Team KIA of El Cajon

After dipping its toes in the racing pool with a Kia Forte last year, the automaker has decided to go at it again; this time, with a Kia Rio5 variant. The new racer was released earlier this month at the 2011 SEMA Show in Las Vegas. But the new five-door sub-compact isn't inherently built for racing. In collaboration with Kinetic Motorsports, Kia has provided a B-Spec kit that converts the regular Rio into a racer for a mere $14,000.

Earlier this month, the Experian Automotive Report discovered that almost half of all Kia owners return to the Kia showroom when the time comes for a new vehicle and the Kia Forte has the most loyalty of any vehicle model in America. In other words, if you experience the brand once, you are bound to go back for more. The same thing can be said for Blake Griffin of the L.A. Clippers. After featuring the NBA All-Star in an ad once, Kia Motors America has decided to enlist Griffin again. And this time around, he is "taking things to the next level."¹