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Mercedes GP Petronas takes on Nick Heidfeld as test and reserve driver

February 5, 2010 at 4:24 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Formula 1, Mercedes Benz

Ex-BMW Sauber driver Nick Heidfeld will be the test and reserve driver for Mercedes GP Petronas this year, after failing to find a permanent race seat for 2010.

The German was linked with a drive at Mercedes before Silver Arrows opted for the returning Michael Schumacher. When that happened, “Quick Nick” was reported to be in talks with Renault and Lotus but none materialised.

“I am very pleased to be joining the Mercedes GP Petronas Formula 1 Team. It’s the team which has attracted the most interest in the close season, not only because of the comeback of Michael Schumacher, but also because this season sees the return of the Silver Arrows cars as a Mercedes-Benz works team for the first time in over 50 years

“While I would of course have preferred a seat as an active driver, I am really proud to be part of the new Silver Arrows team. I have seen how committed everyone at the team is and I feel the same. I will be doing my very best to support Michael and Nico this year,” Heidfeld said.

With Heidfeld on board, Mercedes GP Petronas now has three German drivers!

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Seat Ibiza ST all set for Geneva launch

February 5, 2010 at 3:58 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under 2010 Geneva Motor Show, Cars, SEAT

The Geneva Motor Show is fast approaching, and there will be many previews before the press unveilings start on 2nd March. Here’s one from Volkswagen’s Spanish brand SEAT, which will debut this Ibiza ST in Switzerland. An extension of the Ibiza supermini family, the Ibiza ST (Sport Tourer) will have six engines shared with its VW Group cousins, four of them TSI/TDI units with direct injection and turbocharging. DSG is an option and there will be three trim lines – Reference, Style and Sport.

The Ibiza ST features SEAT’s unique design language with its “arrow design”. With a length of 4.23 metres, this compact wagon is 18 centimeters longer than the Ibiza hatch, with 430 litres luggage volume before folding the split rear seats. SEAT makes a lot of noise about the quality of the interior, which is claimed to be functional, practical to use, and meticulously crafted, with high quality materials and tight tolerances.

Gallery is after the jump.
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Nissan 370Z Black Edition – only cosmetics

February 5, 2010 at 3:27 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, International News, Nissan

We’ve just saw the 20th Anniversary Limited Edition Mazda MX-5 and here’s another “edition” car, this time it’s Nissan with the 370Z Black Edition that marks the 40th anniversary of the Z-car. Available from April as a coupé only, and in a limited run of just 370 units in Europe, it comes in two metallic shades: black and quartz. Both paints use Nissan’s pioneering Scratch Shield technology which “heals” the finish in the case of stone chip damage.

You can spot a Black Edition by its dark grey 19” aluminium forged RAYS wheels, red brake callipers and 40th Anniversary emblem at the rear. Inside, there’s red leather and suede on the seats and door trim, with embossed 40th Anniversary logo on the chairs. To match that, the leather steering, centre console and knee pads come withe red stitching. Nissan’s Connect Premium combined touch-screen satellite navigation and audio system with USB connectivity (9.3GB hard disk) tops it all off.

No change under the skin. The 370Z is powered by a 324 bhp 3.7-litre V6 capable of 0-100 km/h in 5.3 seconds (5.6 seconds for the automatic version) and is Euro 5 compliant. Edaran Tan Chong sells the standard 370Z in Malaysia at RM370,000. Interestingly, our car is quoted to have 328 bhp – perhaps Nissan had to sacrifice a few horses to meet Euro 5 standards.

More pictures after the jump.
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BYD coming to Malaysia under Berjaya Corp?

February 5, 2010 at 2:21 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under BYD, Cars, China, Local News

If you don’t know the name BYD, perhaps you might have seen some of their cars on this blog or car magazines. I was shocked speechless at the Shanghai Motor Show to see a Mercedes CLK front merged with a Renault Megane CC rear! Or how about the famous Altis front-City rear F3 sedan, or even the cloned Toyota Aygo?

Well, there’s a possibility of these cars coming to our shores as BYD Auto (Build Your Dreams) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Berjaya Corp Bhd to explore the possibility of building the F0 1.0-litre small car for ASEAN. F0 is the Aygo lookalike currently retailing for US$5,000 to US$7,000 in China.

