Daily Archives: April 15, 2022

Korean automaker Kia (000270.KS) kicked off this years New York Auto Show with a splash, with world premieres for two of its best selling models.

First up comes the all new for 2023 compact Kia Niro. The Niro is something of a tweaner vehicle, bridging the gap between a crossover and small compact hatchback, but it also bridges the gap, if you will, between Kias internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles and its full electric line, such as the EV6 and EV7.

The Niro is the trifecta of electrification, there's three distinct powertrains, Steve Center, Kia Americas CEO, told Yahoo Finance. The first car is a hybrid. The second one is a plug-in hybrid, which has about 30 miles of full electric range. And then you have the full electric Niro, which is 250-miles pure electric car.

The Niro has been a top seller for Kia, with sales more than doubling in Q1 of this year compared to last year. And Center believes a lot of that success is due to the product ranges flexibility.

It's actually the gateway to electrified products, and depending on someone's life stage or living circumstances, you can have a hybrid, which doesn't require any extra special treatment or charging at all; you have the plug-in, which requires some charging, gives you enough range to get by; and the electric vehicle, which is full electric, which requires more planning and having a place to charge at home, perhaps, and at work, Center says.

NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 13: Kia Concept EV9 is seen on display during the press preview for the International Auto Show at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City, United States on April 13, 2022. The NYIAS returns after two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Kias all-electric offerings, the EV6 compact SUV and the full-size EV9 production compact, were both on display in New York as well. The EV line at Kia will all be built using a dedicated EV platform shared with sister brand Hyundai (005380.KS), dubbed the E-GMP. The Niro does not use this EV platform since it uses hybrid engines.

ICE and hybrid engines are still very popular in America, especially those paired to mid- and full-size SUVs. And one of Kia's sales stars, the Telluride SUV, also received some important updates ahead of its global debut in New York.

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Since its introduction three years ago, Kia has sold over 200,000 Telluride SUVs in the United States, with 75% of those buyers new to the Kia brand. And according to Kia, those buyers also are the most loyal in the midsize SUV segment when returning to the market to buy another midsize SUV.

The 2023 Kia Telluride is unveiled at the 2022 New York International Auto Show, in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., April 13, 2022. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

What we're doing is adding some improvements to allow it to keep pace with the rest of the Kia line early in its life cycle, Center said. We changed the instrumentation to the full-curved display. We included connectivity, which the current car doesn't have. We made some styling cue upgrades. We also have two additional models, the X-Line and the X-Pro, and the X-Pro being more off road in focus and capability.

Center says customers have been telling Kia they want the flexibility to take the Telluride off the beaten path, especially younger buyers who tend to be adventurous, Center said.

While the customers are focused on Kias SUVs and crossovers, Center knows down the line, 5 to 7 years from now, the brand will have to go where it believes those customers will be, and hes pretty blunt about what that future will look like.

More electric cars. We want to be the number one electrified vehicle company in the world, Center says. Right now, we're number two in the U.S., and the cars are all sold out.

Pras Subramanian is the senior autos reporter for Yahoo Finance. You can follow him on Twitter and on Instagram.

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Kia Niro crossover is the 'trifecta of electrification': Kia COO - Yahoo Finance

Gregg Popovich easily could have led his team down a path and tanked during the second half of the season.

Its not hard to argue that it would have been beneficial for him and the San Antonio Spurs in the long run to have done so, too.

Yet on Sunday night, ahead of their final game of the regular season, Popovich said that was simply never an option for him.

Part of it is, its just not who we are. Its not who I am, Popovich said, via Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News. I cant operate like that. Which might not be the most intelligent overall philosophy to have, and I get that. But we am who we am. Were going to go ahead and compete.

After a tough start to the season, the Spurs rallied and secured the final spot in the postseason play-in tournament earlier this month. That, paired with the Lakers' late-season struggles, got Popovich back in the play-in for the second straight year. Theyve gone 7-3 in their last 10 games, too, and will take on the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night.

That run, with a very young roster that doesnt have a true star like most of Popovichs previous teams, is undoubtedly impressive. Getting them to that point, though, was the only thing he was willing to do.

