Red 2011 Kia Soul Hamstar Special Edition Has Arrived

 The 2011 Kia Soul Hamstar Special Edition has arrived. Gliding onto Kia showroom floors everywhere, bringing its funky styling, a cult following and a $20,000 price tag that includes a smooth 4 speed automatic transmission, the Soul Hamstar Special Edition continues to turn heads the same way it did when it landed at the 2010 SEMA show.
The is the sixth trip down Special Edition lane for the Kia Soul Hamstar. Funky and the Kia Soul are synonymous, and this 2011 Special Edition is no exception. This tricked out little beauty has millions of Youtube views for its commercials that feature cars, music and six foot tall hamsters. It even has its own hamster clothing line.

The 2011 Kia Soul Hamstar Special Edition lives up to its pop culture filled predecessors. This Molten Red head-turner has black matte stripes along the sides and sports a black hamster logo on the hood. More exterior style features include a power sun roof, some fog lights, a sporty spoiler and bumpers that match the color of the car’s body. The black fender vents and fuel cover are nice accents as well. It rides on 18-inch black alloy-wheels.
Looks aren’t everything, except when it comes to cars, but fear not. The Special Edition is sexy on the inside as well.
Unique, custom hamster floor mats provide a stylish look, while leather trimmed seats ensure comfort while cruising. The front seats are heated for extra help on chilly days.
The 2011 Special Edition features Smart Key push button starts, a leather wrapped shift knob and steering wheel, and also automatic climate control to keep you looking and feeling cool.
Music is a large part of the hamster scene, and the 2011 Hamstar Special Edition pays special attention to it. It sports an Audio Upgrade Package that has a subwoofer, a center speaker, and a 315 watt external amplifier that really gets this box bouncing. Speaker lights that pulse to keep time with the music are a great added touch.
In a world of cars that sometimes seem like the same old thing, the Soul Hamstar Special Edition brings style, funk, and fun to the dance. Fresh ideas combined with thoughtful designs make for a desirable package. The Special Edition won’t last forever as supplies are limited.
The 2011 Kia Hamstar Soul starts at $20.990 – including a $695 destination charge – which makes it most expensive model in the 2011 Soul crossover lineup. [Source: Kia]

Kia Motors Places Two Vehicles on MSNBC.com's List of "Ten Most Improved Cars of 2011"

Influential Online Resource Recognizes Eye-Catching 2011 Optima and Best-Selling 2011 Sorento CUV, -- Stylish and performance-oriented midsize sedan became a serious contender in the segment in 2011 with its combination of power, fuel economy, modern amen

IRVINE, Calif., May 24, 2011 -- /PRNewswire/ -- Coming on the heels of back-to-back all-time monthly sales records and a series of consumer and critical acclaim, the 2011 Kia Sorento CUV and 2011 Kia Optima midsize sedan were recently recognized by MSNBC.com as two of the "Ten Most Improved Cars of 2011."  Both vehicles were praised by the reputable online resource for their stunning styling, increases in power and fuel efficiency and overall value and are direct result of Kia Motors' ongoing design-led transformation as the brand continues to solidify its place as a market leader in value, styling, technology and safety.

"As Kia's aggressive design-led transformation continues, we are pleased to be recognized by MSNBC.com for the significant enhancements made to our lineup, offering even more style, power, fuel economy and overall value than ever before," said Michael Sprague, vice president, marketing & communications, Kia Motors America (KMA). "The U.S.-built(1) 2011 Sorento has been our best-selling vehicle for 16 consecutive months while the 2011 Optima delivers three fuel-efficient powertrains and an ideal combination of technology and fun-to-drive performance, attributes that are important to today's value-conscious buyer."

About the 2011 Kia Sorento

The 2011 Sorento, the first vehicle to roll off the line at Kia's new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in West Point, Georgia, encompasses both the brand's signature design cues as well as its distinct combination of value, safety and style.  The 2011 Sorento, which has been Kia's best-selling vehicle each month since going on sale in January 2010, offers consumers a well-equipped, well-appointed CUV, suited perfectly for the fun, dynamic and discerning driver.  Available in base, LX, EX and SX trim levels, the 2011 Sorento features a starting MSRP of $21,195(2) and a number of standard convenience features, including air conditioning, a tilt and telescopic steering wheel, SiriusXM™ Satellite Radio capabilities and three months complimentary service(3), MP3 connectivity and Bluetooth®(4) wireless technology connectivity with steering wheel-mounted voice activation controls to enable hands-free operation for compatible mobile phones.

