“Steven Cole Smith AUTOMOTIVE - Orlando Sentinel” plus 4 more

Steven Cole Smith AUTOMOTIVE - Orlando Sentinel
Kia Motors Posts 40.4% Increase in September Global Sales - PR Inside
Dumped GM, Chrysler dealerships find new life - Nashville Tennessean
Auto pioneers inspiring - detnews.com
TIMELINE: China carmakers eye global brands - Reuters India

Steven Cole Smith AUTOMOTIVE - Orlando Sentinel

Posted: 11 Oct 2009 08:06 PM PDT

Steven Cole Smith AUTOMOTIVE

October 11, 2009

A couple of years ago, Michael Bragg of Apopka noticed his girlfriend (now his wife) jotting something down in a small notebook. She was, he learned, keeping track of her car's fuel mileage. "Her family had always done that," he said, "and she just started doing it, too."

And it occurred to him that he had no idea of what sort of fuel mileage he was getting in his own Toyota four-wheel-drive pickup, or how much he was spending on gasoline each year. When he tallied up that last figure, and found out that his annual fuel expense was more than $3,000, he suddenly got interested.

As a professional software engineer, Bragg, 38, worked up a simple computer program that kept track of his fuel expenses and his truck's mileage.

He began adding features that tracked mileage trends and incorporated information on how to improve mileage. When he offered the program to friends, he learned they were as interested as he was.

Thus began the Web site FuelClinic.com, which launched in May 2008. It allows free access to the programs Bragg developed. And for that matter, it's still developing because he has quit his job and is working full-time on the next generation of FuelClinic.com.

But if it's free, where's the income? That will happen as he partners with other companies from around the world, including one in Brazil working to reduce air pollution from automobiles, and another in England renowned for its driver training ability but, until now, hasn't been able to integrate that into an effective online presence. Bragg is even hoping to partner with IBM on a project.

Much of this is being made possible because of FuelClinic.com's second-place finish in the IBM-sponsored Intelligent Transportation Society "Congestion Challenge," which drew 116 entries from 20 countries. The award was announced last month at the 16th World Congress on ITS in Stockholm, Sweden.

Unfortunately, second place came with no prize money — first place, awarded to a company in Washington state that helps organize carpools, got $50,000 — but the recognition is helping, Bragg said.

In a nutshell, FuelClinic.com is "a driver-improvement system that helps create safer, smarter, more efficient drivers," according to the company Web site. "In consumer applications this system helps families save money on fuel, reduce [carbon] emissions, find deficiencies in inexperienced or young drivers, and helps motorists become generally safer and more professional drivers."

Bragg also is working on a professional application targeted at businesses and fleet managers that, he said, helps them train employees, reduce fuel expenses and reinforce safety initiatives.

Bragg said one of his goals is to take the idea of fuel savings more mainstream, away from the traditional dedicated, hybrid-driving environmentalist who makes a second career out of saving fuel. Bragg is not telling people that they have to buy a Toyota Prius — he still has that four-wheel-drive truck, in fact — but he is saying that by modifying your driving habits, your routes and other easily manageable changes, you can save a lot of fuel, and a lot of money.

He is even sponsoring a Sports Car Club of America sports car team because many auto races hinge on who can get the best mileage.

Bragg said there are few secret techniques on saving fuel. You know most of them — such as avoid traffic jams, accelerate and brake gradually. "In general, just calm down," Bragg said. "It's amazing how much difference you driving style makes in the mileage you get."

Remember his Toyota four-wheel-drive pickup? Before he started FuelClinic.com, "I was averaging 18 to 19 miles per gallon." Now, following his own advice, he averages 23 mpg.

Sentinel Automotive Editor Steven Cole Smith can be reached at 407-420-5699, scsmith@orlandosentinel.com or through his blog at Enginehead.com.

This content has passed through fivefilters.org.

Kia Motors Posts 40.4% Increase in September Global Sales - PR Inside

Posted: 11 Oct 2009 11:41 PM PDT

2009-10-12 08:31:02 -

Kia Motors Corporation announced today its global sales figures for passenger cars (export sales, domestic sales, and sales from overseas plants), recreational vehicles (RVs), and commercial vehicles for September 2009, recording a total of 155,223 units sold. This figure represents a year-on-year increase of 40.4%.

Kia posted year-on-year sales increases in every region, including China (25,356 units sold, a 130.3%

year-on-year increase), Korea (39,006 units, a 60.4% year-on-year increase), Europe (36,037 units, a 27.6% year-on-year increase), North America (26,138 units sold, a 23.6% year-on-year increase) and general markets (28,686 units sold, an 11.0% year-on-year increase).

