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New teaser pix for Geneva 2010 Proton Concept

February 19, 2010 at 6:14 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Concept Cars, International News, Malaysian Makes, Proton, Proton EMAS Concept

Italdesign Giugiaro has posted up on their website a different teaser image for the new Proton Hybrid Concept Car set to debut at Geneva during the press days at the end of this month/early next month. The image shows some kind of lamp – it’s specifically the ‘foglamps’ on the bumper of the concept car.

Just a recap on what the Proton concept car is:

  • It is a creative collaboration between Proton and Italdesign Giugiaro.
  • It will have five doors and four seats that are independently adjustable and slideable.
  • It is 3,550 mm in length. That is about a good half meter longer than the Toyota iQ but shorter than the Savvy.
  • The car will use a series hybrid drive. A combustion engine will be mounted at the front and will be used only to recharge lithium ion batteries. The batteries power a motor that turns the wheels.
  • It uses a special chassis with a raised floor that allows installation of the combustion engine at the front and batteries in the rear
  • The car was designed to offer interior spaciousness of a D-segment car with the exterior dimensions of an A-segment car.
  • The hip point is designed to be at just the right natural and ergonomic height – you do not get down into the car like a short sedan or “climb” up into the car like an SUV.
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UMW Toyota Motor: Malaysia not affected by Corolla, Camry and Tacoma recall issues

February 19, 2010 at 5:23 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Toyota

UMW Toyota Motor Sdn Bhd has issued a statement regarding the Toyota recalls in the US. The following are extracts from the press release they’ve emailed us, and you can find the press release in full after the jump:

  • Toyota Motor Corporation Japan has confirmed that the Toyota Corolla models in Malaysia and other regions are not affected by the power steering issue, as different components are used compared to the American market models.
  • UMW Toyota says they have received no complaints on power steering for this Toyota Corolla model in Malaysia.
  • The Toyota Tacoma driveshaft problem does not affect Malaysia as it is not sold in Malaysia and is completely different from the Hilux pick up sold by UMW Toyota Motor Sdn. Bhd., and uses different driveshaft parts.
  • All Toyota Camry models sold by UMW Toyota Motor Sdn Bhd are not affected by the Toyota Camry power steering hose and front brake tube inspection.

Look after the jump for the full press release.
[Read more...]

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Tata appoints ex-GM Europe boss as Group CEO

February 19, 2010 at 1:12 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under India, Tata

Tata Motors has appointed Carl-Peter Forster as the Group CEO of the company. He will have the overall responsibility of managing Tata Motors Operations globally, including Jaguar and Land Rover brands.

Forster, 55, has 24 years of experience in the automobile industry. Most recently he was the head of GM Europe, overseeing Opel/Vauxhall, Saab and Chevrolet’s European presence. Before joining GM in 2001, Forster was with BMW for 13 years, where he held various positions including that of Managing Director of BMW South Africa. He was also on the “Managing Board” of BMW responsible for manufacturing.

On the appointment, Ratan Tata, Chairman of Tata Sons and Tata Motors, said: “Tata Motors expects that Mr. Forster’s induction will greatly facilitate its ambition towards being a truly international company.”

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Suzuki reaches 20 million domestic milestone

February 19, 2010 at 12:52 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, International News, Suzuki

Suzuki Motor Corp’s domestic car sales recently passed the 20 million unit milestone. This was spurred by strong performance in the small vehicle segment – Suzuki sold a total of 624,723 units in Japan last year to claim a 32.7% market share in the small car segment, an increase of 1.1%.

The company is seeing growth elsewhere too. In 2009, Suzuki made 1,479,231 vehicles outside of Japan; a record for the company and a 5.3% jump over 2008. The majority of these were accounted for by Maruti Suzuki in India where it holds a 54% market share of passenger vehicles sold. A master in developing markets, Magyar Suzuki in Hungary, which supplies Europe with the Swift, Splash and SX4, recently celebrated being the domestic market leader for the thirteenth consecutive year.