I think the young players gain a real understanding of a philosophically moral space where its the right thing to do, to continue to compete, Popovich said. Frankly, I dont know how I would go to my team and say, OK guys, were not going to compete the way we should, or how youd get that across, or with a wink and a nod. I think you do the players a disservice if theyre not able to go out and perform at the best of their ability.

I think the lessons to be learned are very important as their careers advance. You hope that in the long run, that value they gain from that will help them compete at an even higher level later. I understand the opposite, I just cant do it.

While Popovichs mindset is a noble one, its not one thats necessarily universal across the rest of the league.

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NBA commissioner Adam Silver has been trying to curb taking or the strategic resting of star players for years. He spoke about it earlier this month, too, and actually credited the play-in tournament as one of the things to help stop teams from tanking in order to get a lottery pick in the draft.

Though Popovich likely has plenty of ideas that could help shape the future of the league, hes keeping them to himself for now. Silver, he said, has things under control.

Adam and his staff are pretty smart people, Popovich said, via ESPNs Tim MacMahon. If there was a silver bullet in that regard, they would have already shot it.

Gregg Popovich said he never thought about tanking as an option for the Spurs this season. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

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Gregg Popovich never thought about tanking as an option for the Spurs: Its not who I am - Yahoo Sports

Finance Minister Lawrence Wong speaking at a media conference chaired by the multi-ministry COVID taskforce and the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) logo. (PHOTOS: Mediacorp screenshot/SDP website)

SINGAPORE The Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) on Friday (15 April) congratulated Finance Minister Lawrence Wong on his selection as the next Peoples Action Party (PAP) leader but said he is no different from his colleagues in terms of his outlook for Singapore.

Decades of groupthink and conformity has made PAP leaders unable to see that Singapore is in dire need of reform of its economic, social and political systems, SDP said in a media release.

SDPs statement comes a day after Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced that Wong has been selected as the leader of the PAP fourth-generation (4G) team. With his new position, Wong is expected to succeed Lee as Singapores PM.

The eagerly awaited announcement by Lee comes a year after Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat stepped aside as the leader of the 4G team, prompting the ruling PAP to rejig its leadership succession planning. Lee said on Thursday that he will announce adjustments to cabinet appointments in due course.

If the PAP is unable to govern with openness and democracy instead of its archaic practice of intimidation and manipulation, Wong is likely to continue to lead Singapore without clear direction, SDP said.

Wong has not articulated a bold vision for Singapore and looks set to rely on past practices that will keep Singapore from achieving its full potential, the opposition party added.

Different person, same story. Therein lies the danger for Singapore, SDP said.

In the 2020 General Election, the SDP fielded a team to contest in the Marsiling-Yew Tee Group Representation Constituency and lost to the PAP team led by Wong, which won by a margin of 26.36 per cent.

In response to his appointment, Wong said on Thursday that he is humbled and grateful for the trust and confidence of his colleagues.

"It is my privilege to be called upon to lead this team. I will do my utmost to uphold this responsibility."

Stay in the know on-the-go: Join Yahoo Singapore's Telegram channel at http://t.me/YahooSingapore

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Lawrence Wong likely to lead Singapore without clear direction: SDP - Yahoo Singapore News

There should be no argument over the rightful favorite to win the NBA Finals. It's the Phoenix Suns. Bang the gavel.

That doesn't mean the Suns will win, or that they're a good bet before the playoffs begin. Favorites lose all the time in every sport. It's hard to get those 16 playoff wins to take home an NBA title.

The Suns are +260 to win the championship at BetMGM. The Bucks are a distant second at +500.

The Suns have been great this season, and it looks like they have a good shot at taking the next step after losing in the NBA Finals last season. But does that make them a good bet?

Nobody seems to mind the short odds on the Suns.

Almost 30 percent of the money bet at BetMGM on this season's NBA champion is on the Suns. More than 55 percent of money bet on the Western Conference champions is on Phoenix.

The thing about betting Phoenix, as is the case with most clear favorites in any sport, is there's no great case to make against them. At 64-18, the Suns were eight games better than any other NBA team. They didn't seem bothered by injuries, whether it was Chris Paul, Devin Booker or Deandre Ayton. All three of them missed at least 14 games. It didn't matter.

