Kia Cerato 2009 News

Kia is looking to get back into the hot hatch business after pulling the unloved Proceed GT out of the local market last year.

Style is the new weapon in Kia's war to win back buyers from an avalanche of fresh small-car rivals. It starts with the Cerato hatch, a heavily rejigged small car with more performance options that arrives here mid-year with the aim of clawing back some average sales results. The neat Cerato sedan and hatch currently on the market have been no match for heavy hitters Corolla and Mazda3, let alone its sister Hyundai i30. Even the more expensive Subaru Impreza outsells Cerato. This time Kia reckons it's got it right. The Cerato, shown this week at the biggest US motor show in Chicago, arrives in Australia as a hatchback in July that follows the April launch of the sedan equivalent. It sits on a 50mm longer wheelbase and is lower and wider than the current hatch. Boot space is up to 422 litres, bigger than the i30 (378), Golf (350), Corolla (280) and Mazda3 (340) but less than Holden Cruze's 445 litres. Looking more like a mini-Optima at the front - indeed the Cerato sedan is almost a shrunken copy of Kia's biggest Australian-sold sedan - the hatch repeats the crisp styling and signature lines of the company's chief designer Peter Schreyer. It has all the performance looks to justify Kia's 150kW/264Nm 1.6-litre direct-injection turbo-petrol engine - only 5kW/16Nm off the bigger 2-litre engine of the Golf GTI - but we won't get it. Kia Australia has knocked back this sparkling engine in favour of retaining the current model's 103kW 1.8-litre multi-point injection engine and a perkier 129kW 2-litre direct-injection petrol four. This upgrades the current 2-litre engine's 115kW/194Nm output. The turbo-petrol engine - the same as fitted to the Hyundai Veloster Turbo - is hoped to be used here late this year as Kia Australia plans to import the Europe-sourced Procee'd GT hatch. Annoyingly, the US market has nabbed the turbo-petrol for the Cerato five-door hatch and displayed it at the Chicago motor show this week. VALUE Kia Australia is not talking money. But it's fair to say it will start around the same level - say, $19,990 - because that's where its rivals such as Corolla and Pulsar are starting. At that money, dependent on equipment levels for which Kia are renowned, it'll be a strong buy. The 2-litre engine is also bigger than the others so there's appeal from a performance base. The elephant in the room is the excellent i30 from parent company Hyundai that shares the Cerato's platform. But there's Kia's industry crunching five-year warranty and capped-price service program with roadside assistance. Strong arguments. But we have to see the car in Australia and with its sticker price to make the final call. DESIGN In the flesh it's crisp and distinctive. It's a pleasing car to look at and that'll appeal to buyers who appreciate a head turn. But it's not outrageous and not dated in its lines, so it should age well and that'll hold value. The cabin is pretty and appears workable. The car will keep its three model line-up of S, Si and SLi. Again, the proof is in what it looks like when it lands here. TECHNOLOGY The 2-litre engine's direct injection improves performance and lowers fuel consumption. Kia gets unique suspension tuning for Australia - incidentally, Hyundai do likewise but by a different mob - so the Cerato hatch should hang on through the bends. The rear suspension is by torsion beam and though not as sophisticated as the multi-link set up of Holden and Opel, is economical and allows for a bigger boot area. SAFETY No news but it's expected to be a five-star car with six airbags. It's the standard safety gear that gets fitted to the Australian cars which is unknown. A rear camera should be the minimum with lane-change monitor and even low-speed auto braking being desirable. In this sector though, it's all about price. VERDICT A very appealing package that offers good space in a relatively small car. Nice to see some power upgrades in the 2-litre which should make it a fun drive. The car isn't on the road - or even a carpark - yet. Kia Cerato hatch Price: est from $19,990 Warranty: 5 years/unlimited km, roadside assist Resale: 53% Service Interval: 12mths/15,000km, capped price Safety: 6 airbags, ABS, ESC, EBD, TC Crash rating: 5-star Engine: 1.8 and 2-litre 4-cyl turbo-diesel, 103kW and 129kW Transmission: 6 spd manual or auto; front drive Thirst: est. 7.3L/100km; 192g/km CO2 Dimensions: 4.3m (L), 1.8m (W), 1.5m (H) Weight: 1385kg Spare: Full size RIVALS Toyota Corolla Price: from $19,990 Engine: 1.8-litre, 4-cyl petrol, 103kW/173Nm Transmission: CVT; front drive Thirst: 6.6L/100km; CO2 152g/km  Toyota Corolla - see other Corolla verdicts Mazda 3 Price: from $20,330 Engine: 2-litre, 4-cyl petrol, 108kW/182Nm Transmission: 5-spd auto; front drive Thirst: 8.2L/100km; CO2 216g/km  Mazda 3 - see other Mazda 3 verdicts Holden Cruze Price: from $21,490 Engine: 1.8-litre, 4-cyl petrol, 104kW/176Nm Transmission: 6-speed auto; front drive Thirst: 7.5L/100km; CO2 179g/km Holden Cruze - see other Cruze verdicts  

