KIA vice-president resigns following recalls:
Toyota and GM, take note!
KIA’s vice-chairman, Jeong Sung Eun, has quit his job last week due to 100,000 vehicles being recalled worldwide. Lee Hyong Keun will be replacing Eun as KIA’s vice-chairman.
“Quality is a top priority for Kia and Hyundai Motor Co. management,” Chae said. “They don’t want to tarnish their image.”
To date, KIA recalled 85,900 vehicles due to a wiring problem that could cause fires. Around 36,000 Souls, 33,000 Sorentos, 8,000 Mohaves and 8,900 Cadenza sedans are on the list. Kia is preparing to recall an additional 18,147 Sorento, Borrego and Soul passenger cars in China due to problems with circuit boards.
Toyota Prius III continues to be top seller (JP):
For 16 months now, Japanese customers have been flocking to Toyota showrooms across the country to buy a Prius hybrid. However, while sales are still rapid, they fell to their lowest level in 2010.
The Prius continues to be by far the best performing hybrid in Japan; although there was some premature competition against the Honda Insight just over a year ago, it ranked 15th on Japan's best-seller list last month.
Geely is axing the Geely brand to focus on its sub-brand like Gleagle, Emgrand, Shanghai Englon and, Volvo. Gleagle, short for Global Eagle, is Geely’s global brand, while Emgrand is the firm’s luxury division. Shanghai Englon focuses on economy and some fleet vehicles.
The result to axe the Geely brand will most likely be a good move for the company as its on course to become China’s leading car company. Geely’s first half profits rose 35% to $119 million.
Toyota recalls over 116,500 Hilux pick-up trucks in Australia (AU):
Toyota’s Australian division is recalling 116,507 Hilux pick-up trucks due to a faulty rear driveshaft bracket support.
Toyota said that 19 vehicles have suffered support tears, but only one suffered total failure. No injuries have been reported.
MINI is preparing a sporty coupé variant of the all-new Countryman crossover, with initial images on the drawing board at MINI’s design studio in Munich.
With BMW planning front-wheel-drive models, the Countryman coupé would be the first of many models in a niche of its own. According to insiders, the concept is being probed because the BMW X6 is a success.
Via Autocar
Police in South Yorkshire, Northern England, will fit parking sensors on all police cars to shrink the amount of cash spent fixing the destruction caused by low-speed accidents; they spend around £60,000 annually.
Martin Whysall, South Yorkshire Police’s fleet manager, said, "Police station yards were not necessarily designed for cars and they can be tight in terms of space."
Infiniti has released prices for its first-ever diesel saloon which goes on sale next month.
The M30d is available in 5 trim-levels; standard, GT, GT Premium, M30d S and M30d S Premium. The standard model starts at £36,750 and comes with heated steering wheel, bi-xenon headlamps, 10 way electrically adjustable front seats, rear parking sensors w/reversing camera and Infiniti Driver Selector.
The sportier M30d S features 4 wheel steering, sports suspension, sports seats, 20” alloy wheels and gear-shift paddles. Flagship M30d S Premium adds the extra equipment included in the GT Premium over the standard GT model at £46,600.
Prices have been announced for Volkswagen’s revised Caddy LCV and Caddy Maxi. The Caddy starts from £12,100 (excluding VAT) for the 1.6 TDI 75bhp, rising to £22,690 for the Caddy Maxi MPV 2.0 TDI 110bhp 4Motion. The Caddy Maxi starts at £14,050 (excluding VAT) and comes with a 102PS, 1.6 TDI.
All Caddy models come equipped with ESP, ABS, Traction Control System (TCS), automatic hazard lights, driver's airbag, speed sensitive power steering, remote central locking and a CD stereo w/AUX-in socket as standard. A 7-speed DSG gearbox and 4Motion is available.
