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Kia pimps its rides with sports themes at SEMA

LAS VEGAS--As the meme goes, "Yo dawg, I heard you like sports, so we put sports in your car so you can play while you drive."

Kia seems to have taken a page out of late '90s TV show "Pimp My Ride's" book when it commissioned the six custom models unveiled today at the 2011 SEMA Show. This selection of Optima Hybrids, Rios, and a Soul feature designs and accessories that are based on the golf, basketball, surfing, hockey, and, of course, motorsports.

The first model unveiled was a the Hole In One Soul built … Read more

2012 Kia Rio sedan to start at $14,150

Kia Motors revealed the prices of the 2012 Kia Rio sedan starting at $13,400 MSRP (plus in $750 destination charges). The Rio comes in three trim levels: LX, EX and SX, all powered by the same 1.6-liter gasoline direct injection (GDI) that boasts 138 horsepower and 123 pound-feet of torque.

The base trim, the LX, comes with a six-speed manual transmission, or customers can upgrade to an a six-speed automatic transmission for $14,500. The top-of-the-line SX trim starts at $17,500 (plus destination charges). All three trims offer an estimated 30 mpg city and 40 mpg highway.… Read more

CNET Roadside Assistance 030: The quicker fixer-upper

We help you find an American made fixer-upper car, build a waterproof stereo system for you off-roaders out there, and get the skinny on low rolling resistance tires on this episode of CNET Roadside Assistance.

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To focus on hydrogen, Hyundai passes Kia keys to EV market

Electric vehicles may seem like the inevitable evolution of the conventional gas-powered automobile, but not every carmaker agrees. Hyundai will sit out the pure-electric car round, and instead concentrate its efforts on designing the next-generation hydrogen fuel cell vehicle.

As part of a decision by the Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group, Hyundai--which owns 51 percent of Kia--will stop all efforts to develop and produce electric vehicles, according to Korean newspaper The Chosun Iblo. The auto manufacturer previously planned to produce the all-electric BlueOn, but it has shelved those plans and instead will focus on developing the Tucson ix Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle. … Read more

Car Tech Live 233: Frankfurt auto show (podcast)

The Car tech guys give us the highlights, low-lights, and drink plenty of beer in the process.

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Kia hamsters roll into a new ad campaign

Those hip hamsters of soul are back in a new ad campaign featuring "Party Rock Anthem," by the electro-pop group LMFAO.

The Kia hamsters have rolled through suburban neighborhoods and urban streets and are now in a dark, video game-inspired world to "Share Some Soul," in a new ad campaign.

The new campaign will feature 30- and 60-second TV spots as well as in-cinema, digital, and social media elements, Kia said in a statement.

The 60-second spot, available now on YouTube (check it out after the jump), will make its television debut on August 28 during … Read more

Kia previews RWD sports sedan concept for Frankfurt show

We've driven just about every variant of Kia's Optima sedan and the consensus is that they're all pretty good. We've even gone as far as to call the SX Turbo variant "sporty." However, for the handful of you holding out for a true sports sedan from Kia, the automaker has something even better on the horizon: a rear-wheel driven sports sedan concept that's set to debut in Frankfurt.

The jury's still out on the power train, as the automaker hasn't announced anything beyond the rear-wheel drive configuration and that it's &… Read more

CNET Roadside Assistance 023: Finding that perfect starter car. (podcast)

In this episode of Roadside Assistance, we help find a car, give our opinions on the Kia/Hyundai UVO system, and find someone a starter car.

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Kia Optima SX: Three of a kind

It's been raining Optimas this year, as Kia releases version after version of its midsize sedan, all with different engines. Earlier, we reviewed the naturally aspirated Optima EX and the Optima Hybrid. Now we have the SX, the most powerful Optima of the bunch.

With a turbocharged direct-injection 2-liter engine, this Optima follows the Volkswagen/Audi strategy, wringing a lot of efficiency and power out of four cylinders. On paper, the Optima SX gets very similar fuel economy to its EX sibling, but with a lot more horsepower. But the turbo in the SX made it hard for us … Read more

CNET Car Tech: 2011 Kia Optima SX Turbo

The Kia Optima comes in three power trains, including a hybrid. But a V6 is not one of them, unlike its rivals Accord, Camry, and Fusion. What gives? Kia thinks a turbo 4 can do the job better. Brian Cooley takes you for a drive to check the tech.

You can also read CNET's full review of the 2011 Kia Optima SX Turbo here.