The new Hyundai-Kia Motor Group Theta II GDI engine you saw earlier this week will be making its way into Kias as early as the first half of 2010 in South Korea. It will then make its way into UK models in 2011 and probably then the rest of the world.

We don’t get many normally aspirated gasoline direct injection engines here in Malaysia. So far only a handful of cars have featured non-turbo FSI engines here in Malaysia, such as the 2.2 liter JTS engines in the Alfa Romeo range here including the 159, and the Volkswagen Jetta 2.0 FSI.

BMW has stayed away from bringing in the new direct injection N53 engines and have stuck to the sweeter-sounding port injection N52 engines. Even for the 4-pots, it is the reason why our 320i still puts out only 156hp instead of the 170hp+ available overseas. Even the Lexus GS uses a conventional port injection engine instead of the D4 engine available overseas, however the LS has direct injection.

Most companies quote the issue of fuel quality when asked on why normally aspirated direct injection engines are not available here. The NAP Review says there will be a timeline formulated for the introduction of better petrol (and diesel) here in Malaysia so hopefully by that time it will be just right for GDI Hyundais and Kias to be introduced here in Malaysia.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 21:48:58 +0800.

Hmm, it looks like Hyundai’s new ‘angry crab’ look on the Santa Fe does not apply to all markets. This shot of a UK market Santa Fe from the UK press kit shows a much simpler-looking front grille that shares the same look with the Hyundai i series of cars. It’s basically a similiar grille but the three bars have been painted black, and a chrome edge has been added on top. Under the hood is the new ‘R’ diesel engine which is a 2.2 liter all-aluminium block. It makes a very good 194 horsepower with 436Nm of torque when mated to an automatic transmission (slightly less torque with a manual).

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 21:48:58 +0800.

Of all the GEMA manufacturers, the Hyundai-Kia Group has been setting the best track record in terms of extracting the most power and torque out of their engines. The current generation Sonata and Optima’s 2.0 liter GEMA engine (Hyundai calls them Theta, Mitsubishi calls them 4B11, etc) currently makes around 158 PS to 163 PS, which is probably one of the best in class when you’re talking about a regular engine with only variable valve timing and conventional port injection. The new “Passat CC-ish” Hyundai Sonata’s 2.0 liter Theta II engine makes even more power, now rated at 165 PS at 6,200rpm and 198Nm of torque at 4,600rpm.

Hyundai is now taking the bar higher with the 2.4 liter engine option for the new Sonata. The 2.4 liter Theta II with variable valve timing on both the intake and exhaust now gains GDI gasoline direct injection and as a result, can produce 201 PS at 6,300rpm and 250Nm of torque at 4,250rpm. That’s some very good torque figures for a 2.4 liter engine.

Thanks to the lean burn precision that direct injection affords, compression ratio has been increased to 11.3:1. The engine also comes with a three-stake variable induction system. The variable valve timing system has also been improved, with a new drive system designed for silent operation and better durability. The block has also been reinforced, with improvements to the crank and piston design as well. For example, the piston now has a cooling jet under the piston crowd to get more oil onto the piston walls, helping reduce friction and improve economy/power.

Hyundai says conventional port fuel injection is limited in the sense that as the engine spins faster in terms of RPM, valve opening and closing times get shorter and shorter, reducing the time available for the injectors to injet fuel. A DI injector positioned inside the combustion chamber can inject fuel at pressures at up to 150 bar faster. The fuel travel path is also shorter and more direct, thus more control is available over the combustion process.

The Hyundai GDI system does injection in two phases. The first phase is called the pilot injection and ignition, which triggers the piston’s downward stroke. Then during the piston’s descent more fuel is injected and ignited. Hyundai claims this split-injection technique reduces load on the catalytic converter and helps reduce emissions. Optimal operating temperature for the cat is also achieve faster, which means better cold start emissions, a figure which Hyundai claims have improved by 25 percent.

