CHINA - Hyundai opens its fourth production facility to meet growing demands for more if its products in China.

• Cangzhou Plant is Hyundai Motor Company’s fourth manufacturing facility in China and has an annual capacity of 300,000 units
• Hyundai Motor Company aims to seize the initiative in China with its ‘New Plant, New Model and New Strategy’ approach         
• Chinese strategic model ‘Verna Yuena’ to be produced at Cangzhou to expand market share further
• Cangzhou Plant creates 6,000 new jobs, benefitting the local community

Hyundai Motor Company has opened its fourth manufacturing plant in China in the strategically-important city of Cangzhou in north eastern China. The new plant, Beijing Hyundai Motor Company Cangzhou Branch, has an annual capacity of 300,000 units.

At the plant’s opening, Hyundai Motor Chairman Chung Mong-Koo looked ahead to a 10 million cumulative sales target for the company in China, declaring a new vision and greater resolve for Hyundai Motor in the country. Chairman Chung said, “Completion of our Cangzhou Plant is the foundation that enables Hyundai Motor to make a new leap forward in China. 

Together, Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors can now produce up to 2.4 million cars annually in China with plants in operation at eight strategic Chinese sites.”

The opening of the Cangzhou manufacturing plant coincides with Hyundai Motor’s 14^th year of operation in China after it started exporting automobiles as Bejing Hyundai Motor Company (BHMC) on October 18, 2002. Recording exponential growth every year, BHMC achieved cumulative sales of eight million units in August 2016.

New Plant – ‘Cangzhou Plant’

By opening its new plant, Hyundai Motor Company sets out to seize the initiative in the incrementally-competitive Chinese market with its ‘New Plant, New Model and New Strategy’ initiative. Cangzhou Plant begins operations just four years after Hyundai Motor’s third plant opened in Beijing in 2012. Cangzhou Plant’s competitive edge lies in its strategic location. It is situated only 200km southeast of Beijing, aligned with existing parts suppliers and Tianjin Port, Hyundai Motor’s logistics base.

Built on a 1.92 million square meter site, with a floor space of 250,000 square meters, Cangzhou Plant is fully equipped with press, body, paint and assembly lines, in addition to an engine plant. The facility’s initial capacity of 200,000 units will manufacture strategically important small cars. It will expand to its maximum capacity of 300,000 units by 2018.

A smart and environmentally-friendly plant, Hyundai Motor’s Cangzhou facility uses the latest automation facilities in press, body, paint and assembly, as part of a flexible production system to ensure maximum efficiency and capacity utilization. In particular, the body line features a 100% fully-automated system that utilizes 299 robots. Also, Cangzhou Plant will implement a comprehensive recycling system, including recycling gas emissions, water and waste.

New Model – ‘Verna Yuena’

At the Cangzhou Plant opening ceremony, Hyundai Motor unveiled Verna Yuena, the first model to be produced at new plant. Displaying Hyundai Motor’s determination to penetrate the Chinese market further, Verna Yuena is a strategic model designed after careful consideration of the needs of Chinese customers.

Verna Yuena was developed specifically to satisfy the demands of Chinese customers as a smart urban family sedan that competes successfully in this price-sensitive sector. Its concept was first introduced at the 2016 Beijing Motor Show boating dynamic and refined design, the greatest interior space in the segment, plus the latest safety and convenience features.

Verna Yuena’s exterior design features Hyundai Motor’s ‘Modern Elegance’ approach with dynamic and refined styling, a large hexagonal grill, and ample interior space. The Cangzhou Plant will produce the new model with a choice of two engines, a 1.6-litre, 120ps unit and a 1.4-litre with 100ps. Verna Yuena comes with latest safety technology, including VSM (Vehicle Stability Management), TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitoring System) and also latest convenience feature such as band type smart key ‘H-Band’, smart trunk, heated front row seats, and a sunroof. Verna Yuena will also fully support Apple CarPlay and Baidu CarLife.

New Strategy – ‘Blue Melody’

Hyundai Motor also announced its future strategy in China under the name ‘Blue Melody’. Encompassing Hyundai Motor’s future direction, the name Blue Melody takes the first letters of Hyundai Motor’s ‘Blue’-branded products and services: Blue Ecommerce, Blue Link, Blue Outlet, Blue Drive and Blue Youth.

The Blue Melody strategy focuses on customer satisfaction through systematic customer management and differentiated service. Through Blue Ecommerce, Hyundai Motor will utilize big data to enhance convenience for customers by establishing an integrated customer-tailored platform as part of its digital marketing.

In addition, Blue Link provides a new customer experience by applying Apple CarPlay and Baidu CarLife on Hyundai Motor flagship models. With Blue Outlet, Hyundai Motor will continue to enhance its sales competitiveness in key regions across China.

