TOYOTA TILTS AT BIGGER SLICE OF SMALL CAR MARKET

at a time when interest in small cars is on a rapid rise, David Thomson gets behind the wheel of the flagship variant of Toyota's prime contender, the new Yaris YRS.Toyota is expecting to increase Yaris registrations by almost a third with the latest, mark 3 version of its cornerstone supermini. To do so, it will need to boost sales to private, as opposed to fleet, rental and company customers.The 1.5 YRS Yaris will be a vital variant in this sales push. Listing at $27,490, it is the flagship of the current line-up, featuring five doors, a 1.5-litre engine, automatic transmission and a standard equipment list superior to that of the model it replaces.As well as the expected small-car bases of air conditioning, power windows and mirrors, and remote locking being covered, the YRS provides standard cruise control and a new audio system that should meet the expectations of younger customers with its iPod/USB inputs, Bluetooth and voice-recognition capability.

It also shows strongly on the safety front, holding the maximum five-star European NCAP safety rating. Features that contribute to its strong safety credentials (and which are standard across the whole range) include electronic stability programming and seven airbags (including a driver's side knee bag).

The Yaris's ancestor, the Echo, was renowned for its bold styling. The Yaris, however, has played a progressively more conservative hand in this regard.Whether this is a good or bad thing is very much a matter of taste: to my eye, the latest Yaris treads the boundary line between anonymous and quirky pretty well.The most obvious point of comparison is the car's larger sibling, the Corolla. Alongside the current (and soon to be replaced) Corolla, the latest Yaris exhibits a similarly neat solid look, but with fresher detailing. It doesn't look that much smaller than the Corolla either, in part because the latest Yaris is 100mm longer than the model it replaces.The natural assumption that the Yaris is Corolla's baby brother is compounded when you enter its remarkably roomy cabin.

Up front, the interior is bright and airy, and the seats comfortable and supportive. Hard plastic surfaces dominate, but that's the norm in this segment of the market, and the quality of fit and finish is very good.

The layout of the centre console, dash and instruments returns to orthodoxy after the digital displays and associated adventures of the previous model. I'm picking at least as many folk will be pleased with this change as are disappointed, and most won't care either way; all I would ask for up front now is a slight angling of the centre binnacles that house the audio and ventilation controls towards the driver.

The rear of the cabin impresses mightily for legroom; this is where the benefit of having half that 100mm extra length coming between the wheels pays the biggest dividends. Rear headroom is fine as well, especially given that, while longer, the new Yaris is also lower than its predecessor.

There's less cleverness in the rear-seat-folding arrangement than before, but part of the payback is increased luggage capacity. The boot is 25% larger and features a "false floor" that can be kept in place to provide a flat loading point from the tailgate and an out-of-sight underfloor storage area, or removed to provide a deeper overall boot cavity.Small cars such as the Yaris are usually thought of as town cars, but an unexpected need to dash to Southland had the test car spending a fair portion of its time on the open road.The drivetrain combination of a 1.5-litre engine and four-stage auto gearbox, both of which carry over from the previous model, is tried and true rather than state of the art. There is, however, sufficient mid-range torque to mask the limitations of just four forward ratios on all but the steepest highway hills. As a result, and aided also by its cruise control and quite low levels of coarse-chip road roar, the test car proved far more adept in the open-road role than many might expect.The limitations of engine and gearbox are more obvious during press-on driving down winding country roads, as is the fact that the chassis is competent rather than sparkling, and the suspension tuned for comfort rather than razor-sharp responses.That said, it is hard to imagine anyone buying a Yaris YRS with visions of an enthralling back-road blast top of mind. At least, while it might not entertain hugely on such roads, the new Yaris is well mannered and progressive in its dynamic responses.

Interestingly, the times I most felt an extra forward gear or two would have come in handy were around town: that's because when Dunedin's steeper hills are tackled at city speeds, they can be real power suckers for small cars; the response of a four-speed auto is invariably a somewhat abrupt downshift, followed by a marked rise in engine revs and noise. Other small cars with engines of similar outputs and four-speed autos (the Suzuki Swift and Kia Rio spring to immediate mind) are similarly exposed on Dunedin hills, whereas those with peppier engines and more advanced transmissions deal with our sharper inclines with less fuss.