But that won't happen until at least next year as Kia rolls out its new Cerato hatch and sedan and, finally, the two-door Koup. "We're pushing hard for a turbo car but we have to be patient," Kia Australia spokesman Kevin Hepworth says. The next model Koup is expected to get a direct petrol-injected 1.6-litre engine with a turbocharger. Kia's global powertrain engineer, Joachim Hahn, indicated at this year's Geneva motor show in March that the first turbo would be in a C-Class car - which is the Cerato - and that it would be announced within 12 months. "We already make a turbocharged direct-injection engine - the TGDI - and we will bring out a Kia within the next 12 months which is a European GDI turbocharged engine," Hahn says. Kia - an associate company of Hyundai - makes a turbocharged version of  the Optima for the US market and a C'eed turbo for Europe. The US also gets a turbo-petrol Sportage. The 150kW/264Nm 1.6-litre turbo-GDI engine - which features a twin-scroll turbocharger - is also in the Hyundai Veloster Turbo which is due for Australian launch in December. Hyundai claims its Veloster Turbo is able to deliver 8.7 L/100km city and 6.2 L/100km highway for manual transmission models. It is also available with a six-speed torque-converter automatic.  

An Australia-patented gas-injection system has surfaced as the reason for choking the plans of Hyundai and Kia to import their innovative LPi-Hybrid models.  This is contrary to the official line - quoted at the Kia Koup launch in Seoul early last year - that Kia was "having difficulty" adjusting to Australia's propane-rich LPG mix. Korea, and many other gas-producing nations, have LPG that is richer in butane. Technically, adjusting between the two LPG blends is a matter of engine management tuning. But Kia - and later Hyundai, which shares the LPG injection technology - indicated it was all too hard and killed plans to bring its gas-electric Cerato to Australia. But there was a more compelling argument. The LPi (liquid petroleum injection) hybrid - sold in Korea and now readying for export to countries except Australia - has components within its gas-injection system that are patented by a Melbourne engineering company. Kia last year planned to import its Cerato LPi-Hybrid sedan but mysteriously - and suddenly - developed cold feet. Its associate company, Hyundai, had a similar-engined car ready to export but froze the plan. The Australian patent holder, engineering company LPG-Liquid-Inject Ltd, says the technology being used by companies including Hyundai-Kia dates back to the mid-1990s. LPG-Liquid-Inject director John Martin says his company contacted Hyundai-Kia when news of an LPG-Hybrid car was announced.  His patents also cover the common Vialle LPG injection system used by Ford - and provided by Perth-based Orbital Corporation - which is currently in dispute over patent breaches. "We have been challenged by Vialle on our patent four times and they have failed," Mr Martin says.  "They know that our patents have 12 months to run before they expire, so they're developing a market now." But Mr Martin says carmakers aiming to capitalise when the patents expire are investing in redundant technology.  "We're within a whisker of finalising this new technology," he says. "It's cheaper, more efficient, has instant starting and automatically adjusts for different butane/propane proportions in LPG."  LPG-Liquid-Inject Ltd is also completing is own LPG-engine and electric motors hybrid, using a 650cc internal-combustion engine powering a generator to charge a composite of lead-acid and lithium-ion batteries and then driving hub motors within the wheels of a 5.5-tonne Transit van. "We can produce the system in Australia and we have an engine-maker (in Victoria) ready to build it,' Mr Martin says.  "But we can't get any government assistance. The Federal Government is only interested in big car companies and big car component suppliers who have lots of employees. "So we plan to have it built in Britain. It is bad for Australia because we want to live here. And it makes doing business in Australia look bad." In 2008, Mr Martin's company was relying on a Commercial Ready development grant of $400,000 from the Federal Government to commercialise his technology.  But the grant scheme was cancelled. In 2009 the Federal Government granted $35 million to Toyota to build its Camry Hybrid in Melbourne.  The policy manager of LPG Australia, Steve Reynolds, says Mr Martin's work represented "very good home-grown technology that we see as being important in increasing the range of LPG automotive products on the market".

