The KIA Hybrid and Venga

Below about the KIA's car MPV.

Kia is developing its portfolio green car in the United Kingdom with a hybrid version of the Kia Optima executive and all-electric MPV Kia Venga small.

Both are currently under development in South Korea and the Kia Optima Hybrid will arrive first, you may end next year.

The new Kia Optima offers that replaces the Kia Magentis is the UK later this year. Kia Germany decide to take both gasoline 2-liter and 2 liter diesel instead of diesel only.

The hybrid model is currently being deployed in the U.S. with a gasoline engine of 2.4 liters specific market and 30 kW electric motor. A gasoline engine of 2 liters is under development, which is used in the Kia Optima in Korea and Europe.

Engineers in South Korea say that the hybrid car is the most economical in the large D-segment being.

Kia first fully electric car, the Kia Venga. The company currently has 250 electric cars to the assessment in Korea and Senior Research Engineer CY Jeong said a small set of about 2,000 cars next year, followed by mass production from 2013.

The Kia Venga EV will then go on sale in markets around the world, including the UK.

Jeong said the car will have a range of 140kms - around 90 miles and it 60kw electric motor will take 6 hours to charge - although a fast charge can be carried out in 25 minutes.

He added that Kia also plans to start marketing hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles in 2015, in line with a number of other manufacturers.

Ford B-Max impresses in Geneva

These about Ford B-Max.

Ford's small B-Max MPV is wowing visitors to the Geneva Motor Show with two big innovations that are bound to worry competitors with less adventurous designs.

The first and most obvious of these is the elimination of the new car's so-called B-pillars, the structural element that divides the front and rear door openings on most cars. This change gives exceptional ease of access, especially to the rear seats; for good measure the rear doors are of the convenient sliding type. Normally, the B-pillar plays an important part in the structural integrity of a car, but Ford says it has built the required stiffness and crash resistance into the doors themselves, creating a “virtual B-pillar”. The only competing product with anything like as innovative a set-up is the Vauxhall Meriva which has rear-hinged rear side doors. With an overall length of just over four metres, though, the B-Max does take up a little bit more room than Toyota's new, very space-efficient but much more conventional Verso-S.

The second innovation is less visibly obvious but no less significant – a new three-cylinder 1.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine, an addition to Ford's range of EcoBoost power units. The EcoBoost range involves capacity downsizing and measures such as turbocharging and stop-start technology in order to improve performance, economy and emissions. If the new engine is as good as the existing 1.6-litre and 2.0-litre EcoBoost engines fitted to Ford's larger cars, the B-Max should be very competitive indeed.

One final point of interest - the B-Max will be the first Ford to be built in Romania. Car production in that country has previously been focused mainly on the Renault-derived Dacia range.

Info from this site.

New Toyota Verso-S

Article about new Toyota Verso-S.

The new Toyota Verso-S has been announced - and it may impress green car finance seekers.

Individuals keen to reduce their carbon footprint and become more eco-friendly might be particularly interested in the model as it delivers "the lowest CO2 emissions and best fuel economy in the mini-MPV segment".

This is due to its 1.33-litre VVT-i petrol engine and when matched with a six-speed transmission the vehicle is able to deliver 127 g/km of CO2 on the combined cycle, as well as achieve a fuel economy of 51.4 mpg.

What's more, it can even manage emissions of just 120 g/km of CO2 thanks to the higher efficiency of the Multidrive S CVT.

The motor is on sale now with a starting price of £13,995 for the TR model.

Earlier this month, the manufacturer revealed its Toyota EV prototype model is set to be presented at the Geneva Motor Show.

Unique Mini-MPV 105 bhp

The new Škoda Fabia Scout adds another model. Let's check this out.

The new Skoda Fabia Scout adds another attractive model range rugged off-road inspired editions. Following the Skoda Fabia Combi Scout Skoda Roomster Scout, which proved very popular in the small car and a compact car, the sedan version of the Škoda Fabia Scout now enjoy their unique style. It responds to consumer demand for inexpensive, individual mobility and, of course, all three models feature the new face of the Fabia range and its many technical improvements.



