Kia Rondo voted Best People Mover in Drive Car of the Year Awards

뉴스 제공

2008-11-28 13:51

가

가 가 가 가

Seoul--(뉴스와이어)--The Kia Rondo (known as ‘Carens’ in some markets) was announced as the winner of the Best People Mover category in the premier 2008 Drive Car of the Year (COTY) awards in Australia, becoming the first Korean car to win a Drive COTY award. The Rondo beat strong candidates from Toyota and Peugeot to win the coveted award.

“We are very pleased that the Drive Car of the Year judges have confirmed what we at Kia already knew – the Kia Rondo was the best candidate in the people mover category,” said Mr. S.K. Lee, President & CEO of Kia Motors Australia.

“Drive judges recognised that Rondo’s clever design, spacious interior and value for money delivered the best package for Australian families who need a vehicle with the space and practicality for everyday living,” he said.

The Drive judging panel was unanimous in their support for Rondo and singled out its versatility, economy, excellent value for money and five-year unlimited kilometre warranty in support of its strong all-round performance in the judging process.

The shortlisted candidates in each category are compared against each other during a rigorous, week-long evaluation covering 20,000 km and considering five broad criteria – under the bonnet; how it drives; price, quality and equipment; comfort and practicality; and safety.

According to the Drive COTY judges, “The Rondo becomes the first car from a Korean manufacturer to receive a Drive Car of the Year award because it offers the best combination of versatility, space and value for money, all key considerations for people-mover buyers.”

The Drive COTY accolades are awarded across 13 vehicle categories plus an overall Drive Car of the Year award. Candidates for the awards are chosen from all vehicles on sale in Australia, not just those that have been launched in the past 12 months because the Drive COTY judges recognise that “consumers don't limit their choices that way.”

Drive COTY awards are selected annually by a judging panel from the Fairfax Media group, Australasia’s leading media company. Fairfax Media’s publishing list includes two of Australia’s oldest and most prestigious daily newspapers, The Sydney Morning Herald in Sydney and The Age in Melbourne, as well as the online motoring website www.drive.com.au which oversees the Drive COTY awards program.

Details of Kia Rondo’s most recent win from Drive can be found at http://www.drive.com.au/Editorial/ArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=59001.

The Kia Rondo also received the ‘Car of Choice’ honour in the Car of the Year awards recently announced by www.autochic.com.au, an Australian motoring website targeting women drivers.

###

Kia Motors Corporation (www.kia.com) -- a maker of quality vehicles for the young-at-heart -- was founded in 1944 and is Korea's oldest manufacturer of motor vehicles. As part of the Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group, Kia aims to become one of the world's premier automotive brands. More than 1.4 million vehicles a year are produced in 14 manufacturing and assembly operations in eight countries which are then sold and serviced through a network of distributors and dealers covering 172 countries. Kia today has over 40,000 employees worldwide and annual revenues of almost US$17 billion. It is the major sponsor of the Australian Tennis Open and an official worldwide sponsor of the Davis Cup. Kia is an official automotive partner of FIFA -- the governing body of the FIFA World Cup -- as well as a EUROTOP partner of UEFA. Kia Motors Corporation's brand slogan -- "The Power to Surprise" -- represents the company's global commitment to surpassing customer expectations through continuous automotive innovation.

웹사이트: http://www.kiamotors.com