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Report: Kia builds one millionth vehicle in the US

Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing, Crossover, Kia

Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia, Inc. (KMMG), the plant that produces the Kia Sorento crossover and Optima sedan, celebrated today as a Snow White Pearl 2014 Sorento SXL rolled off the assembly line at the 2,259-acre site, marking the one-millionth Kia to be produced on US soil.

Located in West Point, Georgia, KMMG was Kia Motors America’s first manufacturing plant in the US and represented an initial investment of $1 billion. The plant started producing the 2011 Sorento on November 16, 2009 and is responsible for the creation of 11,000 jobs in West Point and the surrounding region. Production of the Optima sedan, Kia’s best-selling car in the US for the past 18 months, started at the factory in 2011, and, in 2012, the completion of a $100 million expansion upped annual vehicle production capacity to 360,000.

“Building one million vehicles in less than four years is a tremendous achievement and one that each one of our more than 3,000 team members can take great pride in,” said Byung Mo Ahn, Group President and CEO for Kia Motors America and KMMG.

The one-millionth vehicle to roll out of KMMG, the white 2014 Sorento pictured above, will be sold in one of Kia’s 765-plus US dealerships. Check out the press release below.

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Kia builds one millionth vehicle in the US originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 14 Jul 2013 13:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Drayson will shoot for FIA electric-vehicle land-speed record on June 25

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, UK, Racing

Drayson Racing's EV

It’s pretty impressive when an automotive speed record stands for almost four decades, but UK-based Drayson Racing Technologies will take a shot at one next week. The company, led by Lord Paul Drayson (whose company is partnering with Michelin on the effort), will look to break the FIA World Electric Land Speed Record on June 25 at RAF Elvington in Yorkshire, England.

Mr. Drayson himself will be driving a modified 2,200-pound Lola B19 69/EV down a nearly two-mile runway during his attempt. The car gets 850 horsepower from its 30 kWh battery. Drayson is looking to break the 1974 record of 175 miles per hour by Battery Box General Electric.

BBC posted a video in March on Drayson and his team, and Formula E Holdings earlier this year tapped Drayson Racing as its first team for an all-electric racing tour set to start next year in Rome.

Check out Drayson’s press release below.

Continue reading Drayson will shoot for FIA electric-vehicle land-speed record on June 25

Drayson will shoot for FIA electric-vehicle land-speed record on June 25 originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Mon, 24 Jun 2013 09:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: Mazda announces live-streaming vehicle intro on Xbox

Filed under: Mazda, Toys/Games

XBox logo

In April, Mazda introduced a marketing campaign titled “Game Changers” to showcase how certain people have made significant impacts in their respective sports, and now it’s the Japanese automaker that is changing the game by creating an innovative way to launch a new product. Mazda is teaming up with Xbox to offer a first-of-its-kind live-streaming global debut of a new product. Mazda didn’t say which model will be debuted, but our guess is that it will be the next-generation Mazda3.

The actual reveal will take place at 9 pm on June 26 during a live concert from the band Metric in New York City, but there will be other live events preceding the concert in Melbourne, St. Petersburg, Istanbul and London. Mazda will be promoting the event on social media using the hashtag #GameChanger, and there is also a contest on Xbox where one winner will receive $2,500 to attend a music event of their choice. Scroll down for the full details of the contest and vehicle debut event.

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Mazda announces live-streaming vehicle intro on Xbox originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 19 Jun 2013 11:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Autoblog Podcast #231: Next Camry, vehicle satisfaction, EPA letter grades, BMW’s 328 Hommage

Filed under: Podcasts

Click above for the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes, RSS or listen now!

Shunk, Bowman, Roth and (eventually) Paukert get together for Episode #231 of the Autoblog Podcast. We cover the talk of a new Toyota Camry by year’s end, the dropping of proposed EPA letter grades from window stickers, the BMW 328 Hommage, and Chrysler and Lincoln topping their categories in the recent AutoPacific Vehicle Satisfaction Awards. Your feedback and questions finish it off, and we’ve re-posted the Q&A at the bottom of this post so you can play along at home, too. Thanks for listening, we’ll see you next week!

Autoblog Podcast #231: Next Camry, vehicle satisfaction, EPA Letter Grades, BMW’s 328 Hommage

Letter grades dropped from window stickers; good or bad?
BMW 328 Hommage unveiled to celebrate 75th anniversary of original
New Camry coming this fall
Lincoln and Chrysler named top brands in Auto Pacific satisfaction survey

In the Autoblog Garage:

2011 Porsche Panamera
2011 Hyundai Equus
2011 Infiniti EX35

Hosts: Dan Roth, Chris Shunk, Zach Bowman, Chris Paukert
Runtime: 01:19:04

Get the podcast:
[iTunes] Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes
[RSS] Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator
[MP3] Download the MP3 directly

