Kia Sportage pricing announced

Kia UK has disclosed prices for the 2011 Sportage First Edition. The SUV will cost £20,777 when it goes on sale 1st August. The first 800 cars will be available in limited 'First Edition' trim. These are powered by a 134bhp 2.0 CRDi engine that is linked to a 6 speed manual gearbox, and come with four wheel drive as standard. The 2.0 CRDi churns out 320Nm (236lb/ft) of torque at 1,800rpm.

The 6 speed manual combines 47.1mpg (6.0l/100km) with CO2 emissions of 156g/km. The 6 speed auto takes its toll on fuel economy with 40.4mpg (7.0l/100km) combined and CO2 emissions of 183g/km.

Standard features include leather upholstery w/heated front and rear seats, dual-zone climate control w/ cooled glovebox, Bluetooth, 6 speaker audio system w/ steering wheel mounted audio controls, USB/AUX socket w/ iPod cable, auto-dimming rear-view mirror w/ reversing camera, rear parking sensors, 18” alloy wheels w/ full-sized alloy spare wheel, tilt & telescopic leather steering wheel and gear-stick, rear privacy glass, silver roof rails, electric panoramic glass sunroof, LED day-time running lights, electric folding door mirrors w/ integrated LED indicators, rear spoiler, chrome exterior door handles, automatic windscreen wipers & lights, front fog lamps, 60/40 split folding rear seats, ESP, HAC (hill-start assist control), DBC (downhill brake control), x6 airbags and deadlocks.

A 6 speed automatic gearbox is available, along with a choice of five colours; 4 metallic, 1 solid.

The Sportage First Edition will be £1,200 cheaper than the entry-level Ford Kuga and similar VW Tiguan, while a similar spec Nissan Qashqai is £2,718 more expensive at £23,495, although this comes with xenon headlamps and electric front seats.

The full Sportage range will go on sale in November. The range will be completed by the 1.6 litre petrol and 1.7 litre diesel engines, both with stop/start to improve fuel consumption and lower CO2 emissions, in addition to front wheel drive models that will also be available. Prices for the full range have yet to be confirmed.

Kia Magentis replacement still nameless; new engine confirmed (EU)

Kia’s marketing department has yet to decide on what to call the Magentis replacement, due to debut at the Paris motor show in October.

The nameplate ‘Optima’, which is the U.S name, won’t be used in Europe, so an all-new name is likely. Company insiders were originally debating between ‘K5’, as it’s known in South Korea and ‘Optima’.

Name decision aside, well-placed Kia sources have revealed that a downsized 1.2 litre turbo petrol engine will be one of the engine choices, producing 150bhp.

The newcomer is longer, wider and lower and sits on a longer wheelbase than the Magentis. This has drastically increased both cabin and luggage space. Kia admits that the Magentis will never likely to be a major seller in Europe, but believes the mid-sized saloon segment is one in which it must compete in, as a volume manufacturer. However, the real demand for the car will come from the U.S and South Korea, where its enhanced styling and dynamics should hold appeal for buyers.

The same well-placed source also revealed that an estate version of the car will be built. When asked about this body style, chief designer Peter Schreyer said, “I would love to do station wagon and coupé versions of the car. The station wagon would only really work for Europe but the coupé would work in the U.S.”

When the car arrives in the UK mid-2011, it will arrive with a range of petrol and diesel engines and transmissions. Luxury amenities like heated steering wheel, bi-xenon headlamps, keyless entry and ventilated front & rear seats will unlikely be available in the UK, however, do expect a panoramic glass sunroof, heated front seats with leather interior, 18" alloy wheels, auto-dimming rear-view mirror to be standard on certain grades. Prices will increase to around £20,000 from the current £18,995.

Kia Picanto voted the most reliable car

A car reliability survey carried out by consumer magazine Which? have acknowledged that the Kia Picanto is the most reliable new car on sale.

Although being one of the cheapest new cars on sales at £7,195, the petite Kia beat every other car to the top spot with a customer satisfaction score of 98.1%. Only 1.9% of people experienced problems and found the 7 year warranty offered something to fall back on. But, Which? doesn’t vouch for the Picanto thanks to its lack of safety features and poor Euro NCAP crash test rating. So in its place, the 2nd placed Mazda3 received the Which? Best Buy gong.

Asian car manufactures primarily dominate the chart, with seven making it into the top 10 list. Only Volkswagen and Mercedes represent Europe.

Most reliable new cars:

1 - Kia Picanto – 98.1%

2 - Mazda3 – 97.6%

3 - Daihatsu Sirion – 97.0%

4 - Honda Insight – 97.0%

5 - Honda Jazz – 96.2%

6 - Toyota iQ – 96.1%

7 - Toyota Prius – 95.4%

8 - Volkswagen Golf Plus – 93.3%

9 - Mercedes-Benz SLK – 93.3%

10 - Mazda2 – 93.2%

Kia Ray Concept Sketch Cars

was unveiled during a press conference at the 2010 Chicago Auto Show, advancing momentum of KIA Motors’ global alternative fuel and powertrain research program, and its sub-brand coined “EcoDynamics,” to develop innovative fuel-stretching and emissions-cutting technologies. The most efficient Kia vehicles with significant fuel consumption and emission reductions developed under the EcoDynamics sub-brand will be identified with the EcoDynamics badge. Recently, the EcoDynamics sub-brand took a major step forward with the introduction of the Kia Borrego Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) followed by the Forte LPI Hybrid, the gasoline Kia cee’d Hybrid and the twin-turbo DIESEL Kia Sorento Hybrid. Kia Ray features aerodynamic design, innovative technology and plug-in hybrid capabilities. Kia Ray utilizes roof top “cool-glazing” solar glass and a has a range of up to 746 miles.

Auto Trend Kia Ray Concept Sketch Cars

Kia Ray Plug-in Hybrid concept was unveiled during a press conference at the 2010 Chicago Auto Show, advancing momentum of Kia Motors’ global alternative fuel and powertrain research program, and its sub-brand coined “EcoDynamics,” to develop innovative fuel-stretching and emissions-cutting technologies. The most efficient Kia vehicles with significant fuel consumption and emission reductions developed under the EcoDynamics sub-brand will be identified with the EcoDynamics badge. Recently, the EcoDynamics sub-brand took a major step forward with the introduction of the Kia Borrego Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) followed by the Forte LPI Hybrid, the gasoline Kia cee’d Hybrid and the twin-turbo diesel Kia Sorento Hybrid. Kia Ray features aerodynamic design, innovative technology and plug-in hybrid capabilities. Kia Ray utilizes roof top “cool-glazing” solar glass and a has a range of up to 746 miles.

Auto Trend Kia Ray Concept Sketch Cars

Auto Trend Kia Ray Concept Sketch Cars

Auto Trend Kia Ray Concept Sketch Cars

2011 Kia Sportage SUV revealed via EU patent application

These images are of the 2011 Kia Sportage SUV, revealed via Kia’s patent filing with the EU Patent Office. It shows either the production version or as some suggest, the near production concept that could be paraded at the upcoming Geneva or Seoul motor shows. The Sportage is scheduled to hit domestic showrooms towards the end of 2010 or by the first quarter of 2011.

Penned by former Audi designer Peter Schreyer, the mid-sized SUV features Kia’s new signature grille and sports a cleaner, less severe look than the Hyundai Tucson/ix35, which it shares underpinnings with. The Hyundai was introduced in Singapore last November with a 166 bhp/197 Nm 2.0-litre Theta II engine paired with a newly developed six-speed automatic, so we presume that the Sportage could carry the same drivetrain when it reaches our region.