Suzuki’s car production began in Hamamatsu in October 1955 with the Suzulight pictured above, which was powered by a 360cc two-stroke engine. The company fast gained reputation as a “small car expert” and introduced the Suzulight Carry Pick-up in 1961 and the Fronte 800 City car in 1967. This was followed in 1970 by the introduction of the Jimny, which Suzuki says is the world’s first compact and lightweight 4X4. The debut of the Alto in 1979 cemented Suzuki’s stronghold in Japan’s mini car segment and provided the perfect product to conquer India.

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BMW Vision EfficientDynamics stars in new ad

February 19, 2010 at 12:43 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under BMW, Cars, Concept Cars, Videos

BMW Vision EfficientDynamics

There has been numerous taglines associated with BMW over the years. BMW used to be known as the Ultimate Driving Machine. And then we had the tagline ‘Sheer Driving Pleasure’, which you can still see plastered over a huge billboard as you enter the Penchala Link tunnel from Mutiara Damansara.

Now they’ve moved on to something else – “Joy”. BMW’s “Joy” campaign mostly uses three word headlines starting with “Joy is…”, followed by something relevant to whatever message they are trying to convey. This videos are part of BMW’s “Story of Joy” campaign, which were launched in conjunction with the Winter Olympics.

“Tunnel” depicts the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics Concept Vehicle driving through a dark tunnel, and you are shown glimpses of vehicles in BMW’s product line-up as it darts in and out of shadows. The Vision EfficientDynamics Concept is a diesel-electric 2+2 sports car using a 1.5 litre inline-3 mated to two electric motors, one each on the front and rear axle. Enjoy the video shown after the jump!
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Ford adds 203 PS turbo inline-4 to Mondeo!

February 19, 2010 at 12:15 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Ford, International News

Ford has announced a few updates to its cars in conjunction with the Geneva show that’s coming up very soon at the end of this month. First, the Kuga’s 2.0 litre Duratorq TDCi engine has been updated to a new model that produces 163 PS instead of the 136 PS version that it previously had. This brings down the car’s 0 to 100km/h acceleration time from 10.7 seconds down to 9.6 seconds.

Next, the Mondeo gets a new 2.0 litre Ford EcoBoost SCTi 4-cylinder petrol engine that makes a very nice 203 PS. It comes standard with the 6-speed Powershift twin clutch transmission. Ford doesn’t really say if this engine replaces anything in the Mondeo engine line-up but looking at power output, it slots neatly between the 2.3 litre Duratec HE with 161 PS and the Volvo-sourced 2.5 litre 5-cylinder Duratec with 220 PS. The 2.0 litre Duratorq engine in the Mondeo also gets the new 163 PS model, which means the Mondeo 2.0 TDCi is now available in three power outputs – 115 PS, 140 PS and the new 163 PS. The range topping diesel Mondeo is the 2.2 litre Duratorq making 175 PS.

I wonder if the fact that Ford has squeezed at least 163 PS out of their 2.0 litre Duratorq engine means that we can do the same with our Focus TDCi with some rechipping. That would be quite an interesting take on an actual affordable ‘hot hatch’ for Malaysia.

27 Comments      

Akio Toyoda to “testify” at US Congress hearing on sticky accelerator recall issue

February 19, 2010 at 11:58 am By Danny Tan Filed Under International News, Toyota

As if he has not enough problems on his plate, Akio Toyoda, president of Toyota, will now fly to the US to attend a hearing of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on February 24 titled, “Toyota Gas Pedals: Is the Public At Risk?”. Toyoda, grandson of the brand’s founder, probably did not have much choice as he was formally invited (more like summoned) to America by Chairman Edolphus “Ed” Towns.

In the invite to Toyoda, Towns wrote: “There appears to be growing public confusion regarding which vehicles may be affected and how people should respond. In short, the public is unsure as to what exactly the problem is, whether it is safe to drive their cars, or what they should do about it. To help clarify this situation, I am inviting you to testify.

