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Toyota USA recalls 2.3 million cars, halts production

January 27, 2010 at 11:37 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, International News, Toyota

Toyota USA has instructed all its dealers to temporarily suspend sales of eight models involved in the recall for “sticking accelerator pedal” problems announced a week ago. About 2.3 million vehicles are in the list.

Toyota has investigated reports of sticking accelerator pedal mechanisms in certain vehicles without the presence of floor mats. There is a possibility that the accelerator pedal may, in rare instances, mechanically stick in a partially depressed position or return slowly to the idle position. This unintended acceleration could prove to be dangerous.

“Helping ensure the safety of our customers and restoring confidence in Toyota are very important to our company,” said Group Vice President and Toyota Division General Manager Bob Carter. “This action is necessary until a remedy is finalized. We’re making every effort to address this situation for our customers as quickly as possible.”

The following models are involved: 2009-2010 RAV4, 2009-2010 Corolla, 2009-2010 Matrix, 2005-2010 Avalon, Certain 2007-2010 Camry, 2010 Highlander, 2007-2010 Tundra and 2008-2010 Sequoia. No Lexus or Scion vehicles are affected by the recall.

Due to the sales suspension, Toyota will temporary stop producing vehicles on selected production lines for a week in February. Toyota’s Indiana, Kentucky, Texas, Canada and Subaru’s Indiana plant are involved.

Last year, the Japanese automaker recalled nearly four million vehicles. The problem? Floor mats that could trap accelerator pedals, also causing unintended acceleration. The two issues are unrelated, says Toyota, although 1.7 million vehicles are affected by both recalls.

This recall only involves the abovementioned models in North America, and does not include right-hand drive Toyotas sold elsewhere in the world.

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Abarth Punto Evo to take on Renaultsport Clio

January 27, 2010 at 10:20 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Fiat, International News

We previously showed you the facelifted Fiat Punto supermini which ditches the mini-Maserati looks and adds “Evo” to its name. Now here’s an early image of the hot version of that car, tuned by the legendary Abarth.

According to reports, Abarth will work on Fiat’s 1.4-litre Multiair engine to produce 170 bhp in the regular performance model and around 200 bhp in the top Esseesse variant, right smack in Renaultsport Clio territory. The current standard model is rated at 150 bhp, while the Esseesse makes 180 bhp, so the use of Multiair tech adds on about 20 horses to the Scorpion badged Punto Evo.

Italy’s hot hatch flag carrier is also rumoured to come with Fiat’s new dual-clutch gearbox. The same sources also say that the Abarth Punto Evo’s rear lights are LEDs, and that it should debut next month in Italy for around €19,000.

Source

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Live photos from Peugeot 408 launch in Beijing

January 27, 2010 at 12:37 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, China, International News

We now have some real life photos of the new Peugeot 408 live from the car’s unveiling in Beijing. After all, professionally shot product images may sometimes be different from how the car looks in real life, so these live photos give us a better idea of how the car looks like and zooms into the small details as well.

The notchback styling of this ’308 Sedan’ is definitely executive much better than the 206 Sedan or 207 Sedan. Because of the extended 2,710mm wheelbase, the roofline can be made curvier and more natural while still giving the car sufficient rear headroom.

The rear three quarter view reminds me a little of the pretty neat looking Peugeot 406 Coupe, which was referred to by PSA design director Jean-Pierre Ploué not too long ago as one of the last really good looking Peugeots – which will hopefully change with the new design language on the SR1.

Anyway, we also have a live video recording of the reveal for you to enjoy. Please head on to gallery and video after the jump!
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Peugeot to make Malaysia its right-hand drive production hub, 5 new models set for 2010 launch

January 26, 2010 at 9:25 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Naza, Peugeot

Peugeot has big plans to increase its presence in Asia, and Malaysia – via its partner Naza – plays a major role in this programme. At a press conference this afternoon, Peugeot deputy managing director Nicolas Wertans unveiled the company’s new identity for the first time outside of France (simultaneous with the launch of the 408 in China) and laid out what’s in store for us in the near future.

