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Toyota Estima receives a facelift in Japan

February 4, 2009 at 8:08 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, International News, Toyota

Toyota Estima

It may seem like the latest generation Toyota Estima (also known as the Previa and the Tarago) has just been launched, but Toyota has quickly given it a facelift to keep it fresh, and hopefully keep the showrooms busy. With the facelift, Toyota seems to have completely changed the shape of the headlamps to ones that point downwards compared to the outgoing model which curve upwards a little towards the center of the grille. Nothing much has changed on the rear though.

Two engines are available – an inline-4 and a V6. The baseline inline-4 version is powered by the 2.4 litre 2AZ-FE producing 170 PS at 6,000rpm and 223Nm of torque. The larger of the two engines is the 3.5 litre BEAMS Dual VVT-i 2GR-FE engine producing 280 PS at 6,200rpm and 344Nm of torque at 4,700rpm. The inline-4 gets a Super CVT-i transmission while the V6 gets a 6-speed Super ECT automatic.

Toyota Estima

The Estima has some interesting gadgets to help drivers control its bulk. One is Lane-Keep Assist (LKA) which detects the lane markers on the road and takes control of the electric power steering to keep the car on course. The Adaptive Front-Lighting System low beam headlamp also swivels according to steering position to help light up the upcoming road around a bend.

Hill assist will automatically apply the brakes for you when you move from a stop on an incline to stop the car from rolling back. Finally, S-VSC is an enhancement from the regular VSC system which uses the electric power steering to apply appropriate steering torque to help stabilize the car.
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Aston Martin V12 Vantage unveiled before Geneva 09

February 4, 2009 at 3:51 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Aston Martin, Cars

Aston Martin V12 Vantage

Aston Martin has given us a preview of the Aston Martin V12 Vantage, based on the successful V8 Vantage model. Under the hood is a 6.0 litre V12 putting out 510 horsepower and a massive 570Nm of torque, which can take the coupe up to 100km/h in just 4.2 seconds. A concept version of the car was unveiled in late 2007, and this production version will be revealed just over a year later at the Geneva motorshow in March 2009.

Externally, the V12 Vantage looks similiar to the V8 Vantage, but under the hood there have been some engineering changes especially at the front to fit the larger engine. The rear suspension gets a more compact dual-rate spring design to accommodate the wider rear wheels. The transaxle gearbox’s (tranxle = mounted at the rear, to help with weight distribution) final ratio has also been modified from 3.909:1 to 3.71:1, to allow a higher top speed and lower cruising engine speed as made available by the higher torque levels. It also has an LSD.

Aston Martin V12 Vantage

There are two driving modes – a regular normal mode and a Sport mode that can be activated at the touch of a button. This gives the driver sharper throttle response and a sportier exhaust note. A revised stability control system allows the driver to either leave it on, enter a more lenient “track mode”, or completely switch it off, much like BMW with its DSC, DTC and DSC off modes.

The V12 Vantage’s standard brakes are Carbon Ceramic Matrix (CCM) brakes, which are cooled by air ducts positioned within the front grille. These brakes are a massive 398mm in diameter with 6 pistons at the front and 360mm at the rear with 4 pistons. They are also 12.5kg lighter than regular brakes while being tougher and having better heat dissipation properties.

This is the Aston Martin equivalent of say, shoehorning the large 5.0 litre V10 engine from the M5 into the BMW M3. Given that even in Malaysia the difference in price between the M3 and the M3 is just a little over RM100k, why not just go out and buy an M5, or in this case an Aston Martin DBS?

Look after the jump for more photos and a full spec list.
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Volvo may be sold to Renault?

February 4, 2009 at 12:25 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, International News, Renault, Volvo

Ford may finally have a buyer for its Volvo brand after all, in the form of an old French suitor named Renault. Renault almost merged with Volvo in the early 1990s and they have even co-developed some engines together. Everything is still at the discussion stage though, which began sometime last year. Renault and Volvo is seen to be a good fit as Renault makes mostly compact cars except for the Laguna (which isn’t all that big in the first place) while Volvo makes larger cars, so vehicle platforms would be complementary to each other. I’m pretty sure much of the Western world would much rather a French company than a Chinese company like Changan or SAIC.

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Geneva Preview: Mazda 3 MPS and Mazda 3 i-stop

February 4, 2009 at 12:08 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, International News, Mazda

Mazda 3 MPS

Mazda will be exhibiting two different versions of the Mazda 3 at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show this March. One will be the facelifted version of the powerful Mazda 3 MPS, and the other will be the Mazda 3 i-stop which will feature Mazda’s unique start-stop technology which accurately controls the positions of the pistons when the engine is turned off, and then utilizes the direct injection technology of Mazda to execute an ignition restart.

i-stop can restart the engine in just 0.35 seconds with an automatic transmission, which is shorter than a typical start-stop system. Mazda used to call this the Smart Idle Stop System, but it now receives a catchier brand name, the i-stop. As for the MPS, not much details about the engine or the car’s specifications at the moment except that it will continue to be powered by a MZR 2.3 litre DISI Turbo. Look after the jump for more angles of the new Mazda 3 MPS.
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Chris Bangle quits BMW and the auto industry

February 3, 2009 at 11:18 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under BMW, Cars, International News

BMW Design Team
Bangle and his “machais” (L-R): David Robb (BMW Motorrad), Adrian van Hooydonk (BMW), Ulf Weidhase (BMW M and BMW Individual), Ian Cameron (Rolls-Royce), Gert Volker Hildebrand (MINI)

Chris Bangle has quit BMW, and apparently the entire auto industry as well. Succeeding his position as chief of design for the entire BMW Group (including MINI and Rolls-Royce) is Dutchman Adrian van Hooydonk, who is the BMW brand’s design chief.

