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Alfa Romeo 159 price revised upwards

December 31, 2009 at 4:50 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Alfa Romeo, Local News

Sime Darby Auto ConneXion, the company behind Ford, Land Rover and Alfa Romeo, has announced a new price for the Alfa Romeo 159. Available only in 2.2 JTS spec with Selespeed gearbox, it is now priced at RM195,888 (nett selling price excluding insurance, road tax and registration fees). The previous price was RM188,888.

For your RM200,000, the 159 comes with 9 airbags (front, rear, window, driver’s knee), Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC), auto lights and wipers, bi-xenons, three-zone climate control, sunroof and 18-inch alloys, among other kit.

The direct injection 2.2 JTS engine comes with 185 bhp and 230 Nm of torque, good for 0-100 km/h in 8.8 seconds and a top speed of 222 km/h.

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Naza to launch eight models next year!

December 31, 2009 at 4:02 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Kia, Local News, Naza, Peugeot

The Naza Group targets to achieve sales of 25,970 units next year with major contribution coming from its Kia division. Joint executive chairman SM Nasarudin SM Nasimuddin broke down the 2010 sales target to 22,000 Kia vehicles, 2,930 Peugeot vehicles and 1,040 units of the Naza Forza.

Naza plans to launch four new Kia models which will include a “recreational vehicle” in the first half of the year. The conglomerate will also introduce four new Peugeots in 2010, including the “T33″ entry-level model that will be manufactured at its Gurun plant.

Our guess is that the “RV” in question will be the new Sorento, while the Soul and Forte Koup should also be coming. How about the facelifted Optima to make it four?

On the Peugeot front, T33 is the 207 Sedan, which despite the name is a booted 206 with the 207′s “big mouth” face. Naza will be counting on this small saloon to provide the bulk of Peugeot sales. My personal prediction for the other three is 207, 308 CC and a crossover, possibly the 3008.

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Kia Borrego dropped from US lineup

December 31, 2009 at 1:13 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under International News, Kia, Koreans

Kia has dropped the Borrego from its 2010 US lineup due to slow sales. The mid-sized (it’s considered full-sized elsewhere) SUV made its US debut late 2008, coinciding with high fuel prices and the financial crisis. Kia had hoped to sell 20,000 units of the Borrego per year, but only managed to shift 9,510 units for the first 11 months of 2009.

Highly rated by the motoring press, the body-on-frame Borrego was offered with a 3.8-litre V6 and Kia’s first V8, a 4.6-litre unit with 337 bhp mated to a six-speed automatic. Despite the robust underpinnings, the Borrego wasn’t positioned as a serious 4X4 as it lacked advanced off-road hardware, but more as value priced alternative to luxury SUVs. The big seven-seater, which sits above the Sorento in size, is sold in its home market as the Kia Mohave. Kia is reported as not ruling out a future return of the Borrego to the US.

If you want to spend money building a big SUV, you’ve got to do well in the American market, and this has to be a rare setback for Kia, a company more used to encouraging reviews and rising sales these days.

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Saab deadline extended, factory up and running

December 31, 2009 at 11:25 am By Danny Tan Filed Under International News, Saab, Spyker

If the original December 31 deadline for negotiations holds through, Saab will be officially consigned to history come midnight. But it won’t, as General Motors has extended the deadline for a final offer from Spyker Cars until January 7, Spyker Cars CEO Victor Muller said in a text message. Reuters also reported Muller saying that he beleived there are multiple bidders for Saab.

Meanwhile, in a suprising move Saab will restart some production lines again in January for the new 9-5 and 9-3 Cabriolet. “We have the orders and we have to deliver them as usual. The factory has to continue again,” Saab spokesman Eric Geers said. “We are preparing the wind-down process. At the same time we are open to options, to bids that come in. Therefore the deadline has also been dropped,” he added.

Spyker, an exclusive sportscar maker backed by Russian and Arab money, is keen to buy Saab for its technical resources and distribution network. The loss-making company made an improved bid for Saab on Dec 20, two days after initial talks with GM collapsed. The saga continues…

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VW and Suzuki to develop hybrids and EVs in India

December 31, 2009 at 9:47 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, Suzuki, Volkswagen

Following the purchase of 19.9% of Suzuki, Volkswagen has wasted little time in executing its masterplan. Back then, VW said: “both parties are focused on achieving synergies in the areas of rapidly growing emerging markets as well as in the development and manufacturing of innovative and environmentally friendly compact cars”. Now, VW and Suzuki have revealed that they will be working together on hybrid and electric car projects in India.

The two companies are looking at establishing an R&D centre in the Subcontinent, and it’s likely to be on current Suzuki premises. VW has an arsenal of efficient drivetrains while Suzuki has plenty of small cars in all shapes and sizes. The latter also has a fuel cell programme going on. Will the Volkswagen Up! Lite Concept soon be reality?

It will be interesting to see the fruits of this marriage take shape, and how affordable they can make it to be. Millions of Indians adopting green cars will not only be good for VW and Suzuki, but the rest of the world, as the booming nation is set to be one of the top emitters of greenhouse gases.

