Hot on the heels of the company’s new Forte compact sedan, Kia has officially announced that it will release a coupe version of the car. A concept model was shown at this year’s New York Auto Show and the coupe is slated to keep that car’s name: the Koup.

As the first two-door in the company’s history, the Koup reflects the Forte’s style and adds lots of sporty details, like a large front opening, flared fenders and a racy rear diffuser.

In terms of size, the Koup is 2.4-inches lower, 2.0-inches shorter and 0.4-inches narrower than the sedan, but with the same 104.3-inch wheelbase, making it comfortable for five passengers.

The Forte Koup will come in either EX or SX trim. EX models will get 16-inch wheels and a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine that makes 156hp. The SX model rolls on 17-inch wheels and gets a larger and more powerful 2.4-liter four-cylinder with 173hp. EX models come with a standard five-speed manual transmission or optional four-speed automatic, while SX models get a standard six-speed manual or a five-speed automatic.

Fuel economy ratings for the EX are pegged at 25/34 mpg (city/highway) for either the manual or automatic. SX models get 22/32 mpg with the six-speed or 23/31 mpg with the five-speed auto.

The Kia Forte Koup will go on sale later this summer.

GALLERY: Kia Forte Koup

Official release after the jump:

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According to Hyundai CEO John Krafcik, the company’s upcoming replacement for the Tiburon will look significantly like the Veloster Concept that debuted at the 2007 L.A. Auto Show. In fact, Krafcik said that the sub-compact will look 70 to 80 percent like the funky concept, calling it “Accent sized,” and a, “four passenger Honda CRX.”

Much like the CRX, the Veloster will be a car you can drive hard and still get good mileage in, thanks to a direct-injection 1.6-liter four-cylinder that Krafcik promises will get over 40 mpg.

The new model will be front-wheel drive and Krafcik says it will have one particular trait that is not offered in its segment. He wouldn’t say exactly what that was, but did mention that it could be one of a few design items, including some sort of unconventional roof, doors or rear hatch.

The Tiburon’s sporty-CRX-like successor is due out as a 2012 model at dealers by late 2011.

[Source: Edmunds]

As General Motors is set to emerge from bankruptcy protection, the giant U.S. automaker’s fresh start might just include a new logo; a green one. According to a report by MSNBC, GM has a design team that is currently looking in to changing the logo and they have discussed swapping the blue out in favor of a friendlier (and more environmentally-responsible) green.

GM is looking to re-brand itself as not just a leader in the automotive industry but as a leader in the race for more fuel-efficient vehicles. The company has already poured billions into bring the plug-in hybrid Chevy Volt to market and intends to put a lot of focus on its new direct-injection engines, like the 30 mpg V6 model in the Chevrolet Camaro, as well as the turbocharged 2.4-liter Ecotec four-cylinder planned for the upcoming LaCrosse and a smaller 1.4-liter turbocharged direct-injection four-cylinder in the Chevrolet Cruze.

The green logo might just be the right move to help re-brand a company that is trying to market itself as not only greener, but also leaner and more able to make quick decisions in an ever changing world.

[Source: MSNBC]

Decades from now versions of the 2010 Ford Shelby GT500 will sell at auctions like Barrett-Jackson for significantly more than their ’09 counterparts. The reason? Sure, they sport a revised body and even more power – 540hp and 510 ft-lbs of torque to be exact – but the real reason will be because of their exclusivity.

Ford has reportedly decided to limit production of the 2010 Shelby GT500 to just 2,000 units. In comparison the automaker built 22,989 versions of the past GT500 from 2007-09.

The news comes from TeamShelby.com member 06VistaBlueGT, who posted a pdf on the forum sent from the Ford Motor Company to dealers outlining the limited production and letting them know that if they already signed an order form that their dealership would receive one Shelby GT500.

So far 1,700 of the 2,000 are still available and so Ford is no doubt giving its dealers the opportunity to order more of the high-powered pony cars if they feel there is a demand for them in their market. We have to think a smart dealer would order as many as possible, as with the limited production the 2010 Shelby GT500 will likely sell above MSRP.

[Source: TeamShelby via Autoblog]

Tough economic times often bring about shifts in the marketplace and one such example can be found in the light-duty pickup truck market. In the month of June the Chevy Silverado out-sold the Ford F-150, but that’s not what the numbers appear to say at first.

While the entire F-Series lineup (including the F-150 as well as the F-250 and F-350 work horses) did account for more sales at 173,646 units as compared the the Silverado’s (1500, 2500 and 3500) 149,949 units, when you eliminate the heavy-duty players and just look at the light-duty segment the Silverado is king.

In fact, according to pickuptrucks.com, this isn’t an anomaly either, as these June numbers are actually a continuation of the Silverado’s light-duty dominance.

The Silverado was also able to grab a larger share of the marketplace in July, with a total share of 32.4 percent of the light-duty segment, up from 31.5 percent. Surprisingly the F-150 also grew its share from 28 percent to 29.1 percent, while the Dodge Ram grew from 13.6 percent to 15.8 percent.

And as the big three players all grew, the bottom-feeders got hammered in June with Toyota, Nissan and GMC all losing market share.

