Rear Bellhousing Mounts 5.5" Gold Nascar Tilton on 2040-parts.com

Kia Gives Its Compact Crossover More Soul

KOREAN car maker Kia has released an updated version of its Soul. With attention focused on improving the driving experience and boosting cabin space, it’s hoped the improvements can reboot the compact people mover’s appeal. The new model arrives to take advantage of the boom in the compact crossover market.

Hot seats: from design to delivery [sponsored]

As the user demands on car interiors are increasingly influenced by their growing design consciousness, so suppliers like Lear strive to bring better-engineered seating to satisfy. 2013 was another big year for Lear, as Jeanette Puig-Pey, its global fabric & leather design manager, enthuses: "At our ‘Design2Perform' event we celebrated the unveiling of our brand new collection, with special emphasis on color and texture and our TeXstyle Enhance product, perfect for customization. Laser etching is part of this offering, it is exclusive to Lear Corporation and can be used to add refined design elements to cloth and leather." A mix of fabric and leather in seating is not new but is often seen by the consumer as a cheaper alternative to full leather.

Audi S5 dumps the V8

Great engine though the V8 is, it’s getting pretty old. And it’s heavy. And it’s thirsty.