Kia UVO Infotainment System Targets Ford Sync

IRVINE, California — With Ford's popular Sync infotainment system clearly in the crosshairs, Kia Motors on Tuesday confirmed that it will roll out a similar system dubbed UVO, starting with the 2011 Kia Sorento this summer. UVO, which is short for "Your Voice," will then roll out to other Kia vehicles, the automaker said.

The Kia UVO system debuts this week at the 2010 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

The hands-free UVO system was co-developed with Microsoft and is based on Windows Embedded Auto software, Kia said. It marks the first time that Korea's automakers have an answer to Ford's Sync system, which has become a key element for the Dearborn automaker in luring the critical youth market.

Kia pointed out that UVO can be "updated easily as new consumer devices continue to be introduced to the market."

UVO includes a 4.3-inch full-color display that provides information on media content, phone-book data and vehicle information. The screen doubles as a rearview camera when the shifter is put in Reverse. The system is trained to recognize the operator's voice, "creating a personal profile and allowing for up to two different voice profiles in various languages," said Kia in a statement.

Users can rip music from CDs or an MP3 player into personal MyMusic folders and store up to 250 songs by title and/or artist through voice commands.

Kia has not yet announced pricing on UVO, nor did it specify which vehicles will be first to get the system following the Sorento. But it is likely that the Kia Soul, Forte and Forte Koup will follow in short order.

Inside Line says: It doesn't take the Korean automakers long to catch on to the hottest stuff and adopt it as their own. — Anita Lienert, Correspondent