Cumulatively, through the first nine months of 2009, Kia's global sales increased by 11.8% year-on-year and reached 1,187,795 units. The Chinese market experienced the highest gain with 166,869 units sold to date, representing a 48.3% increase. Korea, general markets and North America showed cumulative year-on-year sales increases of 27.2% (291,525 units sold), 10.4% (213,909 units sold) and 6.4% (274,976 units sold), respectively.

To date in 2009, Kia's best selling model in overseas markets has been the C-segment Cerato (known as 'Spectra' or 'Forte' in some markets) with 208,627 units sold. Kia's Sportage compact SUV and the B-segment Rio followed closely with 127,342 and 125,092 units sold, respectively. The C-segment cee'd takes fourth place with 92,124 units sold, while the Picanto completes the top five with 73,991 units sold.

In terms of vehicle category sold overseas, Kia's passenger and recreational vehicles achieved year-on-year increases in September of 45.0% (76,021 units) and 20.2% (36,985 units), respectively.

Hyoung-Keun Lee, President of Kia Motors Corporation, said, "We are pleased to see Kia post sales growth across all markets this month. Although scrappage programs in many key markets are currently being phased out, we are confident that we are well positioned for continued growth with our new, exciting product introductions that will continue into next year and beyond."

* Includes figures from Western and Eastern European markets
** General markets includes the regions of Central and South America, the Caribbean, Asia (excluding China), the Pacific, Middle East and Africa

Related video footage available at The NewsMarket ( www.thenewsmarket.com/kiamotors ). You can get broadcast-standard or streaming-quality video (for Web use) and print-quality stills. Delivery options include digital FTP transfer and streaming download in a variety of file types including Flash, MPEG-2, QuickTime and Windows Media. Registration and content is free to the media.

About KIA Motors

Kia Motors Corporation, a maker of quality vehicles for the young-at-heart, was founded in 1944 and is Korea's oldest manufacturer of motor vehicles. As part of the Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group, Kia aims to become one of the world's premier automotive brands. Nearly 1.5 million vehicles a year are produced in 13 manufacturing and assembly operations in eight countries which are then sold and serviced through a network of distributors and dealers covering 172 countries. Kia today has over 40,000 employees worldwide and annual revenues of over US$14.5 billion. It is the major sponsor of the Australian Open and an official automotive partner of FIFA -- the governing body of the FIFA World Cup -- as well as a EUROTOP partner of UEFA. Kia Motors Corporation's brand slogan -- "The Power to Surprise" -- represents the company's global commitment to surpassing customer expectations through continuous automotive innovation. For more information, please visit www.kiamotors.com.

Source: KIA Motors

Contact: Michael Choo +82-2-3464-5663 mjc@kia.co.kr www.kiamotors.com

This content has passed through fivefilters.org.

Dumped GM, Chrysler dealerships find new life - Nashville Tennessean

Posted: 12 Oct 2009 12:17 AM PDT

For the past nine months, the salespeople in the showroom of Team Chevrolet in Smyrna have greeted potential customers, shown them the new cars on the lot and answered questions about the vehicles.

What they haven't done is sell cars.

The dealership's former owner filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization in late January, and all of the new and used vehicles on the lot were put under the control of GMAC Financial Services, which held liens on the dealership's inventory.

Today, the cars are all gone, the bankruptcy case is about to be finalized, and a new dealership minus the Chevrolet franchise is about to rise out of the remains of the old company.

Chuck Hanes, who oversaw the dealership during the bankruptcy, takes over as executive general manager of the new company, Smyrna Automotive Group Inc. It will sell late-model used cars and continue the parts, service and body-shop operations that remained open throughout the bankruptcy case.

"We're all set and ready to start buying cars to sell just as soon as we get final approval from the bankruptcy court," which is expected to come this week, Hanes said.

Converting into a company with parts and used cars as its focus is a familiar scene being played out at scores of car dealerships nationwide that lost their new-car franchises when General Motors and Chrysler dumped thousands of dealers earlier this year in a bid to cope with their own bankruptcy restructurings.

During the nine months the Smyrna case moved through court, Hanes kept almost all of the 28 former Team Chevrolet employees on the payroll. Some have been with the dealership for decades, including one who started under a previous owner in 1955.

Money to continue the operations and set up the new company came from former Smyrna Mayor Bob Spivey, who was a minority partner in the previous operation. He provided the debtor-in-possession financing to keep the business going, and now is the majority owner.

"We never locked the doors or turned out the lights," Hanes said. "It would have been much harder to get this going again if we had."

This content has passed through fivefilters.org.

