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Lotus announces the Evora Cup racer and one-make series

January 14, 2010 at 7:56 pm By Harvinder Sidhu Filed Under Cars, Lotus, Motorsports

Lotus has officially announced that it will reveal the Evora Cup race car at the Autosport International racing car show in Birmingham, UK later today. The race car is developed based on the FIA GT4 specifications and it can be used to compete in various national and international series, with options for endurance racing and sprint racing. It has a Toyota-sourced 4.0 litre V6 that is able to crank out over 400 PS and features a dry sump system.

The mid-mounted unit is paired with a motorsport-ready 6-speed sequential paddle shift dog gearbox. Other upgrades that are evident in this Cup car include a Dallara-developed aero dynamics package, adjustable motor sport dampers, 6-piston front brake callipers with two piece aluminium belled brake discs and so on. The Evora Cup race car weighs slightly lower than 1,200 kilograms which is about 200 kilograms less than the weight figure of the production version.

“The Evora Cup racing car is the first step along the route for Lotus Motorsport to realise its racing ambitions. I am looking forward to seeing the Evora racing this year in the Lotus Evora Cup competition and I am excited by the plans for 2011, where Lotus intends to introduce a pan European one make race series for the Evora Cup,” said Claudio Berro, Director of Motorsport at Group Lotus.

The above mentioned European one-make series will have a €100,000 prize fund and Lotus also revealed that the Lotus Cup race car will cost £120,000 (excluding taxes) and that the final design and specifications will be presented at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show happening in March.

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Compact Audi e-tron rumored to become the R4 sports car

January 14, 2010 at 6:24 pm By Harvinder Sidhu Filed Under 2010 Detroit Auto Show, Audi, Cars, Concept Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel

Audi’s recent e-tron which is now smaller than the version that was showcased at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show may carry the R4 designation when it goes into production in late 2012. The R4 is also expected to feature more conventional fuel-powered versions apart from an all electric version previewed by the e-tron. This reworked e-tron that is being showcased at the Detroit Motor Show has shrunk in size and definitely resembles the size of an Audi TT.

Instead of four electric motors that were used in the Frankfurt 2009 version, this concept has only half of that and both are mounted on the rear axle. Total output is rated at 201hp and a massive 2,650Nm of torque. The torque figure is definitely mind-boggling however a report by Automobile Magazine revealed that the original e-tron’s 4,500Nm figure was based on different set of calculation.

Usually torque is measured at the output shaft but the magazine reported that the e-tron’s torque figure is measured at the wheels which multiplies the output shaft-based figure. The magazine estimated that the torque, if calculated according to the industry standard should be about 341Nm of torque. This means that the 2,650Nm of torque figure above is about 200Nm if measured at the output shaft.

Nevertheless the compact e-tron can hit 100 km/h in 5.9 seconds and can return a governed top speed of 200 km/h. The e-tron can deliver 250 kilometers over a full charge. You can enjoy an array of live pictures after the jump.

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Live pictures of the rugged-looking MINI Beachcomber Concept

January 14, 2010 at 1:12 am By Harvinder Sidhu Filed Under 2010 Detroit Auto Show, Cars, Concept Cars

MINI recently revealed the rugged-looking Beachcomber Concept which is a compact SUV that makes you think of the bare Mini Moke from the sixties whenever you look at it. The concept made its debut at the Detroit motor event and we have some live pictures to share with you. As mentioned earlier the Beachcomber has been confirmed for the assembly lines and that it will be launched by the third quarter of this year.

The concept that is rumored to be called the Countryman when it is revealed in production form has an “open-body concept” meaning there are no doors. It also does without a roof but in case of a wet weather, the Beachcomber can be fitted with a removable roof. Along with its rugged demeanor the concept has a four wheel drive configuration and sits further away from the ground. Do enjoy the live pics after the jump!
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EOCM 2010 Genting Highlands Road Tour

January 14, 2010 at 12:46 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Malaysian Makes, Proton, Proton Exora - Proton MPV 2009

The 1.6 litre Campro CPS engine used in the Proton Exora has been the subject of much criticism, whether called for or not. Yes, having a relatively small engine in a large vehicle is bound to require a little more pedal to the metal but everytime there is a story about the Exora or the Alza on this site there is bound to be those who pop up and say that they’ve tried the Exora in so and so situations and the MPV failed to deliver.

