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Thanks to its stylish looks and tech-savvy content, the Kia Soul has been recognized by the editors at KBB.com. The 2015 edition of this funky urban runabout ranked among the top three on the annual Kelley Blue Book list of the 10 Coolest Cars Under $18,000. With a base price of $15,190 which includes flexible interior configurations and a unique exterior, the 2015 Kia Soul is a fantastic vehicle at an outstanding price. “Since first coming onto the scene in 2009, the Soul has been an out-of-the-park homerun for Kia, and the second generation retains its iconic design while including modern cues and premium features to enhance our brand’s value proposition,” said Tim Chaney, vice president of marketing communications, KMA.  “It’s these refinements, along with its funky persona, roomy cabin and ample cargo space, that have upped the Soul’s allure, making it even more popular with consumers.” There are three available trim levels for the 2015 Kia Soul; the Base, Plus and Exclaim. If you’re interested in learning more about this model, fill out our online scheduling form and one of our team members will contact you about a test drive. You can always come in to see us too, we’re conveniently located at 760 Central Ave. in Albany.

May 1st marks the start of National Military Appreciation Month and as such is filled with numerous memorials and celebrations including the national holiday Memorial Day. One such annual event is the Run For The Wall national motorcycle event, a 10-day cross-country trip that ends at the Vietnam Memorial in Washington DC. For this year's race, Kia Motors America (KMA) will be providing support for the even through assistance with transportation and pit stop fill ups along the three different race routes. The three routes each start from different areas of the country but all end in the same place. Along each route, KMA will be providing fuel stops and with Kia Sedona vehicles to transport items to be placed at the memorial and will serve as a mode of transportations for participants who are unable to ride. “Kia’s support of Run For The Wall is instrumental in helping our riders make what, for many, is an emotional trek across the country,” said Ken Hargrove, President, Run For The Wall.  “We are grateful that companies such as Kia have joined us for the journey.” The Run For the Wall is held in order to help provide support for veterans and their family and friends, Prisoners of War (POW) and soldiers who are Missing In Action (MIA). Along each route to the memorial, the riders will make stops in several different communities throughout the 10-day journey. Each community will provide the riders with logistical support and hot meals and in turn, the riders will visit veteran hospitals and schools.

Summer is almost here and everyone here at Destination Kia is planning to have a summer filled with fun. In order to help all of our customers from Albany, Schenectady, Clifton Park and Kingston, NY have a great season too, we are bringing you our Destination Summer Fun. Through Destination Summer Fun we will be giving away 2 VIP Gold Six Flags Season Passes to anyone who purchases or leases a new Kia or Preowned vehicle from us. These passes will allow you admission to Great Escape and Splashwater Kingdom along with every other Six Flags theme Park in the country. Along with park entry, the VIP Gold Passes come with a variety of additional benefits that include: Special Bring-A-Friend Free Days Admission to Fright Fest Hundreds of Dollars Worth of in-Park Savings Parking For Each Pass Holder VIP Early Entry Exclusive Ride Time Events Season Parking At Every Other Six Flags Theme Park Take a look through our New Vehicle Inventory and our Pre-Owned Vehicle Inventory to see all of the models that we currently have in stock. If you see any that you are interested in learning more about stop by and see us here at Destination Kia, located at 700 Central Ave in Albany, NY. We will be happy to help you get behind the wheel of any new Kia or pre-owned vehicle and help you start enjoying some Destination Summer Fun!

In one of our previous blogs, we brought you the first group of videos in the new “Everyday Adventures” series from Kia Motors America. This new series features Genevieve Gorder from HGTV learning how a couple of families make have everyday adventures without having to venture outside of their hometown while utilizing the impressively versatile 2015 Kia Sedona in their travels. In the first three videos, we met Linda and Bernie who were learning to get a new lease on life now that their children had grown up and left the house and it was now just the two of them again. For this set of videos, Genevieve is spending some time with Nicole and Darin and their four boys to see how they keep things exciting without traveling too far from home.  In the videos, we see Genevieve accompany the family to a local ranch where they go horseback riding, and old western town and out for an authentic Mexican dinner. Check out the group’s Everyday Adventures in the videos below! Everyday Adventure - Guided Tour: Everyday Adventure - Old Town Adventures: Everyday Adventure - Culinary Adventure:

