Kia and Hyundai star in Big Apple

What a difference a year makes. The 2009 New York Motor Show opened to the sound of chirping crickets; this year's show opened to a flurry of confidence, lead by the German and Korean car companies. Staring into the abyss of the Global Financial Crisis, the smallest and oldest of the major US shows was a ghost town last year, but there was a very different vibe for the 2010 edition.

MINI had the most creative stand on the show, but it was Hyundai and Kia that stole the mainstream-product limelight, while Mercedes-Benz busied itself with a triple-treat of global launches for the racing-spec SLS GT3, the E-Class wagon and the second-generation R-Class.

Nissan and its Infiniti offshoot were buzzing with optimism following the news, scooped via the Carsales Network, that it would profit from Renault's technical alliance with the mighty Daimler.

Usually noted for its extraordinarily thick carpets as much as its new model launches, there were still some who took a more subdued view, including the Fiat-controlled Chrysler group and the struggling Mitsubishi and Subaru.

Ford, basking in the glow of being the only US car company not to need a Government bailout in the worst of crisis, went glitzy with its corner of the hall, while GM -- now officially owned by the US taxpayer -- wasn't far behind in the adjacent corner.

But the stars of the show were:

Mercedes-Benz R Class
It didn't work the first time, but Mercedes-Benz is convinced that the time is bound to be right for the R-Class one day soon.

One of the obvious problems with the original was that it was huge, but carried only six armchair seats. While that layout was tweaked over time to make it more family friendly, this version will be available in six and seven-seat specifications from day one.

While the Australian branch of Benz is unlikely to be pressuring its Sindelfingen headquarters to get it here as soon as possible, the R350 does get the cleaner skin to match the look of the rest of the range. Powered by the same two petrol V6s and a newer diesel V6, the R350 range might struggle to make a bigger impact than its predecessor, because its fuel consumption is still ordinary when it uses petrol power.

The trouble with its carry-over petrol engines is that they chew through a lot of fuel to move the big rig at any sort of pace. The carry-over V8 might hit 100km/h in 6.3 seconds from its 285kW engine (not bad for a machine this size) but it chomps a combined cycle of 13.2-13.4L/100km/h and emitting up to 311 grams of CO2 to do it.

The R350 isn't a lot better, with the 200kW V6 chewing between 11.6-11.9L/100km.

The diesels are expected to be better, though, with the thumping, 620Nm R350 V6 turbo-diesel hurling the R-Class to 100km/h in 7.6 seconds and sipping 8.5 L/100km, while the ultra-clean, R350 blueTEC has 80 less Nm and less power, but passes all of the US's difficult particulate emissions for the same emission level.

It did come with some other advances, though, including adaptive damping, air suspension, active cruise control and a blind spot detection system, though all new features are optional on the US models. Oh, and Americans can option up the wheels to 21-inch...
 

With AMG desperate to take Benz back to its racing roots, the GT3 has been developed so customers can take it racing everywhere GT3 racing is sanctioned, including the Nurburgring 24-Hour race.

With its outrageous rear spoiler and its deep, duck-billed front splitter, the SLS is expected to provide serious downforce, which will accompany a 160kg weight reduction. That said, it will offer less power, because FIA rules dictate a maximum air-inlet size, but you can expect it to be outrageously quick. And outrageously expensive.
 

In Australia, the Optima will revive a name applied previously to Kia's local mid-size models when it replaces the slower-selling Magentis.

"They've made the decision to keep it a uniform name globally," Kia's local Press & Public Relations Executive, Alyson MacDonald told the Carsales Network.

"All countries that had Magentis... will definitely be going with 'Optima'. KMC [Kia Motors Corporation] definitely asked for feedback from all the different regions... I don't know whether the focus was on the Magentis name not working, I think the focus was more on probably unifying the name in general."

While there's no diesel, there is a 2.4-litre, four-cylinder petrol motor with 150kW, but it pales alongside the 2.0-litre, turbocharged, four-cylinder petrol engine. The turbo motor crunches out 205kW and both the direct-injection engines mate to either six-speed manual or automatic transmissions.

The hybrid version is a parallel system not unlike the Prius setup, and it will hook up to the 2.4-litre petrol engine, too. McDonald was unable to say whether the hybrid version will reach us here, but with Hyundai understood to be investigating a hybrid version of the i45 for local buyers (see below), the hybrid looks like a 50/50 proposition. Australian specification generally is yet to be worked out, says MacDonald.

"I haven't received any clarification as to what we're bringing here," she advised. As to when it's due in Australia, it'll be running a few weeks ahead of Santa, apparently.

"We can only narrow it down at the moment to last quarter, but not so late that it will be moving into Christmas, so I would say late November/early December, that's what's scheduled for the moment," MacDonald said.

Also unveiled in New York was a five-door hatch variant of the Cerato small car and the new Sportage which made its global debut in Geneva. In the US and other markets, the Cerato is named Forte. The hatchback model is definitely coming to Australia (around October, so expect to see it in Sydney for the Australian International Motor Show). Pricing and specification for that variant will be revealed closer to the launch date. 
 

The Equus is its all-new flagship and extends Hyundai's push into rear-wheel drive cars. The luxury limo thumps out 285kW from its 4.6-litre V8 engine and mates it to a six-speed auto from the broad ZF family. Intriguing as it sounds, from a marketing point of view, we won't see it in Australia -- something confirmed with the Carsales Network by Hyundai's Australian Senior Manager Product Communications & PR, Ben Hershman ("not at this stage, no").

Of more importance, therefore, is the new Sonata/i45. The range starts with a 2.0-litre turbo-charged, four cylinder, direct-injection engine that has more power than Hyundai's old V6. With 205kW, it revs past 6000rpm and has 360Nm (approx) of torque between 1800 and 4500rpm.

The engine uses new twin-scroll turbo-charging technology to reduce turbo lag and make more use of the exhaust gases than normal turbos, yet it delivers better than 6.9L/100km.

Joining the Turbo model on the stand was Hyundai's long-awaited Hybrid Sonata. Skipping older rechargeable battery technology such as Nickel-metal hydride or Lithium-ion, the Sonata Hybrid runs Lithium-Polymer batteries. The parallel-style hybrid uses the 2.4-litre four-cylinder, direct-injection engine, mated to a six speed automatic and a 30kW electric motor, with its city (6.3L/100km) and highway (6.0L/100km) fuel economy cycles remarkably close.

Hershman has previously advised that the i45 sold in Australia will be built in South Korea, not the US as the American Sonata is, and those vehicles delivered here will be powered by a 2.4-litre petrol engine. The Hyundai spokesman was reticent about whether we would see either the Turbo or Hybrid variants of the Sonata here in i45 livery, but in the short term it doesn't look promising.

"It'll be produced, we understand, through [Hyundai's plant in] Alabama... it's certainly being reviewed for other global markets," he said. "It's currently not planned for Australia, although we are looking at the business case. We're basically finding out more information about these powertrains at the moment -- and that's for the Turbo as well, quite frankly."

-- with staff

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