Kia Spectra News

By Jim Henry Nov 9, 2009 In only its second year, U.S. sales are down sharply for the Smart brand.

I was on the 2004 Kia Spectra launch in beautiful Southern California and was thoroughly impressed.

By Jim Henry They may be small, but the Kia hamsters are doing some heavy lifting for Kia Motors America , so the company will bring them back in November, in advertising for a year-end clearance sale.

In fact, the last time we drove a Kia Spectra , we walked away wondering if anything more might be overkill.

There are a few different kinds of stories sportswriters have. 1) The kind we tell in the newspaper.

About 100 people who worked at Premier Kia on Atlantic Boulevard have been out of work since Friday, when a judge ordered the Jacksonville auto dealership be shuttered due to financial issues.

Ia TMm guessing you dona TMt mean annually. A lot of people probably wouldna TMt be comfortable answering that.

I never drove a Hyundai Pony. North America's first Korean-built car was only inflicted on Canada, but by all reports this Giugiaro dress-up of an ancient rear-drive Mitsubishi Colt was not a tough act for the front-drive Excel to follow, and successive Hyundais have been improving at a praiseworthy pace.

Kia Motors America today announced its best quarter of sales ever with a September monthly total of 21,623 units sold, a 24.4-percent increase from September 2008.

Like its parent Hyundai, Kia just gets more and more proud of itself. Its budget lineup undercuts nearly every segment by a few hundred to a few grand, offers lots of equipment, and stands by an industry-leading warranty.

The 2010 Kia Forte is impressive for an entry-level economy sedan, with both styling and handling that seem to belong in a higher price range.

Everybody I know loves Mazdas. They are inexpensive but fun to drive, and they last freakin' forever.

Notes: This 2009 Kia Spectra 4dr EX Sedan features a 2.0L L4 PFI DOHC 16V 4cyl engine.

There's a lot to recommend the 2010 Kia Forte sedan. The EX midlevel test car was lively, even though powered by the base, 2-liter engine.

Autos: KIA fortifies the fleet with an affordable Forte In these harsh economic times, Kia continues to exceed expectations in the affordable end of the automotive market.

Well, maybe not everyone. I'm sure there's a United Auto Worker member or two out there who wouldn't touch an imported car with a 10-foot-pole, but for everyone else there's a lot of exciting stuff out there...starting with the answer to the question no one asked - the Porsche Panamera.

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 8 -- The Naza Automotive Group has encouraged owners of its petrol-powered Naza, Kia and Peugeot vehicles to use the RON 95 fuel.

Kia has made great strides in the US automobile market in recent years, thanks in large part to its bargain prices and 10 year/100,000 mile warranty.

Hyundai and Kia both set records in terms of sales last month thanks to the federal governmenta s Cash for Clunkers program.

"We don't want hamsters to become the image of our brand," noted Michael Sprague, vice president of marketing for Kia.