SsangYong Rodius, 2014

 

 SsangYong Rodius, 2014

With key features such as its innovative and flexible design layout, luxurious interior and competitive position in the market place, the new Rodius offers a dynamically strong and distinctive look. Sales to European and other export markets will begin in 2013.

The Design
SsangYong's designers have gone to great lengths to create a distinctive and innovative look to its new MPV that will please owners and observers alike. The brief was to create a sporting while at the same time luxurious and dignified tone that would blend well with the car's numerous roles.

Combining strength and fluidity, the front of the car has a robust stance thanks to its hexagonal shaped radiator grille and trapezoidal bumper, and the overall design successfully disguises its large exterior volume.

The Interior
Thanks to its 3,000mm wheelbase, the car provides a huge internal space where seven adults can travel in supreme comfort together with their luggage, and without having to compromise on passenger capacity. There are three rows of seats as well as a large load area which can be further increased by removing the third row completely. The second row of seats can be folded individually and used as tables, and there is still sufficient room to accommodate airline style seat back folding tables.

Powertrain
The Rodius is powered by SsangYong's own 2.0 litre turbo charged e-XDi200 diesel engine offering a level of performance and NVH that have already been tested, proven and praised in the marketplace.

The e-XDi200 engine offers maximum power of 155ps/4000rpm and maximum torque of 360Nm/1,500-2,800rpm, and is designed to provide low end torque whatever the conditions on or off road.

There's a choice of 6-speed manual transmission and 5-speed T-Tronic Mercedes-Benz automatic transmission, ensuring world-class durability, smooth gear-changing performance and quiet operation.

Ride & handling
The new Rodius utilises double wishbone front suspension and rear independent multi-link suspension for executive saloon style ride quality. This set up offers a quiet and comfortable driving environment yet with firm body motion control, a flat ride and optimum stability regardless of the road conditions. The new Rodius features rear wheel drive as standard and is also available with four wheel drive to give added security in bad weather and off road, while low ratio can be selected on the move for additional grip.

The Safety
The car features a comprehensive package of active safety features, including Electronic Stability Program (ESP), Active Roll over Protection (ARP) and Brake Assist System (BAS). There are dual front and side air bags, while ISO-Fix and tether anchorage points for child seats are fitted on the second row. Passive safety is further increased thanks to two high strength sub-frames fitted to the front and rear of the car. These help to disperse any impact shocks from a frontal or off set collision and protect passengers by minimising cabin distortion.

Luxury, comfort and convenience
Noted for its comprehensive levels of standard equipment, SsangYong has ensured that this new Rodius delivers a new level of luxury, comfort and convenience. Air conditioning and an Air Quality System to detect and prevent the ingress of hazardous gases such as carbon monoxide or hydrocarbons to maintain air quality, Eco Cruise Control, a heated windscreen to prevent the wipers from freezing and rear parking sensors, all make driving easier. Leather upholstery, electrically adjustable and heated front seats, and an MP3 CD & RDS radio with a USB & auxiliary port and Bluetooth connectivity also feature.

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Smart fortwo electric drive, 2013

 

 

 Smart fortwo electric drive, 2013

With the launch of the new smart fortwo electric drive, in future smart customers can enjoy even more fun at the wheel of an attractively priced vehicle that has the familiar compact dimensions - as a coupé or a cabriolet. The most important feature distinguishing it from its siblings with conventional engines is the fact that it does not produce any emissions on the road. With its 55kW electric motor the smart fortwo electric drive accelerates from 0-60 km/h in 4.8 seconds, and with a maximum speed of 125 km/h driving pleasure is also guaranteed on urban motorways. The 17.6 kWh battery enables the urban two-seater to travel approximately 145 kilometres in city traffic without producing any local emissions. The new sale&care model makes opting into electric mobility particularly attractive: it offers customers an opportunity to buy, finance or lease the vehicle at an attractive price and to rent the battery for a monthly fee.

Extensive experience and customer feedback from various electric mobility projects were integrated in the further development of the smart fortwo electric drive. Ever since 1998 the smart has been revolutionising urban mobility like no vehicle before it. Compact, agile, environmentally friendly and stylish - it has evolved from a practical small car to a lifestyle product and has long become a familiar sight on the roads of cities around the world.

From the summer the smart fortwo electric drive will start winning wide-ranging buyers in more than 30 international countries for its innovative and forward-looking drive concept.

