Paul Tan on the Automotive Industry
Here’s some shots of the Daihatsu version of the new 2nd generation Toyota Passo. If you want to know more about what’s changed with the 2nd generation car, you can head on to the story about the Toyota Passo version. The platform is most likely similiar to the 1st generation but there are new Dual VVT-i engines. Look after the jump for the gallery of the Daihatsu-badged car. Perodua’s version will come soon I suppose!
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Toyota Passo
Toyota has launched the 2nd generation Toyota Passo in Japan, and it now comes in two ‘body styles’ called the regular Passo and the Passo + Hana which is supposed to be the more stylish and upmarket model with features such as projector headlamps. They seem to be taking an “Alphard and Vellfire” or “Noah and Voxy” two styling for one model approach to alot of their JDM models now.
The car has alot more curves to it now, compared to the first generation Passo which was cute but had alot of straight lines in its design language such as in the headlamps and the way the front hood met the bumper. But most of us were just never familiar with that as Perodua had softened those lines in the Myvi, for example the Myvi’s headlamps are more rounded and the front hood became more shapely.
Toyota Passo + Hana
In Japan, the new Passo will be available with either a 1.0 litre or a 1.3 litre engine. The 4-speed auto has been phased out – now all models including 4WD versions come with a CVT transmission. The 1.0 litre uses the 1KR-FE that produces 69 PS (51kW) at 6,000rpm and 92Nm of torque at 3,600rpm.
The 1.3 litre engine is the new 1NR-FE which replaces the K3-VE in the previous generation car. The 1NR-FE now has dual variable valve timing on both the intake and exhaust valves. Power output is 95 PS (70kW) at 6,000rpm and 121Nm of torque at 4,000rpm, which is up from the K3-VE’s 86hp (64kW) and 116Nm.
As with the previous Passo, it is a shared model with Daihatsu. A wheelbase of 2,440mm which is the same as the current Passo/Boon/Myvi models hints that most of the platform has been carried over, probably with some refinements here and there.
Will we see this new Passo coming to Malaysia as a new Myvi? The other question is how much of the Japanese model will get transferred over in the process – will we get the new Dual VVT-i engine, the CVT transmission and the column-mounted shifter?
In any case, look after the jump for a full gallery showing you front, rear, side and interior views of the new car.
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The sketch above previews the Hyundai i-flow concept, which will make its world debut at the Geneva show at the end of this month. Hyundai says this concept will preview a future D-segment competitor – but really, is it time for a new D-segment competitor so soon when the Sonata has just been revealed? The Sonata already has a coupe-like roofline so it would be quite overkill for them to do a “Passat CC CC” with another take on a D-segment car.
This is just a hunch but it could be possible that what Hyundai meant in its press release as D-segment is different from what we normally consider as D-segment cars. In the US, what we call D-segment cars are CD-segment cars. The Camry is a CD car, while Toyota’s D car is the Avalon. Hyundai had a model like that – the Azera, and it was even sold here in Malaysia. The Azera was first launched in 2005 and it’s about time for a 5-year lifecycle full replacement model to arrive!
This new concept car could be slotted in between the Sonata and the Genesis as Hyundai’s most expensive front wheel drive executive car (taking the place of the Azera) before we start to enter Genesis rear wheel drive territory. But then again I could be wrong and this is really a “double CC” version of the Sonata.
The same press release also says this new i-flow concept will be used by chemical company BASF (there’s a good chance you use BASF products in your car everyday – they make petrol additives too) as a platform to showcase some technology such as lightweight materials, and solar cells.
The last time we saw Pierce Brosnand and a BMW star in the same movie, it was in Tomorrow Never Dies. Pierce Brosnan will be reacquainted with a BMW this year in the new Ghost Writer movie. But Pierce won’t be driving it – Ewan McGregor will be the BMW’s driver, and the BMW in question here is the new BMW X5, not a 7-Series with a V12 or anything like that. BMW has put up a trailer of the movie on its YouTube page, and from what I see the X5 really gets loads of screen presence. There’s also a very obvious in your face plug for BMW’s ConnectedDrive service in there, where the system tells Ewan’s character that traffic is clear to where he wants to go. Don’t get me wrong, the X5 is a nice vehicle but as a car enthusiast I’d rather see something like the E92 M3 Coupe in action, perhaps fully decked up with the Competition Package bits 
Lotus has paired up with supermodel Naomi Campbell to auction a special edition ‘Naomi for Haiti’ Lotus Evora in order to raise funds for Haiti disaster relief efforts. A total of 8 cars will be auctioned off. The special Evora basically gets small modifications according to Naomi Campbell’s tastes, and the styling also incorporates elements from the flag of Haiti.
Bidding will start on the 19th of February at 0800 GMT on the Naomi for Haiti website, and the results will be announced by Ms Campbell at the Geneva show on the 2nd of March 2010. Bidding ends on the 28th of February 2010.
