Aussie Motoring

A new plant and a new car

by Stuart Livesey

A new car every 57 seconds, 34 new cars every hour, 822 new cars every day, 24,657 new cars every month, 300,000 new cars every year … the figures are staggering. But that’s the output that Kia expects to achieve from their new plant in Zilina, Slovakia.

The plant began production in December 2006 after a 1 billion euro investment by Kia. Production has been slowly increasing since then; the plant turned out 12,000 units in March and the target for May is 14,000 units.

When the plant is in full production it will be employing a workforce of around 10,000 and will be producing just one vehicle - the Kia cee’d. Initial production is focused on the four-door version but the plant will begin to turn out the five door cee’d wagon in August and the three-door cee3′d will begin to appear in December.

In Europe the cee’d is being offered with a whopping 7 year/150,000km warranty that covers the entire car for five years and the power train for an additional two.

You can expect to see the Kia cee’d in Australia before the end of the year.

Toyota has just released figures that indicate that in the first quarter of this year it sold 2.3 million vehicles worldwide. That figure put’s it about 900,000 vehicles ahead of General Motors.

Interestingly in Toyota’s home market - in Japan - it’s suffering just as much as Japanese manufacturers. In China - the world’s biggest expanding market - Toyota is also encountering some buyer resistance and is encountering stiff competition from Volkswagen.

by Stuart Livesey

Another parts manufacturer is in trouble and the flow-on could see Ford close its Melbourne plants on Monday if the problem is not resolved.

Coughlan and Russell Engineering has gone into administration and a dispute over $1.85 million in entitlements has led to the standing down of 49 workers. Coughlan and Russell provide around 40 different parts for Ford and Holden and Ford is the first to feel the impact of a lack of those parts.

… and a Chevy Impala out-dragging a Lamborghini?

Hard to believe but if you convert them to bio-diesel then it seems that anything is possible.

You’ll find the story and the video here

by Stuart Livesey

It’s hard to believe that a General Motors brand would ever think of building a compact car like these but it’s been hard for Chevrolet to ignore the dollars that one segment of the market are prepared to spend on cars of this size.

So at the New York motor show Chevrolet have unveiled not one but three small concept cars. The vehicles were the Groove:

(Chevrolet Groove at the 2007 New York International Auto Show (NYIAS). Photo credit: Convention Photo by Joe Orlando.)

the Beat:

(Chevrolet Beat concept at the 2007 New York International Auto Show (NYIAS). Photo credit: Convention Photo by Joe Orlando)

and the Chevrolet Trax - a vehicle with some SUV overtones and very little room behind the rear seats.

Unfortunatley Chevrolet can’t decide which model to run with so they want the consumer to tell them which vehicle should go into production by 2010. To help consumers make a choice Chevrolet have launched a website that you will find here.

But don’t expect to be able to make an informed decision. You see Chevrolet don’t actually show you a any of the three cars from every angle on that website. And if you happen to be on a dial-up connection the site may not want to talk to you at all.

If you do get to the site check out the photos of the Beat and if you can tell me what that thing is behind the rear seat please do so. She who likes to drive with her foot pressed through the floor can’t decide whether it’s some sort of futuristic speaker or a porta-pottie for when you’re caught short in a traffic jam.

by Stuart Livesey

Motoring shows here in Australia can be a little bit of a let down. You can wander around and look … and some might even let you touch … but no one does what Jeep does in the US.

The New York Motor show is is on as a I write this and so is Camp Jeep New York. Camp Jeep is a display at the motor show where John Q Public can take a ride in a Jeep over a huge course of dirt, gravel, rocks and even a mountain - and it’s not just for specially selected members of the public. If you’re at the show and you want a ride all you have to do is stand in line.

Jeep(R) Liberty at the 2007 New York International Auto Show (NYIAS). Photo credit: Convention Photo by Joe Orlando.

Of course taking a ride on a course like that could always turn a potential buyer off rather than on. I can remember many years ago when I was stationed in Lithgow there was a Suzuki 4WD dealer at Little Harley just at the foot of Mt Victoria.

He had a little rough terrain course set out in an adjacent paddock and if you were interested in buying one of his vehicles he’d take you for a run over the course. I’d almost convinced my wife that there was a Suzuki 4WD in our immediate future and she agreed to take a test drive.

Unfortunately her desire for an off-road vehicle evaporated when we hit the course and the first little hill was so steep she couldn’t see anything but blue sky over the front of the bonnet. From that point on there was never going to be any chance of us ever buying any 4WD … and the sad part is it wasn’t much of a hill at all … just a mound of dirt really

by Stuart Livesey

VW unveiled the restyled Touareg at the New York Motor Show today and plans to have it in the showrooms by late in the northern spring.

The new Touareg has had a face lift that’s designed to blend it more into the VW family. Other changes to the body include a redesigned rear spoiler, 17 inch or 19 inch wheels (depending on the model), redesigned headlamps, darkened tail lights and four new exterior colour options.

Mechanically the Touareg comes with a new V6 and new V8 engines that significantly upgrade performance.

Other upgraded features include a new rollover sensor system, an enhanced tire pressure monitoring system standard on all models, rain brake support (that intermittently wipes the brake rotors when the windshiled wipers are in use) and an understeering control system.

The new Touareg will go on sale with a starting price of $US39,320. There’s no word yet on when the new Touareg will reach Australia.

Kia Motors Corporation is staging the world premiere of its all-new KND-4 concept car today (Thursday) at the Seoul International Motor Show.

Designed to reassert Kia’s credentials as a leading brand in the 4×4 and RV vehicle sectors, the new SUV concept car projects a dynamic, powerful character and exudes a strong sense of individuality. Although clearly a ‘concept car,’ the Luminous Green, three-door, 4466mm-long KND-4 gives a bold hint at how future Kia compact SUV models might look.

It’s obviously a very different SUV and you can find all the details plus more pictures by following the Kia KND-4 link.

In the mad rush to install LPG tanks that has been sweeping Australia it seems that some mistakes may have been made.

13,500 LPG tanks installed in vehicles between November 2006 and February 2007 have been identified as having the potential to leak. Axiom brand hand taps fitted to LPG tanks fitted to APA tanks may have been fitted with an O ring that’s too small.

The tank manufacturer is attempting to contact the owners of cars that may be affected. Until the problem is fixed owners of cars fitted with the problematic tap are advised not to fill their LPG tanks and not to park their cars in confined spaces.

If you think your car is one of those that is affected then you should contact the installer as soon as possible.

by Stuart Livesey

The idea of building concept cars has been around for many decades. You know how it goes, build something really way out that looks and goes like a rocket but when it comes to production time turn out something that’s not going to make waves and not going to make all that many sales either.

That idea was in vogue as far back as 1958 when Plymouth built this concept car.

The Plymouth Tornado was one of a kind and featured a futuristic design that’s probably still a long way in the future today.

Unlike many concept cars that end up being scrapped or hidden away where no one will ever find them the Plymouth Tornado did manage to escape into the wild. It was sold at auction in the United States last November by Red Baron’s Antiques. Follow the link and you’ll see some of the interesting vehicles they’ve got for sale at their next auction.

A 1949 Willys Jeep convertible????????