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.

 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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

This time I had my camera and it was parked out on the footpath.

If vintage American cars turn you on and you would like to own one then this baby is for sale … but I doubt that it comes cheap.

General Motors experienced a 37% drop in the sale of SUVs and vans in the United States during May and, when you consider that GM makes more money from the sale of SUVs than it does from conventional vehicles, it’s no wonder that GM is re-thinking its future strategy.

GM did have a team of engineers working on developing fuel-saving technologies for their SUVs with a view to introducing them by 2012 but no more. The team has been dispanded and re-assigned to other projects and General Motors may soon be making changing it’s focus from SUVs to more fuel efficient cars.

Volkswagen is also experiencing some problems in what it describes as “a difficult market environment”. While sales are surging in China they are falling when taken on a worldwide basis. VW reported a drop in of 0.8 percent in worldwide sales in May.

Kia on the other hand reported a 16.5% increase in worldwide sales during May with large increases in all markets. Most noteable were a 56.8 percent increase in sales to China, an 8.8 percent increase in sales to Europe and an 8.6 percent increase in sales to North America.

What makes this BMW even more interesting is the fact that this is the first BMW to be offered with an optional  seven-speed M double clutch transmission with BMW’s Drivelogic and specifically designed to work with high-revving V8 engines.

The M3 Convertible also features a retractable hard-top as standard, sun-reflective leather upholstery that keeps the surface temperature at up to 20 degrees Celsius cooler than conventional leather.

The first demo models of the BMW M3 Convertible will be in the showrooms from July but the first deliveries to customers won’t begin until the last quarter of the year.

That inherent character is still around today, I mean how could you look at something as ugly as the Megane and not love it. And I guess it’s that character that made me take a second look when the promo for the new Renault Laguna arrived in my inbox.

It’s not due to arrive till much later in the year but Renault doesn’t want to surprise you by having it arrive here unannounced. The new Laguna will come with a “wide range of petrol and diesel engines” all coupled to a six-speed gearbox or a five-speed auto.  And even though the promo forgets to mention the size of the engine I think 2.0 litre is going to be the standard here.

The new Laguna comes with ABS, Electronic Brake Distribution and Emergency Brake Assist. It also comes fitted with dual side airbags the include new impact sensors that allow the bags to be deployed in half the time taken by other vehicles.

Inside the car you’ll get all the creature comforts you could want in a car. There’s an air quality system that automatically closes when it detects impurities in the air as well as dual zone climate control with three modes to keep everyone happy.

Interestingly the Laguna will also be available in a station wagon variant. You can find more information about the new Renault Laguna here