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2015 Kia Soul EV Prototype

Spend a few days chatting with the good people of Seoul about their neighbors to the north, and you'll find a pattern emerges. When they first start talking, South Korea's citizenry speaks openly and ardently about seeking reunification with their North Korean brothers and sisters. Yet once you get beyond casual conversation, you'll find that those hopes and wishes aren't all that they first appear to be. Quite reasonably - and despite everyone's best intentions - there's genuine fear that opening the border with communist North Korea would severely tax South Korea's finances, infrastructure and daily lives. It's almost as if reunification feels like something the general public has to say they want, even if they're really not buying into the reality.
It's kind of like the way American consumers and the media have been crying out for electric and hybrid automobiles, yet when it comes time to vote with their pocketbooks, their hearts just aren't in it. There are potential financial and infrastructure concerns, along with lingering worries about how well EVs will integrate into their daily lives. Today, hybrids and plug-ins make up about three percent of new vehicle sales, and the vast majority of those models are gas-electric models - one in particular. Pure electrics aren't yet even a drop in a very large bucket. It's exactly this uncomfortable dichotomy that rings in our heads as we drive through the traffic in Namyang at the wheel of a 2015 Kia Soul EV prototype.
Of course, one can't blame Kia for developing an electric car - it has California's zero-emissions mandates to meet, regardless of whether the segment's sales suggest there's a sound financial strategy attached. Kia officials we spoke with at this early drive of the company's electrified 'box' car seemed to tacitly acknowledge the Soul EV's difficult business case, but pointed to the company's effort to reduce its CO2 output as part of its reason for being. And besides, their beancounters' industry-wide projection for global EV sales in 2018 is 600,000 units, so there's got to be room to grow, right?

2014 Kia Cadenza goes on sale this month priced from $35,100*

Kia's sedan lineup is about to get much more luxurious with the addition of the new Cadenza and range-topping Quoris models, but the Amanti-replacing 2014 Cadenza will be the first to hit dealers this month with a starting price of $35,100 (*not including $800 for destination). For those keeping record, that's more expensive than Hyundai's version of this car, the Azera, and about $1,000 more than the Genesis, but it sounds like the new front-wheel-drive Kia will be getting a few more advanced features than its Hyundai counterpart.
In base form, the Cadenza comes standard with leather seating, navigation and a premium Infinity 12-speaker audio system, and the $3,000 Luxury Package adds nappa leather seats with a ventilated driver's seat, a seven-inch thin-film transistor (TFT) display, heated rear seats, power tilt and telescoping steering column, adaptive HID headlights and a panoramic sunroof. On models already equipped with the Luxury Package, buyers can also add on the Technology Package, which includes adaptive cruise control, blind spot detection, lane departure warning and hydrophobic glass on the front doors - previously, Kia stated that the Cadenza would be getting this water-repelling technology on the windshield, but this press release specifies that it will be applied to the front side windows. And if these two packages aren't enough luxury for you, Kia's cherry on top is a no-cost White Package that adds white nappa leather seats, woodgrain trim and a premium headliner.
All in, the 2014 Cadenza will run $41,100 with every option box checked, so we can only imagine how much the Qurois is going to cost when it makes its debut. Scroll down for the press release detailing the pricing for the new Cadenza.

Kia Soul EV ad campaign charges up with sexified hamsters

It's official: Kia's adorable Soul-hawking Hamsters have crossed that line. It was one thing when they first hit the scene, and we got a small chuckle out of their trimmer looks for the refreshed, 2014 Soul. This, though, is too much.
This is Kia's latest commercial for the 2015 Soul EV, and it starts off typically enough. The hamsters seem to be tinkering in a laboratory attempting to modify a standard, gas-powered Kia. But then, some Weird Science-like trickery occurs and, well, the results are rather disturbing.
You'll need to watch yourself if you want to experience the horror. Take a look, and then head into Comments and let us know what you think.