Toyota will, most likely, introduce both engine and transmission upgrades to the latest Yaris as part of a mid- or late-life update. In the meantime, while the engine/gearbox combination is something potential buyers might take account of, it is hardly a deal-breaker.

As tested, then, the YRS is a decent-looking, competent-handling, roomy, solidly constructed and well-equipped addition to the small-car market. As such, it has what it takes to play a vital role in Toyota's sales ambitions for this generation of the Yaris.

THE CARS OF 2012 THAT WILL SAVE GAS AND ACCENTUATE YOUR STYLE (TOYOTA )

The rising rates of fuel needn’t check your desire to buy your dream car as long as you buy smart and check out the fuel efficiency. It’s a good year for most car buyers as there is a larger variety to choose from be it a conventional model, hybrid or electrically charged car.

 The Toyota Prius not only seats five but also provides the most mileage and thus, is marketed as the most fuel efficient car starting at the level of $ 25,000.

 If however, you want a car that will fetch you good money on a resale, Honda is a good company to back on. The Honda Insight is priced around $ 20,000 and though the mileage drops to 42 miles per gallon (mpg), it is a safe bet.

 As for those who prefer luxury, Lexus CT at the starting range of $ 30,000 is a good buy as you still get a mileage of 42mpg and so, the practical is merged into the sharp.

 Sedan lovers can get their dream at below $ 15,000 with the Ford Fiesta SFE with its quiet engine and 29 mpg for city driving.

    Another good luxury car buy is the Buick Regal priced around $ 31,000 with the same Ford like 29mpg. What’s really interesting about it is that you can switch from gas to electric as well.

The family car

For the family of four to five members, there are many non-hybrid versions like SUV five seater class giving a mileage of 26 mpg. The Chevrolet Equinox is one of them while Hyundai’s Tucson and the Honda CR-V are rather popular. If you want a hybrid on the other hand, the mileage for Ford Escape is about 32 mpg.

2013 Ford Focus Hybrid

People who love the sedan look and have smaller families prefer the Kia Optima as it is one of the lowest priced hybrids. Diesel cars have proved to be more fuel efficient and great money savers. The Volkswagen Jetta Sport Wagon and Passat sedan feature mileages of 34 to 35 mpg and so not as good as the Optima, considering the price of diesel fuel, it doesn’t lead to any saving.

KIA Optima hybrid

For singles

The young generation of single individuals too has a wide choice of cars to select from. In case you can’t afford Toyota’s latest hybrid called the Prius c, you can always go for the Scion iQ. The former has an average of about 50 miles on every gallon while the latter is around 37 mpg. You can opt for cars cheaper than these like the Nissan Versa which falls in 34 mpg range or the cooler looking Hyundai Accent or Ford Fiesta.

KANSAS SPEEDWAY LATEST FLASHPOINT FOR NASCAR REPAVING DEBATE

KANSAS CITY, Kan. – Kansas Speedway President Pat Warren entered his track's media center Saturday morning carrying an iPhone and the confident look of a prosecutor poised to deliver a closing argument.

The smartphone's photo app displayed a picture of a 3-by-5-inch hole that had sprung at the apex of Turns 1 and 2 after a full day of Sprint Cup practice Friday afternoon. Warren showed it to any reporter who was interested, and it was accompanied by a polite but firm defense of why Sunday's STP 400 will be the last NASCAR race on the 1.5-mile speedway's original coat of asphalt.

"The best analogy is I had open heart surgery last fall," Warren said. "I looked fine on the outside, and people who saw me at the fall race didn't notice anything different. But the doctors told me I had a heart valve that was failing. If I didn't fix it, I might not be here today..

Many NASCSR stars are asking this weekend whether Warren's track will be better off for it when it reopens in October during the Chase for the Sprint Cup with fresh pavement. After more than a decade of harsh winters and degradation that has caused the surface to slide while developing "seams" in the turns that require constant patching, parent company International Speedway Corp. decided it was worth the multimillion-dollar investment to prevent the possibility of a PR disaster akin to the pothole that caused a two-hour delay in the 2010 Daytona 500.

The repaving job will include the addition of variable 20-degree banking (up from 15 degrees), which has been a hit at Homestead-Miami Speedway since it was introduced in a 2003 reconfiguration that has been hailed as the gold standard of racetrack improvements.

