Kia Brings Back the Hamsters for New Soul Ad Campaign

PRESS RELEASE: KIA MOTORS AMERICA BREAKS NEW SOUL AD CAMPAIGN AND BRINGS BACK HAMSTERS BY POPULAR DEMAND

Game-Changing Kia Halo Vehicle Still Stands Apart From Competition

* 2010 Soul urban passenger vehicle rolls in clever, hip hop style spot

* Pop culture Hamsters compare Soul’s style and creature comforts to other boxy rides

IRVINE, Calif., May 26, 2010 – Kia Motors America (KMA) today officially released a new advertising campaign, titled "This or That," for the 2010 Kia Soul. "This or That" is the rebirth of the initial Kia Soul award winning advertising campaign created by David&Goliath, KMA’s advertising agency of record, and brings back the loveable Hamsters due to popular demand. Soul is a unique and highly personalizable urban passenger vehicle and the new spot builds on its creative theme in the style of a music video set to the classic hip hop track "The Choice is Yours" by notable 90’s hip hop group Black Sheep. The new campaign launches today on cable TV networks Comedy Central, Fuse, MTV, MTV2 and Spike and runs through July. Beginning May 28 it will appear in movie theaters across the country as well as have a presence online at Pandora, Facebook, Social Vibe’s PetVille, KMA’s Kia.com. and a YouTube contest.

"Given the success and popularity of the hamsters in the initial Soul launch with a spot that won Nielsen’s Automotive Ad of the Year, it made sense to bring them back for a new campaign," said Michael Sprague, vice president, marketing of KMA. "We know the Soul target audience is digitally savvy and that they viewed the first commercial multiple times online, so the newest experience is rich with details in the hamster world and integrated Soul content for them to discover during repeat viewings."

[Source: Kia]



"Hamstar™" logoed clothing, as seen in the spot, will soon be available for purchase by fans at www.hamstarclothing.com (check soon for details).

Cruising through an urban landscape behind the wheel of an Alien Green Kia Soul, the hamsters in "This or That" cleverly compare Soul’s unique styling and plethora of personalizable creature comforts to other boxy rides – represented by toasters, washing machines and cardboard boxes – while rapping the title song’s lyrics, "You can get with this, or you can get with that."

A recipient of "Best Family Cars for 2010" by Edmunds.com and Parents Magazine, "Best Hatchback of 2010" by Cars.com, "2010 Top Cars for Families" by Motherproof.com, and 2010 "Top 10 Coolest New Cars Under $18,000" from Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com, Soul is available in four trims, Soul, Soul+, Soul! (exclaim) and Soul sport, as well as four special editions, including the recently unveiled special-edition Ghost Soul. Other special-edition Soul vehicles include Ignition Soul, Denim Soul and Shadow Dragon Soul. Pricing for the versatile five-door begins under $14,000.

Soul stands out from the crowd with modern, unique styling aimed toward the young and young-at-heart and offers a unique combination of style, value and personalization options. An available Audio Upgrade Package includes speaker lights that can pulse to the beat of the music or add mood lighting to the interior cabin, enhancing the overall personal lounge feeling. The Soul+ offers funky black cloth seats with "glowing" Soul logo inserts while the Soul! trim comes with a distinctive sand-black interior with houndstooth-patterned inserts, and the Soul sport presents a bold red-black interior trim with red-trimmed cloth seats and metal-finish interior accents.

Kia Motors America in 2010

Kia Motors is in the midst of a dramatic, design-led transformation, which has been delivering dynamically styled vehicles in several important segments at exactly the right time, contributing to the brand’s continued gains in U.S. market share. With four new vehicle introductions and several other key initiatives planned for 2010, Kia is poised to continue its momentum and will continue to build the brand through design innovation, quality, value, safety features and with new technology such as UVO powered by Microsoft®2 infotainment system (expected to be available in select Kia models in the U.S. beginning in summer 20103). The launch of the all-new 2011 Sorento CUV, the official vehicle of the NBA, further enhances the lineup, and is now in dealerships.

About Kia Motors America

Kia Motors America (KMA) is the marketing and distribution arm of Kia Motors Corporation based in Seoul, South Korea. KMA offers a complete line of vehicles through more than 670 dealers throughout the United States. For 2009, KMA recorded its 15th consecutive year of increased U.S. market share and recently achieved its best quarter of sales ever. Kia Motors subscribes to a philosophy of building high value, high quality, safe and dynamic vehicles. Kia Motors prides itself on producing vehicles that are exciting and enabling and evoke the Kia tagline "The Power to Surprise."

Kia Motors America is the "Official Automotive Partner of the NBA." Information about Kia Motors America and its full vehicle line-up is available at its Web site – www.kia.com. For media information, including photography, visit www.kiamedia.com.

