Kia reveals next generation Borrego fuel cell vehicle and production Soul at Los Angeles Auto Show

( SEOUL ) November 20, 2008 — Kia Motors Corporation’s Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) program takes a major technological step forward today with the global unveiling of the all-new Kia Borrego (known as ‘Mohave’ in some markets) FCEV at the Los Angeles International Auto Show.

Numerous innovations including a higher output 154 horsepower fuel cell and a new 450-volt Supercapacitor give the Borrego FCEV higher performance, a greatly extended driving range and cold-weather starting capability to operate in sub-zero temperatures.

Available with two and three tank systems with 70MPa pressure, the Borrego FCEV’s power plant is located under the center floor and boasts an additional 47 horsepower of power to produce a peak output of 154 horsepower (a 44-percent increase compared to the previous generation) and propel the vehicle to a top speed of 161 kph while boasting a best-in-class system efficiency of 62 percent.  With a 202-liter hydrogen storage tank located underneath the vehicle and ahead of the rear wheels, this latest Kia Motors research vehicle has a range of around 685 km.

 

“Entering this new phase of our program is really exciting,” said Dr. Hyun Soon Lee, president of research and development for the Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group. 

 

“Now we will be able to build fuel cell electric vehicles in higher volumes and lower cost for fleet testing and the latest Borrego FCEV drives us closer to making fuel cell vehicles available for consumers.”

Demonstrating its ability to conduct engineering of both gasoline/diesel production models and fuel cell research vehicles simultaneously, Kia Motors will be able to significantly improve the efficiency and quality control of future fuel cell vehicle manufacturing processes.

 

With the use of lightweight aluminum body shell components, the Borrego FCEV has a power-to-weight ratio that is similar to the new production model SUV.  The FCEV also retains the roomy cabin, low noise levels and overall driving refinement of its new gasoline/diesel-powered sibling.

 

Soul production car revealed

Soul has now gone full circle – originally designed in California , the production version is unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show as Kia continues to develop into a design led brand.  It will go on sale in the US in March 2009.

 

The US specification Soul will be available in four trim levels – Soul, Soul+, Soul!, and Soul sport.  The range enjoys a host of street-cool features including body colored bumpers, privacy glass, sport-tuned suspension, a rear spoiler and 18-inch alloy wheels.

 

The Soul’s interior design is decidedly influenced by the car’s highly specified audio system – Bluetooth® hands-free connectivity, MP3 capability, SIRIUS Satellite Radio, USB and iPod connectivity and a 315-watt sound system with external amplifier, trunk mounted sub-woofer and dash mounted centre speaker will all be available.

 

Soul will be powered by a pair of gasoline engines in the USA .  A punchy 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine, mated to a five-speed manual transmission, produces 120 bhp and a 2.0-litre with a five speed manual or four speed auto transmission, offers 140 bhp.  Both engines return around 30 mpg.

 

High levels of safety will feature on Soul as standard with front seat active headrests, dual front advanced airbags, front seat-mounted and full-length side curtain airbags and a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS).  An antilock brake system (ABS) with electronic brakeforce distribution (EBD), electronic stability control (ESC), and rear disc brakes are available in the range.

 

Editors’ note: Standard equipment and specifications based on U.S. model and may vary depending on country.

 

Borrego FCEV vs. Sportage FCEV Technical Specifications

 

	Sportage FCEV		New Borrego FCEV
Power supply type	Fuel Cell Stack with lithium ion polymer battery		Fuel Cell Stack with super capacitor
Fuel cell output	80 kW /	107 hp	115 kW /	154 hp
Motors	1 x 80 kW		1 x 110 kW
Max speed	150 kph /	93 mph	160 kph /	100 mph
0-60 mph	15 seconds		12.8 seconds
Max. range	300 km /	186 miles	685 km /	426 miles
Economy	20.7 kpl /	49 mpg	23 kpl /	54 mpg
Hydrogen tank size	152 liters		202 liters

 

GM, Ford, Chrysler Depart From Congress Empty-Handed

Nov. 20 (Bloomberg) — U.S. lawmakers deadlocked on a plan to bail out the Big Three automakers, leaving General Motors Corp. facing the prospect it could run out of cash before a new Congress can come to the rescue next year.

Democratic congressional leaders disagreed with Republicans and President George W. Bush’s administration over how to provide $25 billion in aid to GM, Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler LLC. Only two days remain in a lame-duck session for lawmakers to resurrect a compromise, though Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said today Congress might return in December to complete its work.

“We are in a situation where we don’t know procedurally what we are going to be able to accomplish today,” the Nevada Democrat said on the Senate floor.

