Kia Dreams Big with Track'ster Concept car

 Kia Dreams Big

Kia Concept car 2012

                         

  What happens when a dream becomes reality? Kia is dreaming big with the Track’ster concept car. The track’ster was unveiled at this year’s Chicago Auto Show. Kia Motors America (KMA) our hoping to take the soul coupe concept and hints at would could soon be the successful Kia Soul.

                When coming up with this dream, Tom Kearns, Chief designer for KMA says “The idea was to make the Track’ster tough looking, like a bulldog.” The car needed to be approachable as well so that people would know the base of it was a soul. The goal would be to make it a soul, but a soul with attitude. The bold attitude the Kearns s refers to would be seen through the cars features; the bold colors, the signature grille, smooth integrated head lights, and deeply recessed lenses.

                The idea is to get soul fans to instantly recognize all its unique features, and to create an image in people’s mind, that this could become the new sportier, bolder, successful Soul. With performance at top priority, the Track’ster makes its way to the Chicago Auto Show with intentions to kick start a driving enthusiast’s heart. With an overall 66 percent increase over the original production of a soul, and a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4 engine pumps 250 horsepower to the pavement , the KMA’s are definitely putting their minds to work.

                While there are no current plans to produce the Track’ster, Kia’s California design center team enthusiastically took on the project. Kearns says, “They allow KMA’s design team to dream about what could be. Whether that dream becomes a reality or not is a separate question.” The Track’ster is only a concept as of now but KIA hopes that one day it will become a car sold on KIA’s lot! Remember, “We wanna see ya in a KIA!”

Kia Optima Hybrid is in the Guinness Book of World Records

Great news from our plant in West Point, Georgia! The Kia Optima Hybrid has recently set a world record in the Guinness Book of World Records, for "Lowest fuel consumption driving through all 48 contiguous states in a gasoline hybrid car".

The trip consisted of two drivers, Wayne Gerdes and Chris Bernius and their luggage, as they travelled across all 48 states in the continental United States. The record breaking trip was over 7800 miles and took 14 days to complete. The Kia Optima Hybrid used only 5.5 tanks of gas during the trip. In order to break the World Record, the Optima Hybrid had to achieve and average fuel consumption of 52.27 mpg. The Optima Hybrid went above and beyond, getting over 64 mpg which beat the car's estimated mpg by over 61%.

Senior Executive Vice President and COO of KIA Motors Corporation, Thomas Oh, had this to say about the Optima Hybrid's amazing feat, "While travelling across the United States the Optima Hybrid experienced temperatures ranging from more than 118 degrees Fahrenheit to less than freezing point. The team climbed through the formidable Rocky mountain chain and negotiated rush hour traffic in Chicago, New York City and Las Vegas – which makes the Optima Hybrid’s fuel consumption figure all the more impressive"

One of the drivers, Wayne Gerdes, said this about the record-breaking car, “The remarkable economy figure we achieved included driving in all kinds of conditions, from straight open highway and deserts to gridlocked city traffic, so this really was the ultimate demonstration of the real-world fuel economy that any Optima Hybrid owner can achieve with attention to the details of their driving style.”






We are so excited to share this news with you and our community. We have a huge selection of Kia Optimas and some Optima Hybrids! We wanna see ya in a Guinness Book of World Records Kia! To schedule a test drive, give us a call at 850-576-2116, or stop by Kia Autosport of Tallahassee 2755 W Tennessee Street.