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Hear the Aston Martin One-77′s V12 howl!

March 7, 2010 at 10:35 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Aston Martin, Cars, Videos

Aston Martin One-77

I don’t know about you but an Aston Martin has always seemed to be like the more refined and gentlemanly alternative to more hot blooded cars like a Ferrari. I found that appealing. But now Aston Martin has developed a limited edition car with aggressive looks. Under its hood is a monstrous 7.3 litre V12 engine with over 750 bhp. Good thing is thanks to that V12 it has the soundtrack to accompany its looks – check out the video after the jump, which shows the One-77 undergoing some tests ahead of first customer deliveries. Let us know in the comments – are you liking the One-77?
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MIROS reveals outdoor crash test results, more videos added!

March 7, 2010 at 10:20 pm By Harvinder Sidhu Filed Under Cars, Local News, Videos

The Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research or MIROS has revealed at a press conference today the results of the outdoor crash test that was conducted last week at the Malaysian Institute of Aviation Technology (MIAT) in Dengkil.

Just to recap, the objective of the test was to ascertain the effectiveness and level of damage sustained by the energy absorbing underrun installed at the back of a commercial vehicle, to analyze the safety levels involving a child seated in a child safety seat compared to a child wearing just the rear seat belt as well as to analyze the degree and type of casualties sustained by occupants of a vehicle involved with a rear-end collision against a stationary vehicle.

A self-developed propulsion system was used to get the Alza up to speed and the impact target was a 6-tonne stationary trailer. The Alza was occupied by five crash test dummies including two Hybrid III dummies fully equipped with various sensors, one non-instrumentation Hybrid III dummy, one P3 dummy with nominal instrumentation and a child dummy which simulates a 3-month old child. From these five dummies, one was an older child dummy that was secured properly on a child seat while the 3-month old child was held by an adult dummy.

According to MIROS, one of the reason why they decided to conduct the test at 30 km/h was because the runway wasn’t long enough. The institute would be able to conduct tests at higher speeds in its facility that is being built in Malacca. This facility is scheduled to be operational by June.

Below are the findings obtained by the analysts at MIROS:

  • The underrun was able to prevent the Alza from being pinned underneath the trailer
  • There were no visible signs of injury to the properly secured child. In contrast, the 3-month baby in the hands of the adult was thrown forward hitting the back of the driver’s seat.
  • The frontal airbags on the Alza cushioned the impact to the driver and front passenger. The test revealed that the front occupants were subjected to a violent head acceleration equivalent to 50G. This is within the safe tolerance of 80G.
  • There was no variable contact recorded at the knee of the driver and front passenger.
  • There was no breakage of the Alza’s dashboard.

As mentioned earlier UNECE 58-specified underruns will be made compulsory for commercial vehicles by October this year and the enforcement will be done by the Road Transport Department (RTD). This is definitely good news as long as there is proper implementation. Continue reading to view some new videos of the crash test.
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Kleemann boost kits for Mercedes-Benz now available from German Motors

March 7, 2010 at 9:16 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Mercedes Benz

Kleemann Engine

Kleemann tune-up kits are now officially available in Malaysia through its official appointed dealer German Motors Sdn Bhd. The name German Motors may be familiar to you. Their outfit is based in Section 13 PJ and they are an independent service center for Mercedes-Benz, Smart, BMW, VW, Volvo and Audi cars in Malaysia, but naturally Mercedes-Benz cars are their speciality considering Managing Director Fritz Imbacher was previously with Hap Seng Star and was responsible for the setting up of their Bandar Kinrara service center.

German Motors can perform the installation of all products available from Kleemann Denmark, as long as it suits your car. Tune-ups that only involve ECU upgrades can usually be done on the same day. Since November 2009, German Motors has performed Kleemann upgrades on 14 cars so far, with 3 customers doing a complete upgrade including exhaust headers and performance camshafts.

Here are some example prices available:

  • 215hp, 310Nm 200K1 kit for E200K (W211): RM 8500
  • KD box for any CDI diesel (not only Mercedes): RM4,400
  • ECU upgrade for M272 V6 (W204, W211): RM5,450

There are also ECU upgrades for smart cars according to Mr Fritz but the price and technical information has yet to be released by Kleemann. Also, at this moment there aren’t any tune-up kits for the new turbocharged CGI engines found in the W212 E200CGI/E250CGI. According to the Kleemann website, the 200K1 kit for the M271 Kompressor engine is not just a simple ECU upgrade. Components in the kit include a ‘K-Box’, an air filter, pulleys/belts and a fuel regulator.

