Aussie Motoring

Kia Motors receives $10 billion Export Tower Award

- Kia is only the third manufacturing company to receive $10 billion annual export distinction

Kia Motors Corporation announced today that it has received the $10 Billion Export Tower Award from the Korean government, thereby reaching one of the most significant milestones in its history — surpassing $10 billion in export value for the period from July of 2004 to June of the current year.

The award was presented by South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun to the President and CEO of Kia Motors, Euisun Chung, at a ceremony held this morning at the COEX convention center in southern Seoul to celebrate Korean export successes.

Much of Kia’s recent strong performance can be attributed to a rapidly improving brand profile and popularity among the world’s auto consumers that has been driven by the introduction of many all-new models including the A-segment Picanto, C-segment Cerato and Sportage and Sorento SUVs.

Kia Motors President & CEO Euisun Chung said, “This award is a clear testament to the growing number of loyal customers who are quickly realizing that our new line-up of high quality, stylishly designed cars with a multitude of advanced safety and convenience features just can’t be beat.”

“With this year’s introduction of the all-new B-segment Rio, Carnival MPV and D-segment Magentis, coupled with numerous all-new and face-lift models to be launched in 2006, customers will continue to be rewarded by our unrelenting product innovation and commitment to excellence,” he added.

Kia Motors continues to post positive sales growth in every major region of the world. In fact, through the first 10 months of 2005, overseas retail sales have jumped from 542,496 units to 682,571 units compared to the same period of last year for a year-on-year increase of 25.8%.

This latest recognition comes on the heels of the US$5 Billion Export Tower Award in 2003 and last year’s US$7 Billion Export Tower Award, thereby illustrating the tremendous pace at which the Kia brand has flourished in overseas markets. And in fact, Kia Motors is only the third manufacturing corporation to receive this US$10 billion export distinction.

Earlier this year in March, Kia celebrated another historic milestone when it surpassed the 5 million cumulative export mark.

Kia Motors Corporation (www.kiamotors.com) – one of the fastest growing automakers in the world — was founded in 1944 and is Korea’s oldest manufacturer of motor vehicles. As part of the Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group, Kia aims to become one of the world’s premier automotive brands.

It is the major sponsor of the Australian Tennis Open and an official worldwide sponsor of the Davis Cup. Kia Motors Corporation’s brand slogan — “The Power to Surprise” — represents the company’s global commitment to surpassing customer expectations through continuous automotive innovation.

It may not be widely known but Kia and Hyundai are both owned by the same parent company. Although the marketing of both brands is kept entirely separate and here in Australia it would be rare to find a Kia dealership and a Hyundai dealership under the same roof there is a lot of Hyundai parts appearing under the bonnets of Kia motor vehicles.

Some motoring writers would even suggest that most Kia models are simply a cheaper version of Hyundai models once you remove the outer skin. So it’s not surprising that Kia often attracts lots of positive comments from motoring writers.

The latest Rio is no exception – at least here in Australia – where the vehicle is a real contestant in the small car market. The inclusion of power windows, front and side airbags, CD player and reclining rear seats with variable settings are just a few of the features that come in the latest Rio.

As one writer has pointed out, some of those features aren’t included in larger vehicles that cost twice as much as the Rio.

Rio comes equipped with a zippy 1.6 litre motor that is coupled to either a five speed manual or a four speed automatic box. Reverse is selected by lifting a collar on the gear lever and some people do have trouble with this feature. Others have found the gear box to be a little clunky and one American motoring writer described the gear changing in the latest US version as “disappointing”.

Visibility from the driver’s position is good and when that is added to the small 5 metre turning circle you have a car that is ideal for city driving.

Leg room in the front seats is excellent but, as you would expect, it’s a little cramped for adults in the rear seats. Boot space is excellent even though the Rio comes equipped with a full size spare wheel.

For a full list of the technical specifications check here

Nissan has launched it’s all-new Navara D40 dual-cab this week. Built in Spain the new range of vehicles will be sold alongside the existing D22 model and will include a 2WD model in the up-market version.

Nissan believes that the new D40 is going to take on the Toyota SR5 Hilux while the older D22 will compete strongly in the area of the 4WD market that includes Triton and Rodeo.

The D40 is a bigger vehicle all round than the D22 and comes with a choice of diesel or petrol engines coupled to a 6 speed manual or 5 speed automatic gearbox.

There will be two models in the the range. The RX version is the entry-level model while the ST-X is the up-market version. Prices start at $38,990 for the V6 petrol RX and $40,990 for the dielsel version.

Prices for the ST-X version will start at $37,990 for the 2WD and stop at $45,990 for the 4WD

Update You can see further information about the Nissan Navara here

Holden and the Queensland Police Service have joined forces in an effort to reduce the road toll and increase road safety leading up to the holiday season.

No fewer than 10 headturning Holden Monaro coupes have joined the Queensland police fleet to provide maximum visibility on roads during peak periods.

The Monaros will be used as a tool that will be a constant reminder for motorists to follow the road rules.

Queensland Police Minister Judy Spence and Police Commissioner Bob Atkinson unveiled the fleet at an event in King George Square in Brisbane.

The vehicles will be distributed to each police region where they can be used to promote road safety messages through high profile traffic patrols.

Each region and district can use the vehicles to employ local strategies based on road crash data and their individual needs.

The Monaros will be equipped with highly reflective markings and road safety messages displayed on the panels.

Each Monaro is fitted with mobile data devices which allow police to access information including driver license details and persons of interest data.

