New Kia Sorento to debut at Frankfurt

Kia 's new Sorento SUV is expected to get a European launch at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show, alongside the facelifted Cee'd family car. The new Sorento was first revealed at the 2009 Seoul Motor Show in April, but Kia has confirmed that Frankfurt would see the European debut of its flagship SUV model. The Sorento is a brand new design, and features an all-new unitary monocoque set up instead of the current model's ladder-frame chassis, which Kia says will offer sharper driving dynamics and greater body control. The new car is also longer, at 4685mm, while drag coefficient has been reduced from 0.43 to 0.38. Panu Vainamo, General Manager Marketing, Kia Motors Europe, said, "Kia engineers have ditched the original Sorento's body-on-frame structure and designed an all-new monocoque bodyshell - achieving a weight loss of up to 215 kg, greatly improving fuel economy and contributing to a more controlled ride than expected from a 4x4." He adds, "With the new Kia Sorento, we have created an all-new, 'Highline Cruiser' that we believe offers buyers the benefits of an exciting all-rounder with a much broader appeal." The Sorento will also have a new 2.2 litre diesel engine which produces 197bhp and 421Nm of torque, which Kia predicts will be the most popular engine for the Sorento. The diesel will be available with either a five-speed manual or Kia's all-new world-class six-speed automatic transmission. Inside, Kia promises a higher-class cabin with some sleeker design elements and a more spacious interior, and includes features like an engine start button, keyless entry and an in-mirror reverse camera. Ride quality has also been refined to improve the car's on-road comfort while keeping its original off-road ability intact.

Kia Luxury Car : 2010 Kia KND 5 VG officially unveiled

Kia has released new images of its KND-5 concept car, which previews the forthcoming VG near-luxury sedan. Kia will use the upcoming Seoul International Motor Show in April to show the car to the public and press. A concept in name only, the car is expected to enter production in September. Korean sales will begin as soon the VG starts rolling down the assembly line, but North American availability won’t begin until spring 2010. VG will be Kia’s first near-luxury sedan and complete the automaker’s passenger car lineup Optima and Amanti. Developed under code name KND-5, the luxury sedan has been spied by our photographers on numerous occasions. The car rides on the same front-wheel-drive platform as the Hyundai Azera, known as the “NF” chassis. Powering this new sporty sedan will be Hyundai’s Theta four-cylinder mill, or the company’s Lambda 3.5-liter V6 mated to a six-speed transmission. Despite what has been suggested by some media reports, the VG is not necessarily a replacement to the aging Amanti flagship sedan. Rather, a larger model code-named “CH” will serve as a successor. It remains unclear exactly what price point the VG will hit, but Kia is likely eyeing the coveted, yet crowded, volume mid-size sedan segment. However, it will be priced somewhere below the Amanti. The front of the car sports Kia’s family-look radiator grille which is “based on a symbolic representation of a tiger’s roaring countenance,” the company says. The 20-inch large-diameter alloy wheels enhance the stance further. The KND-5 measures 4,945mm long, 1,850mm wide and 1,475mm high with a wheelbase of 2,845mm. The concept car is outfitted with a 3.5L V6 Lambda engine. Hyoung-Keun Lee, Senior Executive Vice President & COO, International Business Division, said, “The aggressive and sophisticated KND-5 exemplifies Kia’s futuristic design and values. As a concept car that presents the new direction of luxury sedan design, KND-5 will likely generate a lot of buzz at the Seoul Motor Show.”

Hyundai Grand Starex Royale Gets A New Grille!

Hyundai has updated the Hyundai Grand Starex with a new front grille that features a slatted design rather than the original Starex’s mesh grille with a chrome surround and a chrome bar going through it. The new model is called the Hyundai Grand Starex Royale. The wing mirrors are also now body-coloured instead of black, and now feature signal indicators on them.

One of the gripes that we had in our Grand Starex review was also the absence of a rear windscreen wiper - this has now been added onto the Grand Starex Royale. On the interior there is a new Pioneer touch screen LCD DVD player that is linked to a 7 inch LCD screen located at the middle top of the MPV for rear passenger enertainment purposes.

For more details on whether the Grand Starex is a worthy addition to your fleet of vehicles especially if you have a growing family (the Starex has a total of 11 seats with seatbelts - that’s alot of people!), check our our test drive review of the Grand Starex. Or look after the jump for more photos of the updated Hyundai Grand Starex Royale. It’s priced at RM148,888 OTR in West Malaysia and RM153,997.50 OTR in East Malaysia. Four colours are available - Crystal White, Stone Black, Sleek Silver and Carbon Grey.

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BMW says hello to an old friend, the Isetta

Could BMW’s new sub-brand for its electric cars be called the Isetta? There’s strong indication that it might be, considering that they’ve recently produced a promotional TV commercial that seems to seek to both introduce the old Isetta to the younger generation and to remind oldies of the small little BMW with the door that opened in front. The video’s main purpose is actually to promote the BMW Museum in Munich. Given that the Isetta was the original BMW compact city car, badging its new MegaCity/Project i car with the brand seems quite suitable. Word is that the new Isetta brand will be spelled “i-Setta”, though there’s no official release from BMW confirming this as far as I know, just hearsay from sources said to be close to BMW. Look after the jump to watch the new Isetta video!