Autoblog

CONFIRMED: 2010 Kia Forte Koup will go on sale late summer

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 14:53:00 EST

2010 Kia Forte Koup - Click above for high-res image gallery

After strapping ourselves behind the wheel of Kia's new Forte sedan for our initial drive, we came away thinking that the new Korean was a stylish, reasonable alternative to the scads of Honda Civics and Toyota Corollas populating America's roadways. Now it's time for Kia to follow the handsome sedan up with its first-ever two-door ~~coupe~~ Koup, which the automaker has now confirmed is slated to hit a dealership near you later this summer.

Underneath the attractive (if derivative) sheetmetal will be seating for five thanks in part to the same 104.3-inch wheelbase that underpins the sedan. The Koup does sit lower than the four-door, though, and Kia says the ride and handling has been retuned for a sportier feel and features beefier L-shaped lower arms propping up the expected McPherson struts in front. Sixteen-inch alloy wheels and speed-sensitive power steering come standard and an uplevel SX trim stiffens things up even further.

Powering the Koup is the same set of engine options as the sedan, meaning that the base and LX models get a 2.0-liter with 156 horsepower and 144 lb-ft of torque mated up with either a five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic, while the top-level SX gets a 2.4-liter mill with 173 horsepower and 168 lb-ft torque that can be ordered with either a five-speed automatic or six-speed manual. EPA fuel mileage estimates range from 25/34 with the base engine to 23/31 with the larger engine and automatic transmission.

All Koup models include all the expected safety gear plus standard Bluetooth connectivity with steering wheel-mounted controls, a six-speaker AM/FM/CD/MP3 audio system with Sirius, air conditioning, power windows, power door locks with remote keyless entry, cruise control with steering wheel-mounted controls, a driver's seat height adjuster and tilt steering. Options include a sunroof and heated leather seats. Want to know more? Click past the break for the full press release.

Gallery: New York: Kia Forte Koup

Gallery: Kia Forte Koup

Continue reading CONFIRMED: 2010 Kia Forte Koup will go on sale late summer

CONFIRMED: 2010 Kia Forte Koup will go on sale late summer originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 09 Jul 2009 14:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VIDEO: First Kia Koup commercial hits the interwebs

Chris Shunk — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 11:30:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Kia

Click above to watch the video after the jump

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!

Gallery: New York: Kia Forte Koup

[Source: Paultan]

Continue reading VIDEO: First Kia Koup commercial hits the interwebs

VIDEO: First Kia Koup commercial hits the interwebs originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 17 Jun 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kia coupe headed to production mid-2009, replacing Spectra

Dan Roth — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 10:07:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, New York Auto Show, Coupe, Budget, Hatchback, Kia

click above for high-res gallery of the Kia Koup Concept

Wave goodbye to the Spectra name; Kia's planning on sending the moniker packing when the car is replaced in mid-2009. Kicking up the style as a way to grab the dollars of younger buyers, Kia will introduce the styling paradigm laid out by the Koup Concept at last year's New York Auto Show, which will grace a production sedan and coupe. The sedan will hit the market first, with the coupe following within a couple months. The hatchback Spectra will be out of the U.S. lineup entirely; Kia thinks the coupe and its sexier lines will move more units. European buyers will still be able to purchase the Spectra hatch as the cee'd, though. More style in this instance is a good thing. We've seen the Koup, and we like it. We've driven the Spectra, and we like that, too. If Kia can successfully match the chassis to the expectations set by the body, the Spectra's successor should have no problem maintaing that model's best-seller status in the Kia lineup.

Gallery: Kia KOUP concept

[Source: Automotive News - sub req.]

Kia coupe headed to production mid-2009, replacing Spectra originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 30 Jun 2008 10:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kia releases second teaser of next-gen Spectra

Dan Roth — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 11:32:00 EST

Filed under: Budget, Etc., Kia

First there was the sketch showing Kia's Spectra replacement, the Forte, looking tantalizingly great. Now comes what appears to be a photograph of the actual car to further whet our appetites. While we know the Forte is going to crib lines from the great looking Koup concept that we saw in New York, we can't help but be reminded of the Saturn Ion by this latest image. Maybe it's the angle, or the lighting, or the shape of the headlamps, we don't know. The side profile shows a vehicle that's exponentially more awesome than the melted Studebaker Lark looking thing that Saturn was selling not too long ago, so we'll go with that. The current Spectra is a decent looking car as far as conservatively styled vehicles go, but the Forte is a step up, with a form that evokes higher-end iron like Acura, and maybe there's a little G8 in that front stance. For now, Kia's got us like a putty in their palm, waiting for the next teaser shot to appear. How about it?

[Source: kia-world]

Kia releases second teaser of next-gen Spectra originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 24 Jun 2008 11:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kia to reveal facelifted Sportage in London

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Wed, 21 May 2008 09:01:00 EST

Filed under: Crossover, Kia, Misc. Auto Shows

As much as we would like the new vehicle that Kia plans to unveil at the British Motor Show to be the production version of its KOUP concept car, that doesn't seem all that likely. Instead, it appears that Kia has something rather less exciting in store. According to Auto Express, a revised Sportage mini-ute will be unveiled at the upcoming show in July, and this may be the vehicle Kia was referring to in their previous announcement. Nothing major to report as far as the update goes as "subtle improvements" are being made to both the interior and exterior of the vehicle. No changes will be made to the base 2.0-liter four-banger in either gas or diesel form, though the European audience will get an optional 2.7-liter V6 which is already available in the U.S. Considering how popular diesel engines are in the U.K., we're not surprised to hear that the Korean company is working on a revised version for the Sportage with extra power and lower emissions which should be available in short order.

[Source: Auto Express]

Kia to reveal facelifted Sportage in London originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 21 May 2008 09:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Green Genesis Coupe shows up, 286 hp turbo DI engine nearby?