Peugeot plans to make Naza’s Gurun plant its right-hand drive manufacturing hub that will not only serve the ASEAN region, but possibly Australia, New Zealand and even South Africa. Exports will start this year, where the T33 compact sedan will be shipped to Thailand and Indonesia.

Peugeot has started the expansion of its ASEAN regional office in Petaling Jaya and Mr. Wertans said that a new team is being sent from France to study the market. This team will be based here to better understand the taste and expectations of Malaysian carbuyers.

Five new models will be launched in 2010, the 3008, 5008, 308 CC, RCZ and T33 sedan. The 3008 is a crossover while the 5008 is Peugeot’s version of the Citroen Grand C4 Picasso. Moving on, the 308 CC is a metal folding roof coupe-convertible while the RCZ is a compact sports coupe that follows the Audi TT’s template, shown in the metal at last year’s Frankfurt show.

These cars are all fresh offerings, even in Europe, and the RCZ isn’t even on sale yet in the UK, so this blitz reflects our market’s newfound importance. No chance of these cars coming in with Peugeot’s excellent HDi diesels however; we’ll have to make do with petrol engines from the Prince family.

The T33′s impending launch has been covered on this blog before. It’s essentially a 206 Sedan with an updated nose, but Wertans won’t confirm the 207 Sedan name. To be launched by the end of the third quarter this year, it will come with a Peugeot badge (not Naza) and a 1.6-litre engine paired to a “Porsche” Tiptronic gearbox, likely to be the same drivetrain as the 308 VTi. With a sales target of 500 units per month, the T33 is set to be Naza’s bulk seller, taking over from the phased out 206 Bestari.

Meanwhile, the 408 that was launched hours ago in China, codenamed T73, could come in the near future. Wertans said that Peugeot “is seriously thinking about it, but it’s too early to tell”. The booted 308 is not a replacement for the 407, and isn’t likely to carry the “408″ name in every market it’s sold in – besides China, it will go to Brazil, Russia, India and other developing markets.

These plans will further boost Peugeot’s Asia sales, which grew by 45% in 2009. The French company hopes to expand in emerging markets, as its core market becomes highly saturated (currently 60% of total sales are from Western Europe, where it holds a 7.2% market share).

The new lion logo, “Motion & Emotion” tagline, and design language previewed by the gorgeous SR1 concept forms part of a “major repositioning for the next decade” said Wertans. The SR1 features styling cues that will be on Peugeot’s next generation of cars (no more “big mouth” grille) while the part car, part scooter BB1 concept is confirmed for production. “It’s not if, but when it’s coming to Malaysia,” said Wertans of the four-seat BB1, although he must have looked very, very far ahead when saying that.

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Mercedes GP Petronas racecar livery launch video

January 26, 2010 at 8:30 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Formula 1, Mercedes Benz, Motorsports

Both you and I couldn’t be there at the Mercedes GP Petronas team race car livery unveiling at the Mercedes-Benz Museum, but with the wonders of the internet you can watch a recording unveiling right here, right now, after the jump. There’s much more from the drivers in this video compared to the one posted earlier today, so enjoy!
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Peugeot 408 launched in China: 308-based sedan!

January 26, 2010 at 6:42 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, China, International News, Peugeot

The Peugeot 408 notchback sedan made its world debut in China this week. No, it’s not a replacement for 407. The replacement for the 407 will move up a notch in the market since it intends to replace both the 407 and the 607. It will be called the Peugeot 508.

The new Peugeot 408 is actually a C-segment notchback sedan based on the C-segment Peugeot 308 platform, but with its wheelbase lengthened to give better interior room since it is a 4-door. Suspension settings have also been revised for the car’s new sedan weight and for a more comfort-biased setup. In China, its positioned against other C-segment sedans like the Civic and the Focus. And this time Peugeot seems to have gotten the ‘hatch to sedan’ conversion right – it looks a lot less awkward than the 206 Sedan.