I think other than Proton themselves, the next group of people who are likely to be infuriated by such allegations are the Proton Exora owners themselves. After all, they’ve committed to years of monthly repayments to the Proton family vehicle of their choice and having a personal connection with their car, insulting the Exora is almost like insulting their logic or choice of picking the Exora over its competitors.

Quite interestingly, the Exora owners over at protonexora.com.my (Exora Owners Club Malaysia) have decided to take the matter into their own hands. They’ve actually organised a convoy together up to the Genting Highlands Resort. The EOCM 2010 Genting Highlands Road Tour convoy began last Saturday at the Genting Sempah Rest Area. The Exora went up and down (with no sweat) and the members had a great time. The “Jom Ronda Bersama Proton” crew from TV3 also joined in to feature the convoy in an upcoming segment.

It’s nice to see how much passion these guys have for their Proton Exoras. It’s one vehicle that Proton has managed to tick all the right boxes for its intended target customer – space, comfort and price. It just shows that although you could say Proton has failed us in the past with products that don’t quite right hit the sweet spot, when Proton delivers something good, Malaysians will reciprocate.

Check out the EOCM.

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Honda CR-Z: Live pictures from Detroit

January 14, 2010 at 12:44 am By Harvinder Sidhu Filed Under 2010 Detroit Auto Show, Cars, Honda, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel

As reported earlier the CR-Z hybrid coupe by Honda was revealed at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show. On top of some official high-res images that were shown to you, we now have live images of the new vehicle that were taken at the event. The two-seater 2011 Honda CR-Z is powered by a hybrid system that is made up a 1.5 litre i-VTEC engine and an IMA electric motor. Potential buyers can also select a CVT or a 6-speed manual cog box.

Total power output is rated at 122hp at 6,000 revs and 173Nm of torque available between 1,000 revs and 1,500 revs, which sounds pretty good. Other technologies that will enable you to reduce precious consumption of fuel include brake energy regeneration as well as auto start-stop for the engine. You can also choose between three driving modes: Economy, Normal and Sport where the third mode is more suited for spirited driving.

Look for an image gallery filled with live pictures after the jump.
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VIDEO: New Peugeot Motion & Emotion Promo

January 14, 2010 at 12:23 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Peugeot, Videos

Peugeot SR1

Peugeot’s produced this pretty cool video showcasing the history of Peugeot products over the past few years in a quite funky manner, probably to herald the coming of a whole new design identity for Peugeot, as shown in the new Peugeot SR1 Concept to be exhibited at Geneva.

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Detroit 2010: flagship A8 at the Audi stand

January 13, 2010 at 7:21 am By Paul Tan Filed Under 2010 Detroit Auto Show, Audi, Cars

The new batch of Audi cars all look good – you name it and it’s sure to be an eye catcher – the A4, the A5 both coupe and sportback, the R8 and even the cute A1. They’re all pretty good looking. So when their unbelievably boring flagship Audi A8 came out, I was thinking maybe it looked better in the metal. I was wrong. It was just as boring. Just a big fat and sparse inflated version of the Audi A4. The interior is gorgeous though, perfect to take a little nap in after looking at the sleep-inducing exterior. Check out the live photo gallery after the jump, or read more about the new Audi A8.
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Volkswagen New Compact Coupe live at Detroit

January 13, 2010 at 6:47 am By Paul Tan Filed Under 2010 Detroit Auto Show, Cars, Volkswagen

Day 2 of the Detroit Motorshow was certainly more interesting than the first day, as alot of the world premieres that were held on the first day are now in the hall. Cars like this Volkswagen New Compact Coupe concept were only revealed in private halls on Day 1, so they could only move it to the main hall where everyone is on the second day.

