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All seven family and luxury sedans in the latest crash test group evaluated by Insurance Institute for Highway Safety ( IIHS ) earned a Good rating for occupant protection in frontal crashes. Only one fell short of the top rating in the side crash test, the Kia Optima. However, results for the rear crash test were quite mixed. In all, this group’s performance shows that indeed cars are getting better with each generation, through structural improvements and increased standard safety equipment. All seven of these vehicles included side and side-curtain airbags. “The side impact results represent a huge change from just four years ago,” says Institute Senior Vice President David Zuby. “In 2004 we tested 10 mid-sized moderately priced cars, and all 10 were rated Poor in their standard configurations without side airbags.” In the 2004 tests, only the previous generations of the Honda Accord, Toyota Camry, and Chevrolet Malibu earned Good ratings when tested with side airbags, which then were optional equipment. “A major change is that side airbags are standard in every one of the seven mid-sized cars we tested this time around. Auto manufacturers have been moving quickly to make side airbags...
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One exciting effect of automotive design and concept vehicles is the chance for carmakers to completely reinvent themselves—especially good for those known mostly for building the most basic of transportation. Sure, we’d all love to own and drive an exotic at whim, but reality is that most of us need wheels of a more practical sway. Loyalists know and love Kia for their low-dollar, high-mileage vehicles. Now its crimson Kia KOUP concept recently revealed at the 2008 New York Auto Show gives us some food for thought: Can we have a sexy, curvaceous coupe with close to 300 horses and still afford the rest of our lives? Seems Kia may just think so. According to the company, the KOUP is pretty much production ready and, while they haven’t made any price-point promises, the obvious guess is that it’ll be affordable for most (you Trumps of the world aren’t “most”). Tom Kearns, design chief for Kia Motors America, says: “The Kia KOUP concept represents the future of the Kia brand and … a leap into the future with style and advanced technology, and the KOUP effectively delivers.” So, will a production KOUP stay true to the concept version? Let’s hope. The styling is definitely different for...
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