MEXICO - One year ago, Kia started construction of a brand new plant, today cars are rolling off the line, with mass expansion planned.

• Kia is the ninth best-selling automotive brand in Mexico only a year after entering market
• More than 30,000 units sold since arrival in Mexico
• Kia Motors expects to reach five per cent market share and sales of 100,000 units annually in Mexico by 2020

Kia has celebrated its first anniversary of sales in Mexico and has announced that the Niro, its first Hybrid Utility Vehicle (HUV), will be sold there by the end of 2016 to strengthen Kia’s product lineup in the country.

Kia Motors Mexico has fulfilled its goals and met high expectations in the domestic market by offering high-quality products with attractive designs. With 34,517 units sold during the first 12 months of operation in Mexico, Kia has already become the ninth best-selling brand in the country. The production of the Forte started last May in the new high-tech Kia plant in Nuevo Leòn, which produces up to 300,000 cars a year, 20 per cent of which are for the local market.

"This has been a year of great challenges and also of extraordinary accomplishments for Kia Motors, exceeding our own expectations," said Seong Bae Kim, President and CEO of Kia Motors Mexico. "We are very happy and proud to have successfully established a comprehensive retail dealer network throughout the country, providing world-class service to Mexican consumers," he said.

As part of the celebration of Kia Mexico’s first anniversary, the automaker opened 25 new dealers in 21 new cities this week in record time. Following on from the success of the past year, the company expects to sell 45,000 units in 2016, which is equivalent to a local market share of over three per cent. By the end of this year, seven signature models (Sportage, Sorento, Cerato, Rio, Optima, Soul, and Niro - the all-new Hybrid Utility Vehicle) will be available in Mexico.

"We have had a very successful year, all the more significant in a market where more than 40 brands compete,” said Horacio Chavez, Managing Director of Kia Motors Mexico. "However, our challenge goes on and we work every day to strengthen the brand with the best products and the best customer service. Our aim is to achieve five per cent market share in the next four years," he said.

Ford has sold more than 100,000 commercial vehicles (CV) for the year-to-date, & we still have December to go.

Ford has sold more than 100,000 commercial vehicles (CV) for the year-to-date, the first time sales have passed six figures in a full year since 1989.

Ford CV sales for November were at the highest-ever level for more than 25 years, and more than double those of its nearest rival. Ford is on track to record its highest-ever commercial vehicle sales volume for 2015, following a record year in 1989 at 104,721 sales.

2015 marks the Ford Transit’s 50^th year of market leadership, and the first full year of sales for the expanded Ford Transit range since the Transit Courier was launched in mid-2014.

The Ford Transit’s 50^th anniversary has been celebrated throughout the year, with special reference to August 9, 1965 when the first Transit rolled off the production line at the Ford Langley plant. More than eight million Transit and Transit Custom models have been built since then, which lined up end-to-end, would circumnavigate the globe. More than 2.5 million of these have been sold in the UK alone.

Ford Transit and Ford Ranger sales are the highest on record for 2015, while Fiesta Van sales are at the highest volume since 1997. Transit Connect sales are also at their highest level since 2008.

The Ford Transit and Ford Transit Custom alone outsell all but four vehicle models in Britain, and combined Transit nameplate models are ranked third in UK total vehicle sales for the year to date (end of November).

Andy Barratt, chairman and managing director, Ford of Britain, said: “The Ford Transit has been a staple commodity for Britain for half a century, and our commercial vehicle line up has never been stronger. Four commercial vehicles now carry the iconic Transit nameplate, and, together with Ranger and Fiesta Van, are on track to deliver our most successful year ever for CV sales.

"With the introduction of our Euro Stage 6 engines next year, designed, developed and built here in the UK, the Ford commercial vehicle range will be among the cleanest vehicles on the road today.”

ITALY - Maruti Suzuki confirms its place at the top of the Indian sales charts, with four models.

After reaching the amazing figure of 15 million cars produced in its history, Suzuki confirms that it is the absolute leader of the Indian market with four models topping the sales charts. 

The city car Celerio celebrates the Indian market the 100,000 units sold, a success achieved thanks to a unique offering in its segment

In June, Maruti Suzuki has confirmed that it has taken the top spots again in the Indian market for the third consecutive month. 

The compact notchback sedan DZire (model not imported in Italy) saw an increase in sales of 11%, totaling 19,663 units that consecrate as the car more market demand. 

Next to this important achievement, Maruti Suzuki has celebrated the first 100,000 units sold of the Celerio model, the city car of the new generation, came on sale, successfully, from November 2014 also on the Italian market, which, in just over a year after its debut at the show Auto Expo in Delhi (2014) has already clinched a spot in the top ten of the Indian market. 