Reid earlier suggested the situation was dire and refused to set aside time today to debate a compromise proposed by Senator Kit Bond, a Missouri Republican. Reid said Bond’s plan hasn’t been put in writing and the House of Representatives is about to adjourn.

Bond and fellow Republican George Voinovich of Ohio insisted they weren’t giving up on their proposal to speed up and broaden access to $25 billion already approved for fuel-efficient vehicle development that was a compromise.

“We’ve made great progress,” Bond said. “We are down to the point now where wording challenges are about the only remaining things to deal with.”

Plunging Shares

GM’s German-traded shares fell 7.9 percent to the equivalent of $2.57 as of 11:09 a.m. in Frankfurt. GM has plunged 89 percent this year in New York trading. Ford shares rose 3.2 percent in Germany. The stock has declined 81 percent this year in the U.S.

A Democratic plan to help the automakers with funds from the recently approved $700 billion bank-rescue package stalled in the face of Republican opposition and a Bush veto threat. It may be revived next year after President-elect Barack Obama takes office in January and Democrats install a strengthened majority in both houses.

GM Chief Executive Officer Richard Wagoner said automakers would like action before Obama takes over because a global credit crunch that has slammed sales in the U.S. is spreading to global auto markets.

GM, the biggest U.S. automaker, said Nov. 7 it may run short of the $11 billion minimum cash it needs to pay its bills each month by the end of this year and will fall “significantly” short of that level by the middle of next year.

Cash Augmentation

The Detroit automaker burned through $6.9 billion in cash in the third quarter and had $16.2 billion on Sept. 30. Wagoner said yesterday he expects the automaker to slow its cash use to the $3.6 billion a quarter rate of the first half of this year.

“We’re continuing to do everything we can to augment our cash position,” Wagoner said in an interview yesterday after eight hours of testimony split between the U.S. House and Senate over two days.

“We’ve been stretched to do stuff that we thought was very difficult and painful to do already this year,” he said. “People are thinking every day of new ideas.”

Wagoner, Ford CEO Alan Mulally and Chrysler CEO Robert Nardelli left the Capitol after two days of appeals for help were rejected.

The companies are seeking aid as industry-wide sales have plummeted to a 17-year low. GM this month said it lost $4.2 billion in the third quarter and almost $73 billion since the end of 2004.

One Chance for Aid

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky urged lawmakers to let automakers shift the previously approved loans intended to promote fuel efficiency for day-to-day operations instead.

“It is the only proposal now being considered that has a chance of actually becoming law,” he said.

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino endorsed the Bond- Voinovich plan yesterday. “If the Congress fails to act, the most logical interpretation would be that they don’t agree that an additional $25 billion needs to be given to the auto industry,” she said.

Reid responded that the White House has authority to funnel the financial-rescue money to car companies without congressional action.

“No one should be overly concerned if we are unable to reach agreement,” Reid said in a statement. “It will still be up to the White House and the Treasury Department to take the steps that I believe are necessary.”

Environmental Initiatives

“There will be a great deal of resistance in the House” to redirecting the fuel-efficiency loans without previously approved environmental safeguards, said House Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank, a Massachusetts Democrat.

Wagoner wouldn’t rule out shifting the previously approved funds to keep his company afloat. “It could work,” he said.

Representatives including Democrats Gary Ackerman of New York and Bradley Sherman of California criticized the auto chiefs for taking private jets to Washington to plead their case.

“Couldn’t you all have downgraded to first class?” Ackerman said. Added Sherman, “I don’t know how I go back to my constituents and say the auto industry has changed.” The auto chiefs didn’t talk about their jet use in response.

Representative Peter Roskam, an Illinois Republican, challenged Wagoner and Mulally to forgo pay for a year, saying he understood Nardelli was agreeable to the idea.

Wagoner said he had “no position” on that. Mulally said, “I think I’m OK where I am.”

Jets and Salaries

The GM CEO got $14.4 million in compensation in 2007, including a salary of $1.56 million. Mulally received $21.7 million for 2007, including $2 million in salary.

Wagoner said he recognizes the government will play a greater role in telling the automakers how to run their business in the future, if aid is approved.

“Certainly at minimum they are going to want to look at your future plans and how are you delivering against those future plans as steward for the taxpayers,” he said.

“In a certain way, being able to lay out the business issues as we see them, in some sort of setting where confidential data can be shared, I think people would understand our business and maybe that in the end would be helpful.”

The Canadian divisions of all three automakers have asked for loans or loan guarantees from that country’s government, the Globe and Mail reported. Chrysler is seeking C$1 billion ($797 million) in aid, the newspaper said, citing people familiar with the discussions.

