Kia Announces Pricing for the 2014 Cadenza

Kia announced this week that its reentry into the full-size sedan segment, the 2014 Cadenza, will start at $35,900 (including an $800 destination charge) when it hits dealerships later this month. The sedan — powered by a 3.3-liter direct-injection V-6 good for 293 horsepower and paired with a six-speed, sport-tuned automatic transmission — will be available in one trim level with two available options packages.

The Korean automaker calls the Cadenza, which debuted at the 2013 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, its "most powerful and technologically advanced" vehicle ever offered in the U.S. It is also Kia's first full-size sedan since the Amanti’s departure a couple of years ago.

"Aside from a unique blend of European-inspired design, dynamic performance and high levels of refinement, Kia's newest flagship offers class-leading interior room and standard features," Kia said in a statement.

Most-Watched Videos of the Week

The 2014 Toyota Tundra felt the heat this week as our video of the 2013 Chevrolet Camaro 1LE burning up the racetrack broke the pickup's icy grip on the top spot after three weeks. The video features a surprisingly favorable critique of the track-tuned-yet-livable Camaro by Cars.com reviewer (and Ford Mustang Boss 302 admirer) Joe Wiesenfelder, who got behind the wheel of the 1LE at Roebling Road Raceway in Savannah, Ga. Holdovers from the recent Chicago, Detroit and Los Angeles auto shows round out the top five. Check out what was popular this week:

1. 2013 Chevrolet Camaro 1LE
2. 2014 Toyota Tundra
3. Ford Atlas Concept
4. 2013 Toyota RAV4
5. 2014 Ram ProMaster

Most-Watched Videos of the Week

Our video featuring PickupTrucks.com Editor Mark Williams' introduction of the Ford Atlas at the 2013 North American International Auto Show in Detroit refused to budge from the top spot on the list of this week's most-watched videos. The concept truck was in good company this week as another video of the Atlas finding its way to the show floor in Detroit entered the list at No. 3. Yet another heavy-duty pickup truck from the Detroit auto show, the 2013 Ram HD 3500, joined the list in fifth place. Check out the top video above and see which others were popular this week:

1. Ford Atlas Concept
2. 2014 Kia Sorento
3. Ford Atlas Concept at the Detroit Auto Show
4. 2014 Lexus IS
5. 2013 Ram HD 3500

Most-Watched Videos of the Week

It's the Ford Atlas' world this week, and our other most-watched videos are just living in it. The video, featuring PickupTrucks.com Editor Mark Williams' introduction of the Atlas concept truck at the 2013 North American International Auto Show in Detroit hauled straight to the top of the heap. The rest of the top five videos also are from the Detroit auto show, including last week's lone holdover — the show-stealing 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray; it moves up one spot to third place this week. Check out the top video above and see which others were popular this week:

1. Ford Atlas Concept
2. 2014 Infiniti Q50
3. 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray
4. 2014 Lexus IS
5. 2014 Kia Sorento

2013 Detroit Auto Show: A Photo Gallery

Cars.com photographer Evan Sears has collected 25 of his favorite shots from this year’s North American International Auto Show in Detroit for a unique gallery.

"Photographing auto shows can be tricky," Evan says. "There can be any combination of questionable lighting, bad shadows, color casts and greasy fingerprints all over everything. Not to mention it's often difficult to get a clean shot when you're jockeying for space with scores of other photographers and journalists. But if you're patient and can anticipate the gaps in traffic, you'll often come out with great shots."

If you're heading to the show, we've posted a photo by Evan on the Cars.com Facebook page to see if anyone can duplicate it. Check it out here.

Evan's entire photo gallery is below and, as always, just click on a photo to enlarge it.