Small outside, inside XL. Even in content

The success of Celerio is related to several factors that distinguish the Suzuki city car. The compact dimensions of the car (with a total length of 3,600 mm) are opposed to a practical and spacious interior, with five real seats and a cargo area with 254 liters of capacity that establishes the reference category. 

The result is an agile and manoeuvrable in city traffic because it is able to offer a more practical and comfortable on board, in addition to the availability of new transmission Auto Gear Shift . "We thank our customers for the appreciation Celerio" said Mr. RS Kalsi, Executive Director, Marketing and Sales of Maruti Suzuki.

"This car is the first in its class to offer the Indian market technology AGS, and nearly a third of the units sold are equipped with this transmission. 

Customers liked the convenience and efficiency of this system, which has no effect on fuel consumption. In just one year after its debut on the market, thanks to the brand Celerio Maruti Suzuki rose from 61% to 71% of market share in the segment of supermini hatchback". 

Maruti Suzuki, strategy and innovation leader to confirm

Next to the leadership model and the success of DZire Celerio, last June confirmed the success of other Suzuki cars. The model ALTO has seen an increase in sales of 6.5% compared to May, confirming its second place in the internal market. 

The podium is completed by SWIFT, which essentially confirmed the data of the previous month with 17,313 units sold. It follows in fourth place model Wagon R, with 13,221 units. 

The credit for this success is due to specific technical and commercial choices, that led the House to invest strongly on projects related to emerging markets to conquer, consolidating it, the current leadership.

This strategy is part of the all-new 0.8L diesel engine E08A 2-cylinder engine, designed specifically to meet the needs of the Indian market and introduced the model Celerio. 

This unit, with distribution DOHC 8 valves and made of aluminum, combines weight and sizing content with high level performance, through the use of an efficient intercooler combined with a compression ratio content. 

The optimization of flywheels has allowed the reduction of low-frequency vibrations typical of diesel engines with this architecture. 

The result is an engine appreciated for torque and usability, as well as able to take over the role of most efficient car in the domestic market due to fuel consumption of 27.62 km / l *. 

* Search Suzuki of June 2015.

Translated by Google - Apologies for any errors caused.

USA RECALL - TOYOTA - The 2012-2014 Prius V recalled for ECU issues, with a shut down possible.

Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc. today announced that it is conducting a safety recall of approximately 109,000 Model Year 2012-2014 Prius v hybrid vehicles. 

In the involved vehicles, the current software settings for the motor/generator control ECU and hybrid control ECU could result in higher thermal stress in certain transistors, potentially causing them to become damaged. 

If this happens, various warning lights will illuminate and the vehicle can enter a failsafe mode. In rare circumstances, the hybrid system might shut down while the vehicle is being driven, resulting in the loss of power and the vehicle coming to a stop.

Owners of the involved vehicles will be notified by first class mail.  Toyota dealers will update the software for both the motor/generator control ECU and hybrid control ECU in the involved vehicles.

Information about automotive recalls, including but not limited to the list of involved vehicles, is subject to change over time.  For the most up-do-date Safety Recall information on Toyota, Lexus or Scion vehicles, customers should check their vehicle’s status by visiting toyota.com/recall and entering the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN).  Safety Recall inquiry by individual VIN is also available at the NHTSA site:safercar.gov/vin.  For any additional questions, customer support is also available by calling Toyota Customer Service at 1-800-331-4331, or Lexus Customer Service at 1-800-255-3987.

ADAM orders now top 100,000 and will continue to grow with new ADAM ROCKS AIR edition.

• Over 100,000 orders registered of Vauxhall’s fashionable ADAM city car
• ADAM ROCKS AIR urban three-door crossover set to roll next month
• New 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine available across the ADAM range

ADAM, Vauxhall’s urban-chic city car, has racked up 100,000 European orders after just 18 months on sale.

With over a million different specification and trim combinations, ADAM introduced unprecedented levels of personalisation into the style-conscious A-segment. Every customer has the chance to create a truly bespoke ADAM reflecting their individual style and personality.

Key markets for ADAM have been the UK, Germany, Italy, France and the Netherlands.

The latest edition to the ADAM family, the ADAM ROCKS AIR is set to become the first urban mini three-door crossover when it goes on sale next month.

Debuting at this year’s Geneva Motor Show, ROCKS AIR has its own body style offering the same contemporary design as the original ADAM but with the toughness of a crossover and the coolness of a full-length folding canvas roof.

Now available across the ADAM range is Vauxhall’s all-new 1.0-litre ECOTEC Direct Injection Turbo three-cylinder engine. This high-tech unit raises the bar for three-cylinder engine refinement and packs 115PS, with impressive low-end torque of 170Nm.