Feedback:
Email: Podcast at Autoblog dot com
Voicemail: 734-288-8POD (734-288-8763)

Review the show in iTunes and take our survey

Autoblog Podcast #231: Next Camry, vehicle satisfaction, EPA letter grades, BMW’s 328 Hommage originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 24 May 2011 17:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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eBay Find of the Day: Tornado Attack Vehicle can be yours for $100k

Filed under: Aftermarket, Truck, Auctions, Etc., Work, Off-Road

Tornado Attack Vehicle

Tornado attack vehicle – Click above for high-res image gallery

One of the toughest aspects of tornado chasing, besides running headlong into almost certain death, is finding a vehicle that can withstand the violent onslaught of wind and debris generated even by (relatively) weak storms. Over the years, storm chasers have come up with all sorts of solutions to the transportation issue, with everything from beefed-up pickup trucks to balls-to-the-wall armor-plated beasts.

The Tornado Attack Vehicle is the latter, and is credited as being one of the first specialized tornado chasing machines ever created. The truck was commissioned by legendary tornado chaser Steven Green and is the first vehicle to be driven in to the heart of a funnel cloud. Even with heavy modifications, Green knew a road-going pickup truck platform wasn’t going to cut it. To ensure he and his team got through the twister and lived to tell about it, he had the truck built from the ground up.

The skeleton of the monster is a steel tube frame, draped with 16-gauge steel bodywork. The windows and wheel covers are made of bulletproof M10 Lexan plastic, while the windshield sports a triple layer of super-strong DuPont Mylar. According to the listing, one layer of Mylar is enough to stop a .38 caliber pistol round.

All that armor means this thing isn’t what you would call light, so a Chevrolet ZZ502 big block was chosen to send power to front and rear Dana axles through a custom Turbo 400 automatic transmission. That’s an impressive list of specs to be sure, but we’ll stick to doing our tornado watching courtesy of CNN. Check out the full eBay listing here.

eBay Find of the Day: Tornado Attack Vehicle can be yours for $100k originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 10 May 2011 15:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CarMD’s Vehicle Health Index deciphers the ‘check engine’ light

Filed under: Etc.

Is your Check Engine light staring you in the face? That bright orange warning serves as a beacon that something is wrong. Problem is, it doesn’t convey anything more than that. For years, the prime culprit of an illuminated CEL has been a loose gas cap. In fact, according to CarMD.com, the gas cap has ranked as number one on the CEL hit list for the last 12 years. Recently, however, it seems people are either giving their gas caps an extra twist or the Check Engine Light has had enough because the new CEL king is the engine misfire.

CarMD has an extensive database of Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTC), which date back to the 1996 introduction of mandated on-board diagnostic technology. Now, CarMD is using that data to shed some light on the oft-misunderstood Check Engine light, and it’s produced its first-ever Annual Vehicle Health Index Report.

Set to be released each April, the Vehicle Health Index Report examines the most common repairs or fixes required as a result of CEL warnings. The gas cap has fallen to number two on that list, while replacement of the O₂ sensor has risen to the top spot. Taking home third place is the always-expensive DTC that alerts you to replace your catalytic converter.

Click past the jump to read the full press release from CarMD.com, and to glean more insight into what our Check Engine lights are telling us. Unless, of course, you own a Volkswagen from the mid ’90s, in which case you should simply get a piece of black tape and cover up the CEL because it’s always on.

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CarMD’s Vehicle Health Index deciphers the ‘check engine’ light originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 07 May 2011 09:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chevy Volt, Nissan Leaf earn Top Safety Picks in first IIHS electric vehicle crash tests

Filed under: Hybrid, Sedan, Safety, Hatchback, Chevrolet, GM, Nissan, Electric

chevy volt crash test

Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf Crash Tests – Click above for high-res image gallery

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has completed its first test of mainstream plug-in vehicles, and both the 2011 Chevrolet Volt and the 2011 Nissan Leaf have were named “Good” for their front, side, rear, and rollover crash protection. Testing procedures for these plug-in vehicles were exactly the same as for any other automobile the IIHS tests, as they should be.

The two plug-in pioneers join 80 other 2011 vehicles in earning the Top Safety Pick title, thanks to their fine performance in instrumented crash testing and their standard electronic stability control. For what it’s worth, other fuel sippers like the 2010 Toyota Prius and 2010 Honda Insight have also been named Top Safety Picks in the past. That said, the IIHS has taken issue with some plug-in electric vehicles in the past, specifically the not-quite-a-car NEVs like the Gem e2 or the Wheego Whip.

Of course, we all know how much fun it is to watch brand-new cars being smashed to bits in the name of safety, so we’ve gone ahead and embedded a video of the two plug-ins undergoing the crash testing process. Hit the jump to see for yourself and to check out the official press release.

