Testing continues for the "Hot" Hyundai i30N, ready to take part in the Nürburgring 24 hours.

• Following the extreme weather testing in Sweden with Thierry Neuville, the Hyundai i30 N prototype gets tested on the most challenging roads in the UK
• When developing the i30 N, Hyundai Motor’s engineers focus on creating the maximum driving fun and responsiveness in everyday life, as well as on the track
• Two modified i30 N vehicles will enter the ADAC Zurich 24-hour race at the Nürburgring end of May 

The Hyundai i30 N is continuing its intensive development through numerous tests by Hyundai engineers. Following the recent winter test in Sweden with Thierry Neuville, World Rally Championship driver of Hyundai Motorsport, the i30 N has now completed its testing programme on the most challenging roads in the UK. 

With the i30 N, Hyundai Motor will launch its first high performance model carrying the ‘N’ logo. Based on the New Generation Hyundai i30, the i30 N is developed from the ground up to deliver maximum fun to drive on the road and on the track. 

The ‘N’ stands for Namyang, Hyundai Motor’s global R&D Centre, and for the Nürburgring, one of the most demanding race tracks in the world and home to Hyundai Motor’s European Test Centre. The ‘N’ logo resembles a chicane, representing the ultimate driving experience on winding roads. 

In the UK, the i30 N prototype was tested on public roads by Hyundai Motor’s engineers to fine-tune and check the current status of development, focusing on the car’s adaptive suspension and different drive modes. 

“We are getting closer and closer to the final development stage of the i30 N,” said Albert Biermann, Executive Vice President and Head of Vehicle Test & High Performance Development at Hyundai Motor Company. “The road testing serves to check if the driving performance of our first Hyundai N high performance car can meet our future customers’ requirements. 

We have to make sure that on these challenging UK roads the driving performance is also well suited to everyday use. There are plenty of fun and challenging corners out here – the N Team loves corners!” 

At the end of May, two close-to-production i30 N vehicles will enter the ADAC Zurich 24-hour race at the Nürburgring. Both cars will be competing with a 2.0-litre turbo engine and six-speed manual transmission – the same powertrain and transmission set-up that will be used in the production i30 N. The race will give Hyundai Motor’s engineers more valuable insights about necessary refinements and potential performance enhancements for the i30 N ahead of its launch this summer.

Kia Launches the All-New Third Generation Picanto city car ready for a global launch at Geneva.

• Kia reveals youthful and energetic design of all-new Picanto
• More assertive stance in a compact A-segment package
• Global debut at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show

Kia Motors has today released images of the all-new Picanto, the third-generation of one of Kia’s global best-selling cars.

Created by Kia’s design centres in Namyang, Korea and Frankfurt, Germany, the new Picanto brings youthful and energetic character to the A-segment. 

The all-new model – revealed in Kia’s sports-inspired ‘GT-Line’ specification – conveys a more assertive stance through bolder body lines and subtly sculpted surfaces. 

A 15 mm-longer wheelbase (2,385 mm to 2,400 mm) also pushes the wheels further out into each corner for a more confident appearance. The Picanto’s colour palette is more vibrant than ever, with a range of bold paint colours designed to make the car stand out.

Inside, Picanto’s suite of high-tech comfort, convenience and safety features is underscored by a modern and refined new cabin design. At the heart of the cabin is a new ‘floating’ touchscreen infotainment system, making the latest in-car technology available to occupants.

Buyers of the all-new Picanto will enjoy smarter packaging efficiency than ever before, with more cabin and cargo space than rivals in the segment. In spite of its extended wheelbase, the Picanto retains its characteristically compact dimensions. With a shorter front overhang and longer rear overhang, the all-new model is the same length (3,595 mm) as the car it replaces.

Kia will reveal the all-new Picanto in public for the first time at the 2017 Geneva International Motor Show in March, and will go on sale in the Spring of 2017.

Kia Motor's will use the 2016 Paris Motor Show as the base for the World Premiere for the All-New Rio hatchback.

The all-new, fourth-generation Kia Rio will make its world premiere on 29 September in Paris, at the 2016 Mondial de l’Automobile.

The Rio’s progressive new exterior and interior design was led by Kia’s design centres in Germany and California, in close collaboration with the company’s main design centre in Namyang, Korea. 

Straight lines and smooth surfacing give the car a distinctive new character, while a longer front overhang and bonnet, longer wheelbase, and upright C-pillar give the car an even more confident and balanced appearance than its predecessor.

The all-new Rio will offer buyers class-leading practicality and safety technology, the latest connectivity features, and more assured and engaging ride and handling characteristics.

The Kia Rio is the Korean manufacturer’s global best-selling model, with more than 473,000 sold around the world in 2015. The next generation will enter production towards the end of 2016 for Europe, with production timings for the UK to be announced closer to launch.

Kia’s 2016 Mondial de l’Automobile press conference will start at 14:45 CET on 29 September. Kia’s stand will be located in Hall 3 of the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles.

All-New Kia Sorento realeased today, ready for European debut at Paris in September.

• Muscular and mature appearance
• New safety Technologies
• European debut at Paris Motorshow 2014

First photos of the all-new Kia Sorento released today confirm that the third generation of the popular SUV will feature a striking, more mature appearance, with bold, swept-back styling and sophisticated surface detailing.

Longer, lower and wider, with an extended wheelbase, the all-new Sorento builds on the success of the current model, delivering a premium look and feel, with more space and numerous innovative features.

The new look is an evolution of the current vehicle, incorporating fresh visual elements inspired by the Kia Cross GT concept that debuted at the 2013 Chicago Auto Show, carrying over the long bonnet and the distinctive treatment of the wide D-pillars from the previous generation.

The exterior styling of the all-new Sorento was led by Kia’s Namyang design studio in Korea, with significant levels of input from the brand’s Frankfurt, and California design studios.

The front of the all-new Sorento features a larger, more upright ‘tiger-nose’ grille, with a distinctive three-dimensional diamond pattern, and long, swept-back headlamps. The lower roofline, higher beltline and more muscular, rounded shoulders at the rear give the car a dramatic appearance.

The sleeker look is enhanced by an increase in length (+95 mm to 4,780 mm) and a 15 mm reduction in height (down to 1,685 mm), while the 80 mm longer wheelbase (now 2,780 mm) ensures more passenger space in all three seat rows.

Soon-Nam Lee, Vice President of Overseas Marketing, Kia Motors Corp., said, “While we have retained the name based on the tremendous success of the current model, the all-new Sorento has been completely redesigned and re-engineered, and promises to surprise customers with its thoroughly updated styling, a host of new convenience and safety technologies, as well as enhanced space, driving comfort and handling response.”

The all-new Kia Sorento will be showcased in Korea in late August and make its European premiere on Thursday 2 October at the 2014 Paris Motor Show.  The all-new Sorento is expected to reach the UK market in Spring 2015.