The new 2.4 liter Theta II GDI engine will be available in the new Hyundai Sonata along with the high-powered 2.0 liter engine. No news yet when Sime Darby is bringing the new Sonata into Malaysia, but perhaps it might change people’s perception of Korean D-segment vehicles. Hyundai has also unveiled a 2.0 liter GDI Turbo engine before this.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 21:48:58 +0800.

Kia has already started dabbling in motorsports in Europe but the car above is part of its US motorsports program which it unveiled at the 2009 SEMA tuner car show. Two Kia Forte Koups built together with the Kinetic Group will be racing in the 2010 GRAND-AM KONI Sports Car Challenge Series in the Street Tuner (ST) class.

The ST class uses race cars based on production vehicles and uses weight and intake restrictions to maintain a level playing field for all entrants. The two Kia cars will be piloted by Nic Jonsson, Andy Lally, Adam Burrows and Trevor Hopwood.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 21:48:58 +0800.

This is the new Naza Picanto, just launched by Naza Kia Sdn Bhd a few days ago at The Curve. Yes, this is the CKD Picanto that was previously called the Naza Suria, but now the Suria name has been dropped and replaced by the Kia name, though the Naza badge remains. The Suria name was probably inspired by the Picanto’s Korean market name, which is the Kia Morning.

The most obvious change is of course the aesthetic update to the latest look that has been available from Kia internationally. With the latest facelift in Korea, there were actually two different front ends available but Naza has picked the version with the rounded foglamps to sell here. There is another one with leaf-shaped look foglamps and funkier alloy wheels, probably some kind of special edition.

On the inside, the interior has been updated with orange backlighting for the controls and meter cluster. The meter cluster is complete with an RPM meter but there is no water temp meter. The head unit provided is a 1-DIN design with USB support so you can read your MP3 files off a USB thumbdrive and do away with carrying CDs in your Picanto. The 1.1 liter engine revs up to 6k RPM and puts out a peak of 64 PS at 5,500rpm and 96Nm of torque at 2,800rpm. I like the fact that peak torque is made under 3,000rpm, which is usually the point an automatic car would shift gears if driven gently. But in any case acceleration from 0 to 100km/h will take a long 15.1 seconds.

In terms of safety, the front passenger and driver get two airbags – one each. The airbags are only available on the more expensive EX model. None of the models have ABS. There are four 3-point belts and a lap belt for the rear center. Wheels are 14 inch steels for the LS and 15 inch alloys for the EX, wrapped with 165/60R14 and 175/50R15 tyres respectively. The EX goes for RM46,800 while the LS goes for RM44,500. If you are in the market for one I’d recommend you just go for the EX since you get alloys and two airbags for a premium of RM2,300.

Also note that the Picanto is basically the original car that the Hyundai i10 was based on, and the i10 is sold at a higher price of RM48,888 in Malaysia. But the i10 comes with ABS brakes and a 5-year warranty while from the Naza Kia website it appears the Picanto gets 2 years, though it looks like a (optional?) 2 year extended warranty program is also available. Also, the i10’s CKD packs come from India, while the Picanto’s CKD packs probably come from Korea.

Look after the jump for an E-Brochure and a gallery of the Picanto.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 21:48:58 +0800.

It’s official – no matter whether you’ve been calling it the Kia VG or the Kia KND-5 Concept, you’ll now have a new and official to refer to it by – the Kia Cadenza. But Kia noted that the name Cadenza would be one used outside of Korea. In Korea it might be called the K7.

The name Cadenza was derived from an Italian musical term used to describe an elaborate, ornamental flourish for a concerto or aria. In line with its upmarket sedan status, there will be a number of creature comforts introduced in the Cadenza that are not common in a Kia – heated steering wheel, powered extendable seat cushions (for thigh support), windshield automatic defogging, and ventilated front seats.

The Kia Cadenza production car will make public debuts at the Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Dubai international motorshows towards the end of 2009. Look after the jump for an initial set of 4 hi-res images released officially by Kia.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 21:48:58 +0800.

