The CarScoop Diaries: Settling Down is Hard to Do

In the 2010 film The American, there is a scene where a catholic priest tells George Clooney “Journalism can’t make you rich”, hinting that he knows the latter is not the photographer he claims to be but something much more sinister.

Truer words have rarely been spoken, especially when it comes to the specialized sector that is motoring journalism. It won’t make you rich* but, on the other hand, you’ve turned your hobby into a job and that job does come with certain perks.

First and foremost, you get to drive nearly every new car and that includes some of the best. You also visit some amazing places, meet very interesting people and gain an insight about the inner workings of the automotive industry.

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The Latest Super Bowl Ads from Audi, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes, Subaru, Toyota and VW

During the time we were offline, a number of carmakers released a whole new string of ads that will run prior to kickoff and during this Sunday's Super Bowl game between the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens in New Orleans.

There's a little something for everyone, from Mercedes-Benz's new CLA spot with Kate Upton and Kia's Space Babies, to the re-appearance of Big Bang star Kaley Cuoco in Toyota's 2014 RAV4 spot and Subaru's dog friendly commercial for the 2014 Forester crossover.

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New Kia Cross GT Concpet Hints at a Premium CUV Larger than the Sorento, Debuts in Chicago

Someone put a leash on Kia… Only weeks after the presentation of the new North American market Cadenza mid-size sedan at the Detroit auto show, and days after it announced the new Cee'd and Pro_Cee'd GT sport hatchbacks, and the Urban Concept for the upcoming Geneva Salon in March, the South Korean automaker revealed plans for the world premiere of yet another study. Read more »

Kia Adds "Girly" Fuchsia Colour and New White Edition to Picanto Range in Britain

South Korean carmaker Kia is expanding its offerings for the Picanto city car in the United Kingdom with the addition of a "girly colour", as described by the company itself, and a new special edition version. Read more »

Kia Introduces Spicier Pro_Cee’d GT and Cee’d GT Models with 1.6-liter Turbo

Dubbed the "most performance-focused Kia models yet", the South Korean automaker released pictures and some additional details about its new pro_cee’d GT and cee’d GT sport hatchbacks, ahead of their world premiere at the 2013 Geneva motor show in March.

We don't know what Kia's engineers have managed to do with the compact hatchback's uprated chassis, but in terms of performance, the turbocharged 1.6-litre GDI petrol engine producing 204PS (201bhp) and 265 Nm (195lb-ft) of peak torque seems to position the cars below the likes of the current VW Golf GTI.

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Kia Prepares a "Racy New Urban Concept" for the 2013 Geneva Auto Salon

Kia will be heading to Europe's first major international auto show of the year, which takes place in Geneva from March 7 to 17, with a brand-new concept model that was teased today through a set of renderings.

For now, the Korean carmaker has chosen to keep most details under wraps, including the three-door study's name. Here's what Kia did say about the car, which it describes as a "racy new urban concept" vehicle:

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NAIAS 2013: Kia Enhances U.S. Lineup with New Cadenza Mid-Size Sedan [Updated]

At the Detroit Auto Show, Kia revealed a new model for the American market named the Cadenza. The mid-size sedan is not new, as it was first launched in South Korea as the K7 back in late 2009 and was recently subjected to a facelift.

As is the case with most vehicles in Kia's lineup, the Cadenza is related to a Hyundai model and in particular, the Azera.

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Peter Schreyer Appointed President of both Hyundai and Kia Design Centers

On January 2, the Hyundai Motor Group Chairman and CEO Mong-Koo Chung announced that “brand innovation based on quality” would be the world’s fifth largest automotive group’s new direction.

A few days earlier, on December 28, Kia design chief Peter Schreyer was the first non-Korean to be appointed President of the brand – a remarkable achievement for the 60-year old German and an acknowledgement of his contribution in the carmaker’s success since joining Kia in 2006.