The 408 measures 4,680mm long, 1,800mm long and 1,500mm wide. It has a wheelbase of 2,710mm which trumps the Civic’s throne as the longest wheelbase C-segment vehicle available right now (well not exactly – the Fluence wheelbase is said to be 2,702mm). It approaches CD-segment territory with that wheelbase length (the Pug 407′s wheelbase is 2,725mm)! This should mean pretty good interior room in theory.

The Chinese launch of the car introduces a two engine line-up – a 110hp 1.6 litre engine and a 147hp 2.0 litre engine. Different markets may get different engines. The 1.6 litre engine’s 110 horses is reached at 5,750rpm while peak torque of 147Nm is reached at 4,000rpm with 85% reached from just 2,000rpm. and 95% (140Nm) between 3,000rpm and 5,500rpm. That’s a good and wide torque spread. The 2.0 litre unit is equipped with continuously variable valve timing. It produces its peak power at 6,000rpm with peak torque of 200Nm reached at 4,000rpm.

The transmission options are either a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed automatic, which is the new AT8 Porsche Tiptronic system model. Not the same one as found in the 206 or the 308, which is the AL4. The AT8 uses a torque converter by ZF which improves gearbox output and reduces consumption by about 5%. The gearbox management can also lock the three higher gears to reduce torque converter slip during gentle driving. From my sources, these are not the only engine options available for the 408 so if it comes to Malaysia at all, there is still a question mark there. It would be nice if the same Prince engines in the 308 are offered.

Speaking of Malaysia – guess what, it’s under consideration to be launched in Malaysia as part of Peugeot’s plans for the ASEAN region that were revealed in a press conference this afternoon. It won’t necessarily carry the 408 nameplate though – that’s a marketing decision yet to be made. For now we can refer to it as the T73 sedan. Watch out for an update on that later this night.
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GM to develop and make its own electric motors

January 26, 2010 at 4:18 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, General Motors, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, International News

General Motors is of the opinion that it will be able to reduce costs and improve performance, quality, reliability and manufacturability of electric motors by doing it themselves. So they’ve set out to try to design and build their own and have set 2013 as a targeted debut year. The GM-designed and built motors will see first use in a two-mode hybrid system for rear wheel drive vehicles. This sounds like trucks, trucks and more trucks – the Volt and Cruze are front wheel drive.

“In the future, electric motors might become as important to GM as engines are now. By designing and manufacturing electric motors in-house, we can more efficiently use energy from batteries as they evolve, potentially reducing cost and weight – two significant challenges facing batteries today,” says Tom Stephens, GM vice chairman, Global Product Operations.

The GM two-mode hybrid system runs like its namesake in two modes. It is capable to run the car in an EV-only zero emissions mode. The two two modes are the ‘input mode’ and the ‘compound split’ mode. The ‘input mode’ is used for moving from a stop, driving at low speeds, and towing, basically any vehicle situation where you need more torque. This mode runs in gear 1 and 2 and can run either with electric power only, engine power only, or both. The compound split mode is used for cruising. In this mode, the electric motors only help the combustion engine when they are needed.

GM claims that they’ve been working at preparing for this for years now, and that the electric motors would be built in the US at a GM facility. They probably couldn’t do it any other way, since they received US$105 million from the US government sometime in the second half of last year with the intention that the money be used for the R&D and manufacturing of electric motors and related drive components in the US. If they decide to go with more cost effective countries, they would probably have to return the money.

But while they dump money into motor R&D, they are also planning to continue to work with suppliers to co-design electric motors and buy them. “This is a strategy we use today with batteries. We are partnering with suppliers to create innovations faster than ever before. Our goal is simply to establish GM as a leader in automotive electric motors. We see that leadership as a key enabler – both to our long-term success and to our nation’s move away from oil dependence,” added Stephens.

