Of late, Kia Motors has been in an exuberant mood as it recently managed to set a new Guinness World Record for performing highly economical by being the lowest fuel consumption brand in a hybrid gasoline vehicle. The record was set while driving through all 48 adjoining U.S. states.
Drivers Wayne Gerdes and Chris Bernius drove a factory-standard 2011 Kia Optima Hybrid sedan to a distance of 12,712 km travelling across America and the errand was successfully accomplished. The vehicle registered an average fuel consumption of 3.64 litre per 100 km, outperforming the car’s official EPA highway fuel consumption figure by 61.37 per cent.
Kia’s 48-state challenge came to an end at the 14th day while covering an average distance of 907 kilometres per day. The Optima Hybrid consumed just five-and-a-half tanks of gasoline in order to complete the whole journey, recording an average distance of 2,282 kilometres between fill-ups. According to the conditions and guidelines set by Guinness World Record, the Optima Hybrid had to carry two people along with their luggage throughout the journey. The record which was recently set by Kia Motors Hybrid is officially titled "Lowest fuel consumption driving through all 48 contiguous U.S. states in a gasoline hybrid car.”
Senior Executive Vice President and COO of Kia Motors Corporation, Thomas Oh, commented, "Kia Motors is deeply proud to have set a new Guinness World Record. It is testament to the quality of the design, engineering and production methods of the Kia Optima Hybrid. The drivers had to complete their unsupported drive through all kinds of American terrain and weather conditions and they did it without a single hitch from the Optima Hybrid while setting what is such an impressive fuel consumption figure.”
The driver, Wayne Gerdes, who was a part of the record making journey said, "The Kia Optima Hybrid was the perfect vehicle for this long road trip. It is spacious, comfortable and fun-to-drive, and the parallel gasoline-electric powertrain provided considerable efficiency at highway speeds and the car performed flawlessly throughout the 7,899 mile drive.”