Damon Lavrinc — Tue, 06 May 2008 18:38:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Hyundai, Misc. Auto Shows, Rumormill

Click above for more shots of the Genesis Coupe at the Busan Auto Show.

Two things revealed at this year's New York Auto Show had our salivary glands working overtime. The first was the Hyundai Genesis Coupe, which proved that at least one automaker (and now, two and possibly three) is getting hip to the idea that a rear-wheel-drive, two-door coupe with a turbocharged four-cylinder is needed in the marketplace. The second was over at the Kia booth, where Hyundai's sub-brand revealed its Koup concept, powered by a turbocharged 2.0-liter gasoline direct-injected (GDI) four-cylinder. According to Kia, this new mill makes 290 hp and 289 lb.-ft. of torque and could power several different models in both automaker's lineups.

Fast-forward to yesterday when we received a couple of tips about a green Genesis Coupe shown at the Busan Auto Show in South Korea. The coupe supposedly shared display space with the same THETA turbocharged GDI 2.0-liter on a separate stand, causing some members of GenFans to assume that the 290 ps (285 hp) engine was fitted to the green coupe. However, the "380GT" badge on the back reveals that the coupe is actually powered by the run-of-the-mill 3.8-liter V6.

We called up Hyundai to ask about the engine and the Coupe on display. Their response: "We're not commenting on it at this time." While we understand that certain cards have to be kept close to one's chest, it would have been easier just to tell us that the coupe on display and the engine at its booth have nothing in common. Since they're remaining disconcertingly tight-lipped, can we assume that the turbocharged 2.0-liter GDI will find its way into the Genesis Coupe in the future? We hope so. And with Hyundai's recent announcement that direct-injected engines are going to find their way into several of its models, it adds that much more fuel to the fire.

Gallery: Hyundai Genesis Coupe at Busan Auto Show

[Sources: Hyundai, GenFans]

Continue reading Green Genesis Coupe shows up, 286 hp turbo DI engine nearby?

Green Genesis Coupe shows up, 286 hp turbo DI engine nearby? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 06 May 2008 18:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New York 2008: Top debuts of the show (w/ Poll)

Chris Shunk — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 20:55:00 EST

Filed under: New York Auto Show, Coupe, Etc., Videos, Hyundai, Kia, Pontiac, Suzuki

The 2008 New York Auto Show press preview is in the books, and now it's the public's turn to roam the floor in the Javits Center. After thinking things over, we thought we'd put together a video of our top five most significant introductions from the show. New York served as a launching pad for exciting new vehicles like the Hyundai Genesis Coupe and Saleen S5S Raptor, so there were some winners to choose from. Click play on the video above to see our picks for the most significant debuts, and follow the jump to check out the high-res shots from the show floor and place your vote for which ride you think deserves the number one spot.

Continue reading New York 2008: Top debuts of the show (w/ Poll)

New York 2008: Top debuts of the show (w/ Poll) originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 22 Mar 2008 20:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New York 2008: Kia KOUP Concept comes out

Damon Lavrinc — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, New York Auto Show, Coupe, Kia

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Kia KOUP concept.

We were able to get a sneak peak of Kia's newest concept last night, but the wraps finally came off the KOUP at 9:40AM this morning, and the concept offers a design study that will most certainly influence the automaker's future offerings. The KOUP is a cab-forward two-door in a similar vein as the Honda Civic, but fortunately or unfortunately, that's not where the similarities end. The front fascia is a nice amalgamation of the Euro-Civic, with a few cues that are strikingly similar to Mitsubishi's current gaping maw. The beltline, beginning beneath the carbon fiber wing mirrors, plummets to define the slightly sculpted sides and terminates into a Lancer-like rear end. Naturally, Kia saw fit to outfit the KOUP with a handful of typical concept elements, including a panoramic glass roof, carbon fiber diffusers (front and rear) and Brembo calipers with cross-drilled rotors.

While the exterior design is handsome enough -- in a watered-down, mashup kind of way -- the real interesting bit is under the hood. Kia has outfitted the concept with a 2.0-liter Theta II turbocharged engine with direct injection that's putting out (according to the automaker) 290 hp and 289 lb.-ft. of torque beginning at 2,000 rpm. That theoretical grunt is sent to the front wheels that are suspended by a MacPherson strut setup, while out back a dual-link arrangement balances ride quality and handling. The KOUP is also equipped with Continuous Damping Control (CDC), which should keep things composed and comfortable when the going gets sporty.

Overall, the KOUP concept proves that Kia might finally be getting its stylistic act together, despite some of the derivative design cues that this too-close-to-production two-door is sporting.

Gallery: Kia KOUP concept

Continue reading New York 2008: Kia KOUP Concept comes out

New York 2008: Kia KOUP Concept comes out originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 20 Mar 2008 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New York 2008: Late Night in NYC with the Kia KOUP concept

Damon Lavrinc — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 20:51:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, New York Auto Show, Coupe, Kia

Click the image above for a high-res, albeit very red, gallery of the Kia KOUP.

Kia was kind enough to invite us (and the rest of the media types braving a monsoon in NYC) down to an art gallery this evening to check out this newest concept before its official unveiling tomorrow morning. The KOUP (we're unsure if it's pronounced "coupe" or "coup") is the next major step for Kia to evolve its current design language into something more palatable than what we've been endured in recent months (ahem, Kee Coupe Concept). From the details we saw in the awkwardly lit gallery, it looks like the designers could be on the right track, but we'll have to wait for the official reveal at 9:40 AM EST tomorrow to be sure.

Gallery: Kia Koup - Late Night Tease

New York 2008: Late Night in NYC with the Kia KOUP concept originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 19 Mar 2008 20:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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