Budget Car News

Kia introduces its new compact car, the 2010 Kia Forte at the Chicago Auto Show. The tasteful compact vehicle is a first for Kia, with its remarkably flared front fenders, distinct shoulder lines, bad-ass headlights, and a smoother body frame. This new design is the work of Kia Cars’ chief design officer Peter Schreyer.

The 2010 Kia Forte will be available in three options: LX, EX, and the SX model. The LX and EX models comes with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that has 156 hp and 144 lb-ft of torque, available in a five-speed manual and a four-speed automatic transmission.

There is a talk that a fuel-efficient model will soon be offered—a five-speed automatic transmission with an electric power train. This electric model is said to be good at producing 36 mpg on highways.

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Ford Car Talk, my favorite Ford blog out there, has just updated with these great photos of the upcoming 2010 Ford Fiesta, which will also be available in the United States!

More pics and an excellent article on Ford Car Talk.

“The Fiesta is similar to the Ford Focus in size and will be marketed as a sedan and a hatchback.

The marketing program will be maximizing the long term drive test but will also invite a number of people for a one-time test drive of the Ford Fiesta.

The American car manufacturer foresees the demand for the new vehicle at around 30000 to 70000 units on a yearly basis. This is still a rough figure without taking into account the jump or dive in the future price of gasoline.

The test units will have a 1.6L power plant that produces 120 horsepower in its engine bay.”