The all-new Hyundai i30 will be priced from £14,495 when it goes on sale in March. The new i30 will be available in four trim levels – Classic, Active, Style and Style Nav – and comes equipped with a range of new diesel and petrol engines.
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Included in the engine line-up is a frugal 1.6 CRDi Blue Drive unit, which comes in two power outputs and features stop-start as standard. In 108bhp guise, the engine emits 97g/km CO2 and achieves 76.3mpg, while the more powerful 126bhp variant emits 100g/km Co2.
Standard equipment across the Hyundai i30 model range includes voice-activated Bluetooth, LED daytime running lights, a multi-function steering wheel and electric and heated door mirrors. Hyundai’s hill-start assist system is also on the list.
Active-spec models add 15-inch alloys, cruise control, rear-parking sensors and three driver setting options – Comfort, Normal and Sport – while Style models get larger 16-inch alloys, as well as climate control, front parking sensors, LED indicators and rain-sensing wipers.
Topping the i30 range is the Style Nav model, prices of which start from £17,595. On top of the equipment you’ll find on the i30 Style, an integrated touchscreen sat-nav system and rear view parking camera is included.
Hyundai’s UK CEO Tony Whitehorn commented: “The new-generation i30 represents another leap forward in terms of Hyundai’s design, refinement and build quality” and that “it’s the complete package for customers looking for a high-quality vehicle at an affordable price.”
[Source: Hyundai Motor UK]
The 1 millionth vehicle rolled off the assembly line at Kia's Zilina plant in Slovakia just a little over five years since the factory opened, marking a significant landmark for the South Korean automaker.
The milestone model was a white, diesel-engined Cee’d SW that was handed over to a Slovakian children’s charity called the Red Nose Clowndoctors (no connection with Adult Swim's Children's Hospital…).
“Kia Motors Slovakia has achieved an important milestone in its history with the production of the millionth car. We decided to donate it to an organisation which will bring pleasure to children during their stay in hospitals,” said Eek-Hee Lee, President and CEO of Kia Motors Slovakia.
In addition, Kia said that the Cee’d SW is also the 600,000th version of the Zilina factory’s first car. Today, the plant also produces the Kia Sportage SUV and the Venga mini MPV.
Last year, the Zilina factory produced 252,000 cars and 359,000 engines, recording a 10 percent and 12 percent increase respectively over 2010.
The soon-to-be replaced Cee'd topped the list with 103,000 units in 2011, representing 41% of the overall production. It was followed closely by the Sportage with 101,000 units or 40% of total production, the Hyundai ix35 (which was manufactured up to June 2011) with 36,000 units and the Venga with 11,000 units.
[Source: Description]
Uncamouflaged images of the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe have finally hit the web. These two snap shots of the 2013 Santa Fe give us our first preview of what we can expect from Hyundai when the new Santa Fe debuts at the New York International Auto Show in April.
Back in October, spy shots emerged of a camouflaged 2013 Santa Fe rolling around the streets of New York. From what we could tell, the new Santa Fe would be bigger than the outgoing model, and would receive an all-new exterior design. The camouflaged mule also gave us a slight glimpse of the 2013 Santa Fe’s new grille which looks to be very similar to Ford’s old tri-bar grille.
These spy shots clearly show what those photos hid under all that camo. Up front, the 2013 Santa Fe gets a chrome three-bar grille in a trapezoidal opening reminiscent of the Veloster’s. The new Santa Fe also gets new headlights that follow the same design language of the refreshed 2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe. Around back, the 2013 Santa Fe boasts a stylish tailgate and tapered tail lamps, the latter bearing some resemblance to those used on Audi’s Q5 and Q7 SUVs.
The 2013 Santa Fe’s engine choices aren’t currently known, and details likely won’t leak out until the official debut later this year. We’re expecting the next-gen Santa Fe to make full use of Hyundai’s gasoline-direct injection four-bangers, and possibly the 293-hp 3.3-liter GDI V-6 from the recently-introduced Azera. Rumors are also floating around that the 2013 Santa Fe may get a version of the 2.0-liter turbocharged I-4 that’s currently found in the Veloster Turbo and Sonata to help it go head-to-head with the EcoBoost-equipped Ford Explorer.
Kia has announced that it is recalling 145,755 vehicles in the United States. The two models affected are the 2006-08 Optima sedan, specifically those manufactured between September 29, 2005 and January 29, 2008, and Rondo MPVs built between September 13, 2006 and March 21, 2008, for issues with the cars’ supplementary restraint system.
The problem concerns the clock spring in the airbag assembly, which can apparently become damaged over time. Failure of the clock spring contact assembly, will result in high resistance in the airbag electrical circuit, meaning that in the event of an accident, the airbag will fail to deploy, likely resulting in greater risk of injury to vehicle occupants.
Kia says it will be notifying owners of the affected vehicles, suggesting them to take the vehicle to an authorized dealer who will replace the airbag clock spring assembly. Kia says the recall is expected to begin in March 2012 and concerned owners are encouraged to contact Kia Customer Service at 1-800-333-4542 or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236.
[Source: Kia]
The first of Kia’s new global standard 'Red Cube' showrooms in England has opened at Arnold Clark Northwich in Cheshire.
"The Red Cube concept has been created to deliver the most complete visual representation of Kia’s design-focused brand strategy and, while the new showrooms will only open at major new-build sites many of the concept’s elements will soon be found at all Kia showrooms in the UK," the automaker said.
Built on an existing four-acre site in a high-traffic location, the new-look showroom features strong red cladding, distinctive side-return architecture and a clean, impressive interior.
Simon Hetherington, dealer development director at Kia Motors (UK), said: “This is a dramatic new look for Kia across the globe and I am proud that the UK has one of the first such new showrooms to open in Europe. We do not expect all of our dealers to invest in such buildings, but many of the elements contained in Red Cube can already be found in about one third of our 170 UK dealerships and by the end of this year almost all of our dealers will have adopted our new brand identity."
“The Red Cube gives us real stand out at new build and landmark sites and I would expect another five or six such showrooms in the UK over the course of the next year,” he added.
The Northwich showroom took 16 weeks to build and is the group’s eighth Kia dealership across the country.
[Source: Kia Motors UK]
In terms of prime time viewing, it often doesn’t get any better than during the Super Bowl. As a result companies want to make every second of air time count during the commercial breaks, often leading to some of the most inventive ads of all time.
This year, Kia is pulling out all the stops, thanks to a commercial which Michael Sprague, head of Kia’s US marketing and communications calls “the ultimate man’s dream.” It’s all part of a plan for Kia to boost its image into a more upscale, edgier brand.
Essentially, the ad incorporates a Kia Optima tearing around a race track, while scantily clad supermodel Adriana Lima and mixed-martial arts fighter Chuck Liddell do what they do best, as Mötley Crüe rock on stage, performing Kickstart My Heart.
The 60-second commercial will first be seen in movie theaters beginning on February 3, while 15-second teaser ads will also air beforehand. In an attempt to maximize the ad’s potential Kia will also leverage both the Twitter and Facebook followings of the stars featured in the commercial.
[Source: USA Today]
The all-new Hyundai i30 will be priced from £14,495 when it goes on sale in March. The new i30 will be available in four trim levels – Classic, Active, Style and Style Nav – and comes equipped with a range of new diesel and petrol engines.
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