30—Vanguard, TUESDAY, JANUARY 21, 2014 By Theodore Opara
All-new Kia Cadenza earns top honours K
IA Cadenza has been named the 2014 International Car of the Year (ICOTY) at the 2014 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit by Road & Travel magazine. The all-new 2014 Cadenza’s stunning design combined with premium amenities and impressive value propelled the Kia brand into the premium sedan segment, and the ICOTY award adds to the growing list of accolades the Cadenza has earned since its launch in early 2013. The award marks back-to-back victories for Kia as the 2013 Optima mid-size sedan was honored by RTM with the ICOTY award last year. “This year marks Kia’s 20th anniversary in the U.S. market, and in that time, we have become known for taking bold steps. The 2014 Cadenza is another leap forward for the brand and has brought new and affluent customers into our retailers, people who had never considered Kia before,” said Michael Sprague, executive vice president of marketing & communications, KMA. “To win the prestigious ICOTY award two years running is a clear indication that our products continue to offer a world-class balance of design, amenities and value for today’s discerning car buyers.” RTM presents two “Of the Year ” awards annually; one for car of the year and one for truck. In addition to product attributes such as style, comfort and performance, the awards also consider how well the brand connects emotionally with the consumer through its marketing efforts. The winners are chosen by the ICOTY jury, which consists of nationally renowned automotive journalists from respected publications such as Consumer Guide ® Automotive MSN Autos, New Car News Syndicate and RTM. “The Kia Cadenza wins in this category for a variety of reasons, including Kia’s C M Y K
remarkable effort to emerge in the entry-lux category,” said Courtney Caldwell, editor-in-chief of Road & Travel Magazine. “Overall, the car is beautiful and affordable, making upscale style and performance attainable to mid-America. We applaud Kia’s rapid rise from underdog to
unbelievable!” The ICOTY award is the most recent in a string of accolades the 2014 Cadenza has received. Just a few months ago, the Cadenza took top honors in Motor Trend Magazine’s full-size sedan comparison test and was named to the 2014 North American Car of the Year short list.
Honda CR-V breaks all-time sales record B ACKED by surging customer demand, the Honda CR-V sold 28,759 units in December to achieve both a monthly sales record and a robust 11.8 percent increase over
the same month in 2012. That, in turn, boosted the CR-V’s full-year sales total to 303,904 units, marking an annual record, a 7.8 percent gain in volume and its first finish above the
Toyota supports FRSC safety campaign with new ambulance T
OYOTA (Nigeria) Limited took another important step towards its boosting corporate social responsibility portfolio when it recently donated unit of Ambulance to the Federal Road Safety Commission. The presentation which was held at the Headquarters of the Federal Road Safety Commission Abuja was done on behalf of Toyota (Nigeria) Limited by Mr Kunle Ade- Ojo the Executive Director of the company. Presenting the vehicle to the Corps Marshal Federal Road Safety Commission, Mr Chidoka Osita, who was represented by the Deputy Corps Marshal (Admin & Human Resources) Mr Adei Abu, Mr Ade-Ojo explained that the essence of the donation is an expression of Toyota (Nigeria) Limited’s support for the Commission in its relentless resolve to deliver prompt and quick response to victims of road crashes
across the federation. Speaking further, Mr Ade Ojo submitted that as a socially responsible organisation, safety of lives and property on the Nigerian roads is considered key to an economically and socially stable society. He enjoined all hands to be on deck so that the crusade embarked upon by the FRSC against the menace of road crashes
which inadvertently leads to unwarranted deaths is successful. While receiving the Ambulance on behalf of the Commission, the Deputy Corp Marshal (Admin & Human Resources) of the FRSC Mr Adei Abu thanked the management of Toyota (Nigeria) Limited for the kind gesture and promised that the vehicle
will be committed to very good use so that the purpose for which it is donated can be achieved. He charged other well meaning corporate organisations as well as individuals to emulate this show of philanthropy by Toyota (Nigeria) Limited so that the commission can win the battle against the menace of road accidents on Nigerian roads.
300,000-sales milestone. But as impressive as that performance may have been, Honda’s hot-selling CR-V was just the thirdmost-popular vehicle in the brand’s lineup during 2013, when it actually trailed the Honda Civic and the Honda Accord. The Civic enjoyed a 5.7 percent sales spike last year, on a segment-leading 336,180 sales, while the brand’s new mid-size sedan did even better, with a 10.2 percent gain to 365,699 annual deliveries in 2013. Further, with the Honda Odyssey capping off their years with +25 percent sales gains, the Honda brand as a whole set its own volume record in December, when its 119,504 deliveries translated into a modest 2.4 percent bump in growth. “Breaking our December sales record is a great way to finish a near-record year.
From left, Mr Felix Chukwu, Chairman, FRSC; Osita Chidoka Corps Marshal, FRSC; Jeffrey Micheal, Associate Administrator (Research Programme Development), National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; Tawai Addo-ashong Programme Manager, Global Road Safety Facility World Bank and DCM Boboye Oyeyemi, Deputy Corps Marshal (Operations) at the International Stakeholders meeting.