#Kia

In our final podcast episode of the year, I chat about the new Toyota Prius and Kia EV6 GT with automotive industry analyst Robby DeGraff, who works for AutoPacific.

The Kia Stinger is dead. The Nissan Maxima is going to die after 2023. The Volkswagen Arteon oft seems to be forgotten. Is there hope for mid-size sport sedans (and four-door coupes) with front-wheel or all-wheel drive and priced between $45,000 and $60,000?

It's a sad day for fans of mid-luxury sports sedans/four-door coupes. And fans of the Kia Stinger. Or for people like yours truly, fans of both.

“There is no choice but for them to improve. They have to find a way to meet customer expectations.” Those are the words uttered by Steve Center, Chief Operating Officer of Kia America, at this year’s L.A. Auto Show in response to questions about the brand scoring dead last in a sales satisfaction survey about its dealerships. 

Well, it seems Dan O’Brien Kia of New Hampshire either didn’t get the memo or is hell-bent on becoming the poster child for Center’s ire. After all, being told to pay $1.25 million in a deceptive practices settlement are unlikely to ingratiate the place to their brand’s COO.

Hyundai and Kia are quickly becoming two of the world’s most prominent automakers, but the Korean giants have struggled to get a handle on reports of child labor in their suppliers’ factories. Reporting surfaced earlier this year, and today, Reuters released its findings that child labor has been found in as many as 10 Alabama facilities belonging to the automakers’ suppliers.

I'm in Sin City testing the Kia EV6 GT this week -- check back next week for the review -- and one thing I've noticed is the neon green brake calipers.

Hi there, this is take two of our new series in which I give you short notes on something I am driving or have driven recently. It doesn't necessarily mean a given car will or won't get a full review in the future -- it's just a chance to hit some highlights sooner since it can take some time before a full review gets published. And some cars don't get full reviews, anyway.

Today's ride: The 2023 Kia Sportage Hybrid.

Over the weekend, I saw a tweet suggesting that people are searching for "KN car" in a number of 30K a month. The tweeter posits that it's because the new Kia logo is so confusing that people are mistaking it for "kn".

Kia’s had a great run the past few years. The Telluride was a hit when it landed, and the new EV6 is selling out all over the place, and the automaker has established itself as a forward-looking company that has outgrown its budget-friendly beginnings. Kia took the opportunity to unveil a revised Seltos crossover and brag about its recent accomplishments at this year’s LA Auto Show.

Hello from sunny Southern California. You may notice a later-than-usual posting schedule today and tomorrow as we work our way through the LA Auto Show -- we're sorta working on West Coast time.

Which brings me to the QOTD -- what debut from this show has you perking up?

Today's TTAC Rewind for your Sunday afternoon perusal takes a few years back to 2017.

I suppose I can be an occasional automotive Luddite. I’m mentally throwing wrenches at the twenty-year-old German project car in my garage since it’s not nearly as straightforward to repair as the thirty-year-old Japanese project car right next to it. More than once I’ve pondered the possibility of adapting carburetors to both.

Leaving aside the absolutely psychotic dealer markup being slapped on these things by some sellers over the last couple of years, the squared-off Telluride represents a good-looking and reasonably equipped SUV which has been eating the lunch of more than a few established competitors.

This model year brings a few cosmetic changes and a dizzying 10 different trim levels. Which one do we prefer? Why, the one without any greedy markup, of course.

Columbus, Ohio City Attorney Zach Klein said earlier this week that he intends to file a lawsuit against Hyundai and Kia.

Given the recent legal struggles that Hyundai and Kia have been facing, I started wondering if the two brands had shed their past reputation for reliability -- or lack thereof.