The Suns are a top-five team in offensive and defensive efficiency. They rank in the top 10 in field-goal percentage (Phoenix led the NBA in FG%), 3-point percentage, free-throw percentage, assists, fewest turnovers, points scored, points allowed, field-goal percentage allowed, blocks, turnovers forced and a few other categories as well. The Suns are a fantastic team.

In addition, the West isn't that strong. You can perhaps talk yourself into the Memphis Grizzlies or Golden State Warriors knocking off the Suns, but the Grizzlies don't have much playoff experience and Steph Curry's injury situation is still uncertain. Anything can happen, but it's hard to talk yourself into any other West team knocking off Phoenix in a seven-game series.

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In other words, if you wanted to take the Suns at those short odds, nobody could tell you it's a terrible idea.

Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns were the best team in the NBA this regular season. (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)

The Suns' title odds give them about 27.8 percent chance to win the championship. That seems high.

Five Thirty Eight and ESPN's BPI project the Suns to win the title about 21 percent of the time (both projections are really, really high on the Boston Celtics, for what it's worth). It's hard to give any team more than a 28 percent chance to win an NBA championship as the playoffs start, but that's what you'd need to project for the Suns to be good value.

The Suns could lose to a team like the Warriors. Anyone who comes out of the loaded East would have a shot to beat the Suns in a seven-game series. Injuries happen. Upsets happen. Favorites lose.

You probably will find better betting value on teams like the Milwaukee Bucks or Miami Heat. But if you just want a ticket on the best team in the field, it's the Suns. Who you're riding with might depend on your overall betting philosophy.

Excerpt from:

NBA betting: Suns are obvious favorites to win the title, but are they a good bet? - Yahoo Sports

Quarterback Baker Mayfield has never been one to hold back his feelings. And even as he waits for the Cleveland Browns to trade him, he's not stopping.

Mayfield recently appeared on the podcast "Ya Never Know," spending 90 minutes talking to the host about a variety of things, but most notably the Browns. In the episode, which was released Wednesday, Mayfield was candid about how he felt the Browns handled his situation this offseason.

"I feel disrespected, 100%, because I was told one thing and they completely did another. Thats what Im in the middle of right now. And you know what? OK. I got my taste of it because Ive had four different head coaches in four years, a bunch of different coordinators. Ive had the highs and they always come back."

The 2021 season was a tough one for the Browns, but for Mayfield especially. The team was beset by injuries, and he played nearly the entire season with a torn labrum. He also battled a number of other injuries while still managing to start 14 out of 17 games. But even though the torn labrum wasn't in his throwing arm, he wasn't the same Baker fans had come to expect on the field. By the end of the season, the Browns barely limped to an 8-9 record and had to watch the playoffs from home.

Browns general manager Andrew Berry told the media in January and again in March that he fully expected Mayfield to be the starting quarterback once the 2022 season kicked off. But in the NFL, things change fast. It only took a day for the Browns to acquire Watson after Mayfield requested a trade.

That all happened nearly a month ago, yet Mayfield remains on the roster. He doesn't know when or where he'll be traded.

Despite all that, he has no regrets about his four seasons with the Browns.

I really, truly, honestly have no regrets of my time in Cleveland of what I tried to give that place," Mayfield said. "True Clevelanders and true Browns fans know that, and thats why I can walk away from the whole situation feeling like I did it.

Quarterback Baker Mayfield feels 'disrespected' by how the Browns have treated him. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)

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Baker Mayfield says he feels 'disrespected' by how Browns have treated him - Yahoo Sports

Yahoo Sports Dan Wetzel and Sports Illustrateds Pat Forde discuss Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher and Clemson head coach Dabo Swinneys statements about their dissatisfaction with the state of college footballs transfer portal.

DAN WETZEL: A couple of interesting quotes of late about coaches complaining about the portal and the--

PAT FORDE: Coaches complaining, really?

DAN WETZEL: Yeah, coaches complaining.

PAT FORDE: Imagine.

DAN WETZEL: Hard to have a roster. The funny part is it's two ends of the spectrum. And we have William Christopher Swinney, who's a regular on this.

PAT FORDE: Yes.

DAN WETZEL: And then there's Jimbo Fisher, who seems to be causing much of the problems.

PAT FORDE: Yeah.

DAN WETZEL: Yeah, he's complaining too.

