May

Kyrie Irving Earns KIA’s NBA Rookie of the Year Award

Kyrie Irving accepted his KIA NBA Rookie of the Year Award at the Cleveland Clinic Courts in Independence. He earned a trophy and a Kia auto and won points for his humility and poise, attributes he often displays on the court. He is the second Cleveland Cavalier player to win the award, the other being Lebron James in 2004. Irving thanked his teammates, the coaches, the media, the great Cleveland fans for embracing him, and most importantly, his family.

Irving, who averaged 18.5 points per game, talked a lot about his father, whom he says helped shape his basketball game and, more importantly, his view of life. During the Kia award ceremony, he looked down at his father and told him, “I love you, man.”

The KIA NBA Rookie of the Year alluded to how nervous he was before his first practice, hoping to live up to expectations as the No. 1 choice in the draft.

To find out more about Kia’s involvement with the NBA, or to take a look at any Kia vehicle, contact Everett Performance Kia.

May

Kia Talks About When the US Will See the New K9

Kia Motors has finally announced its master plan regarding their new flagship sedan. Kia’s VP, Suh Choon-kwan, told media yesterday the company is planning to start exporting its K9 sedan to China next year and the U.S. the year after. Kia Motors launched the K9, the company’s first rear-wheel drive model, early this month in the domestic market, with a plan to export it to some other Asian markets, the Middle East and Africa from late this year.

The company aims to sell 18,200 K9 units globally this year and 25,000 units in 2013. Kia has high hopes for the K9, which will more of a luxury sedan, proving that the auto manufacturer really is moving up in the world.

“The K9 sedan will compete against the BMW’s 5 Series and Benz’s E-Class in global markets. Kia Motors will be able to achieve this year’s domestic sales target of 500,000 units, helped by strong demand for the K9 sedan” Suh told reporters after a news event in Yangyang.

To find out more about the future of Kia cars or to take a look at any Kia vehicle, contact Everett Performance Kia.

Apr

Kia Headquarters Wins Architectural Award

Kia Motors of America is currently celebrating another prestigious architectural award. Kia’s US Corporate Headquarters and Kia Design Center America, located in Irvine, have been honored with the “Good Design is Good Business Award” by Architectural Record.

The award is meant to honor a company that uses architecture to enhance their bottom line while prioritizing quality of life, community outreach and sustainability to achieve their goals. Finalists were judged on sustainability, work environment, performance and productivity, culture, development of new work tools, and space for employee amenities.

The Kia headquarters was one of the first companies in Irvine to install an eco-friendly system in the parking lot to help remove pollution and silt from surface water. The parking area landscape also features drought-resistant plants, and reclaimed water is used for landscaping irrigation and toilets.

John Yoon, VP of Human Resources of Kia America, told media, “The corporate campus symbolizes innovation through leading architectural design, as well as Kia’s ongoing commitment to the U.S. market, which has led to our record-breaking sales and market share increases.”

To find out more about the Kia company or to take a look at any Kia vehicle, contact Everett Performance Kia.

Apr

Kia Racing Team Gears Up For New Race After Podium Performance

Following the epic performance of Colin Braun in the Infinity Audio Optimia, in which the car made the podium in just its third race, Kia Racing sets its sights on Miller Motorsports Park for round four of the Pirelli World Challenge Championships. Colin Braun is currently seventh whil teammate Michael Galati is eighth in the Grand Touring Sport point’s battle. Thanks to his success at Long Beach, Braun’s No. 38 Optima will carry over 21 pounds of reward weight at Miller Motorsports Park, which at 3.1 miles long is the largest track the PWC visits this season.

Michael Sprague, VP of Marketing and Communications for Kia America, told media, “Our first World Challenge podium came much sooner than we’d expected, especially given how competitive this series is. The fact that we are running near the front this early in the Optima program’s history is a testament to the hard work put in by the entire Kia Racing team. And, of course, we are excited to get our first glimpse of the Rio 5-doors on the track in B-Spec.”

For more information about the new Kia Optimas, contact Everett Performance Kia.

Apr

NBA Member Receives Kia Community Assist Award

Kia and the NBA partnered in honoring the NBA’s own Gerald Henderson of the Charlotte Bobcats for his outstanding efforts in the community and his ongoing philanthropic and charitable work. He was given the Kia Community Assist Award and a $10,000 donation in his name The Beacon, an organization that provides homes to homeless veterans.

Gerald Henderson invited a group of 50 wounded veterans to a Bobcats game, and a private suite, in an effort to honor and thank them. A few couple weeks later, Henderson invited a local armed forces man who had just returned home from a tour in Afghanistan to be his personal guest at another game. He then visited a high school calculus class to encourage young people to excel in the classroom.

Gerald Henderson told media, “As a professional athlete, I feel I have an obligation both on and off the court to give back to the community that has continued to show its loyal and unbiased support. Helping others is something in which the Bobcats organization, my teammates and I take great pride and will continue to do so in the future.”

To find out more about how Kia honors those who honor their community, or to take a look at any Kia vehicle, contact Everett Performance Kia.