A larger Forte with softer lines to match its more stately demeanor can’t be a bad thing. And Kia agrees – here’s the new Kia VG.

Click for larger image

That is just a codename. It’s official name is not known yet, but it’s large sedan that’s bigger than the Optima, with a wheelbase pegged at 2,845mm, which is shorter than the Hyundai Genesis’s 2,936mm but much longer than the Optima’s 2,700mm Euro D-segment wheelbase.

Click for larger image

For now all we have are these pre-announcement leaked production photos, but Kia previously unveiled a concept version of this new large sedan to us as the Kia KND-5 Concept so you can check out the previous post covering that for some extra details.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 21:48:58 +0800.

The most luxurious Hyundai ever has just been launched in South Korea. The long-wheelbase version of the Hyundai Equus callled the Equus Stretch is the largest and most expensive vehicle in the Hyundai line-up.

The vehicle is longer than major competitors by as much as 310 mm. Backseat legroom is longer by up to 376 mm. The new model is fitted with the most powerful engine ever built for a Hyundai production car – a 5.0-litre V8 producing 400PS and 500Nm of torque.

Rear passengers will find they have the world’s first power-driven footrest (I know for a fact that MAS first class gets a powered footrest), seat leg support, relax posture control and a massage system. It’s quite clear that an airplane’s first class seating is the inspiration for the Equus rear passenger room.

There is also a bulletproof version of the car and 3 units have been delivered to the Korean President. Hyundai is the first Korean company to develop a bulletproof car with its own technology.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 21:48:58 +0800.

There are currently three different sizes available – 1.8 liter, 2.0 liter and 2.4 liter. In Malaysia, there are a few cars that use engines derived from the GEMA project – the 2.0 liter motors in the Lancer and Lancer Evolution X, and the 2.0 liter motors in the Hyundai Sonata, Kia Optima and Naza Rondo.

Chrysler says it intends to replace its GEMA engines with new small engine technology it will gain access to from its new Italian partner Fiat. But interestingly, despite Chrysler stating an intention to replace its GEMA products with Fiat products, Chrysler is the one who has ended up with full ownership of the GEMA plant. Mitsubishi and Hyundai have just sold their stakes to Chrysler. It is likely that the plant will be converted to a plant making Fiat engines in the future.

Technology bought to GEMA by an individual company will remain the intellectual property of that company, so Hyundai and Mitsubishi will likely be able to continue using their Theta/Theta II and 4B series of engines respectively.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 21:48:58 +0800.

The new Sonata YF has been unveiled in Korea and I must say the specs list looks very good indeed. The cost of development to Hyundai was 400 billion won (RM1.15 billion) over a timespan of 4 years, and I must say the results look pretty good so far.

Not sure how long it’ll take to recoup costs but the car will be priced in Korea at 21.3 million Won (RM61,350) to 25.95 million Won (RM74,800).

The Sonata has a particularly powerful 2.0 liter engine from the Theta II family, which is a development of the GEMA world engine. Variants of the GEMA world engine are also found in Chrysler cars and locally in the Mitsubishi Lancer and Kia Optima.

The difference is with this latest stage of tune, horsepower and torque figures have been increase and are now even more impressive. The engine can now make a peak power output of 165 PS at 6,200rpm and a peak torque of 198Nm at 4,600rpm, which is very close to the 100Nm per liter ratio.

It’s one of the highest torque outputs available in non-premium segment engines without direct injection. This engine is mated to a 6-speed automatic, which is also the best in class so far in its segment (both competitors have 4 or 5-speeders).

Although only one engine option has been unveiled now, Hyundai says a 2.4 liter version with direct injection will be unveiled in January next year when it presents the US market version. Small engines like a 2.0 will never sell over there.

