Kia cee'd awarded ISO environmental certification

Kia Motors has been presented by TÜV with two certificates which recognize the environmental design and manufacturing processes behind the Kia cee'd. TÜV presented Kia with DFE (ISO 14062, Design for Environment) and a LCA (ISO 14040, Life Cycle Assessment) environment certificates in Seoul last week, after inspection of the company's design operations and the manufacturing facility at Zilina in Slovakia. The Kia cee'd, designed for and assembled in Europe, is the first Korean car to receive such recognition.

Hyoung-Keun Lee, Senior Executive Vice President and COO of the International Business Division of Kia Motors, said, “Our Zilina facility was environmentally certified in 2007 and later this year we will start manufacturing cee'd vehicles with fuel-stretching and CO2 reducing technologies from our experimental eco_cee'd line-up.”

DFE (ISO 14062) evaluates a car's environmental friendliness during its design and development, plus the ease with which the car can be disassembled and its level of recyclability. DFE also requires that the assembly plant for the car reaches ISO 14001. LCA (ISO 14040) examines both the car's overall manufacturing process and its lifetime environmental impact, including choice of materials and measures to reduce fuel consumption and engine exhaust emissions. The cee'd features lightweight all-aluminium engines and Kenaf recycled materials form its door trim panels.

[Source: Korea Newswire]

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Spied: 2010 Chevrolet Beat/Daewoo Matiz (M300) undisguised

Sent in by "KCM", I received two exclusive images of the production Chevy Beat/Daewoo Matiz out in the buffs. The eye candy here is the fact that, albeit showing only the front fascia, the prototype spotted is undisguised (not fully, but close). Due to go on sale in various markets by 2009, the upcoming subcompact car designed by the folks at GMDAT will retain nearly all the prominent cues of the Chevrolet Beat Concept - its precursor.

The immense headlights of the mule that bring up thoughts of the second-generation Honda Fit indicate that the production version will remain faithful to the Beat Concept. The grille is not the bisecting Chevy grille that we've come familiar with on the Concept, but rather the two-bar chrome grille that GMDAT is known for. This is an indication that the Beat will be sold as a GM Daewoo in Korea, and possibly play the role as the long-awaited successor of the Matiz.

We're unsure as to whether the Beat will be also available with five doors. As of now, we have yet to see a shot of one. We're also unsure as to whether the Beat will cross over to North American shores - possibly replacing the Aveo. Nonetheless, the Beat sure looks promising and continue after the jump to view more shots.

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Ssangyong posts losses for Q1, lacklustre SUV sales to blame

Ssangyong Motor Co., the South Korean unit of China's Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp., said Friday it swung to a net loss for the first-quarter of this year as customers shunned its sport-utility vehicles on rising diesel prices. Ssangyong Motor lost 34 billion won (US$34 million) for the three months ended March 31, compared with a profit of 9.3 billion won for the same period a year earlier, the company said in a statement.

Ssangyong Motor specializes in diesel-powered SUVs such as its Rexton and Kyron models. As diesel prices in South Korea are nearly matching those of gasoline, Ssangyong Motor vehicles are losing their competitive edge, analysts say. First-quarter sales fell 18.7 percent from a year earlier to 677.6 billion won, Ssangyong Motor said. Ssangyong Motor posted a first-quarter operating loss of 27.6 billion won, compared with a profit of 27.9 billion won a year earlier, the company said.

[Source: Trading Markets]

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Kia Motors posts loss in first quarter

Kia Motors has posted a net loss in the first quarter as a weaker South Korean won increased its foreign currency debt burden. The South Korean won weakened to an average of 956.92 against the US dollar in the first quarter from 939.10 a year ago, hurting the carmaker in terms of the dollar debt, although making its products cheaper in overseas markers. Kia earns about 70 per cent of its revenue overseas.

"A turnaround is likely in the second quarter, backed by rising car sales," Kim Deuk-ju, director of Kia's treasury group told analysts.

Kia aims to boost sales by 50,000 vehicles in the April-June quarter. In the first quarter, it sold 341,000 vehicles globally, up 3.7 per cent from a year earlier. Kia Motors is 38.6 per cent-owned by Hyundai Motor Co., South Korea's largest automaker. Together they form the world's sixth-largest carmaker. Hyundai said Thursday that its net profit rose 28 per cent on higher sales, cost reductions and won weakness.

[Source: The Sydney Morning Herald]

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Awards: Kia Sedona named a Top 10 Best Value by GAYOT.com

The 2008 Kia Sedona was named the minivan of choice on GAYOT.com’s annual list of the “Top 10 Best Value Automobiles.” GAYOT.com highlights its standard features, spacious cabin, functional interior and competitive price as the Sedona’s winning points.

“Sedona garnering a ‘top 10’ award further displays Kia’s dedication to providing consumers, especially families, with top quality vehicles without the premium sticker price,” said Tom Loveless, vice president, sales of Kia Motors America (KMA).

The Sedona is described as a “powerful, roomy and versatile family hauler” by GAYOT.com. In an extended vehicle review by Gayot.com editors, its 250 horsepower, 3.8L V6 engine is considered far quicker than any minivan should be with the editors adding that despite the minivan’s low starting price, the Sedona is far from being a bare bones model. The impressive list of standard equipment includes air conditioning with tri-zone controls, cruise control, and an eight-speaker AM/FM/CD audio system as well as safety features such as six standard airbags, anti-lock brakes (ABS), a brake assist system (BAS), a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS), electronic stability control (ESC) and a traction control system (TCS). Such features, coupled with Kia’s comprehensive warranty program, are what brought the Sedona to the top of the Best Value list.

GAYOT.com is a unit of Gayot Publications, a worldwide leader in professional hotel and restaurant reviews, along with comprehensive travel and online lifestyle content. Additional partnerships with the American Automobile Association (AAA), AOL, MSN, Yahoo! and American Express allow Gayot access to millions of visitors monthly, delivering more than 28 million impressions.

[Source: Kia]

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Auto China 2008: Hyundai Rohens

The Hyundai Genesis has arrived in China, renamed as the Rohens, at this year's Beijing International Automobile Exhibition. A blend of "royal" and "enhance", its nomenclature describes Hyundai's confidence in the Rohens in the competitive Chinese market. Hyundai has sold over 10,000 Genesis units in its domestic market so far, and the automaker hopes to experience a similar welcome in China. The Rohens is Hyundai's first genuine attempt in extrapolating to the increasingly demanding premium sedan segment.

The Rohens will be available in a 3.3L configuration and a more powerful 3.8L variant. The latter engine delivers a respectable 290 horsepower and 36.5kg·m of torque. The rear-wheel drive car is mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission. The Rohens is slated to arrive in showrooms June 2008. Pricing is to be released closer to its sale date.

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