Category: Industry News

Kia Forte: A Leader In Compact Sedan Class

2017 Forte Sedan

From: http://www.kiamedia.com/us/en/media/pressreleases/12724/2017-kia-forte-earns-top-safety-pick-plus-rating-from-insurance-institute-for-highway-safety

Award Cements Forte as a Leader in the Compact Sedan Segment

  • Forte earned “Good” rating in IIHS small overlap test and met all other crashworthiness requirements
  • Compact sedan received “Good” rating for headlights with HID Dynamic Bending Light

IRVINE, Calif., July 20, 2017 —The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has awarded its best rating possible, Top Safety Pick Plus (TSP+), to the 2017 Kia Forte built after March 2017 when equipped with optional front crash prevention and high intensity discharge (HID) headlights with Dynamic Bending Light. This top safety award came right on the heels of the Forte being named highest-rated compact car in the 2017 J.D. Power Initial Quality Study (IQS), which measures consumer satisfaction and the least number of issues in the first 90 days of ownership.1

“Kia Forte is one of our most popular and best-selling vehicles,” said Orth Hedrick, vice president, Product Planning KMA. “The new distinction of TSP+ rating from the highly-respected IIHS reconfirms the high priority we place on safety for our customers and why Forte remains a favorite in the compact sedan class.”

To qualify for TSP+, the IIHS testing parameters require each vehicle to earn “good” ratings in five crashworthiness tests – small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side impact, roof strength and head restraints – as well as an “advanced” or “superior” rating for front crash prevention and an “acceptable” or “good” rating in headlight testing.

Sale Of Chevrolet Bolt EV Is Ahead Of Schedule

Chevrolet Bolt Electric Vehicle

Chevy Bolt EV goes on sale nationally a month early
From: http://www.autoblog.com/2017/06/09/chevy-bolt-ev-national-sales/#slide-3764447
By: Joel Stocksdale
 

Chevrolet has been slowly rolling out the Bolt EV to more states ever since the car’s introduction last December. Originally, the Bolt was supposed to go on sale in all 50 states as of September 2017, but General Motors has moved up its plans. GM representative Fred Ligouri confirmed recent reports that the Bolt EV will be released nationally in August. He also mentioned that cars will be delivered to an additional five states at the end of this month for a total of 21 states since the December launch.

For a car that has only been available in less than half of the United States, the Bolt EV has been selling pretty well, at least compared with Chevy’s other plug-in – the Volt hybrid. From January 2017 to May 2017, the Bolt EV has sold 5,950 units. The Volt, which is available everywhere, has sold 9,187 units in the same time frame. Expanding the Bolt EV’s availability will likely improve the car’s sales substantially.

Watch Out 2018, The Buick Regal Hatchback & Wagon Is Coming

2018-buick-regal-tourx
From: http://www.autoblog.com/2017/04/04/2018-buick-regal-hatchback-wagon/
The 2018 Buick Regal is now a hatchback and a wagon
By Greg Migliore
 

Buick has long been General Motors’ most traditional brand. With the launch of the 2018 Regal, it’s now arguably GM’s most risk-taking brand. Buick is turning its midsize staple into a hatchback, called the Regal Sportback, and a wagon, the Regal TourX. Revealed Tuesday afternoon at GM’s historic Design Dome in Warren, Mich., the cars will go on sale in the fall after next week’s public debut at the New York Auto Show.

“At Buick we can try things other people haven’t tried,” GM product chief Mark Reuss said.

The wagon – though Reuss was reluctant to call it one – is a longer (3.4 inches), higher-riding (0.6 inches) version of the Regal Sportback. It’s the first Buick wagon since the 1990s Roadmaster, and it’s aimed at the seemingly never-satiated crossover market in the United States.

The TourX will compete against the Volvo XC60 Cross Country, Audi A4 Allroad, Subaru Outback, and BMW 3 Series wagon. The Buick offers up 73.5 cubic feet of storage space behind the front seats and is all-wheel drive only. Power comes from a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder making 250 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque that teams with an eight-speed automatic transmission.

“It’s something that is very different and very beautiful, and it’s a good alternative for Buick to try,” Reuss said.

The Sportback, meanwhile, offers the same four-cylinder and eight-speed trans as the TourX in AWD trim. The Sportback also offers a front-wheel-drive model that uses a four-cylinder paired with a nine-speed automatic, and the engine is rated at 250 hp and 260 lb-ft in that setup. With swoopy creased styling, the Regal Sportback offers a slightly different riff on the crowded sedan segment, which GM says still has three million annual retail sales. On a side note, Saab fans might feel some old wounds at the sight of the hatchback Buick, as the 5-door 9-3 was axed by GM in an attempt to make the model more mainstream before the brand’s demise.

Both models will offer front pedestrian braking, lane keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, OnStar and seven-inch or eight-inch touchscreens with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

As expected, the Regals are based on the Opel Insignia, and they will be built in Ruesselsheim, Germany. Reuss said GM plans to build the Regals there after the company sells Opel to PSA. He also said GM isn’t concerned about potential border/import taxes that could be levied by the Trump Administration.

“I don’t know what the border tax is,” he said. “I don’t know what countries it’s [potentially] implemented on,” he said after the unveiling.

Buick sold 19,833 Regal models last year, trailing the Verano and Lacrosse. All three of Buick’s SUVs outsell the brand’s cars, reflecting the industry shift toward higher crossover sales.