The body has a four-door coupe-ish look to the roofline, and most people are instantly reminded of the Passat CC when a few shots were leaked in the past few weeks. Hyundai calls this new design language “fluidic sculpture”. It’s designed to project a more youthful image for the car, so Hyundai probably intends it to be more Mazda 6 than Toyota Camry.

Vehicle Dynamic Control is standard, and there are also other driver assist features such as Hill-Start Assist Control and Brake Assist. The car also has the Korean market Mozen telematics system. This is not really likely to make its way anywhere outside of South Korea for now but its pretty interesting. It’s basically like BMW ConnectedDrive – the car can access various information systems via the WCDMA mobile network. You get features such as SOS calls and Mozen Autocare anti-theft tracking.

Look after the jump for a video and more shots of the YF Sonata.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 21:48:58 +0800.

Total sales for the Getz in Malaysia recently hit 20,000 units since its 2005 launch, so Hyundai-Sime Darby Motors have decided to create a new limited run Hyundai Getz SE (Special Edition) to celebrate. The Getz SE will be limited to a 300 unit run and each unit will have a serialized plate in the car starting with the number 001.

The changes are all aesthetic as the 1.4 liter DOHC engine under the hood remains the same as before. The Getz SE is only available in a colour called “Icing White”. The front end receives a new grille and bumper. The side mirrors have integrated LED indicators. At the rear, the car gets a new bumper as well. The single exhaust tailpipe is hidden behind the mesh grille of the “diffuser-like” design.

On the inside, the center dashboard and the door handles has a new brushed-aluminium look to them. The interior seats and steering wheel comes in leather. Wheels are 15 inchers of a new design and are wrapped with Dunlop D01 tyres. Hyundai says they picked the D01 because of its double V groove pattern which does well on wet roads, making it suitable for the Malaysian tropical climate.

Other than that, the rest of the car is the same as the regular Getz. The SE version is available for both the 5-speed manual and 4-speed automatic options.

The Hyundai Getz SE 1.4GL(M) is priced at RM 60,984.00 (OTR) in West Malaysia and RM 62,716.10 (OTR) in East Malaysia and the Hyundai Getz SE 1.4GL(A) is priced at RM 63,888.00 (OTR) in West Malaysia and RM 66,277.00 (OTR) in East Malaysia. Hyundai offers a 5 year or 300,000 warranty with the Getz.

Look after the jump for more shots of the Getz SE.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 21:48:58 +0800.

Here’s a first photo of Hyundai’s new electric i10 set to make its debut at the 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show. The Hyundai i10 Electric will begin limited series production in 2010 and will initially be offered in Korea only. It will be offered to the Korean government, state corporations, and utility companies. No price has been revealed as of now, but the press release mentions “sell” instead of “lease”.

The i10 Electric is powered by a 49kW (66 horsepower) motor, mated to a 16kWh battery which promises a range of 160km and a top speed of 130km/h. Because of the switch of powertrain, the steering, air conditioning, water pump and brake vacuum pump systems have been modified to all run on electrical power now.

The Koreans have improved the standard of their powertrains tremendously in the past decade. From the initial set of engines based on Mitsubishi products, they’ve moved to very competent engines with dual variable valve timing, new engines with turbocharging and direct injection, impressive and fuel efficient R-engine diesel engines, LPI Hybrids and now, an all-electric powertrain! Impressive!

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 21:48:58 +0800.

It’s hard to tell what real world performance and experiences will be like for now but one thing’s for sure (though you can read my first impression story when I got to drive the car in Korea), the new Kia Forte Koup is a stunner when it comes to its looks.

If you just can’t get enough of the Koup, check out this fresh new CGI-heavy video from Kia promoting its new Kia Forte Koup after the jump.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 21:48:58 +0800.

Official sketches of the new Hyundai Sonata has been released by the Korean company and the car is expected to make its official debut in Korea on the 10th of September.

