According to Kia-World.net, pricing for the Korean automaker's new Soul Denim, which we inadvertently stumbled upon in the land of coffee while testing the equally new Forte, will begin at $17,300 with a standard five-speed manual transmission and $18,250 with the optional slushbox. Production will reportedly be limited to 1,200 units, though we'd expect more special editions in the future.

For that sum, the buyer will get the custom Denim Blue paint scheme with offset white striping, white side mirrors and white 18-inch alloy rims as seen in our gallery below. Exterior mods continue with a new rear spoiler and fender-mounted turn signal indicator lamps.

Despite its name, the Kia Soul Denim will not feature an interior sewn up to match your favorite pair of jeans. Instead, black fabric with 'Soul' logo inserts will reportedly cover the seats. Based on the Soul+ model, the Denim will also get the uprated audio and moonroof packages, fogs lights, floor mats and an iPod cable as standard equipment.



[Source: Kia-World.net]

Most Kia dealerships are in rural and second-tier urban areas because real estate in markets like New York and Chicago are just too expensive. With the contraction of Ford, GM and Chrysler dealerships in those areas, Kia retailers are finding that now is the time to enter the big time.

In particular, Kia appears to be interested in Saturn dealerships. Kia executives told Automotive News that they like Saturn stores because they're newer, more exclusive, and – more to the point – available. Kia is going after Saturn dealers in three ways: Current Kia dealers are opening up additional locations at former Saturn sites; Saturn dealers are converting their stores to sell Kias; and Kia is asking Saturn store owners to open a separate Kia store close-by, then share a common parts and service center.

One Kia dealer, Billy Fuccillo, has turned a Saturn dealer near Syracuse, NY into a $2.8 million super Kia dealership equipped with such indulgences as granite-lined bathrooms. Fuccillo already owns the top-selling Kia dealership in the US, and he says his new store, in a more prominent location, will fare even better. He plans to sell more than 3,000 vehicles per year and as many as 500 this month. As part of his opening marketing push, Fuccillo will give away five Kias and four Hyundais to one person. He's going to deliver all nine vehicles via car-hauler to the individual's home. That's a bit crazy, but converting Saturn dealerships to Kia stores seems to be anything but.

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req. | Image Source: Bill Pugliano/Getty]

Kia came strong with some good looking hardware when it introduced the production Koup in New York. The Koup is a stylish, fun-looking two-door that will likely draw the attention of the much coveted younger car buyer demographic. To seed the minds of said youngins, Kia is embarking on the prerequisite pre-launch ad blitz that starts with a single commercial.

Beyond the jump is the first commercial offering to tout the wares of the all-new Kia Koup. While the car may look ready for action, we're not quite so sure about this 30 second spot. The theme? Two. As in two doors. We kinda thought that calling the Forte-variant the Koup was more than enough of a hint for customers that it was, in fact, a coupe. On the bright side, the Koup looks as good in moving pictures as it does on the New York Auto Show. Hit the jump to judge from yourself, and let us know what you think of the ad in the comments. Thanks for the tip, Christian!



[Source: Paultan]

If there's one thing we can say about Kia, it's that it keeps making progress. In the 15 years the brand has been selling cars in the United States, South Korea's second largest auto manufacturer has increased its market share every single year. The future looks bright as well, with new vehicles like the Soul receiving rave reviews and a new billion dollar production facility set to open this year. Hoping to build on that success, Kia has launched its new 2010 Forte, replacing the Spectra that failed to stand out among cars like the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla and Mazda3. With a new name, a new face, upgraded powertrains and aspirations to exceed consumer expectations about the brand, can the Forte help Kia finally make its mark in the compact sedan segment? Read on to find out.

Driving a small car in the urban environs they're so well suited for can add up in big repair bills, says the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Low speed incidents in parking lots and on tight city streets are everyday occurrences that seemingly shouldn't cost a lot to set right, but they apparently wind up costing consumers many thousands of dollars each year. The smallest cars on the market also have tiny price tags, making the price of repairs a much larger percentage of what the vehicle cost in the first place. The IIHS recently evaluated the bumpers of some of the tiniest vehicles on the market in low-speed incidents, and the results dovetail with the agency's equally low impressions of vehicle-to-vehicle impact performance of small-segment vehicles. A new damage assessment criteria was used to more closely mirror reality, and the cars underwent four tests: two corner impacts and two full width impacts on the bumpers.

Of the seven cars tested, only the Smart ForTwo earned an "acceptable" rating, with most of the pack scoring "poor." Worst was the Kia Rio's startling $9,380 total damage tally, by far the most expensive showing in the test. The Honda Fit and Mini Cooper may be more highly regarded in the small car segment, but both of those models also score poorly.

