Kia Takes on Time Travelling with New Super Bowl Commercial for 2011 Optima

This year's Super Bowl is just around the corner and automakers are getting ready to spend millions of dollars to draw the attention of buyers. For a second year in a row, Kia will be present at the event with a full marketing campaign incorporating TV, digital, print and social media as well as in-dealership components, all focusing on the 2011 Optima midsize sedan.

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LA Show 2010: KIA Launches Optima Hybrid, Returns 40 mpg Highway

With everyone riding the "green wave" these days, it's no surprise that KIA launched its first-ever hybrid for the U.S. market, the Optima Hybrid. Combining the standard model's good looks with several technological innovations, the newest member of the Optima family returns a frugal 40 mpg (5.88 lt/100 km) on the highway.

"By adding our first-ever hybrid in the U.S. to the Optima lineup we are providing consumers with three powerful and fuel-efficient powertrain choices, and continuing KIA's philosophy of offering stylish, value-packed vehicles with outstanding fuel efficiency" said Michael Sprague, vice president, marketing & communications, KMA.

The Optima Hybrid uses a full parallel hybrid system and can be driven in full-electric mode at speeds up to 62 mph (100 km/h). It also has a stop/start function, which eliminates idle fuel consumption and reduces overall emissions.

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2011 Kia Optima Sedan Priced, Starts from $19,690

As the all-new 2011 Optima sedan will be hitting dealer lots in coming weeks, Kia decided to release detailed pricing on its promising contender in the mid-size sedan segment. Prices for the new Optima start $18,995, or $19,690 if you include the $695 destination and handling fee. This means the base Optima is priced on par with Chrysler's refreshed Sebring sedan, which has been renamed to 200 and starts at $19,995.

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Subaru Revealed Behind 2011 Mediocrity Marketing Hoax; What do you Say Kia?

As some of you pointed out, Subaru was the culprit hiding behind the week-long 2011 Mediocrity campaign, which showed a beige-cladded first-generation Kia Optima in a scoop-like series of photos. Upon looking at the first set of images that arrived in our mailbox (read here), we knew that this was some sort of devious viral marketing campaign.

It is true that these type of campaigns can be rather cheap and yet extremely effective. However, they can also backfire. And in our opinion, that's the case with Subaru's effort to promote / convince us that the latest Legacy is the opposite of the so-called 'beige' mid-size sedans.

We assume the creators of the campaign believed no one would figure out that the car buried under all that beige makeup was an older Kia Optima.

Mark this down as a big mistake, because once we found out, we were bound to make a comparison between the Legacy and the forthcoming 2011 Kia Optima (and not of course, its decade-old predecessor...).

And in our book, at least, in what concerns the looks department, the new Optima makes the Legacy seem beiger than Japan's beigest beige...

Now, wouldn't it be interesting if Kia responded with a 'beige' answer / commercial to Subaru's campaign?

Link: 2011 Mediocrity Sedan

______________________2011 MEDIOCRITY SEDAN______________________

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_______________________2011 SUBARU LEGACY_______________________

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__________________________2011 KIA OPTIMA__________________________

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__________________________2004 KIA OPTIMA__________________________

Subaru Revealed Behind 2011 Mediocrity Marketing Hoax; What do you Say Kia?

As some of you pointed out, Subaru was the culprit hiding behind the week-long 2011 Mediocrity campaign, which showed a beige-cladded first-generation Kia Optima in a scoop-like series of photos. Upon looking at the first set of images that arrived in our mailbox (read here), we knew that this was some sort of devious viral marketing campaign.

It is true that these type of campaigns can be rather cheap and yet extremely effective. However, they can also backfire. And in our opinion, that's the case with Subaru's effort to promote / convince us that the latest Legacy is the opposite of the so-called 'beige' mid-size sedans.

Read more »

Paris Motor Show Poll: Kia Optima vs Peugeot 508 vs VW Passat

At the 2010 Paris Motor Show, we saw three new mid-size sedans making their way to the halls of the Parc des Expositions Porte de Versailles. Two of them, the all-new Peugeot 508 and the redesigned VW Passat B7, received their world premiere, while the Kia Optima was presented for the first time in Europe.

Now, we all know you can't and you shouldn't buy a car based upon looks or preliminary specs alone. It's the whole package that counts. However, in this case, we simply want to find out which one of these new family sedans captured your attention for the right reasons.

Place your vote in the poll after the jump and be sure to have your say in the comments section.

Which mid-size sedan do you like more?

___________________________PEUGEOT 508__________________________

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_____________________________KIA OPTIMA____________________________

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__________________________VW PASSAT B7_________________________