KIA K900 'King James Edition'

It turns out, while we were too busy being fed up with Mr James for not setting us up with a few proper shots of his special edition KIA K900, the car itself was busy being unveiled at the 2015 Cleveland Auto Show.

While, these aren't exactly the quality images we had in mind, they still count as an unveiling and we can definitely draw pretty much all of our conclusions right now.

The first one is, um, yeah it kind of looks like we assumed it would. They gave it a clean look, door handles left untouched, door mirrors slightly altered by the black inserts in between the turn signal light strip, blacked out grille and there's your 'King James Edition' K900.

Still, we can't be sure if there aren't any other changes to the interior, more badges, maybe something on the center console, instrument cluster and so on. But we're happy overall.

Like we said before, it's not that the K900 is a bad looking car. If you ignore its front end, it looks very Lexus LS-ish, which is a good thing, no matter what your name is.

So there you have it guys. Bottom line, would you rather have this version of the K900 or simply configure a regular one yourself? 

Also, big thanks to Dylan See for pointing us in the right direction!

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2016 Kia Optima Looks Awesome

These sketches are our first teaser glimpse at the production version of Kia's new generation Optima sedan, due for a world premiere at the New York Auto Show on April 1. 

Naturally, as with all teaser sketches, they're a bit on the optimistic side – heck, the Optima here looks more aggressive than the Geneva Motor Show Sport Space concept that hinted at the design direction for the mid-size sedan as well as a possible estate addition to the range. 

What we'll take from these official renderings is the more sculpted sides and the pronounced wheel arches together with the more angled rear window and a glasshouse that has a strong resemblance to the current model that was introduced at the 2010 NY Auto Show. 

The only piece of information we get from Kia is that the new Optima was "passionately designed and obsessively crafted". 

We do know that it will share its platform with the latest Hyundai Sonata, so it should offer a similar engine lineup in North America, including a 1.6-liter turbo, a 2.4-liter naturally aspirated four and a 2.0-liter turbocharged unit.

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Kia Pro Cee'd at Istanbul Auto Show with Irina Shayk

The heavenly proportioned Russian model, who obtained worldwide recognition among men of all ages for her 2007 through 2012 appearances in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issues, was summoned by the Korean carmaker to promote the company's new compact hatchback at this week's 2012 Istanbul Auto Show.

It was a nifty move on the behalf of Kia's local division to draw some extra attention to the car, since the three.door version of the Cee'dhad already made its world premiere at the recent Paris Motor Show.

We're not going to fool ourselves into thinking that you would prefer to read all the details about the Turkish market specification of the Pro_Cee'd, so we will just stop here and let you enjoy Irina in the photo gallery.

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2013 Kia Sorento

In Europe, the Korean crossover will be offered with three engines, all linked to a standard six-speed manual with a six-speed automatic being offered as an option.

These include a 148hp (150PS) 2.0-liter diesel, a revised version of the 2.2-liter turbodiesel R unit that continues to produce 195hp (197PS) but is now much cleaner emitting 153g/km of CO2, and a new 2.4-liter GDI petrol with direct-injection rated at 194hp (197PS) that replaces the 2.4L MPI unit with 172hp (174PS).

Kia said that in some international markets, the facelift version of the Sorento will continue to be offered with the 172hp 2.4-liter MPI and 276hp (280PS) 3.5-liter V6 gasoline engines.

No details were released about the North American specification Sorento that will likely be available as a 2014 model.

As a quick reminder, the refreshed Sorento gains a redesigned front end with new LED daytime running lights and different taillights at the back, along with a new instrument cluster and center console design inside.

Kia says that the Sorento's chassis is new, by which it means that it designed a new subframe for the front and rear suspensions which themselves gain new bushings, longer trailing arms on the rear axle and heavy-duty shock absorbers.

There's also a new variable ratio power steering system named "Flex Steer" that offers three self-explanatory modes named Comfort, Normal and Sport.

"We integrated a lot of customer feedback in the facelifted version. And the result is far more than mere cosmetics: It's a new Kia model and a major step forward for our popular SUV," said Thomas Oh, Executive Vice President and COO of Kia Motors.

