Kia Launches All-New 2019 Optima at New York International Auto Show

Kia made great waves among us car guys and car gals earlier this year when they unveiled the stunning Kia Stinger, a high-performance, rear-wheel-drive sedan clearly aimed straightaway at the enthusiast driver.

But let's face it: most people who are drooling over a stinger are probably pretty unlikely to buy one. More practical choices, like the Optima, are much more probable.

So is any of that exciting vibe trickling down the lineup from the Stinger, the presumptive flagship of the marque, to spice up the models your average Joe or Jane might buy?

Hot Hatch or Haute Hatch? Meet the 2019 Toyota Corolla Hatchback

The new 2019 Toyota Corolla Hatchback.

Our regular readers have no doubt gathered by now that we are, to say the least, ambivalent toward the "hot-hatch" trend. 

Yes, some of them, like the Hyundai Veloster, are pretty cool. It's just that, depending on generational factors, it can be hard to shake the images of Chevettes and Dodge Omnis that come to mind when you hear the word "hatchback."

But, just for the record, we're sharing the news that Toyota Motor of North America announced Friday that they will unveil their all-new 2019 Toyota Corolla Hatchback at the New York International Auto Show (March 30-April 8, 2018).

In a rather syrupy, purple-prose-laden press release worthy of the Bad Pitch Blog, Toyota characterized the new 2019 Toyota Corolla Hatchback as "Toyota's newest, stylish, and most technologically-advanced small car."