Apr

Kia Presents Wounded Veteran With Specialized 2012 Kia Soul

During the 2012 New York Auto Show’s opening ceremony, Kia Motors of America joined with the Wounded Warrior Project to present one disabled veteran who was injured in the line of duty with a 2012 Kia Soul. This wasn’t just an Kia Soul, however. This 2012 Soul was retrofitted by the Bussani Mobility Team to meet the disabled veteran’s special needs. The honored veteran’s name is Corporal Christopher Melendez who was injured on a routine patrol in Iraq by an IED bomb.

The Wounded Warrior Project is a national organization dedicated to helping those injured while providing service for their country. They also help to raise public awareness for these disabled veterans in need of assistance and recognition.

Michael Sprague, VP of marketing & communications at Kia America, told media, “The Wounded Warrior Project provides invaluable services to the men and women who have been injured in the line of duty, and it is an honor to donate one of our most popular vehicles to Corporal Melendez as a way to show our appreciation and support for those who have sacrificed so much.”

To find out more about the Kia company or to take a look at any Kia vehicle, contact Everett Performance Kia.

Mar

K9 Engineer Talks About the new Flagship

The new flagship sedan for Kia, called the Kia K9, is set to debut in early May. In order to answer some of the questions from automotive media, the K9′s Chief esign Officer Peter Schrever held a news conference to explain his design philosophy.

With a pencil and a large sketch pad, Schreyer showed media what it is exactly that makes this new upscale sedan different from its competitors. He highlighted the simplicity, attention to detail and balanced proportions of all the good stuff as compared to the BMW and Audi competitors.

Before Peter Schreyer took over for Kia design in 2006, he was a top designer for Audi and Volkswagen. Since then, the Kia name has grown into a major one in the US markets and even worldwide. Kia is the fastest-growing auto brand currently in the US with plans to grow even bigger with the success of the brand new K9 flagship sedan. To find out more about Kia or to take a look at any Kia vehicle, contact Everett Performance Kia.

Mar

Consumer Reports Rates Kia Rio as Top Subcompact

Consumer Reports is one of the most trusted entities when it comes to rating commodities, automobiles especially. They rate vehicles based on many factors so that consumers will be educated about what each vehicle has to offer. When they tested the 2013 Kia Rio, they commended it for its smooth transmission, low level of noise and handling. Subscribers can see their full assessment in the May issue of Consumer Reports.

David Champion, head of the Consumer Reports auto test center told media, “Subcompact cars were once collectively known as penalty boxes for their noisiness, rudimentary interiors, uncomfortable rides and weak performance. But now improved redesigns, combined with an affordable price and impressive fuel economy, make a number of subcompacts good choices for people looking to stretch their budget.”

The subcompact segment, or B-Segment, is one of the fastest growing categories in the vehicles world, currently. It’s a hot trend, and automakers are doing their best to make the best subcompact out there. It appear, Kia has succeeded at making the best one. If you’d like to take a look at a Kia Rio, contact Everett Performance Kia.

Mar

Kia Facebook Users Submit Songs For Kia’s Songlist on Spotify

Spotify is an award-winning digital music service found on Facebook and Twitter that allows users to share and listen to music instantly by hitting play on a music post or track. Through Spotify, fans of the Kia Rio Facebook page have been building an online playlist named the “Kia Rio Windows Down” playlist. Submissions began in February of this year and now include more than 1,100 songs, totaling more than 15 hours of music. Kia’s goal is to create the perfect playlist for a ride in the new Kia Rio subcompact car.

Michael Sprague, the VP of marketing and communication for Kia Motors America, says of the playlist, “”From our ‘Share Some Soul’ ad featuring LMFAO’s ‘Party Rock Anthem’ to Motley Crue belting out ‘Kickstart My Heart’ in last month’s Super Bowl commercial, music plays an important role in Kia’s marketing efforts and being the first in the auto industry to partner with Spotify continues that trend. Being the first to create a car-centric playlist on Spotify in the U.S. increases Kia’s interaction with our target audiences that are passionate about music and social media.”

For more information, or to take a look at the Kia Rio, contact Performance Kia.

Mar

Kia Sees Massive Sales Increase

2012 February sales for Kia Motors presents a record high sales for the month of February. Kia sold over 45,000 vehicles this last month. This massive amount of sales shows a 37% increase from February sales in 2011 and gives the year-to-date sales a 33% increase overall from last year.

With the evermore popular Optima and Soul, Kia keeps its reputation as being the fastest growing car company in the US. The Optima sold 11,558 in February with the Soul following closely at 10,876 sold units.

Byung Mo Ahn, president and CEO of Kia Motors America says of the record-breaking sales, “Kia’s record-breaking sales momentum has continued in 2012, and one of our key growth enablers has been the success and efficiency of our first U.S. manufacturing plant, Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia, which produced its 500,000th vehicle in February, just over two years since opening its doors.”

Kia is having to continually expand to cover the growing the demand for their product. If you would like to see what makes a Kia such an outstanding vehicle, contact Everett Performance Kia.

Recent Articles