In the heavy-duty segment, Ford continued to embarrass the competition with almost 50 percent of the market, something which drastically bolsters it’s overall F- Series numbers.

Interestingly, this story is the second bit of good news for the Chevy brand in June, as the Camaro also out-sold the Mustang for the first time since 1993.

[Source: Pickuptrucks.com]

BMW’s introduction of the 5 Series Gran Turismo may just spell the end for the company’s Sport Wagon – at least in North America. In a recent report on Autoblog, Martin Berkmann, the man responsible for product planning at BMW North America, said that the GT model could wipe out whatever small demand there is for the wagon in North America.

While a staple of the company’s product lineup overseas, luxury wagons have never been popular in North America. In fact, the 5 Series Sport Wagon is such a small part of the BMW lineup that it only offers one take-it-or-leave-it trim, the spacious, sporty and capable 535 xDrive.

[Source: Autoblog]

Jaguar is set to unveil its new 2010 XJ model later today, but in case you can’t wait (which we suspect you can’t) take a gander at these photos of the new flagship saloon which have leaked out.

As the pictures show, the new car certainly is a big change from the classic XJ stylings of the past several decades. And what’s underneath is equally as different. To help make the new flagship a more dynamic performer, the XJ will make use of a lightweight aluminum chassis.

Power will come from a selection of engines, including a 275hp 3.0-liter V6 turbo diesel, a 5.0-liter V8 and a range-topping supercharged 5.0-liter V8 with at least 510hp.

GALLERY: 2010 Jaguar XJ

[Source: WorldCarFans]

With the launch of the IS convertible, rumors started almost immediately that Lexus might build a high-performance F version of the retractable hard-top. Now it appears those hoping for such a drop-top beast will get their wish.

According to a report by Car & Driver, a convertible version of the IS-F will be due out in 2011.

In our recent review of the IS250 C we noted a definite lack of excitement due mostly to the added 400 lbs of weight. The IS350 C proved a significantly more entertaining drive as its 300-plus horsepower 3.5-liter V6 is so over-powered in the sedan form.

Now we can look forward to 416hp in the IS C, along with the thumping 5.0-liter V8′s incredible 371 ft-lbs of torque. We can also expect some seriously upgraded aerodynamics and a sporty interior.

In related convertible Lexus news, Car & Driver is also reporting that the out-dated SC model will get a successor, which is to have a light-weight soft-top rather than a retractable hard-top.

[Source: Car&Driver]

While not nearly so popular as the International Automobile of the Year Awards, once annually a jury of 65 automotive journalists from 30 countries gets together to decide what the best engines are. The International Engine of the Year Awards celebrate engine technology, giving honors to engines in 12 specific categories, including the overall International Engine of the Year award.

This year the top position went to Volkswagen for its TSI Twincharger, which can be found in Volkswagens like the Golf, Scirocco, Eos, Jetta, Touran, Tiguan and the Seat Ibiza Cupra. It makes 178hp and 177 ft-lbs of torque from a turbocharged and supercharged 1.4-liter four-cylinder. That is an impressive 127.1 horsepower per liter. Possibly even more impressive, the engine gets an average fuel-economy rating of 45.5 mpg.

Impressively the TSI Twincharger was noted for winning favor with journalists outside Europe, including North America, Asia and South America. American Matt Davis said that, “Volkswagen’s 1.4-liter TSI EA111 is still way ahead of the curve, sensationally over-engineered in all the right ways, and even makes the company’s fantastic 2-litre TFSI already look like yesterday’s tech.”

With those figures the TSI Twincharger also claimed the award for best engine in the 1.0- to 1.4-liter class, as well as the Green Engine of the year class. It also unseated the BMW twin-turbo 3.0-liter engine, which took the top honors in both 2007 and 2008.

In total, German automakers look awards in 11 of the 12 spots with Toyota the lone exception in the Sub 1.0-liter Class for it’s 1.0-liter three-cylinder, which can be found in the Aygo, IQ, Yaris/Vitz, Citroën C1, Peugeot 107 and Subaru Justy.

The award for Best New Engine of the Year went to Porsche for its direct-injection 3.8-liter flat-six, while the Best Performance Engine award was won by the Mercedes/AMG 6.2-liter V8.

Follow the jump for a full-list of the 2009 International Engine of the Year winners:

[Source: ukipme.com]

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Thanks to a few careless Hyundai employees who left their test mule sitting around unattended in Dubai, we have these photos of what is reportedly the 2011 Sonata. Taken by Autoblog reader Sammy_R-Gti while on vacation in Dubai this is easily our best look yet at a vehicle that, given Hyundai’s recent successes, is sure to be a serious competitor in the mid-sized sedan segment.

From the side and rear the car look more like a Chevy Malibu although there are hints of the Lexus ES350. The front, however, is much more dramatic than either of those vehicles and even resembles a Mercedes. It also appears as though the car will get a more distinguishable three-bar front grille, like the one found on the Genesis sedan.

GALLERY: 2011 Hyundai Sonata Spy Photos

[Source: Assayyarat via Autoblog]