They also feature a range of modern technology to accommodate secure digital radios and mobile radar equipment.

Holden announced earlier this year that it would end production of the current generation Monaro in late 2005 .

The coupe has been Australia’s top selling sports car each year since its release in late 2001 and has been sold under various brands in the United States , United Kingdom , Middle East and New Zealand.

This is not the first time a car company has teamed up with state police to provide something different in the way of highway patrol cars over the Christmas period. Several years ago BMW supplied several high speed sports saloons to the Tasmanian police for patrol work during Christmas.

Whatever it was that once made America great seems to have faded away in the last couple of years and all that remains is an ever increasing tide of rampant silliness.

The latest crazy idea comes from the US Chamber of Commerce who have suggested that the federal government should now begin to tax hybrid and other fuel efficient cars.

At a time when the US and the world desperately need more cars like that an important body, that you would think contained some intelligent people, wants fuel efficient vehicles to be taxed.

I guess common sense is not a one of the important attributes for membership in the US Chamber of Commerce.

If you’re having problems getting a licence to drive a vehicle then just be thankful that you don’t live in Kuwait.

New rules that have just been introduced require expatriates to hold a university degree, receive a salary of not less than $1370 a month and have resided in the country for a minimum of two years.

The new rules have been put in place in an effort to reduce traffic congestion in a country there are 4.6 million people, 1.1 million cars and an archaic road system.

I wonder if you actually have to pass a driving test as well?

Here in Australia we have recently seen the introduction of labelling on new vehicles that is supposed to show the fuel consumption of that vehicle. On the surface that seems like a really good idea but are those figures genuine?

In the US a recent study has found that the posted fuel consumption figures in 90 percent of the 303 vehicles tested was inaccurate. In some cases the discrepancy between claimed fuel consumption and real fuel consumption was as much as 30 percent.

In the United States the worst discrepancies came in the fuel consumption claimed for city driving compared to what the genuine consumption was for the same conditions. Some models tested had variations of between 35 and 50 percent.

Are we looking at a similar situation here in Australia?

If you’re in the queue waiting for your Toyota Prius to arrive then I’m sorry to report that the waiting time just got longer.

A fire in the paint shop at one of the two factories in Japan that are producing the Prius has set production back by a week. That may not sound like much but Toyota is alread unable to keep up with the demand for the hybrid car.

In a world where timing is everything Mitsubishi probably couldn’t have chosen a worse time to introduce a six cylinder car to a market that is coming to grips with increased and unstable fuel prices.

The situation is made even worse for the company by the fact that the company in Australia wii stand or fall on the success or otherwise of this vehicle. So what is the Mitsubishi 380 really like and can it save the company?

Well if you have seen the advertising on television you have probably realised that the 380 is a rather bland looking car that’s never going to stand out in a crowd. At a time when the company really needed an eye-catching design they have opted for something that is pure vanilla.

They have also retained the front-wheel drive format which in this writer’s humble opinion is not such a bad thing but many motoring writers hold a different view and feel that Mitsubishi have missed the opportunity to move their flagship to a rear wheel drive layout just like their competitors.

The 380 comes in five different versions ranging from the base model that the company describes as ‘well equipped’ to the 380GT that the company describes as the ultimate blend of sports and luxury. In between there are two more optioned versions of the basic sedan and a slightly cheaper version of the ultimate blend of sports and luxury.

All come equipped with a 3.8 litre V6 motor that certainly does develop some grunt. The V6 is coupled to a 5 speed manual transmission there is a 5 speed sequential transmission available as an option. The sequential box operates as an automatic but also allows manual changes up and down the range. However most drivers will set it in D and forget it.

A motor with a lot of grunt does come at a cost and the 380 is not going to be known for its great fuel consumption. Official figures suggest that 10.8 litres per 100 kilometres what you could expect from this car but that may be somewhat optimistic. Some writers report that 11.5 to 13.5 litres per 100 kilometres is going to be closer to the mark.

Those are not inspiring figures for a market place where fuel economy is becoming much more important.

Actual road handling seems to be adequate without being brilliant and at least one writer described the turning circle of the 380 as something close to the turning circle of an aircraft carrier.

Inside the car has a dashboard that could be better. It’s poorly lit and the some of the digital readouts are of little value. The trim on the cheaper versions of the 380 relies a lot on plastics and it’s obvious. At least one reviewer suggested that the standard of the fit-out inside the car was not up to the same standard as the Magna.

Visibility through the rear windscreen becomes a problem in heavy rain and the boot, while spacious, has a very small opening and getting anything as big as a pram into it could be awkward.

Standard equipment includes climate control/air conditioning, four airbags, ABS disc brakes, power windows and mirrors, cruise control, an alarm and six-speaker, single CD based sound system that is MP3 compatible and audio controls on the steering wheel.

Even though the price of the somewhat up market VRX comes in below that of it’s Holden and Ford competitors it doesn’t seem to be the car that is going to save Mitsubishi Australia.

You will find a full road test here

From now till the end of December Ford and Holden are fighting over the $12,990 price point in the small car market.

Originally Holden claimed the $12,990 price point as their own with the Barina coming in right on the nose with an equipment level that included air.

But from now till the end of December Ford are offering $1000 cash back on the Ford Fiesta and that brings Ford’s small car down to the level of the Barina.

Unfortunately, if you want to ride in airconditioned comfort in a Fiesta it’s going to set you back another $2000.

The $12,990 price for the Fiesta will only hold till the end of December or when stocks run out. A slightly upgraded model is due to hit the showroom floors from January.