KIA IS AMONG TOP THREE BRANDS WITH MOST 2019 IIHS SAFETY AWARDS FOLLOWING STRICTER CRASH STANDARDS

                     A Total of Eight 2019 Kia Models Meet More Stringent Requirements

• All-new 2019 Forte is among five Kia models to receive 2019 IIHS Top Safety Pick Plus designation when equipped with front crash prevention and specific headlights
• Three other Kia models with optional front crash prevention and specific headlights earn 2019 IIHS Top Safety Pick status

IRVINE, Calif., December 21, 2018 — Kia Motors America (KMA) is proud to announce that a total of eight Kia models were included in the 2019 Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Awards, making it  one of the top three brands to rack up the most safety awards following tougher IIHS requirements for 2019. The all-new 2019 Forte, which just went on-sale this past summer, is one of the five models to earn a Top Safety Pick Plus award – the IIHS’s highest designation possible – when equipped with front crash prevention and specific headlights.

“We are honored to receive so many IIHS safety awards across our lineup, especially considering these designations are much harder to achieve in 2019,” said Orth Hedrick, Director of Car Planning and Telematics, KMA. “The IIHS safety awards are highly regarded by today’s consumers, and we see these latest accolades as validation of Kia’s dedication to its customers and to the continuous efforts to build better and safer vehicles.”

The number of awards is especially impressive in light of the new testing standards implemented by IIHS this year. In order to achieve the TSP+ rating, vehicles now require a “Good” rating in the passenger-side small overlap front test versus an “Acceptable” or “Good” rating for the 2018 award. The IIHS testing parameters also require a vehicle earn “Good” ratings in all other crashworthiness tests and an “Advanced” or “Superior” rating for front crash prevention, as well as a “Good” rating in headlight testing. Kia IIHS Top Safety Pick Plus models when equipped with optional front crash prevention and specific headlights include: 

1. 2019 Forte
2. 2019 Niro
   
3. 2019 Niro Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV)
   
4. 2019 Optima
5. 2019 Sorento
   

An “Acceptable” or “Good” rating in the passenger-side test is also new criterion to earn a 2019 Top Safety Pick. To further qualify, a vehicle must earn “Good” ratings in all other crashworthiness tests, plus an “Advanced” or “Superior” rating for front crash prevention, and a “Good” or “Acceptable” rating in headlight testing. Kia Top Safety Pick models when equipped with optional front crash prevention and specific headlights include:

1. 2019 Rio (sedan only)
   
2. 2019 Soul
   
3. 2019 Cadenza
   

“Safety is a top priority for our vehicles,”  said Andy Freels, President of Hyundai America Technical Center, Inc. (HATCI), the research and development center for Kia. “Having earned eight of these prestigious safety awards reflects our commitment to consistently striving to improve the safety and integrity of our products.”

CES 2019: Kia prepares for post-autonomous driving era with AI-based real-time emotion recognition technology

• Kia to unveil new in-car tech for the future ‘emotive driving’ era at CES 2019
• R.E.A.D. System is the automotive industry’s first technology converging human senses-oriented in-cabin environment control and AI-based emotional intelligence

(SEOUL) December 20, 2018 – Kia Motors will preview a range of new technologies developed for the post-autonomous driving era at the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) next month.

Kia’s interactive ‘Space of Emotive Driving’ exhibit looks to a future when autonomous driving is the norm and priority is given to improving the human mobility experience. Central to this concept is Kia’s new Real-time Emotion Adaptive Driving (R.E.A.D.) System – a world’s first technology developed based on a joint research collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab's Affective Computing group.

R.E.A.D. System can optimize and personalize a vehicle cabin space by analyzing a driver’s emotional state in real-time through artificial intelligence-based bio-signal recognition technology. The technology monitors a driver’s emotional state and tailors the interior environment according to its assessment – potentially altering conditions relating to the human senses within the cabin, creating a more joyful mobility experience.

Mr. Albert Biermann, President and Head of Research & Development Division of Kia Motors, said, “We have developed R.E.A.D. System to create an interactive future mobility in-cabin space by converging cutting edge vehicle control technology and AI-based emotional intelligence. Consequently, R.E.A.D. System will enable continuous communication between drivers and vehicles through the unspoken language of ‘emotional feeling’, thereby providing an optimized human senses-oriented space for drivers in real-time.”

Kia’s CES exhibit will also feature several other advanced in-car and mobility technologies focused on the brand’s ‘emotive driving’ concept, with more details set to be announced in the build-up to the 2019 event. For an enhanced visitor experience, Kia will operate 15-minute ‘Docent Tours’ at regular intervals at the booth throughout the duration of CES 2019. The tours will give attendees a more in-depth understanding of the new technologies on display.

RIO AND SOUL NAMED BEST BUY WINNERS BY CONSUMER GUIDE AUTOMOTIVE

Two Kia Subcompacts are Tops in Value

• Rio wins for exemplary ride and road manners in its class
• Soul is winner due to spacious cabin and value pricing

IRVINE, Calif., December 6, 2018 — Kia Motors America (KMA) is pleased to announce that the Rio and Soul have been named 2019 Consumer Guide® Automotive Best Buy Award winners.