In recent years the Scout versions have developed into a well-established part of the model range. The Škoda Fabia Scout rounds off the lower end of the range by appealing to customers who may not need the increased loading capacity of the Škoda Fabia Combi Scout or Škoda Roomster Scout, but who nevertheless want to enjoy the benefits of the strong, rugged looks of a Scout version. As with previous Scout models, the Škoda Fabia will help significantly to add emotion to the brand as well appeal to those who are looking for something that little bit different. Excellent value for money, reliability and its attractive looks are also well-known virtues of the Škoda brand, all of which can be found in the Škoda Fabia Scout.

The small car segment is generally regarded as being characterised by functionality and economy. The Škoda Fabia Scout breathes fresh air into this class, with its robust good looks that add to this practical small car, thanks to its evocative, specially designed bumpers and off-road design. The standard black and silver roof rails – fitted to both Škoda Fabia Combi Scout and Škoda Fabia Scout – as well as the protective plastic coverings along its flanks make the Škoda Fabia Scout a particularly characterful car, whose design represents both zest for life and reliable style.

The Škoda Fabia Scout is equipped with alloy wheels especially designed for this model. Instead of the standard 16-inch wheels, customers can upgrade to larger 17-inch versions of the same design. Front fog lamps and tinted windows round off the exterior features of the Škoda Fabia Scout.

See images from this source.

Honda Freed Mini MPV

Hey guys. Here one more article about Honda. It's Honda Freed.

Honda Freed is a car from Honda, Freed is a mini MPV produced since 2008 for the domestic market in Japan. This car was launched in 2008 for the Japanese market.

This car is based on Jazz / Fit platform by offering three different versions, seven-passenger version, version eight passengers and five-passenger versions offer a large cargo space.



Freed is equipped with a 1.5L engine with 118 horsepower, the same as the Honda Jazz engine, but Honda has a little difference in torque, features 148 Nm, Jazz / City 120 horsepower with a torque of 145 Nm.
In September 2009, announced that the hybrid version will be available in 2011.

Best Small MPV Award

Some info about Renault modus wins best small MPV Award.

Recognition for Renault's environmental commitment continues with yet another accolade, as the Renault Modus wins the 'Small MPV' category in the Environmental Transport Association's 'Green Car Awards' for the third year running.

The Environmental Transport Association looked at over 5,000 cars currently on sale in Britain and examined their power, emissions, fuel efficiency and even the amount of noise they produce to create the definitive guide to buying the greenest vehicle.

The annual Car Buyers' Guide was first published by the ETA in 1995 in response to requests from its growing membership and has since become the environmental benchmark for the car industry and the public, championing the greenest cars in Britain.

Andrew Davis, director at the Environmental Transport Association, said: "With the price of petrol at record levels and greater understanding about the threat to the environment there has never been a more important time to make fuel efficiency a deciding factor when choosing a car."

The Renault Modus and Renault Grand Modus range has a strong focus on low emissions and economy with 18 eco² versions. Renault eco² vehicles must emit less than 140g/km of CO2, or operate on E85 ethanol or on B30 biodiesel, be manufactured in a plant that has been certified ISO 14001, and be 95% recoverable at the end of their lifecycle - and include at least 5% recycled plastics.

Hyundai i20 mini MPV

Above are some info about Hyundai i20 mini-MPV.

Opel has released the very first photos of the all-new Meriva mini-MPV ahead of it official unveiling. The all-new Meriva is scheduled to make its official premiere at the upcoming Geneva Auto Show in March.
The all-new Opel Meriva is one of the most successful vehicles in the mini-MPV segment. Over the past few years, it was also the best selling vehicle in the segment, which has been gradually expanding with new models from different brands.