With a roofline that looks like it was inspired by the likes of the Passat CC and the one that started it all – the CLS, it definitely distances itself from the generic looks of the current generation Sonata with an all-new look that employs plenty of curves and ‘flame-surfacing-esque’ creases.

So okay, these are just sketches and its easy to make a sketch look good. There are actually some photos leaked of the Sonata in the metal that have made their way out onto the internet. Look after the jump for how the actual car looks like.

Source

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 21:48:58 +0800.

Here’s the first undisguised full image of the new Hyundai ix35, which gives us a clear view of Hyundai’s new C-segment SUV. The ix35 is the replacement for the aging Hyundai Tucson. Thankfully that new “Genesis’ grille that has recently graced the facelifted Starex did not really find its way onto the ix35, instead we get a front end which has more in common with the Veracruz.

In other markets it will also be called the Hyundai Tucson ix in Korea. Under the hood will be Hyundai’s new all-aluminium “R-engine” diesel in 184hp tune (of which specs sound pretty good by the way), or the 166hp Theta II petrol engine, both mated to Hyundai’s new 6-speed automatic.

The rear view mirror has a built-in 3.5 inch colour LCD to display images from the rear view camera to assist with parking. The ix35/Tucson ix will feature typical SUV driver assist functionality such as downhill brake control to help the driver negotiate a downhill slope, and hill-start assist control. The car will of course be available with stability control, and a panoramic sunroof helps enhance the interior.

More details and information on the ix35 will be available when Frankfurt opens its doors in mid-September. You can watch a movie from the Korean Tucson ix launch after the jump that shows all angles of the car in motion… pretty decent looking!

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 21:48:58 +0800.

Kia changed their mind pretty quick about how they wanted their Korean market facelifted Optima (called Lotze Innovation in Korea) to look like. Sometime in mid-2008 they updated the Korean market Optima’s front and rear end to a younger and more dynamic look featuring sharper headlamps, the new Schreyer grille, and new LED tail lamps. They also updated the interior with new red backlighting and a new three-gauge meter cluster.

Chrome grille abandoned for sportier mesh look

For this latest minor facelift the front grille has lost its horizontal chrome slats and this is replaced with a mesh grille from the export market model. A comparison is shown above. For more details on the facelift check out our story from when the facelifted Optima was first unveiled last year in the related posts below:

Related Posts:
Kia Lotze Innovation: facelifted Optima in Korea
2009 Kia Optima facelift unveiled at NYIAS 2008

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 21:48:58 +0800.

This is supposed to be the new 2011 Hyundai Sonata and it’s probably going to be revealed soon since it looks like these shots were sneaked out during a photoshoot for its product images. The front instantly reminded me of the latest Mazda 6, except with a whole lot of more chrome going on there. It’s not easy to see how the side profile of the car looks like in these shots but I really think I’ve actually seen the new Sonata on test (or perhaps it was its Kia Optima sibling) at some proving grounds when I was in Korea for the Kia Koup preview drive earlier this year, and it’s got a very Passat CC-like coupe roofline to it – very sleek and nice. The interior seems to look good as well. The Koreans just keep getting better and better each time they try. They have to, it’s the only way forward.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 21:48:58 +0800.

Here’s another anticipated production car that disappointingly looks like its lost some of its edge on the way from concept to production. The car you see above is the new GM Daewoo Matiz Creative, which under the Chevrolet badge will be known as the Chevrolet Spark. It will go on sale internationally at various different launch dates beginning September. Three equipment level will be available – the Pop, the Jazz and the Groove, and the price tag goes up from US$7,260 up to US$8,035 in that order.

Under the hood is a new 1.0 liter S-TEC II inline-4 engine mated to a 4-speed auto making 69 horses and 92Nm of torque. Despite being a small car, GM gave the car 4 mounts for the engine to improve smoothness instead of some car manufacturers which only supply 3 mounts. A three-cylinder turbodiesel engine will come later.

