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Wheel Fever - by Craig Hill

After years of being in the styling doldrums, Kia looks as though it has seized the day with design.

It has followed up the C'eed and surprising new-look Cerato with the No3 concept, which will be unveiled at next Tuesday's Geneva Motor Show.

The No3 concept hatch, described as a multi-purpose vehicle, is one of three new Kias to be at the show.

Apart from the No3, Kia will show off a range of cars with what it calls ISG for “idle, stop and go”, as well as an innovative hybrid.

Kia executives say the No3 concept “redefines the small MPV genre by creating a beautiful car that is also fun-to-drive”.

The concept looks almost production ready and could end up battling the likes of the Ford Fiesta, Mazda2, Toyota Yaris and Hyundai Getz in the ultra-competitive light-car class.

The concept features an extended windscreen and panorama glass roof with a diagonal supporting bar, an automatic sun visor and the new Kia corporate grille treatment, headlights and brand logo in a new constellation.

At 4045 mm long, the concept is 95mm longer than a Ford Fiesta concept.

The No3 is finished in matt Titanium Grey with contrasting gloss-white accents.

The ISG system will be previewed in the Kia Cee'd.

It delivers about to 15 oper cent fuel savings in city driving.

The device is already on sale in many countries across Europe.

The system automatically switches the engine off when the car is stopped in traffic and restarts the engine instantly when the driver moves off.

ISG cars are available with a choice of 1.4-litre and 1.6-litre petrol engines.

The 1.4-litre ISG models at Geneva have a 137 g/km CO2 rating.

In keeping with an emerging green theme at Geneva, the Korean carmaker has built a fleet of prototype Kia Cee'd hybrids especially for testing and evaluation in Europe.

The Cee'd Hybrid uses an upgraded powertrain with Kia's Gamma 1.6-litre petrol engine, mated to a 15kW, 105Nm AC synchronised electric motor, CVT transmission and ISG.

The hybrid hits 100km/h in 11.8 seconds and has a top speed of 185 km/h.

The prototype achieves fuel consumption of 4.81 litres/100km and a CO2 figure of 109 g/km, a 25 per cent reduction compared to the standard 1.6-litre petrol Cee'd.

Herald Sun

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Posted By: Paladin - Category: Korean Cars, Hatchbacks, Kia, Other Shows

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Kia Sorento XM

February 26th 2009 14:21

Kia's No3 show car for next week's Geneva motor show is all but done and dusted.

Now the Korean carmaker is focusing on April's Seoul Motor Show, where it will unveil the new Sorento off-roader, codenamed XM.

Probably the biggest news about the new Sorento is that it will move from a traditional body-on-frame construction to a unit-body design borrowed from the Hyundai Veracruz, which is sold in North America.

Visually it is clear the Sorento has grown up, with a more refined and car-like design to distance itself from the more agricultural current model.

The new look is more muscular, following some of the same themes as the contemporary looking Cerato, also design by Kia chief designer, Peter Schreyer.

The off-roader is expected to have both turbo-diesel and petrol engines.

Its engine line-up is expected to include the next-generation 150kW/435Nm 2.2-litre R-diesel engine delivering an impressive 7.0 litre/100km, a 2.4-litre Theta II petrol four cylinder and a 200kW 3.8-litre in-line petrol six.

Engines will be coupled to a new six-speed automatic transmission.

Herald Sun

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Posted By: Paladin - Category: Korean Cars, Kia, Other Shows

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Hyundai i20 three-door

February 20th 2009 06:45

Just days after Hyundai exhibited the new i20 five-door at Melbourne motor show, the three-door version will debut at Geneva’s auto-fest.

The three-door is built on the same wheelbase, and carries the same 1.2-litre Kappa engine, but weighs 10kg less than the five-door’s 1045kg.

Hyundai Australia says they would welcome the three-door here, and doesn’t see any barriers to it arriving.

“We are certainly looking at bringing it to Australia,” spokesman Ben Hershman says, but can’t predict how soon after the five-doors arrival – set to be mid-year – that might happen.

“There’s no impediment, but we just can’t confirm what the timing would be on that. We haven’t been advised of production dates.”

Hershman says he expects both versions of the i20 will do well in the local showrooms.

“There’s a strong market for both three and five-door small cars at the moment,” he says.

“The Getz does very well for us in both areas.”

Hershman says the i20 will land here around the competitive $16,000 price mark, so he doesn’t believe there is any risk of the i20 cannibalising from its stablemate, which is currently around $2000 cheaper.

“We really see two different customers in that end of the market … the value buyer looking at price of entry, and then those who are looking for the slightly larger body and more sophisticated technology that the i20 will offer.”

The three-door has the same nose and tail as the larger version, but has larger doors and a more upswept line along the side profile.

