Hyundai Begins Producing Cars at its New Russian Plant

Hyundai is continuing its ambitious plan to further increase global sales with the start of production at its first factory in Russia located at Saint Petersburg. The company’s sixth newest overseas assembly plant will make the Solaris, a subcompact sedan we will come to know as the new Accent.

“This is a historic moment, not only for Hyundai, but for Russia, as we are the first foreign automaker to operate a full-cycle manufacturing plant here,” said Gui-Il Chun, General Director of HMMR, a fully-owned subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Company. “We are now truly part of Russia and we will focus on supplying customers with the best products at the best time.”

The Korean firm's Saint Petersburg factory currently employees more than 1,300 workers, but Hyundai has stated that it aims to create some 5,300 jobs by 2012, together with eleven parts suppliers. The plant’s annual capacity is said to be around 150,000 vehicles, while this year’s production target is 105,000 units.

The plant's first car, the Solaris, will be offered with a four-cylinder gasoline engine available in 1.4- and 1.6-liter displacements. Hyundai said the subcomact sedan has been adapted to cope with Russia’s vicious weather and tough road conditions. Aside from raising the car's ground clearance to 160mm, the company's engineers also added a large four-liter washer fluid reservoir with fluid-level sensor to warn drivers when a refill is required, a more robust 60Ah battery for improved cold-start performance and a heater duct for rear-seat passengers.

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FAIL: Dump Truck Goes Underwater, Driver Narrowly Escapes [Video]

Operating heavy machinery near a muddy riverbank can be very hazardous, as this video demonstrates. A mud water-trapped Russian dump truck was just about to be pulled clear by a bulldozer, when it seems that the towing cable snapped, causing it to go underwater in less than 5 seconds. We’d say it’s quite a miracle that the driver made it out of the cabin and the presumably cold waters. Watch the clip after the break.

By Csaba Daradics

Source: Youtube via Sunamuna

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Russia's Topcar Continues Porsche Cayenne Tune with Vantage 2

It's only been a few weeks since Topcar presented its most recent Porsche Cayenne package called the Vantage GTR2, yet the Russian firm has launched another tuning proposal for the second generation of the German automaker's luxury SUV. The new package is named Vantage 2 and it comes with a wide body kit and a choice of performance upgrades.

On the styling front, the Russian tuner offers a carbon fiber aero kit, which adds a new front bumper with LED daytime lights, beefy side skirts, wheel arch extensions, a concave roof spoiler and a redesigned rear bumper with a diffuser. The carbon fiber mirror housings and newly designed hood with air vents, along with a choice of two different styles for the chunky alloy wheels complete the look.

Topcar can also upgrade the Cayenne's interior with hand crafted leather and special trims.

As for the performance enhancements, the Russian company said it offers a variety of tunes that can push output up to 750-horsepower.

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VIDEO: Pedestrian Shows Awesome Reflexes, Avoids Out of Control Car

Just picture this; you are standing at the corner of a snow covered road in freezing temperatures when all of a sudden two cars crash and one of them heads straight towards you. Chances are most people would have frozen stiff at the spectacle, but not this man who displayed some very sharp reflexes by quickly running out of ways harm's way. Video follows after the break.

Hat tip to Alex V.!

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Weird Tuning: Mercedes-Benz 90E Fastback Crossover from Russia

The Mercedes-Benz 190E is a great car, especially in Cosworth form. But not all people value the classic Merc as much as we do. Take for example this Russian owner who decided to make a one of a kind special out of the Mercedes sedan and call it the E90 crossover.

The owner of the vehicle started off by chopping the rear end of the car. He then gave increased the road height and fitted it with excessively thick bull bars. The same sort of piping was also used to create side steps and an off-roader-style spare wheel holder. From what we can tell, the alloy wheels come from an E-Class while the tail lights appear to be sourced from an S-Class (though we could be wrong).

Other bespoke items include the headlight guards and the stealth paint (or is that tar?), which in some photos looks matte, in others shiny. There’s also a roof spoiler, which appears to be made out of a skateboard with a red stripe acting as the brake light - or so it seems. Now, how about that for creativity? The sporty looking dual exhaust pipes complete the list of downgrades made to the small Mercedes sedan.

Check out the gallery below and have your say in the comments section.

By Csaba Daradics

Via: Caradisiac , Photos: Photofile

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