Archive for Koreans

You may not recognise the car you see above as a Ssangyong. Granted its still in concept form but at the same time it’s still a far cry from the odd things you see coming out of their design studio. Trucks like the Actyon are actually very decent but sadly do not enjoy much sales in Malaysia because of its unorthodox looks.

This will all change from now on, and hopefully it will entice more people to try out the Chinese-owned Korean marque with German hearts. The concept above was styled by Giugaro ItalDesign, and is meant to showcase Ssangyong’s future design language. Giugaro is working on the designs of future Ssangyongs, including a total of 20 new models built on 5 new platforms over the period of 5 years beginning 2009.

The C200 is also the first monocoque Ssangyong, and the first front wheel drive car from the company, although an all-wheel driven version of the production car is also planned. Powering it is a 175 PS inline-4 petrol engine mated to a 6-speed auto.

The new model line-up will still consist primarily of the SUVs and trucks that Ssangyong has traditionally built, but more passenger cars other than the Chairman is in the works. Some of the new Ssangyongs will be based on Rover platforms, which parent company SAIC also owns.

Look after the jump for more angles of the C200 Concept.

Click here to read the rest of Ssangyong C200 Concept previews new Ssangyong design language

Some initial information on a concept hybrid car based on the Kia cee’d has been revealed, with the model to be unveiled at the 2008 Paris Motor Show early next month. The model is still undergoing R&D and a production version should be ready by 2010.

The 1.6 liter petrol engine in the Kia cee’d hybrid is mated to a 20 horsepower electric motor and typically of a hybrid car, uses a CVT transmission. The car will also include other regular hybrid features such as brake energy regeneration and computer controlled automatic start-stop. There are some minor weight reduction thanks to the use of lightweight components in certain areas of the car.

On the interior, the instrument panel has been upgraded to one that is able to display much more detail in order to provide the driver information on the electric assist.

Who wants to bet that the diesel Kia cee’d that already exists will still manage to get more mileage than this hybrid cee’d?

Naza Kia Sdn Bhd has launched the new Naza Citra II Rondo in Malaysia. The Naza Citra II Rondo is essentially the Kia Rondo which is the replacement model for Carens that the Naza Citra is based on. The Citra will continue to be sold as a budget 7-seater SUV, and the new Naza Citra II Rondo will be positioned between the Citra and the Ria, bringing Naza Kia’s 7-seater offerings up to 3 models.

According to Naza Kia, the new Rondo is built on the D-segment new Kia Optima platform and also shares the Optima’s sweet new GEMA-based 2.0 liter DOHC CVVT engine producing 145 horsepower and 189Nm of torque, mated to a 4-speed automatic transmission with sequential manual shifting. The GEMA engine is a joint project between DaimlerChrysler, Hyundai and Mitsubishi. The 4B11 in the Mitsubishi Lancer is also based on the GEMA family.

Like the Optima, the Rondo rides on MacPherson struts at the front and a multi-link setup with coil springs at the rear. It also has anti-roll bars as standard for both the front and rear axles. It scored 5 stars on the NHTSA frontal crash ratings.

Two equipment levels are available - the Naza Citra II Rondo EX and the Naza Citra II Rondo EXS. The Naza Citra II Rondo EX features foglamps, six-jet windscreen washers, a trip computer, a 6 speaker sound system with a CD player, ABS brakes, dual SRS airbags, a manual climate control system, body-colored door handles, body-colored side moldings and black front grille crossbars packaged with 15-inch alloy wheels wrapped with Goodyear Eagle NCT5 tyres. The Rondo EXS carries over the features from the EX but adds an automatic climate control system, steering wheel audio, a roof rack and 16-inch alloy wheels.

The Rondo’s front row features 1,043mm of headroom and 1,042mm of legroom while the second row (60:40 multifold split bench) offers 1,015mm of headroom and 975mm of legroom. The third row (50:50 split) is naturally less at 887mm of headroom and 800mm of legroom but Naza Kia says this is enough for an average-sized adult. It’s best to head to showrooms and try it for yourself.

• Naza Citra II Rondo EX - RM84,888
• Naza Citra II Rondo EXS - RM88,888

Look after the jump for more photos of the new Naza Citra II Rondo.

Click here to read the rest of Naza Citra II Rondo 7-seater launched in Malaysia

The new Hyundai Elantra was launched some time ago and it has the distinction of being one of the few 2.0 liter C-segment sedans priced under RM100,000 which is sure to attract a few customers in this increasingly price sensitive market. We have just finished testing this Korean car. Here is what we found out.