Read More

Hyundai launches i45 "Driven by obsession" campaign in Australia

Hyundai Motor Company Australia has launched a campaign for its new mid-sized sedan i45, with its ads featuring water droplet technology that creates shapes from cascading water.

The TV ad shows individual water droplets falling and creating shapes as they hit the car. One of the key images is a massive sword being “thrust” into the i45.
The “Driven by Obsession” campaign, created by Innocean Worldwide in partnership with Disciple, includes television, cinema, print, online, point of sale and outdoor.

Tim Brown, Disciple creative partner, said: “We’d seen graphic waterfalls technology at trade shows and felt that using it was a beautiful and captivating way to tell our story.”

Innocean took over the car maker’s creative account in April last year.

According to the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries April 2010 VFACTS report, Hyundai’s vehicle sales in the year to the end of April rose 65.4 per cent, compared the same 2009 YTD period.

This was compared to the overall car market which was up 20.3 per cent during that same period.

[Source: Hyundai]

Read More

2010 Hyundai Genesis Receives IIHS 'Top Safety Pick'

The 2010 Hyundai Genesis Sedan has recently been tested and awarded the ‘Top Safety Pick’ by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). This award is earned by all vehicles who manage to achieve the institute’s top rating of “Good” for front, side, rollover and rear crash protection. A vehicle cannot achieve the ‘Top Safety Pick’ if it hasn’t got Electronic Stability Control (ESC) as standard.

The South Korean car company earned the ‘Top Safety Pick’ with the 2009 Hyundai Genesis Sedan as well, but this year the standards were raised even higher and a roof strength test was added to the procedures.

The new guidelines require the roof to withstand more than two times the strength of current federal requirements in order to properly maintain the vehicle’s integrity in a rollover accident. And Hyundai made the adjustments to the Genesis roof structure to improve protection.

"Genesis was designed to be one of the safest vehicles on the road and includes features such as ESC and Hyundai's first electronic active front head restraint system, which helps prevent whiplash," said Derek Joyce, manager of product planning, Hyundai Motor America.

[Source: Hyundai]

Read More

Hyundai Moving Santa Fe Production to Kia West Point Plant

Hyundai Motor Co. is considering shifting some production from its factory in Alabama to a recently opened plant run by sister company Kia, Hyundai spokesman Robert Burns said.

Moving some production from Hyundai's Montgomery, Ala., plant to Kia Motor Co.'s West Point, Ga., facility could be a way to maximize the efficiency of both plants, Burns said.

Any final decision would come from the South Korean headquarters of Hyundai, which owns Kia, he said.

"They're evaluating options to make sure we fully utilize the capacity of U.S. production," Burns said.

Hyundai's Montgomery plant currently builds the Sonata sedan and the Santa Fe SUV. Kia's plant in West Point, which began production late last year, builds just the Sorento SUV.

Sales of both companies have risen sharply in the U.S. in the last year. Hyundai sales are up 20 percent year to date, while Kia sales have climbed 13 percent, according to Autodata Corp.

News of the possible shift was first reported by the trade publication Automotive News.

[Source: BusinessWeek]

Read More

Busan: Hyundai Unveils All-New Avante (Elantra)

Hyundai has unveiled the 2011 Elantra (known as the Avante in South Korea) at the Busan Motor Show in its home country. This is the fifth generation of the popular compact car, Hyundai’s best-selling model worldwide, with over 6 million units sold since 1990.

Completely redesigned, the Elantra uses design cues from the new Accent, unveiled this month at the Auto China 2010 in Beijing, but also from the new Sonata. The new Elantra wears a "fluidic sculpture" design with four-door coupe styling, High Intensity Discharge headlights (HID) and LED taillights.

Interior pictures are yet to be released, but Hyundai says in the press release that the cabin offers "advanced features not found on other compacts." Equipment includes heated rear seats, ambient lighting, and a color TFT LCD information display.

Under the hood, the Elantra is powered by a 1.6-liter Gamma GDI (Gasoline Direct Injection) four-cylinder engine, developing 140 horsepower and 133 lb-ft of torque (167 Nm). The unit is paired with a six-speed automatic transmission. It’s the first time GDI technology and six-speed automatic are put together on a compact sedan in Korea. The direct injection and the automatic gearbox make the Elantra “10 percent more fuel efficient than its closest competitors,” according to Hyundai.

"The new Avante encompasses Hyundai's latest ambitions, featuring the best styling and performance in its class. We're confident that it will once again redefine the compact segment worldwide," said Steve S. Yang, president and CEO of Hyundai's Global Business Division. Korean sales will begin in the second half of 2010, with global availability shortly thereafter.

[Source: Hyundai]

Read More