Important Blog

Random Weekend

Isn't it strange how random things stick out from the middle school days...

like the like the line "So put your hands down my pants and I'll bet you'll feel nuts" ahhh...good times.

I hope you enjoyed your weekends, I'll be enjoying mine!

Kia Celebrates Grand Opening of Plant in Georgia, US

WEST POINT, Ga. Feb. 26, 2010 – Officials with Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia (KMMG), Inc. were joined by dignitaries from the Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group, the State of Georgia, local city and county officials to celebrate the official grand opening of Kia’s first-ever U.S. automobile manufacturing plant in West Point, Georgia, capable of producing 300,000 cars annually for the North American and global markets.

The ceremony was attended by approximately 500 VIPs from Korea and the U.S., including Chairman of the Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group Mong-Koo Chung; Group President and CEO of KMMG and Kia Motors America (KMA) Byung-Mo Ahn; Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue; and a number of other high-ranking Korean government and State of Georgia officials.

“Kia is proud to call West Point, Georgia home and we look forward to many years of growing together,” said Ahn. “Continued diligent work has helped elevate Kia to one of the fastest growing automobile brands around the globe. With the successful launch of the 2011 Kia Sorento CUV and establishment of our first manufacturing plant in the United States, the Kia brand is well positioned for further growth and to become a worldwide leader in quality and innovation.”

[Source: Kia Motors America]

Continue reading for the complete press release.

Representing a $1 billion investment by Kia Motors Corporation, the sprawling, new 2.2 million-square-foot automobile manufacturing plant is situated on more than 2,200 acres of land between Exit 2 and Exit 6 along Interstate 85 in West Point. KMMG consists of four main shops: stamping, welding, paint and assembly. The site also includes a transmission shop, module shop and a two-mile test track where every vehicle produced by KMMG will be thoroughly tested. KMMG’s general assembly area is outfitted with more than a half mile of height-adjustable conveyors to achieve the most favorable installation position for each team member and reduce physical fatigue. It is outfitted with wood flooring, which provides a more comfortable and forgiving work environment for team members.

Governor Perdue noted today’s event meant the continuation of a mutually beneficial partnership between the State of Georgia and Kia that will mean many great things for the State in years to come.

“This is a momentous day for Georgia as Kia Motors has brought thousands of new jobs to this area, and is truly delivering as a tremendous corporate citizen,” said Governor Perdue. “We value our relationship with Kia and pledge to continue providing specialized training through the Kia Georgia Training Center that will guarantee a quality workforce and the future success of this plant in Georgia.”

The massive Kia automobile manufacturing plant and its supplier companies have already provided thousands of jobs. KMMG currently employs more than 1,200 team members and is expected to nearly double that number by the end of the year, while onsite and nearby suppliers will create up to 7,500 additional jobs in the region.

Randy Jackson, director of human resources and administration, said he was glad that KMMG could help give back to the local community through job creation, community development and tourism.

“The Grand Opening marks a new milestone for Kia,” Jackson said. “Beginning this spring, we are pleased to open our doors to the community and have them see firsthand the quality and craftsmanship that is built into every Kia vehicle. We hope every Kia owner, and anyone thinking about purchasing a Kia, will visit us."

Mass production of the all-new 2011 Kia Sorento CUV began on Nov. 16, 2009 with the product officially going on sale in the U.S. in January of this year. Selling 7,398 units in its first month, the 2011 Sorento was Kia’s best-selling vehicle in January.

“The outstanding early performance of the first vehicle produced from our West Point, Georgia plant is a significant achievement for KMMG, KMA and the Kia brand as a whole,” said Ahn. “As we grow we will continue to expand our line of vehicles here and abroad while staying true to the Kia brand tenets of value, quality, safety and technology; and KMMG will play a prominent role in achieving our goals.”

Alfa Romeo Junior Z car

Following on from the previous entry...here is another special car sighting in Tokyo. Spotted just around the corner from Super Autobacs (yes I'm there too often!) an immaculate 1973 Alfa Romeo Junior Z. Z of course stands for Zagato. Don't know much about this little car except it looks very nice in the flesh. First time I"ve ever seen one up close...

