Waukegan Kia Sorento will be produced at the new West Point plant in Georgia
Think back to the first time you watched the Wizard of Oz. When Dorothy hit down and landed in Oz, with all of the bright colors and singing and excitement. Now, think about if all of that excitement and merriment were over Kia, and you can kind of realize the situation in West Point Georgia.
West Point wasn’t doing too hot a few months ago. Unemployment rates were high and store owners were afraid of losing their businesses. But that fear wasn’t nearly as high as the fear that most in the community held about losing their whole town. West Point needed help, and they just got it. Kia announced that they will be opening up a plant right in the heart of the little community that’s fallen on hard times.
Coming to a Waukegan new cardealer near you is the 2010 Kia Forte. The Kia Forte is a replacement compact sedan for the Kia Spectra. While the Spectra became a trusty, practical small sedan, the Forte is poised to really make a splash in the pool of compacts. Boasting better styling, technology, and performance, the Forte is nothing short of a cannonball in the deep end.
Coming standard on the 2010 Kia Forte are steering wheel controls, Sirius satellite radio, mp3 and USB input jacks, four-wheel disc brakes, Bluetooth connectivity, and stability control. Notice what I said: Standard! Any of these features on the Forte’s competitors are options that require adding to the sticker price. The base Forte comes in at two grand less than the entry-level competition cars and fills itself up with options you find on mid-level compact sedans.
Kia, as always, differentiates this model on price. The Forte starts right around $14,000, about $2K less than the competing Corolla and Civic. Of course, buyers will also be blessed with the best warranty in the industry.
Kia is becoming a major player in every category in which they offer vehicles. The Kia Soul is getting big cheers in the urban vehicle arena. The Sportage is winning customer satisfaction awards. And the Rondo is fast becoming a popular hatchback. I guess you could say that offering affordable, stylish contenders that compete well with pricier brands has become Kia’s Forte.
Though I haven’t spoken to a Waukegan new cardealer that has a Forte in stock yet, I hope to get behind the wheel of one soon. From everything I’ve read about this new compact segment contender, it is an enjoyable ride. It certainly packs the amenities I look for in a sedan. The real performance I would care about is its fuel-efficiency, rather than its 0-60 time. The Forte sounds like a winner on the gas saving front. The 2.0-liter engine with the five-speed automatic transmission in the Fuel-Economy package returns 27 mpg city and 36 mpg highway. With the other transmissions is comes in at 25 mpg city and 34 mpg highway. The big-boy 2.4-liter four gets 22 mpg city and 32 mpg highway with the six-speed manual and 23/31 with the five-speed automatic. These are all good numbers that compare evenly with cars across the segment. And with fuel use equal, the Kia Forte definitely takes the value prize.
Here is a video from Cars.com that gives a lot of nice views of the new Forte, which becomes available at Waukegan Kia dealers soon:
The Kia Forte will be arriving at Waukegan dealerssoon. For more information on the 2010 Kia Forte, visit the Kia dealer Waukegantrusts most for its new car needs, Classic Kia.
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