PAT FORDE: Of course. Here we go.

DAN WETZEL: Let's start with Jimbo, who recently picked up his sixth Rivals five-star in the class of '22 when they added another defensive lineman-- has one of the greatest recruiting classes, if not statistically, like, the greatest recruiting class of all time--

PAT FORDE: Ever.

DAN WETZEL: Yeah, ever. I don't know where, just A&M just all of a sudden is the hot place to go to school, has everybody in the sport rolling their eyes, and pointing at this collective, and all this stuff, which I say, hey, you know, better to be pointed at than be the guy doing the pointing, because you get the players.

PAT FORDE: Yeah, right?

DAN WETZEL: Jimbo, though, is not into the portal. His quote-- you don't even among your own guys who's in, who's out. You think you're deep at a position, then two guys leave. And there are outside voices sticking their noses in. That makes it hard.

There's nothing coaches hate more than outside voices. Thoughts on Jimbo, of all people, right now complaining about the portal.

PAT FORDE: Like, seriously? We have to hear from him? It's hilarious to me. Yeah, you know what? When you bring in the most heralded recruiting class, potentially ever, some other guys may want to leave because they see their playing time going out the window. And they may think it's time to look elsewhere. Gosh, that doesn't need to be-- that's not necessarily an outside voice, that's an informed opinion, perhaps, from the young men.

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Like, hmm, yeah, those three offensive linemen who are all five-stars, they play my position and I haven't gotten on the field yet. I don't want to be number two and maybe bumped down to number three. I'm going to go somewhere else. Welcome to the real world. That's how things happen. And the idea that these outside voices are corrupting what's going on at A&M-- if Jimbo can complain right now when he is absolutely conquering everything, he can complain about anything.

DAN WETZEL: I don't know what Jimbo is going to do, but complaining that guys are leaving when they, quite honestly, should be leaving--

PAT FORDE: Yeah. When you are overbooked with talent, things are going to even themselves out. Supply and demand.

DAN WETZEL: On the flip side, now, we often are very critical of Coach Swinney But here's his part, and maybe he's the antithesis of this-- at least he's complaining which I, again, $9 million a year. We're not doing our job as coaches and recruiters if we're bringing in a bunch of transfers, he said.

Now, he went on to have a bunch of others. I've always been about education, the collegiate model, and the collegiate experience-- I don't think what's been created now is healthy for the game. Those are his opinions. I can't argue with that. Always the guy says he's glad they're making money, but doesn't seem really all that happy about it.

[PAT LAUGHS]

So I guess the situation here is-- your thoughts on Coach Swinney here on those comments.

PAT FORDE: Well, I mean, it's always-- the great thing about Dabo is he's always going to have something to say. You know, you get him on a topic other than, why do your quarterbacks complete such a low percentage of their passes when their names aren't Trevor Lawrence, and it's going to be great because he's going to go off in some direction or another. And the tangent's going to be interesting.

Look, one of the things that we don't fully have our arms wrapped around yet but stands to reason is that in the transfer portal era, graduation success rate-- or academic progress rate, graduation success rate's going to go down, because credits aren't going to transfer, majors aren't going to be there. You're going to have to take different majors-- that sort of thing.

It's going to be harder from that standpoint to actually graduate. That I think-- we will wait and see what the numbers bear out. But it stands to reason that this is not an academically friendly situation. So if he really cares about academics, then he probably has a point there.

You know, I kind of like the concept of if we're doing things the right way, players aren't going to transfer. But the reality also is that there's just going to be x amount of playing time. And at places like Clemson, you're probably going have too many good players to fit into that playing time. So even if you're doing a good job, you're going to have guys are going to be like, eh, I'm not getting on the field and I came here as a four-star-- I'm going somewhere else.

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Jimbo Fisher and Dabo Swinney voice displeasure with the Transfer Portal | College Football Enquirer - Yahoo Sports

If it feels like every game of MLBs new season features a thrilling new face, well, youre not imagining things. The 2022 crop of rookies opening with big-league clubs is actually historic.