While the company has launched the Sportage with a locally-tuned suspension and played with a Koup to make it handle, the Korean brand has critical vehicles coming.  Kia Australia national marketing manager Steve Watt says the next-generation Rio - due in the latter half of next year - is a critical car for the brand."I've seen the clay of Rio, it's a game-changer, the packaging is more for a small family because it is so clever, that's second half of 2011," he says.  The line-up is far from set, but Watt says the range will need to retain the brand's sharp-pricing as well as cover a broader range of body options."We're known for sharp prices - entry level we need a presence, hopefully we'll have access to different body shapes, sedan and wagon and hopefully a three-door but that's not confirmed, the greater coverage we have the better we'll do," he says.  The company will add the Cerato five-door to its line-up following a Sydney motor show debut in October.The medium sedan - still known as TF for now  but likely to use the Optima nameplate - will be unveiled at the Australian Open in Melbourne early next year, with even more suspension and steering work done by the Australian tuning team than the Sportage."The TF we have started chassis dynamics testing on that car, that determines when it goes on sale - when the work is finished.  It costs the same to put a poor as a good suspension system in the car, the trick is to get a good suspension." he says.Watt says the brand is still considering tactics like a seven-year warranty and says it has to expand its catchment of customers and agrees that the company's line-up need to be seen as "more than A to B" transport."A to B suggests being disconnected with the car, our designs now are for more engaging, you notice the car now - my view is the drive needs to match the style of the car.  We need to talk to a new market, we need to talk to people who wouldn't have considered us before," he says.

