This is an interesting article on Kia’s eco friendliness, written by Kyehwan Roh, assistant manager at Kia’s enviromental managment team:

Did you know that Kia has 20 years of history developing eco friendly autos?  Kia was Korea’s first automobile manufacturer to develop and mass market electric vehicles with the introduction of the Besta in 1986.

Over the years, Kia has been a pioneer in Korea of lead cell electric, electric hybrid and 2nd generation hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. And following on from our 1st generation hydrogen fuel cell electric Sportage, which is currently undergoing long-term testing in the USA as part of a U.S. Department of Energy-sponsored validation program, we recently displayed our 2nd generation fuel cell electric vehicle platform at the Frankfurt Motor Show. (more…)

When this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show kicked off in the German city last week, it was definitely the “clean cars” or eco-friendly vehicles, that stole the limelight of the world’s largest automobile feast.

Global carmakers are in fierce competition to develop eco-friendly cars including hybrid vehicles and fuel cell cars amid rising environmental concerns. And in South Korea, Hyundai Motor is leading the van of the so-called environmental management.

In the automobile show attended by some 4,000 exhibitors, Hyundai Motor unveiled its third-generation hydrogen concept car “i-Blue” to join the latest global trend spearheaded by the world’s top players such as BMW and Mercedes-Benz. (more…)

KIA ECO_CEE’D; THE “GREEN PERFORMANCE” CONCEPT CAR

Kia is staging the World Premiere of a new “green-performance” concept car at Frankfurt. Called “eco_cee’d, the new concept is a development of the Kia pro_cee’d hatchback and aims to achieve better fuel consumption, with fewer emissions – while still delivering a lively, spirited drive.

Based on a pro_cee’d fitted with a lively yet frugal Euro-5 compliant, 115 ps, 1.6-litre diesel engine, the new eco_cee’d concept has been designed to hugely enhance the “®green” potential of the standard model. A combination of small but significant modifications to the base vehicle result in much improved fuel consumption (just 3.9 litres/100km) and reduced CO2 emissions (just 104 g/km).

The impressive performance, fuel economy and emissions figures of the eco-cee’d are largely the result of improved aerodynamics which bring the drag coefficient down to just Cd 0.29. To maximise the value of the aerodynamic and powertrain improvements, eco_cee’d is fitted with Kia’s new Idle Stop&Go and Regenerative Braking systems.

As a “green-performance” concept car the eco-cee’d demonstrates a part of Kia’s vision for the way ahead with future engine developments for next-generation environmentally friendly and fuel efficient production models – without losing sight of customer expectations for cars with a sporty design and fun-to-drive performance.

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Besides the low CO2 output Eco_cee’d concept, Kia Motors Corporation is staging another European Premiere! They are exhibiting their latest Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) platform at Frankfurt for the first time!

The hydrogen-fuelled, electrically-driven FCEV platform represents the next step forwards in Kia’s continuing commitment to develop cleaner, greener production vehicles for the future.

The all-new 4.6-metre long platform is designed to fit beneath an SUV-style vehicle. Propelled by three electric motors, powered by a 100 kW Fuel Cell and fuelled by twin 76-litre tanks storing hydrogen at 700 bar, the 4×4 FCEV promises real-world usable performance and has the ability to start in extremely cold temperatures (down to – 30C).

Kia’s computer simulations indicate that clothed in a Sorento-type body, the new FCEV could accelerate to 100 kph in just 10 seconds, reach a top speed of 170 kph and achieve a 600 km range – all with zero emissions. While accomplishing good progress in terms of greener motoring, the new FCEV is very much a ‘real world’ solution to daily transport challenges – offering lively performance to match its commendable emissions and fuel consumption.

We will concentrate on Kia debuts at 2007 IAA Frankfurt Motor Show, but that doesn’t mean we are not going to report at least of some happening at Frankfurt. You already had a chance to look at some of the upcoming concept and production cars at our Frankfurt image gallery. We update it regularly!

Today, we can show you a video of something blue, enviormental friendly and made by Kia’s sister company Hyundai. This is an i-Blue hydrogen concept car that Kia-world blog reported about a few days ago. Enjoy!

The all-new Kia cee’d family car has been awarded a 5-Star safety rating in the latest Euro NCAP crash test results published today. The cee’d safety ratings – 5-Stars for Adult Protection, 4-Stars for Child Protection and 2-Stars for Pedestrian Protection – place it among the C-segment’s safest cars.

“The latest Euro NCAP result is a major landmark achievement for Kia. The cee’d is designed, engineered and built in Europe, to meet or surpass the expectations of European consumers in every respect – including safety,” commented Yong-Hwan Kim, Senior Executive Vice President & COO, Kia Motors Corporation. “The combination of the car’s many talents, plus the 5-Star safety rating and the unique Kia 7-Year warranty, will make the cee’d even more attractive to European consumers, offering real peace-of-mind and low ownership costs.

“Kia’s safety engineers developed the new cee’d to provide the highest levels of occupant protection in real-world accident scenarios. Our engineers predicted that cee’d would achieve a Euro NCAP 5-Star rating and this result confirms the major advances made by Kia with its latest C-segment family car,” added Mr. Kim.

For cee’d, Kia engineers initially concentrated on ensuring that the car had high levels of ‘active safety’ with good visibility, responsive and agile handling, and powerful braking, to enable Kia drivers to avoid accidents and other everyday motoring hazards.

The cee’d family will be soon become complete, when the five door cee’d model will be complemented by the stylish cee’d wagon – in dealer showrooms from September, and the launch of the exciting new three-door pro_cee’d model at the Frankfurt Show.