BMW has a few updates for its M3 range for this year – the most significant of all in my opinion is the addition of auto start-stop for the M3 – both for the manual transmission model and the automatic version with the 7-speed M DCT.
So now if you have a modified exhaust system, instead of giving a delicious low-frequency rumble during idle at the traffic lights, your M3 will simply be silent, save for the soft sound of the air cond blowers. BMW claims this saves about 8% of CO2 emissions and brings down fuel consumption to 11.2L per 100km on the EU2 cycle for the coupe body.
There’s also a new ‘Competition Package’ for the M3, which includes a suspension drop by 10mm, and the very familiar M3 CSL style wheels you see above. There is also a software update for the Electronic Damper Control and DSC stability control systems to suit the new lowered suspension. This package is available as a retrofit option, which means existing owners of the M3 will be able to purchase this.
Of course, the ‘facelifted’ part would be the new tail lamps, which match the ones on the facelifted ‘normal’ 3-Series Coupe and Convertible.
Look after the jump for 8 hi-res photos.
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Toyota posted up four videos related to its ongoing recall crisis. The first one and probably the most important one if you own one of the affected Toyotas is a safety instruction video letting you know what to do in case your Toyota’s accelerator pedal goes bonkers on you and won’t release when you take your foot off it. The rest are to do with the floor mat recalls, how an electronic throttle works, and how the pedal assembly works (and why it sometimes sticks). Look after the jump to watch the videos.
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Lexus has released a teaser image of the CT 200h which will make its debut at next month’s Geneva Motor Show. The CT 200h is a development of the Lexus LF-Ch concept that was revealed six months ago and features the second-generation Lexus Hybrid Drive technology.
According to Lexus, the CT 200h will be the “first full hybrid vehicle in the premium compact segment”. The press release also stated that the CT 200h will offer “new levels of refinement, sophistication and attention to detail, without compromising style or driving pleasure”.
View a high-res version of the teaser image after the jump.
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We previously posted a single teaser image of a Citroën concept, and here’s more information and images released by the French carmaker of its Geneva showstar. Called the DS High Rider, it’s supposed to “represent a bold and radical vision of the future, combining compact dimensions with generous internal volumes, dynamic performance, sophisticated style and consummate quality,” according to Citroën.
Typically Citroën, the DS High Rider’s windscreen soars over the heads of its front occupants. The muscular appearance is also brought by the high waistline and 19-inch alloys, while the bold front end features gaping air intakes, long headlights and defined ridges along the bonnet. Citroën says that the roof is covered with a “coated textile material”, whatever that is. Dimensions are 4.26m long, 1.82m wide and 1.48m high. To get a mental picture, that’s the same width as a Honda CR-V, but 20cm lower and 26cm shorter than the Honda.
Under the skin lies a ‘Full Hybrid’ drivetrain that combines PSA’s acclaimed HDi diesel engine with an electric motor located on the rear axle. Citroën says that the DS High Rider has fuel efficiency and power of an HDi diesel engine with the ecological benefits of an electric vehicle. More pictures after the jump.
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Lotus F1 has officially launched its 2010 challenger at the Royal Horticultural Hall in London. The Lotus Cosworth T127 Formula 1 car is finished in Lotus’ yellow-green colour scheme and I must say that it looks pretty good! Apart from the “Lotus Racing” logo on the engine cover the car also has familiar terms and logos such as “Tune Group”, “1 Malaysia”, “Naza Group” and last but not least “Proton”.
Team principal Tony Fernandes said during the launch, “I am extremely proud to be here today and to be able to show the world the fruits of the team’s hard work over the last five months. It’s humbling for me and my fellow shareholders, Kamarudin Meranun and SM Nasarudin to see how a team that five months ago didn’t even exist is now a thriving workforce, full of enthusiasm and passion for Lotus Racing and the challenges ahead and capable of producing such a beautiful machine in such a short time.”
“Now we’ve achieved two major milestones; confirming our entry and unveiling our car, but now the real work starts. Next we move on to testing and the season ahead and I’m confident that the team will exceed expectations wherever we go, and will do so on a wave of support around the world that has been growing daily since we first unleashed Lotus Racing back in September ’09,” he added.
“The last few months have been some of the most challenging of my career, but it’s been a challenge the whole team and I have thrived on since we first started work on the car up in Norfolk. I’m delighted that we’ve reached this point, and now we have a beautiful car that gives us a great base to work from for the season ahead and a fighting chance of going racing in the right way, with a winning mentality. The hard part starts now, and I know everyone in the team and I are up for whatever lies ahead,” said the team’s technical chief Mike Gascoyne.
The Lotus Cosworth T127 which made its track debut on Tuesday will be raced by former Toyota driver Jarno Trulli and ex-McLaren man Heikki Kovalainen. Malaysia’s Fairuz Fauzy has been appointed as the team’s third and reserve driver. Continue reading to view a high-res image gallery as well as to watch a video of the T127 in action on track.
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