Sorento, Optima Sustain Kia's Steady Growth

As bigger brother Hyundai takes center stage with the media and the public, Kia's blossoming is just as impressive, if not as acclaimed. Kia — which, in Korean, means "to arise or come up out of Asia" — is a dark horse in the auto industry. The carmaker was one of the fastest-growing brands in 2011, and its market share has grown for 17 straight years. "Our goal is to make 2012 our 18th consecutive year," says Tom Loveless, chief of sales at Kia.

The driving forces behind the company's growth are the Kia Sorento, Soul and Optima, according to Loveless. The pace has only picked up in recent years since the Korean automaker built its first U.S plant in 2009.

The Georgia assembly plant builds the latest generation of the Sorento, currently the carmaker's best-seller. Late last year, a $100 million expansion allowed the plant to build 360,000 vehicles a year. That will allow Kia to build 50% of the cars it sells in the United States domestically by the end of 2012, according to Michael Sprague, chief of marketing at Kia.

Kia Track'ster Concept: Photo Gallery

In terms of design, Kia put the pedal to the metal, literally, with its debut of its Track'ster concept. Building on the heavy-metal theme it used during its recent Super Bowl XLVI ad, the automaker hired a Motley Crue cover band to welcome the concept to the Kia stage at the 2012 Chicago Auto Show. They were loud; so was the concept’s bright orange paint.

More 2012 Chicago Auto Show Coverage

The Track'ster concept takes the Soul's looks to new extremes with exaggerated, enlarged wheel arches, a lowered stance and carbon-fiber exterior trim. Though Kia says it'll never be produced, Kia can always dream.

Kia Track'ster Concept at the 2012 Chicago Auto Show

• Looks like: Soul's portlier, menacing cousin
• Defining characteristics: The body is low and long, with eye-catching Whiteout White and Inferno Orange paint colors and flared, sculpted front wheel arches
• Ridiculous features: Taillamps that appear to be set into the rear glass
• Chances of being mass-produced: Not a chance

Although most people already consider Kia's boxy Soul to be bold-looking, the automaker is ramping things up with a new Soul-based concept. The Track'ster takes the Soul's looks to new extremes with loud orange paint, exaggerated and enlarged wheel arches, a lowered stance and carbon-fiber exterior trim.

More 2012 Chicago Auto Show Coverage

"The idea was to make the Track'ster tough looking, like a bulldog. But the car had to be approachable as well. We wanted to base the car in reality so people instantly knew it was a Soul, but with a lot of attitude," said Tom Kearns, chief designer for Kia Motors America.

Kia Teases Track'ster Concept

Is Kia's hamster-mobile getting some attitude? According to Kia, the Track'ster concept is its idea of what a performance-inspired Soul would look like. "The idea behind Track'ster was to build a thought-provoking concept about what the Soul could someday be," Kia said in a press release.

Kia released a sketch showing an aggressive, two-door version of its boxy compact hatchback. The automaker plans on showing off the concept at the Chicago Auto Show next week. Check back with us on Wednesday for more from the show. 

2012 Kia Soul: Car Seat Check

Known by my kids as the "hamster car" because of its entertaining commercials, the 2012 Kia Soul is a small, boxy wagon that can easily handle a couple of child-safety seats. It's not quite wide enough to fit three car seats, but an older child should be able to fit in the middle seat between two car seats. That's a lot of room for a bargain-priced vehicle.

For the Car Seat Check, we use a Graco SnugRide 30 rear-facing infant-safety seat, a Britax Roundabout convertible child-safety seat and Graco high-back TurboBooster seat.

Vote for the Cars.com's Shoppers' Choice Award

Cars.com's annual popularity award is back. We have found the 10 most popular new-car models that shoppers are not only searching for on Cars.com but are contacting dealers about. These models also receive positive consumer reviews.

This fervent interaction delivers a top 10 that might surprise some enthusiasts, but probably not the people who buy and sell cars.

Voting for this year’s Shoppers' Choice awards will be conducted entirely on Facebook, so go vote, share it with your network and get your favorite car the shiny trophy when it's announced Jan. 10 on the eve of the Detroit auto show.

Shoppers' Choice finalists (in alphabetical order):

• Audi Q5
• Dodge Challenger
• GMC Terrain
• Honda Accord
• Honda Pilot
• Kia Soul
• Ram 1500
• Subaru Outback
• Toyota Highlander
• Toyota Sienna

Movers and Losers: August 2011

I recently went car shopping, looking for an inexpensive second car to replace an aging station wagon. I knew the Kia Soul would be the least expensive option for us, and it can fit two child-safety seats in the back with space to spare. When I went to the local Kia dealer they had exactly one Soul on the lot. It was a 2012 base model with a manual transmission, which luckily was what I was looking for.

