The Crank: 2011 CAJ Best of the Best nominees released

By John LeBlanc Here’s the deal. If you’re reading my blog, it’s safe to assume that you’re one of the wisest, sharpest, most knowledgeable car enthusiasts on the planet. So it goes without reason that if yours truly is to put his name behind an annual new car award, it’s going to be the “best” […]

The Crank: Kia’s naming conundrum

[svgallery name=”2010_Kia_Seoul_preview”] By John LeBlanc On a recent trip to Hyundai-Kia Motors world headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, attending media had some time to chat with Kia head pen, Peter Schreyer. While the discussions centred around the brand’s’s new European-influenced (Schreyer is a former Audi designer) styling, inevitably, the topic turned to all the automaker’s […]

The Crank: Is the guard changing in Canadian new car showrooms?

By John LeBlanc In my weekly Autonews column at Wheels.ca, I reported that last month’s Canadian new car sales suggest the market is starting to be divided in to the “haves” and the “have nots.” However, Canadian auto industry analyst, Dennis DesRosiers has taken a longer view back than just a year ago. And he […]

Preview: 2011 Kia Sportage, 2012 Optima & Cadenza

[svgallery name=”2010_Kia_Seoul_preview”] By John LeBlanc NAMYUNG, South Korea –As part of the Korean automaker’s aggressive move up market, Kia will have replaced every vehicle in its showroom by 2012. So to give Canadian media a “taste” of things to come, Kia officials bused a dozen of us to its expansive research and design facilities it […]

Feature: Will Kia’s lack of history hinder its upscale brand aspirations?

By John LeBlanc SEOUL, South Korea –It only takes a short visit to the company’s corporate museum to get an idea of the relative youth of Kia Motors as an automaker. Unlike the public shrines built by surviving pioneers like Germany’s Mercedes-Benz or America’s Ford (respectively founded in 1881 and 1903) each becoming top tourist […]

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