BIZmotors

Kia ex-cee'd Cabrio unveiled at prestigious motor show

Kia Motors Corporation unveiled the Kia ex-cee'd Cabrio at the 77th Salon de l' Automobiles in Geneva, Switzerland, one of Europe's most prestigious motor shows.

The ex-cee'd Cabrio of the new Kia was designed by Peter Schreyer. Based on the new three-door cee'd sporty Hatch, the ex-cee'd has the same 2650 mm wheel base, but features several new exterior panels, plus a powered folding fabric roof.

By adopting a fabric roof for the ex-cee'd Kia goes its own retro-way rather than following the trend towards cabrios with folding metal roofs.

Kia Rio

The Kia Rio is ranked the highest in the subcontact category by J.D. Power and Associates. The annual report released by J.D. Power and Associates measures 217 vehicle attributes across eight categories including driving experience, engine and transmission and a broad range of quality problem symptoms reported by vehicle owners.

The Rio is a class leading sub-compact vehicle and an excellent example of Kia's continued dedication to offering consumers an affordable vehicle without sacrificing quality, said Len Hunt, Executive Vice President and COO of Kia Motors America. J.D. Power and Associate's study commended the Kia Rio as the highest ranking model in a tie in the sub-compact segment at 137 problems per 100 vehicles.

Kia Carens compact MPV

The new Kia Carens which was unveiled at the Madrid motor show, will be marketed in two versions with seven seats and five seat cabins.

In response to consumers needs and in keeping with developing market trends within the compact MPV sector Kia conceived a next generation vehicle for active lifestyle families that blends with the interlocking trends of MPV and SUVS.

Carplan Limited is the sole agent in Sri Lanka for Kia Automobiles.

Guidelines on purchasing spare parts

A survey conducted by a research team revealed that vehicle owners are not satisfied with the prices charged by dealers of spare parts and franchise agents. There are over two million vehicle owners in Sri Lanka and most of them are uncertain where to purchase spare parts.

According to the Managing Director of M.M. Organisation Maxwell Ranasinghe there are four types of spare parts available in the local market-namely Genuine parts, original parts replacement parts and duplicate parts.

Genuine parts These are the parts presented to the market by vehicle manufacturers under their brand trade name.

Original Parts (OEM) These parts are presented as 'Genuine' parts but are not manufactured by vehicle manufacturers. Many of them are manufactured by various motor car parts component manufacturers all over the world. Such parts are called 'Original' Parts as they come from original equipment manufacturers (OEM). These products are imported by their specific agents and other importers.

Replacement Parts: There are many motor spare parts manufacturers all over the world. Since they do not supply parts to vehicle manufacturers they do not fall into the OEM category.

However, it does not mean that they do not supply quality parts. Some manufacturers supply high quality parts and hold ISO 9000 and or QS 9000 quality standard certification.

A few of the good quality Replacement Parts brand names could be listed as 'minitye' brake pads and shoes, 'CTR' and '555' suspension parts, 'Supergrip' fan belts, 'Takoma' gaskets and 'KCW' wiper blades. These products are imported by their specific agents as well as by other importers. Comparatively Replacement Parts prices are lower than Genuine and OEM products.

Duplicate fake parts: These parts can be defined as parts of low quality and made in imitation of a genuine part, OEM parts or of a High Quality Replacement Part. They are manufactured with the intention of deceiving customers. These parts have a very low life span and it should not be purchased at all.

Since it is very difficult to distinguish the fake from the original, always ask a money back guarantee if the product fails before a reasonable period of time. To maintain your vehicle at a lower cost, it is always better to buy a combination of Genuine Original and Replacement Parts.

M.M. Organisation can advise you in this regard.