Kia Forte to come in sedan and coupe guises

Well, it's confirmed. The name change that the Korean Kia Spectra - named Cerato in the aforementioned market - will undergo will apply to the American version of the car as well. Automotive News has reported that Kia will rename the Spectra compact sedan to Forte, come spring of 2009.Automotive News has also confirmed that Kia will remove the 5-door...

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USA: Kia plans to add more small cars

Bloomberg has reported that Kia Motors is planning to add more compact cars into its U.S. lineup, as gas prices have been steadily escalating in the recent months."We'll have more small cars. We have an advantage in small cars," Chung Eui-Sun, president of Kia Motors, stated at the grand opening ceremony of the automaker's new U.S. headquarters in...

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Thailand: Strong demand for Kia K2900 light truck

Yontrakit Kia Motor Co. of Thailand has increased its sales targets for the Kia K2900 light truck due to strong demand. In the face of escalating diesel prices, the K2900 has become popular due to its price and payload capacity. The Kia K2900 was received well at the Bangkok International Motor Show. Thus, it prompted Yontrakit Kia to raise its sales...

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Spied: 2010 Kia Forte caught testing in US

Leftlane has posted several spyshots of the Kia Forte/Spectra undergoing testing in the U.S. for the first time. This indicates that it is entering the final stages of its testing. Designed by Peter Schreyer - the genius who also penned the Audi TT MKI and the Volkswagen New Beetle - the Forte will replace the Spectra later this year.Speculations point...

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EXCLUSIVE: Kia Forte (TD) teaser

A lone teaser image of the Kia Forte - the successor to the Kia Spectra/Cerato - has begun to make its rounds across the web. What TheCarBlogger brings you exclusively is a second teaser that reveals more than the aforementioned image. This one shows the front 3/4 view of Kia's upcoming compact sedan sans disguise. We can decipher from this image that...

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Korea: Ford releases S-MAX 7-seater

Ford Korea began sales of the sport multi-purpose vehicle S-MAX on the 22nd of June. The automaker recently released another European-catered model - Mondeo - in the Korean market. Featuring the famed Kinetic Design, the S-MAX packs items that were previously unheard of in MPVs such as Adaptive Cruise Control and Human Machine Interface.The S-MAX is...

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TheCarBlogger is redesigned

I marked the genesis of TheCarBlogger on January 14th, 2007. That was when I was in Grade 7 and hardly knew the intricate HTML language. Today is June 22, 2008. While it does not mark any anniversaries, it does the mark the beginning of a new face for TheCarBlogger. I promised you last year that we were planning a full redesign of the website. The...

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USA: Kia Soul to appear "disguised" during Vans Warped Tour

Kia announced that it will display a disguised pre-production Soul at the 2008 Vans Warped Tour this summer. As part of an exclusive vehicle sponsorship between the automaker and the group, the specially-designed Soul will make appearances at the "Soul Lounge" in every 46 tour stops.The Soul will be be adorned with camouflage masks at the front and...

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Korea: GMDAT releases Winstorm MAXX

GM Daewoo unveiled the compact crossover, Winstorm MAXX, yesterday and commenced sales of the car. The MAXX is a rebadged variant of the Opel/Vauxhall Antara, which is sold in Europe. The Saturn Vue and Holden Captiva MAXX are also badge-engineered versions of the Antara. Alongside the Winstorm MAXX, GMDAT also began sales of the Winstorm 2.4L gasoline...

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Canada: Hyundai prices Genesis from $37 995

Hyundai Auto Canada has announced that its all-new premium sedan, the 2009 Genesis, will start at $37,995 with a V6 engine and $43,995 for a V8. “This is a luxury car without a luxury price,” said John Vernile, vice-president, sales and marketing. “With the 2009 Genesis, we wanted to demonstrate that Hyundai can offer all the quality consumers demand...

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India: Hyundai Santro #1 in Vehicle Dependability Study by J.D. Power

The Hyundai Santro has been adjudged the the number one position in compact car segment in the Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS) by JD Power Asia Pacific 2008. The JD Power Vehicle Dependability Study, conducted for the first time in India, ranks vehicles within eight market segments. Only original owners of cars that had been on the road for 30 to...

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India: Hyundai i10 reaches 100 000 milestone in exports

Hyundai Motor India, the country's second largest passenger car manufacturer and the largest exporter, today announced that its recently launched i10 - produced in the automaker's Chennai plant - has already crossed the export milestone of 100,000 cars. The Hyundai i10 that made its global debut in October 2007, reached an export volume of 106,749...

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2009 Hyundai Sonata awarded "Interior of the Year" by Ward's Auto

The 2009 Hyundai Sonata was named an “Interior of the Year” award winner in the category of “Best Redesign” at the annual “Automotive Interior of the Year Awards” conducted by Ward’s Auto World magazine.“This award is particularly gratifying for our team, who started with a world-class car, listened to customer feedback telling us they wanted an improved...

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Hyundai Azera named a Consumer's Top Rated Sedan by Edmunds.com

The 2008 Hyundai Azera was awarded the “Consumers’ Top Rated Vehicle Award” in the $15,000 - $25,000 sedan category by Edmunds.com’s visitors. The 2008 Azera received the average highest rating from the site’s audience as of April 30, 2008.Edmunds.com tabulated the results for 21 award categories by evaluating the feedback of thousands of site visitors....

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Kia releases sketch of next-gen Spectra, renamed "Forte"

Kia Motors released the first official sketch of the successor to the Spectra, renamed "Forte", due this coming August. The Forte will be one of the automaker's first model to showcase Kia's new family look. It has been showcased in the past by concepts such as the Kue Concept, and the Kee Concept. It was not announced whether Kia will retain the Spectra...

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