My wife and I decided to hold off on the purchase, but the fact that there was one silver-colored car to choose from in a busy suburban Chicago dealership illustrates how tight supply is for affordable new cars. The 2012 Soul tops our Movers list this month, tied with the 2012 Hyundai Elantra sedan, 2012 Nissan Versa sedan and 2012 Toyota Highlander.

Besides the Highlander, those are three of the most-affordable cars a shopper can possibly buy.

There are more expensive vehicles that are moving quickly, but overall, the Movers are affordable options in their respective segments and all are moving in less than 10 days.

At this time of year it’s difficult to come up with Losers using our guidelines as most 2012s are now appearing on lots. That has kept the average time a car spends on a new-car lot to 60 days despite many 2011s lingering for more than 200 days and a few close to 400 days.

It’s no surprise that Saab, with its uncertain future, has the two top … err, bottom spots on that list. We’d expect the now officially discontinued Mazda RX-8 to have attractive discounts as well.

2012 Kia Soul Priced at $13,900

For the 2012 model year, the updated Kia Soul starts at $13,900 for the base trim, excluding a $750 destination fee. That’s a $600 increase from last year, but the model has more standard features and more fuel-efficient powertrain options. The 2012 Soul is scheduled to go on sale this fall.

All 2012s get a mildly updated exterior and interior. Outside, you’ll see new bumpers and exterior lamps, including standard LED taillamps. In the cabin, the Soul gets better materials and improved sound insulation. Mechanically, all Souls get a standard tilt/telescoping steering wheel, electronic stability control and hill start assist. You can read our coverage of the 2012 Soul from the New York International Auto Show here. 

Affordable, Fun Cars Take Off in July

While car sales were flat in July overall, some specific models started selling faster than bug spray in the summer.

Many of the nation’s most popular cars — from the Ford F-Series to the Honda CR-V to the Toyota Camry — were in decline last month, but the same cannot be said for fun-to-drive cars with attractive price tags.

Few vehicles are more ideal for taking friends and skimboards to the beach than Kia's Soul, sales of which jumped 26% in July. That's not to say buyers only seek the front-wheel-drive Soul for summer purposes. The Soul's January sales were up 149% year-over-year with 5,345 units. July's new-vehicle market was 30% bigger than January's. But compared with January, the boxy Kia's volume was up 90% in July. With its low $13,300 starting price and modest engine, the Soul is also attractive to first-time drivers looking for a new car before heading off to school or that first job.

Toyota sales are still suffering in the aftereffects of the Japanese earthquake and recall woes, yet mixed in with the drastic declines was positive news regarding the Scion tC. No other Toyota passenger car — not at the Toyota brand itself or at Lexus or Scion — posted a year-over-year improvement.

2012 Kia Soul at 2011 New York Auto Show

• Competes with: Nissan Cube, Scion xB
• Looks like: The same outside with fuel-efficient engines inside
• Drivetrain: 135-hp, 1.6-liter four-cylinder with a six-speed manual transmission; 160-hp, 2.0-liter four-cylinder with six-speed manual or automatic transmission
• Hits dealerships: Fall 2011

The Kia Soul went on sale at roughly the same time as Nissan’s Cube and the redesigned Scion xB. The Soul quickly became car shoppers’ favorite, outselling the other two handily thanks to a sharp design and lots of value. For the 2012 model year, the Soul’s look gets moderately modified, but it also receives a more efficient pair of powertrains.

More 2011 New York Auto Show Coverage

LED is the word for the most notable design changes. LED taillights are standard on all trim levels, while LED daytime running lights are standard on the top Soul! trim level. There’s also a new hood and front and rear bumpers, but the overall design is virtually the same as before. Why mess with a winning formula?

In a world of $4 a gallon gas, the improvements to fuel efficiency are the most needed. The outgoing base Soul’s 1.6-liter engine gets 26/31 mpg city/highway with a four-speed automatic. The new six-speed manual returns 28/34 mpg while horsepower is now rated at 135 hp. The more powerful 2.0-liter engine is standard on the rest of the lineup and gets 160 hp while returning 28/34 mpg with either a six-speed manual or automatic transmission. That’s improved from 24/30 mpg for the four-speed automatic in the outgoing model.

The base model is still well-equipped with air conditioning, power windows, satellite radio and a USB port. A top trim Soul! comes with a sunroof, remote entry, Bluetooth connectivity and 18-inch wheels. There’s also a Soul sport trim that features upgraded entertainment systems including a voice-activated multimedia system and Infinity stereo.

Pricing hasn’t been announced, but we expect prices to remain close to the 2011’s base price of $13,300 with the 2.0-liter trims starting at $15,495.