Budget Car News

Around a monnth ago, Korean car manufacturer Kia announced the pricing for the hatchback 2012 Rio. This week, Kia reveals the tag price for the 2012 model of the Rio Sedan. The 2012 io sedan has a sticker price of $13,400 plus shipping and handling and you might end up paying around $14,150 for the entry level model with manual transmission. The four door sedan is about $200 cheaper than the 5-door Rio hatchback.

In case you do not want to drive a car with manual gear box, you can go for an automatic version of the sedan which starts at $15,250 for the base Rio.

The sedan variant of the 2012 Rio comes in three trims– the SX, EX, and LX. All versions are running with a four cylinder 138 horsepower 1.6L gasoline engine with direct injection. The powerplant can be coupled with either a 6-speed manual gearbox or a 6-speed automatic transmission.

The estimated fuel rating of the Rio Sedan is at 30 miles per gallon when drivin on city streets while it gets a bit better at 30 mpg on highway traffic. Next year, Kia plans to intoduce a start stop system that they call the ISG or Idle Stop & Go technology that will further improve the fuel economy numbers.

Across the Rio models, the follwing equipment come as standard: air conditioning; power steering; satellite radio by SinusXM with 3 months of free service; audio system with MP3 and USB provisions; ESC or Electronic Stability Control; HAC or Hill Start Assist; VSM or Vehicle Stability Management; and ABS.

The top of the line Rio Sedan SX can be yours for $18,250 which adds some aesthetic elements like metal pedals, LED accent lights in front, LED tail lights, steering wheel and shift knob wrapped in leather, folding side mirrors, vanity mirrors, voice activated entertainment and information system, and rear camera.

The German tuning company Irmscher unwrapped their latest project that gave the Kia Soul a royal, eye catching character. The re-styled mini MPV is tagged as the Irmscher Edition 001 of the Kia Soul and gets nice treatment for both its interior and exterior.

The urban ride from the Korean car manufacturer was originally designed at their headquarters in California. The aftermarket specialist company gave the exterior contrasting elements with some blackened elements of the body like the mirror caps, mid portion of both bumpers, and the roof. The Kia Soul also badged with Edition 001 sticker on its sides and rear to emphasize the customization done.

Irmscher also refines the ride by offering a set of Sports Star 18 inch alloy rims.

Checking out the interiors, Irmscher treats the Soul with some luxury seats on carbon-like finish with contrast red patterns on the middle. The leather finish is also applied for the peak of the dashboard, shift knob, and steering wheel.

The restyling to be an Irmscher Edition 001 can be done with all variants of the Kia Soul. Owners can go to Kia dealerships or Irmscher offices worldwide.

Kia takes the wraps off the next elegant, almost luxury class sedan during the Seouil Motor Show. The concept that may be in production version soon is called KND-5 or better known by insiders as the VG.

The KND-5 at first glance looks like a version of the Hyudai Azera and has similarities with the BMW 7-series. The KND-5 will be on sale in South Korea latter part of 2009 and will be rolling down the US dealerships after.

The KND-5 completes the fleet of Kia as the near luxury sedan with its siblings,like the Lotze or Amanti, classified as midsized sedans.

The VG strikes a nice stance with its very elegant lines from front to end. It will blast the road with its LED headlamps like the other luxury sedan competitors in the market today.

The grille of the concept car remains true to its symbolism of the tigers roar for continued countenance. The designers also installed twenty inch wheels to further refine the look of the new member of the Kia line up.

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