So here we are, live photos of the new “Jetta Coupe” which most probably also previews what the 4-door new Jetta will look like. The coupe is gorgeous, though in real life I feel it would probably look nicer if the roofline were a little lower.

The Hybrid badging on the front grille refers to its combination of a 1.4-litre TSI engine with 148 bhp and 220 Nm and a 27 bhp electric motor VW calls E-motor. The motor is sandwiched between the TSI engine and a 7-speed dual clutch transmission, and everything goes to the front wheels. Interestingly, the car has a “coast mode” where only the motor powers the car during situations like low RPM highway cruising.

Enjoy the live photos after the jump.
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Nelly’s Ford Mustang 5.0L V8 by DUB

January 13, 2010 at 6:26 am By Paul Tan Filed Under 2010 Detroit Auto Show, Cars, Ford

Nelly Mustang

The new 5.0 litre Ford Mustang will be featured on Nelly’s upcoming album, but not just any other Mustang. This is a special Mustang modified by DUB Magazine commissioned by Nelly. The Mustang 5.0 V8 is a new variant, replacing the version with the 4.6 litre Ford Modular engine. The new motor makes much more power – 412 horses and 530Nm of torque from a 5.0 litre engine, which are really quite impressive numbers for an engine that isn’t a particularly high-revving one. That’s a whole 97bhp and 90Nm increase over the 4.6 litre, but with only a 400cc displacement increase.

Check out Nelly’s little speech at the 2nd press day of the NAIAS, which I managed to record with my mobile phone:

DUB Magazine took a Mustang 5.0, gave it a gloss black paintjob, a custom widebody design, flat black racing stripes, 22 inch wheels at the front, 24 inch wheels at the rear all wrapped with Pirelli tyres, a Borla exhaust system, a Street Scenes bodykit, Eibach springs and shocks to lower the car, custom window tint, colour-matched exterior parts, a full suede and leather interior with DUB logos, tinted tail lamps, headlamps with integrated “angle eyes”, a billet grille, a hood scoop, a custom JL audio system with dual 12 inch subs, and finally a custom luggage trunk interior wrapped with leather and suede.

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Lexus launch LS 460 Sport and latest LS 460L

January 13, 2010 at 1:00 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Lexus, Local News

Hours ago Lexus Malaysia launched the latest LS 460 range, which has just gone through a mid life minor model change. Two variants are available in Malaysia – the LS 460L and the new LS 460 Sport. The former is the long wheelbase variant of Lexus’ limo while the Sport is the short wheelbase version.

The LS 460L used to be offered in an ultra-luxurious four-seat configuration, but Lexus now only brings in the five-seater, which can also function as a four-seater if you fold down the thick rear centre armrest with plenty of buttons to control the entertainment system (9-inch LCD screen and DVD player) and air-con. As before, LS owners get to enjoy semi-aniline leather ottoman seats with lumbar support massager. Business-class style “butterfly” headrests are new.

The abovementioned goodies are not available in the Sport, but the cheaper short wheelbase car gets sport tuning for the air suspension, 19-inch forged aluminium rims with wider tyres (18-inch on LS 460L), Brembo brakes and exterior touches such as an aerokit and a grille with less chrome. The Sport is for the LS owner who self drives, so it comes with sports seats with more support and shift paddles for the eight-speed auto gearbox.

Whichever you choose, the LS is brilliantly refined and luxurious, from the 4.6-litre Dual-VVT-i V8 engine with 380 bhp/493 Nm to the Mark Levinson 7.1 audio system with 19 speakers and 15-channel amplifier. The LS 460L is priced at RM829,448 while the LS 460 Sport will cost you RM719,448. Should you still want a four-seat LS 460L, special orders can be placed.

Lexus Malaysia sold over 300 cars in 2009, 226 of them being the RX350. The brand has a new centre in Penang, with another one in Johor Bahru coming up later this year. Its Klang Valley 3S Centre is located in Mutiara Damansara, PJ.

More pictures of the changes after the jump. Note: the shiny wood trim belongs to the LS 460L while the matt finish wood with tan leather trim is from the Sport.

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