Auto A Fondo Shows Its Fondness For The Kia Optima

By: Kia In The News

The all-new Kia Optima added to its trophy case once again recently, with Auto a Fondo (“Fully Auto”) recognizing the dramatically styled sedan as one of its “Top 10 Best Buy Cars for 2011.”

The Auto a Fondo honors are now in their ninth year and are selected annually by a panel of top Hispanic automotive professionals. Earning “Best Buy” status from the panel meant the new Optima achieved high scores in areas like innovative engineering, exterior design, ergonomics, ride and handling, fit and finish, content levels, and competitive pricing.

According to Ricard Rodriguez-Long, editor of Autoafondo.com: “The Optima’s overall design and performance impressed us. With the extended warranty it becomes a very good option for the Hispanic family.”

Of course, the Optima’s unique blend of style and substance makes it an ideal choice for anyone. The all-new model wears a stylish exterior created by Peter Schreyer, whose past work includes the iconic first-generation Audi TT, and it’s wrapped around a choice of two impressive powertrains. The Optima packs a responsive 2.4-liter I4 engine that makes 200 hp while still achieving EPA ratings as high as 24 mpg city/35 mpg highway. The Optima Turbo takes things to the next level with a 2.0-liter twin-turbo powerplant that raises its output to 274 hp yet also turns up fuel-economy ratings of 22 mpg city/34 mpg highway.

Then, the whole package is covered by Kia's comprehensive warranty program, which provides:

• 10-year/100,000-mile limited powertrain warranty
• 5-year/50,000-mile limited basic warranty
• 5-year/100,000-mile limited anti-perforation warranty
• 5-year/60,000-mile roadside asssistance

“The all-new Optima combines a long list of advanced technology, convenience and safety features with stunning exterior design, and the Optima’s value proposition makes it the smart choice in the midsize sedan category,” said Michael Sprague, vice president, marketing & communications, Kia Motors America (KMA). “With its powerful and fuel efficient engines, including Kia’s first-ever turbo in the U.S., the Optima stands out from the midsize sedan crowd by offering fun-to-drive performance at a tremendous value, as evidenced by this recognition from Auto a Fondo’s panel of experts.”

Spitzer Autoworld Cleveland- Customer Reviews

"Everybody was very nice, and helpfull. Listening to us and what we expressed were our needs and wants."- Michelle R.

Kudos to our team for taking great care of our customers.

"Friendly and responsive managers. Very willing to answer questions, research answers, and negotiate reasonable price for car."- David R.

We would like to thank the author of this review for their positive feedback regarding our dealership!

"I'm pleased with the car I chose and I never felt any pressure to choose it."

Watch the making of this epic commercial

Marilyn, thank you for writing this outstanding review.

"Dan Deely was very pleasant and helpful.I also met Ron Baker who was very nice to. I also want to say Larry is the reason I came to Spitzer he sent me over to you.Andy and Larry are great.Just want to thank all of you.Everyone was great.I hope Dan will be there when I decide on another car in 7 years."- Marilyn S.

We would like to thank Marilyn for posting this review and the rest of the team for providing the best possible customer service.

We value your trade in!

Have you been looking to upgrade to a new vehicle? At Spitzer Autoworld Cleveland, we value your trade in! http://www.spitzerkiacleveland.com/value-your-trade.aspx

It's great hearing from our loyal customers in reviews like this one!

‎"We couldn't say enough good things about this dealer - we have been to quite a few and never, never met such a nice group of people. Everyone has been the most pleasant and helpful. I would recommend this dealer to anyone, all the salesmen are extremely helpful"- Yorkie

We love hearing from our happy customers! Click the link below to see the rest of this review on Dealer Rater!

http://www.dealerrater.com/dealer/Spitzer-Kia-Cleveland-review-25213/

Pre- Owned Inventory

Hurry in and take advantage of all these great pre-owned vehicles! http://www.spitzerkiacleveland.com/used-cars/2010-hyundai-accent-4dr-sdn-auto...

How the Picanto’s Color and Trims Were Developed

The All-New Picanto, Decorating Roads Around the World

“If we are not able to properly understand what appeals to our global consumers emotionally, we will not be able to satisfy them no matter how much effort we put into improving the vehicle’s performance.”

