LA: 2014 Kia Forte

Both Kia and Honda are releasing small cars at the Los Angeles International Auto Show. We have yet to drive either, but based on looks, Kia certainly has the upper hand. In order to keep sales consistent, Hyundai and Kia have staggered model releases. Hyundai gets the newest generation models first, while Kia follows later.

Hyundai released the 2011 Elantra to great acclaim while the Forte remained a previous generation model. For 2014, the Forte is all-new and you can see some styling influence from the Elantra that it is based on. The good news though, is that it is better looking…a lot better looking. In fact, it is one of the freshest designs in the segment. 

 

This continues a trend of us liking Kia designs more than their Hyundai counterparts. Hyundai took Fluidic Sculpture too far and is now showing off a more toned-down “Storm Edge” look beginning with the new Santa Fe. Kia’s designers are some of the best in the business. What a startling turn-around from just a few years back, when their cars were, at best, nondescript. Curiously, they didn’t release any pictures of the Forte. If they keep up the good work though, we will get a stylish driver-centric cockpit feel.

Despite not showing off the interior, they did release a host of other details. Keeping with Kia’s aim for a premium feel, the Forte has standard features like LED accent lighting and optional features like high-intensity discharge headlights. Under the hood you have the choice of two engines: the first is a 1.8-liter four-cylinder, making 148 horsepower and 131 pound-feet of torque. Moving up to the 2.0-liter unit will get you 25 extra hp and 22 lb-ft. of torque. The Forte goes on sale early next year. The model we are really looking forward to is the new Koup model. Despite not being fans of the sedan the last time around, we have always liked that car.

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2014 Kia Forte going to L.A. Auto Show

The South Korean based automaker Kia has recently announced its plans to introduce the 2014 Forte to this year’s Los Angeles Auto Show, on the 28th of November.

With a hot version of the new-gen Kia Pro Cee’d and with the Kia Pro Cee’d GT making its way onto the market next year, the carmaker has big plans for its future models and one of those plans includes the 2014 Forte, which will make its public debut tomorrow (November, 28), during the 2012 Los Angeles Auto Show. The Kia Forte is basically a rebadged version of the K3 and it’s coming with an elegant styling.

The 2014 Kia Forte has a rakish windscreen, LED infused headlights, a prominent grille, a sweeping shoulder line, distinctive taillights and some chrome accents. The cabin of the model is adopting high quality materials and it’s getting a new design. The North American version is being kept into the shadows in terms of performance and engine lineup but the South Korean variant is getting a 1.6 liter four-cylinder unit under its hood, producing a total output of 140 HP (103 kW) and 167 Nm of torque (123 lb-ft). Additional details on the 2014 Kia Forte are limited for the moment and will be announced during the 2012 L.A. Auto Show.

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Road Trip Guide: 5 Secrets to Beating Thanksgiving Traffic

With the potential of a Thanksgiving storm, it’s important to do a full check of your vehicle before getting on the road. This is an obvious tip, but it’s something many people overlook. Don’t just fill up and take off, it’s important to check your oil, brake fluid, coolant, and especially your tires and tire pressure before getting on the road for a long trip.

1. Plan out an alternate route.

More travelers mean more cars, and more accidents, make sure you have at least one alternate route planned out that you can take to avoid huge delays. Try to plan your route along less popular freeways. Even if the mileage is a bit more it will be worth it when you’re driving 65 for that extra 10 miles than stuck locked in traffic for an extra 2 hours. This is also a good idea for those traveling very long distances where weather may be an issue.

2. Have a connected navigator.

It doesn’t do you any good knowing about a great alternate route when you’re already swamped in traffic, so try to have a passenger that can look online at the traffic as you go. There are tons of great apps out there like Sigalert.com, Waze, and INRIX Traffic. With the help of your passenger and one of these apps you can see where the trouble areas are on the road and proactively avoid them. If you plan on going it alone make sure to pull off the road before using your phone. Distracted driving is one of the leading causes of single passenger vehicles.

3. Leave at an awkward hour.

Driving at night may not be fun, but it is a great way to avoid the traffic saving you time and stress. Consider resting all day and not getting on the road until 9pm. It is important to make sure that you get plenty of rest before setting out on a long night drive, as fatigued driving creates a huge hazard on the road.