In diametric opposition to what anyone might actually enjoy driving, the Smart ForTwo and the Chevrolet Aveo came out best in terms of repair costs, bashing their way to $3,281 and $4,490 in total damage, respectively. It's clear from the IIHS' testing where bumpers often failed to engage or slid under the test barrier, that the way improve on the tests is to pay closer attention to bumper position in all circumstances when designing a car. If the bumper doesn't match up properly, bodywork ends up bearing the brunt of the impact, making even low-speed collisions expensive propositions. Hit the jump to see a video and a chart of the results along with the full release.

[Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety]

Do you remember those Transformers fan videos in which fanboys with a lot of time and not a lot of friends made stop-frame action sequences with their toys? The creative types at Kia must have liked the idea, because they assembled a several dozen Kia Souls to make a video of their own. The end result is something pretty damn cool.

Hit the jump to watch "Kia Soul Rock!" The 1:29 video starts off with the prerequisite car stunts and power slides, and then it surprises with synchronized stop-motion goodness that includes nearly 100 Souls working together to make a rolling self effigy. Talk about your high-effort productions. At the end, the Soul Sport models all head into the cargo ship for transport, but Kia wants to stress that the vehicles used for stunt duty will not be shipped to customers. Thanks for the tip, ConceptVBS!




[Source: YouTube]

We're clearly fans of the Kia Soul, in case you couldn't tell after reading our recent reviews of the Korean brand's new urban road warrior. One of our few gripes is that we can't order a Soul with as many cool features and accessories as you can in Europe. That may soon change as our recent trip to Seattle to drive the new Forte sedan (review coming soon) revealed.

Quietly on display was this special edition Soul, which we have confirmed will be called the Denim Soul and arrive at a dealer near you soon. We have no other details because Kia isn't talking, but you can tell from our gallery that this aesthetic package will certainly set your Soul apart. From its white wheels to the split stripe, this Soul has a little something extra. And while we didn't see the interior, we're almost certain it's called the Denim Soul because that's what Kia named this shade of blue, not because the seat upholstery is made of hard-wearing Levis like a certain AMC we remember. We'll let you know more and soon as Kia opens up with official info.



Photos copyright ©2009 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc.

Following the ill-timed Borrego and ultra chic Soul is the new 2010 Kia Forte Sedan. This compact four-door, soon to be joined by a Koup, will replace the Spectra in Kia's line up and wind up being only a couple hundred dollars more expensive. Kia announced today that the 2010 Forte Sedan will start at $14,200 in base LX trim, which includes a delivery charge of $695. The mid-level Forte EX will start at $16,490 and the top shelf SX model will begin at $17,890.

The SX model will be the sportiest trim level and has a sport tuned suspension, 17-inch alloy wheels and larger front brakes along with a black interior trimmed in red stitching. What really gets the Forte SX going is its 2.4-liter four-cylinder rated at a healthy 173 horsepower; it's paired with either a six-speed manual or five-speed automatic. The LX and EX make do with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder producing 156 hp and 144 lb-ft of torque that's paired with either a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission.

Our choice would clearly be the SX, and we wouldn't necessarily be penalized at the pump with its 22 city/32 highway mpg rating. LX and EX models with the smaller 2.0-liter engine achieve a slightly better rating of 25/34 mpg, while a special Fuel Economy Package can be ordered on the EX model that includes Motor Drive Power Steering, a "smart alternator", silica tires and special aero enhancements to achieve 27/36 mpg.

Check out Kia's official press release after the jump for more info.



[Source: Kia]

Greeting the Kia Soul with low expectations didn't make sense. Perhaps the details of the funkwagon's story seemed overly familiar at first blush – Kia wants, nay, needs to be more than just the bargain-basement Hyundai store. Differentiating product lines with the help of bold design has been tried before, and the results have been disastrous more often than they've been wildly successful. Finding out that the Soul's styling inspiration was a wild boar sent the cynical mind of this autowriter reeling, preparing to suffer with a bore of a swine-inspired car. But Kia's been on a roll lately with aggressively priced product that's well equipped and imbued with performance that's often more inspired than the sum of its parts. If any brand stands a chance of melding its design studio's hit parade with tuning that lives up to the looks, it's Kia... right?



Photos Copyright ©2009 John Neff / Weblogs, Inc.

The 2001-2004 Kia Optima is being recalled in several states for corrosion of the front subframe. The recall covers some 36,538 examples sold in the U.S. in the following states: Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia – all areas typically noted for being high rust threats due to their difficult winters and use of road salt.

According to the recall, internal corrosion of the front subframe can weaken the mounting points near the lower control arm, leading to everything from irregular tire wear to abnormal stress levels in the system that may contribute to a cras.

The recall begins this month, but neither Kia nor NHTSA have outlined a potential fix in the recall notice posted after the jump.

[Source: NHTSA]