"Despite the economic uncertainty that currently prevails in some markets, we are confident that the revised Sorento will increase with its fresh look and significant improvements its market share in this segment. In 2013, we expect worldwide annual sales of 265,000 units," he added.

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2014 Kia K3 Cerato Forte

The first thing you need to know about the K3 is that it is a global model with the alphanumeric moniker used only in Korea where it goes on sale this fall.

In the first quarter of 2013, the sedan will begin arriving in North American dealerships as the 2014 Forte and in other markets as the new Cerato, with coupe and hatchback variants to follow in due time. We still do not know if Kia has plans to sell the compact saloon model in Europe.

"Longer, lower and wider than the current car, with an extended wheelbase, the next generation Forte / Cerato will be manufactured with an all-new bodyshell structure," Kia said in a short statement leaving many details up to our imagination.

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Kia Sportage KX-4

Instead of the 134hp unit available on other Sportage models, the KX-4 uses an 181hp version of Kia’s 2.0-litre CRDi turbo diesel engine mated to a choice of six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmissions and standard all-wheel drive.

The 2.0-litre CRDi ‘R’ powerplant, which is unique to the KX-4, produces 383Nm (282lb/ft) of torque from 1,800rpm to 2,500rpm in manual guise and 392Nm (289 /b/ft) on the automatic model.

Kia says a revised variable geometry turbocharger, higher-pressure piezo injectors and software mapping are responsible for the 47hp and 63Nm/72Nm increase over the 134hp engine that the new version sits alongside.

The South Korean automaker quotes a 0-60mph (96km/h) dash in 9.4 seconds and, when fitted with the six-speed manual gearbox, top speed is 120mph (193km/h), CO2 emissions are 158g/km and 46.3mpg UK is achieved on the official combined cycle.

With the six-speed automatic, the Sportage KX-4 has a top speed of 121mph (195km/h) while CO2 emissions are 189g/km and the official combined cycle figure is 39.2mpg UK.

The range-topping Sportage builds on the specification of the KX-3 Sat Nav adding a Parallel Parking Assist System with sensors on all four corners, a keyless smart entry system and engine stop/start button and stainless steel door scuff plates.

Other standard amenities and features include a full leather upholstery, 18-inch alloys, tinted windows, 7-inch touchscreen navigation system with EU mapping, Xenon lights, automatic lights and wipers, panoramic sunroof, dual-zone climate control, heated front and rear seats, cruise control, iPod connectivity, colour reversing camera and a seven-speaker audio system.

Pricing for the KX-4 is set at £27,195 OTR for the manual model and £28,500 OTR for the automatic with both versions available for order now.

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2012 Kia Cee'd Station Wagon

 The hatchback and the station wagon variants of the 2012 Cee'd ride on the same 2,650mm long wheelbase and will be offered with up to five diesel and gasoline engines with improved fuel economy and CO2 figures.

In Europe, the Cee'd range competes in the mainstream section of the highly popular C-segment with rivals such as the Opel Astra and the Peugeot 308.

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Kia K9 RWD Flagship Sedan

The first thing we noticed about the K9 and that has to do with its design. What started out as a hunch when Kia showed us a handfulm of teaser sketches of its first ever rear-wheel drive saloon has now became more of a certainty. And yes, as many of you also noticed, the K9 appears to borrow one too many styling elements from BMW and especially its 7-Series flagship.

We could go on and on, but some of the things that stand out are the headlamp "eyebrow" accents, the low forward bend in the C-pillar and the rear end design as a whole – notice for example, the reverse lights incorporated into the chrome trim on the boot.

That doesn't mean the K9 isn't a good looking car, in fact, we wouldn't be surprised if some may find it more handsome than the 7-Series.

Soon-Nam Lee, Kia's Director of the Overseas Marketing Group, commented on presentation of the firm's new flagship : "K9 is our first rear-wheel drive large sedan, created without compromise in its design, driving performance and new technologies. K9 sets a whole new level of standards and values in the large sedan segment, and its design will be another Kia demonstration of our brand's power to surprise the world."

Kia did not release any additional information on the K9, but as we previously noted, it most likely shares its platform and engine range with the Hyundai Genesis, meaning it could be offered with the same 2,8-liter V6 and 4,6-liter, 5.0-liter V8 units.

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