Meet the Man behind the KIA Revolution



Man On The Move - Peter Schreyer - Chief Designer - Kia 



Kia has boasted enormous sales gains during the past three financial years and the brand is getting more and more popular and accepted in the competitive motor industry, all these thanks to the newly acquired Chief in Design Peter Schreyer. Schreyer has brought into Kia a complete overhaul of the business not only in the designs but from their products line up to Kia’s boastful sales figures. Bringing Schreyer on board was the best move the South Korean automotive manufacturer could have ever made.

        Born in Bad Reichenhall Deutschland in 1953, Schreyer became the backbone of the German manufacturer AUDI after he joined them as a design graduate in 1978 and has won them medals in the process including the introduction of the iconic Audi TT in 1995. 1999 saw him move to VW Advanced Design on a brand rejuvenation mission that saw the birth of the Golf and the Jetta IV, needless to say his heart was no longer in the group. Sources at Audi say the move to leave the German group had been in Schreyer’s books for over five years.

In 2006 Peter Schreyer moved to Kia as the Designer in Chief. The move came as a shock to the industry as most have never imagined a Peter Schreyer without Audi or Audi without a Peter Schreyer. To Kia however this was a breath of fresh air as it happened at a very crucial time when the recession was about to hit the industry. He was immediately mandated with the task of turning the embattled manufacturer to profitability. His philosophy included and concentrated on rebranding Kia to a unique and family friendly and youthful look. That he managed to do.

Under his command, we saw the rise of the Kia Sportage from two struggled models to one sold out internationally demanded design. The market got revolutionized to Kia’s ideology that the Korean plant was overwhelmed and could not handle the demand. Between June 2010 and June 2011, the waiting list of the Sportage was sitting at a staggering seven months turnaround time with orders still streaming in. These proved that somehow they hit a nerve however; Kia must have thought this was a work of luck than a genius at work as we see in their fear to commit to increasing their production capacity.

We also saw the reintroduction of the Cerato and the Rio and the long anticipated disappearance of the Kia Shuma. Kia has now also introduced a Sports package to its entry level models; in fact this is where a lot of resemblance to the Audi comes in. For instance, the sports package on the Rio looks very much like the Audi S3, while the Cerato has borrowed bumper splitters from the A4 and BMW 3-series respectively in a very Peter Schreyer innovative way. While in the looks and feel of their vehicles, Kia has their finger on the pulse, the manufacturer is quick to admit that in terms of fuel consumption a lot is still to be addressed, so does most Korean designs.
When asked about what the prospects of a sport car by Kia are, Schreyer admits “it’s a good one”, although they have got nothing in the pipeline as yet; it should not be long before we see a Kia super car. Schreyer adds "if it were not because of safety regulations we would have already designed something out of the ordinary as far as design limits are concerned". Schreyer’s involvement with Kia has surely propelled the Korean manufacturer to unimaginable heights, while benefiting also those close to them like Hyundai and Daihatsu.

TMakhubedu
Editor- Autozeen

Polo Gti a Disgrace?

The Golf GTi is an exceptional car. It did not really invent the GTi concept as such but it has gone a long way popularizing and refining it. Though out its generation there had been some that were excellent and some that were not so excellent however as soon as one hears the acronyms G.T.i. the first thing that springs into mind is power, speed uncompromising response on command, agility, speed, a humming harmony of a twin channel tail pipe and looks as mean as a rebel war veteran plus more speed.

The Polo GTi is exactly that only without the speed, well as far as I thought. When the first Polo GTi came out I took it for a test drive with high expectations set from the Golf. No price for guessing that I came back disappointed. The road holding was sluggish and the traction kept on trying to throw me onto oncoming traffic, it was unstable. Understandable that it was a first for VW to supercharge a light production vehicle and send it off to kill people plus the fact that the Polo was not really meant for real enthusiasts.

When I went for the new Polo GTi’s test drive I had this in the back of my mind. I had thought they would however respect this signature GTi and make the next Polo GTi live up to its expectations even if I did not expect much. Well they did not; in fact, they made it even better. It is monstrous, it is rock and roll, it is appealing, it’s all those descriptions in that sequence and a little more. The traction is magnificent on this car. We managed to do 0-100km/h in 6 seconds flat on third gear and about 230km/h in less than a minute or 56 seconds to be precise on the sixth gear while we still had one last 7^th gear to the DSG VW trusted gearbox to do. Now this is what I call GTi.

 

Even though the weight of the body is lighter the stability is relatively balanced, so you will still be able to negotiate those negotiable corners with ease at relatively high speeds. It feels to me like they have gone and consulted with someone from the track to make some inputs regarding how this should feel like, and he was spot on. You can feel the engine and the exhausts vibrating as you go though the gears, but not that kind of vibration that will make your cheeks rumble but that smooth and warm vibration that makes you want to cough out sputum.

