Have you seen the new commercial for the all new Kia Soul? It’s sleeker, sexier and more sophisticated than ever. And we’re not just talking about the 2014 Kia Soul. The formerly frumpy Kia Hamsters have totally transformed themselves into lean, mean, head-turning machines, much like the all-new Soul. Watch as they hit the gym and shed their furry folds to the tune of the latest and greatest anthem from Lady Gaga, “Applause.”
Expect Revamped 2015 Colorado / Canyon From GM
General Motors gave its first look Thursday of the all-new midsize pickup family that it will start selling next year, keeping the traditional names: the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon, said Chief Financial Officer Dan Ammann.The 2015 model pickups return to the GM lineup after ending production a year ago. The final stock is still being sold off.
While full-size pickups are huge business in North America, compact or midsize pickups register less than 2% share of total industry sales, according to data from Polk analyst Tom Libby.
Ford was once a leader in the smaller truck segment. But when Ford redesigned its midsize Ranger, it chose not to sell it in North America, steering customers instead to the larger F-150. The Ranger is a hit elsewhere in the world, and Ford can’t build enough of them.
In the U.S., the Toyota Tacoma, which has about 50% of the small-truck market, has largely filled the gap for consumers who want a smaller pickup that fits in their garage.
In 2012, the last time GM offered the small truck, it had 16.4% of the segment in the U.S., said spokesman Jim Cain. Sales of the two totaled less than 46,000.
GM will build its new pickups in Wentzville, Mo., where it has invested $513 million in new tooling. They are North American, not global vehicles, although they do share components with their counterparts sold in Brazil, Thailand and other international markets, said Ammann who met with reporters at the Center for Automotive Research conference.
Ammann said the two models are targeted at different buyers.
“The Colorado is positioned as a sport truck,” Ammann said, while the Canyon is the work truck.
There is room in the segment with Ford no longer a player, Libby said. GM and Ford usually mirror each other’s actions, making small pickups a notable exception that will be interesting to watch.
“Ford will be watching. If the Colorado and Canyon do well without hurting sales of the Silverado and Sierra, Ford will have to reassess,” Libby said.
Catch An Early Look: All New 2015 Kia Sedona
After skipping the 2013 model year and returning for 2014, the Kia Sedona is getting a full redesign for 2015, which we see for the first time in these new spy shots. The new Sedona isn’t going to look as much like the 2011 KV7 Concept as we had hoped, but we definitely see some key styling cues from the Kia concept minivan.
Even though it’s covered in heavy camouflage, we can see that some of the KV7’s cues on the 2015 Sedona include the vertical front marker lights, the horizontal taillights and the pinched beltline starting at the C-pillar. Kia’s trademark Tiger Nose grille is present and accounted for, as is the telltale dip in the windshield.
All in all, the next-gen Sedona already looks to be a significant improvement over the current, generally boring model, which dates back to 2006 and has a striking resemblance to the Ford Freestar. There is no word yet as to what will power the 2015 Sedona, but our spy shooter said that this prototype was most likely powered by a 2.2-liter diesel.