But during preparations the past two days at Kansas (where A.J. Allmendinger captured his second career pole position and will start alongside Kevin Harvick), many still aren't convinced Kansas needs to be redone. It's become a familiar refrain with more than half the 22 tracks on the Cup circuit having been repaved in the past 10 years — often to the howling of drivers who fret that their cars grip the new surfaces too well, reducing the side-by-side action and passing that is sold as the essence of stock-car racing.

"I don't really understand why they are paving this racetrack," said Jeff Gordon, who won the first two races at Kansas in 2001-02. "It looks great. This place is awesome. I wish they wouldn't touch it. (But) I'm not the business person. I'm not an engineer that looks at the construction, foundation (and) all the things that they feel like why they need to do it.

"Whatever they put in front of us we will just go about it the best way that we can. I feel like ISC has gotten enough information and experience paving race tracks that I have faith they can do the right thing. They did a great job at Homestead. … What they have here is going to be hard to improve. It's a great racetrack."

Carl Edwards, who hails from Columbia, Mo., also doesn't want any changes to the track he considers his Holy Grail, having vowed his first win at Kansas would mean more than a Daytona 500 victory.

"I wouldn't resurface tracks ever if it were up to me," he said. "I'd patch the holes and keep on running.

"There are so many different things that NASCAR and our sport has to manage and I know no one wants to sit through a delay while they fix a hole in the track. I understand that we have to address those things, but I am a racer that likes to race on a bumpy, rough, slick race track with the cars sliding all over the place. I don't care if there are 20-foot long patches of dirt in the middle of the race track, I'm happy."

Driver input also is a source of some friction in the repaving debate. Though NASCAR has become more proactive in soliciting the opinions of its competitors when consulting with tracks about resurfacing, there still are instances in which drivers are displeased with the results.

In the wake of plummeting attendance the past two seasons since a repave, Bristol Motor Speedway will announce an overhaul next week of its high-banked concrete, and it's hard to find a driver who has been consulted.

Gordon and Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson both said they arrived at Phoenix International Raceway last November and were perplexed by how the track handled its resurfacing.

"A lot of other tracks, NASCAR has held a meeting in the truck on a race weekend and brought in the paving crew and engineers that are designing it and laying it out," Johnson said. "I've sat in on a lot of those meetings, and it felt like my voice has been heard.

"But the one that caught me off and a lot of drivers off guard was the repave at Phoenix. When we came back it was a far different race track than what we had talked about. I guess that's their prerogative. They're spending the money on the track; they can do what they want."

The main concern from the drivers — a surface that doesn't wear out quickly enough — might not be fixable anyway.

"I don't think there is any way around that," Gordon said. "You can't explain to them that the new technology they are using — it makes the highways smoother and is going to last a lot longer — you can't explain to them why that is not good for racing, because they look at the bottom dollar."

Points leader Greg Biffle, a two-time winner at Kansas, said he was disappointed to watch the track redone, but "we have to keep the racetrack in good condition where it's not coming apart during a race … and not have something happen like what happened at Daytona."

Daytona International Speedway was repaved before the 2011 season, and the ultra smooth surface resulted in the unexpected rise of two-car tandems, which NASCAR took steps to nullify this year through rules modifications after fans voiced displeasure.

Defending Daytona 500 winner Matt Kenseth said he's not sure Daytona will return to its slick, gravelly surface pre-2011 "in my lifetime," and that might affect the quality of on-track action.

"All the racing seems to be better when the pavement wears out and this new stuff doesn't do that," he said. "We've all talked about it before, it would be cool if you could pave it and it's already wore out, but nobody has figured out how to do that. "

Warren said the track considered that option but deemed it infeasible.

"It's like a bad coat of paint," he said. "If you have asphalt that lives two years instead of 12 or 20, you're just creating conditions that caused it to fail in the first place. It's a Catch-22 because it might work for a year or two, but then you just have to fix it again."

An hour after his iPhone photo display, the president returned to media center with more physical proof — the offending chunk of asphalt that shook loose Friday. Holding what looked like a moon rock, he made one more case for redoing his track.

"If you look at it and drive it, it looks fine and doesn't look like it's ready to fail," he said. "But the engineers say if we don't fix this thing, we're taking a chance with driver safety as well as the fundamental business we run.