4. Make your drive on Thanksgiving Day.

Generally the traffic is much lighter across the U.S. on Thanksgiving Day itself, meaning that you can avoid the hassle of traffic the day before and get where you’re going without having to leave at a strange hour or risk sitting in traffic for hours. Unless you are traveling an extreme distance, leaving at 6 am Thursday morning should give you more than enough time to make it wherever you are going in time for dinner.

5. Leave early!

Sunday is by far the worst day to be making your return trip, and the traffic will only increase as the day goes on and the last of the stragglers are getting back on the road. Friday is the best day to hit the road for the return trip. Of course that does not leave you a whole lot of time to visit the family if you just drove up the day before, consider taking off the following Monday and returning then. That way you’ll miss all of the holiday traffic, and have an extra two days to spend with the family — OK, maybe just leave Friday.

Kia Becomes a Time Machine in New Ads With Blake Griffin

In basketball, traveling violates the rules. But in advertising, sending a basketball star on a time-traveling odyssey, inside the sponsor’s product, makes for clever commercials.

In a humorous campaign, Kia Motors America and its agency, David & Goliath, are reteaming with Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers for a series of commercials in which the basketball star drives a Kia Optima sedan as if it were a time machine.

The campaign is to begin on Tuesday, to coincide with the start of the 2012-13 National Basketball Association season. The 2013 Kia Optima is the “official vehicle of the N.B.A.”

The commercials feature Mr. Griffin using the Uvo voice-activated entertainment and information system inside his Kia Optima to send him back to different years from 1995 to the early 2000s.

The years, it turns out, are his “Wonder Years,” to borrow the title of the TV series, in that in each commercial Mr. Griffin meets a young actor playing a younger version of himself.

Blake Griffin in the Kia advertisement.

For instance, in the first spot Mr. Griffin asks to go back to 1995 and Uvo summons up the song “This Is How We Do It” from that year. He meets up with a version of himself who, based on his birth date in 1989, is about 6 years old.

“Who are you?” the child asks Mr. Griffin, who replies, “You, from the future.” The child wonders if Mr. Griffin’s Optima is his spaceship, to which the grown-up replies, “No, it’s way better.”

Then, in a dig at Mr. Griffin’s reputation for having problems with free throws, he advises the youngster to “practice your free throws.” On parting, Mr. Griffin takes a shot — and misses.

The Kia association with Mr. Griffin began when he dunked over a Kia Optima at the 2011 N.B.A. All-Star Game.

Sports and music are two of the four pillars of the Kia brand’s outreach to its target audience, along with popular culture and what the company calls the “connected life” — that is, technology like Uvo.

“The immediate impact” that Mr. Griffin had “on our brand was incredible,” said Michael Sprague, executive vice president for marketing and communications at Kia Motors America in Irvine, Calif., and “proved to be very successful with the N.B.A. fan.”

“We felt we needed to do it again,” he added.

Mr. Griffin’s family provided images of him as a child to make it easier to cast the children in the commercials, Mr. Sprague said, and “within hours” of the casting calls getting under way in Los Angeles and New York, “we had some great people to represent him.”

A different child portrays Mr. Griffin in the second commercial, which is set in 1997 and uses the song “How Bizarre.” In that spot, Mr. Griffin encounters the younger version of himself playing football with friends.

“Wrong sport,” he tells the child, kicking the football far away. He also offers the junior Blake some fashion advice: “Stop wearing jean shorts. Just trust me.”

There will be three additional spots, Mr. Sprague said, to be released periodically as the N.B.A. season progresses. The five spots will run on networks like ABC, ESPN and TNT as well as on the Kia channel on YouTube.

Although football may be the wrong sport in the commercial set in 1997, it is the right genre for Kia advertising, at least when it comes to the Super Bowl. Kia has announced it would return as a Super Bowl sponsor, buying time during Super Bowl XLVII on Feb. 3, 2013.

Although Mr. Sprague declined to talk about what the Super Bowl spot will be about, he did rule out a couple of possibilities. It will not be a commercial featuring Mr. Griffin, he said, nor, as of now, will it be a spot with the popular hip-hop hamster characters for the Kia Soul.