The new model is fitted with a 55 kW magneto-electric motor - the first product from the EM-motive joint venture founded together with Bosch - ensuring that it is as agile and lively as ever.

With torque of 130 Newton metres it accelerates powerfully from 0 to 60 km/h in 4.8 seconds, and thanks to better acceleration in the higher speed range it can sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in 11.5 seconds as it has much more tractive power than its predecessor.

A battery from the joint venture "Deutsche ACCUmotive" with Evonik Industries is fitted in the new smart fortwo electric drive for the first time. With capacity of 17.6 kWh the lithium-ion battery enables 145 kilometres of pollutant-free driving fun. In addition to the higher battery capacity clear improvements have been made to the efficiency of the drive system, resulting in a greater range. When completely empty it takes a maximum of seven hours to fully charge the battery at a household socket or charging station on the electricity systems of most countries i.e. overnight.

Quick charging in less than one hour
For the feasibility of quick charging it is possible to optionally equip the car with a quick-charging function. The 22 kW on-board charger enables a completely empty battery to be fully charged in less than an hour. A power cable is needed for this which is used to connect the vehicle to a public quick-charging station or a "wallbox" at home or work.

smart will offer this in future in cooperation with SPX, one of the world's leading suppliers of technology solutions in the fields of energy and automotive as a global installation and service partner, and with KEBA, a specialist for innovative E-charging infrastructure and wallboxes. If a customer decides to install a wallbox at home or work the smart Sales department will contact SPX. SPX will examine the local conditions, make an individual offer, and after a purchase decision, arrange for installation of the wallbox from KEBA. The wallbox is standardised and can of course also be used to charge vehicles from other manufacturers, for example if there is a mixed fleet.

There are two different types of wallbox: Basic and Connected. Both variants can be used for the quick charging of a single vehicle, or several vehicles one after the other. For private customers who want to charge up quickly and easily at home, a Basic wallbox is the perfect solution. It provides quick charging up to 22 kW and can be used both indoors and outdoors. The Connected wallbox also provides internet connectivity once linked up to the customer's web connection.

Furthermore, the Connectivity Plus system is an ideal solution for fleet customers. It enables up to 16 Connected wallboxes to be linked up to the "fleet server". This fleet server then enables several vehicles to be charged at once, all controlled intelligently and automatically. For example, certain vehicles can be given priority or a load limitation can be set. SmartCharging is also possible: economical charging and charging with green electricity (if the utility company provides the relevant data). This is financially advantageous to customers as they always have full control over their charging. The relevant charging cables are of course also available from SPX.

Attractive introduction to electric mobility
The smart fortwo electric drive makes opting into electric mobility very attractive with a new marketing concept. With the sale&care model customers can buy, lease or finance the vehicle at an attractive price and rent the battery. The rental costs include regular maintenance and, if necessary, quick battery replacement. smart also has a solution for all those who want to buy the entire vehicle.

In Germany the price for the vehicle with the sale&care model is €18,910 inc. VAT for the coupé and €22,000 for the cabrio. As well as this there is the standard battery rental charge of €65 including VAT in all sale&care markets. In view of the low operating costs electric driving is therefore a very attractive form of individual mobility.

National promotion programmes in many countries and various mobility benefits such as the use of special lanes or exemption from city congestion charges are further advantages of electric driving. With the attractive sale&care package and the significant technological advancement of the smart fortwo electric drive smart offers its customers affordable driving pleasure in daily use based on the environmentally friendly drive.

smart also has an attractive offer for customers who want to buy or lease the complete vehicle with the battery: including VAT the new smart fortwo electric drive costs €23,680 as a coupé and €26,770 as a cabrio.

Since the International Motor Show in Frankfurt anyone interested has been able to register on www.smart.com with no obligation to receive all the latest news on the new electric smart. In some markets, including Germany, France, Spain, Italy and the UK customers have been able to make advance reservations for a vehicle online - and these customers will be among the first owners of the new smart fortwo electric drive. A four-figure number of reservations has already been received - and a five-figure number of people have even registered on the smart website.

Fill up on renewable energies
Electric vehicles cut down greenhouse gases on a sustained basis, especially when they are powered by renewably generated electricity. This is why the company is supplying as much additional energy generated by wind power to the German grid as is needed to run all new electric smarts sold in Germany - thus supporting the ambitious climate targets of the EU. The energy needed for this is supplied by a new wind power plant on the A9 motorway, which Daimler has acquired in order to supply additional power generated from a completely renewable source to the grid on time for the launch of the new electric smart. Within the framework of this initiative Daimler is deliberately not taking up support measures from the German Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG). With nominal output of 2.3 megawatts per year the onshore wind energy plant type Enercon E82 will generate enough green electricity to run the approximately 2,500 smart fortwo electric drives initially sold in Germany. Any power required over and above this could also be covered with electricity from wind power, without EEG funding.