The terms of the agreement includes a feasibility study on the conversion of the left-hand drive F0 to a right-hand drive version together with related research and development as well as having Berjaya as the distributor of the vehicle. Both parties would also cooperate in setting up a manufacturing plant near Rawang where Berjaya has set aside a 100-acre site.

But first, Berjaya needs a new manufacturing license as under the current National Automotive Policy, the Government has frozen licenses for the manufacture of petroleum-based vehicles under 1.8 litres. Berjaya executive director Datuk Francis Lee said there was “a strong case” for the Government to approve the manufacturing license as the deal would be the first step towards making Malaysia the regional hub for BYD’s right hand drive cars.

Shenzhen-based BYD is an auto and battery manufacturer that’s relatively advanced in the development of hybrid and electric vehicles. It was the fourth-largest automaker by sales volume in China last year with more than 450,000 units sold, and targets to touch 800,000 units this year. Berjaya’s Lee added the future plant would be initially for petroleum-based vehicles but would be expanded to include BYD’s new-energy vehicles at a later stage.

Source

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Plush new Citroën seats for the Gunners!

February 5, 2010 at 1:46 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Citroën, Laughs

At times, it’s good to lighten up a little, take our mind off government policies, impending fuel price hikes and overpriced cars, that’s why we’re sharing this with you. Citroën has been the “official car” for Arsenal Football Club since 2008, and the French car company recently placed new luxury pitch-side seats at the North London club’s Emirates Stadium.

I always wondered why footballers would want to watch their teammates in tight Recaros, but these red Citroën seats with the Arsenal crest actually look really plush – I wouldn’t mind them in my living room (by now you must have guessed which team I support). Designed by Loughborough UK based Auto-kit International, the 40 seats are wrapped with top-quality leather. Gunners boss Arsène Wenger said: “We are delighted with the new Citroën dugout seats, which are a real improvement and very much in keeping with the overall stadium design.”

Seen here are Thomas Vermaelen, Manuel Almunia, Craig Eastmond and Eduardo. Perhaps they should spend less time on PSPs and train harder for this Sunday’s must-win match against Chelsea! A closer look at the new chairs after the jump.
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Mercedes plays games with gullwing SLS AMG

February 5, 2010 at 1:21 am By Danny Tan Filed Under International News, Mercedes Benz

Although not all of us own iPhones, it’s still somewhat more accesible than the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, otherwise known as “the new Gullwing”. Why do we put these two cool products together? Because moving an iPhone around will be the closest most of us will get to driving the SLS AMG, as Stuttgart has launched a new iPhone application called SLS AMG (a highly creative name we must add).

The SLS AMG app has been “designed to give players a taste of the new super sports car via 360° gameplay featuring the iPhone’s innovative accelerometer technology” says Mercedes. Players can either play alone or pit their skills in races against other players from all over the world. The app is free.

Proving that Mercedes is taking games very seriously, the three-pointed star has also managed to place their hero car on the cover of the upcoming Gran Turismo 5 for PlayStation 3. The gullwing will create history as the first German car to star on a cover of the hit racing simulator series.

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Virgin launches the fully digitally designed VR-01

February 4, 2010 at 5:07 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Formula 1

Virgin Racing Formula One team, one of the sport’s four new entrants for the 2010 season, has unveiled its VR-01 race car. Virgin says that the VR-01 “is the first of a new breed of race car designed entirely in the digital domain using CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics)”, which means there were no scalemodel and no wind tunnel testing to bring this car to life. The digital launch happenned on VR’s website and the VR-01 was taken directly to Silverstone where it will undergo a two-day shakedown prior to its first scheduled test in Jerez next week.

When “virgins” Timo Glock and Lucas di Grassi start testing, the VR-01 should feel very similar to the car they “drove” on the Wirth Research simulator, said Technical Director, Nick Wirth. The team that was originally named Manor Motorsport are using Cosworth’s CA2010 V8 engines this year.

“I’m sure we will be measured by how fast the car is on the track in Jerez next week, but I hope that doesn’t overshadow the far bigger achievement of pulling an entire racing team together and taking a brave step that defies convention. In many ways this is an exploration, but given the absolute self-belief we have seen, I can’t help but feel very excited about what we can go on to achieve in the years ahead,” said Sir Richard Branson, Virgin’s chairman.