Hyundai says its quick-release memory seats allow easy `walk-in’ access for the rear, while the car as specced for the overseas market will feature six airbags – front, side and curtain – plus active head-restraints.

Overseas specs show the 1.2-litre four-cylinder petrol engine in the five-door develops 57.4kW at 6000rpm and 119Nm at 4000rpm, with a five-speed manual driving the front set of 14” wheels. It’s reported to get to 100km/h in a fairly leisurely 12.9 seconds and to a top speed of 165km/h, with a frugal combined fuel consumption of 5.2L/100km and 124g/km of Co2.

Carsguide

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Posted By: Paladin - Category: Korean Cars, Hatchbacks, Hyundai, Melbourne International, Other Shows

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Aussie Car Costs 1.4 Cents Per Kilometre

February 12th 2009 10:57

Imagine a car that costs 1.4c/km to run… now it’s a reality.

The almost imperceptible hum of the electric motor and the cooling whoosh of the wind are shattered by one comment from the car's driver.

“If we built this without the proper parts or the know-how in six months, why is it taking car manufacturers so long?” says Professor Thomas Braunl of the University of WA's engineering faculty.

It's difficult to argue. Some university students and their lecturers purchased and transformed a 2008 Hyundai Getz from a petrol-fuelled hatchback to one running solely on plug-in power.

It cost $15,000 in materials _ most had to be purpose-built because the components aren't available off the shelf _ and in the real world, perhaps the same again in labour. This is in addition to the purchase of the car.

Hyundai Getz Electric

The bonus is that it costs 1.4 cents a kilometre to run _ about 10 per cent of its petrol-fuelled equivalent.

“If you recharge at night, using off-peak power, it's less than 1c a kilometre,” Professor Braunl says.

“It will charge in four to six hours and that's enough for 100km.

“As a household's second car, these are perfect. They produce no emissions, use no fossil fuels (dependant on the electricity source), are simple, quiet and reliable.”

The UWA uses roof-mounted solar cells to create electricity to run the car, making the car operate without any greenhouse gas contributions.

The conversion required removing the conventional 70kW petrol engine and its ancilliaries _ exhaust, fuel tank, cooling system and clutch _ while retaining the five-speed manual gearbox.

Under the bonnet went a 28kW electric motor and its controller, with a 144-volt lithium-ion battery pack set in a safety cage within the boot.

Despite the addition of the large battery pack and the electric motor, the Getz weighs the same as its petrol donor.

But the conversion requires some different thinking. There is very little heat from the motor so unlike a petrol engine _ where the heater and demister use the heat from the coolant _ the electric car must have an ancillary heater.

It also requires small electric motors to run the power steering and the brake system's vacuum pump. The airconditioner needs a bigger motor to operate the compressor.

Driving the car is as easy as switching on and pressing the accelerator.

Professor Braunl suggests keeping the transmission in third gear. It will accelerate as briskly as the petrol car and without needing to change gears, reach 110km/h.

A full load of passengers _ it'll take five adults at a pinch _ may require using second gear and it's possible to select fourth or fifth for country driving.

Basically, because of the inherent low-rev torque of an electric motor _ it produces maximum torque at 1rpm _ the driving characteristics are radically different to an internal combustion-engined vehicle.

A buzzer fitted to the UWA car warns of excessive accelerator pressure in an attempt to improve economy by extending the range.

A simple digital readout on the centre console acts as the fuel gauge.

“If the readout gets to about 20 per cent (of charge remaining) then you should start looking for a place to recharge,” Professor Braunl says.

While stationary, the energy consumption of the car is 0.8 amps. Use the steering and brakes and that rises to 3 amps. Turn the lights on and it becomes 4 amps and press the accelerator lightly and the drain is 75 amps. Maximum acceleration will draw 150 amps.

The DC system isn't as sophisticated as the AC units which, amongst other benefits, has the ability to accept regenerative braking energy. But the DC is simpler and significantly cheaper.

“Part of our research is to test the benefits of DC over AC. It may be that DC is more applicable to certain driving conditions than AC, for example,” he says.

The Getz was purchased new last year by the UWA without any financial assistance _ despite appeals _ from the car company. Sponsorship has come only from the WA Government's Department for Planning and infrastructure.

That hasn't deterred Professor Braunl.

“We have purchased a Lotus which will be converted with a high-performance AC electric system,” he says.

“The cost is much higher than a DC. The Getz 144-volt motor was about $3500 but the high-performance AC motor with 350-volts is about $30,000 _ it's a very big gap.

“We plan to have three cars operating at the same time _ one being built, one being tested and the other being used.

“The Getz will be sold at the end of next year. I've already had five serious bids and even requests for us to build cars.

“There's a lot of interest.”

