Category: Kia

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SPORTAGE LEADING THE KIA SALES BOOM

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2022 was a bumper year for Kia. With total sales of 78,330 the Korean manufacturer finished third in the overall sales race behind Toyota and Mazda, the company’s first-ever podium finish. Along the way Kia also won family bragging rights by outselling sibling Hyundai for the first time. Star performer for Kia in 2022 was the fifth-generation Sportage which arrived at the start of the year and accounted for almost a quarter of the brand’s total sales. As with the previous model Sportage comes in four variants, S, SX, SX+… Read more

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NEW CAR SALES UP IN 2022 DESPITE SUPPLY ISSUES

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The Federal Chamber Of Automotive Industries (FCAI) has released the final Australian motor vehicle sales figures for 2022. Despite demand exceeding supply as a result of the usual suspects, COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine, the Australian automotive market still recorded sales of 1,081,429 new vehicles – an increase of 3% over 2021 sales. For the 20th straight year Toyota was Australia’s top selling car brand with 231,050 units, an increase of 3.3%. Although Mazda sales declined by 5.3% it remained in clear second place with 95,718 sales, with Kia… Read more

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KIA PICANTO GT

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Kia’s baby Picanto hatch was last upgraded in June, 2020. It saw a refreshed, more distinctive appearance and greater differentiation for higher grade models. The so-called ‘tiger-nose’ grille remains sleek and sporty but with a sharper and more assertive appearance. Below the grille is a restyled lower air intake, magnifying the aggressive look of the front end while the rear boasts a new bumper design with dual exhaust tips and a wider, more aggressive posture. New design 16-inch alloy wheels were also added. STYLING Picanto GT can be identified by… Read more

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KIA EV6 AWD GT-LINE (DUAL MOTOR)

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Back in the ’60s Gerry Anderson created the puppet phenomena Thunderbirds. The puppets or marionettes later grew into real life actors in shows like UFO and Space: 1999, complete with space-age clothing, architecture and futuristic cars that made a buzzing, turbine-like sound. I suspect many car designers have spent too much time watching sci-fi shows because most seem to think EVs should come in a futuristic package, with form taking precedence over functionality. Kia’s first dedicated, fully electric vehicle, EV6, is an example. It looks and feels more like a… Read more

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KIA SORENTO HEV AWD GT-LINE

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Sorento is the largest of Kia’s SUVs and the only large, mainstream SUV to offer three different drivetrains — petrol, diesel and petrol-electric hybrid (as well as plug-in hybrid). Now in its fourth generation, it comes in four grades, but if you want a hybrid — and who doesn’t these days — the choice is GT-Line or GT-Line. You can however save yourself a bit of money by getting the front-drive version, instead of all-wheel drive. Design elements from other models include a new ‘shark fin’ element on its rear… Read more

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KIA NIRO EV GT-LINE

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Kia Niro is a compact, five-seat crossover offered by Kia since 2016. Second generation Niro was launched in late 2021 and is essentially a downsized vessel for Kia’s electric technology. A partner for the larger, higher-priced EV6, it’s offered in three versions overseas: hybrid, plug-in hybrid and battery electric variants. Australia takes the hybrid and fully electric versions and the one we’re looking at here is the fully electric top spec Niro EV GT-Line. We were pretty impressed with the previous version and eager to see what changes had been… Read more

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POWER PLAY FOR KIA QUIET ACHIEVER

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The Sorento has been a major part of the Kia playbook for two decades, with the fourth generation seeing the light of day in 2020 in petrol and diesel variants. Now the range has been topped up with petrol / electric hybrids. Kia’s only seven-seat sports utility vehicle comes in the top GT-Line specification only, the straight hybrid version in front or all-wheel drive guise, while the hero model is a plug-in electric hybrid vehicle. The common-or-garden hybrid Sorento kicks off the range with the front-wheel-drive variant selling for $66,750… Read more

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ALL-ELECTRIC KIA EV9

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Kia has provided details of the final testing program undertaken by the Kia EV9 ahead of its world debut in 2023. The all-electric Kia EV9 will become the marque’s flagship model and the Korean company says it will, “revolutionise the large electric SUV segment, while accelerating Kia’s brand transformation and affirming its leadership in sustainable electric mobility. During this final testing phase, the EV9 is relentlessly to a verification program on a 4WD climbing hill and a rough terrain track, as well as a deep-water wading test, to ensure maximum… Read more

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KIA PICANTO 2017 – 2022

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CAPTION: A. B. C. 2020 Kia Picanto Kia was a relatively slow starter in the sales race in Australia as its sort-of big brother Hyundai was dominating it in many classes. However, Kia’s introduction of a seven-year warranty got a lot of attention from potential buyers and even today few other marques have matched it. Occasionally some other brands have beaten the seven-year offering but only on a temporary basis. There’s solid European influence in the styling of later models as they are from famed designer Peter Schreyer. The bold… Read more

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2022 KIA NIRO HYBRID

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Kia Niro is a small SUV that’s available in two efficient FWD electrified powertrains, the Hybrid Electric (HEV) and full Electric (EV). The previous Plug-In Hybrid (PHEV) has been dropped with the latest (MY23) update which arrived here in April 2022. Niro is a fairly large vehicle for its class, indeed it’s not far short of being a medium sized model. The wheelbase is a lengthy 4.72 metres. It is 4.42 metres long, 1.83 metres wide and has a height of 1.55 metres. Kia has an impressive seven-year unlimited distance… Read more