NMG ‘Cat of Nine Tails’

A team of 9 ladies (the ‘Cats’) from NMG competed in the Race recently at Royal Norfolk Showground in Norwich. The Race For Life team all ran, walked or limped their way around the course in aid of Cancer Awareness and together raised well over a £1,000 for the charity.

The girls are seen here in the NMG and Broadland Digital Print Co-Sponsored T-shirts, complete with their competition medals.

Thank you to all those who sponsored our Cat of Nine Tails.

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KIA Motors has been named 'Global Automotive Manufacturer of the Year 2007' by the UK's Institute of Transport Management (ITM) in its recent report into global manufacturing processes and companies operating within the industry.

The award recognizes the considerable progress KIA Motors has made in promoting sustainable development within the industry. Amongst both product and next generation initiatives, the report recognizes the advanced technological solutions KIA has implemented to minimize energy and water consumption, emissions and waste at its manufacturing plants. It anticipates a year of continued expansion for the KIA brand in which it's first European production facility and its second Chinese production facility will become fully operational, increasing sales from overseas production to almost half a million units per year by 2008.

While the automotive industry continues to place great importance on new creative concepts in product design and development, KIA has responded by developing an exciting range of vehicles from the Picanto to the extremely popular Sorento SUV. As a result the KIA brand is rapidly gaining a world-class reputation. It can now count itself as one of the top automotive producers in the world; selling more than one million cars per year.

Patrick Sheedy, Media and PR Director for the ITM, said,

It is very gratifying to now have names like KIA becoming household within the industry. For far too long the automotive manufacturing sector has been stereotyped by the more familiar brand names. This award will further enhance their reputation as one of the industry's fastest growing manufacturers, and ensure that KIA Motors will continue to expand on a global scale throughout 2007.

The institute is made up of individuals within the entire global transport field ranging from automobiles to aerospace and from administrators to chief executives and chairmen. It is international, although primarily focused on the UK where its heartland lies.

Design chief aims to repeat his success at Audi
James B. Treece | Automotive News / April 30, 2007 - 1:00 am /

SEOUL - After several SUVs debuted at the Paris auto show in September, Kia design chief Peter Schreyer compared their profiles to the company's Sportage SUV.

Most were indistinguishable, but the Sportage "sticks out," Schreyer says. Even so, he says, he will make the next Sportage "more masculine and sporty."

Schreyer, 53, hired by Kia five months ago, aims to remake the design look of the entire Kia line. He is likely to repeat the methods he used at Audi - completely redoing one car at a time - until all Kias share a family look.

"We have the challenge and opportunity to shape the Kia brand," he tells Kia staffers.

Push it, refine it

Although Kia says it wants its cars to be exciting and enabling, Schreyer says that's not enough. "Every company's cars are exciting and enabling," he says. "We need to build up the design philosophy and influence the brand values. I want to push it, to refine it."

One task will be to distinguish Kia's products from its sister brand, Hyundai, but Schreyer is not obsessed with that.

"My thinking all day long is not how to differentiate from Hyundai; I think all day how to make Kia a unique brand. Otherwise, I'd spend all day running away," he says.

Before the German native joined Kia, he spent his career at Volkswagen and Audi.

Schreyer helped change Audi's bland look by redoing the styling of the entire product line, starting with the A2. He is best known as the stylist behind the iconic Audi TT.

He implies that Kia will go through the same sort of transformation. That suggests he will restyle each car completely, one at a time, rather than tweaking all Kia nameplates slightly as soon as possible.

"It took 20 years for Audi to get where it is," Schreyer says.

Hints of change

A trio of recent Kia concept cars show the first hints at Schreyer's design direction for the Korean brand.

They are the Kue crossover concept, designed in California and unveiled in January at the Detroit auto show; the ex_cee'd convertible, designed at Kia's studio in Germany and unveiled at the Geneva show; and the KND-4, an SUV designed at Kia's studio in Korea and unveiled at the Seoul auto show this month.

The concepts indicate not only Kia's styling direction but Schreyer's plans for using its three studios.

Some companies treat the studios that are far away from headquarters as subordinate satellites. Schreyer says he won't do that.

"I want to see them as a trilogy," he says. "I want the designers in the studios to feel like one team."

Although he is based in Frankfurt, Schreyer visits Seoul monthly for about a week at a time. He usually meets the heads of the three studios then.

Kia's studios outside Korea won't be relegated to working on concept cars only.

"At the moment, all three are working on serious production cars," Schreyer says. "This is also because we have a lot of work to do."

- Record number of Kia vehicles awarded prestigious honor based on safety and performance - March 22, 2007 -- Recently honored with MotorWeek's "Best Minivan" award, the Kia Sedona is now being given The Car Book 2007's "Best Bet" distinction, along with seven other Kia vehicles: Rio, Rio5, Spectra, Spectra5, Optima, Sportage and Sorento.

Rio and Optima were both recipients of the award in 2006, however this is the first time eight different models in the 11-vehicle Kia lineup have received the distinguished accolade.

"Obviously we are extremely thrilled and proud to have eight vehicles from our line-up be distinguished as "Best Bets" by The Car Book," said Len Hunt, executive vice president and COO of Kia Motors America (KMA).

"Since this distinction is only given to vehicles that have the safety and performance needs of consumers in mind, we consider it a true testament to Kia's commitment to providing only the highest quality vehicles to customers."

The Car Book 2007 is an updated and expanded guide to buying a new 2007 car, van, truck or SUV. It presents the latest safety ratings, dealer prices, fuel economy, insurance premiums, maintenance costs, tires, as well as a chart of state lemon laws, and is published in cooperation with the Center for Auto Safety, the nation's leading auto safety advocacy group.

It is with considerable regret that SYUK Cars Ltd and NMG must inform all parents and junior players that we have been unable as planned to continue our sponsorship with BJG for the Summer Tour due to contractual differences.

We had hoped to continue, as the feedback we have received personally was excellent and we had hoped to promote the Summer Tour with another Final to be held at Dunston Hall. Sadly as BJG had already committed themselves to a final at the Belfry, there was limited opportunity for SYUK Cars Ltd and NMG to continue on what is after all a commercial sponsorship costing many thousands of pounds.

We would like to wish all the juniors, all the parents and the BJG continued success with their golf and thank you all for the excellent feedback we have received concerning our involvement.

With sadness and a fond farewell, on behalf of NMG and SYUK Cars Ltd

Grant Long Managing Director NMG

Jayne Pett SYUK National Sales Manager

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