April 2015 was the second-best-ever April sales total for Kia Motors America (KMA). Total sales for the month came to an impressive 53,282 units. The year-to-date sales for the brand so far this year have amounted to 194,382 units which is a 4 percent increase over the 186,682 units that sold from January to April 2014. “The all-new Sorento is Kia’s most capable and refined CUV ever, and its early-2015 launch has aligned perfectly with the incredible rise in crossover demand,” said Michael Sprague, Chief Operating Officer and EVP, KMA. “And after winning Motor Trend’s minivan comparison test, earning a 5-star overall safety rating from NHTSA and being named to Ward’s 10 Best Interiors List, sales of the completely redesigned Sedona have taken off and are up more than 400 percent year-to-date.” Kia April Sales: Sales of the Sportage increased by 21 percent with 4,273 units Sales of the Sorento increased by 15 percent with 9,808 units Sales of the Sedona increased by 443 percent with 3,394 units Sales of the Soul reached 11,418 units Sales of the Forte reached 7,183 units Sales of the Optima reached 13,666 units Sales of the Rio reached 2,802 units

In order to inspire people to go on more adventures in their hometown, Genevieve Gorder, host of Genevieve’s Renovation and Dear Genevieve on the HGTV channel has teamed up with Kia for their new Everyday Adventures series. Though this new series, Genevieve take the all-new 2015 Kia Sedona out on adventures with two families to various local shops, eateries and helping them get a new lease on life. There are currently a total of six videos in the series, each family being features in three of the videos. In the first three, we meet Lisa and Bernie, a couple who are back to the empty nest stage of their life now that both of their children are no longer living at home. As a result, this new freedom has given them the opportunity to explore new local areas, develop new culinary interests and redecorate several spaces in their home. Check out the video below to see how Genevieve and the 2015 Kia Sedona help enhance Lisa and Bernie’s new lease on life: Everyday Adventures: New Lease on Life Everyday Adventures: Vacation Mentally Everyday Adventures: Changing Cooking Habits

LeBron James, Luxury Ambassador for Kia Motors has joined forces with Charitybuzz to auction off a one-of-a-kind LeBron James custom K900 with the proceeds to benefit Lebron James Family Foundation. James recently unveiled the all-new model at the 2015 NBA All-Star game at Madison Square Garden, while also making appearances at Cleveland and New York this month. This model is adorned with a variety of custom features such as personalized King James Limited Edition Plaque #01, Alcantara Suede interior and headliner, LBJ icons in the headrests, color-matched diamond contrast stitching throughout the vehicle, customized Lexicon® Logic 7® audio system and Llumar® Ceramic window tint. “The K900 challenges everything people think they know about Kia, and the King James Edition takes on a new personality by showcasing LeBron James’ unique style,” said Tim Chaney, vice president of marketing communications, Kia Motors America. “We are proud that LeBron chose to drive a Kia, and to provide fans the opportunity to bid on the K900 and have the proceeds go to the LeBron James Family Foundation.”

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) has given the 2016 Kia Sorento CUV a 5-star overall safety rating, which is the highest possible safety rating that can be bestowed on a model. This is the brand’s most durable Sorento ever having been designed with a torsional rigidity that is 14% higher than the previous model and Advanced High Strength Steel used in 53% of the unit-body. “NHTSA’s recent 5-star rating of the 2016 Sorento is a testament to Kia’s commitment to safety.  The Sorento is all-new for 2016 and is Kia’s most capable CUV ever, yet still offers customers the tremendous value Kia is known for,” said Orth Hedrick, vice president, product planning.  “Meant for customers with active lifestyles, Sorento is the perfect getaway vehicle for adventurers and families on the go, and they can feel confident knowing their vehicle scored a 5-star NHTSA rating – the highest rating achievable from NHTSA.” This model is powered by one of the three engine options that include a 2.4-liter inline-four cylinder, a 240 hp 2.0-liter turbo-charged inline-four and a 290 hp 3.3-liter V6 engine. The 2016 Sorento is also equipped with a variety of available premium features that include Smart Cruise Control, an advanced All Wheel Drive (AWD) system, Lane Departure Warning, Surround View Monitor, up to 5,000 pounds of towing capacity and Blind Spot Detection.

