Long time readers know I simply cant stand the editorial douches, er staff I mean, at Edmunds but a new article caught my eye today and I thought it worth recommending. Titled 'Top 10 Dark Horse Cars' and I will let them preface the article with this; "In many cases, mainstream favorites (top selling cars) are popular for very good reasons, but there are other choices that are just as worthy of your buying dollars, if not more so. These are the dark horses — the cars that somehow fly just below the radar when it comes to consumer awareness, but nevertheless have a lot to offer shoppers on the hunt for quality and value." Of course there is a Kia on the list, duh! Read the whole thing HERE.

Well, not so much invade as store! Down in Florida there is an empty and no longer used airport that was utilized by Kia as a temporary storage facility for a thousand or so new Kia vehicles; all wrapped with the protective white plastic for shipping. With way too much time to kill some rather cynical folks came across the image on Google Earth and decided that the all white vehicles simply must be an invasion force for the UN being readied to take over some where. The local paper in Clay County has been overwhelmed with calls asking about the UN invasion force, the papers rep says they have heard everything from and Iraq invasion to connections to Haliberton and BP! The funny part is that the cars arent even there anymore, Google Earth isnt in real time and the image is over a year old! I kinda think Kias would be a great way to invade some place, great pricing... great mileage..... what more would you want when getting invaded?!!! Read the chuckles here!

"Flathead Jack's twin-engined vintage dragster goes 170 mph, but the 16 chromed injector stacks make it look like it'll at least break the sound barrier".... Nuff said! To a hard core fan this pic is better than the NSFW stuff I sneak peaks at when I'm sure no one is looking! Read more HERE.
Ps. big hat tip to ma buds at Jalopnik for the Friday CarPorn!

To celebrate the 2010 World Cup games, which start tomorrow morning by the way, the Kia Soul has gotten into the futbol/soccer spirit with the newest app seen in the video. Well worth the minute or so it runs so click, smile and giggle away! Go Italia!
Oh, and whats futbol have to do with cars you ask? Well, Kia is the main sponsor for the World Cup Games so shut it! :)

Wondering whats coming next from Korea?
New Kia Picanto: Next-generation Picanto is scheduled to go on sale in Europe late next year. It will be available as a three door or five-door model. The model will grow in size and will be much safer than existing Picanto (note: the current model only got three stars at EuroNCAP crash tests). Powertrain updates will include a brand-new three-cylinder turbocharged engine with up to 110 horsepower. An all-electric Kia Picanto is also set to debut within three years, according to latest rumors. Expect the new Picanto to look as stylish as other latest Kia vehicles!
Next-generation Kia Rio: Kia Rio is expected to debut in spring 2011. There are not much of information available at this point except of that Kia will call the model K2 in Korea.
All-new Kia cee’d: The most-popular Kia vehicle in Europe will undergo a major redesign within two years. It will feature new three- and four-cylinder engines, as well as a diesel-hybrid powertrain. Dual-clutch gearbox will also be available according to sources close to Kia.
Kia Forte 5-doo hatchback: Following the Forte four-door sedan and sporty two-door Koup is the five-door Kia Forte. Exhibited for the first time at the New York auto show in April, the Forte hatch brings the long-awaited 6-speed automatic transmission to the Forte range. Hopefully, the 6-speed automatic gearbox will soon appear in other two Kia Fortes.
2011 Kia Optima: Unveiled at New York auto show, the all-new Optima is scheduled to hit the US-market in the second half of the year. The all-new mid-size sedan from Kia Motors is set to take on hot-selling 2011 Hyundai Sonata sedan and other established nameplates, including the Ford Fusion, Toyota Camry and Honda Accord. Probably, the hottest-looking Kia sedan ever, the Optima features highly advanced powertrain technology such as brand-new 6-speed automatic gearbox and new 2.4L four-cyl. engines with gasoline-direct-injection technology for improved performance and fuel-efficiency. Turbo engine as well as hybrid powertrain will be available for the first time in a Kia vehicle sold on the US soil. Possible variants of new Kia Optima include Optima Sporty Wagon and Optima Coupe.
2011 Kia Sportage: Another hot-looking Kia vehicle headed for its US sales debut. Coming to the showroom floor this fall, the new Sportage is another embodiment of Kia’s whole new family-look pioneered by the brand’s design guru Peter Schreyer and Kia’s entire design team.
2011 Kia Soul: The multiple award-wining crossover will not receive any major styling updates for the 2011 model year. However, it is very likely the 2011 Kia Soul will receive vastly improved powertrain technology, including new 2.0L four-cylinder engine coupled to a six-speed automatic tranny.
Let us not forget about Kia Soul’ster pick-up as we might see it debuting by the end of 2011 or early in 2012.
Kia K9: The Hyundai Genesis sedan based Kia luxury car. Its only a rumor for now, but some people say there’s a market for a luxury Kia vehicle. What do you think?
Kia coupe: It will most probably happen after-all. According to British magazine Autocar, Peter Schreyer’s been pushing Kia to add such vehicle to its vehicle line-up: sources say the coupe would be based on the Kee concept revealed in 2007 and built on the platform used by the Hyundai Genesis Coupe. A perfect combination!! Add a cabrio variant and we have a new dream sports car.
Not all the above are slated to be brought stateside, those darn Europeans always seem to get the coolest cars! Read more HERE!

IRVINE, Calif., June 2 PRNewswire -- Joining the 2010 Forte compact sedan and 2010 Soul urban passenger vehicle, the 2011 Sorento compact utility vehicle has been recognized as a "Top Safety Pick" by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) in the midsize SUV category. I hate to say it but I have been trying to tell you all this for a while now... :) Read More HERE.

IRVINE, Calif., May 26, 2010 – Kia Motors America (KMA) today officially released a new advertising campaign, titled "This or That," for the 2010 Kia Soul. "This or That" is the rebirth of the initial Kia Soul award winning advertising campaign created by David&Goliath, KMA’s advertising agency of record, and brings back the lovable Hamsters due to popular demand. Soul is a unique and highly personalizable urban passenger vehicle and the new spot builds on its creative theme in the style of a music video set to the classic hip hop track "The Choice is Yours" by notable 90’s hip hop group Black Sheep. Its really worth the 1:01 min it runs, make sure to look for the 'lame' hamsters driving the cardboard box and the toaster; winder who they are poking at there! Great follow up to a great start of a campaign, see it HERE.