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Hybrid Mazda3 with Prius drivetrain coming soon?

December 21, 2009 at 12:25 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, Mazda, Toyota

Toyota and Mazda have reached an agreement in which the hybrid champion will supply Mazda with key components used to build a hybrid car that Mazda plans to launch in 2013, according to Japanese daily Yomiuri Shimbun.

The deal will see Toyota provide Mazda with the motor, control system and other hybrid components from the Prius. Batteries for Mazda’s hybrid will be supplied by a joint venture set up by Toyota and Panasonic. The report also says that Mazda will probably fit all these into its Axela, which the rest of the world knows as the Mazda3.

This will be a win-win situation for both parties. For Mazda, it provides much-needed green tech (it already lags behind rivals in this area) without a huge R&D outlay that a company its size may not afford. For comparison, Mazda’s R&D spend for the financial year ending March 2010 is expected to be 92 billion yen, which is about one-eighth of Toyota’s mammoth 800 billion yen.

Toyota meanwhile should be happy with better economies of scale for its hybrid components, most of which is self-developed at high costs.

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GM repay US and Canada government loans

December 21, 2009 at 10:34 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars

General Motors has announced the beginning of loan repayments to the US, Canadian and Ontario governments, coughing out $1.0 billion to the US Treasury and $192 million to Export Development Canada.

“We are grateful for the support the governments have provided us. We look forward to continuing repayments through June 2010, at which time the balances will be paid in full, assuming no downturn in the economy or business,” the press release said.

The US government, which now owns 60 per cent of GM, will recover $6.7 billion in June should GM’s promise hold through.

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Great Wall expands to Europe!

December 21, 2009 at 10:00 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, China, Great Wall, International News

The Great Wall of China will be expanded to Europe! Not the famous structure, but the carmaker. I.M. Group, the UK-based automotive importer and distributor for Subaru, Isuzu and Daihatsu, has signed an agreement to import vehicles from Great Wall Motor Company Limited into Europe starting 2010.

Great Wall, which has a range of cars that look a lot like Toyotas, will be initially introduced to the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Launches in Scandinavia, the UK and Ireland are planned for 2011. The brand’s Wingle pick-up truck was caught testing in Malaysia some time ago, but no news of its introduction so far.

I.M. Group assures that Great Wall’s Europe bound cars were designed and built specifically to meet EU vehicle type approval standards. “This will ensure that Great Wall models deliver high standards of crash-worthiness, equal to those of modern European and Japanese vehicles,” said the statement.

Hong Kong Stock Exchange listed Great Wall Motor Company employs over 22,000 people and has the capacity to build 800,000 vehicles annually.

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Last minute updated Saab offer from Spyker

December 21, 2009 at 1:45 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, International News, Saab, Spyker

Saab Logo

There has been a last minute update with Saab – a very last minute revised offer from Spyker which apparently addresses and eliminates 11 key “issues” which prevented the deal from going through. The new deal also does not require a loan from the European Investment Bank, but Spyker did not reveal details on how it would be alternately financed. Spyker is backed by its largest investor, the Convers Group from Russia.

“We have made every effort to resolve the issues that were preventing the conclusion of this matter and we have asked GM and all other involved parties to seriously consider this offer. We are very confident that our renewed offer will remove the impasse that was standing in the way of an agreement on Friday, and this would still allow us to conclude the deal prior to the expiry of the deadline originally set by GM of December 31,” said Spyker boss Victor Muller today.

The new Spyker offer would only be valid until 5:00 PM EST on Monday. Right now at time of posting it’s almost 1PM EST on Sunday so there’s still a good 28 hours to go before we finally say goodbye to Saab, if the deal does not go through. I really don’t know what these 11 points are but I’m really wondering what they could be, such important details that warranted killing the brand instead of passing it on to new and fresh hands which would at least try to make it work.

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Tengku Djan wins Goodyear Formula Drift Malaysia!

December 21, 2009 at 1:18 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Local News, Motorsports

Were you there at Goodyear Formula Drift Malaysia? If you made your way to MAEPS Serdang yesterday, I’m sure you’ll agree with me that the event served up great sideways action and drama – I was even hoping that the show will drag longer with few more “One More Time” runs! For those who didn’t, here’s what you missed: Malaysia’s Tengku Djan outdrifted 54 others from across Asia-Pacific to be the inaugural Goodyear Formula Drift Malaysia champion!

Read the full report and view the gallery after the jump!

[Read more...]

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Christmas discount for PLUS and ELITE

December 21, 2009 at 1:17 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Local News

HighwayClass 1 vehicles on the PLUS and ELITE highways will be enjoying a total of 20% discount on toll charges from 12 midnight to 7am (their definition of off-peak) from the 22nd to 24th of December and from the 28th to 30th of December. This is an increase of 10% on top the existing 10% discount currently offered by PLUS and ELITE.

These off-peak hours are beyond the normal bedtimes of many people so please remember to get enough rest before driving. You shouldn’t be driving if you are sleepy. For some people, even getting enough sleep is useless as their body clock tells them they should be asleep during that time. Stop by the highway rest areas whenever necessary and minum kopi!

