New Kia K900 Luxury Sedan with 420HP V8 Starts at $59,500, More Affordable V6 to Follow

If you go ahead and visit Kia's public website in the U.S., you'll find a brand new arrival, one that's very different from the Korean automaker's other offerings in more ways than we can count:the 2015 K900, which is Kia's first rear-wheel drive sedan and first stab at the luxury segment.Right now, as pointed out by Motor Trend, Kia has released pricing information and an online configurator only for the top model with the 420hp 5.0-liter V8 engine paired to an 8-speed automatic that starts at $59,500, excluding a destination fee (*) that lifts the price to $60,400.
That's slightly less than what Hyundai commandsfor the related Equus 429hp 5.0L V8 that starts at $61,250, or $62,170 with the delivery charge.
If you must know, the similarly sized BMW 740i with a 315hp inline-six turbo starts at $74,000, the Jaguar XJ with a 340hp supercharged V6 from $74,200, the Audi A8 with a 333hp supercharged V6 from $75,100 and the Lexus LS 460 with a 386hp V8 from $72,140.
In due time, Kia will also release pricing on the more affordable base version of the K900 family fitted with a 311hp 3.8-liter V6 engine.

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New Kia Soul and Facelifted Optima to Make Euro Debut in Frankfurt

oining Kia's display of a new concept model for a small crossover to compete against the Nissan Juke at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month, will be the European premieres of the all-new, second generation Soul and the refreshed Optima sedan.

The 2014 Soul, which has already been revealed in the States, keeps the original model's boxy looks with styling details loosely inspired by the2012 Kia Track’ster concept. Kia said that it will release information on the available diesel and gasoline engine and transmission lineups for the European market at a later date. Sales of the new Soul will begin during the second quarter of 2014.

As with its North American twin, in European specification, the lightly revised 2014 Optima sports reworked front and rear ends, along with updated infotainment, comfort and safety features.

Kia added that the Optima's 1.7-liter diesel engine has been upgraded with a new battery management system for the start-stop unit and as a result, CO2 emissions are down to 128g/km.

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Kia Puts a Price Tag on Hot Pro_Cee’d GT for UK Marke

If the name Pro_Ceed’d GT, which is far too long and too contrived, doesn’t put you off buying a hot Kia, then the model’s recently acquired price tag of £19,995 for the UK market positions it in a market sector which it has for itself, only fighting off Renault's GT Line and the odd higher-spec VW Scirocco.

The model has been developed to be a kind ofsub-hot-hatch vehicle, so there’s less outright power than any of its apparent direct rivals, but the car itself looks just as sporty, and it matches the sexy two-door Vauxhall/Opel GTC and Renault’s Megane RS for presence - it's still a bit faster than what are called warm hatches, though.

However, it is much cheaper than either of the two, and probably doesn’t have the same depth of engineering that of the Megane (or the Ford Focus), as this is, after all, the first car of its kind for the Korean automaker and not designed as a direct rival. They will, in time, definitely find room for improvements in many areas for future models. It will be a competent car, as it has definitely been benchmarked against the establishment, embodying the qualities Kia Cee’d buyers already like, with a bit of extra zing.

For UK customers, two trim levels are offered, called GT and GT Tech, as well as a limited launch edition called GT 1st Edition, not too dissimilar name-wise from the Mercedes A45 AMG, or the limited launch edition of the Alfa Romeo 4C. Kia doesn’t specify how many of these special edition cars it plans to sell, but it is the top of the range model, and will set you back £23,995. Equipment is also very good, with standard sports seats, suspension and unique sporty touches both inside and out - other Pro_Cee’d owners will immediately spot you.

Power is provided by a 1.6-liter T-GDi engine, which pumps out 201 hp at 6,000 rpm and 265 Nm (195 lb-ft) at 4,500 rpm. Performance numbers are not particularly impressive for a modern hot hatch, with 60 mph (96 km/h) coming up in 7.4 seconds and featuring a top speed of 143 mph (229 km/h) – the 276 hp GTC from Vauxhall/Opel has a claimed time to reach 60 mph of 5.9 seconds, while the Renault Megane RS 265 does it one tenth slower. However, both are considerably more expensive than the Kia, at £27,010 and £25,255 (in Cup trim) respectively.

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Kia Soul EV to Cost $35,000 and Offer a Driving Range of 124 Miles / 200km

When it comes to the electric vehicle segment, Kia and its parent company Hyundai are lagging behind the competition, which is why the Korean companies are planning to launch their first mass produced EV as early as 2014.

According to a report from Kia World, an electrified version of the Kia Soul MPV is expected to launch in the first half of 2014 as a follow-up to the Kia Ray EV, which is a limited run vehicle destined exclusively for the South Korean government fleets.

Unlike the Ray EV, the Kia Soul EV will have a global presence, as it will be sold in the U.S., Europe and China. Compared to the Ray EV, the electric Soul is expected to deliver better performance and an increased mileage per charge.

The report says the Soul EV will have a driving range of about 200 kilometers (124 miles) on a single charge, with top speed rated at 140 km/h (87 mph). The sprint from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) is expected to take under 12 seconds, 4 seconds better that in the case of the Ray EV.

As for pricing, the Kia Soul EV will likely be more competitively priced that the smaller Ray, with sources saying that it could start from 40 million Korean Won ($35,000) in its home market.

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