“You may submit written testimony for the record, of any reasonable length. In addition to your written testimony, you should be prepared to provide a five minute opening statement and answer questions posed by Members of the Committee.”

Sounds like a grilling in store, but Toyoda is not shrking off the responsibility and will “stand in the dock”. “I look forward to speaking directly with Congress and the American people,” the TMC president answered.

31 Comments      

Will USF1 make way for Stefan GP in Bahrain?

February 19, 2010 at 11:39 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Formula 1, Motorsports

USF1

American team USF1 was missing at the Jerez test this week and rumors are saying that they are pretty much on the verge of just quitting F1. If this happens, it would hopefully give Serbian team Stefan GP an entry in the grid. They are ready as they bought Toyota’s car and renamed it the Stefan S-01.

There have been plenty of word being exchanged about USF1 – including a rumor that YouTube would be backing out of their sponsorship and moving the money to another team. “The bottom line is really simple: sponsor money didn’t come through the way it was supposed to and it has grinded down the company to a halt. They’re having trouble making payroll, they’re having trouble paying suppliers and that’s the situation they find themselves in,” said an anonymous source in news reports. USF1 Team Principal Ken Anderson admitted with a rather ‘glass half full’ view that “a couple of sponsors have let us down a little but, but we’re on track.”

In fact, yesterday the US F1 Team website went down, and many took it as a signal that the team had finally folded. But the team’s Twitter account posted a message saying “The US F1 Team web server is down and is being repaired as this is written. We are not gone, as many have reported. More news soon.” We’re definitely waiting for more news!

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First crash for Lotus Racing at a wet Jerez

February 19, 2010 at 10:01 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Formula 1, Lotus

After Fairuz Fauzy clocked in about 334 kilometres on the first day of testing in Jerez, earning himself a Superlicense in the process, the Lotus Cosworth T127 was passed to Heikki Kovalainen for the second day.

Wet conditions greeted the team as they arrived on track. First out at exactly 9am, Heikki completed about 30 laps before a small mistake saw the Finn hit the barriers, bringing the team’s day to an early close, but not before useful data had been accumulated.

“It’s lacking grip, it hasn’t got enough grip. And in the high-speed I think we lose quite a lot of time, partly because of the set-up problems as well. The car is a little bit heavy still and we need to make it lighter, then we can move the balance around and all these things,” Heikki told Autosport, but added that “my initial feeling from the car is good – it fundamentally feels right.”

“Unfortunately a small off and a lack of spare parts curtailed the amount of laps we were able to do today, but fortunately we’ve got spare parts arriving this evening. Up to that point we had got on top of some reliability issues from the previous day and the car was running very smoothly. Although we have lost some track time, the changing conditions made it very difficult, so we haven’t lost too much and we’ll be ready to continue with Heikki in the morning,” Chief Technical Officer Mike Gascoyne clarified.

107 Comments      

AC Schnitzer tweaks the BMW X1

February 19, 2010 at 3:15 am By Danny Tan Filed Under 2010 Geneva Motor Show, BMW, Cars

Popular BMW tuner AC Schnitzer has worked on the BMW X1 and this white result you see here will be paraded at Geneva. This project is not a surprise though; just a matter of when, not if.

Visually, AC’s X1 gets a front spoiler, rear skirt extension and rear roof spoiler, which join forces to “improve downforce and ensure additional ground adhesion”. Other visual tricks include bonnet vents and chromed centre webs. Of course we need some flashy rims, and AC’s new Type VIII 19-inch wheels with double spokes in “BiColor” finish is an evolution of the popular Type VI wheel. The looks are backed by a spring kit and an aluminium strut brace for “the perfect balance between sporting performance and driving comfort”.

There’s some extra go too. The X1 xDrive23d gets a power hike from 204 bhp to 240 bhp, while the 1.8d engine goes from 143 horsepower to 171 bhp and the 2.0d jumps to 210 bhp from 177 bhp.

Inside, the X1 gets a massive dose of AC badges, but interesting details include a rim design for the iDrive controller and gear knobs with the gear position showing on its head. Full gallery after the jump.
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