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Facelifts for the Ford S-MAX and Galaxy

December 20, 2009 at 5:50 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Ford, International News

Ford has given the facelift treatment to two of its bread and butter European MPVs and this piece of news is particularly interesting as we were told that the S-MAX would be launched in Malaysia sometime in 2010 at the Ford Mondeo launch not too long ago.

The Ford S-MAX is essentially an MPV based on the Ford EUCD platform, which also underpins the Mondeo. It has a long wheelbase of 2,850mm which pretty much puts it in the same league as the JDM Honda Odyssey (2,830mm). I’d expect a Malaysian introduction to carry a price tag close to the RM200k point though Sime Darby is always welcome to surprise us! ;) Ford will also have a smaller 7-seater MPV based on the smaller Focus platform called the 2nd generation C-MAX which will essentially be a Ford equivalent to the Mazda 5.

I would say the most interesting part of the new S-MAX facelift is the new Ford EcoBoost SCTi engine, which uses an all-aluminium construction, direct injection, twin-independent variable cam timing and a turbocharger. Peak power is 203 PS at 5,500rpm while peak torque is 300Nm from as low as 1,750rpm all the way to 4,500rpm – lots of shove for a people carrier’s needs. 0 to 100km/h takes 8.5 seconds.

I won’t be surprised if this new engine will replace the 5-pot turbo in the next generation Focus ST, leaving the Volvo-derived 5-potter for the RS. This engine is mated to an oil-bathed 6-speed twin clutch automatic.

There’s just no escaping this new automotive styling trend – the Titaium and Titanium X Sport trim levels come with LED daytime running lights at the front. Pretty soon everyone will sport this look save for BMW which will surely stick to their corona rings.

As for the interior, the second and third row of the S-MAX (and the Galaxy) can be folded completely flat for a nice luggage area – Ford calls this the Ford FoldFlatSystem. Some Volvo tech has trickled down to these Fords as well – they have a Blind Sport Information System function which uses radar to warn drivers of vehicles in their blind spot area.

Look after the jump for shots of both the S-MAX and Galaxy.
[Read more...]

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Volkswagen ends its shopping spree with Suzuki?

December 20, 2009 at 5:04 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, International News, Suzuki, Volkswagen

Volkswagen LogoAudi, Lamborghini, Bentley, Bugatti, SEAT, Skoda, Volkswagen, Scania, Porsche, MAN and Suzuki. These are the automotive brands (passenger and commercial) linked to the Volkswagen Group. 12 so happens to be the magic number that Volkswagen board chairman Ferdinand Piech said he would like the group to have in number of brands before they call it a day. None of the brands are standalone motorcycle makers currently.

Since Suzuki isn’t officially majority owned by Volkswagen yet, technically it isn’t a brand yet. But 19.9% is more than 0%. So when the announcement came out, a lot of us assumed that it would be hard for Proton to be linked up with Volkswagen again anytime in the future. And now the latest is that Volkswagen chief executive Martin Winterkorn told a German magazine that he does not see any need for any further Merger & Acquisition activity after taking up a stake in Suzuki.

His exact words – “There are some who knock on our door. Some really want to come under our roof as they see we’re on a good path strategically. But we are satisfied with the current line-up.” As for the 19.9% stake in Suzuki, he says time will tell whether Volkswagen will increase that number.

Source

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No F1 team sponsorship for Petronas?

December 19, 2009 at 8:16 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Formula 1, Motorsports

The Star’s interview with Petronas boss Tan Sri Hassan Merican reveals that the national oil company’s will not involve itself as an F1 team sponsor next year, which should end rumors that Petronas would step in to sponsor the new Lotus F1 Racing team.

Here’s what the man himself said:

Petronas started F1 as a branding programme but we have since moved into the business. We had a very good relationship with Sauber that exposed our brand and gave us the opportunity to go global with our lubricants. It’s also timely when BMW took over Sauber and that gave us an opportunity to partner with an original equipment manufacturer (OEM). The years we were together with BMW and Sauber we benefited from the lubricant business. Petronas now has a 2% share of the global lubricants market while also being an OEM lubricant supplier to the Fiat Group. Next year, we have no team and the only reason for us to go back into Formula 1 is on a business deal, for the lubricant business.

But I think we Malaysians are so used to anything being possible that many will still sit up straight and look out for any inkling that Petronas would step in as a sponsor for Tony Fernandes and SM Nasarudin’s Malaysian team. Tony had previously said that the team would love Petronas to sponsor them at the sidelines of the Singapore GP this year.

Source

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Ford Fiesta production to start next year in Thailand

December 19, 2009 at 9:30 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Ford, International News

ford fiesta

The Ford Fiesta, which made its ASEAN debut at the recent Thailand International Motor Expo, will go into production next year at the AutoAlliance Thailand plant, which recently started producing the Mazda 2. The USD 500 million facility is a joint venture between Mazda and Ford, while the Fiesta and Mazda 2 share the same platform, so this news isn’t too much of a surprise.

Ford says that its Thai factory will supply Fiestas to the ASEAN region, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa – basically all the major right-hand drive markets in the southern hemisphere. This sporty looking five-door hatchback and a sedan will be available. A big favourite in the UK market, the B-segment Fiesta is often praised for its dynamics.

It was reported by The Edge that Sime Darby Auto ConneXion will be bringing in the Fiesta in July 2010. If so, the supermini class should be quite exciting next year as Mazda is also expected to launch the 2.

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