By collaborating with the Kia design center in Europe, we extensively analyzed local consumers’ lifestyles and trends. We then proceeded to coordinate colors that appeal to their emotional senses.

Exterior Color

The concepts for the Picanto’s exterior color are “Vintage Paint Box,” “Play House,” “Blusher” and “Tinted Silver.” We suggested a solid color with a vintage feeling (Vintage Paint Box), a lively color that young people would like (Play House), a luxurious golden and pinkish color (Blusher) and a sensible tinted silver color (Tinted Silver).

We developed six unique exterior colors in addition to the four standard colors to make the distinctive Picanto’s features even more outstanding and ensure emotional satisfaction of our customers.

We developed various pastel colors to appeal to female drivers and proposed unique color names (Milky Beige, Honeybee Yellow, Lemon Grass, Alice Blue, Café Mocha, Signal Red). The Milky Beige color, which gives off a deep, glittery and luxurious effect through a multi-coating process, has especially been receiving consistent and positive reactions.

Interior Color

The interior color concept is “European & Sporty, City Style.” Our intention was to offer a sporty and practical interior with the combination of energetic and elegant colors.

We applied a variety of colors to meet the tastes of our customers. With a young consumer target base in mind, we used a glossy black in the interior for a sporty and refined feel. Meanwhile, we used an orange interior color (orange color pack) to appeal to trendy female consumers.

The Picanto interior has the largest variety of colors (8) in the current Kia lineup. We pursued distinct perfection by applying many colors and materials mainly to the center garnish, a key characteristic of the Picanto, as well as high main trims that are often touched.

Every color and material should be equipped with properties that meet durable and functionality standards as well as relevant regulations. As a result, it was crucial to develop colors that pass the Material Property Test.

A month before production, the quality management department requested the removal of the glossy white/black and the soft gold metal paint coatings on the dash trim due to problems with scratches and the materials’ properties themselves. We continued conducting research with the relevant department right up to production to find solutions and finally passed the scratch and material property tests. So the unique dash trim coatings were able to be included in the Picanto.

Joo Yoen Lee, Color Researcher

“The color team should be able to execute all three of the following key factors: color coordination, emotion and quality. We should improve the emotional added-value of vehicles, reflecting current trends as well as maximizing design value.

I thought to myself, ‘I want to create new and interesting roads for color.’ It was a personal goal I set when starting the all-new Picanto project. Whenever I went on a business trip to Europe, I thought that the colorful vehicles on the roads there were impressive and fun.

I tried to give the Picanto many colors, hoping to turn roads full of achromatic-colored cars into colorful and fun roads. I hope that the Picanto with its various colors is loved and is able to beautifully decorate the roads.”

Kia Motors' Adverstising Campaign Featuring Music-Loving Hamsters Wins Gold Effie At The 2011 North American Effie Awards

June 9, 2011

Kia Motors' Advertising Campaign Featuring Music-Loving Hamsters Wins Gold Effie At The 2011 North American Effie Awards

KIA MOTORS' ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN FEATURING MUSIC-LOVING HAMSTERS WINS GOLD EFFIE AT THE 2011 NORTH AMERICAN EFFIE AWARDS

Marketing Efforts for Popular Soul Urban Passenger Vehicle Earns Kia its Second Consecutive Effie Award

• Kia's out-of-the-box "This or That" campaign effectively redefined the brand in the marketplace and contributed to Soul's three consecutive months of record sales performance

The Gold Effie recognizes Kia's two-phased approach to launching and sustaining the Soul nameplate

IRVINE, Calif., June 8, 2011 -Kia Motors' rapping and dancing hamsters earned the company one of the most prestigious advertising awards yesterday when the "This or That" campaign for the brand's funky Soul urban passenger vehicle received the Gold Effie award in the "David v. Goliath" category at the 2011 North American Effie Awards ceremony in New York. The annual Effie Awards (short for effective) presented by Effie Worldwide, Inc., highlights the most effective marketing communications efforts in the U.S. each year, and the "David v. Goliath" category recognizes smaller, new or emerging brands that challenge category leaders. The Kia Soul marketing initiative earned the Gold Effie after taking home a Silver Effie in 2010.