VW claims the target market of the Polo GTi is around the age of youth, my opinion, this is definitely going to wipe out the entire generation. You would need to have composure to drive this car; you would need to have discipline when around chicks in this car otherwise it will hang you on a tree. This reminded me of the Golf VR6 only with a little more breaking technology than the VR6 was at least.

The interior is classy for a Polo, I see the designers did take a bit of time to craft this one into place. The 7” DVD in the center of the driver controls can also be used as a Sat-Nav. The starring is fitted with multifunctional dials and finished with a GTi signature at the lower sprocket just to remind you that you are driving a GTi in case you forget. There are some that come out in scotched cloth seats which is a bit disturbing. Why would VW give such an option on such a high spec vehicle? Beats me, anyway just get yourself the one with leather seats and ignore VW’s insanity, I guess they have a right to be insane once in a while.

The acceptable starting price on the Polo GTi is R 265 000.00 before you request leather seats and other little extras.

Meet the new Golf Mark-6 Cabriolet

We could have thought that VW is holding out the fact that the Mark-6 is actually just a face lift of the Mark-5, we may still be hoping to hear them say “Psych, here is the true model of the Mark-6”, if that is the case we may have another thing coming because this is it and VW is sticking to it. It may have had a slow start in the market and a couple of raised eyebrows and a bit of confusion here and there from critics who do not have anything nice to say but the Golf Mark-6 is determined to prove its self worth without anybody’s assistance.  

This is how I know this model is here to stay.

Long before VW brought out the EOS coupe convertible, the popular classy soft tops where almost only in the Golf range all the way up until the Mark-4 almost until the EOS took over. Now, after a long absence the Mark-6 brings the Golf Cabriolet back into its place. This time it comes back with a vengeance, agility and fierce rage against its predecessors and rivals. The biggest rival I know VW was targeting is Golf’s distant cousin the AUDI A3 convertible. Although we think the Audi A3 is a better choice I believe it is the price that might influence your choice than anything else.

The one-touch roof comes down in 8 seconds with very little loss to the general road handling and you can open and close this while on the move at speeds of up to 50km/h. You could feel some slight body flex overall but the Mark-6 Cabriolet is as pleasant a ride as the hatchback. Most cabriolets have crowned cabins at the back; however this one is a proper four seater with all the required legroom for your passengers on those long trips. What VW has done is they cut the top off a normal Mark-6 hatchback to make the cabriolet version; as a result the overall handling of the vehicle is almost the same composed and stable ride you would come to expect from a VW. The suspension is lowered to give you that responsive, sharper turning ability and grip.

You get a choice between the Petrol and Diesel models. The petrol still stands out with its Turbo charged and supercharged 158bhp 1.4Tsi derivative. One thing VW has managed to get right is the low emission and higher power output engine that would reduce emission taxes from the unit price. We saw this type of an engine making waves on the Scirocco, pity the Scirocco never got that popular with its target market.

The interior of the Mark-6 is however not as impressive though, it looks like something from Korea like a Hyundai or if that is not a very good example then imagine an interior of a Polo Vivo marinated in a barbecue source. Frankly it does not look like any place you would want to spend most of your time in.

The price starts at R 283 000 and is already available at a VW dealer near you.

TMakhubedu- Editor- Autozeen

http://autozeenmobile.blogspot.com

Driving while Flying now Possible – PAL-V1

Thanks to the Dutch company PAL-V the dream of flying one’s own car could be realised. This week PAL-V introduced their first prototype flying car called the PAL-V1, or Personal Air and Land Vehicle. This vehicle takes a form of a roadster or sports car when on land with characteristics of a superbike. The wheels are propelled via a chain and sprocket on the right back wheel capable of reaching speeds of up to 190km/h. Currently tested as a single seated with hope of making an even robust engine that could accommodate more passengers.  

Within minutes the propeller can be unfolded and the tail stretched to convert it into a gyroplane and take off into the air. When in the air the PAL-V1 can do the speeds as on land depending on the weight load. The company claims that the prototype has passed all international laws that govern driving and flying respectively. I am just not too sure if one would have to get an aviation license to be allowed to own one or will my Code 08 license acquired from Shoprite do the trick. The other issue I think will create problems is if we all skipped traffic by springing off the ground in different directions we will ultimately jam up

parking lot landing strips; just imagine everyone trying to land at the same time at the mall on Saturday. The only way we could go around that is if we make the gyroplane so expensive that we leave the poor people on the ground at least, that should make way for this new era to dawn.

This idea of a flying car had been tried a few times before with no real success to get to the production stage. I remember the closest anyone ever gotten close to production was a company called Terrafugia with a prototype called Transition, but tat also was marred by challenges which saw the idea being stacked at the back shelves indefinately.

 

But PAL-V is however calling for investors to get on board and see this through to production. We could see the first production start in 2014 and I have a feeling Virgin’s Richard Branson will climb on board this one.

