Auto News 5

Give Kia credit; it's not afraid to take on a monumental task. The ambitious Korean automaker didn't start selling cars in the United States until 1994, and a mere fifteen years later it offers a full range of vehicles, from the entry-level Rio sedan to the seven-passenger Borrego SUV to the spunky, funky Soul "urban passenger vehicle." As with almost every other carmaker, its sales are down this year (although Kia's 6.8 percent drop looks positively paltry compared with the double-digit dips suffered by most of its competitors). The faltering economy hasn't stopped Kia from forging ahead with its product plans, however. In fact, the automaker boasts that not only have there been no cutbacks, but in May, it spent more money marketing its products than during any other month in company history.

The brand-new Kia Forte Koup is Kia's first two-door coupe and a sibling to the new Forte sedan, which is Kia's replacement for its sad-sack Spectra and its answer to cars like the Honda Civic, the Toyota Corolla, and the Mazda3. The "Koup" moniker is a melding of the "K" from "Kia" and the "oup" from "coupe." The Forte Koup will be at Kia dealers by August or September.