As The Ringers Ben Lindbergh showed this week, more highly ranked prospects made their debut in this seasons first week than in any previous non-strike season on record. The breadth of the noteworthy debuts also stands out: They included three of the consensus top five prospects in the sport, a long-awaited flamethrower and a hotly pursued Japanese star. And that didnt even include the rookie whose preternatural bat-to-ball ability may have made the biggest impression in the seasons first week.

With so many new names to know, we thought it would be good to rank the nine most eye-catching rookies so far in this eye-catching-est season of rookies.

After whacking 38 homers for the Hiroshima Carp and leading NPBs Central League in batting average in 2021, Suzuki announced hed be heading to MLB. Projection systems loved the 27-year-old from the jump, instantly viewing him as one of the top 25 hitters in the majors thanks to a sturdy blend of power and patience. So far, hes looked the part.

Suzuki is pacing the Cubs offense with three homers including two in one game and an approach that has netted nearly as many walks (five) as strikeouts (six).

Most notably, his hot start is grounded in reality. Hes obviously not going to hit .368, but his early success is backed up by strong plate discipline and Statcast figures. In other words, Suzukis loud introduction to the league appears to be signal, not noise.

The 5-foot-9 outfielder won a job on Clevelands opening day roster with one extremely special skill and proceeded to post the best opening weekend of any major leaguer, rookie or not

That skill springs from an extremely relatable problem. I remember when I was younger, every time I struck out, I would want to cry, the 24-year-old Oregon State product recalled to FOX Sports. So I think I just told myself, I dont like to cry, so I just wont strike out.

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His ability to just do that is not relatable at all. Six games into his big-league career, Kwan has 10 hits, eight walks and one measly strikeout. He has swung and missed a grand total of twice and one of those was technically a foul tip. Alongside former college teammate Nick Madrigal, hes bringing an extreme contact-oriented style of hitting back into the mainstream. Its not likely to be as productive over the long haul as Suzukis over-the-fence game, but it sure is interesting to watch.

The most acclaimed prospect to hit the league on opening day, Witt is still getting his sea legs at the plate, but has already managed two special moments with a go-ahead knock and a game-saving defensive play.

The relatively unheralded Brash won Seattles No. 5 starter job and then knocked Pitching Twitter on its butt with his first start. Brash has stuff that makes you curse involuntarily.

The fastball zips in at 99 and the breaking ball flies like some sort of possessed Frisbee. He had the White Sox lineup off balance for most of the game in his debut start. More eyes will be on him next time.

Sometimes the best prospects leap to the big leagues with such speed that they require more adjustment time than a more seasoned professional player like Suzuki or even Kwan. Rodriguez and Torkelson are both top five overall prospects in the game, and both are likely to start ripping baseballs around the park in due time.

Consider Rays phenom Wander Franco. After debuting in June of last season, he batted .239/.297/.402 through the end of July. From Aug. 1 on? He slashed .322/.388/.523.

Youll want to be watching when these guys turn the corner.

It was a tougher road to the majors than expected for the former No. 2 overall pick, but the 6-foot-4 hurler who regularly lives in the triple digits with his fastball reached the majors as a starter. In his initial showing, the fastball was as hard as advertised, but also occasionally too straight to fool big-league bats.

A key piece of the return for Max Scherzer and Trea Turner, Ruiz opened the season with a pair of two-hit games. A switch-hitting catcher with excellent contact skills is a rare sight, and Ruiz could soon be a cornerstone of the Nationals.

OK, yes, Duran is a reliever. But he is also worth flipping the channel for. Hes throwing a completely ridiculous pitch called the splinker. Which is a splitter combined with a sinker. It goes 96 mph and drops like, well, a really good splitter.

Siri is already 26 and less of a prospect than the rest of these rookies, but after a long rise to the majors plagued by questions about his undisciplined approach and strikeout problems, his early performance deserves a nod.

As part of a center field timeshare for the Astros, he has shown some early signs that hes channeling his aggression instead of letting it rule the roost. While its way too early to read too much into swing rates, Siris is down so much it almost has to be on purpose. The good use of his aggression, meanwhile, won Houston a game on Tuesday night. Its always going to be a balancing act, but his power and speed could be a devastating combo.

Also exciting: Spencer Strider, Jeremy Pena, Seth Beer

Excerpt from:

MLB rookie rankings: Which of baseball's new stars made the best first impression? - Yahoo Sports