Car companies are about to be put to the test in the Global Green Challenge and Carsguide is going along for the ride. There are two key buzz words in today's world of clean, green motoring: more and less.Car buyers, pricked by an environmental consciousness, are driving demand for better efficiency to reduce the impact on their wallet and less emissions to reduce the impact on the environment.And there's an added caveat to this quest for green sustainability: it has to be affordable without robbing the family car of performance or driveability.Welcome to the challenge facing car designers as they chase motoring's holy grail — producing a workable, green friendly car for the future. A bookmark of just where the industry is at will be on display at the end of the month when the Eco Challenge for production cars, run in conjunction with this year's Global Green Challenge, sets out from Darwin on October 24 and heads south to Adelaide.It will be real-world 3000 kilometre reality check, albeit most of the driving will be on highways, to show buyers what more-for-less cars are available now, or the near future.This week car companies have been jostling as they line up for the starting grid — some have still to fully show their hand but organisers say 21 cars are expected to contest the Eco Challenge while a further 38 dedicated solar-powered cars will also follow the same route the following day in their own race.This year's production car field is an eclectic mix.Hyundai Hyundai is using the Global Challenge to launch its 2010 Santa Fe wagon, promising more power and reduced fuel consumption which will attract caravan owners looking for an alternative to heavier 4WDs.Hyundai's Team R has entered two Santa Fes, one of which will be driven by CarsGuide. The wagon gets Hyundai's new R turbo diesel and a new six-speed manual transmission along with a recalibrated suspension and steering package for our tougher road conditions. A six-speed automatic will be optional. The Santa Fe goes on sale at the end of the year.Skoda Skoda will use the event to showcase its new flagship, the Superb saloon. Skoda says the 2-litre direct injection turbo diesel is capable of 5.4l/100km on the highway, meaning you can marry luxury with economy.Suzuki will use the event to showcase the ability of the tiny Alto, which the carmaker claims can travel 100 kilometres on just 3.5 litres of precious fuel on the highway. Tests in India have already shown it can do better at 3l/100km.The car is being kept on the road by a team of apprentice automotive engineers from the Melbourne's Kangan Batman TAFE college.Holden Holden and Ford will be fighting each other in the Challenge. Holden had been tipped to show of a Commodore, which like Saab, can run on 85 per cent ethanol, or a diesel, but the General will instead showcase its recently launched 3-litre Omega Sportwagon, fitted with the new SIDI (Spark Ignition Direct Injection) engine and six-speed automatic transmission.Holden won't reveal what fuel economy goal it is aiming for but it maintains the SIDI is now the most fuel efficient Aussie-built six-cylinder in the market. Holden says the engine, rated at 9.3l/10km is 13 per cent more fuel efficient than the previous motor at 10.7l/10km.Ford Ford will come out fighting with an XR6 Turbo and a Fiesta Econetic which will be launched in November and has the potential to run at 3.7l/100km. Again, Ford won’t talk about economy goals.BMW BMW is another keeping its cards close to its chest until closer to race. It will have a fleet of three diesel Mini Ds, one of which is will be driven by former Le Mans winner Vern Schuppan. The 1.6-litre Mini diesel is capable of 3.9l/100km combined and 3.5l/100km on the highway.Tesla While all eyes will be on the known brands, one entry which will likely steal the limelight will be the all electric Tesla roadster — the world's first production all-electric car which is being entered by broadband company Internode.The company's managing director Simon Hackett imported the first car to Australia recently.Kia Kia has entered two LPG electric hybrid Fortes, which have a 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol engine mated to a small electric motor and lithium-polymer batteries — a first for a mass-production small automatic car. Kia says it can return 5.6l/100km.Based on the Cerato, the Kia Forte has the potential to make it to the Australian market next year for less than $30,000. Based on the Cerato The Forte was launched in South Korea in August and displayed at the Frankfurt Motor Show last month.NON-PRODUCTION AND EXPERIMENTAL CARS Independent team Deep Green Research has come to the party with an electric Honda.Students from South Australia's Annesley College have built a petrol/electric hybrid Holden Viva. The all-girl Annesley team has taken part in previous solar challenges but this is the first time they have entered the production car class. The students will be driving the car on the 3000km journey.Research and development company Intex is entering a four-cylinder petrol Ford Spectron Van with a retrofit hybrid system that converts the drivetrain to a plug-in hybrid electric.Absent This year Toyota is a notable non-starter after impressing in 2007 with its Prius.And there has been a late scratching with Volvo confirming it was withdrawn its two C30 DRIVe hatchbacks because they are stuck on a ship from Europe, a victim of stormy weather in the Atlantic. Volvo had high expectations for the 1.6-litre diesel which sips a claimed 3.8l/100km. The eco hatch will now be launched in Australia early next year. 