Read Harvinder Singh Sidhu’s review after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Hyundai Elantra X20 2.0 CVVT Test Drive Review

The Hyundai Veracruz will be making its European market debut in the form of the Hyundai ix55. The Hyundai ix55 is essentially a Veracruz with styling and other changes to suit the European market. It will be displayed at the upcoming 2008 Paris Motor Show and further details will be released then.

In the US, the 7-seater Veracruz is offered with either a 3.8 liter V6 or a 3.0 liter turbodiesel engine. It’s a no brainer which engine will be more popular in Europe.

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Hyundai has released the first image of the new Hyundai i20, a 5-door 5-seater hatchback which will replace the Hyundai Getz in the Korean automaker’s line-up.

According to Hyundai Motor Europe president Kun Hee Ahn, the new i20 is built on an all-new platform and is tailored to European tastes both in terms of looks and in ride and handling which calls for a firm and agile drive.

The car will be displayed to the public at the 2008 Paris Motor Show together with a “green” i20 i-blue concept which will feature a 90 horsepower 1.4 liter turbodiesel engine mated to a 6-speed manual. The i-blue concept is expected to achieve 68mpg and put out only 99g/km of CO2 emissions.

The Kia Forte is one of the best looking Korean cars to ever be unveiled and sports Kia’s new corporate nose (now also found on the Kia Optima facelift and soon the upcoming Sorento). The Forte was first unveiled as a concept 2-door coupe called the Kia Koup. Chief design Peter Schreyer talks about the Kia Forte’s design in a video after the jump. He isn’t as good a presenter on video as Chris Bangle and may seem a little kayu at first, but it’s interesting to see his take on the Kia Forte and Kia’s new design language.

Click here to read the rest of VIDEO: Peter Schreyer and the new Kia Forte

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After getting some pretty good reviews for the new Hyundai Genesis, the Korean automobile manufacturer wants to take it a notch higher with a new rear wheel drive luxury sedan that will take the place of the current Hyundai Equus (a model shared with Mitsubishi, which called it the Mitsubishi Proudia).

The new flagship Hyundai will go against the likes of the Lexus LS, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and the BMW 7-Series. It is said to be called the Hyundai VI.

Above is a recently released teaser image of the new car. Expect it to have Hyundai’s largest engines under its hood such as the Tau V8 or the Lambda V6.

More detailed photos of the Kia Forte have been revealed thanks to its Korean introduction. Those have been keeping up with the news will know that the Kia Forte is Kia’s C-segment contender replacing the Kia Spectra/Kia Cerato. It was previewed as a 2-door coupe concept called the Kia Koup Concept. In the Korean market. the Forte is available with two engines - a normally aspirated 1.6 liter petrol engine producing 124 horsepower and another 1.6 liter turbodiesel producing 128 horsepower. Expect other markets to come with a 2.0 liter normally aspirated petrol engine as well.

Look for more photos after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Kia Forte - more photos of Korean domestic model

Various officials from within the government have been calling for Proton to continue looking for a foreign partner. The national automaker previously had failed talks with PSA Peugeot Citroen, Volkswagen and General Motors.

The Volkswagen deal would probably have gone through if it were not for Khazanah Nasional pulling out of the talks at the last minute, saying it had to give Proton more time to turn around before any equity/partnership deal could be cemented to ensure a fair deal for Proton.

Bernama reports today that General Motors’ Southeast Asian operations president Steve Carlisle (photo on the left) is willing to restart negotiations with Proton Holdings Berhad on taking up a stake in the company.

This comes just after GM announced it will invest US$445 million in Thailand to build a diesel engine plant next to its existing assembly facility. The new diesel plant will supply inline-4 diesel engines for GM’s trucks in Thailand and global markets.

When contacted, Proton Holdings informed Bernama that it had not been approached by General Motors for any negotiations. Proton also said that since any possible partnership would most likely involve talks of a share transfer, any interest from GM should be directed to its majority shareholder Khazanah Nasional instead.

So there we have it ladies and gentlemen. GM says Proton can come talk anytime, Proton says GM can come talk to Khazanah anytime. Who will make the first move? If talks do restart and a partnership involving stakeholding happens, GM may designate Thailand its truck production center and Malaysia its passenger car output center for cars like the upcoming Chevrolet Cruze.