According to Jean-Charles Lievens, Senior Vice President, Kia Motors Europe, “The cee’d is the first Kia product and the first Korean-brand car ever to be awarded the top rating by a European safety organisation. The introduction of the Kia cee’d has brought about a qualitative revolution for Kia, and together with our highly-productive factory in Slovakia, is beginning to change the way Kia is perceived by consumers. Most of the cee’d five-door buyers are new ‘conquest’ customers switching to the Kia brand for the first time and we expect the cee’d wagon and three-door pro_cee’d models will accelerate this trend.”

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Click image to enlarge or follow the link for more crash data:

EuroNcap test report (click here)

Kia Motors’ Cee’d has been awarded a five-star safety rating in the latest Euro-NCAP (New Car Assessment Program) crash test results, according to the South Korean automaker Wednesday.

Euro NCAP is greatly encouraged with the five star result achieved by the Kia Cee’d, as it is the first Kia and first Korean car to do so since Euro NCAP first tested this make of car in 2003!

Front impact
The passenger compartment remained stable during the impact. Structures in the dashboard presented a risk of injury to the knees and femurs of the driver and the passenger. The clutch pedal moved rearward more than 100mm, but there was no rupture of the footwell.

Side impact
The Cee’d scored maximum points in the side impact and pole tests

Child-protection
The car scored maximum points for the dynamic performance of the 3 year old dummy in the frontal and side impacts. The front passenger’s airbag can be disabled, allowing a rearward facing child restraint to be used in that seating position. However, information provided to the driver about the status of the airbag is not sufficiently clear. The label warning of the dangers of using a rearward facing child restraint in the passenger’s seat without first disabling the airbag was not clear and was not permanently visible. The presence of ISOFIX anchorages in the rear outboard seats was not clearly marked.

 Click image to enlarge!

[Source: EuroNCAP]

Kia is joining European automakers that are going green at this year’s IAA Frankfurt Motor Show beeing held from September 11th. Several automakers such as Audi, Opel and Mercedes are going to show eco-friendly cars to the public and so will Kia! 

Based on five-door hatchback, the new model will be named Eco_Cee’d. This will be the fourth model to join the family of five-door Cee’d, Cee’d SW and sporty three-door Pro_cee’d.

Right now there are not many known details, but we found out that Eco_Cee’d will not be a hybrid car. It will probably be a standard production model with lighter body parts and added green technology gadgets, such as STOP&GO system. Stop&go system shuts down car’s engine automatically when stoped. Such a system can improve fuel consumption and lower CO2 output by up to 10%. It was first introduced in a Kia’s minicar Picanto last year, but never used on the road.

Although it is not exactly known when, Eco_cee’d is coming to production! And this is the most important news.

The Kia Rio Hybrid offers a 44-percent gasoline savings over the standard Kia Rio with an average of city / hwy 53.4 mpg. The Kia Rio Hybrid also offers a 37-percent reduction in emissions making this a green car lover’s delight.

If you’re looking for a speed-burner, however, you may wish to look in a different direction as the Rio Hybrid achieves 0 – 60 mph acceleration in just 12.2 seconds. The vehicle does, however, have a top speed of 112 mph, which is more than enough for the average driver wanting to avoid speeding tickets. The Kia Rio Hybrid comes equipped with a small 4-cylinder 1.4 liter, 90 bhp engine with a 12 kw electric motor and a CVT transmission.

The Kia Rio Hybrid is considered to be a mild hybrid in that the electric motor assists the gasoline engine when it comes to starting, accelerating and climbing hills. The Rio Hybrid also employs engine idle cut-off and restart as needed. Regenerative braking recharges the NiMH 144 volt battery pack.

The Rio Hybrid has also cut its weight considerably (23-percent) over the standard version by employing an aluminum hood, trunk and front seat frames. The Kia hybrid also uses lightweight wheels and low-friction tires. The hydraulic power steering system has also been replaced by an all electric system to help cut down on the weight of the vehicle.

The Korean Ministry of the Environment has ordered an additional 3,390 hybrid vehicles from Kia Motors and Hyundai over the next two years as part of their real world hybrid testing program. This also includes the Rio Hybrid’s sister car, the Hyundai Accent hybrid. There is no word yet on when the Kia Rio Hybrid will be available in the U. S. commercial market.

With a total investment of US$58 million, Hyundai Kia’s Research and Development Centre in Seoul will spark new synergies and generate greater efficiency in efforts to develop cleaner, more eco-friendly vehicles.

This investment is an indicator of Hyundai Kia’s commitment to attaining global leadership in environmental management. It will allow them to proactively respond to the intensifying environmental regulations in product development, manufacturing, sales, after service and recycling of vehicles.

Facilities include a 700-bar hydrogen filling station, a fuel-cell endurance tester, an emissions lab, dynamometers and other specialised equipment for testing electric propulsion systems. The centre also contains a pilot plant for automated vehicle dismantling focusing on improving the material recycling rate of end-of-life vehicles.Together with the 350-bar station at the Group’s Namyang Centre, the 700-bar hydrogen filling station will enable fuel-cell vehicle tests and help accelerate the commercialisation of fuel-cell electric vehicles.“The mission of the R&D centre is to enable Hyundai Kia Automotive Group to realise its vision of becoming the world leader in environmental technology through the development of products and core technologies that are in full compliance with global environment regulations,” said Group Vice Chairman Sang-Kwon Kim.

It looks like Koreans will soon be able to drive hybrid-engined cars.

The Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade, a state-run think tank, said on Wednesday it expects to start mass production of hybrid cars in 2011.

The think tank added that if full-scale production begins, domestic carmakers could produce 500,000 units by 2015 and 1.8 million by 2020.

The hybrid cars will be designed to run on electricity and gasoline while consuming much less gasoline than conventional vehicles.