“Thanks to its striking design and over a million different spec combinations, ADAM has been a big hit with our customers,” said Tim Tozer, Vauxhall’s Chairman and Managing Director.  “And if that wasn’t enough, Vauxhall is adding the robust ROCKS AIR to the ADAM range featuring an all-new 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine.”

Toyota celebrates as UK sales of Hybrids hits 100,000 since the year 2000.

On 19 October 2000, the first day of the British International Motor Show, Toyota launched UK sales of its first-generation Prius. Fourteen years later it is celebrating 100,000 hybrids sold nationwide, confirmation that its clean, efficient and smooth powertrain technology is now an accepted and popular part of the mainstream motoring market.

Significantly, the car that clocks up the first hundred thousand is British-built, an Auris Hybrid Touring Sports in top-of-the-range Excel trim, produced by Toyota Manufacturing UK (TMUK) at its Burnaston plant, near Derby. Under the bonnet, its hybrid system includes a 1.8-litre VVT-i petrol engine manufactured by TMUK at Deeside in North Wales.

Hybrid is at the heart of Toyota’s investment in UK manufacturing, with Auris and Auris Touring Sports models built here for export worldwide. 

The original Toyota hybrid customers were true pioneers, adopting an advanced technology that promised low carbon emissions and, for its time, exceptional official fuel economy of 61.4mpg. Just one version of the quirkily styled four door saloon was on offer, with a £16,495 price tag. Sales were through a network of 60 Toyota Hybrid Technology Centres, which were also responsible for servicing, repairs and recycling. To help reassure the early adopters, Toyota provided a five-year warranty and the option of a peace-of-mind leasing arrangement.

Today there are six different Toyota hybrids, covering the market from compact superminis and family hatchbacks to seven-seat MPVs. Expansion of the range has gone hand-in-hand with accelerating sales; global sales of Toyota group hybrids are nearing seven million, with Prius now among the world’s most  popular cars.

British enthusiasm for Toyota hybrids is reflected in the fact sales of hybrid-powered Auris are set to overtake those of petrol and diesel versions combined and Yaris Hybrid is taking an increasingly large share of overall sales of the supermini.

Notably, a fleet customer will be taking delivery of the 100,000^th UK hybrid, reflecting the advantages of low company car tax rates and running costs and high reliability that are all part of the Toyota hybrid ownership experience.

Of course Toyota models are just part of the hybrid picture: sister brand Lexus has progressively brought the benefits of hybrid power and sophistication to the luxury car market and is closing in fast on 50,000 UK sales, achieved since the debut here of the RX 400h in 2005.

BMW sees annual output of 100,000 units for its 'i' electric range

BMW may build more than 100,000 units a year of its 'i' range of battery-powered cars by 2020 to help meet tougher CO2 emissions regulations.

BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer said the automaker will ramp up production of 'i' models by 2018, then by 2020 "we will be forced to build them in a six digits figure to comply with stricter emission rules."

He was speaking during a presentation of the company financial results here on Wednesday.

BMW aims to cut average CO2 emissions of the vehicles it sells in Europe to 105 grams per km by 2020 from 133g/km last year. That would be half of the 1995 level of 210g/km.

The EU has set an industry wide goal of average CO2 emissions from new cars of 95g/km by 2021, down from about 130g/km now. The target is based on vehicle weight and will differ for individual companies. Automakers building larger, heavier vehicles such as BMW will have a target higher than the industrywide average.

i3 reception

BMW said its i3 electric car is off to a good sales start. The compact hatchback went on sale on November 16 in Germany and has already collected over 11,000 customer orders in Europe.

"We are extremely happy with the i3's early reception, particularly considering that in June we will open the order book in the United States, the world's largest market for EVs," said Ian Robertson, BMW brand's head of marketing and sales.

He said 2014 is a ramp-up year for the i3 and declined to give a sales forecast for this year. "By 2015, we will have a more clear idea of the i3's true potential," he said.

i8 waiting list

BMW expects that customers will have to wait up to six months to receive the company's i8 plug-in gasoline hybrid coupe, which goes on sale globally in June.

Robertson said BMW has a significant number of pre-orders for the i8. "I think customers could live with the idea of waiting for six months for such an innovative product, but longer waiting lists could be a problem," he said.

Huge investments required

Reithofer said reaching a six digits output for the "i" range will require substantial additional investments but was not more precise. BMW has invested 600 million euros in production for its i3 and i8 vehicles. As a comparison, the Renault-Nissan alliance invested 4 billion euros in its electric car program, which includes the Nissan Leaf and the Renault Zoe models.

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