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Toyota Recalls the Most Vehicles in the U.S, Ford has the Most Campaigns in 2012

For the third time in the past four years, Toyota has been crowned the recall champion of the U.S. auto market, according to a Detroit News examination of all the data provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) throughout 2012.

Overall, some 16.2 million passenger cars, trucks, motorcycles and recreational vehicles (RVs) were recalled in the United States (13.5 million of which from the seven bestselling auto brands), representing an increase of 4.5 percent over the 15.5 million vehicles recalled the previous year.

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Scoop: Kia Working on a Subtle Facelift for Optima / K5 Sedan

New spy shots of a camouflaged Kia K5, which is the Korean domestic market name for the Optima mid-size sedan, have surfaced online in the carmaker's home country.

The test car snapped at a parking lot in South Korea was heavily disguised with the only visible part being the headlamps that appear to feature new circular units along with what looks like an LED accent strip sitting on top.

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Hyundai and Kia Sell 7.1 Million Vehicles in 2012, Up 8 Percent, But Expect Slower Growth in 2013

In the year that just ended, Hyundai and its Kia affiliate delivered a combined 7.12 million vehicles worldwide, which represents an 8 percent growth over 2011, beating their initial annual target of 7 million units.

Hyundai, which released detailed results, sold a little over 4.4 million vehicles in 2012, up 8.6 percent from the previous year, while the brand's December global sales were up 5.4 percent, at 391,152 vehicles.

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Kia and Hyundai Announce Google Maps and Search Integration for their Telematics Systems

South Korea's Hyundai and Kia brands have both announced a new partnership with Google that will see the integration of latter's content and search-based solutions enabled by Application Program Interfaces (APIs) on their respective telematics platforms.

The move will enhance the new generation of Kia's UVO eServices and Hyundai's Blue Link with fresh features supported by the integration of Google Maps APIs such as Send to Car, Point of Interest Search and Local Search by Voice.

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Peter Schreyer Becomes Kia's First Non-Korean President

The man who played if not the, one of the most important roles in turning around the global reputation of Kia as the firm's Chief Design Officer, Peter Schreyer, has been appointed to the role of president, the first non-Korean to hold that title in the automaker's history.

Schreyer, who will keep his position as Kia's design boss, is one of three presidents at the company. His promotion is a sign that the Hyundai and Kia group wants design to play an even greater role in the future as it continues its global expansion challenging Germany's car industry.

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New Kia Pro_Cee'd GT with 201HP 1.6-liter Turbo Driven!

If you've been monitoring the news in the automotive world lately, you will probably be aware of the fact that Kia is completing work on its first hot hatch to take on the likes of the VW Golf GTI – at least in theory – in Europe.

In addition to our own scoops, Kia has offered us teaser sketches and preliminary specifications on the GT variant of the five-door Cee'd and the three-door Pro_Cee'd.

As it turns out, though, Kia has done much more than that as we were tipped off about a video shot earlier this month in which a one Vadim Ovsiankin has not only filmed a prototype of the Pro_Cee'd GT inside and out, but he also took it for a spin on the road, where we see the sport hatch hitting speeds of up to 180km/h (112mph) on public roads.

Kia's two new GT models are powered by a new version of the brand's 1.6-litre GDI (Gasoline Direct Injection) petrol engine fitted with a twin-scroll turbocharger and strengthened internal components. Maximum output is 204PS (201bhp), up 51 per cent over the non-turbo engine, with torque up 61 per cent to 265 Nm (195 lb/ft).

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Scoop: Kia's New Pro_Cee’d GT Hot Hatch Busted

This past Monday, Kia revealed the first details and a second teaser sketch of its upcoming Cee'd five-door and Pro_Cee'd three-door hot hatchbacks, a few months ahead of their world premiere at the Geneva auto show in March next year.

Now, we have a batch of fresh spy shots of a Pro_Cee'd GT prototype as it was entering Kia's technical center in Germany.

