Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
KIA RACING ANNOUNCES PLANS FOR TWO TURBOCHARGED OPTIMAS TO COMPETE IN THE 2012 PIRELLI WORLD CHALLENGE CHAMPIONSHIPS
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Championship-Winning Motorsports Program Expanding to New Series in Third-Year
• Kia and Kinetic Motorsports continue partnership to build and campaign two Optima SXs in World Challenge
• Additional motorsports activities for 2012 include B-Spec racing with the all-new 2012 Rio 5-door and Optima Hybrid serving as the official pace car at United States Touring Car Championship (USTCC) events
LOS ANGELES, November 16, 2011 – It took the Kia Racing program just two seasons and 20 starts to capture Kia Motors America's (KMA) first-ever championships in the 2011 Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge, and today at the Los Angeles Auto Show the company announced a major motorsports expansion for 2012 with two turbocharged Optimas set to enter the Pirelli World Challenge Championships. Continuing KMA's successful partnership with Kinetic Motorsports, the World Challenge Optima SXs will compete in the Grand Touring Sport (GTS) class alongside established nameplates such as Mustang and Camaro at world-class race tracks across North America, including Road Atlanta, the street circuit in Long Beach, Calif., and Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif.
"As a brand with no previous racing experience in America, for Kia to win two motorsports championships in just its second year is an incredible accomplishment, and expanding our motorsports footprint with the turbocharged Optima entering World Challenge will continue to build passion and enthusiasm for the brand with an entirely new fan base at different race tracks across the country," said Michael Sprague, vice president, marketing & communications, KMA. "With its aerodynamic styling and outstanding driving dynamics, the Optima SX should be well suited to the ultra-competitive environment of World Challenge racing."
Sanctioned by SCCA Pro Racing, World Challenge features world-class drivers and race-prepped versions of production vehicles from many of the world's most popular manufacturers. The Kia Optimas will be the first Korean vehicles to compete in the series – which includes a suspenseful standing start rather than the more common rolling start – and is known for exciting door-to-door action throughout the 50-minute sprint races. For 2012, World Challenge races will be broadcast on the NBC Sports Network.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Kia's 393-horsepower GT signals future styling
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Kia showed its GT concept at the Los Angeles Auto Show today and said its radical looks hint at some future styling touches. It's also Kia's first use of a rear-drive chassis, suggesting the automaker could have intentions in that direction.
The South Korean car company, growing fast in the U.S., deliberately wanted to honor the styling of 1970s GT cars. One that many people remember is the 240Z, a low, sleek coupe from Datsun, the brand name that Nissan used in the U.S. back then.
The Kia show car has a 3.3-liter V-6 rated 393 hp. It also has convenient four-door configuration. The 1970s cars were two-door coupes.
GT stands for grand touring. In auto-speak, that means a car that'll delight the driver every mile of the way, but isn't meant to accommodate a lot of people or luggage for the trip.
Source: USA Today
The Ten Cars Americans Love The Most - Kia Sorento #1
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1. Kia Sorento
> pct. Change: +160.4%
> # of units sold in the last year: 79,659
> Miles per gallon: 22 city/32 hwy
> Base price: $23,150
> JD Powers Quality Score: 3/5
> JD Powers Reliability Score: 2.5/5
The vehicle with the largest improvement in sales over the last five years is another South Korean product. The Sorento is a small, inexpensive SUV. The base model has a four cylinder engine, although a six cylinder is available as well. Like many other successful small SUVs, the Sorento can seat five and has a modest towing capacity of 1,650 pounds. It is a nearly perfect car for the current market. Made by a new generation of companies that have invaded the U.S. market, it is inexpensive, under-powered, and carries people and cargo equally well.