Source
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Fiat 500 by Diesel debuts new diesel engine

January 26, 2010 at 2:12 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Fiat, International News

Not many expect to see a car launched at a fashion show, but then again there aren’t many cars as fashionable as the Fiat 500. Another day, another limited edition. This time, the Fiat 500 by Diesel breaks cover at the Bread & Butter fashion show in Berlin. The collaboration between Fiat and the famous clothing brand by Renzo Rosso also shows off the “Midnight Indigo” blue hue and the 1.3 Multijet II engine with Start&Stop for the first time on a 500.

The deep blue colour is inspired by denim. “The use of a micaceous rather than a metallic shade offers at first glance the feeling of iridescent colour which varies according to the light, very similar to stone washed fabrics,” said the press release. This, plus a finer texture of paint creates a 3D-like effect, it adds.

The 500 by Diesel is distinguished by exclusive features such as the 16-inch alloys, a rear strip with fake air intake and Diesel logo, yellow brake calipers (only on the 1.4) and satin chrome painted trim. The cabin comes with dark denim style fabric with yellow stitching, the fifth pocket with the Diesel brand, the head of the famous Mohican on the gear lever knob and more satin chrome on the dashboard.

Besides the Multijet II (75 bhp/95 bhp), buyers can choose between 69 bhp 1.2 and 100 bhp 1.4 petrols. Almost 6,000 units have already accounted for, out of the 10,000 available. One more image after the jump.
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VIDEO: F10 5-Series footage from Portugal

January 26, 2010 at 12:40 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under BMW, Cars, International News, Videos

Media from all around the world are currently test driving the new F10 5-Series in Lisboa, Portugal right now so you can begin to check out the test drive reports that are being published on an ongoing basis. The Malaysian contingent will be heading there in the first week of February so you can look out for a test drive review on this blog sometime in the first or second week. For now, we are able to get a taste of Portugal via these two videos that BMW have released, filmed at the test drive event in Portugal. They’re mostly beauty footage but they do include a little more than the initial B-roll they released, like the active cruise control feature in action. Check the videos out after the jump.
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2010 Suzuki SX4 gets improved M16A engine

January 26, 2010 at 12:33 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, International News, Suzuki

The Suzuki SX4 compact crossover has been reasonably popular in urban areas such Klang Valley, thanks to its trendy pseudo-SUV looks and competitive pricing for a fully-imported from Japan model. The awkward looking sedan however, has failed to create any impression whatsoever on the Vios/City buyer – it’s truly a rare sight.

For 2010, Suzuki has refreshed the SX4 crossover for Europe. Blink and you’ll miss the redesigned front bumper and grill. Inside, the climate control panel has been revised and now incorporates a display strip and ring lights for the temp and fan knobs. The new instrument cluster comes with a full trip computer while the steering wheel audio buttons are now illuminated. Comfort is said to be improved, thanks to cushioned armrests on the doors, additional sound insulation and new design carpets. Other measures include a larger engine under shield cover together with improved transmission damping and increased rigidity of body parts.

The UK gets two engine options – a 89 bhp/215 Nm Peugeot-sourced 1.6-litre DDiS oil burner and the M16A 1.6-litre which should be familiar to local SX4 owners. However, the petrol engine has been improved for 2010 – it’s now Euro 5 compliant and has a new cylinder head and block for improved cooling and ‘knock’ or detonation control limits. The new max output of 118 bhp is achieved by extending the intake and exhaust valve lift and utilising a variable inlet manifold. The result is improved intake efficiency throughout the rev range. Max torque is 156 Nm at 4,400 rpm.

In comparison, our own Malaysian-spec SX4 has only just recently been upgraded to a 110hp and 150Nm engine in October 2009 up from a previously weaker 101hp and 140Nm engine.

More pictures after the jump.
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