The Sunday Times

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Posted By: Paladin - Category: Korean Cars, Electric, Hyundai

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2009 Kia Cerato

January 22nd 2009 09:23

Kia has set out to upset the competition. The Korean carmaker is making that clear with an ad campaign for its new Cerato that shows unidentified German and Japanese brands indulging in some industrial espionage to keep a very worried eye on what Kia is up to.

The ad highlights the main weapons Kia has used to arm the little four-door sedan in a changing market that the company believes is moving in its direction.

Competitive pricing and sharpened design, segment topping power and a stacked equipment list that includes six airbags as standard are all intended to help start moving the brand away from the wallet-conscious list to the `desirable’ one.

Exterior

Developed from the Koup concept that was Kia’s star at the last New York motor show, this is the first car to hit Australia with the new Peter Schreyer-penned line grille, which the head designer likens to `a tiger’s roaring face’, slated to spread across the range as the maker’s family signature.

The grille is flanked by integrated slim headlights, echoed at the rear with similarly trimmed Euro style tail-lights sitting between the built-in rear spoiler and two-tone bumper.

The car is widest in its class and longer than its predecessor, but also sits lower on a choice of 15” steel or 17” alloy wheels to give a sportier impression. Side-on, the wedge-shaped body, which has helped to provide increased luggage capacity of 415L, is accentuated by the strong D-pillar profile, and character lines along the shoulder and lower doors.

Interior

Kia has paid equal attention to the interior, with improved features including a new design for the Kia steering wheel – set to spread across range – integrated audio in the centre stack

The standard six-speaker audio system is MP3 compatible with iPod readout of playlists on the head unit and speed-dependent volume control.

The SLi gets `super-vision cluster’ with message centre, Kia’s term for extra information functions and warnings, plus rear park assist system with in-dash display (rare for this segment). Safety Six airbags, including dual full-length side curtain ones are standard, as are active headrests.

It also boasts four-wheel disc brakes with ABS, and ESP as an option on the base but standard on the SLi. Kia says that, given the car’s urban emphasis, the extra airbags were chosen over making ESP standard, and to help keep it at a competitive price point.

Use of high-tensile steel has strengthened the body, and while the Cerato has not been independently tested, Kia engineers claim it will score a minimum of four stars when put through the ANCAP process in Australia later this year.

Drivetrain and economy

The Cerato carries the 2.0-litre Theta II engine with contuous variable valve timing to improve both economy and power, and develops a best in class 115kW at 6200 and 194Nm at 4300rpm, while managing to meet Euro IV emissions regulations and score a 4.5 on the Aussie government green vehicle guide.

Economy is claimed to be 7.8L with the five-speed manual and 7.9L with the four-speed gated tiptronic auto. The suspension system consists of front McPherson strut set-up, and rear compact torsion beam axle that is becoming popular in the segment for its reduced weight that helps fuel economy – in addition to improving rear impact performance and giving the Cerato class-leading boot space with minimal intrusion into cargo area.

To further help economy, aerodynamic performance aided by covers in engine bay, flattened wheel covers, and wheel deflectors front and rear.

Pricing

The base model CeratoS is $18,990, and the upper specced SLi $22,990, with a five-speed manual, while a four-speed tiptronic transmission adds a $2000 premium. There’s also an option pack for the S which tosses in the SLi’s ESP, traction control, cruise control and steering wheel controls for the audio system for an extra $2000.

September will see the Cerato two-door coupe, expected to stay true to the concept car shown in New York, and to replace the Cerato hatch globally.

Kia expects to sell more of the base models, consistent with asegment which has a large fleet component, with the SLi accounting for only 30-40 per cent of sales. In 2008, they moved 2000 Ceratos, and have tipped they’ll ``conservatively’’ sell more than 3000 this year, hunting the share of the Hyundai i30 which sells between 700-900 per month.

Driving

While the Shreyer line is the feature of the Cerato’s front, from the back it looks like another Euro-styled car. That’s not a bad thing, of course. But it’s the inside that you’ll be looking at most, and this is where Kia is showing they are serious about going further upscale with presentation.

Give or take the few pieces of harder plastic in the base model, the overall effect is one of quality … decent materials, well designed and laid out, and with what seems to be quite good fitting, although we did have an annoying squeak early in the first car, it disappeared a few kilometres down the road.

The engine was a capable and very frugal performer, but was not enhanced by the transmissions. In full auto, the four-speed wasn’t keen to kick down until you gave it a hefty boot to remind it you were still there, although in the sequential side it was more fun for hills and corners.

But the manual shift was notchy and disappointing, undermining what was otherwise an excellent package.

We took the launch cars over quite a bit of gravel on the day, and were surprised at how well the suspension set-up handled most of the challenge, the only exception being the rear doing an occasional side sashay on a bumpy corner. Bitumen surfaces were no problem, although we managed to get the rubber chirping from time to time.

Carsguide

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Posted By: Paladin - Category: Korean Cars, Kia

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