Kia hosts 50th birthday party for Northern Group of Motoring Writers

Last week, the 50th anniversary celebrations for the Northern Group of Motoring Writers (NGMW) began in style, with the group’s annual general meeting hosted by Kia at a special venue in Yorkshire.

A celebratory meal and spectacular firework display concluded the event, held at the Aldwark Manor Estate, north-west of York, where the historic hotel is linked to the planning of the famous Dambusters Raid.

Members of the Norther Group of Motoring Writers pictured at Aldwark Manor, near York, during 50th anniversary celebrations

With the NGMW continuing to thrive, the meeting attracted the group’s largest ever turn-out, with motoring reporters who write for the Telegraph & Argus, York Press, Yorkshire Post and Manchester Evening News among those present for the momentous occasion.

Former T&A journalist and now-retired director of corporate communications at Kia, Steve Kitson, was a special guest for the event, making a speech in which he praised the ongoing success of the NGMW and spoke of the importance of in-depth, balanced motoring coverage.

The meeting also saw the appoitment of the NGMW's new chair, with Andrew Evans stepping up into the role after four years as vice chair, succeeding Andy Harris, who had led the group since 2019. 

Andrew Evans (left) has taken over from Andy Harris (right) as chair of the NGMW (Image: NGMW)

Kia capped the day off with commemorative NGMW 50th Anniversary pin badges, a cake — and some cupcakes — bearing the same design.

Earlier, those present had been given the opportunity to drive some of the 13 vehicles that Kia had brought along to the event, including a selection of almost every model the brand sells in the UK today.

The fleet was certainly kept busy, with the attending members racking up close to 90 drives over the course of the day and exceeding 1,000 miles between them.

I took the chance to catch-up with driving the following three vehicles:

Kia EV6 GT Line (£51,745)

With striking looks and strong performance, this fully-electric vehicle has the ability to put a smile on the face.

The GT Line version can accelerate from 0-62mph in 5.2 seconds, with 321bhp on hand when a burst of speed is needed.

Taking things rather more cautiously on the tight and twisty roads of North Yorkshire, I was able to appreciate the EV6’s smoothness, with a refined cabin and suspension that does a good job of absorbing road imperfections.

It has a 77.4kWh Li-ion polymer battery, with a combined range of 314 miles.

As I drove through the nearby villages, several pedestrians looked round for a second glance at the car’s striking looks, including its sharp creases and stylish headlight signature.

Kia Stonic GT-Line S (£24,770)

A one-litre, three cylinder engine provides a nice balance between performance and economy.

The Stonic is a crossover that mixes elements of SUV and hatchback within a compact footprint.

It handles nicely and feels well-balanced when cornering, while the interior is well laid-out and offers decent levels of practicality.

It also looks the part, especially in the bright yellow colour-scheme seen above.

Kia Soul EV Explore (£39,045)

The funky-looking Soul is fun to look at and fun to drive.

Its smaller dimensions mean it’s nippy off the mark, performing the sprint to 62mph in 7.9 seconds, while also feeling very agile while cornering.

Most impressive is the way the Soul EV still pulls strongly when you accelerate from around 40mph - a time when some EVs are starting to run out of grunt.

The vehicle doesn’t come cheap, but features a long list of equipment and an excellent infotainment system.

The 64kWh lithium-ion battery delivers up to 280 miles of range, and plugging it into a 100kW DC charger will renew the battery to 80 per cent in less than an hour.