The petrol engine is rated at being able to travel 17 km per liter, or about 5.9 liters per 100km. GM says the S-TEC II engine features something called Port De-Activation which sounds like the number of valves used are variable – less valves at low revs and all valves used at high revs, though I’m not 100% sure as the press release is not really very technical. The chassis is monocoque and is expected to score 4-stars in Euro NCAP tests.

Look after the jump for two more shots of the new Matiz Creative.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 21:48:58 +0800.

The Kia No3 Concept has been translated into a production car. Presenting: the Kia Venga, a new B-segment MPV (not exactly an MPV in the three-row 7 seater sense but more of a tall hatchback) designed and built in Europe. The name Venga is derived from the Spanish verb “to come”, which in the language sounds like invitation to move from one spot to another. For some reason I find this amusing as it is similiar to the Tamil word “vange” which also means “come”

It looks small but the Kia Venga is actually bigger than a Hyundai i20 – its got a wheelbase of 2,615mm thats a whole lot longer compared to the i20’s 2,525mm wheelbase. The previous generation Kia Carens/Rondo had a wheelbase of 2560mm but with the latest generation (called the Citra II Rondo in Malaysia) it used the Optima’s platform and grew to a massive 2,700mm.

This definitely makes some space for a smaller MPV to be slotted in under the new Rondo. The Kia Venga is 4,068mm long and 1,600mm tall. Like most new Kia designs it looks pretty alright, nothing to hate about it, though I think that Schreyer grille isn’t really working that great on that Fiat Bravo-like nose. But the rest of the car is quite cute.

Kia claims the Kia Venga offers C-segment space in a B-segment footprint, and hopefully price. It will feature a 1.4 liter gasoline engine or a 1.6 liter turbodiesel engine at launch, putting out 75 PS and 115 PS respectively.

Both engines will be fitted standard with ISG (Idle Stop & Go) technology which auto-stops your car engine when your car stops, and restarts it automatically when it is time to move again, useful during traffic jams or stop lights. Optional is a tilt-and-slide all-glass panoramic roof.

The production Kia Venga will be shown to the public at the Frankfurt show in September, and more photos will probably be released then. For now, check out 4 initial photos released by Kia after the jump.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 21:48:58 +0800.

This new 800cc engine will likely be offered first as some form of alternative to the new 1.2 liter Kappa engine (80 horses) in the markets that can afford it, and later probably completely replace it if they are able to price it well. This engine will likely find its way into the Hyundai i10 and the Kia Picanto and later other cars like the Hyundai i20 (Getz).

There are not many turbocharged gasoline engines in the Hyundai-Kia line-up, with the most modern one coming to my mind being the 2.0 liter GDI Turbo unit based on the GEMA engine that was announced late last year. Hyundai’s turbocharged GEMA engine trumps its rivals with the addition of direct injection.

The Kia Forte Koup with its killer looks are just dying for a more powerful engine like a turbo inline-4, as the 2.4 liter version just doesn’t cut it, being quite far off from hitting the 200 horsepower mark. There was also a 1.6 liter GDI Turbo that was slotted into the Hyundai ix-onic Concept from March this year – that one made about 170 horses.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 21:48:58 +0800.

Kia has added the Peter Schreyer grille to the Kia cee’d facelift, and here we are shown some initial glimpses of both the normal hatchback model and the wagon model. The grille looks a little out of place on the cee’d in my opinion, as it is very angular and works well on angular cars like the Forte and the new Sorento, but not very suitable for a more curvy car like the cee’d. The new bumpers make the new facelifted cee’d about 25mm longer but no changes to wheelbase. Kia says there are also some changes on the interior such as all-red instrumentation lighting as well as new suspension settings. The facelift range will also debut a new variant with automatic start-stop for the 1.6 diesel under the new ECO-dynamics label. The new U2 family 1.6 liter turbodiesel will get a new 6-speed manual. Look after the jump for more photos of the new facelifted cee’d.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 21:48:58 +0800.

