The Crank: Why a Kia will be the “hit” of this year’s Frankfurt show

By John LeBlanc If you’ve been following the teasers, leaks and previews of the auto show season’s kick-off event planned for Frankfurt next week, you know there’ll be a fleet of new and exciting concepts and coming-to-a-showroom-near-you production cars ready to be unvieled.

Comparo: 2011 Kia Sportage SX vs. Volkswagen Tiguan Highline 4MOTION

Sports Crossovers Is the Kia Sportage or the VW Tiguan the best mix of small, fun-to-drive utility? By John LeBlanc Listen up. Today’s subject is the evolution of the car. A self-propelled vehicle that originated 125 years ago in Germany, popularized by American Henry Ford during the beginning of the 20th century, and arguably as […]

Top 10s: Future New Fuel Sippers

[svgallery name=”2012 Fuel Sippers”] By John LeBlanc It’s déjà vu all over again for new car buyers. Just like in 2008, when gasoline peaked at nearly $1.50 per litre, buying an inexpensive and fuel-efficient small car is starting to look like a smart idea. So while we’re witnessing a bunch of new, small cars being […]

The Crank: Korean automakers’ coming of age continues at Seoul Motor Show

By John LeBlanc – Few Western media attended, but this year’s Seoul Motor Show was yet another stake in the ground marking the continuing evolution of the Korea’s Hyundai-Kia Motors as an emerging force to be reckoned with. Korea’s annual new car sales market doesn’t come anywhere near the volume of the China’s monster numbers—about […]

The Crank: Are car enthusiasts ready for sportier Kias?

By John LeBlanc Fresh from its debut at this month’s Geneva show, Kia officials are already hinting that a hot hatch version of the Korean automaker’s new 2012 Rio subcompact, seen left, is being seriously considered.

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