Hyundai's Verna, Kia Pride most fuel efficient car in 2009: report

SEOUL, Dec. 24 (Yonhap) -- Two subcompact cars -- Hyundai Motor Co.'s Verna and
Kia Motors Corp.'s Pride -- have been named the most fuel efficient cars sold on
the South Korean market in 2009, the government said Thursday.

The Ministry of Knowledge Economy said the diesel powered, five-speed, manual
transmission models of the two vehicles were tested to run 22.0 kilometers on a
liter of fuel.
It said the vehicles, categorized in the under-1,600cc engine capacity range,
used 1,493cc engines and emitted 122 grams of carbon dioxide (CO2) per kilometer
traveled.
Hyundai and Kia are sister companies that share many components like engines and
transmissions.
Coming in third place was the gasoline driven Kia's Morning model with a 999cc
engine that had a fuel economy of 20.0 kilometer on a liter of fuel.
The ministry said among larger cars with engine capacity exceeding 1,600cc, GM
Daewoo Auto & Technology Co.'s Lacetti had the best mileage. The diesel driven
car with a 1,991cc engine could travel 19.0 kilometers on a liter of fuel.
Coming in second and third in this category was Volkswagen's Golf TDI with a
1,968cc diesel engine and Hyundai's Tuscon compact sport-utility vehicle.
In addition, if hybrid cars are included on the list for larger cars, the Prius
model from Toyota came in at the top by extracting mileage of 29.2 kilometers per
liter, followed by the Camry Hybrid from the same manufacturer. The Prius has a
1,798cc engine and emits 119 grams of CO2 per kilometer.
Locally-made Hyundai's Avante 1.6 LPI hybrid had a mileage of 17.8 kilometers.
The ministry in charge of the country's industrial policy, meanwhile, said there
was considerable difference in fuel economy depending on type of engine used,
fuel burned and transmission systems.
Hybrids that use both conventional combustion engine and electric drive had the
best fuel economy and emitted less CO2, while among conventional cars, diesel
driven vehicles with manual transmissions went further than gasoline cars with
automatic transmissions.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
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