsor of.

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YOUTUBE MUSIC AWARDS PRESENTED BY KIA ARE BACK FOR AN ENCORE

(SEOUL) November 21, 2014 – To celebrate creativity and innovation in music on YouTube, Kia Motors is once again serving as the exclusive presenting sponsor of the YouTube Music Awards (YTMAs), in partnership with YouTube and executive producer VICE Media. The 2013 YouTube Music Awards was one of the most watched music award events ever with more than 54 million total views and now they are back in a very different way.

This March, YouTube will recognize and award significant “artists to watch” in 2015 as determined by the fans. For one special day, music will be the headline act on YouTube, with the biggest and emerging artists being celebrated through new and unique music video collaborations with top directors and creators. And fans will be involved in every step along the way, guiding and creating these videos.

The YouTube Music Awards are the latest initiative in making YouTube the best place for artists and fans to connect. People have turned YouTube into the biggest music service in the world, through music videos, remixes, covers and so much more across every genre imaginable. The Awards come on the heels of a new music experience on YouTube including YouTube Music Key beta that gives fans more ways to enjoy music, while also giving artists more ways to be discovered and earn more revenue.

"Following the success of the inaugural YouTube YouTube Music Awards in 2013, we at Kia Motors are thrilled to continue in our role as the presenting sponsor for this year's event,” said Soon-Nam Lee, vice president of overseas marketing, Kia Motors Corp. "YouTube is an ideal platform for connecting today's most innovative artists with a billion fans around the world, and our ongoing partnership with the YouTube Music Awards is the perfect place to share Kia’s passion for digital entertainment and music."

To kick off the second edition of the YTMAs presented by Kia, big stars and emerging musicians will be releasing new videos, all of which can be found at YouTube’s new channel youtube.com/musicawards. Over the next week, fans can enjoy new videos from GD X TAEYANG and Megan Nicole, in conjunction with some of the biggest names in music video filmmaking, like Colin Tilley. Fans can subscribe to youtube.com/musicawards, where further surprises will follow this December and more news will be announced in January.

For even more music, fans can go to youtube.com/kiabuzz, which features videos of surprise live performances (The Shhhow), and breakout stars covering iconic jams (Re-discovered), all produced by Show Cobra.

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2016 Kia Sorento Has its North American Debut in Los Angeles

Following its world debut in Paris in September, the all-new Kia Sorento has its US premiere at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

Compared to the Euro-spec model, the 2016 Kia Sorento looks exactly the same, except minor details such as the orange turning signals and questionable chrome rims and accents - at least on the display model.

Built in the United States for the local market, the third-generation Sorento crossover is offered with a standard 185hp 2.4-liter naturally-aspirated inline-4 gasoline engine. Also available are a new 240hp 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine as well a 290hp 3.3-liter V6 unit. All three engines are mated to a six-speed automatic gearbox featuring Sportmatic shifting.

The 2016 Kia Sorento will arrive in U.S. dealerships in first quarter 2015 and will be available in five trim levels: L, LX, EX, SX and SXL. Depending on trim level, the new CUV comes with standard 40/20/40 second-row folding five-passenger (4-cylinder models) or 50/50 folding third-row seven-passenger (V6 models) seating configurations.

For a more luxurious ambience, Kia offers optional heated and ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, 14-way power driver and 8-way power passenger seats, driver’s seat thigh extension, a 4-way headrest with one-button adjustment, dual-zone HVAC and Kia’s second-generation panoramic sunroof, as well as available premium Nappa leather trim seating surfaces.

Pricing and specs will be announced closer to launch.

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