SEMA Kia/DC Entertainment Justice League Custom Vehicle Unveiling

How To Keep Your Car Clean and Orderly

While you might think of your vehicle as simply a means to get from
point A to point B, in reality it's a portable household with everything
you need and want while you're on the go. Setting up regular routines
to maintain your abode on wheels will keep you humming happily
down the road.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Empty everything out of the vehicle and trunk, discard the obvious garbage, and return coffee cups to the kitchen.
2. Sort the remaining items into piles, such as maintenance supplies, kids' stuff, music and videos, manuals and maps.
3. Clean all interior surfaces. Vacuum the floors and seats, wipe down the dash and doors, clean windows and shake out the floor mats.
4. Keep a trash bin on the floor of the back seat, or hang a trash bag from the dashboard.
5. Stash kids' toys, small books and travel games in a behind-theseat organizer (a hanging shoe bag works, too), within reach of backseat passengers. Periodically rotate items in and out to keep kids interested.
6. Stow CDs in visor organizers. Separate kids' tunes from adult music.
7. Store the following in the glove compartment: owner's manual, maps, vehicle registration information (if required), auto club information, accident report form, notepad, pen, disposable camera, flashlight, list of emergency contact names and numbers, tire gauge, paper napkins and any other frequently needed or essential items.
8. Purchase or make an emergency kit for your vehicle and store it in the trunk or rear of the car. Include booster cables, a tire gauge, flares, reflective tape, a help sign, a screwdriver, pliers, a first aid kit, work gloves, a blanket, an old towel or rags, a jug of water and motor oil. 
9. Put together a survival kit, especially if you live in a cold-weather climate. Include candles, waterproof matches, energy bars or candy bars, large plastic garbage bags and rubber bands. Keep larger items, such as cat litter (for slippery roads), a collapsible shovel, an extra blanket and heavy socks, hats and mittens (enough for several passengers), in a duffel bag or tub in the trunk or rear of the car. 
10. Tackle the car again every season. Restock all your kits; check your maintenance schedule to see when servicing is needed.

SOURCE: eHow

2012 Kia NBA Tip Off - Working hard to be the best

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Kia Justice League Concepts Celebrate Halloween at 2012 SEMA Show

Kia is in the Halloween spirit at this year’s SEMA show. The Korean automaker today unveiled its five Justice League inspired SEMA concepts, based on the Optima, Rio, Soul, Forte Koup, and Forte hatch. Built for charity in collaboration with DC Entertainment, the Justice League Kias honor Batman, The Flash, Aquaman, The Green Lantern, and Cyborg.

We’ve already seen quite a few of the Justice League Kias; the Batman Optima SX Limited was unveiled in New York a few weeks ago, and The Flash Forte Koup and Green Lantern Soul were teased last week, so the two biggest surprises paid tribute to Aquaman and Cyborg.

The Aquaman Rio hatch, built by West Coast Customs, features a fishy-looking exterior with a gold and green paint job, styled with scales to look like Aquaman’s outfit. The Rio’s exterior is finished off with a custom grille and massive (on a Rio) 20-inch wheels. Inside, West Coast Customs continued the Aquaman theme with green leather and yellow accents. The headliner was replaced with green suede, and the trunk features an underwater scene filled with Aquaman comics.

The Cyborg Forte 5-door is another concept we hadn’t yet seen. It gets an aggressively styled wide-body kit, made from metal, which reportedly seek to emulate Cyborg’s ability to morph to fight crime. The Cyborg Forte also gets a silver pant job, and red LED lights to make the Forte look even more like its namesake. Inside, the Cyborg Forte features a red-on-red color scheme and a tablet mounted in the center console.

The Flash Forte Koup was one concept that got teased last week. Like the Flash, the Flash Forte Koup is about performance. It gets a red, orange, and yellow exterior matching the Flash’s costume, a custom coil over suspension, and 20-inch wheels wrapped in Continental rubber. Being a West Coast Customs concept, the Flash Forte Koup features two ten-inch subwoofers in the trunk, with a four-channel amp, and monitors mounted in the front headrests.

The Green Lantern Soul was built by our sister magazine Super Street. This wide-bodied Soul is wrapped in green and black paint with its rear doors welded shut for a more aggressive appearance. The Green Lantern Soul’s deep dish wheels are custom one-off 18 by 10.5-inch pieces of art, featuring the Green Lantern’s logo on them.

Check out the gallery here for an up-close and personal look at all of Kia’s Justice League Concepts.