Hyundai has updated the Hyundai Grand Starex with a new front grille that features a slatted design rather than the original Starex’s mesh grille with a chrome surround and a chrome bar going through it. The new model is called the Hyundai Grand Starex Royale. The wing mirrors are also now body-coloured instead of black, and now feature signal indicators on them.

One of the gripes that we had in our Grand Starex review was also the absence of a rear windscreen wiper – this has now been added onto the Grand Starex Royale. On the interior there is a new Pioneer touch screen LCD DVD player that is linked to a 7 inch LCD screen located at the middle top of the MPV for rear passenger enertainment purposes.

For more details on whether the Grand Starex is a worthy addition to your fleet of vehicles especially if you have a growing family (the Starex has a total of 11 seats with seatbelts – that’s alot of people!), check our our test drive review of the Grand Starex. Or look after the jump for more photos of the updated Hyundai Grand Starex Royale. It’s priced at RM148,888 OTR in West Malaysia and RM153,997.50 OTR in East Malaysia. Four colours are available – Crystal White, Stone Black, Sleek Silver and Carbon Grey.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 21:48:58 +0800.

These are the initial batch of 3 images of the new Kia large sedan codenamed “VG”, which will replace the Opirus/Amanti. I’ve actually seen the Amanti around KL before, probably driven by some Korean expatriates. It’s somewhat like Kia’s take on the now discontinued Jaguar S-Type, meant to look large and stately. Before you argue that these kind of cars don’t fit well in Kia’s image, they are all over the roads in South Korea. The people there tend to buy Korean cars exclusively from the low end to the higher ends of the model segments.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 21:48:58 +0800.

One of the first Hyundai cars to feature the new i naming scheme is now in Malaysia, but it is not the first i car in Malaysia, as that honour has gone to the i10.

The Hyundai i30 is a C-segment contender designed by their European center for the European market, but that has not stopped it from offering it elsewhere unlike the Kia cee’d’s European exclusivity. The i30 shares the same platform as cars like the cee’d and the upcoming Forte. Proof of that is the fact that the i30 is now here in Malaysia and the wagon version is even in the US, called the Hyundai Elantra Touring.

Three variants are sold here, and the good news for manual fans is that there’s a manual version for the 1.6 liter. The following are the prices of the Hyundai i30 variants here in Malaysia:

• Hyundai i30 1.6 (M) – RM92,388.00
• Hyundai i30 1.6 (A) – RM97,888.00
• Hyundai i30 2.0 (A) – RM112,888.00

The 1.6 liter engine makes 121 PS at 6,200rpm and 154Nm of torque at 4,200rpm, while the larger 2.0 liter unit makes 143 PS at 6,000rpm and 186Nm at 4,600rpm. The 2.0 liter engine is the same as the one in the Elantra/Avante, and not of the GEMA series found in the Sonata.

The 5-speed manual 1.6 gets 15 inch wheels with 185/65R15 tyres, the 1.6 auto goes up one inch with 205/55R16 tyres while the 2.0 auto gets 17 inch wheels with 225/45R17 tyres for a sportier stance. The car rides on a 2,650mm wheelbase chassis (the i30 wagon/Elantra Touring has an extended wheelbase of 2,700mm) with MacPherson struts at the front and a multi-link suspension setup at the rear.

In terms of safety features, all cars get 2 SRS airbags at the front as well as ABS brakes, and good news is that the 2.0 liter automatic gets ESP stability control. Another safety feature for your wallet – a 5 year or 300,000km warranty.

Hyundai is offering 1.99% loans for 5 year tenures, and this also applies to the rest of the Hyundai range except the Starex. Speaking of the rest of the Hyundai range, it looks like the Elantra has been renamed the Avante in the new Hyundai-Sime Darby line-up.

This probably happened when the Hyundai franchise was unified here in Malaysia – there are no longer two separate companies selling different Hyundai models, only the Sime Darby unit. The i30 will be in showrooms August onwards. If you like the car and are already thinking of how to pimp it up once you’ve bought one, here’s some inspiration.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 21:48:58 +0800.

