kia

The recalls were piling in hard and fast during this year. While we kept up with most of the ones which could’ve potentially affected car owners in the Middle East, we simply stopped keeping track around two months ago, because it became interminably boring writing up repetitive “recall” stories. However, we have a duty to at least highlight the ones which could matter, so here is a rundown of all the recalls in the last 60 days, most issued in the U.S. but which may also affect some GCC-spec cars. Consult your local dealer.

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Say what you want about the Americans, but they are a serious bunch when it comes to safety. The U.S. government’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration — NHTSA — is the one that mandates airbags and tyre-pressure monitors in all new cars, subdued automakers into making their roof strength higher while inadvertently making outward visibility worse due to thicker pillars, and is set to force rear-view cameras on all new cars by 2014 thereby making car prices higher. And if that weren’t enough, there are not one, but two agencies in the U.S. that conduct crash tests, one being the NHTSA and other being the private Insurance Institute for Highway Safety —

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The 2011 Kia Optima is hot. It is so hot that it is sold out wherever it has been launched so far. It is sold out in the UAE too, and it isn’t even out yet officially. The car will hit GCC roads by the first week of November, but Kia organised an all-day media test-drive in Dubai.

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The Kia Cerato hatchback is joining the Korean carmaker’s range for 2011. Technically similar to the 4-door sedan and 2-door Koup models, the new Cerato 5-door has the same overall width, height and wheelbase as the sedan, but the rear overhang is reduced by 190 mm, as is the overall length.

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Korea’s fast-growing carmaker Kia Motors has announced just announced a growth in sales of 24.4% for August, compared to August last year. Posting growing sales numbers throughout the recession, the news is overshadowed by the fact that Kia’s Vice Chairman Jeong Sung Eun resigned to take responsibility for the recent recall of four models as the South Korean carmaker, to be replaced by new Vice Chairman Hyoung-Keun Lee. Those Koreans sure take their recalls personally.

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The holy month of Ramadan is a time for being humble and hungry, so it pains us to see it being turned into a commercial enterprise where hotels that generally serve booze year-round try to entice customers with overpriced “ramadan tents” and car dealers start offering interest-laden products with “take loan now, get screwed later” offers. However, we don’t really mind genuine discounts in the spirit of Ramadan, and as such, the car market comes alive during this time. We just had a boost in traffic to our website thanks to people researching various models for purchase. Here is a list of the top 10 most researched vehicles on our website this Ramadan,

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The U.S. market has just received a new SX trim level for the 2011 Kia Sorento. The Sorento SX comes with a unique new front bumper, LED tail lights, 18-inch wheels, chrome trim and, most importantly, new “Dual Flow Damper” shock absorbers that make the ride more comfortable while retaining car-like handling. Interestingly, there were so many complaints about the regular Sorento’s harsh ride quality over bumps that Kia has decided to make the “DFD” shocks standard on all U.S. Sorento models for the 2011 model year.

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The U.S. NHTSA safety agency has announced a recall on the 2010 Kia Soul and the 2011 Kia Sorento, apparently to replace interior lighting wiring harnesses.

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Technically, the 2011 Kia Sportage has been on sale in the UAE for more than a month now. However, the local dealer for Kia, Al Majid Motors, chose to hold the “official” launch of the new Sportage alongside the opening of their brand new showroom in Deira, Dubai.

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The Korean-built Kia Picanto was voted the most reliable new car in the United Kingdom in a survey by UK consumer watchdog magazine Which? Car. Incidentally, the UK-built Land Rover LR3 placed last in the list.

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