The car was heavily camouflaged, but we can still see some of the details such as the unique 18-inch alloy wheels with red brake calipers, side skirts, the large oval tailpipes on either side of the rear diffuser, and with a little bit of effort, the aluminum trim and leather Recaro sport seats inside.

If Kia hadn't covered up the Pro_Cee'd GT, we would also have seen the rest of the aerodynamic add-on parts like the rear spoiler, the new front grille and lamp clusters, while the Koreans have said that the interior will gain a sports steering wheel, alloy pedals and bespoke surface materials.

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Kia Confirms Preliminary Specs for Pro_cee’d GT and Cee’d GT with 201HP 1.6L Turbo

As it seems, Kia is so excited about its first-ever shot at the hot hatch segment in Europe that it just can't wait to share more details with us.

Less than a week after the Koreans announced their decision to rival VW's Golf GTI with the three-door Pro_Cee'd GT, Kia has now not only confirmed the availability of a GT version of the five-door Cee'd, but also revealed preliminary specifications.

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LA Auto Show Welcomes All-New 2014 Kia Forte Compact Sedan with up to 173hp

The 2014 Kia Forte Sedan is yet another new model to receive its North American premiere at the Los Angeles Auto Show this week. It will go on sale in the first quarter of 2013 offering buyers a choice of two four-cylinder powerplants and will be followed up by a five-door hatchback and a coupe model.

Kia's new compact-sized sedan, which our international readers may also know as the K3 (Korea) and Cerato (Australia, Brazil etc), slots between the Rio sub-compact and the Optima mid-size sedans.

The Korean carmaker highlights the new Forte's more modern design which it says is "inspired by European sport sedans" but born in California at Kia’s American Design Center in Irvine.

Under the new bodywork, you will find a chassis that is longer (by 1.2 inches), lower (0.6 inches) and wider (0.2 inches) than the previous Forte sedan. Furthermore, at 106.3-inch long, the new Forte's wheelbase is two inches longer than before for improved interior space.

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2014 Sorento May Look the Same, But Kia Says 80 Percent of the Parts are New or Redesigned

If you were to take a quick look at the 2014 Kia Sorento, which is enjoying its North American premiere at this week's Los Angeles Auto Show, what you would probably see is the restyled front and rear ends, and some barely noticeable tweaks in the cabin.

Ask Kia, however, and the Koreans will tell you that there's much more than meets the eye to the revamped Sorento. In fact, Kia claims that more than 80 percent of the parts in the crossover are either "all-new or significantly redesigned", including the 3.3-liter GDI V6 engine producing 290 horsepower.

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Kia Teases New Pro_Cee'd GT with 1.6-liter Turbo, Targets VW Golf GTI and Ford Focus ST

Kia has not only confirmed the development of a performance version of its all-new Pro_Cee'd hatchback, but has also given us a launch date, the first details on the engine and even a teaser sketch of the car that we will come to know as the Pro_Cee'd GT.

Aimed directly at Europe's finest in the hot hatch category such as the upcoming Volkswagen Golf GTI, the three-door Pro_Cee'd GT will feature the Hyundai and Kia developed 1.6-liter turbocharged GDI engine and a six-speed manual gearbox driving the front wheels.

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MG Sets Kia as its Role Model to Achieve a Quick Rise in Europe

If you want to steal, steal from the best. It’s an old adage that still applies to the automotive world many times over, although no one is willing to admit it. The infamous Chris Bangle? Watch his “flame surfacing” on a large percentage of new cars around you right now.

Probably the best automotive “rags to riches” story in recent years is that of Kia. Having been around since 1944, it went belly-up during the Asian financial crisis in 1997. For most companies that would have been the end but not for the Korean manufacturer.

The Hyundai Motor Company acquired it and, investing heavily on European-based R&D facilities and plants, while also hiring former Audi designer Peter Schreyer who gave the cars a modern look, the carmaker's sales rose year after year to the point where production can’t keep up with demand.

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