There are a lot of ways car companies here in Malaysia have been rewarding their loyal customers. As a token of appreciation for their loyalty and support, Naza Kia Malaysia gifted 62 winners of the “Fuel Your Freedom, Discover Malaysia with Kia’ Contest with RM620 worth of petrol cards last weekend at Hilton Kuala Lumpur. (more…)
Following a 4,100-km drive through the world’s most developed electrified car markets, Kia Motors collected data that provides insights into the major trends for electrification in Europe. Referred to as the ‘Electric Mission’, the project was carried out in partnership with automotive research consultancy World Shopper.
The Electric Mission lasted 10 days, with a team of researchers visiting towns and cities across Northern Europe that are shaping the future of electric mobility. The team completed the journey in a Kia e-Niro all-electric crossover, passing through Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden and Norway.
During the road trip, World Shopper’s industry analysts met with more than a hundred decision-makers and stakeholders in the world of vehicle electrification, gathering data and first-hand insights for the Electric Mission report. The researchers also met with consumers, exploring attitudes towards electric vehicles, charging infrastructure, trends for electric vehicle adoption, and how they integrate electric vehicles into their daily lives.
The report suggests that consumers are still put off by the perception of high electric vehicle purchase costs, inadequate vehicle charging infrastructure, and long charging times. Crucially, the report also shows how drivers have successfully switched from petrol and diesel vehicles and incorporated electric vehicles into their lifestyle.
Home charger makes a difference
The report found that consumers can more easily make the transition from fossil fuels to electric power by installing a home charging point. Often subsidised, or offered with the purchase of the electric car, home chargers enable drivers to leave home every morning with a full battery – not a luxury enjoyed by drivers of conventional vehicles.
Owners of the e-Niro, for example, can set off every day with the maximum 455-km range when the battery pack is fully charged – a range significantly further than most drivers cover in a single day. The report found that the average single drive would only require around 4kW of the e-Niro’s 64 kWh battery capacity.
Adapting ‘refuelling’ habits
While the research from Kia and World Shopper highlighted a shift towards charging vehicles at home or at the office, many people have also fit electric vehicles into their lives by adapting their day-to-day charging habits. In Norway, for example, many drivers use vehicle recharging time to have something to eat, have a coffee, or catch up on their email.
The proliferation of fast chargers at service stops on major roads enables drivers to quickly recharge their vehicles sufficiently for a week of commuter driving in the space just 30 minutes. For example, charging a vehicle with a battery pack of 50kWh using a 175 kW fast charger, a driver can recover an 80% battery charge in between 15 and 30 minutes.
Sharing the experiences of others
Kia found during its research that one of the easiest ways for buyers of fossil fuel vehicles to overcome any concerns around electric vehicles was hearing about positive experiences of their friends and family. With vehicles such as the e-Niro making long-distance, zero-emissions transport possible, many drivers just need to hear about the added benefit of lower running costs, maintenance costs and lower vehicle taxes to be convinced. Word-of-mouth remains the number one reason why many people have switched to electric power in certain markets, and the longer driving range of the new generation of electric vehicles is now making them a truly viable choice for the majority of drivers.
Since the early 1980s when airbags started to be installed in cabin, millions of people have benefitted from the extra protection and experienced reduced injuries during accidents. The contribution of airbags to saving lives cannot be understated and as new technology has been developed, the effectiveness of airbags has increased.
Preventing head injuries
Now the Hyundai Motor Group (HMG) has developed a new centre side airbag, further enhancing the safety of its vehicles’ occupants. This airbag works to separate the space between driver and front passenger by expanding into the space between the front seats to prevent head injuries of the two occupants.
If there is no one in the front passenger seat, the airbag will protect the driver from the effects of a side collision coming from the opposite side. The centre side airbag is installed inside the driver’s seat and will deploy once the impact is sensed.
The new centre side airbag is expected to diminish head injuries caused by passengers colliding with each other by 80%. According to the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association’s statistics, the rate of secondary damage caused by these kinds of collisions or from hitting interior materials is about 45%.
Lighter and simpler
The airbag has an internal component called a tether which allows the airbag to maintain its form and withstand the passenger’s weight. HMG has developed a new technology to simplify the design and reduce the weight of components to produce an airbag which is about 500 gms lighter than the competing products. Thanks to the smaller size of the airbag, the design teams will have more flexibility in the type of seat design they envision for future products.
HMG has applied newly patented technology to maintain reliability but reduce the weight and size of the airbag which will be offered in selected models to be introduced in future. Upcoming Euro NCAP assessments are expected to include side impact into its consideration beginning from 2020 and HMG’s airbag is expected to work favourably in such evaluation.
For most car companies, the southern region of Peninsular Malaysia accounts for many of their new vehicle sales. It is a prosperous region with steady development and opening of new townships. For this reason, network development gives a lot of focus to Johor and recently, Naza Kia Malaysia opened a new 3S outlet in Tampoi, Johor Bahru, in partnership with authorised dealer Supreme Priority Sdn Bhd.
