Kia Soul gets fired up with limited-edition Ignition

Kia wants you to consider its 2010 Soul a template ripe for customization, and if you can't think of funky things to do with it, Kia will be glad to help you. This is the Kia Ignition Soul – the second special edition after the 1,200 Denim Souls released earlier this year – in "scorching" Ignition Orange, with offset black striping and blacked-out 18-inch rims, an alloy gas cap, and a rear spoiler.

It starts at $17,500 for the manual, making it $200 more than the Denim. But you won't complain about equipment: upgraded stereo, moon roof, keyless remote entry, tinted windows, cruise control, Bluetooth, and then some. Kia hasn't indicated yet if the Ignition Soul will be limited in number like the Denim was.

[Source: Kia]

PRESS RELEASE

ALL-NEW SPECIAL EDITION 2010 KIA IGNITION SOUL
Sizzling Limited-Run Special Edition Soul Hits Dealer Showrooms

- Ignition Soul offers scorching new color, prominent wheels and rally-inspired skin
- Second in line of special edition Souls offers same value, safety and myriad personalization options as the original Kia Soul

IRVINE, December 16, 2009 – Kia Motors America (KMA) today announced the arrival of the special edition Ignition Soul, the second of four special edition Souls to roll into dealerships. The 2010 Ignition Soul, named for its unique exterior color treatment, extends the youthful urban passenger vehicle's radical styling even further and demonstrates Soul's expansive list of personalization options. The Ignition Soul joins all other Soul models as a 2010 "Top Safety Pick" by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). This second special edition Soul offers consumers yet another opportunity to find a Soul as unique as their own personalities and is matched with impressive fuel economy figures and standard safety features.

"Soul continues to demonstrate its styling versatility and ability to evolve," said Michael Sprague, vice president of marketing, KMA. "Ignition Soul offers consumers yet another way to express their individuality in a new way, packaged with the same value, safety and technology as the standard trims."

Exclusive to the Ignition Soul is a unique ignition orange exterior color, striking black 18-inch alloy wheels with machined accents, an athletic-looking body kit and rear spoiler found standard on sport trims, an alloy fuel door for an even more contemporary appearance and a bold off-set black racing stripe to complete the overall appearance. Like the previously launched special edition Denim Soul, Ignition Soul is based on the Soul+ model and is fully loaded with the Audio Upgrade Package (center speaker, subwoofer, external amplifier and speaker lights that pulse to the beat of the music), an iPod® connection cable for full functionality via the radio head unit and steering wheel controls, carpeted floor mats, moon roof, fender vents with side marker repeaters and fog lights. The special edition Ignition Soul starts at $17,500¹ with a five-speed manual transmission.

Building from the Soul+ model, Ignition Soul also offers standard keyless remote entry, privacy glass on the rear and rear side windows, body-color door handles and dual body-color power side mirrors. Soul+ offers additional standard features including cruise control with steering wheel-mounted controls, Bluetooth® hands-free connectivity, dual 12-volt power outlets and tweeter speakers, all enhancing creature comforts on the road, as well as a covered upper storage bin, dual visor vanity mirrors with covers and dual map lights. Black cloth seats are adorned with Soul logo inserts, further personalizing the cabin.

About the Kia Soul
The Soul has won numerous accolades since arriving in dealerships, including two "Top Safety Pick" awards from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a "2010 Automotive Excellence Award" by Popular Mechanics, a "Super Value Award" by The Active Network, Inc., being named to Ward's Autoworld's "Interior of the Year" list for "Grooviest Interior, named to 2009 Coolest New Cars Under $18,000 list by Kelley Blue Book's Kbb.com," among several others. Available in four trims, Soul, Soul+, Soul! (exclaim) and Soul sport, pricing for the versatile five door begins at $13,300 for the base trim, while Soul+ starts at $14,950. Enhancing to the Soul! or Soul sport offers a price beginning at $16,950.

Standard Kia Safety Features
Soul continues to offer the same high level of standard safety equipment as all new Kia vehicles, including front seat active headrests, dual front advanced airbags, front seat-mounted and full-length side curtain airbags. An Antilock Brake System (ABS), Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Traction Control System (TCS), Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD), Brake Assist System (BAS) and a Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) also are standard. Front and rear crumple zones, side-impact door beams, impact-absorbing steering column and Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) system also come standard on all Soul models, making for a comprehensive list of standard safety features.

