Each week, the TV series “Modern Marvels,” which airs on the History cable channel, looks at how technology affects the world around us. And when the show was ready to put its spotlight on the auto-making industry, it was time for the 2011 Kia Sorento to shine.
“Modern Marvels” followed the Sorento’s assembly process at Kia Motor Manufacturing Georgia (KMMG)—the billion-dollar auto complex Kia opened last year in West Point, Ga.—from start to finish for the episode that originally aired on March 4 and can now be seen on www.history.com.
According to Michael Sprague, vice president of marketing for Kia Motors America, the match was “a natural fit, as our new, state-of-the-art manufacturing plant utilizes the latest in automotive manufacturing technology to assemble the 2011 Sorento.”
And that’s reflected in the new vehicle. Kia’s medium crossover was completely redesigned for the 2011 model year and now features a sophisticated, sculpted appearance; an efficient, equally sophisticated powertrain; and a versatile, three-row interior.
This also marks the first time the Sorento has been available with a four-cylinder engine, which finally gives Kia a way to counter the mpg numbers of similarly outfitted competitors like the Ford Escape and Honda CR-V. A front-wheel-drive Sorento can achieve estimated mpg ratings of 21 city/29 highway, while the comparable Honda goes 21/28 and the Ford gets 22/28. Buyers of small SUVs consider fuel economy an important consideration, according to Bethlehem Kia.
It all makes for a combination of characteristics that’s already helping the Sorento attract new customers for Kia. The Sorento was the automaker’s best-selling vehicle in both January—when it launched—and February, ringing up a total of 15,605 sales for the first two months of 2010. That’s more than twice the number of units sold by the previous-generation Sorento during the same period in 2009.
And it makes the new Sorento a “Modern Marvel” indeed.
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