Gallery: 2011 Chevrolet Volt crash tests

2011 Chevrolet Volt crash tests

Gallery: 2011 Nissan Leaf crash tests

2011 Nissan Leaf crash tests

[Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety]

Continue reading Chevy Volt, Nissan Leaf earn Top Safety Picks in first IIHS electric vehicle crash tests

Chevy Volt, Nissan Leaf earn Top Safety Picks in first IIHS electric vehicle crash tests originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 26 Apr 2011 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Hyundai vehicle return program ending tomorrow

Filed under: Car Buying, Hyundai, Earnings/Financials

Hyundai dealership window

Effective tomorrow, Hyundai is reportedly ending its vehicle return program, which allowed Hyundai owners who unexpectedly lost their income to return their cars. The program was a breakthrough when it was introduced in January, 2009 at the height of the global credit crunch.

According to Inside Line, only 350 people have taken advantage of the program, which fell under the blanket of the automaker’s Hyundai Assurance coverage package. With the job market slowly returning to a somewhat normal state and economic conditions on the rise, Hyundai apparently feels that the program has outlived its usefulness.

In the face of a worrying economy, Hyundai of America moved 538,228 vehicles in 2010. Despite the loss of the vehicle return program, the Korean automaker will apparently continue other programs associated with Hyundai Assurance, including its 10-year/100,000-mile warranty and five-year roadside assistance plan.

[Source: Inside Line | Image: Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty]

Report: Hyundai vehicle return program ending tomorrow originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 15:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Will Japan’s nuclear woes dampen electric vehicle enthusiasm?

Filed under: Government/Legal, Safety, Electric

2011 Nissan Leaf

2011 Nissan Leaf – Click above for high-res image gallery

We’ve already seen the panic here in the U.S. as activists and analysts question our nuclear infrastructure, and Congress considers a re-examination of our existing facilities. These new fears about nuclear power have everything to do with the events unfolding at Japan’s Fukushima power plant, and Automotive News wonders if that trepidation could dampen the prospects of electric vehicles as well.

Plans in Europe call for about 1 million EVs on the road by 2020, and a lot that push centers around increasing the number of nuclear power plants to feed these vehicles. Let’s face it, an EV that’s charged via electricity generated at an oil or coal-burning plant doesn’t do much to decrease our reliance on fossil fuels, so nuclear makes a lot of sense. And as costly and time-consuming as it is to erect a nuclear facility, it’s likely easier and less expensive than relying on solar, wind or hydro-electric energy sources.

So what does all this have to do with electric vehicles? If the events unfolding in Japan lead governments to question the safety and viability of nuclear power, then new plants will be slow to come online. If car buyers know that their EV is likely burning the same CO2-emitting fossil fuels as their neighbor’s internal combustion engine, what’s the point of paying more for something that’s just as dirty, more expensive and not as easy to fuel up?

Right now the situation at the Fukushima power plant is dire, but if the situation gets worse, the future of nuclear power, and possibly even EVs, could be just as bleak.

[Source: Automotive News sub. req.]

Will Japan’s nuclear woes dampen electric vehicle enthusiasm? originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 26 Mar 2011 14:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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JD Power’s 2011 Vehicle Dependability Study names Lincoln best brand, Toyota wins most segments

Filed under: Car Buying

J.D. Power and Associates has released its annual Vehicle Dependability Study for 2011, and there are a few surprises in store for those who religiously keep track of who outperforms who on the automotive reliability front. For the first time ever, Lincoln, with 101 problems per 100 vehicles, leads the chart, followed by Lexus with a score of 109.

Number three on the list is also something of a surprise: Jaguar, who’s score of 112 problems per 100 vehicles seemingly proves not all leaping kitties leave unwanted presents outside the confines of their litter boxes. Porsche (114) and Toyota (122) round out the top five. The industry average comes in at 151 problems per 100 vehicles, which of course means that some brands perform rather poorly in J.D. Power’s rankings.

Bringing up the rear in this year’s study is Mini, with 221 problems per 100 vehicles. That’s not good. BMW’s smallest brand is followed by Jeep (214), Land Rover (212), Dodge (206) and Chrysler (202). The study also ranks individual models in each category, and Toyota’s seven individual segment victories gives the Japanese automaker more individual victories than any other brand.

A brief explanation of how this particular study is compiled: J.D. Power polled 43,700 original owners on problems experienced during the past 12 months on 2008 model-year vehicles after three years of ownership. As such, this study is not ranking the latest vehicles by any given manufacturer, but is instead intended to help consumers predict the durability of a potential automobile purchase.

There’s lots more detail in the press release and graphs found after the break, so click here and put your number-crunching hats on.

[Source: J.D. Power and Associates]

Continue reading JD Power’s 2011 Vehicle Dependability Study names Lincoln best brand, Toyota wins most segments

JD Power’s 2011 Vehicle Dependability Study names Lincoln best brand, Toyota wins most segments originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 17 Mar 2011 16:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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