Most-Watched Videos of the Week

The 2013 North American International Auto Show in Detroit this week ushered in an almost entirely new crop of videos on our most-watched list, with the 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee shooting straight to No. 1. The second through fourth spots also were occupied by 2014 vehicles on display at the Detroit auto show. The lone holdover from last week was the 2013 BMW M5, which fell four spots to No. 5 from its previous perch atop the list. Check out the top video above and see which others were popular this week:

• 1. 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee
• 2. 2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class
• 3. 2014 Chevrolet Corvette
• 4. 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray
• 5. 2013 BMW M5

2013 Detroit Auto Show Winners and Losers: Concept Cars

We'd like to institute a new rule: Only cars that are truly conceptual in nature should be labeled as "concept" cars. Of this list, only the Hyundai or Nissan could be considered a true concept car; all the others are simply early versions of upcoming production cars due in the next year or two. That said, there was a good variety on display at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, in terms of style and segment. Here are our editors' picks for winners and losers of the latest crop of concepts. You can check out our grades for this year's crop of production cars here.

Acura MDX Concept

Aaron Bragman: Winner

Acura styling has wavered between boring and scary in recent years, but of the entire lineup, the MDX has always worn the Acura face the best. The brand apparently isn't going to mess with that success, and wisely so. I like the look of the MDX, despite its retention of the metal beak, and its new increased length seems to give it better proportions.

Joe Wiesenfelder: Winner

It's nice to see an Acura introduction that isn't in some way puzzling. This one looks good — probably better than ever. The beak looks less beaky here than in the past — at least against the show car's paint color. The bumper treatments are especially interesting. Will they appear in the real product? Probably. When Acura calls something a prototype, it usually doesn't mess with sheet metal. Technically, the bumpers aren't sheet metal, but still ...

Mike Hanley: Loser

I agree with Aaron that the MDX has had the best implementation of Acura's shield grille, but I thought the overall design of the MDX Prototype was a little boring — kind of like the brand's upcoming RLX flagship sedan. It seems that Acura, after being so heavily criticized for its front-end look the past few years, is now playing it safe — too safe.

David Thomas: Loser

Am I the only one who looks at this and sees no real difference from the current MDX that has been around for years? This is less an evolution and more of a Xerox. Besides the odd headlights and yes, a better-looking backside, the MDX Prototype looks prototypical to me.

Infiniti to Make Hybrid Version of Every Car

Nissan wants its Infiniti luxury division to sell 500,000 cars a year across the world, with 200,000 of those sales coming from China. The automaker also wants to sell more low-emissions cars, but it expects a production version of Infiniti's LE concept to account for just 25,000 global sales a year — a relative blip on the radar. How else do you sell more green vehicles? Build hybrids and a lot of them.

More 2013 Detroit Auto Show Coverage
 
"Every new [Infiniti] car that we bring will have within its lineup a hybrid," Andy Palmer, Nissan executive vice president, said at this week's 2013 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Palmer spoke at a media roundtable with other Nissan executives.

2014 Lexus IS Video

Lexus' rear-wheel-drive compact sedan is redesigned for 2014. The new Lexus IS has a more aggressive front end with an updated version of Lexus' spindle grille and expressive-looking headlights.

More 2013 Detroit Auto Show Coverage

With a larger backseat and high-quality materials throughout the cabin, Cars.com reviewer Kelsey Mays says the interior is top-notch, but wonders how drivers will like the sedan's new touch-sensitive climate control panel. Check out the video below.

2013 Dodge Challenger Wins Cars.com Shoppers' Choice Award

America loves its muscle cars, and Cars.com's Facebook fans once again proved as much by selecting the 2013 Dodge Challenger as this year's winner of the Shoppers' Choice Award. We can't say we disagree; as we stated on our Facebook page: "We think the Challenger's classic muscle-car styling, refined ride and handling, and spacious interior make this an excellent choice for anyone in the market for a fun, surprisingly practical coupe."

More 2013 Detroit Auto Show Coverage

The Challenger beat nine finalists and was ultimately selected based on the amount of activity generated by millions of shoppers on Cars.com, including how many people researched and reached out to dealers to check out the car. From all that activity, combined with the Facebook voting, we've determined that the Challenger best represents the voice of our users.

Dodge received its Cars.com Shoppers' Choice Award this week during the 2013 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Congratulations, Dodge, and thanks to the millions of Cars.com users who made this award possible.