Kia and Hyundai Announce Google Maps and Search Integration for their Telematics Systems

South Korea's Hyundai and Kia brands have both announced a new partnership with Google that will see the integration of latter's content and search-based solutions enabled by Application Program Interfaces (APIs) on their respective telematics platforms.

The move will enhance the new generation of Kia's UVO eServices and Hyundai's Blue Link with fresh features supported by the integration of Google Maps APIs such as Send to Car, Point of Interest Search and Local Search by Voice.

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2014 Sorento May Look the Same, But Kia Says 80 Percent of the Parts are New or Redesigned

If you were to take a quick look at the 2014 Kia Sorento, which is enjoying its North American premiere at this week's Los Angeles Auto Show, what you would probably see is the restyled front and rear ends, and some barely noticeable tweaks in the cabin.

Ask Kia, however, and the Koreans will tell you that there's much more than meets the eye to the revamped Sorento. In fact, Kia claims that more than 80 percent of the parts in the crossover are either "all-new or significantly redesigned", including the 3.3-liter GDI V6 engine producing 290 horsepower.

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Woman's Kia Sorento Gas Pedal gets Stuck Sending her on a 120mph Horror Ride

Given the sticky situation she was in, Lauri Ulvestad of Ames, Iowa, should consider herself extremely lucky for making it out alive when the accelerator pedal of her 2011 Kia Sorento crossover got jammed as she was driving up Interstate 35 in Missouri last week.

The 47-year old woman told KCCI-TV in Des Moines that she tried everything from turning off the key, to shifting out of drive and slamming on the brakes, but nothing worked.

"I knew I was going to die," said Ulvestad. "I didn't have any doubt about. I really thought I was going to die ... and no matter what I did, I couldn't slow it down."

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Kia Announces 2013 Sorento Facelift for Europe, Releases More Details

As anticipated, the refreshed 2013 Kia Sorento SUV will make its world premiere at the upcoming Paris Motor Show in France this September.

While Kia didn't release any new pictures this time (the ones you see here are and which accompanied the press blurb are the same as the ones shown in June), the Korean company provided information about the changes under the hood.

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Meanwhile in Motorcycle Land…Some You Dodge, Some You Don't

Riding a motorcycle can be fun, but it can also be dangerous, and since bikers are not as near as protected as drivers and passengers of an automobile in the event of an accident, they need to extra vigilant while driving on the road.

In our first video, which looks like it was filmed somewhere in Europe (if you think you know where, tell us in the comments), we have a rider of Kawasaki Z100 trying to overtake an older Kia Sorento on a turn when a BMW X5 SUV driver from the other side of the road enters the lane and clips his foot.

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2014 Kia Sorento Receives its Video Debut in South Korea, Plus First Interior Shots

As you would expect, Kia is showing more of its revamped Sorento crossover in its home market of South Korea where the current generation is marketed as the Sorento R.

While the engine range differs from country to country (for example, Europe gets a 194hp / 197PS 2.2-liter turbo diesel while North America a 276hp 3.6-liter V6 gasoline, in addition to the 2.4-liter petrol offered in both regions), the styling is more or less the same sans some very minor differences.

That said, the design changes are common for all markets, which brings us to these latest photos that afford us our first look at the facelifted Sorento's interior.

The latest iteration of the Sorento, which will be sold as a 2014MY in the States, features a redesigned LCD instrument cluster plus a new center console with a 7-inch display screen and more modern and upscale controls for the audio and air conditioning systems.

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