2009 Kia Cee'd ISG Reduces Fuel Consumption by 15 Percent

Kia Motors Corp. today said that the 2009 Kia Cee'd ISG, equipped with the newly-developed Idle Stop & Go technology, will arrive in the market in March 2009. The new model, exclusively addressed to the European countries, will be produced at Kia's manufacturing plant in Slovakia, according to Autonews. However, this new system especially aimed at reducing fuel consumption will be also implemented in several future models starting 2010, the South Korean automaker said in a press statement.

The Idle Stop & Go is similar to the other stop-start systems already used by a number of large automakers, including BMW, Volkswagen and Mercedes. Citroen is one of the first companies that implemented such a technology in early 2000.

In short terms, Kia's ISG switches off the engine when the car is not in motion, such as waiting at traffic lights or in crowded city driving. Once the driver depresses the clutch pedal to shift to first gear, the system automatically restarts the engine, with almost no delay thanks to the fact that the whole process is done while the driver changes the gear. In order to reduce the overall weight of the car after installing the ISG assembly, future vehicles will incorporate a new lighter transmission system, Autonews explained.

Since such a system requires additional battery power, the Kia engineers installed a new more efficient alternator, kia-world.net wrote. But even so, if the battery level drops below 75 percent, the ECU automatically disables the ISG system until the battery power is restored.

According to figures provided by the automaker, the ISG system reduces fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by up to 15 percent in city mode when compared to the base Cee'd model. The fuel saving is approximately 6 percent in mixed driving conditions, Kia said. German auto parts manufacturer Bosch will supply the ISG system to Kia at the Slovakian plant.