"At some point, we'll have a catastrophic failure, and the hole will be 3 feet instead of 3 inches. You might not recover from stopping a race for that."

KIA MOTORS' U.S. CORPORATE CAMPUS HONORED WITH "GOOD DESIGN IS GOOD BUSINESS AWARD" BY ARCHITECTURAL RECORD

IRVINE, Calif., April 30, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Kia Motors America (KMA), the fastest-growing car company in the United States(1), celebrates another prestigious architectural accolade, as the KMA Corporate Headquarters and state-of-the-art Kia Design Center America (KDCA) in Irvine, California have been honored with the "Good Design is Good Business Award" by Architectural Record.  In its 15th year, the award celebrates architecture as a vehicle to enhance the company's bottom line and the architect/client collaborations responsible for them that prioritize quality of life, community outreach and sustainability to achieve their goals.  Judging parameters included sustainability, work environment, employee recruitment, retention, performance and productivity, branding, culture, development of new work tools, and space for amenities like exercise facilities.  As part of the honor, Kia's corporate campus will be featured in the May issue of Architectural Record.

Representing a total investment of $130 million, the 21.7 acre campus was designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP.  The 239,000-square-foot modern glass and steel main structure features two administrative office and research buildings connected by an expansive entry and vehicle display area topped by executive offices.  Other common spaces are organized around the light-filled public space that links the entry to a 36,000 square-foot reflecting pool and views to the hills beyond.  The state-of-the-art, 100,700-square-foot U.S. design center features a covered entry and extensive design and modeling studios, workshops and presentation rooms.  Both buildings are integrated with landscaping and parking areas to create a cohesive campus prominently visible to drivers on the adjacent Interstate 5.

KMA was one of the first companies in Irvine to voluntarily install an eco-friendly bioswale system in its parking lot to remove silt and pollution from surface water runoff.  The landscaping features drought-resistant plants, and reclaimed water is used for landscaping irrigation and toilets.  SOM provided full-service architecture and interior design.  The team also included Nabih Youssef, structural engineers; MEP engineers; Tom Leader, Landscape architect, and PBQA, lighting designers.  The property is managed by RiverRock Real Estate Group, Inc.

"As the fastest growing automotive brand in the U.S. Kia is committed to providing cutting-edge vehicles with world-class design, and our Corporate Headquarters and Design Center reflect that same philosophy," said John Yoon, vice president of human resources/administration and general counsel, KMA. "The corporate campus symbolizes innovation through leading architectural design, as well as Kia's ongoing commitment to the U.S. market, which has led to our record-breaking sales and market share increases."

The campus also features a state-of-the-art workout facility with the latest equipment and with exercise classes offered to employees during the day, as well as an on-site cafeteria and lunchroom.  The Multi-purpose room found in the lobby area also is available to community groups as a meeting or event function space when not in use by KMA.

KMA and KDCA previously were recognized with "The Outstanding Building of the Year" (TOBY) award for corporate facility from the Orange County chapter of the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA), an Award of Excellence from the American Institute of Architects' Orange County chapter (AIAOC), and also recognized on the 2009 International Architecture Awards List, presented by the Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design and Metropolitan Arts Press Ltd.

Exemplifying "Good Design is Good Business," Kia's U.S. sales are up 31.8 percent year-to-date, while March marked the brand's 19th straight monthly sales record with 80 percent of sales in March, including vehicles that achieve more than 30 highway miles per gallon(2).

"Kia Motors' U.S. corporate campus proves that thoughtful, rational design can be a powerful engine for business growth and talent retention," said Brian Lee, Design Partner, SOM. "The project exemplifies SOM's commitment to provide our clients with high-performance design that adds value to their brand and expresses their corporate identity."

Architecture and design has become a top priority for leaders of business and industry looking to rebrand, boost productivity, and attract customers.  The Architectural Record Good Design is Good Business (GDGB) Awards program honors the architects and clients who best utilize design to achieve such strategic objectives. For more information, visit: Architectural Record.

