Filed under: Marketing/Advertising, Kia

Kia is putting some distance between itself and the racy ads for the company's dual-zone climate control on the Sportage. According to the automaker, the sultry print ads were penned by the Brazilian ad agency Moma. Apparently, Kia Motors America has no business relationship with the company and didn't approve the print ads in any way. The manufacturer called the clever spots "undoubtedly inappropriate" in a short release. Despite disavowing any association with the marketing company that created the spots, the KMA statement goes on to apologize to anyone who may have been offended by the materials.

The ads featured children's tales in two temperatures, with a safe, cool telling of the stories in the left panels, and a more heated variant to the right. You can check them out for yourself in the gallery below. The art was reportedly displayed at a festival in Cannes, though we wouldn't expect to see them resurface stateside anytime soon. Hit the jump to read KMA's official statement on the ads.

Continue reading Kia disavows sexy cartoon ads

Kia disavows sexy cartoon ads originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 27 Jun 2011 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Marketing/Advertising, Kia

Advertising here in the United States is rather tame compared to what the rest of the world sees. At a recent festival in Cannes, creative works from around the globe were shown, and one of the advertisers at the awards event was Brazilian agency Moma, a company that works with Kia. The Moma team cranked their creativity up a notch by producing an ad to display around the festival, and it's the type of work that won't be coming Stateside anytime soon.

Moma was looking for a unique way to highlight the dual-zone air conditioning found inside the Kia Sportage. A poster was created showing two very different climates of the same situation - the left being relatively mild, with the right being heated up a bit - and the result is both hilarious and creative. We found two examples of the campaign on IBelieveInAdv.com, and you can take a look at each in the gallery below.

Kia gets wickedly suggestive with children's fairy tales for Sportage print ads originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 22 Jun 2011 16:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The ascendancy of Kia during the past couple years has been nothing short of remarkable. Consider that a few years ago Kia was known for nothing more than undercutting the competition price-wise, with acceptable, but hardly exemplary cars. Today, Kia has class-leading styling, while remaining price competitive. The Sportage, Kia’s small crossover, is all new for 2011 and is now in its third generation. In a field dominated by Honda CR-Vs and Toyota RAV4s, how does the latest Sportage stack up? Read on to find out!

While the small crossover segment is white hot, from a styling point of view, automakers are offering pleasant, if not bland, unoffensive designs. Kia was guilty of the same with Sportages of the past, but for the 2011 redesign, Kia took a radical change and decided to go bold. The risk, in my opinion, has paid off. The Sportage is no longer a wallflower, sporting edgy, crisp styling clues that make it a clear stand out. The sharp looks do come with some compromise, however. I found rearward vision compromised, but that is the price you pay for style. The optional rearview camera was definitely a welcome feature. The 18″ wheels, standard on our EX tester, were a nice finishing touch as well.

Inside, the Sportage offers a beautifully styled cabin. Gauges are clear and easy to read, and the controls are fairly intuitive. I still find the quality of materials a step behind Honda and Toyota, but the Sportage does not shout out bargain basement interiors, as it has in the past. Seats are comfortable enough, and for a small crossover there was plenty of interior room. I’ll give Kia an ‘A’ for style, a ‘B’ for quality.

Presently, all Sportages share one engine, a 2.4L four, good for 176hp. A six-speed manual is offered on the base model only, while the rest of the line use a 6-speed automatic, which proved seamless in operation. Buyers can choose between front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive. The Sportage offered peppy acceleration around town, but you won’t mistake it for a hotrod. Buyers wanting more power will have their needs met when a turbocharged Sportage debuts later this year. Kia went for a sport-oriented suspension tuning with the new Sportage, but the stiff ride might put off some buyers looking for a more coddling ride. I found the handling more than competent, and found it to be a compelling alternative to the VW Tiguan.

In a sea of sameness, the Kia Sportage is a breath of fresh air, that has the quality and ability to back up its looks. Our top-spec EX AWD was optioned out with navigation, Sirius traffic, rearview camera, and Premium package which added heated leather seats, an air-cooled seat for the driver, push button start, panoramic sunroof and rear sonar. Including delivery, out Sportage checked out at $29,990USD. Hardly inexpensive, but decked out with such premium features, our Sportage is actually quite price competitive. If you seek a small crossover with stand-out styling and sporty handling, the Sportage should be a must on your shopping list.

The Kia Sportage may be an underrated compact SUV, but it's not for off-roading. This enthusiastic Polish Dakar wannabe finds out the hard way, nearly starting a forest fire trying to get it to turnover. (H/T to Mateusz) [via Motofilm.pl] More »

Filed under: Aftermarket, SEMA Show, Crossover, Kia

It's not always easy to mix business with pleasure, and because of that, Kia has teamed up with the folks at Antenna magazine to create two custom Sportages - one for work, one for play. Together, Kia calls this pair "The Duel," and we're quite fond of both.

The blue Sportage, dubbed "Work," features a full host of gadgets and gizmos sure to make any on-the-go professional happy. Opposite to that, the red "Play" Sportage comes with goodies like a 22-inch LCD television and a motorized, stainless-steel grill, and the package is topped off with a Cannondale and Yakima roof rack. Take a look at both in our galleries below, and hit the jump for the full information in Kia's press release.




Photos copyright (C)2010 Jonathon Ramsey / AOL

Continue reading SEMA 2010: Kia mixes business and pleasure with pair of Sportage concepts

SEMA 2010: Kia mixes business and pleasure with pair of Sportage concepts originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 03 Nov 2010 20:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Budget, Kia, Earnings/Financials

In spite of a ridiculous 247WallStreet.com article that simply will not die, Kia appears to be doing anything but going out of business. Hyundai's "weakest brand," as it was called, just posted a 66 percent increase in profit for Q3. Kia's home market sales, in South Korea, rose by 25 percent, while international sales were only a shade off, increasing by 24 percent - in the U.S. specifically, sales were up eight percent.

That has meant 541,884 retail sales, earning net income of 666.6 Korean won ($593 million) and an operating profit of 421 billion won ($375M U.S.). Sales of the new Kia K5/Optima and Sorento have been credited - and we're sure new Sportage sales haven't hurt - and record profits are expected again in the fourth quarter.

[Source: Bloomberg]

Kia reports record third-quarter profit originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 31 Oct 2010 11:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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