One of the latest mini-MPV models that joined the battle for young European families is the brand-new Kia Venga. Kia Venga might be the first attempt of South Korean's second largest carmaker to lure younger families to the showrooms, but its a very solid car with nice design and modern powertrain technology.
But Venga is not the last mini-MPV coming from a Korean carmaker! Hyundai has already announced it is working on a similar model, which will use Venga's powertrain technology, including engines, platform and transmissions.
Dubbed the i20 mini-MPV, the model is expected to be marketed in Europe only. It will be built alongside Kia Venga at Hyundai's European manufacturing plant that has a capacity tp build 300.000 new vehicles per year.
There are no images of the upcoming Hyundai i20 mini-MPV on the web at the moment, but we are expecting to see at least some teaser shots released by Hyundai ahead of Geneva Motor Show. With new models, such as mini-MPV, Hyundai sales in Europe is expected to grow significantly in 2010.

Popular Mazda mini MPV

Here's about Mazda mini MPV.

In Japan, the Mazda MPV is known, marketed, and sold as the Efini MPV. This vehicle first made its way to public knowledge in 1989. It was constructed to be a rear wheel drive vehicle. Later on in 2000, it came back with a more modern front wheel drive. Originally, the Mazda MPV was designed in its every minute detail as a minivan. This was destined to be sold to the American market.

The Mazda MPV was first constructed using Mazda’s best platform that time. The company used the Mazda 929’s HC to be able to develop and start out the Mazda MPV’s LV platform. Later on in the design and construction process for this vehicle, the Mazda MPV was equipped with a V6 engine and an optional all wheel drive. This vehicle features traditional hinged doors instead of the sliding rear doors.

Making waves with the press, the Mazda MPV then earned its way to being named a part of the Car and Driver magazine’s Ten Best list for two consecutive years – 1990 and 1991. This magazine also featured the Mazda MPV as one of their “vehicles for the coming (fuel) crisis”. However, on the other hand, the Mazda MPV made a big unwanted splash with crash testers. Out of the four stars that a vehicle could receive from the Australian ANCAP crash test, the Mazda MPV only received one little star. As for the American IIHS crash tests, the vehicle received a poor “Marginal” rating. The sales for this vehicle went really well however it rapidly declined come the period when other automobile manufacturers started constructing and introducing to the market all wheel drivers and V6 engines.

In 1996, this vehicle underwent a refreshing. The I4 engine went into retirement and it was replaced with a similar engine – a 2.5 liter unit. Come the year 2000, the Mazda MPV came with a front wheel drive LW platform that was based on the Mazda 626. This set of Mazda MPVs was considered to be the second in this model’s generation. It came this time to be more traditional than the first batch. It held sliding rear doors and a front wheel drive. However, what was different for this generation includes a rear seat that folds flat into the floor and rear door windows that are rolled down. In 2002, the changes for the vehicle included a change in power by using the Mazda AJ 3.0 liter V6 engine along with a 5-speed automatic transmission. This now has the capacity to produce 200 horsepower and 200 pound feet of torque. Other than that, upgrades included a larger grille that sported a single chrome bar at the top, a more aggressive look and new headlights and tail lights.

Mini-MPV from Kia

Above about mini MPV from Kia.

Kia will show off a new mini-MPV concept at Geneva, and this is the first teaser image, which gives you a pretty good idea of what to expect

Kia's Geneva motor show star will be a mini-MPV concept, which previews a new Vauxhall Meriva, Honda Jazz and Nissan Note rival.

The Korean manufacturer has released this teaser, along with some pretty vague information, ahead of the car's unveiling at Geneva in March.

Apparently, Kia reckons that its new MPV will bring "style and cool to what is currently a bland segment of the new car market."

Well, if you're paying Peter Schreyer, the man who designed the Audi TT, to be your chief stylist, then at least you should put him to work occasionally.

The concept is likely to be called the YN for now, but the production version will probably get some outrageous name fitting for the brand that brought us the Cee'd and the Soul.

Talking of the Soul, that car's plaform underpins this new concept too, so expect the YN to be powered by the same competent diesel and weedy petrols as that car.