Kia's Unprecedented Growth

Kia Motors is one of the world's fastest moving global automotive brands; from 2009-2011 Kia launched more new vehicles in the U.S. than any other automaker, and under the guidance of chief design officer Peter Schreyer earned a reputation as an industry leader in automotive styling.  Kia Motors America's full line of fuel-efficient and fun-to-drive cars and CUVs has earned critical acclaim and dramatically increased consumer awareness, perception and consideration for the brand.  In 2011, KMA recorded its 17th consecutive year of market share growth, thanks in part to the largest increase of any major brand in perceived quality(3) and the industry's highest brand loyalty ranking(4).  Kia's U.S.-based manufacturing facility in West Point, Georgia – KMMG – is responsible for the creation of more than 10,000 plant and supplier jobs and builds the company's two best-selling vehicles in the U.S. – the Sorento CUV and Optima midsize sedan(5).  Kia's value- and technology-laden 2012 model year lineup also includes the Sportage compact CUV, Soul urban passenger vehicle, Optima Hybrid, Forte compact sedan, Forte 5-door compact hatchback, Forte Koup two-door coupe, all-new Rio and Rio 5-door sub-compacts and Sedona minivan.

About Kia Motors America

Kia Motors America is the marketing and distribution arm of Kia Motors Corporation based in Seoul, South Korea. KMA offers a complete line of vehicles through more than 755 dealers throughout the United States and serves as the "Official Automotive Partner" of the NBA and LPGA.  In 2011, KMA recorded its best-ever annual sales total and became one of the fastest growing car companies in the U.S.  Kia is poised to continue its momentum and will continue to build the brand through design innovation, quality, value, advanced safety features and new technologies.

Information about Kia Motors America and its full vehicle line-up is available at its website – www.kia.com. For media information, including photography, visit www.kiamedia.com.

About SOM

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM) is one of the leading architecture, interior design, engineering, and urban-planning firms in the world, with a 75-year reputation for design excellence and a portfolio that includes some of the most important architectural accomplishments of the 20th and 21st centuries. Since its inception, SOM has been a leader in the research and development of specialized technologies, new processes and innovative ideas, many of which have had a palpable and lasting impact on the design profession and the physical environment. The firm's longstanding leadership in design and building technology has been honored with more than 1,500 awards for quality, innovation, and management. The American Institute of Architects has recognized SOM twice with its highest honor, the Architecture Firm Award—in 1962 and again in 1996. The firm maintains offices in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., London, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Mumbai and Abu Dhabi.

(1) Based on 5-year cumulative growth between 12-month retail sales for periods ending March 2007 and March 2012 of all U.S. automotive brands.

(2) EPA Estimated.   Actual mileage will vary with options, driving conditions, driving habits, and your vehicle's condition

(3) Source:  Automotive Lease Guide Spring 2011 Perceived Quality Study

(4) Source: Experian Automotive Q2 2011 market analysis

(5) The Optima GDI (EX Trims and certain LX Trims only) and GDI Turbo are assembled in the United States from U.S. and globally –sourced parts.

LOCAL CAR DEALERSHIP GETTING $14M FACELIFT

DeLuca Toyota in Ocala began breaking ground last week on its new $14 million showroom and service center on State Road 200.

Owner Frank DeLuca said when he started the dealership 33 years ago on a 3½-acre lot, selling a relatively unknown brand of car made in Japan, he never suspected the dealership would do so well.

Construction of the new 65,000-square-foot facility will begin in four months and take a year to complete. It will replace the dealership’s current 22,000-square-foot showroom and service area. It will be built on the 6-acre site that once made up the Ocala Rallye Motors dealership, which DeLuca bought for $3.75 million 2½ years ago.

DeLuca said much of the success of his dealership is due to loyal customers who return to buy new cars.Seventy-eight percent of our customers are repeat customers,” DeLuca said, adding later, “We treat every customer like an honored guest in our home.”

“This is my baby,” he said of the business. “This is my No. 1 business that I have here. I really care about our customers.”

The latest Ocala Rallye Motors land purchase puts the Toyota dealership at nearly 25 acres. The business employs 131 people.

The new facility will not only expand the showroom and office space, but also increase the number of service bays from the current 19 to 42.

The expansion also will create jobs, DeLuca said. All told, the expansion will involve hiring as many as 40 more employees, about half of whom will be mechanics.

Construction of the facility will put between 150 to 200 people to work, DeLuca estimated.