`Back at the Trough’

U.S. federal aid for the Big Three would remove much of the urgency for tough restructuring decisions, said Representative Michele Bachmann, a Minnesota Republican.

“It’s easy to predict that you will be back at the taxpayers’ trough in no time at the rate that money is being burned in Detroit,” she said.

Carmakers are cutting production to cope with declining demand, including a 33 percent reduction in North American output by Ford this quarter. GM said today it’s suspending production of cars and trucks in Thailand for a month and cutting 8 percent of the workforce there because of falling demand in Asia.

Wagoner said the trip to Washington taught him that Detroit’s plight isn’t translating well outside the Midwest.

“What I learned, I think we get out and tell our story pretty well, and then something like this happens and you say `Well geesh’ it’s like nobody knows what we did,” Wagoner said in the interview. “Well, then, it has to start with us. We have to do a better job, a more regular job, of keeping people update, listening to their concerns, trying to respond to them.”

Before calling it quits for the year, the Senate plans to approve a seven-week extension of unemployment insurance benefits that would cost around $6 billion.

Matrade’s Automotive Mission Scouts For Business Opportunities In Germany

By Manik Mehta

FRANKFURT, Sept 24 (Bernama) — A seven-company strong Malaysian automotive mission, organised under the aegis of the Malaysian External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade), has been scouting for business opportunities in Germany.

The mission, which on Tuesday completed a four-day visit to Germany, earlier attended the just-concluded Automechanika trade fair in Frankfurt, where it held 10 meetings with buyers of original equipment manufacturer (OEM) products.

The mission, led by Matrade’s Susila Devi, Senior Director (Products and Services Development), who is considered to be one of Matrade’s top experts on foreign business development, called at the Wolfsburg headquarters of the German automobile giant Volkswagen which “flirted” for some time with the idea of taking over Malaysian carmaker Proton.

“Volkswagen had organised meetings with the Malaysian companies with its purchasing/procurement and quality control people,” Raja Badrul Nizam Raja Kamalzaman, the Cologne-based Malaysian trade commissioner, told Bernama.

Volkswagen finally narrowed down its choice to four Malaysian companies which later participated in one-on-one meetings at the company’s headquarters.

Volkswagen had asked quotations for the supply of automotive wire harnesses from a Malaysian company called JK Sumi Wire Harness.

“But the Volkswagen interlocutors were, generally, happy that Malaysian quality standards meet Volkswagens requirements, even though the Malaysian suppliers will be required to fine-tune their supplies to Volkswagen’s specifications,” Raja Badrul explained.

Another Malaysian company was asked to provide samples of rubber hoses and car mats along with quotations.

Volkswagen showed interest in procuring rear lights, holding out the prospect of giving volumes of some 280,000 pieces per year. “This is indeed a huge volume,” said one Malaysian company representative.

Volkswagen is also interested in other kinds of lights such as interior lights.

Obviously, Volkswagen wants to broaden its supply base in Southeast Asia by considering Malaysia as a source of supply.

In a conversation with this correspondent after her meetings with Volkswagen representatives, Susila Devi observed: “Our impression is that there is lack of awareness among German companies about Malaysia’s capability to supply parts and components on OEM basis.

Thus, the Germans were surprised that Malaysia has been supplying to big names such as Toyota and Honda.

“Our coming here has been an eye-opener for the Germans who realise that, unlike China, Malaysia can supply good-quality value-added products at competitive prices.

By talking to them on a one-on-one basis, any doubts they had about Malaysia’s ability could be removed,” she said.

She confirmed that some of the Malaysian companies in her delegation were asked to provide designs and quotations. Volkswagen, she said, was very keen to source from the Asia-Pacific region and Malaysia stands to gain from this move.

Indeed, Volkswagen had taken a decision to set up a regional sourcing centre in Singapore which will benefit Malaysia immensely.

The delegation also visited the headquarters of another major German industrial company called Miele which manufactures washing machines.

“The delegates met the heads of the purchasing department, dealing with plastic and rubber components and moulding. Three Malaysian companies were short-listed for individual talks and were given specifications of Mieles requirements.

“Miele representatives were satisfied with the quality standards of Malaysian products and said they will visit the plants of the suppliers in Malaysia,” Raja Badrul said.

The delegation later visited the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg in southern Germany.

“We had a meeting with the Baden-Wuerttemberg Landesbank whose specialist for the automotive sector, Matthias Pohl, explained the future direction of the automotive industry.

He highlighted the criteria which Malaysian companies will be required to observe to qualify as automotive suppliers to Germany which is implementing the new EU regulations on carbon-dioxide emissions.