Together, the Soul's popular "This or That" and the original "A New Way To Roll" campaigns contributed to significant increases in consumer awareness, perception and consideration of the Kia brand, and led to record sales of the urban passenger vehicle. In March, the Soul became the second Kia vehicle to sell more than 10,000 units in a single month, and after recording its best-ever monthly sales in May the Soul's year-to-date sales are up 50.8 percent.

Kia Motors' rapping and dancing hamsters earned the company one of the most prestigious advertising awards when the "This or That" campaign for the Soul urban passenger vehicle received the Gold Effie award in the "David v. Goliath" category at the 2011 North American Effie Awards.

"The segment-busting Soul was the first vehicle introduced under Kia's design-led transformation and was conceived to stand out in a sea of sameness with its refreshing design, outstanding functionality, variety of personalization options and tremendous value," said Michael Sprague, vice president, marketing & communications, KMA. "The 'This or That' campaign embodied the spirit of the Soul in a highly engaging way that really resonated with consumers and marketers alike – as evidenced by our second consecutive Effie award."

Created by KMA's advertising agency of record, David&Goliath, the second chapter in the story of Kia's music-loving hamsters played out in the "This or That" campaign, using engaging music and the ever-popular hamsters to poke fun at boring, uninspired vehicles in the category through various multi-platform engagements, including: TV spots, print and billboard ads, video games, a dedicated website with downloadable music tracks and a traveling music festival featuring free concerts. In the 60-second "This or That" spot, hip hop hamsters cruise through city streets, cleverly comparing "This" – the funky and uniquely styled Alien Green Soul – to "That" – a number of mundane boxy rides - represented by toasters, washing machines and cardboard boxes. The spot debuted in movie theaters in late-May 2010 as an extension of the first Soul ad featuring the hamsters and later aired on television.

In addition to the back-to-back Effie awards, the Soul spots have been named "Automotive Ad of the Year" for two consecutive years by The Nielsen Company.

Available in four trims for 2011, Soul, Soul+, Soul! (exclaim) and Soul sport, the five-door hatchback offers an attractive starting price below $14,000¹ as well as unique and utilitarian style. Designed with the young and young-at-heart in mind, Soul presents distinctive style, value and function with a relatively small footprint and surprisingly spacious interior. Passengers will find comfort in Soul's roomy cabin, usefulness from Soul's efficient cargo carrier with 14 storage zones and will benefit from numerous standard convenience features, including an AM/FM/CD/MP3 audio system outfitted with SiriusXM^™ Satellite Radio capabilities (including a three month complimentary subscription)², and USB and auxiliary input jacks in the center console with full iPod^®3 and MP3 controllability via the audio head unit and steering wheel controls (achieved with an optional Kia accessory cable).

In 2012, Soul also will receive Kia's first in-car hands-free communication and entertainment system, UVO powered by Microsoft^®4 , which will allow drivers to safely and efficiently interact with the in-vehicle technologies while keeping their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road. Under the hood, the 2012 Soul will receive more power and improved fuel economy from two all-new powertrains while enhancements to the front and rear fascia, addition of LED lighting, and new wheel designs will make Kia's urban passenger vehicle an even more compelling proposition.

Soul offers an immense amount of style and value on top of an extensive list of standard safety features sure to appeal to all consumers looking for a well-equipped vehicle suited to their personalities, including front seat active headrests, dual front advanced airbags, front seat-mounted and full-length side curtain airbags, an Antilock Brake System (ABS), Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Traction Control System (TCS), Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD), Brake Assist System (BAS) and a Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS). Front and rear crumple zones, side-impact door beams, an impact-absorbing steering column and Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) system also come standard.

2011 Kia Motors America Product Line
Kia's model year 2011 vehicle line includes the Sorento CUV, Sportage compact CUV, Optima midsize sedan, Soul urban passenger vehicle, Forte compact sedan, Forte 5-door compact hatchback, Forte Koup two-door coupe, Rio sub-compact sedan, Rio5 sub-compact hatchback and Sedona minivan.

From Kia Motors America

Featured Car: 2009 Kia Rio

Hurry in to take advantage of this great deal on a 2009 Kia Rio! http://www.spitzerkiacleveland.com/sales-specials.aspx

New Car Inventory

Are looking for a new car to cruise around in this summer? Come by and check out our new car inventory! http://www.spitzerkiacleveland.com/new-cars.aspx