The 1 millionth car rolled off the assembly line at Kia’s Zilina plant in Slovakia just a little over five years since the factory opened.
The milestone model was a white, diesel-engined Kia Cee’d SW that was handed over to a Slovakian children’s charity called the Red Nose Clowndoctors.

Kia said that the Cee’d SW is also the 600,000th version of the Zilina factory’s first car. Today, the plant also produces the Kia Sportage SUV and the Venga mini MPV. Last year, the Zilina factory produced 252,000 cars and 359,000 engines, recording a 10 percent and 12 percent increase respectively over 2010.

The soon-to-be replaced Cee’d topped the list with 103,000 units in 2011, representing 41% of the overall production. It was followed closely by the Sportage with 101,000 units or 40% of total production, the Hyundai ix35 with 36,000 units and the Venga with 11,000 units.

Last year, Kia made production records in Europe with 252,000 cars and more than 359,000 engines rolling off the assembly lines at is Zilina plant in Slovakia. Kia’s European arm built 10 percent more cars and posted a 12 percent increase in engine production.
Kia said that it is planning to further raise output in Slovakia, aiming to produce 285,000 vehicles this year, while the opening of a second engine shop in 2011 will allow the company to build as much as 450,000 engines annually.

Kia employs more than 3,900 people at Zilina with all vehicles exported to Europe and Russia. The company’s biggest markets in the region are Russia, which absorbed 23 percent of total production followed by Great Britain with 10 percent, Germany with 9 percent and Spain with 8 percent.

The soon-to-be replaced Cee’d series accounted for 41 percent of production at the Slovakian plant followed closely by the Sportage with 40 percent.

The Detroit News reports that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has concluded its investigations into the Kia Sorento without ordering either automaker to issue a recall. NHTSA had received 18 complaints of fuel spilling from the filler port on certain 2003-2004 Kia Sorento models. Kia found the vehicles’ fuel evaporation system featured a canister filter that could become clogged over time. As a result, excess pressure could build up in the fuel tank, causing gasoline to regurgitate back out of the filler neck. The canister requires regular service, but isn’t mentioned in the owner’s manual. According to The Detroit News, Kia has agreed to conduct a service campaign involving around 86,000 2003-2004 Sorento models.

Hyundai Motor Group, the owner of Kia brand, announced that it will invest $12.2 billion this year in research and development as well as on improving its facilities. Hyundai announced last October that their target for 2012 was 7 million units, up from 6.5 million in 2011. They also estimate that their growth could have been even larger had it not been limited by their plants’ output, many of which are operating at or near their maximum capacity.

The company stated that almost US$4.4 billion are earmarked for its research department in order ‘to accelerate the development of eco-friendly and fuel-efficient vehicles’.

Hyundai and Kia are increasing their 2012 investment by 15.6 percent compared to 2011 in order to meet increased demand. Both carmakers have achieved record sales in the U.S. market, with dealers having just a 30-day supply of vehicles on December 1, which is the second lowest supply in the industry and less than half the industry average.

Kia Motors it has begun assembly its Venga at its factory in Slovakia, which also builds the Cee’d family and the Sportage SUV. Up until now, Venga was produced at sister company’s Hyundai Motor in the Czech Republic.

To accommodate production of the Venga, Kia Motors invested more than €40 million into modifying the assembly lines of the Slovakian plant, while also adding a third shift and a second engine shop, which resulted in the employment of 1,000 new staff bringing the total to 4,000 employees.

The all-new 2012 Kia Rio 5-door hatchback priced in the United States with a base price of $13,600 for the manual gearbox model, w/o $750 destination and handling fee (*total $14,350). The an automatic transmission model starts from $15,450, while the range-topping SX trim will set you back $18,750.

The Kia Rio 5-Door hatchback is offered in three trim levels with the basic model offering standard air conditioning, electric power steering, an audio system with USB and SiriusXM satellite radio, plus several safety features, including Electronic Stability Control (ESC), ABS, Hill-start Assist Control (HAC) and Vehicle Stability Management (VSM).

All 2012 Rios are equipped with a 1.6-liter GDI four-cylinder engine with the option of either a six-speed manual gearbox or a six-speed automatic transmission. The gasoline engine delivers an output of 138HP.

After Euro NCAP released the results of its latest crash tests, the Kia Picanto was the only one out of the 10 cars tested that was awarded four, and not five, stars. The reason being that the electronic stability control system (ESC) was not standard across its range, as the Euro NCAP tests mandate.

Kia said a four-star rating is common among the small-car segment and was expected due to the ESC’s absence. Kia UK stated than although most of Picanto’s European versions offer the system as standard, Euro NCAP tested, as always, the base equipment level, which doesn’t feature ESC in its standard specification.

Kia UK clarified that all versions of the Picanto that are available in the country feature ESC as standard. Furthermore, it also published the full list of standard safety equipment in all of its UK versions.

The new Kia’s Picanto is available with a three-door body style in Britain. The new Picanto will go on sale in the UK from the 1st of September with prices starting from £7,795 for the base:

The updated Picanto features new front doors, bumpers, rear panels and glass aft of the A-pillar, along with a larger front grille that’s available with silver or red trim surrounds, visible exhaust tail pipes and different alloy wheel designs.

There are four trim levels available for the 3d model, two of which, the “1″ and “1 Air” are carried over from the 5d Picanto, and the Halo and Equinox that are new.

Standard features on all models include a trip computer, height-adjustable seat, a tilt-adjustable steering column, a RDS radio and CD player with MP3 compatibility, electronic stability control, anti-lock brakes, electronic brake-force distribution and emergency brake assist system.

The Picanto 1 Air gets air conditioning, while the Halo and Equinox both benefit from USB and AUX ports, an iPod cable and steering wheel-mounted audio controls, alloy wheels.

The Picanto 3d is offered with two gasoline engines, a 1.0-liter three-cylinder unit developing 68bhp, and a 1.25-liter four-cylinder with 84bhp, that delivers 60.1mpg UK with a manual gearbox, 53.3mpg UK with a 4-speed auto, and 65.7mpg UK when combined with a Start and Stop system.

And he may be proven correct, as Kia has a strong new range of products and last month increased its US target for 2011. It also announced that it will begin producing the Optima at its US plant in Georgia from September.

Another thing that can save you money on your car insurance is the safety features that are installed on your vehicle. When you have anti-lock brakes, airbags, and security alarms it can save you a small amount on your car insurance. These things make your car appear to be safer to the insurance company and this is why they reduce the premiums when you have these features.

Raising your deductible can lower the amount that you pay out of pocket for your premium. This may mean that you will pay more if you are in an accident, so you will need to be prepared for that in the case of any work that needs to be done on the vehicle. Many people do not realize this and will opt for the lower premium and then are surprised when they need to have their vehicle repaired and have a higher amount to pay.

Perhaps one of the most forgotten about discounts available to save you money is having multiple policies with the same company. When you combine your policies, the insurance company will offer you a lower premium. This also makes it easier for you as you usually have only one payment to make each month instead of mailing checks to multiple
companies.