52-year old Bangle who has worked in BMW since 1992 is not moving to another car company but is instead leaving to pursue his own design-related ventures beyond the auto industry. Among the work produced by the BMW design team under van Hooydonk’s leadership include the new F01 7-Series, the new Z4 and the upcoming BMW PAS.

This story by NY Times reveals that many of BMW’s controversial designs that made it into production under Bangle’s watch have erroneously been attributed to him. He merely approved it. The “Bangle butt” should more appropriately be called the “van Hooydonk butt”. As for the whole controversial “flame surfacing” design, which many have said is a mere collection of random surface shapes to conceal an unimaginative design, the article claims that to be the responsibility of another American, Chris Chapman.

Look after the jump to check out both Bangle and van Hooydonk’s CVs.
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Volkwagen Touareg V6 TSI Hybrid Prototype

February 3, 2009 at 4:33 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, Volkswagen

Touareg Hybrid
Click to enlarge image

When the new Volkswagen Touareg debuts in 2010, it will get a gasoline-electric hybrid powertrain, in addition to the petrol and diesel options that it currently has. Volkswagen has released preliminary details on the hybrid powertrain, which reveals a few interesting things about what’s going into the next generation of Volkswagens. Firstly, this is the first time the new supercharged Audi 3.0 litre V6 is installed in a Volkswagen. By itself it produces 333 PS at 5,500rpm and 440Nm of torque from 3,000rpm. With the help of the E-Motor, this is boosted up to 374 PS and 550Nm of torque, which can take the Touarag up to 100km/h in 6.8 seconds.

By itself, the E-Motor puts out 52 PS and 300Nm of torque, which is what powers the vehicle in pure electric mode during city driving at speeds of up to 50km/h. This E-Motor is installed between the engine and the transmission, which is another new bit of equipment in a Volkswagen. It now has a total of 8 ratios, up from the previous 6-speed box.

Touareg Hybrid
Click to enlarge image

This 8-speed box has been tuned for hybrid usage. It has a special torque converter with larger lock-up system, an auxiliary electric oil pump (to maintain a supply of oil when the V6 TSI is switched off), a transmission heater to reach optimal operating temperature faster, and a modified transmission controller.

To make up for the additional hybrid equipment including NiMH batteries, some weight reduction had to be done in other areas of the car. Hence, the 4Motion all-wheel drive loses the center transfer box with the lockable differential and the offroading low ratios. In its place is a lighter Torsen differential from the Audi Q7, which has no low ratio capabilities.

Look after the jump for many diagrams showing the different hybrid operation modes.
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Nissan Qazana Concept set for Geneva 09 debut

February 3, 2009 at 3:39 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Concept Cars, International News, Nissan

NIssan Qazana

No, the image you see above is not an early sketch of the Kia Soul. It’s actually a teaser image for a new Nissan concept car due for the 79th Geneva International Motor Show called the Nissan Qazana concept. Nissan describes the Qazana as being a small 5-door hatchback crossover vehicle with large wide wheelarches and suicide doors.

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New Fast & Furious 4 Trailer from Super Bowl

February 3, 2009 at 4:46 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Videos

Fast & Furious 4

More hot cars, more hot babes, more explosions and more drag races. There is now yet another trailer for the new Fast & Furious 4 trailer out and it picks up where the last one left us, right a the start of a drag race between Vin Diesel, Paul Walker and some other cars. We have some new scenes and some repeated scenes from the previous few trailers, they can’t give away too much of the movie of course! Watch the new trailer after the jump, together with links to the other previously released trailers.
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Focus-based Ford electric vehicle due in 2011

February 3, 2009 at 4:34 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Ford, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, International News

Ford Focus EV

The next generation Ford Focus due in 2010 will spawn an electric-only version that will share its platform. This new Focus platform is important for Ford as it will be a global platform, which means the ancient platform American market Focus (shown above) will also be updated. The Ford electric vehicle project has its roots back when its supplier Magna International secretly converted a Focus into an electric car without Ford’s knowledge and surprised them with it. Ford loved the car, and Project M began, a joint venture between Magna and Ford. The new Focus-based electric vehicle which is set to launch in 2011, a year after Chrysler and Nissan unveils their own pure electric vehicles, and after GM launches its Chevrolet Volt extended-range EV.

Unlike EREVs like the Volt which move with an electric motor on pure electric mode but use an on-board internal combustion engine to generate electricity for the electric motor to go further (rather than drive the car directly through a gearbox), the Ford EV will not have a range extender and will be able to go about 160km on a single charge, which Ford says is enough for the average American motorist.

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BMW X1 “spy video” at the Arctic Circle

February 3, 2009 at 3:55 am By Paul Tan Filed Under BMW, Cars, Spyshots, Videos

BMW X1

In the spirit of “self-published” spyshots by car manufacturers that have been surfacing lately, BMW has released a spy video of the BMW X1 donning a ridiculous camo pattern on its body having some fun in the snowy terrain of the arctic circle. This particular unit would likely have the xDrive system for sure, but word is the X1 might also come in sDrive rear-wheel drive variants. Watch the “spy video” after the jump.
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