“This will mean that suppliers will have to pay greater attention to the tightened standards which will require new technology,” Raja Badrul said.

The Malaysian delegates held a total of 20 one-on-one meetings in Stuttgart.

In fact, three of the companies were invited to visit the R+D centre of some German companies near Stuttgart.

However, Germany is currently in a near-recession situation which is inhibiting buyers from placing large orders.

This was also evident at the just-concluded Automechanika trade fair where 33 Malaysian exhibitors said there were not enough buyers.

The exhibitors were divided into two groups, one under the aegis of the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers and the other under the Malaysia Rubber Export Promotion Council.

Malaysia is generally viewed as a reliable supplier of good quality products.

Its exports of automotive parts and components to Germany, according to Matrade, amounted to RM26.39 million in 2007 while exports from January to July 2008 amounted to RM17.28 million.

But, as one optimistic Malaysian put it, this was tantamount to “merely scratching the surface”.

“The potential for business is huge,” he added.

– BERNAMA

Top Italian car designer killed

Fellow car manufacturers have paid tribute to Mr Pininfarina Andrea Pininfarina, head of a world-famous Italian car design group, has been killed in a road accident. Mr Pininfarina was riding a scooter which was hit by a car on the outskirts of Turin early on Thursday. He was 51. He was chief executive officer of the family firm Pininfarina, which has designed sports cars for Ferrari, Maserati, Volvo and Fiat. Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and Ferrari’s Luca Cordero di Montezemolo were among those paying tribute. Mr Berlusconi labelled him “the representative of a dynasty that helped bring the story of ‘made in Italy’ to the world”. Mr di Montezemolo, who is also boss of Fiat, said: “Italy, Turin and the Fiat group have lost a business figure who knew how to follow and develop the work of his grandfather Pinin and his father Sergio.” The driver of the car involved in the collision was admitted to hospital suffering from shock, Ansa news agency reported. Family firm Maserati was among the car brands to call on Pininfarina’s expertise Mr Pininfarina, survived by three children, trained as a mechanical engineer. He joined the family business in 1983 after working in the US. He was the grandson of Battista Pininfarina, who founded the firm in Turin in 1930. Andrea’s father Sergio Pininfarina, 81, is the company’s honorary chairman. The family currently controls 55% of Pininfarina’s shares, but under a restructuring plan it aims to cut its stake to about 30%. The firm recorded a net loss of 114.9m euros (£91m; $178m) last year.

Malaysia Akan Timbang Untuk Kurangkan Duti Bagi Kereta Hibrid CBU

Daripada Massita Ahmad

TOKYO, 11 Julai (Bernama) — Kereta- kereta hibrid menjadi cara alternatif dalam menangani kos bahan bakar yang tinggi di Malaysia, namun duti import/eksais yang tinggi sehingga 260 peratus menjadikannya kereta “yang sangat mewah”. Menurut Menteri Perdagangan Antarabangsa dan Industri Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, kereta-kereta hibrid boleh dijual di Malaysia dengan syarat duti import yang rendah bagi menjadikan harganya lebih murah. “Saya akan maklumkan perkara ini kepada Kabinet kerana kami perlu mengkaji cadangan mengurangkan duti import/eksais,” katanya kepada pemberita pada hari terakhir misi perdagangan dan pelaburannya ke Jepun, di sini. Sepanjang misi enam hari itu, Muhyiddin menemui pengurusan tertinggi Toyota dan Honda, antara lain bagi membincangkan kemungkinan menjalin usaha sama dalam membangunkan kereta-kereta hibrid di Malaysia. Muhyiddin berkata beliau dimaklumkan oleh pengurusan syarikat kereta terbabit bahawa adalah lebih ekonomi untuk membawa masuk kereta-kereta hibrid siap dipasang (CBU) ke Malaysia daripada memasang atau mengilangnya di Malaysia. “Ia lebih ekonomi untuk mereka kerana mereka menjalankan penyelidikan dan pembangunan (R&D) di Jepun. Tambahan pula, kos logistik bagi peralatan dan komponen hibrid adalah lebih tinggi,” katanya. Muhyiddin berkata peserta automotif Jepun melihat pasaran Malaysia “masih kecil” bagi kereta-kereta hibrid dan struktur duti yang digariskan dalam Dasar Automotif Nsional (NAP) “terlalu pasti”. “Buat masa ini, ia boleh masuk (penjualan kereta) secara beransur-ansur, kira-kira 10 peratus pertumbuhan setahun,” katanya. “Pada masa ini ia tidak serius, sehinggalah kami menawarkan sesuatu yang menarik,” katanya. Dalam perkembangan yang sama, Muhyiddin berkata kementerian itu akan menimbang kemungkinan mengkaji semula NAP bagi meliberalisasikan lagi industri automotif tempatan. Ini termasuk membolehkan pemilikan majoriti dalam syarikat pengeluar kereta nasional, Proton, bagi memperoleh teknologi, modal dan pasaran, katanya. “Ini sesuatu yang perlu kita kaji. Saya tidak jangka Proton dapat mengekalkan kedudukannya. Ya, anda menjual kereta di beberapa negara, namun jumlahnya masih kecil,” katanya. “Kita masih belum berada pada paras saingan. Banyak lagi yang perlu dilakukannya,” katanya. Sama ada Proton sedia untuk diliberalisasi seterusnya, kata Muhyiddin, “Sedia tak sedia itu soal lama. Kita mungkin akan beri satu tempoh dan akan di buat secara progresif (liberalisasi).” “Kita mahu bawa Proton ke hadapan, lebih berorientasikan pasaran dan setanding di peringkat antarabangsa.” Katanya sudah banyak syarikat automotif di negara maju tidak lagi dimiliki oleh negara asal seperti di Amerika Syarikat dan Itali namun “jenama mereka itu masih dikekalkan.” “Pihak luar yang berminat susah nak masuk pasaran kita. Kita telah rugi berbilion kerana pelaburan telah pergi ke negara lain. Dasar yang ada tidak proaktif,” tambahnya. Muhyiddin berkata Proton perlu menerima hakikat bahawa ia tidak boleh dilindungi oleh NAP selama-lamanya. “Minat untuk teroka pasaran automotif tempatan masih ada dari pihak luar tetapi mereka menganggap NAP sebagai kekangan dan kurang pasti sama ada mereka boleh kembangkan perniagaan mereka di Malaysia.” — BERNAMA