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Proton discontinues car scrapping programme

December 31, 2009 at 9:08 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Proton

Proton Xchange Programme, the car scrapping scheme from Proton has been discontinued. In a media statement, Proton said only applications that reached its offices on or before Oct 31 would be processed for the rebate vouchers.

The national car manufacturer said it had received a total of 25,862 applications from March 10 to Oct 31, exhausting the funds provided by the government’s economic stimulus plan before the given year-end period. 7,539 applications were received from Nov 1-6 before Proton realised that the piggy bank was empty – however, the company has come up with a “special incentive scheme” for this group of customers. If you are among those who submitted forms in November, contact Proton for further arrangements.

Unsuccessful applicants will not need to surrender their old cars in order to enjoy the special scheme but Proton would provide the necessary assistance in making arrangements with used car dealers. “While this scheme is applicable to the purchases of any Proton cars, the cars must be registered by the Jan 31, 2010,” the statement read.

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DRB-HICOM to launch its own hybrid car by 2012

December 30, 2009 at 7:43 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, Local News

DRB-HICOM has announced plans to introduce its own hybrid car by 2012. Group director of automotive, Datuk Nik Hamdan Nik Hassan said the conglomerate is currently in talks with three potential partners to manufacture the car and that they hope to finalise the deal next year.

“We want to have our own hybrid car that we can call it HICOM hybrid. It will take 18 to 24 months to have this car to come on stream,” he told a media briefing today. When pressed for details, he declined to name the parties but said that one of them was DRB-HICOM’s existing partner.

Who might that be? At present, DRB-HICOM has links with Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Honda, Suzuki, Mitsubishi, Isuzu, Mahindra as well as local brands Proton and Modenas. It has just cut off ties with GM and Chevrolet.

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Gemballa’s Stormtrooper inspired Ferrari Enzo

December 30, 2009 at 4:05 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Ferrari, Laughs

German tuner Gemballa, which is famous for its work on Porsches, has dabbled into the world of molesting Ferraris – and they aimed for the best. This Enzo you see here is called the Gemballa MIG-U1 (sounds more like a Russian fighter jet) which should be a privately-commissioned one-off model favoured by the mega rich when a standard supercar (even if it’s the Enzo) is not exclusive enough.

Details of the MIG-U1 flows out from the Ilyas and Mustafa Galadari Group, a conglomerate that runs several automotive companies, among other businesses from their HQ in Dubai. They claim the Enzo has a brand new exhaust system, freshly sculptured rear bumper and wing, new side sills, and fierce front bumper. As with Gemballa’s Porsches, the MIG-U1 comes with a roof-mounted air intake. Interior mods include quilted upholstery, dual-tone floor mats, and a LCD screen.

If I was a Stormtrooper, I’d gather my mates to petition Darth Vader to make this the official company car! More pics after the jump.

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Geely boss: “Nothing will change for Volvo”

December 30, 2009 at 1:46 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Geely, International News, Volvo

After Ford announced that it will sell Volvo to Geely, many have raised concerns on the future health of the Swedish carmaker. As a response, Li Shufu, founder and chairman of Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, parent of Geely Auto says that Volvo’s current production, R&D facilities, union agreements and dealer networks will all be left intact, quotes a Reuters report.

“If the deal succeeds, nothing will change for Volvo, except the boss turns to Li Shufu,” the head honcho told Xinhua news agency. “Volvo and Geely will be two independently-managed brands.”

He said the Volvo purchase would help Geely, which is China’s largest private automaker, develop “new energy vehicles”, and that Geely would help Volvo reduce production costs and expand in China. “The new energy-powered vehicle will be the future of the world’s auto industry. But based on current investment in research and development, China will be left far behind the pace of developed countries,” the 46-year old Li said.

Ford expects the deal, which is estimated to cost Geely $1.8 billion, to be signed in the first quarter of 2010. Ford paid $6.45 billion for Volvo in 1999.

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CONFIRMED: DRB-HICOM and Chevrolet part ways

December 30, 2009 at 12:08 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Chevrolet, Local News

After long standing rumours, DRB-HICOM has finally announced its break up with the Chevrolet marque in Malaysia. The statement said that DRB and General Motors Asia Pacific have mutually agreed to discontinue their existing joint venture agreement to import and distribute Chevrolet vehicles from Jan 1, 2010.

This will see the winding down of joint venture company HICOM-Chevrolet Sdn Bhd, which was founded in August 2007. GM and DRB-HICOM hold 51 per cent and 49 per cent stake in the JV, respectively. DRB-HICOM, through its subsidiary DRB-HICOM Auto Solutions, was reponsible for the importation of the vehicles into Malaysia while GM was in charge of the management and operations of the business.

The identity of GM’s new partner is almost an open secret by now, and we expect a formal announcement by the parties involved soon. This constant changing of hands doesn’t bode well for the Chevrolet marque in Malaysia; customer confidence will take a battering and current owners won’t be too happy with this news at all.

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