Keema News - Apr 2010

Hyundai's push to make the Hyundai i30 Australia's most popular car has been strengthened by the addition of a smaller, more fuel efficient petrol engine to the range.

The 1.6-litre four-cylinder unit will power the entry-level SX hatch, punching out 89kW and 153Nm (compared with the 2.0-litre petrol's 105kW/186Nm and the 1.6-litre diesel's 85kW/255Nm).

Awarded five stars by the Green Vehicle Guide, Hyundai claims the i30's new petrol engine is the most fuel efficient naturally aspirated engine in its segment.The five-speed manual uses 6.5 litres/100km and emits 155g/km CO2, while the four-speed automatic returns figures of 6.9 litres/100km and 166g/km.

Priced at $19,390* (manual) and $21,390* (automatic), the five-star ANCAP-rated base model i30 is equipped with six airbags and ESC as standard, as well as full AUX, USB and iPod connectivity and a five year/unlimited kilometre warranty.

*Note: Excludes dealer delivery and statutory charges.

It's been the company that's brought style to Korea and Kia continued its design drive in New York with its all new Optima sedan. The sharp-looking machine, designed by Peter Schreyer, the man who penned the Audi TT, will come with three different power plants, including a hybrid.

In Australia, the Optima will revive a name applied previously to Kia's local mid-size models when it replaces the slower-selling Magentis.

"They've made the decision to keep it a uniform name globally," Kia's local Press & Public Relations Executive, Alyson MacDonald told the Carsales Network.

"All countries that had Magentis... will definitely be going with 'Optima'. KMC [Kia Motors Corporation] definitely asked for feedback from all the different regions... I don't know whether the focus was on the Magentis name not working, I think the focus was more on probably unifying the name in general."

While there's no diesel, there is a 2.4-litre, four-cylinder petrol motor with 150kW, but it pales alongside the 2.0-litre, turbocharged, four-cylinder petrol engine. The turbo motor crunches out 205kW and both the direct-injection engines mate to either six-speed manual or automatic transmissions.

The hybrid version is a parallel system not unlike the Prius setup, and it will hook up to the 2.4-litre petrol engine, too. McDonald was unable to say whether the hybrid version will reach us here, but with Hyundai understood to be investigating a hybrid version of the i45 for local buyers (see below), the hybrid looks like a 50/50 proposition. Australian specification generally is yet to be worked out, says MacDonald.

"I haven't received any clarification as to what we're bringing here," she advised. As to when it's due in Australia, it'll be running a few weeks ahead of Santa, apparently.

"We can only narrow it down at the moment to last quarter, but not so late that it will be moving into Christmas, so I would say late November/early December, that's what's scheduled for the moment," MacDonald said.

Also unveiled in New York was a five-door hatch variant of the Cerato small car and the new Sportage which made its global debut in Geneva. In the US and other markets, the Cerato is named Forte. The hatchback model is definitely coming to Australia (around October, so expect to see it in Sydney for the Australian International Motor Show). Pricing and specification for that variant will be revealed closer to the launch date.

If Kia took the styling road, Hyundai is trying to establish itself as the technical leader of the coming car companies. It launched two important cars in New York: the Equus sedan, designed to target the Lexus LS460, and the new Sonata [Ed: our i45, when it arrives].

The Equus is its all-new flagship and extends Hyundai's push into rear-wheel drive cars. The luxury limo thumps out 285kW from its 4.6-litre V8 engine and mates it to a six-speed auto from the broad ZF family. Intriguing as it sounds, from a marketing point of view, we won't see it in Australia -- something confirmed with the Carsales Network by Hyundai's Australian Senior Manager Product Communications & PR, Ben Hershman ("not at this stage, no").

Of more importance, therefore, is the new Sonata/i45. The range starts with a 2.0-litre turbo-charged, four cylinder, direct-injection engine that has more power than Hyundai's old V6. With 205kW, it revs past 6000rpm and has 360Nm (approx) of torque between 1800 and 4500rpm.

The engine uses new twin-scroll turbo-charging technology to reduce turbo lag and make more use of the exhaust gases than normal turbos, yet it delivers better than 6.9L/100km.

Joining the Turbo model on the stand was Hyundai's long-awaited Hybrid Sonata. Skipping older rechargeable battery technology such as Nickel-metal hydride or Lithium-ion, the Sonata Hybrid runs Lithium-Polymer batteries. The parallel-style hybrid uses the 2.4-litre four-cylinder, direct-injection engine, mated to a six speed automatic and a 30kW electric motor, with its city (6.3L/100km) and highway (6.0L/100km) fuel economy cycles remarkably close.

Hershman has previously advised that the i45 sold in Australia will be built in South Korea, not the US as the American Sonata is, and those vehicles delivered here will be powered by a 2.4-litre petrol engine. The Hyundai spokesman was reticent about whether we would see either the Turbo or Hybrid variants of the Sonata here in i45 livery, but in the short term it doesn't look promising.

"It'll be produced, we understand, through [Hyundai's plant in] Alabama... it's certainly being reviewed for other global markets," he said. "It's currently not planned for Australia, although we are looking at the business case. We're basically finding out more information about these powertrains at the moment -- and that's for the Turbo as well, quite frankly."

The 2010 Suzuki Kizashi has earned the highest possible ratings in the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) crash tests.

The Kizashi was awarded a five-star rating in both the frontal and side-impact crash tests for all seating positions.

The NCAP rates vehicles to determine crashworthiness and rollover safety. The safety ratings are gathered during controlled crash and rollover tests conducted at NHTSA's test facilities, with five stars indicating the highest safety rating.

The all-new Kizashi includes a class-leading list of standard safety equipment, including six airbags and ESP stability control.

Kia Motors Corporation today held the world premiere of its all-new Optima midsize sedan at the New York International Auto Show.

Arriving in showrooms in North America and non-European markets in the final quarter of this year and Europe next Spring, the next generation Optima continues Kia's design-led transformation, while revealing a completely new and stunning design language for Kia, highlighted by a dynamic and streamlined profile that conveys elegance and athletic confidence from every angle.

Optima's groundbreaking spirit continues under the hood and inside the cabin with the introduction of five new powertrains, which deliver class-leading power(in North America) with highly competitive fuel economy - and the brand's first-ever hybrid for North America (available in early 2011).

Designed at Kia's studios in Frankfurt and Irvine, California, the all-new Optima is longer, wider and lower than the vehicle it replaces and is based on an all-new midsize platform that allowed for distinctive dimensions and proportions while also providing a unique canvas for Kia's global design team to pen a vehicle that stands apart from everything else in its segment.

"The all-new Optima is a new strand in Kia's growing design DNA with a blend of simple and fluid lines and elegant but uncomplicated shapes that draw the attention of the eye in much the same fashion as a perfectly-tailored fine Italian suit," said Peter Schreyer, chief design officer, Kia Motors Corporation.

"From the distinctive sweeping chrome accent that stretches through the C pillars to the sleek greenhouse and flared wheel arches, every inch of the Optima projects a distinguished and refined style and extreme attention to detail."

The all-new Optima also employs engine management systems like direct injection, multi-port injection and turbocharging to help bring performance to the brand without sacrificing fuel efficiency. Its smooth-flowing lines speak of grace and style and offer a strong hint of European luxury.

Scheduled to be launched in Australia late quarter four, Kia Motors Australia can confirm the model previously known as Magentis, will now be called Optima. Australian specifications and pricing are still under consideration.