Aussie Motoring

Have you ever wondered what happens when a manufacturer releases a new car? Well here’s a behind the scenes look at the way Kia in America introduced their new 4WD Borrego to the motoring press.

If you though that petrol prices were bad where you live just wait till you see the price of gas in Honolulu

This is not a replacement for an existing vehicle

Kia Motors Corporation has confirmed that its all-new production model, the Kia Soul, will be marketed globally with a choice of three highly efficient engines (depending on individual markets), when it goes on sale in early 2009.

The most powerful engine will be a 2-litre gasoline unit.  A smaller capacity 1.6-litre gasoline engine will be offered in most countries, alongside a 1.6-litre diesel engine featuring a VGT (variable geometry turbocharger).

Both the 1.6-litre, four cylinder, 16-valve DOHC power units are based closely on engines fitted to the hugely successful, European-built, Kia cee’d.

Kia has also confirmed that the new model, which will be available exclusively as a five-door hatchback with front-wheel drive, will have an overall length of 4,105 mm, and a 2,550 mm wheelbase. Height will be 1,610 mm and width 1,785mm – excluding door mirrors.

To be manufactured in Korea from November 2008 for overseas markets, the Kia Soul will defy conventions and appeal especially to the young and the young-at-heart – whatever their age.

Kia Soul is not a replacement for an existing vehicle and is destined to play a unique role within Kia’s global product line-up.  Kia Soul will provide a creative platform for buyers to individualise and match their car to their own personality.

The World Premiere of the Kia Soul will be celebrated on 2 October 2008 at the Paris Motor Show.  The exciting new Kia model is scheduled to go on sale in Europe during February 2009, with sales in the USA and remaining overseas markets beginning in April 2009.

Yesterday it was just a rumour that BMW were about to build a small fleet of electric Minis to test the concept and do some serious field trials. Today, with this press release from BMW, it’s official.

 As part of the Group’s Number ONE strategy, the company will begin extensive tests on electric drives in MINI Vehicles

Over the next months, the BMW Group will be carrying out various series of tests on electrically powered vehicles to determine the alternative drive of the future.

Several hundred MINI brand vehicles are being prepared for this. The cars, built in the Oxford plant, will be modified accordingly in Munich and fitted out for trials.

“This step will allow the BMW Group to gain an initial knowledge of how mobility can be achieved efficiently using purely electrically powered vehicles. Our task here is to combine the ultimate driving experience with an efficient electrified drive with practically no emissions”, underlined Dr. Norbert Reithofer, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG.

The tests on alternative drives in a MINI body will be used over the next 12-18 months to refine the technology. Details about the drive concept and its marketing will be published towards the end of the year.

It’s being reported that BMW will soon commence building 500 electric versions of it’s ever-popular Mini.

The Chairman of BMW AG is reported as saying that this small group of cars will allow BMW to gain knowledge and experience in the production of eletrically powered vehicles.

It’s believed that 490 of the electric Minis will be shipped to California where they will be leased to selected customers.

If the report is correct then BMW has joined other European manufacturers including Volkswagen, Daimler, Peugeot and Renault in taking the first tentative steps towards building a vehicle that produces zero emissions.

There’s supposed to be a recession either here or just around the corner … interest rates are going up and up … petrol prices are soaring … and all those indicators would suggest that we should be seeing a slowing in car sales in Australia. However new car buyers weren’t reading the signs in June according to the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries

Official VFACTS figures released today by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) show that 542,695 new cars, trucks and buses were sold in the first six months of 2008 – up 18,319 or 3.5 per cent on the same period in 2007.

The sales total for the 2007-08 fiscal year was 1,068,301, which was an increase of almost 65,000 vehicles over the previous financial year.

“The continued growth of the motor vehicle market so far this year is an encouraging result given current economic circumstances,” said the Chief Executive of the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, Andrew McKellar.

“Business sales in particular have remained resilient in the face of interest rate rises, fuel price increases and general turbulence in world financial markets.”

Sales for the month of June were also a record at 106,541 - an increase of 1,444 or 1.4 per cent over the same month last year, and an all-time record for any month in Australian motor vehicle sales history.

Andrew McKellar said the FCAI forecasts the market will again exceed one million motor vehicle sales in the calendar year, having first passed that milestone last December with a total of 1,049,982.

“While there are reasons to be cautious about the general market outlook in the second half of the year, the industry remains confident that total 2008 sales will once again top one million units,” he said.

The single largest contributor to sales growth so far this year has been the Medium SUV segment, which has added 6,662 sales or 18.5 per cent.

Small car segment sales have grown by 5,410 sales or 4.6 per cent, while two-wheel drive Pick-up/Cab-chassis sales have grown by 4,158 sales or 12.0 per cent.

Toyota remained market leader in June, selling 25,624 vehicles, which was an all-time record for any brand in any month.

Toyota was also the top-selling marque in the first half of the year with 127,440 sales or 23.5 per cent of the market, followed by Holden with 67,123 (12.4 per cent) and Ford with 54,469 (10.0 per cent).

The most popular car year-to-date is Toyota’s Corolla with 24,415 sales, ahead of Holden Commodore with 23,323 and Toyota HiLux with 22,132.

If there’s one thing I like about a Toyota Prius … apart from it’s great fuel consumption … is the fact that you can never mistake it for anything else. There’s something unique about the shape that makes a Toyota Prius instantly recognisable and marks it’s driver as someone special

But now there are rumours coming out of Japan that the Toyota Prius is about to undergo a facelift that could take this car to a whole new level. There are no other production models out there that come fitted with solar panels but once the new Prius hits the streets there could be.

It seems that the rumoured facelift could include roof-mounted solar panels to provide power to run the airconditioner. Hmmm I checked … it’s not April 1 so this could be an interesting development in a car that Toyota can’t produce enough of to keep up with the demand.

Yes, you did read that correctly … we are talking about selling Volvo the company and not just a Volvo.

For some time now Ford has owned Volvo as part of the Premier Automotive Group that also included Aston Martin, Jaguar and Land Rover but all it has left now is Volvo and Ford needs the cash.

So who might buy Volvo? Renault and Ford have been talking for a while but can’t agree on a price and now Ford is also talking to Dongfeng … China’s third largest car manufacturer.

Jaguar made by Tata and now Volvo made in China … what is the world coming to?