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Five premieres for Kia at Frankfurt Motor Show


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Seoul September 1, 2009; To celebrate the world premiere of the all-new Kia Venga at the 63rd Frankfurt International Motor Show on 15 September, Kia Motors will be displaying five examples of its uniquely spacious and dynamic B-segment MPV - in a special 'Venga' zone throughout the 13-day event.

The Venga heads an impressive Kia line-up that will include the re-engineered and re-styled new Kia cee'd, the all-new Kia Sorento SUV (with up to seven seats), the new 'EcoDynamics' sub-brand and the first showing in Europe of Kia's new Forte LPI Hybrid sedan.

"Kia's presence at Frankfurt will embody five exciting premieres and highlight our brand's stylish design, creative engineering and world-class build quality, for the world to see," enthuses Mr. Hyoung-Keun Lee, President, Kia Motors Corporation.

"Throughout the current global economic downturn Kia products have maintained their appeal to consumers and enabled us to increase our market share in many regions. I am confident that next year in Europe, the new Venga, new cee'd and all-new Sorento will spearhead a successful sales drive to attract more and more newcomers to our brand," he added.

'Uniquely spacious' 2010 Kia Venga


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Kia's all-new Venga B-segment MPV features an unusually long (2,615 mm) wheelbase for its class - and a 1600 mm high roofline to maximise cabin space. Skilful packaging will ensure that the Venga redefines its class by offering levels of interior space typical of a larger C-segment vehicle, but within a B-segment footprint.

The Venga name is derived from Spanish [verb: to come] and has a modern, polished feel that fits well with European consumers' active urban lifestyles.

Designed, engineered and manufactured in Europe, the latest Kia MPV will be equipped with sliding rear seats that also fold flat into the floor to create a spacious cargo bay and, depending on model, a tilt-&-slide all-glass panoramic roof.

Every engine in the Venga line-up will be available with Kia's fuel-stretching ISG (Idle Stop & Go) technology and will comply with Euro 5 emission standards.

Venga will be marketed exclusively in Europe and offered with a choice of 1.4-litre and 1.6-litre gasoline and diesel engines, generating between 75 and 126 ps.

'New look' for best-selling Kia cee'd range


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Kia's top-selling model in Europe has been re-engineered and re-styled under the direction of Chief Design Officer, Peter Schreyer, to feature the latest version of the company's design DNA. The 'new look' Kia cee'd is 25 mm longer, will have a more distinctive appearance and stronger road presence.

Comprehensively updated, the new Kia cee'd range will deliver a host of customer benefits, with numerous exterior and interior design refinements, plus upgraded standard equipment. Inside, buyers will enjoy the new-style steering wheel and gear lever, the all-red dashboard illumination, a new centre stack and new audio systems, plus dual-zone climate control air-conditioning.

Technical innovations enhance the driving experience while also significantly reducing fuel consumption and cutting CO2 emissions - down to a 'estimated low' of 110 g/km and by an average of 5% across the cee'd line-up.

New cee'd will be available with ISG technology on both gasoline and diesel engines for the first time, plus a hill-holder function for the ESP and brighter projection-style headlamps. The new 'U2' 1.6-litre diesel engine will be matched to a new six-speed manual transmission.

'Stand-out' styling for All-new 2010 Kia Sorento


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The all-new five- or seven-seater Kia Sorento SUV is longer and lower, with futuristic styling and a bold sense of power and dynamism, incorporating Kia's new design DNA into its 'stand-out' looks. All-new Sorento is a 'Highline Cruiser' that features a more spacious and luxurious cabin. Available high-tech features will include: keyless entry, engine start button, safety reversing camera and a panoramic glass sunroof.

Kia engineers ditched the old body-on-frame structure and designed an all-new monocoque bodyshell - achieving a weight loss of up to 215 kg and improved refinement. The 4.7-metre long SUV is also significantly sleeker than the previous model with an aerodynamic drag figure of Cd 0.38.

The most popular engine choice in Europe and general markets is expected to be the all-new 2.2-litre diesel which produces 197 ps. It will be offered with a six-speed manual or Kia's all-new world-class six-speed automatic transmission. All-new Sorento's ride/handling balance has been biased more towards on-road driving, without diminishing the original model's renowned off-road talents.

Introduction of Kia's 'EcoDynamics' sub-brand


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The Frankfurt Show will mark the world premiere of Kia's new 'EcoDynamics' sub-brand - the name which will be applied to the most eco-friendly cars within each Kia model range, as innovative fuel-stretching and emissions-cutting technologies are progressively introduced.

The EcoDynamics vehicles at the show will be equipped with ISG to automatically switch off and then restart the engine in congested city driving, a power-saving alternator management system, a gear-shift up/down indicator to encourage an economical driving style and low rolling resistance Michelin tyres.

Future EcoDynamics vehicles will also feature additional C02 and pollutant reducing technologies such as streamlining body parts, alternative fuel capabilities, high-efficiency transmissions and hybrid, electric or fuel-cell powertrains.

While delivering significant environmental benefits, Kia's EcoDynamics vehicles will retain a sporty design, fun-to-drive performance and a strong appeal for the young-at-heart. The 'EcoDynamics' zone at Frankfurt will display three new models - the Forte LPI Hybrid, cee'd Hybrid and all-new Sorento Hybrid.

Kia Forte LPI Hybrid sedan


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Kia has transported a Forte LPI Hybrid sedan to Europe for the first time to preview an extensive 'real world' research programme it will undertake in 2010. Although the C-segment Forte is not marketed in Europe, next year Kia is planning to operate a test fleet of 36 Forte LPI Hybrid cars across the region. The fleet will be available for media to test-drive and will be used to assess the feasibility of large-scale commercialization of LPI hybrids for the future.

This new model, which is already on sale to the public in Korea, is powered by a 114 ps, 1.6-litre engine running on liquid petroleum gas, mated to a hybrid powertrain with a 15 kW, 105 Nm electric motor, a 180V lithium polymer battery pack and a CVT gearbox, fuel-stretching ISG and 'regenerative braking' to re-charge its power pack. Aerodynamic drag is reduced to just Cd 0.26, fuel consumption is lowered to 5.6l/100km[1] and CO2 emissions are only 99 g/km.

Hybrid power for new-look Kia cee'd and new Kia Sorento

Also making their first appearance at Frankfurt are the new-look Kia cee'd Hybrid and the new Kia Sorento Hybrid concept cars. Created at Kia's European R&D Centre as research 'tools', these vehicles will be tested over many thousands of kilometres across Europe and will generate data for inclusion in the design process of Kia vehicles during the next decade.

The new-look cee'd Hybrid powertrain is similar to the Forte, but the 1.6-litre engine runs on gasoline. The new Sorento Hybrid is powered by an all-new powertrain, with Kia's new U2 1.6-litre diesel engine fitted with twin-turbochargers to generate more than 163 ps (120 kW). The diesel engine is mated to an electric motor and drives the front wheels via a new double-clutch transmission offering a choice of fully-automatic, or manual sequential gear changes. CO2 emissions are reduced to just 119 g/km.

[1] Gasoline equivalent fuel economy is 2.6l/100km based on gasoline and LPG prices in Korea as of the end of July 2009 (gasoline: KRW 1,637/litre; LPG: KRW 754/litre).