Industry-Leading Warranty
Like all new Kia models, Soul is covered by a comprehensive warranty program, which offers unprecedented consumer protection. Included in this program are a 10-year/100,000-mile limited powertrain warranty, a five-year/60,000-mile limited basic warranty, and a five-year/100,000-mile antiperforation warranty. A five-year/60,000-mile roadside assistance plan also is part of the comprehensive coverage program.

About Kia Motors America
Kia Motors America (KMA) is the marketing and distribution arm of Kia Motors Corporation based in Seoul, South Korea. KMA offers a complete line of vehicles through more than 660 dealers throughout the United States. For 2008, KMA recorded its 14th consecutive year of increased U.S. market share and more recently achieved its best quarter of sales ever in 2009. Kia Motors subscribes to a philosophy of building high value, high quality, safe and dynamic vehicles. Kia Motors prides itself on producing vehicles that are exciting and enabling and evoke the Kia tagline "The Power to Surprise."

Kia Motors America is the "Official Automotive Partner of the NBA." Information about Kia Motors America and its full vehicle line-up is available at its Web site – www.kia.com. For media information, including photography, visit www.kiamedia.com.

1 MSRPs exclude freight, title, taxes, license, options and dealer charges. Actual prices set by dealer.

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Cargraphic brings Airlift system to Audi R8

The Audi R8 is undoubtedly awesome. It is also undoubtedly low, as in to the ground. Not low enough to prevent you from getting around, but you pay close attention anytime the word "driveway" comes up. Cargraphic has engineered an airlift system to address the issue that can raise the car 72 mm (2.8 inches) in 15 seconds. The best part about it is that it doesn't alter the dynamic performance of the car's suspension.

The airlift places small bellows on the upper spring cup of the suspension. When the bellows aren't inflated, the mounting point is rigid, so the suspension responds as normal. With the compressor, the total weight is just 3 kilos, and there are no hydraulics or fluid to deal with. And the system comes with a remote control, in case you want to show off your additional three inches when you're not in the car.

[Source: Cargraphic]

PRESS RELEASE

With style through the ups and downs
The Cargraphic Airlift Suspension vehicle elevation for the Audi R8

The Audi R8 sets benchmarks and has the situation under control all the time. Its supremacy is, however, deceptive as even a high curb or a steep garage drive can limit the R8's territory. With the Airlift Suspension from vehicle tuner Cargraphic, however, the R8 driver can literally leap over the boundaries which have existed to date, without ruining the expensive front spoiler in the process. For "existing damage" Cargraphic also offers attractive replacements and complete R8 aerodynamic packages in a carbon design as part of its collection.

The pneumatic height compensation system Airlift Suspension, which has been developed in-house, elevates the vehicle at the front spoiler by up to 72 mm. In order to protect the suspension, the process lasts just 15 seconds. "This also results in a cool show effect", says Cargraphic General Manager Michael Schnarr, "particularly in connection with the radio remote control." But show alone is not the remit of the "Performance company". As a result the Airlift behaves completely neutrally with regards to its driving dynamic qualities. Walter Roehrl proved this on the Hockenheimring in 2009 with a correspondingly equipped Cargraphic Porsche 997 Turbo (video stream at www.cargraphic.de). But how is this possible, as after all "air" is not supposed to be part of the good basis of a high-end driving dynamics solution.

The surprisingly fast to mount Cargraphic Airlift is not an air suspension system, but merely consists of air bellows and a separate compressor. The former sit on the upper spring cup of an ideally tested BILSTEIN B16 CSC coil over suspension system and are only used to compensate the height. In inactive condition the bellows form a rigid frictional connection, so that the coil over suspension system alone is used – above 50 km/h the system lowers automatically. The small boot remains untouched by the conversion and the vehicle weight is increased by a mere 3 kilos including the compressor. Effective and efficient, just the way customers of Cargraphic like it. Unlike similar hydraulics solutions, there is also no danger of the insides of the car being ruined by an oil leak. After all, the reputation of the Audi R8 can't receive a black mark on its white vest. Another considerable advantage is: the Airlift is delivered complete with a TÜV/technical component report and does not limit the choice of wheel/tyre combination. Thereby the customer can draw on the attractive R8 alloy program of Cargraphic without limitation, in which the company from Landau offers plenty of designs in 19 and 20 inch, one-piece or three-piece designs. Sonorous stainless steel exhaust systems which are produced in-house by Cargraphic – with or without a valve control system – are also available to round off the design melodiously.

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