Blue Drive continues its proven success in enhancing competitiveness of eco-friendly cars especially in China where competition is intensifying in this key area of focus. Last but not least, Blue Youth strives to improve the company’s brand image by providing creative experiences for people in their 20s and 30s in China.

The new FIAT Doblò unveiled with bold new exterior style

• The new FIAT Doblò unveiled with bold new exterior style
• New Doblò retains outstanding versatility, practicality and dynamics of the current model but with improved refinement
• UK range completely revised to focus on key models and offer customers more value
• On sale in the UK in January 2015 priced from £13,480

The new FIAT Doblò has been unveiled, building on the strengths of the current model as it evolves to meet the ever-more diverse needs of its demanding and loyal customers.

The fourth generation of the FIAT Doblò, which has amassed 300,000 sales since it was first launched in 2000, features a restyled front end for 2015 with a sculpted bonnet; new front wings; distinctive new headlamps and a bold new grille, all of which bring an air of sophistication and elegance to the new FIAT Doblò’s design.

The sleek new front bumper, lower air intakes and fog light shrouds adopt a more car-like appearance while also exuding solidity and robustness, and at the rear there are new light clusters, with a sleeker shape and more sophisticated graphics and a new body-coloured moulding across the tailgate. A new dark grey exterior colour and new wheel cover / alloy wheel designs round out the exterior revisions.

The 2015 FIAT Doblò continues to offer one of the broadest and most comprehensive ranges in its segment, with three engine/transmission choices, three trim levels, two roof heights and a choice of five- or seven-seat versions. Twin sliding rear doors are standard, while a choice of tailgates and the option of a fold-flat front passenger seat give customers even more scope for choosing the perfect Doblò to suit their lifestyle.

Inside, the new FIAT Doblò retains its outstanding versatility and practicality – five seat models have a vast 790 litre boot (up to the parcel shelf) which can be boosted to a class-leading 3,200 litres when all the passenger seats are folded down, and even the parcel shelf does its bit: it can be positioned at different levels and can carry loads of up to 70kg! Other subtle improvements to the 2015 FIAT Doblò include lighter and more precise gear changes, a more responsive throttle pedal, new instrumentation and even better noise insulation.

The new FIAT Doblò continues to offer the best ride and handling in its class, mainly thanks to its segment-exclusive, bi-link, independent rear suspension, with dual-rate shock absorbers, high-performance springs and a rear anti-roll bar all tuned to provide the ideal combination of handling and damping performance on all roads.

The UK range has been completely revised for 2015, offering better value on key models and aligning it more closely to customer expectations in the segment. A new entry-level Pop trim joins the range for 2015, equipped with Start&Stop, remote central locking, electric front windows and a 60/40 split rear seat as standard. In terms of safety, every new FIAT Doblò is equipped with ESC (Electronic Stability Control); ASR (Anti Slip Regulation), HBA (Hydraulic Brake Assist), Hill Holder; ABS with EBD (Electronic Brake-force Distribution); front airbags (side bags are optional) and TPMS (Tyre Pressure Monitoring System). 

Available with a 95hp, 1.4-litre petrol engine, the new FIAT Doblò Pop starts at £13,480 OTR, reducing the entry-level price of the FIAT Doblò range by £1000 compared to the current range.

The “MyLife” trim level is replaced by the new “Easy” version and adds body-coloured bumpers front and rear, front fog lights, body-coloured electric door mirrors, steering wheel audio remote controls and a height adjustable driver’s seat compared to the Pop specification. 

Prices for the FIAT Doblò Easy start at £14,650 OTR for the 95hp 1.4-litre petrol engine, with the 1.6-litre MultiJet 2 105hp priced from £15,900 OTR. A new “Easy Air” special edition adds manual air conditioning to the Easy model for only £345 more (normally a £655 option) and the FIAT Doblò Easy 1.6-litre MultiJet 2 90hp Dualogic (equipped with FIAT’s automated-manual transmission) is priced at £16,700 OTR.

The new top-of-the-range Lounge trim replaces the Eleganza version and, compared to the Easy model, comes equipped with air conditioning; 16-inch alloy wheels; rear parking sensors; an audio system upgrade including Bluetooth and USB/Aux-in connectivity; rear electric windows; power folding door mirrors; a leather-trimmed steering wheel and gear knob; dark tinted windows and cruise control all as standard. 

Pricing for the Lounge version starts at £17,980 OTR for the 1.6-litre MultiJet 2 105hp, while the 1.6-litre MultiJet 2 90hp Dualogic version (equipped with FIAT’s automated-manual transmission) is priced at £18,780 OTR.

Built at the Tofaş plant in Bursa, Turkey (a Gold Medal winner in the World Class Manufacturing assessment) the new FIAT Doblò goes on sale in the UK in January.