Courtesy of Brand Channel

Kia has been showing off a head-turning concept car called the GT around the auto-show circuit lately. And now it looks as if the Korean brand’s first rear-wheel-drive sedan will be introduced this summer — and very much resemble the GT.

Code-named KH, the production version of the car and the GT concept are based on the same mechanical platform that upholds Equus, the top-of-the-line nameplate for sibling brand Hyundai. This means that Kia is following very closely in the footsteps of Hyundai in plans to move upscale after establishing itself in the mainstream market.

“It would definitely be a halo vehicle, limited number” of units, Michael Sprague, CMO for Kia in North America, told Automotive News. “You don’t want to build any more than you have to. You want it to be a unique vehicle for the brand.”

Kia has paved the way for this move relatively quickly. It has been spiriting the GT around the international auto-show circuit, beginning with Frankfurt last fall and including Los Angeles and Chicago. Producing the similar KH by this summer, initially for the Korean market, would be a quick move for Kia.

There’s no word yet on a timetable for getting the car into the U.S. market, but Sprague and his colleagues are convinced that Americans would entertain a Kia that purports to compete around the $60,000 level with stalwarts such as the BMW 5 Series, Mercedes-Benz E-Class and Audi 6.

That attitude, of course, is similar to the approach used by Hyundai a few years ago in bringing the pricey Genesis and even more upscale Equus to the United States. It also provides an interesting glimpse into the thinking at the two brands’ corporate parent. Some U.S. observers have assumed that the company eventually would split its positioning in the American market into a premium Hyundai brand and a mainstream Kia brand.

But Hyundai and Kia executives in America long have insisted such a bifurcation wasn’t in the plans of the Korean conglomerate. And introducing a Kia-badged luxury vehicle certainly would be evidence of such a strategy.

“We came to the dealership with the intention of looking for a used car, because we figured it was more in our price range. We met Jerry on the lot, and he was great from the beginning. He listened to our requirements and took us right to the perfect car. He was very knowledgeable about all of the options and differences between different models. We ended up purchasing a brand new car, and made it right in our price range. He was very patient with us through the whole process, and I felt as if I was buying a car from a friend, rather than a car salesman. He definitely was looking out for us as a buyer, rather than pushing to try and make a sale so he could make a commission. Overall experience was excellent, and I will definitely look there first when we are ready to make our next purchase.” – jlewis0608

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“I’ve bought over 20 cars in my life and 2 dealerships stood out as
top notch and a perfect buying experience – This dealership was one
of them. All was taken care of over the phone and they had everything
ready, right on time, no hassle and no pressure to buy anything else.
Jim, the salesman, did a fantastic job of making all go smooth and explained
everything I needed to know. I told them up front what I was looking for,
what I needed out of my trade, and not to add anything else on – all went
perfect. Bill Sight Kia gets 5 stars of perfection in my book. I will recommend
them and will use them again in the future. Excellent job folks !” – thin41

“I had a wonderful experience at the dealership. The salesmen i had was very helpful i told them what my budget was and what i was looking for and he showed me what i can choose from. he never tired to sell me something i couldn’t afford. All the staff at the dealership were extra nice. Thanks for the great experience.” – abbysander

Courtesy of Kia Buzz

Most of us have at one time or another changed a flat tire or at least witnessed someone else doing the dirty work.  Flat tires can happen anywhere and at any time, so it’s absolutely crucial for your own and the safety of others to learn how to change a tire correctly. It might sound like a no-brainer or common sense procedure, but you’d be surprised how the smallest errors can lead to some serious problems.

Now that you know the basics, you’re good-to-go, right? Well…not exactly, here are some additional things to keep in mind when using a spare tire:

1. It’s smaller than the regular tire
2. It’s for emergency use only
3. It’s a temporary tire to get you to the nearest service center
4. The spare tire is small and light weight for better fuel efficiency
5. Do not drive at a speed over 80km/h (50m/h) with a spare tire

Here are the essentials you should always carry in your vehicle.

1. Spare Tire – The whole point of changing a tire would be pretty useless if we didn’t have a spare one in our trunk. Flat tires happen, so always make sure you have a spare in your trunk, back seat or wherever it’s safe and convenient.

2. Tire Changing Kit – Most vehicles come equipped with a tire kit, but if yours doesn’t, make sure you go to your local dealership or nearest store to stock up on a wedge, hub wrench, jack, nut wrench etc…

3. Emergency Signs: You want to make sure that cars behind you are able to see that your vehicle is idle or it could lead to some serious consequences. Any sort of warning sign that you could set on the road would be helpful, to warn the cars behind you.

4.Work Gloves: To keep your hands squeaky clean, warm and safe.

Unless you’re in a racing team’s pit crew, changing tires isn’t exactly a fun and thrilling experience, but at least you’ll be well prepared the next time you have to change a flat.

Courtesy of Autoevolution

Kia is getting ready to take the fight to the Germans on every front, and the Sorento SUV, which should debut towards the end of the year, should prove very valuable. The vehicle you see here is a mid-life facelift of their popular vehicle, spotted undergoing winter testing.

The most important change to the exterior will be made to the headlights, which are being completely overhauled. Expect it to get a look that’s not too distant to the new cee’d hatchback for the European market.
Our photographers say the Sorento was being tested together with the Audi Q5 and Mercedes GLK, suggesting is being compared to some very strong benchmarks.

The current generation of the Sorento SUV was first previewed at the New York Auto Show in March 2009. This new generation uses a unistructure body and is Kia’s first model built in the United States.

” My wife and I just bought a 2012 Optima from Chuck and the whole experience was outstanding. I had called in advance with the make/model I was interested in, and he had one gassed up and ready for me to test drive when I arrived. No hassle at all about the test drive . . . just gave us the keys, tagged the car and told us to take our time. They gave us a fair amount for our trade-in, honored the Kia loyalty bonus and low finance offers, and worked with us on the price of the vehicle. Had to wait while some folks did their financing before ours, and to pass the time he brought me a bowl of the seafood gumbo he made for the staff that day. Yum. Once we got in for financing it took maybe 10-15 minutes. The car was freshly washed and ready to go when we were done. He walked us through the features, and we drove it home. The experience really couldn’t have been any better, and Chuck in particular was great to work with.” – McGurn