A fresh green and even more colours
With a larger radiator grille featuring the electric drive logo, stylish LED daytime driving lights below the headlamps, wider door sills and several modifications to the rear the new model is much more dynamic than its predecessor. The new E-smart comes in all smart colours and colour combinations that are also available for the diesel and petrol models.

The new colour fresh green is a particularly visible manifestation of electric driving fun. The electric drive design package comprises crystal white bodypanels and white alloy rims, tridion cell and mirror caps painted in electric green and numerous green accents in the interior, which form an attractive contrast to the black seats.

Those looking to give their vehicle an even more exclusive touch can choose from the range of options offered by smart BRABUS tailor made - with an even greater choice of colours and materials.

Perfectly equipped
As to be expected the new smart fortwo electric drive features extensive equipment. A highlight is the fully automatic air conditioning with pollen filter and pre-entry climate control. When it is connected to the power supply the vehicle can be automatically pre-cooled or pre-heated as required for a programmed departure time. A new feature is the possibility to start the pre-entry climate control via the internet or a smartphone at any time. The standard equipment furthermore includes electric windows, a leather steering wheel, leather gear knob, the audio system basic, power steering, 9-spoke alloy wheels and a luggage compartment cover. In addition to the standard solid roof, a glass roof and a cabrio version are available. The trip computer - also a standard feature in the electric smart - shows journey information including the remaining range. And like the predecessor model the two round instruments show the battery state-of-charge and the energy used and recuperated. In addition, the smart fortwo electric drive can be equipped with a navigation system and a 3-spoke leather steering wheel.

Clever app for infotainment with smartphones
smart is the first car brand to develop its own drive app for the iPhone®. Together with the smart kit and cradle for the iPhone® the cult phone becomes a multimedia trip computer that is optimised for the smart fortwo in terms of function and design. The smart drive app for the iPhone has all the important features needed whilst driving: phone calls via hands-free system, your own extensive music collection, internet radio and a clever navigation system with a special smart touch. There are also smart extras - for example the Car Finder that will guide you back to wherever you parked your car.

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Seat Leon SC, 2014

 

 Seat Leon SC, 2014

The new SEAT Leon SC is bringing even more style into the medium hatchback segment, without compromising everyday usability. Its functional interior features a compelling mix of premium materials and outstanding craftsmanship and offers plenty of room in all seating positions. At 380 litres, the luggage compartment of the three-door SC is just as spacious as in the five-door body shell variant of the new SEAT Leon.

The wheelbase is shorter by 35 millimetres, which contributes to the distinctive character of the new SEAT Leon SC. The sports coupé catches the eye with that extra helping of athletic prowess. The 4.23-metre long Leon SC is a true design icon and the perfect embodiment of the new SEAT design language. The Leon SC marks the first time that SEAT has offered a three-door version of the compact model.

The new SC is the logical continuation of the Leon model line, creating a whole new family piece-by-piece. The Leon SC is the most emotional and athletic member of this family; it is as emotional as a coupé, while offering a high degree of usability. This irresistible combination of design, technology, athletic performance and premium quality will impress our loyal customers and draw a whole new generation of fans to our brand.

The third generation of the SEAT Leon has been redesigned from the ground up. Like its predecessor, the new SEAT Leon stands for driving fun and exceptional functionality. The new Leon SC, the second member of the current Leon family, celebrated its world premiere at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show.

The new SEAT Leon SC is built at the Martorell plant near Barcelona in Spain. Since the premiere of the first Leon generation in 1999, SEAT has sold no less than 1.2 million vehicles from this successful model line.

The entire engine line-up for the new SEAT Leon SC is made up exclusively of turbocharged, direct-injection units. The TSI and TDI engines, ranging in displacement from 1.2 to 2.0 litres, span a power spectrum of 63 kW (86 ps) to 135 kW (184 ps) and combine excellent efficiency with refined dynamics. The 1.6 TDI with 77 kW (105 ps) and equipped with the stop/start system makes do with an average fuel consumption of just 3.8 litres of diesel per 100 kilometres, equating to a CO2 figure of just 99 grams per kilometre.