"Kia's two 2019 Best Buy Awards demonstrate the brand's ability to build high-value vehicles that offer car buyers levels of comfort and refinement that are generally found in more-expensive offerings,” says Tom Appel, Publisher, Consumer Guide® Automotive. “The Kia Soul earns our Best Buy honors primarily for its excellent passenger and cargo accommodations and its value pricing and the Kia Rio warrants our Best Buy honors for its impressive value and refinement for the price. Rio is one of the best-riding and quietest vehicles in its class.”

According to Appel, Consumer Guide editors log more than 100,000 miles every year evaluating vehicles and use objective criteria such as price, features, performance, accommodations, fuel economy, reliability records, and resale value, to assess each vehicle in real-world driving experiences.

“It’s always rewarding for Kia and its employees when any of our vehicles receives an award,” says Orth Hedrick, executive director of Car Planning and Telematics, KMA. “But it’s doubly gratifying when it’s two vehicles, this time Rio and Soul, and even better when we’re recognized by a respected publication like Consumer Guide.”

New 2019 Cars

   What's New 2019

2019 Cadenza

Premium

·         Standard Blind-Spot Collision Warning (BCW) and Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Warning (RCCW)

·         Standard power folding mirrors w/ puddle lamp and rear parking sensors

Technology (repositioned trim and replaces the Luxury Package)

·         Panoramic sunroof

·         19-inch wheels

·         LED headlights & LED fog lamps

·         AVN5 premium navigation

·         Harman/Kardon premium audio system

·         Wireless smartphone charger

·         Homelink garage door opener

·         Front door pocket lights

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2019 Niro

All trims – FE, LX, EX, S Touring, Touring

·         Minor color and trim combination changes

S Touring

·         Formerly named “Graphite Edition”

Navigation

·         AVN 5.0 replaces AVN 4.0

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2019 Niro PHEV

All trims – LX, EX, EX Premium

·         Minor color and trim combination changes

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2019 OPTIMA HYBRID 

New Standard Features for the 2019 model year:

·         10-way power-adjustable driver’s seat with 2-way lumbar support

·         60/40 split folding rear seats

·         Dual zone automatic temperature control with rear vents

·         Front USB charger & 12V power outlet and USB charger in rear console

·         Leather-trimmed seats with heated front seats

·         Single projection headlights with LED Daytime Running Lights (DRL) Advanced Driver Assistance  System (ADAS) technologies – Blind-spot Collision Warning (BCW), Rear Cross-Traffic Collision  Warning (RCCW), and Parking Distance Warning Reverse (PDW-R)

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2019 Optima PHEV

What’s new for the 2019 model year:

·         Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) technologies are now standard – Blind-spot Collision Warning (BCW), Parking Distance Warning-Reverse (PDW-R), and Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Warning (RCCW)

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2019 Rio

For 2019, the four-door Kia Rio is available in LX and S grades:

Rio Available Packages:

Tech Package

·         FCA (Forward Collision Avoidance)

·         LED Headlights and Positioning Lights

·         SuperVision Meter Cluster w/3.5" LCD Display

·         UVO3 eServices

·         Highline TPMS

SIRIUS® Satellite Radio Package (4DR only)

·         (Audio 4.0B AM/FM/MP3, 5" color screen)

·         Satellite Radio

·         Replaces 7" color touch screen

·         Deletes Android Auto/Apple CarPlay

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2019 Rio 5-Door

For 2019, the 5-door Kia Rio is available in S grade only:

Rio Available Packages:

Tech Package

·         FCA (Forward Collision Avoidance)

·         LED Headlights and Positioning Lights

·         SuperVision Meter Cluster w/3.5" LCD Display

·         UVO3 eServices

·         Highline TPMS

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2019 Soul

Base

·         Rear Camera now standard

·         Auto-on/off headlights now standard

·         Inferno Red now available on Base trim

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2019 SOUL EV

What’s new for the 2019 model year:

·         Soul EV

•          AVN 5.0 audio now standard

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2019 Sportage Small Crossover Utility Vehicle

Product Highlights:

LX 2.4L

LX Popular Package upgrades:

·         UVO3 7-in. touchscreen with Android Auto and eServices telematics

·         Full Auto Temperature Control

·         Auto Defogger

·         Air Ionizer

EX 2.4L 

·         Blind Spot Detection

·         Rear Cross Traffic Alert

·         Outside Mirror Turn Signal

·         Outside Mirror Power Folding

·         Heated Outside Mirrors

·         Piano Black High Glossy Trim

SX 2.0 T

·         Electronic Parking Brake w/ Auto Hold

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2019 KIA STINGER

What’s new for the 2019 model year:

Stinger:

·         Included 18-inch machined finish wheels as standard equipment

·         Standard Blind Spot Collision Warning and Rear Cross Traffic Collision Warning

·         Sun & Sound package, includes sunroof, Harman/Kardon premium audio, 8-inch touchscreen navigation, LED headlamps

Premium & GT1:

·         Standard full suite of ADAS features, in addition to wireless charging and front ventilated seats

GT:

·         Mechanical limited slip differential added to all rear-wheel drive trims

GT2:

·         Surround View Monitor

·         Heated rear seats