Auto pioneers inspiring - detnews.com

Posted: 11 Oct 2009 10:01 PM PDT

Neal Rubin

Automotive Hall of Fame deserves everyone's attention

Here's the problem in a nutshell, or maybe in a hubcap. Jeff Leestma, president of the Automotive Hall of Fame, was chatting with a retired autoworker at a car show.

The guy was smack in the middle of the Hall of Fame's target audience -- knowledgeable, enough of a car buff that he had stopped to admire Leestma's 1949 Hudson, and blessed with plenty of spare time. Leestma mentioned what he does for a living, which essentially is to oversee and applaud the legacy of the car business from a snappy stand-alone building on the campus of The Henry Ford.

"I really do have to get over there," the guy said, and Leestma agreed with him, and then he asked where the retiree lived.

"Dearborn," the man said.

Dearborn? Dearborn? "He could probably walk here!" Leestma says.

As far as Leestma is concerned, the 241 assorted pioneers, visionaries and geniuses who've been inducted into the Hall should be instantly recognizable. Kids should collect their trading cards and pets should carry their names: "Here, Gottlieb Daimler! Here, boy!"

That's not going to happen -- but we could at least stop by once in a while.

A well-kept secret

Lots of places claim to be Metro Detroit's best-kept secret. The Automotive Hall of Fame, or AHF to its insufficient number of friends, might just win the prize.

The Henry Ford Museum uses cars to teach about people. The AHF, around the corner at the west end of the lot, uses people to teach about cars. For only $8, or less if you're old, young or part of a tour group, you can go there and see cool artifacts and find out why Daimler called his line of vehicles Mercedes.

OK, you can have that one for free. A French merchant said he'd only invest in Daimler's business if the inventor named his automobile after the merchant's daughter. And I'll throw in what race driver Barney Oldfield said after he became the first madcap to reach a mile a minute, the unthinkable 60 mph: "No man can drive faster and live."

One of the inductees at the Hall's 2009 ceremony last week was Craig Breedlove, whose jet-powered Spirit of America Sonic I hit 600 mph in 1965. So Oldfield was off a little, but he was still a vital piece of the history of the automobile, which made him a natural for inclusion back in 1968.

First class inducted in 1967

When the first class was inducted in '67, the organization behind the museum had already relocated once, from New York to Washington, D.C. It moved to Midland in '71, opened a building four years later, and then migrated south to the spiritual hub of the car business.

The current AHF opened in August 1997. The $10 million building is paid for, and the lease on the land is manageable -- $1 a year; The Henry Ford has never exactly hounded Leestma for a check.

Annual attendance has hovered around 20,000, with most of the visitors from outside the area or even the continent. It was a more acceptable number when the AHF's auto-related sponsors were healthy. Now Leestma admits to some concern, though 50,000 or so visitors could put his mind right back at ease.

This year, for the first time, the AHF began charging school groups $2 per kid. Leestma usually speaks to the classes himself.

"All of these people were not born great," he tells them. "They achieved greatness through inspiration, vision and hard work."

Inspiration, he says, he has in ample supply. But you have to gather up your good intentions and come see for yourself.

nrubin@detnews.com (313) 222-1874

This content has passed through fivefilters.org.

TIMELINE: China carmakers eye global brands - Reuters India

Posted: 11 Oct 2009 10:36 PM PDT

Reuters - Tengzhong, a little-known Chinese machinery maker that has agreed to buy GM's Hummer brand, said on Monday it has begun to seek regulatory approval for the deal, aiming to close the purchase by early 2010.

The announcement comes four months after Tengzhong first announced its intent to buy Hummer.

Major Chinese automakers, including Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Corp, have attempted several overseas acquisitions in recent years with mixed results.

Following is a TIMELINE tracing some proposed, failed or ongoing deals reported this year:

March 18 - Beijing Automotive is said to be seeking to buy U.S. auto parts maker Delphi Corp's non-core assets, 21st Century Business Herald reports.

June 3 - Little-known heavy machinery maker Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery unveils tentative deal to buy GM's Hummer.

June 11 - Beijing Auto is interested in buying Ford's Volvo car unit, Wall Street Journal reports.

July 6 - Italian auto maker Fiat agrees to a 50:50 joint venture deal with Guangzhou Automobile Industry Group Co Ltd to produce car engines in China.

July 23 - GM rejects Beijing Auto bid for its Opel brand, the Financial Times reports, in favour of continuing talks with rival bidders. Beijing Auto, the Chinese partner of Daimler AG and South Korea's Hyundai Motor Co, was said to be the highest bidder in the Opel auction. Continued...

This content has passed through fivefilters.org.