FIAT 131 Mirafiori Abarth

It never seezes to amaze me the cars you get to see in Tokyo. Spotted this orange Fiat 131 homologation special at Super Autobacs just outside Tokyo. Brings back a lot of memories as my father used to drive this (albeit the normal road car) back when I was a little kid and it's the first car I ever got to drive. They were built between 1976 and 1981 and people might recall Walter Röhl won a few rallies with this thing!!

Powered by a twin-carb, twin-cam, 2.0 L 4-cylinder FIAT engine it develops 140PS at 6,400 rpm and considering the 985 Kg it must still be a fun car to drive. It was the Italian version of the AE86!! They even made a Shilouette Group 5 racer based on the 131. It was powered by a 260PS 3.5 L V6.

Rally car....

Gr.5 racer...

Mazda Roadster RS (MX-5/Miata) pic

Spent some time savoring the dynamics of one of the most fun cars out there, the new Mazda Roadster. The design is very closely linked to the Ibuki concept shown at the Tokyo motor show two years ago and really does succeed in bringing the most successful roadster in the world into the new millennium. The cute looking Roadster has put on a bit of weight, up to 1100 kg, but that is to be expected considering the slightly bigger dimensions. The new 2L engine, which sits far back into the chassis almost all behind the front wheels, kicks out an ok 170 PS.

Top up

Out on the road the superbly balanced handling of a lightweight FR car is what impresses the most. The engine however sounds uninspiring at the best of times, it's very unrefined and it almost hurts to hear it rev over 6,000 rpm. I'm sure Mazda could have done a better job of giving the 4-cylinder better characteristics. What really did bug me though was the ridiculous throttle mapping the Roadster had. At first I thought there was something wrong with it, revs would hang on for so long when backing off for a gearchange. Of course it is all thanks to the electronic throttle which makes the accelerator pedal feel it's linked to a PS2 rather than a real engine. This resulted in extremely slow gearchange as you had to wait for rpm to drop to engage the next gear. Avoid doing this and you discover the meaning of driveline-shunt! All in all it is a fun drive but there are a lot of little things like the unprecise gearchance and comical body-roll that really spoil the experience.

The interior is a very nice place to be in. It looks and feels modern, despite the plasticky feel, to be expected of in this price range, and accommodates tall drivers without a problem. The Bose CD-based audio system is nothing to write home about but it does a good job of diffusing your favorite music around the cabin. On long motorway journeys with the roof up though things get very noisy and it becomes hard to hold speeds higher than 130 km/h. The roof mechanism looks a bit cheap from the inside and if you get caught behind a truck at anything over 100 km/h the roof will vibrate so much it will suck your ear-drums out!

I was not impressed with the Michelin tyres fitted to the car. They provide ok grip but are a bit scary on the limit. So all in all a good car but could have been so much better.

huan zhu ge ge aka my fair princess..

believe it or not..almost 13 years since this show had broadcasted..i was still in elementary school that time..wanna know who my 1st crush is?..he played as the role of the 5th prince..the emperor's son, lover to the main character, xiao yan zhi played by vicki zhou wei..haha..he is ALEC SU YOU PENG..these both characters were my ultimate favourite at that time..they really match well together..i will spazz about them especially with my friends coz they like this story as well..and know what..currently, i bought their cds even there are no subs..anyway, i understand what they are talking about k..thanks to all chinese shows that i've watched..they improve me a lot..sometimes, i know what chinese people are saying but i dunnoe how to reply..hahaha..

from left- xia zhi wei (ruby lin) and xiao yan zhi (vicki zhou)..
see the thing on their head?..i really like to see them wearing it..especially with those 2 red things hanging on both of their sides..haha..the props they used, all are amazing and beautiful.. ^^

xiao yan zhi (vicki zhou)..she's pretty, isn't she?..i really like her face..those big eyes really attractive coz it's rare to find chinese with those features..^^

i truly and definitely like this couple!..they really really and really good together..the chemistry is there..my yong qi is the 5th prince..at that time..i felt, he is the most and super handsome even he was half bald..XD
alec su you peng..but totally falls head over heels for him in 'old house has joy' series..in this show, he has this spiky hair instead of having no hair and oh my~..he is hotness..acted with vicki zhou again..imagine that..how am i suppose not to be happy??..hehe..feelings that time is unexplainable..it's too sweet..keke..now, alec's age is around 35++ but who cares..i still like him anyway..^^

p/s: this story never been removed from my all-time fav..instead, this show is the very 1st story that made me not moved an inch from my screen and the feeling when i'm watching this movie..it's too good..and now i'm sad coz whenever i watch this show, i know that time flies too fast and i've already grown up now..why we must be an adult?..it's fun to be young and free to do mistakes..hoho..