Cool logo, cool livery (check out the “tribal tattoo” design!) and a cool boss – Virgin could well take over from the Red Bull contingent as the fun guys of the paddock!

More pics after the jump.
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Renault-Nissan Alliance increase market share

February 4, 2010 at 3:20 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Nissan, Renault

The Renault Nissan Alliance, which now counts Russia’s AvtoVaz Lada brand as part of its group, captured 9.8% of the global auto market in 2009, an increase from 2008′s 9.4%. This result was achieved in a global market that contracted 4.5% last year, and desipte the decline in volumes for Renault (-3.1%) and Nissan (-9.4%). Renault and Nissan sold 2,309,188 and 3,358,413 vehicles respectively, while Lada accounted for 417,457 units.

In Western Europe, Renault reclaimed third spot, mainly due to new additions Megane and Twingo. In its home market, Renault sales increased by 7.3% and it retains the title of France’s best selling brand with a 23.5% market share. The brand also grew in Korea through subsidiary Renault-Samsung Motors.

Nissan meanwhile closed the year with total sales of 3,358,413 units or a market share of 5.4%. In China, now Nissan’s second largest global market after the US, passenger car sales increased 38.7% to 755,518 units. Sales were led by the Teana flagship model (108,504) followed by the Sylphy (96,174).

The new Teana should be launched in Malaysia this year as Nissan’s challenger to the Accord and Camry. In Thailand and Singapore, the D-segment contender can be had with two engines; the MR20DE 2.0-litre (as found in the Sylphy) and a 2.5-litre V6 with 180 bhp and 228 Nm, figures that are slightly higher than the Accord 2.4.

Nissan (Jatco) makes some of the best CVT gearboxes around and the Teana will get that instead of a torque converter automatic. Prices are bound to be much more competitive than the previous model, which only sold by the handful due to a scary sticker price.

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Felipe Massa stars in Ferrari 599XX shakedown

February 4, 2010 at 2:05 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Ferrari, International News

The 599XX is one of of the most extreme cars Ferrari makes, along with fellow XX model FXX. Making its debut at last year’s Geneva show, the 599XX is made for track but not official competition use, which means it’s unrestricted either by homologation limitations or regulatory restrictions. This 700 bhp Prancing Horse is, in Ferrari’s own words “a genuine technological laboratory” which “incorporates the very best of Ferrari technology”.

The 599XX has finally made its track debut, driven by none other than the Scuderia’s F1 driver Felipe Massa. The Brazilian driver met 599XX customers and members of Ferrari’s Corse Clienti programme (private owners who race Ferraris) at the Ricardo Tormo track in Valencia , leading seven cars around the circuit. After several laps Felipe said: “I really enjoyed testing this car, I think it’s extremely powerful and has an exceptional stability. Considering that it has been planned for the track it’s really easy to drive.”

Ferrari will organise customer events on race tracks in America, Europe and Asia featuring the 599XX. My guess is that the Asia leg will be in Shanghai to coincide with the F1 race. I was at an A1GP race in Shanghai when Ferrari held such an event featuring the FXX, which sounded absolutely ballistic! More pictures after the jump.
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Peugeot 207 S16 celebrates IRC domination

February 4, 2010 at 9:43 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, International News, Peugeot

Peugeot has dominated the Intercontinental Rally Challenge for the past three years with its 207 S2000 rally car, and most recently British driver Kris Meeke wrapped up the 2009 season in style, taking for himself the 2009 IRC drivers’ title. To commemorate the victory (and to sell more cars) Peugeot UK has created the Special Edition 207 S16, which is limited to 250 examples.

Based on the three-door 207 Sport 1.6 VTi, the S16 adds on full 207 RC Cup bodykit comprising front and rear spoilers, side skirts and a “pseudo rear diffuser”, 17″ Hockenheim alloys, SP Sports mesh grille, dark tinted rear windows from the 207 GTi, a special interior badge signed by Kris Meeke and of course – vinyl rally graphics which mimic Meeke’s IRC winning 207 S2000. The decals blends elements from the Union Jack and Peugeot’s lion; thankfully they did not cover the bonnet with the flag as well, as the race car does. Not all will like it, so they can have their S16 in pure Bianca White.

Top speed of 200 km/h and 0-100 km/h in 10.7 seconds isn’t really SS winning speed but hey, at least you’ll feel like a champ behind the wheel!

One more image after the jump.
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