The very latest drives, systematic lightweight design, a perfectly tuned suspension, modern infotainment and intelligent assistance systems make the three-door Leon SC a true technology showcase - and all of it at an extremely attractive price.

The Design-a powerful look
The new SEAT Leon SC cuts a fine figure with its perfectly balanced proportions. The relationship between its length, height and width, plus its short overhangs, convey its dynamics even at a standstill. Inspired by the IBE, IBL and IBX concept vehicles, the three-door compact car is the dynamic interpretation of the SEAT design language. The completely redesigned car has stunning appeal from every angle, with attractive, sporty aesthetics.

With the Leon SC, SEAT has systematically developed the brand's design identity, with the application of clear lines and taut surfaces conveying vitality and precision. Even the tiniest detail expresses the high standards and quality with which the new SEAT Leon SC has been designed and developed - standards fulfilled by very few vehicle manufacturers.

Compared with the five-door Leon, the wheelbase of the new Leon SC is shorter by 35 millimetres. At the same time, the distinctive window graphic, which sees the lower rear edge pulled downward, has the visual effect of stretching the car's 4.23-metre overall length. This gives the Leon SC a look that is sporty and powerful, yet very compact. All the exterior lines have an intense three-dimensionality that makes the design even more characteristic and generates a fine interplay between light and shade.

The front end of the new SEAT Leon SC is characterized by an emotional design. All lines stretch toward a single imaginary point that lies in front of the vehicle. The clear and stable geometric form of the triangle is a fundamental element of the SEAT design language and is evident in many places throughout the new Leon SC, such as the headlamp design. The lamps are perfectly integrated into the sculptural form of the Leon SC - their sharp line a typical SEAT feature.

The optional full-LED version with its powerful illumination makes the Leon SC a technology pioneer. The innovative full-LED headlamps, which are available for the first time in the compact segment, consume less energy and have an extremely long lifecycle. Their colour temperature of 5,500 Kelvin is similar to that of daylight, putting less strain on the eyes.

The side profile of the new SEAT Leon SC displays a balanced relationship between metal and glass surfaces - vertically, this is around 2/3 to 1/3. This emphasizes the solidity and underscores the car's firm stance. The characteristic, interrupted "Línea Dinámica" runs rearward over the wheel arches. The precisely sculpted "blisters" on the sides are not completely straight, running instead in a very slight arc to increase the tension. The expansive rear windscreen, with its coupé-like sweep, is 19 degrees more angled than on the five-door variant and takes the form of an up-turned, stylised pentagon - a further characteristic feature of the new SEAT Leon SC.

The new SEAT logo symbolises the core values of the brand - purist design and a high standard of workmanship. The new Leon SC is among the first SEAT models to bear the new logo - on the front, on the wheels, at the rear and on the steering wheel.

The Interior-elegant and light
The dynamic aesthetic of the exterior continues into the interior of the new SEAT Leon SC - it looks uncluttered, bright and clean. The materials are of the finest quality and the craftsmanship first class.

Alejandro Mesonero-Romanos, Head of SEAT Design says of the interior: "We used ergonomics as the benchmark in designing the light and elegant interior, orientating our thinking around the precision of an aircraft cockpit. The driver of the Leon SC has no unnecessary distraction and can concentrate fully on driving."

The space for the driver and front-seat passenger has a clear and harmonious design. All switches, buttons and levers are where he/she would intuitively expect to find them. The broad centre console with its clear driver focus is particularly distinctive. The instrument panel is extremely elegant, with its two-tone design making it appear almost to float.

Fine details highlight the very high level of workmanship in the new Leon SC - details such as the large air vents, the easy-to-understand air conditioning controls and the three-dimensional trim elements. All surfaces have a soft-touch finish for a satisfying tactile experience. In some versions, the premium feel is further enhanced through fine chrome and leather applications.

The large instrument dials are easy to read, with the driver information system standard as of the Reference line. The display is located directly in the driver's line of sight and provides information on average fuel consumption, range and speed. Depending on the version, it also provides data from the navigation system, the driver assistance systems or from a mobile phone connected via Bluetooth.

The beautifully crafted steering wheel, featuring the new SEAT logo on the airbag cover, is available with optional multi-function controls.
Certain versions of the new SEAT Leon SC are equipped with premium ambient lighting. In the FR, LEDs in the door panels enhance the contours of the interior design and bring even greater refinement to the interior. The ambient lighting offers occupants improved orientation, as well as an even more pleasant feeling of space.

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