Kia has updated both the sedan and hatchback versions of the Kia Rio in Korea, where it is called the Kia Pride. The front end is much more sportier now thanks to the Forte-like front bumper and it also gets the new Schreyer grille, a common feature on all new Kias all the way from the smallest Kia Morning (Picanto) up to the large Sorento. The interior has also been modernized and now features red backlighting.

The Rio/Pride is Kia’s B-segment compact car, which is basically their version of the Hyundai Accent. Under the hood is a choice of either a 1.4 liter DOHC engine, a 1.6 liter CVVT engine or a 1.5 liter diesel engine with a variable geometry turbocharger. In Malaysia, only the 1.4 liter hatchback is sold.

Look after the jump for a full gallery of the facelift.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 21:48:58 +0800.

Kia has revealed the first image of the new Kia cee’d, Kia’s European hatchback offering that has been so instrumental in changing the South Korean brand’s image in the eyes of the European customer. Kia Motors (UK) managing director Paul Philpott commented proudly that the cee’d is the one of the first Kias that customers have bought based on emotional reasons rather than practical. It’s not that it’s cheap, customers actually desired it! The cee’d platform also underpins the new Kia Forte sedan and coupe that will be making its way to Malaysian shores through Naza KIa. Full details on the cee’d will be revealed later this year at Frankfurt 2009, alongside two all-new Kia models.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 21:48:58 +0800.

Here’s another version of the Kia Forte Koup promotional clip that was published on this blog earlier this week. This time you get to see two Koups in action – one red and one blue. The previous 30 second promo clip actually used snippets of footage from this one. This one is actually longer, clocking in at over 1 and a half minutes.

Watch the video after the jump.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 21:48:58 +0800.

The first images of Hyundai’s mid-life refreshing of the Hyundai Santa Fe has been revealed, and it looks like the odd grille that first appeared on the facelifted “angry crab” Accent/Verna Transform will be making its way onto many other Hyundai models. The most significant change is under the hood, where the new R-Engine turbodiesel engine family will be installed. The 2.0 and 2.2 liter engines have an all-aluminium construction and produce 184PS/392Nm and 200PS/436Nm respectively. These are pretty strong numbers for turbodiesel engines of these size, especially with only a single turbocharger. More details and pix to be revealed as they are released.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 21:48:58 +0800.

The Kia Morning receives another update after it was first updated in 2007 since its launch. The Morning is the car’s Korean market name, in Malaysia we used to know it as the Kia Picanto, and then later the Naza Suria. In fact the Suria name was penned based on the car’s original Morning name.

The 2007 facelift still retains the new headlamps that were introduced back then, but this time there are minor changes with the front grille, and a complely new front bumper with a blacked out lower section. But wait, this is just one of the two new looks that this 2010 facelift brings!

The other look is reserved for the “Special” trim level, which includes a Schreyer grille, and a different design for the front bumper. On the interior, both models get their dash and various other lighting changed from orange to red.

In its homeland of South Korea, the Morning is powered by 1.0 liter engines, either running on gasoline (72hp up from 64hp on the 2007 model), or a LPI natural gas version producing 67 horsepower. Both models have an ECO light on the dashboard to help you drive more economically by letting you know when you are driving in a fuel sipping manner.

Look after the jump for a full photo gallery of both exterior, interior and launch pix of the new 2010 Kia Morning.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 21:48:58 +0800.

Kia has released a new TVC for its new Kia Forte Koup. The Koup still looks as good as ever, who would have ever imagined a Korean car could ever look so desirable? The Koup looked pretty darn good in silver when I test drove it in South Korea, but here in this ad it looks even better in red. Though catchy, I didn’t really understand what the ad was trying to say until the end, then it made sense to me. Two is enough, haha.

Watch the video after the jump.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 21:48:58 +0800.