Located along Jalan Tampoi, the Kia Tampoi 3S Centre has a built-up area of 18,000 square feet. Its showroom can display up to 7 vehicles so visitors will be able to see a good selection of models. As a 3S centre, it offers sales, service and spare parts and is geared to handle up to 100 Kia vehicles a month. Supreme Priority invested RM5 million to establish this 3S outlet.
Serving owners in Tampoi and surroundings
The Kia Tampoi 3S Centre is also intended to serve owners in the surrounding areas of Tampoi New Village, Skudai, Nusajaya and Larkin. Its strategic location means that they now have a shorter distance to travel to get full aftersales support.
“With the new Kia Tampoi 3S Centre, we have altogether 6 Kia outlets in Johor and with that, we are confident we will be able to cater to the needs and demands of our customers and future customers here. Johor has been a significant market for us as 90% of Korean car owners here own a Kia,” said R. Devaraju, Deputy Group CEO, Automotive Group, Naza Corporation Holdings.
Mr. Devaraju added that the company has plans in the pipeline to further enhance the current network and expand on the 45 Kia outlets nationwide.
Click here for other news and articles about Kia in PISTON.MY
Visit www.kia.com to know more about Kia models available in Malaysia.
If you’ve been thinking of getting a new vehicle this year, this month and the next would be a good time to find great deals. Various companies are celebrating the Merdeka season by giving their customers special offers and at the NAZA Automotive Group, there are models from three different cars brands to choose from. There should definitely be something for you!
NAZA Kia Malaysia will reward 62 lucky customers
Naza Kia Malaysia, the official distributor of Kia vehicles in Malaysia, will start its ‘Fuel your Freedom, Discover Malaysia with Kia’ campaign from tomorrow. During the period until September 30, 2019, 62 customers who purchase and register a new Kia vehicle will be rewarded with RM620 worth of petrol vouchers to discover Malaysia!
Special price for Peugeot 5008
Prefer a European SUV? Nasim Sdn Bhd, which represents Peugeot in Malaysia, will let you drive home a new 5008 SUV – winner of multiple awards – for RM161,888. This special price is applicable during August and September 2019, while stocks are available.
Premium affordably-priced MPV from Citroen
The Grand C4 Space Tourer is a premium family-friend MPV from Citroen. Buy one before September 30, 2019 and you pay only RM139,888 to Naza Euro Motors. Apart from the typical design flair of Citroens, the Grand C4 Space Tourer comes with an Advanced Comfort programme and state-of-the-art safety features as well as latest-generation technologies for provide a safe and enjoyable journey.
For more information about the models available from each brand, click on the links below to visit their respective websites:
NAZA Kia Malaysia – www.kia.com/my | Nasim Sdn Bhd – www.peugeot.com.my | NAZA Euro Motors – www.citroen.com.my
The beginning of the computer age in the 1980s saw the rapid development of electronic systems for management of many different functions in cars. This led to significant leaps in performance and efficiency as computers could calculate at thousands of times a second, making adjustments to match operating conditions precisely.
One area where such lightning-fast management was valuable was in the automatic transmission. The transmission control unit (TCU) worked with the Engine Control Unit (ECU) to coordinate gearshifts and as technology advanced, to eliminate the parasitic power losses.
Optimizing transmission efficiency
Now the Hyundai Motor Group has developed the world’s first Active Shift Control (ASC) transmission technology for future Kia and Hyundai hybrid models. The innovation optimizes transmission efficiency by monitoring the rotational speed of transmission with a sensor installed inside the electric motor at 500 times per second to quickly synchronize the rotational speed with that of engine.
ASC applies new control logic software to the Hybrid Control Unit (HCU), which then controls the electric motor to align the rotational speeds of the engine and transmission to reduce gearshift time by 30%. With the synchronization, shift time is reduced from 500 ms to 350 ms, increasing smoothness.
“The development of world’s first ASC technology is a remarkable innovation which incorporates precise motor control to automatic transmission,” said KyoungJoon Chang, Vice-President and Head of Powertrain Control System Group of Hyundai Motor Group, “It will not only save fuel but also provide a more fun driving experience for our customers.”
Independently developed control logic software
Conventional hybrid vehicles do not have torque converters to further improve fuel economy as torque converters lose energy during the process of transmission. Although fuel efficient, such a system also requires longer shift times to ensure smoother gear changes.
ASC technology allows the hybrid’s electric motor to also take control of gearshifts by applying new software logic to the Hybrid Control Unit (HCU) to mitigate issues with slower shift time. This not only improves a hybrid vehicle’s acceleration performance and fuel economy, but also durability of the transmission by minimising friction during gearshift.