But Kia has valiantly soldiered on against the odds as sales of fellow Korean Hyundai - which owns 38 per cent of Kia - has shot ahead on the back of the i30, iMax and iLoad and its market share has grown to 7 per cent. However, Kia is pinning its future on a product-led recovery that it expects to increase sales and its market share.Kia is one of only a handful of brands this year that have increased market share, despite its sales slipping 6.7 per cent. Kia Australia's national sales manager, Alan Crouch, acknowledges there will be comparisions with Kia's performance against Hyundai. "But they have reached a critical mass and we're still some way off," he says.Crouch says Kia is on track to sell around 20,000 vehicles this year, the same as last year, despite the economic slowdown. "We'll be very happy with that," he says. "We think the market will be around 850,000 and our market share will be about 2.5 per cent compared to 1.8 per cent last year."Crouch says Kia Australia has done a lot of development work this year "sowing the ground" for future product and more investment. Dealer numbers have grown from 108 to 117 and for the first time there is now a dealer in Alice Springs and Broome. "As we said when we launched Soul, Kia is a different company now," he says.Crouch says the company has also had a more consistent approach to advertising and marketing, moving away from the budget brand tag. Fresh European-inspired product is also driving new buyers into showrooms. "What we're noticing is that the people who are buying our cars are changing," he says. They are younger, design-driven people, he says. "We're seeing people we have never seen before in a Kia dealership."Crouch attributes this change to the new Cerato sedan and Soul and their competitive pricepoints. He expects more people will cross shop against Kia with the arrival of the Koup and the new Sorento off-roader in a few months.However, those looking to compare in the van segment will have less luck. The cheap and cheerful Kia Pregio diesel van won a legion of fans because of its practicality, and also helped underpin Kia sales locally. But since it was withdrawn in 2006 Kia has moved on and a replacement is unlikely, according to Alan Crouch. "The facts are that there is not a product applicable to the Australian market going forward, especially on safety," Crouch says.Given the high-level of specification and safety now required for the local light commercial van market, Crouch says filling the space left by the Pregio would be difficult.The Cerato, Soul and Koup also show that Kia is moving on from being a rudimentary carmaker, he says. 

Headlining Kia’s stand is a preview of the new and stylish Cerato sedan, due for release to the Australian market in early 2009. It will be the first Kia to feature the 'new face of Kia' design from the pen of Kia's global chief design officer, Peter Schreyer, who joined the company in 2006 from the Volkswagen Group. Schreyer's corporate H-grille echoes his car design philosophy. According to Schreyer, design is the number one purchase influence but it is essential that new designs match both the Kia brand value and the vision of the Kia brand. In striking electric blue at the show, straight lines are feature on the profile, following the base of the side glass from the A-pillar to the boot, while the headlights are integrated into the grille; blistered guards visually lower the car. The new model will bridge the gap between small and medium cars with space, performance, features and value. Longer and wider than the current Cerato sedan, the new model is actually roomier than the first generation Toyota Camry. New Cerato will feature a new, efficient 2.0-litre engine with Continuously Variable Valve Timing (CVVT) for class-leading power and torque, delivering the pulling power and responsiveness of a 2.2-litre engine without the fuel consumption of a bigger engine. Kia is also involved in other initiatives, including sponsorship of the Australian Open tennis and a Kia Young Drivers program. Kia is also involved with a new 14 part TV series on Channel 10 called ‘Pat Callinan’s 4x4 Adventures’, where Pat spent three months driving a Kia Sorento CRDi around Australia.

Originating from the Kia Motors America Design Centre in Irvine, California, the striking Koup concept surprised show goers at the New York motor show and illustrates the shape and evolution of future Kias.Looking from some angles like a two-door Mitsubishi Lancer, the aggressive, pillarless Koup is a practical four-seater.Chief designer Tom Kearns says the car is a taste of future Kias.“Kia is designing cars to appeal to drivers who want stylish looks and advanced technology,” he says.The Koup styling is likely to appear first in the small, four-door Spectra sedan, codenamed TD, which features a strong wedge-shape, short boot and long angular front end in 2010.The Koup combines balanced proportions and a fluid design that hints at an almost production-ready front-wheel-drive sports coupe.Adding further fuel to the flames is that the car also has six-airbags, electronic stability control, adaptive headlights and a tyre-pressure monitoring system.The independent front suspension gets MacPherson struts and the rear has a dual link set-up, borrowed from Kia's parts bin. The suspension features continuous damping control.Front on, the car has a bold, dynamic stance with carbon-fibre and black-chrome LED headlights.From the side there is a distinct wedge-shaped profile with short front and rear overhangs and 19-inch alloys with a Brembo brake package.Inside there is plenty of carbon-fibre detailing, sports seats, smart key ignition with push-button start and six-speed sequential gearbox with steering wheel-mounted paddles.The car is powered by a 2.0-litre Theta II turbo-charged four-cylinder.