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Satu Malaysia, Satu F1 Team: introducing the new 1Malaysia F1 Team for next year’s grid

September 15, 2009 at 6:15 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Formula 1, Motorsports

Remember all those rumours about Lotus and Tony Fernandes entering the sport of F1? It looks like they’re true after all.

A new team entry called Team Lotus F1 run by a company called the 1Malaysia F1 Team Sdn Bhd has been accepted as the 13th and final entry on the grid, joining other newcomers such as Campos, Manor, US F1. The team will be based at the RTN factory in Norfolk which is 10 miles away from Lotus cars.

1Malaysia F1 Team’s principal will be none other than Tony Fernandes himself, with funding coming from the Tune Group and a consortium of Malaysian entrepreneurs (names being mentioned include Naza’s SM Nasarudin). Norfolk-born Mike Gascoyne will be the team’s Technical Director. The man who is nicknamed “the bulldog” for his confrontational and aggressive style used to be the Technical Director for Jordan, Renault, Toyota, Spyker and most recently Force India.

Engines will be provided by Cosworth, transmissions by Xtrac and aerodynamics by FondTech. Fondtech is run by former Ferrari aerodynamicist Jean-Claude Migeot. In the future, an R&D, manufacturing and technical facility will be built at the Sepang International Circuit.

As for the drivers, they will only be announced on the 31st of October 2009. Currently six local and international drivers have been selected. I’m pretty sure at least one of the two drivers will be a Malaysian – anyone wanna take a shot at guessing who? Fairuz Fauzy?

Sadly the 13 teams does not include the current BMW Sauber team, which has been assigned a ’14th place’ on the grid, which means it will be first in line to be slotted in in case anything happens. The FIA is currently calling for the permission to extend the grid to a total of 14 teams, which would mean 28 cars.

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3+1 seater Volkswagen E-Up! concept EV

September 15, 2009 at 2:13 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Concept Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, International News, Volkswagen

Volkswagen E-Up!

Here’s yet another concept car in the up! range of cars. We’ve previously seen the up! and the larger space up!. Here comes the 3+1 seater E-Up!, which as you can probably tell is powered by an electric motor. The electric motor is rated at 40kW continuous with a burst power of 60kW, and torque is rated at 210Nm. Although this is a concept car for now, Volkswagen confirmed a production EV version will be launched in 2013. Quite interestingly the 3+1 seating is similiar to the Toyota iQ.

Volkswagen E-Up!

This is how VW’s Martin Winterkorn sees mobility in the near future. Cars with pure petrol and diesel engines – which in the foreseeable future will continue be unbeatable for mid- to long-range distances – will be supplemented by cars like the E-Up! in upcoming years, especially in the city. This can be a reality in 5 years time. But production numbers of an electric car can only match that of a Polo in current times only in 2020, and that’s earliest!

Volkswagen E-Up!

The E-Up! weighs just 1,085kg, and out of that the lithium ion batteries housed in the underbody (protected by a crash-protected tray) alone takes up 240kg. The electric motor is lighter at 140kg. The E-Up! is meant to be charged at home in the owner’s garage, or on the road when a charging infrastructure has been set up.

Volkswagen predicts that quick charging infrastructure could possibly allow the E-Up! to be charged up to 80% of its battery life within an hour’s time. At home, a regular 230V outlet can do the same in 5 hours tops.

Volkswagen E-Up!

So in terms of cost according to European electricity rates, the E-Up! can go 100km for 2 Euros (actual range has not been revealed by Volkswagen). The charging port is hidden behind the Volkswagen logo at the front. The solar panel on the roof can generate a small amount of electricity, enough for some auxiliary electrical systems and to cool the interior by powering the car’s ventilation system.
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Audi R8 Spyder unveiled with hi-res gallery!

September 15, 2009 at 11:21 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Audi, Cars, International News

Audi R8 Spyder

Official details and photos of the new Audi R8 Spyder 5.2 FSI quattro have been released. The R8 Spyder will only come with the top of the line 525 horsepower 530Nm V10 engine and uses a cloth top instead of one of those new hard tops. The roof folds into a Z-shape and is stored in a compartment over the V10 engine.

The soft top opens and closes in 19 seconds and weighs just 30kg, but don’t think that’s the only weight penalty the Spyder body will pay as there has to be extra chassis reinforcements to make up for not having a roof. But even then, the extra reinforcements to the body have been remarkably light. According to Audi, the reinforcements n the area of the sills, the center tunnel, the rear wall, the floor pan and the A- and B-pillars result in the body (not the whole car) weighing a total of 216kg – that’s just 6kg heavier than the version with the roof.

Lighting for the R8 is all about LED technology. Both the daytime running lights and the headlamps are LED-powered. The lights have a 6000K temperature which means it’s going to be more of a whitish hue instead of the whitish-yellow colour that most factory Xenon headlamps have.