TMakhubedu- Editor- Autozeen

Concept or Production Sport car - Jaguar C-X16

Revealed at the Los Angeles Motor Show, towards the last quarter of 2011, the C-X16 is Jaguar’s 21^st Century sport car ambition. On the tracks of the Porsche Panamera and looks of a BMW 5 series GT, the C-X16 embodies Jaguar strengths of sensual design, animal like agility and inspirational performance. The question remains though is it a concept car or will it go into production?

 Jaguar is adamant that this will be their first of many sports cars to come in their slickly styled high performance luxury vehicles. There are a few markets that are targeted for launch including South Africa. The release dates are still sketchy at the moment but we are sure to find out before the fourth quarter of 2012.

As a Hybrid motor the C-X16 is powered by an experimental hybrid power train that combines a new all-alloy 3.0 Litre V6 Supercharged engine producing 280Kw and 450 Nm of torque with a performance-boosting electric motor inspired by Formula One’s KERS or kinetic energy recovery system. This allows the kinetic energy of the moving vehicle to be captured when the car brakes, and then stored for later use during acceleration. A graphic on the dashboard indicates when the additional boost provided by the electric motor can be deployed, and the driver initiates the instant power surge by pressing the ‘Push to Pass’ button on the steering wheel. When charged, the system provides an additional 70kW and 235Nm of torque for up to 10 seconds. This approach reduces fuel consumption, improves acceleration and lowers overall CO2 emissions, including allowing the C-X16 to drive as a zero-tailpipe emissions electric vehicle at speeds of up to 90Km/h on low throttle openings.

The driver is well wrapped up in a cross-pollination of leather, suede, aluminium, carbon fibre and chrome in a Kardashian red cockpit inspired bubble with a computerised intelligent venting system that warms or cools the cabin accordingly.

C-X16's body shell is constructed from aluminium using techniques derived from the aerospace industry for greater handling, faster acceleration and shorter breaking distance plus improved fuel efficiency. It also features the Intelligent Start/Stop system that utilises a TSS or twin solenoid starter. The system shuts down the engine in just 300 milliseconds after the car has come to rest and utilises the TSS to restart it in the time it takes the driver’s foot to go from the brake to the accelerator, providing seamless and faster recovery of performance.

 I am still yet to learn how to open the doors though as the handles have been completely integrated into the panel, but that is not to taint the mean agility of the C-X16 especially when looking at a 21” alloy wheel stance on a sports car, which makes its size look delusional. The price tag is likely to come out at an estimate of R 850 000.00 market related without optional extras.

TMakhubedu- Editor- Autozeen

http://autozeenmobile.blogspot.com

Concept or Production Sport car - Jaguar C-X16

2012 BMW 650i Convertible

This is so unlike BMW to sneak up on the market unannounced and drop a first in innovation motoring like they did with the 3^rd Generation 6-series convertible. This convertible version is the first in the 3^rd generation models as opposed to conventionally starting with the coupe’ first and then cutting the roof to bring out the convertible version. In this case the coupe’ and the convertible are two different cars completely, so we will only see the coupe’ in a couple of months after the launch of the convertible.

The shape of the convertible is slick, longer, lower and an elongated hood demonstrating the six cylinder engine feature common with all BMW’s higher entry models.  The front confirms the attempt for BMW to fall back to their original top selling shark look as we know it. This is characterized by a vertical nose, in the 6 spiced with corona rings LED white lights finished with an eyebrow.

The side of the vehicle is linear to the 7-series with long sport gills accentuating the fact that the designers were sticking to the original BMW format of making elegantly sporty vehicles while keeping the distinct and classy 6- series status. The roof comes down in 16 seconds and closes in 21, which can be done at about 60Km/h.

The interior was also focused upon by the harmony created from the two tone color leather also available in a single solid finish making sure that the time spent in the 6-series convertible is an unrivaled experience.  The driver controls have been angled by 7° in favor of the driver almost going back to the original BMW design especially in the 3-serieses. The iDrive navigation is a first of its kind with a 10.2” wide floating screen connected to front and rear cameras to detect any hidden hazards, like a shark scouting for prey.

Under this extra long hood the 6-series packs the all time tried and true twin turbo reverse flow V8 4.4 liter, 400Hp and 450 pounds torque as it were on the 750 and the 550. The new V8 engine can either be linked to either a traditional six-speed manual gearbox or if you’re really into the car, you can opt for BMW’s new eight-speed Sport Automatic transmission. The car will spring from 0-100 in only 4.9 seconds flat and break at a governed 250Km/h. 

 The model is now available in South Africa from selected BMW dealers as from March, with an estimate price tag of R 950 000.00

TMakhubedu- Editor- Autozeen

http://autozeenmobile.blogspot.com

2012 BMW 650i Convertible