Kia Motors Plans Another Manufacturing Plant In Asia

Kia Motors Plans Another Manufacturing Plant In Asia

KOREA, July 16 (Bernama) — KIA Motors Corporation is looking at the possibility of having another manufacturing plant in Asia but has yet to decide on the location, its president and chief executive officer, E.S Chung said today.

Kia Motors have eight manufacturing plants, out of which four are in Korea, one each in Slovakia, Europe and Georgia, United States and two in China.

Kia Motors considers Asia as a very important market for automotive industry, he said during a briefing session with Minister of International Trade and Industry, Datuk Seri Rafidah Aziz at Kia Motors’ headquarters here.

The minister is leading a trade and investment mission to Korea, Japan and Hong Kong (July 15 to 24).

Asked if Kia Motors will consider Malaysia for setting up the plant, he said no decision has been made on the location.

Rafidah also later toured the company’s showroom. Also present at the event was Naza group chairman and chief executive officer Tan Sri S.M. Nasimuddin S.M. Amin.

– BERNAMA

Rafidah’s Ministry To Explain AP Issue In Booklet

KUALA KANGSAR, July 17 (Bernama) — The International Trade and Industry Ministry will publish a booklet to put an end to the controversy surrounding the issuance of permits to import vehicles or APs.

Minister Datuk Seri Rafidah Aziz said that she hoped the booklet would give a clear explanation to the people pertaining to the issue.

“I have given explanations (on the APs). I am already tired of answering questions about it which are all not right (not accepted). I have done it in Parliament and during the last Umno assembly.

“I hope the explanation through the booklet will be accepted by all parties without prejudice,” she said during a function at the Sungai Perak Safari Resort here Monday where nine people received accolades for their contribution to the people in the Kuala Kangsar Parliamentary constituency while 53 school students received cash aid of RM100 each.

Rafidah, who is the Member of Parliament for Kuala Kangsar, said she hoped the spat between the current leadership and former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad would not prolong as the government had answered all questions that had been raised.

“Fortunately, during my visits overseas like to Europe and South Korea recently, no one asked about the spat. They did not ask because they are business-minded and do not care much on political affairs in the country,” she said.

– BERNAMA

Hyundai-Kia Ranked World’s Sixth Largest Auto Maker

KUALA LUMPUR, June 9 (Bernama) — The Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group has been ranked as the sixth largest automotive manufacturer in the world by Detroit-based “Automotive News”. In “Automotive News” recent survey of global automotive sales and production survey, Hyundai Motor Co and its subsidiary Kia Motors Corp registered an 11.6 percent jump in global sales in 2005 to 3,715,096 units. It was the largest percentage gain of any car maker in the million plus sales category, Naza Kia Sdn Bhd said in a statement here Friday. This helped Hyundai and Kia climbed one spot in the global rankings, it added. – BERNAMA