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Kia appears to have quietly killed-off its Rondo MPV in response to a continued slide in sales. Visitors to the Rondo page on Kia's U.S. website are greeted with the news, "Thank you for inquiring about the Rondo. As the saying goes, ‘all good things must come to an end' But with endings, come new beginnings…" Below that message is an image of the new 2011 Kia Sportage, directing customers that that page where they can check out the stylish new compact crossover.
The Rondo's demise was stumbled upon by the team at Autoblog, who then contacted Kia and received this response. "Kia has not yet decided on a 2011 model, but the 2010 is still available in dealerships."
Kia managed to move just 14,206 Rondos last year, a 50 percent drop from 2008 when the company sold 28,645 units. The Rondo would seem to be the latest casualty in the Kia lineup with the Korean automaker recently dropping the Borego full size SUV.
This move also looks to be a part of a larger product switch from Kia away from old models and old designs towards fresh and exciting new products. Unfortunately for those few looking at a Rondo, the Sportage simply doesn't offer the same utility.
Of note, Kia Canada isn't following suit with any message on its website, suggesting the Rondo will continue on there. This isn't surprising as sales of MPVs like the Rondo and Mazda5 are strong in Canada.
Looking like what Hello Kitty might drive if she lived in the Tron universe, this new city car concept by Kia is called "POP" and is set to officially debut at the Paris Auto Show this fall. Taking design cues from the Kia Ray electric coupe concept, the POP is roughly 10 feet long and about the same size as the Toyota iQ. This makes it about a foot and a half shorter in length than the smallest model in Kia's European range, the Picanto.
Style highlights include a panoramic glass roof and what appear to be scissor doors, while inside the cabin is distinguished by a unique 3-passenger layout with a bench seat for two up front and one central seat in the rear. In a statement Kia says the Pop Concept brings, "innovative design chic and dramatic styling to the city car segment."
Powered by an electric motor, Kia hasn't released any info on the powertrain but has said we'll learn more as the Paris Auto Show approaches.
Back in 2000 Hyundai Kia CEO Chung Mong-koo refused a request by the company's chairman, and his own father, to step down from the top post of the Korean automaker. Today, Mong-koo is getting the respect he rightly deserves, after being named Asia's top automotive business leader by Automotive News.
The industry publication sited Hyundai's quality improvement and expansion into new segments as part of the reason for Mong-koo's award. This in turn has allowed Hyundai to increase sales globally and increase market share. Automotive News even said he had transformed Hyundai into a "superpower."
Hyundai Motor America CEO John Krafcik was also awarded the honor of being AN's top U.S. executive at an Asian automaker.
In other markets, awards went to Volkswagen chairman Martin Winterkorn as the top European automotive CEO, while Ford's own Allan Mulally was named the top auto exec for an American automaker.
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