The Kia Sedona has become a staple vehicle for families in the United States thanks to its versatility, comfortability, style and of course safety. The 2015 edition is further proof of these attributes. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has just given the model a 5-Star Safety Rating. “NHTSA’s recent 5-star rating of the 2015 Sedona is a testament to Kia’s commitment to safety.  The Sedona is all-new for 2015 and combines CUV-like styling, inside and out, with exceptional quality and the tremendous value our brand is known for,” said Orth Hedrick, vice president, product planning.  “As families begin planning summer vacations in their Sedonas, they can feel confident in the engineering that went into their vehicle and that NHTSA has validated the product with its highest safety rating.” The impressive list of standard safety features and new robust body structure of the seven and eight-passenger vehicle caught the attention of the NHTSA. What sealed the 5-Star rating was the all-new chassis with static torsional stiffness, which is a jaw-dropping 36-perfect greater than is closest segment competitor and the addition of Advanced High Strength Steel (AHSS) in 76-percent of the body, providing crash protection for all occupants. If you’d like to test drive a 2015 Kia Sedona for yourself, fill out our online scheduling form and one of our team members will be in touch shortly. Or pay us a visit here at Destination Kia, located at 760 Central Ave, Albany, NY, where we serve customers from Schenectady, Clifton Park, Queensbury and Kingston, NY.

The 2015 Kia Soul will soon be described in detail for anyone looking to purchase this model from a Kia dealership that serves Albany, Schenectady, Clifton Park, Queensbury or Kingston, NY through a Research & Review page being released by Destination Kia. The information provided on this page will include several facts about this all-new model such as MSRP, trim levels, engine and transmission, horsepower and torque capabilities, EPA estimates, safety features and anything else you could want to know. We will announce as soon as this page has been officially released, so be sure to keep checking back here.

It has been estimated that 10 percent of all drivers under the age of 20 have been involved in fatal vehicle accidents where distraction was cited as the reason for the crash. The truth is, that these fatalities are avoidable, which is why Kia Motors America (KMA) and the B.R.A.K.E.S. (Be Responsible And Keep Everyone Safe) Teen Pro-Active Driving School are providing teens with the proper training and tools to be responsible and safe behind the wheel. B.R.A.K.E.S. will provide hands-on defensive driving instruction for 300 students in cities all over the country throughout the month of April (Distracted Driving Awareness Month). Instructions will include a distracted driving experience, evasive maneuvering, emergency braking using ABS and skid-control practice. “Kia is dedicated to making roads safer and giving back to the communities we call home,” said Michael Sprague, executive vice president of sales and marketing, KMA.  “We are determined to help reduce the number of distracted driving accidents by working with B.R.A.K.E.S. to provide teens with the tools they need to be safer, better trained drivers behind the wheel.” It is estimated that at any given daylight moment across the U.S., 660,000 drivers are using some sort of electronic device while driving. Unfortunately, this is a number that has held steady over the past five years. Kia and B.R.A.K.E.S. aim to be the catalyst for change and raising awareness. The program has already provided free safe-driving instructions for more than 15,000 students in 10 states. What makes the program so successful is the three-to-one ratio of students to teachers in the four hour classes that are taught with parents in attendance. A note that is hard to ignore is, teens with parents who set driving rules and monitor their activities are half as likely to crash, 71 percent less likely to drive intoxicated, 30 percent less likely to use a cell phone when driving and less inclined to speed. So, if you are unable to attend one of the B.R.A.K.E.S classes, it is important that you take note on the driving habits of your teens and set rules early on.

The third video in the Blake Griffin/2015 Kia Optima series has been released by Kia Motors America. Over the past few months, the brand has been slowly releasing a series of new advertisements featuring the all-new model and the NBA star that offer a look at the impressive Optima with a humorous twist. In each of the previous spots, Griffin is playing an action movie hero that frustrates his director by entering the scene in a 2015 Kia Optima rather than the mode of transportation he is scripted to be using. This would not be so bad except that the setting of each film is not at all conducive to his character driving a car. In the first spot, the movie was set in the old west and in the second spot, he was playing a fighter pilot that was supposed to be taking off from an aircraft carrier in the middle of the ocean. In this latest spot, “Speech” he is playing a gladiator in Ancient Rome who is supposed to be charging into battle on horseback. In all three spots, Griffin proceeds to point out some of the 2015 Optima’s most impressive features in order to convey why this vehicle is actually perfect for the scene they are shooting. Check out the video above to see “Speech” and learn more about the 2015 Kia Optima. If you live near Albany, Schenectady, Clifton Park, Queensbury or Kingston, NY and are interested in this all-new model then head on over to see us here at Destination Kia today!