About the 2011 Kia Optima

With completely redesigned and sleek exterior styling, the 2011 Optima is available in three trims, LX, EX and SX, and offers a wide array of convenience and luxury as well as impressive technology features like an AM/FM/CD/MP3/Sat audio system with SiriusXM™ Satellite Radio capabilities and three months complimentary service, auxiliary and USB audio input jacks and standard Bluetooth® wireless technology connectivity with steering wheel-mounted voice activation controls.  Available with three all-new and fuel-efficient engines, a 2.4-liter GDI four-cylinder, a 2.0-liter GDI turbo or a 2.4-liter hybrid (available next month), pricing for the stylish and performance-oriented midsize sedan begins at $19,200(5).  Starting this fall with the 2012 model year, the Optima will move production to Kia Motors' first U.S.-based plant in West Point, Georgia, joining the best-selling Sorento CUV.

Kia Motors America releases pricing information for its all-new Optima hybrid car…

Kia announced today that its first-ever hybrid vehicle is scheduled to go on sale in the United States in June, with a starting price of $26.500. The price excludes a $750 destination and handling fee.
Under its hood, the 2011 Optima hybrid features the carmaker’s highly-advanced hybrid powertrain technology that enables the car to deliver up to 35 MPG in city driving and 40 MPG on the highway. Kia’s in-house developed hybrid system is known as “full parallel hybrid system”  which means it also allows the owner to drive the car at full-electric drive mode with speeds of up to 62 miles per hour.

The 2011 Optima Hybrid sedan employs a Virtual Engine Sound System -VESS, which is standard on all Optima Hybrid cars. The VESS system plays a pre-recorded engine sound during electric-only operation to help notify people outside the vehicle that it is approaching. It also features a highly- advanced lithium polymer batteries, supplied by LG Chem.
Available in two trims, the Optima Hybrid comes standard with features like dual zone automatic temperature control with rear vents, push-button start with smart key, eight-way power adjustable driver’s seat, Supervision cluster with LCD display, leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, fog lamps, heated outside mirrors and LED tail lamps.
Kia Optima Hybrid is also the very-first vehicle from Kia Motors to be available with UVO system. The UVO is a hands-free infotainment system similar to Ford’s Sync that includes a 4.3-inch full-color display providing information on media content, phone-book data and vehicle information.

Kia Launches Soul Hamstar Edition

The hip-hop hamsters that star in Kia's award-winning "This or That" commercial have inspired a new version of the Soul that will arrive at U.S. dealerships later this spring.

The Special Edition Hamstar Soul stands out with black exterior graphics, a rear spoiler, black fender vents, rear bumper appliqué and 18-inch alloy wheels. The cabin sports a pushbutton ignition, leather-wrapped steering wheel, automatic climate control, black leather seats and Hamstar floormats.

The hamsters have drawn a wide and appreciative audience, according to the Nielsen Company, which gave "This or That" the highly coveted Automotive Ad of the Year award at the 2011 New York Auto Show.

Kia won that same advertising honor in 2010 for the original hamster campaign, "A New Way to Roll." Nielsen said the campaigns have contributed to significant increases in consumer awareness, perception and consideration of the Kia brand, and led to record sales of the Soul. In March, the Soul became the second Kia vehicle to sell more than 10,000 units in a single month, and year-to-date sales are up 50.8 percent.

Kia Motors sells a record number of cars in the first quarter of 2011…

Kia Motors set a new quarterly sales record in the first three months of 2011 thanks to growing demand for its vehicles in the U.S. market the company announced today.

During the January-March period, the company sold 565.355 new cars and SUVs globally (+ 20 percent from the same period last year). According to Kia, domestic sales came to 125.631 units, while exports rose to 439.724 vehicles.

The record sales are also expected to raise Kia Motors global market share to over 3 percent for first time in its history. Kia’s market share has been steadily growing from 1.9 percent in 2007 to 2.1 percent in 2008, 2.6 percent in 2009 and 2.9 percent last year.

Automotive industry experts expect Kia’s global sales to grow further in the second quarter of the year when the carmaker begins increasing exports of its 2012 Rio and 2012 Soul crossover vehicle and moves the Optima production to Georgia, USA.

By country, the United States remained the largest market for Kia Motors with 104.774 vehicles sold there in the January-March period. Demand was also high in the European market and China with 101.921 and 95,451 units sold, respectively.