Look after the jump for a very hi-res gallery of the R8 Spyder.
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Leaked: All-electric Audi R8 e-Tron Concept

September 15, 2009 at 1:10 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Audi, Cars, Concept Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel

Audi e-Tron Concept

Remember those Electricity Untamed (what’s with German carmakers and the word untamed for their Frankfurt exhibits) teaser videos that Audi released earlier this month? Still don’t know anything about what kind of electric motor(s) will power the Frankfurt car but an initial set of photos of the Audi e-Tron concept have surfaced.

It’s quite clearly an R8 (though without “side blades”, making it end up looking like a large TT) but likely in the interest of aerodynamics most of the intake openings have been closed off. Perhaps electric motors run much cooler than a regular combustion engine. And check out those radical wheels!

It’s interesting how all three premium German manufacturers are exhibiting very powerful sports cars with alternative combustion engines at the Frankfurt show. Mercedes-Benz will showcase its electric-powered version of the SLS AMG while BMW has its Vision EfficientDynamics concept car.

Look after the jump for the rest of the e-Tron photos.
[Read more...]

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New Euro 2M-compliant BHPetrol infiniti Diesel

September 15, 2009 at 12:31 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Malaysian Fuel Prices

BHPetrolBHPetrol has launched its new BHPetrol infiniti Diesel fuel and it is now available at all service stations, which amount to over 300 currently. infiniti Diesel complies with the new Euro 2M standards, which means a maximum of 500ppm of sulphur compared to last month’s MS123 standard diesel fuel which called for a maximum of 3,000ppm of sulphur.

A Diesel Performance Additive Package from a leading chemical company is used to give infiniti Diesel anti-corrosion (for engine protection) and foam inhibitor (for easy fill-up) properties as well as improve mileage. The additive also contains a key detergent ingredient called HR-PIB or Highly Reactive Polyisobutene Succinimide which can clean deposits in the engine.

This additive package has been added to the fuel at the chemical company’s recommended maximum dose rate, which offers double the cleaning power against typical surveyed European branded diesel. This was the findings of tests on the 1.9 litre Peugeot XUD9 diesel engine, which is apparently a standard European test.

infiniti Diesel goes for the standard price of RM1.70 per litre.

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Four-door Bugatti Bordeaux now called the Bugatti 16C Galibier Concept

September 14, 2009 at 11:29 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Concept Cars

Bugatti 16C Galibier Concept

If you think the Veyron was exclusive enough, apparently this new Bugatti 16C Galibier Concept (previously teaser to us as the “Bordeaux”) is so exclusive that us mere plebians won’t get a chance to view it at the Frankfurt show coming up in the next few days. Instead, it will get a ‘private unveiling’ at an event in France. The is pretty much the embodiment of the word excessive, but I am really glad that they’ve come up with this and not yet another boring Veyron special edition with a different paint job.

Bugatti 16C Galibier Concept

The body of the new 16C Galibier Concept has a two-tone colour scheme that reminds me of the last special edition Veyron – the Grand Sport Sang Bleu. Like the Sang Bleu, most of the car is decked out in a special carbon fiber weave that’s painted dark blue, while the doors and wings are made out of polished aluminium. The Veyron styling has been translated to a larger more stately 4-door form quite well though I must say.

Bugatti 16C Galibier Concept

Under the hood mounted up front is a 8.0 litre W16 engine. I don’t see any mention of quad turbos here – instead Bugatti says it uses “two-stage supercharging”, and is flex-fuel capable, which means you can feed it ethanol.

Power is sent to all four wheels via an all-wheel drive system, but although most people are quoting an output of 800 horses and above, we’re not exactly sure how much power we’re talking about as the official press release was more interested in telling us about how this new concept brings back cues from Bugatti’s past glory.

Bugatti 16C Galibier Concept

As for the name – it is named after the Col du Galibier, which is the name of a mountain pass in the Swiss Alps. Of course that’s yet another homage to an old Bugatti. They say this is a homage to the old Bugatti Type 57 Atlantic. The Atlantic was just one of the few bodystyles that the 57 had, another one was called the Galibier. This car remains a concept for now and should go into production only by end-2012 or early 2013, giving the millionaires who desire this some time and inspiration to become multi-millionaires.
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2-seater Volkswagen L1 Concept consumes just 1.38 liters of diesel per 100km travelled!

September 14, 2009 at 10:52 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Concept Cars, International News, Volkswagen

A German paper managed to get a scoop on a rather interesting concept car that Volkswagen plans to show at the Frankfurt show that’ll open in just a few days time. This concept car is supposedly called the Volkswagen L1 Concept and guess what its rated fuel consumption is – 1.49 litres per 100km! Most people are calling it a 1 litre car, which it actually is not, but nevertheless a “1.49 litre car” is still impressive.

It’s a small 3,800mm long two seater car and you sit in it in tandem – which means the driver at the front and the passenger behind him or her. The L1 Concept is powered by a twin-cylinder diesel engine mated to a 7-speed twin clutch transmission. It’s only got 29 horsepower but at a kerb weight of 380kg, that’s more than enough. CO2 output is rated at just 39g/km.