The good folks from the Naza Group has generously contributed one unit of their very popular Kia Cerato to the Skills Training Institute of Youth and Sports (ILKBS) in support of Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS) and Malaysian contestant, Mohamad Ridzuan. (more…)
In the days when you needed a key to unlock the car door and start the engine, the fear was that someone would copy the key and steal your car. Then came keyless entry systems which did away with the key so it could not be copied. But again, the thieves could still steal the car – by using special devices which could pick up the unlock codes and allow them to access the car as well as deactivate the immobiliser system.
Now, for Kia owners in the UK, there is an option that can give them security against such a vulnerability. Owners of models with a keyless entry system can purchase the KiaSafe case which has been developed to stop thieves using relay attack devices to obtain the frequency from the car key.
Faraday cage concept
The case acts in a similar way to a Faraday cage, eliminating this possibility with a layer of meshed metal within that blocks the device the thieves use from picking up signals. This idea is also used for wallets and backpacks to protect thieves from stealing information from personal documents such as passports and credit cards by blocking the ‘skimmer’ devices from accessing the RFID chips.
The KiaSafe accessory is the result of efforts by Kia’s R&D engineers to ensure find ways to ensure that keyless entry systems are rendered as close as possible to be impervious to such attacks. It is currently sold in the UK for £9.99 (about RM52).
“The security of our customers’ vehicles comes second only to safety and we are as concerned about the hacking of keyless entry systems as customers, the police and the insurance industry,” said David Hart, Customer Experience Manager at Kia Motors UK.
“Whilst our current keyless entry systems do not have ‘sleep’ buttons, our engineers are developing additional levels of protection for future vehicles and these will be applied as soon as is feasible given production schedules and new model introductions. We encourage owners to adopt protection behaviours as advised by the police – such as not leaving keyless entry fobs in the front door area of their home or close to windows – and to use the KiaSafe to ensure their key fobs are rendered safe from hacking,” he advised.
VVT (Variable Valve Timing), VTEC (Variable Valve Timing & Lift Electronic Control), VVT-i (Variable Valve Timing with intelligence), i-VTEC (intelligent VTEC), Dual VVT-i, CVVT (Continuously Variable Valve Timing) are all familiar valvetrain systems in today’s cars. Now the Hyundai Motor Group (HMG) adds a new one – CVVD or Continuously Variable Valve Duration (CVVD).
The world first technology, first mentioned at HMG’s International Powertrain Conference in October 2017, is being revealed at the Hyundai Motorstudio Goyang in Korea this morning. The Smartstream G1.6 T-GDi will be the first engine to have the technology and it will be used in future Hyundai and Kia models.
CVVD optimizes both engine performance and fuel efficiency while also being eco-friendly. The valve control technology regulates the duration of valve opening and closing according to driving conditions, achieving a claimed 4% boost in performance and a 5% improvement in fuel efficiency, while cutting toxic emissions by 12%.
How CVVD works
Typical variable valve control technologies manage the timing of the valve’s opening and closing (as in CVVT) or control the volume of air admitted by adjusting the depth of the opening (Continuously Variable Valve Lift – CVVL). Previous variable valve control technologies could not regulate valve duration, as the valve’s closing timing was subordinate to opening timing and could not respond to diverse driving situations. CVVD takes the technology in a new direction by adjusting how long a valve is open.
When the vehicle is maintaining a constant speed and requires low engine output, CVVD opens the intake valve from the middle to end of the compression stroke. This helps to improve fuel efficiency by reducing the resistance caused by compression. On the other hand, when engine output is high, such as when the car is driving at a high speed, the intake valve is closed at the beginning of the compression stroke to maximize the amount of air used for combustion, enhancing torque to improve acceleration.
Smartstream G1.6 T-GDi Engine
Unveiled alongside the new CVVD technology, the new Smartstream G1.6 T-GDi Engine is a V4 turbocharged petrol unit with 180 bhp/265 Nm output. Besides using the Group’s new CVVD technology, it also features Low-Pressure Exhaust Gas Recirculation (LP EGR) to further optimize fuel efficiency.
Additionally, the new unit has an Integrated Thermal Management System that quickly heats or cools the engine to an optimal temperature, and a strong direct spray system that achieves 350 bar, surpassing the 250 bar of the previous T-GDi engine. In addition, engine friction is reduced by 34% with the application of low friction moving parts.
“The development of the CVVD technology is a good example how HMG is strengthening our powertrain technology,” said Albert Biermann, President and Head of Research & Development Division at Hyundai Motor Group. “We will continue our innovation efforts to bring forth paradigm shifts and ensure sustainability of our business model.”
Naza Kia Malaysia will be hosting a very exciting Kia Pre-Owned Fest at Naza Automall Petaling Jaya this coming weekend (28-30 June 2019). Around 200 pre-owned Kia vehicles are up for sale and from what we’ve heard, the deals are incredible with prices starting from RM8,000! (more…)
© Copyright – Piston.my 2024 Trademarks belong to their respective owners. All rights reserved
