SAM 0129

Surviving Snow Days in the Kia Soul Turbo

I live in northern Michigan where the average annual snowfall in my city is almost 150 inches…I don’t know if you are good with numbers, but that is a lot of snow. That is over 12 feet of snow, and … Read more

2015 Kia Soul EV

2015 Kia Soul Electric Vehicle Global Debut

To pulsating music, a live band and more excited journalist than you could shake a stick at Kia Motors America (KMA) hosted the global unveiling of the 2015 Soul EV on the first day of the Chicago Auto Show.  The … Read more

kia stinger on stage

January 2017…Kia Nailed It!

While we have been watching Punxsutawney Phil and waiting for winter to end, Kia has totally dominated the first month of the year and kept their eye on the prize. January 2017 was an incredible month for one of the 100 … Read more

pack for a purpose 1

8 Easy Ways to Share Some Soul

In the latest Kia Soul commercial, we see the Hamsters bring different people and cultures together through the power of music and an epic jam session to put more positivity out in the world. Listen as Nathaniel Rateliff & Soul … Read more

Kia autonomous vehicle

Kia Autonomous Vehicle Test Drive: Scary, or Not Scary

I was invited to California City in the Mojave Desert to take part in Kia Motors’ launch of their Drive Wise autonomous driving technologies prior to the grand unveiling at CES in Las Vegas. Reaction from family and friends was mixed. Many, like me, were extremely curious as to how a self-driven car would behave in simulated real world situations. More however seemed vaguely horrified by the idea of sitting in a fast-moving vehicle with no pilot, plenty of other “traffic”, and no pre-planned programming. Spoiler alert, there was a gentleman seated where the driver normally sits, with a functional steering wheel available should the need arise. It didn’t. Autonomous drive in highway traffic conditions.   Kia uses a combination of radar, lidar (laser imaging), and camera detection to map objects, read lane lines and traffic signs, and prevent collisions. The first merge onto the test highway was definitely not scary, but it was mildly unnerving for a few brief seconds until the car responded as a willing but cautious participant. On the test course the Kia Soul did a good job of locating blind spot intruders, and maintained safe distances behind leading cars at various speeds. The Canadians in the group pointed out, one after another, that radar and lidar don’t really work during blizzards–a situation where autonomous drive is most needed. In the pristine desert environment though, the car had no trouble locating lane lines, and came to a stop for a full three seconds at each stop sign. Three seconds never seemed so long until you’re waiting for your robot car driver to put the pedal to the metal. Verdict: Not Scary. Autonomous drive in emergency conditions.   One of the cool tricks the autonomous car pulled off was illustrating how it would behave if the driver were suddenly incapacitated. The answer: much better than a car with a human driver. If the car senses the driver slumped over, or with their eyes shut, it will cautiously pull over to the side of the road, call 911, and then follow the support vehicle to a local home, hospital, or station. For reals. This tech, called Preceding Vehicle Following, has unlimited potential applications for injured, inebriated, or exhausted people everywhere. Soon drivers will be able to take a nap behind the wheel, the same way airline pilots have been “flying” for decades. Verdict: Not Scary. Autonomous drive in an urban environment.  I have to extrapolate this a little because the test drive was in a controlled situation. But enough data and experience is available regarding GPS navigation, and satellite and wifi communication, to make an educated guess. My guess is, it’s going to take a lot of work. Driver to driver communication, that time honored tradition of “you go, no please you go” is not perfectly replicable and will need to be replaced by some sort of digital system. Perhaps cars of the future will sense the driver’s mood and adjust courtesy points accordingly. More problematic is the tendency of drivers to trust in their car’s routing suggestions. GPS equipped cars are great at getting from Point A to somewhere in the neighborhood of Point B. But at the granular level they tend to fall apart. A recent drive for another car company featured a phantom driveway, a bagel shop that was actually across a divided highway, and a maddening endless loop through a gated residential community. The ability to adapt to the tiniest details will make human override in self-driving cars a necessity for years to come. Verdict: Slightly Scary, but bound to improve. Autonomous drive in parking situations. This feature blew me away because I wasn’t expecting it all. Using a smart watch our test drive “driver” sent the car off on a mission to find that most elusive prize: the empty parking spot. The car circled, located, and then expertly backed in with a vintage three-point turn. Which begs the question: if the car can circle, why even park at all? I can see the the Trader Joe’s parking lot of the future, with autonomous vehicles lined up bumper to bumper, slowly circling like baby elephants.  Verdict: Sign me up. There are so many obstacles still to overcome that Kia’s proposed date for self-driving cars to hit the market of 2030 seems wildly optimistic. But overcoming driver’s safety fears won’t be one of those obstacles. The car we rode in was safe to a fault, and behaved very much like a human driver would–albeit with a much better skill set for backing into parking spots. Just don’t ask it to locate the nearest 7-11.

9857 Trail ster Concept

Oh The Places We Would Roam With The Kia Trail’ster

When Kia unveiled the new Trail’ster at the Chicago Auto Show last week it was to the rapid fire of shutters accompanied by collective praise across Twitter. It piqued the interest of those who doubted the Soul and had Soul enthusiasts demanding the … Read more

9506 2014 SEMA Ultimate Karting Sedona

SEMA 2014: A Day at the Races with Kia

My oh my! Oh wow, oh wow what an adventure! Where to start and where to finish on my experience with Kia and a day at the races at SEMA 2014? The SEMA (Specialty Equipment Marketing Association) show was held … Read more

smitten ice cream radio flyer

Kia and their Power to Surprise

Kia Motors Corporation’s brand slogan – “The Power to Surprise” – represents the company’s global commitment to surprise the world by providing exciting and inspiring experiences that go beyond ordinary expectations and they did just that when Kia racing won the … Read more