UPDATE: We now know more information about the new L1. The official fuel consumption has been rated at 1.38 litres per 100km. The 800cc two-cylinder diesel engine is essentially half of Volkswagen’s BlueMotion 1.6 TDI engine and it makes 27 PS (39 PS in “sports mode”) and 100Nm of torque at 1,900rpm, but is assisted by a 14 hosepower electric motor powered by a lithium ion battery situated at the front of the car. The hybrid unit sends power to the wheels via a 7-speed DSG transmission.

The electric motor sits between the TDI engine and the DSG gearbox. This sounds like a motor assist system but the motor is capable of running on its own as a zero emissions EV with the TDI shut off via decoupling from the TDI with an auxiliary clutch. When its time for the TDI unit to be restarted, this electric motor acts as a start-up generator.

To retain the L1′s aerodynamic shape, door mirrors have been eliminated. While they’re at it, they also took out the rear view mirror though since it is inside the car it doesn’t improve aerodynamics. Instead, functions of both the door and rear view mirrors have been replaced by cameras which send images to OLED displays on the left and right of the instrument panel. There are no doors – the passengers get in from the top.

The L1 is built around a safety cell made out of carbon fiber reinforced plastic, which itself weighs only 124kg. If you add everything else in, the L1 tops out at 380kg kerb weight, which is pretty damn light. The weight is well acounting for – 122kg goes to teh drivetrain, 79kg for the chassis, 35kg for the interior furnishings, and 20kg for the electricals. The L1 measures 1,200mm wide, 3,813mm long and 1,143mm tall, which Volkswagen says is similiar to the length of a Volkswagen Fox and the height of a Lamborghini Murcielago.

Look after the jump for more shots of the L1.
[Read more...]

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New Honda PCX scooter with idle stop system

September 14, 2009 at 5:20 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Bikes

Honda PCX

Honda will be introducing a new scooter model for the ASEAN and global market soon, beginning with Thailand where it will be produced. The new Honda PCX is powered by a 4-stroke water-cooled 125cc single cylinder engine that can do 50km per litre on the ECE 40 MODE cycle. It’s not going to be cheap, as the PCX will be positioned as a high-end but high-value model. The Honda PCX features an “idling stop system” where the engine can shut off automatically when the scooter comes to a complete stop. This can help save fuel consumption while you wait for a traffic light or for whatever reason you’re stopped – traffic jams don’t seem to pose that much of a problem for these bikes.

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Saga to be sold as the Proton S16 in Australia

September 14, 2009 at 4:41 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, International News, Proton

Proton S16

The Australian name for the Proton Saga has been announced – Proton’s smallest sedan will be offered down under as the Proton S16. I assume this is supposed to stand for Saga 1.6, not sure what’s wrong with the Saga name. The S16 will go on sale from the 1st of November for under AU$13,000 with a manual transmission, but Australian dealers will get test drive units in October for anyone who is interested in the car.

Under the hood will be the Campro IAFM engine that powers the Persona here in Malaysia, producing 110 horsepower at 6,500rpm and 148Nm of torque. The car’s fuel consumption is rated at 6.3 litres per 100km on the ADR (Australian Design Rules) combined cycle.

This is unconfirmed but according to some Aussie news sites the Australian spec car is expected to have dual SRS airbags for the front driver and passenger, which means it’ll be one of the highest spec versions of the Saga available so far, as the top of the line Sage in Malaysia thus far has only been available with a driver airbag.

What’s even more interesting for Australian buyers is that the price tag could possibly go even lower with the introduction of a 1.3 litre Campro engine option, which will only be available from February 2010 onwards. It’s not sure if the 1.3 litre car will continue to be called the S16, or receive a more apt name like the S13.

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Volkswagen CKD deal: Proton in talks with Volkswagen for ASEAN alliance again?

September 14, 2009 at 9:02 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Malaysian Makes, Proton, Volkswagen

ProtonTalks of some kind of business deal between Proton and Volkswagen have surfaced in the papers again, this time on a car assembly deal for passenger cars without taking up stake.

Volkswagen have already identified a base in Indonesia for the Touran MPV, but they have also been looking for a way to assembly their passenger cars here in Malaysia. Other than Proton, DRB-HICOM was also a potential partner name that came up in the past.

Datuk Syed Zainal confirmed sometime last week that Proton was indeed in talks with a foreign car company and hoped that something can be agreed upon before the end of the year. He did not mention which company this is, but in a Reuters report a Volkswagen spokesperson managed to be reached for comment and he confirmed that they were in talks with Proton. According to the spokesperson, the confirmed plant in Indonesia was not sufficient to serve the entire ASEAN market – it looks like they’re planning to come to this region in a big way!

These talks with Proton could be the reason why the reviewed NAP announcement has been pushed to the end of next month instead of being announced this month as previously indicated. “It’s a complicated matter. We cannot rush,” said MITI minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamed. Proton is of course at the center of the Malaysian automotive industry, thus most decisions will actually surround the company.

The foreign car company was referred to by Datuk Syed Zainal as potentially Proton’s “missing link”, which means the talks could extend beyond Proton being a contract assembler for Volkswagen – Proton could be asking to license or collaborate on certain Volkswagen tech such as platforms or engines, especially diesel engines!

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