Toyota Vitz (Yaris) RS cars

The new Toyota Vitz went into production earlier this year and has been selling pretty well in Japan. It's biggest test is succeeding in the lucrative European market which is saturated with offerings from local manufacturers. It will go head to head with cars like FIATs new rather good Punto.

Overall it has grown considerably from the previous generation model and has plenty of interior space to sit 5 adults in comfort. Plenty of convenient storage spaces and cubby holes to keep anyone happy while the tilting rear seats (twin splitting on non sports models) offer impressively large and tall loading area. The RS comes with some nice sporty seats but, like in 99% of Japanese cars, are still way to high for tall drivers. The upright driving position might not be to everyone's liking but you do get used to it after a while. The RS came with the optional CD-based navigation unit which was excellent and feature packed and the keyless entry system which curiously uses the exact same Engine Start/Stop button as found on the Lexus GS & IS. I'm sure Lexus owners might have something to say about that!

The RS is distinguished by larger diameter wheels and a sporty bodykit as well as more aggressive rear LED-lights compared to your more sedate models.

The 110HP 1.5 VVTI engine offers plenty of go with a nice torquey low-rpm power-band but is right at home revving away to the 6,500 rpm redline. The five speeder is a bit vague but once again, like in every modern car I drive, the most annoying and hard to digest aspect is the damn throttle mapping. Electronic throttle it the culprit once again. You can stab the accelerator to give a quick throttle blip and you can virtually count to 5 while engine revolutions rise slowly and fall back to idle even slower. The result is slow gear-changes and a real pain to live with. Handling is superb, very precise and sharp turn-in which allows you to really commit to fast sweepers. Steering could do with some more feel but all in all a great all rounder. The RS is as happy pootling around Tokyo center returning 16 km/L as it is up on fun mountain roads being thrown from corner to corner. Even the brakes were superb.

Only real question is will the RS ever make it to Europe? I certainly hope so as I have no doubt it will give the hot european offerings a run for their money.

Lexus IS 350 car

Spent some time sampling the superb Lexus IS350. What a car! Really can't fault it in any way except maybe for the lack of rear room and, as ever in Japanese cars, the high driving position. Powered by the creamy-smooth 318PS 3.5 L V6 as used in the GS (the GS has 3PS less) the IS is as much of a performance car as it is a refined entry-level luxury car. And that's without going into how good it looks! I mean if you had the choice would you pick the IS or a BMW 3-series? I know which one I would take home.

And then there is the interior. Again, nothing to fault. If you really want to be picky, and in cars this good it's the only way you will find some negative aspects to counterbalance your argument with, there are a few things that could be addressed. As mentioned the high driving position. Can't quite figure out why this was allowed to pass as Lexus proved they can do it right in the GS. Other than that the gear lever shifter looks dated and the plastic surrounding of the central console looks and feels cheap. The wood trim is totally out of place in a car like this and I really do wish more trim options were available like flat or brushed aluminium or even carbon fiber to reflect the sporty feel of the IS.

The IS is an extremely comfortable car on the motorway and it can also be a hooligan's car, but not as much as you would assume. It lets you get away with the odd burn-out but for some reason Lexus has preferred to let the nannying stability control take over at the slightest hint of a slide. With all that shove coming from the V6 this happens all the time on wet roads. Brakes are superb and I was surprised to find some rather big 4-pot monoblock calipers up front. The 6-speed auto is excellent in every way and if you set it on "sport" it will downshift aggressively and even blip the throttle! But I'm sure I'm not the only one who would still appreciate a good old DIY manual. Superb car, a bit pricey here in Japan but an almost obvious choice over a BMW 330i.

Posted by dino at 02:46 PM | Comments [0]

November 02, 2005

●340 km/h Revolfe Supra

Just had to go and shoot this car built by Revolfe in Yokohama. Love the purposeful exterior and real Wangan racer 700PS engine breathed on by a big fat laggy T88.