Look after the jump for a map to German Motors.
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Proton Persona facelift spotted fully uncovered!

March 6, 2010 at 10:50 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Malaysian Makes, Proton, Spyshots

The new facelift for the Proton Persona must be really close around the corner (like seriously close) as a whole truckload of the freshly updated Persona was spotted on the NKVE today without any camo or any kind of covering at all!

The new tail lamps can be seen in their full glory – gone is the circular design of the past that originated from the GEN2 and in place of them are new LED tail lamps, but of course we can’t see the LEDs lit up here, although we’ve already seen those in the past in a spy video. The new Persona has a sporty bodykit fitted and what you can see in these shots are the side skirts, a rear lip, and a bootlid spoiler. There’s probably a front lip too to complete the package but it’s not visible here.

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This trailerload was spotted on the NKVE near the ‘Grand Canyon’-like area that cuts through the hills. It was probably coming down from the Tanjong Malim factory heading towards Proton’s Centre Of Excellence headquarters in Shah Alam. You can click the two thumbnails above for high resolution versions.

If you would like to get a glimpse of what the front looks like, check out our previous spyshots where we snapped the car at a Petronas station in Sepang.

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Bertone Pandion for Alfa Romeo – a beautiful mess!

March 6, 2010 at 12:23 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under 2010 Geneva Motor Show, Alfa Romeo, Cars, Concept Cars

After a two year absence from the international scene, Bertone returns with a bang by unveiling one of the most memorable cars of this year’s Geneva show – the Pandion concept, as a tribute to Alfa Romeo’s’ 100-year anniversary and also a proposal for the future look of the brand.

The first car penned by Mike Robinson in his new role as Design and Brand Director at Bertone, the Pandion is named after the Pandion Haliaetus, a scientific name for the Osprey sea hawk. And it’s this bird’s wings that inspired the Pandion’s most striking feature – those spectacular doors that open upwards to the air. They incorporate the car’s front and rear fenders and stand exactly 90 degrees straight from the centre of the rear wheels. In the event of a rollover, the doors are designed to fall off for easy exit, says Bertone.

Apparently, the bird’s face also influenced the Pandion’s front design, which its creator describes as looking like the “helmet of ancient warriors” while still recognisable as an Alfa. More interesting is the rear, which sports blades in various width and length intertwined randomly. Bertone designers call this “dematerialization”, which makes the car looks like it’s moving even when standing still. This randomness continues in the cabin that is nestled in “vines”. All very messy, but somehow very beautiful.

Motor shows are about eye candy (we’re not just talking about the ladies), and the dramatic Bertone Pandion is a very sweet example in a store full of increasingly predictable concept cars. Live and official images after the jump!

PS: If you’re wondering who is that old lady in the gallery, she’s Lili, widow of Nuccio Bertone, legendary designer and son of the company’s founder.
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Aston Martin Cygnet – brilliant idea or a bad joke?

March 6, 2010 at 4:52 am By Danny Tan Filed Under 2010 Geneva Motor Show, Aston Martin, Cars

Absolutely no one in Geneva cared about the “real” Aston sports cars at the Palexpo, because all attention was on the “not so real” Aston Martin based on a Toyota. Of course we’re talking about the debuting Cygnet, which is based on Toyota’s diminutive four-seat iQ city car.

To differentiate the Cygnet from its donor car, styling cues typical of Gaydon’s sports machines have been added liberally; examples include Aston’s trademark front grille, air intakes on the bonnet, side “gills” and boomerang shaped taillamps. Inside, the Cygnet is trimmed in a way that Toyota engineers would never have dreamed of when creating the iQ – fine, soft leather covering almost every surface, plush high-backed seats with Aston logos and a trendy bag to go along with it.

Aston’s official images portray the Cygnet as a trendy accessory for its current owners, a small runabout when you don’t feel like taking out that big V12 to the congested city or the nearby shops, or even as a gift for the new girlfriend/mistress, perhaps. So, brilliant idea or a bad joke? For me, the former. I’ll order a few or these (one for keeps, the rest for the ladies) along with a V12 Vantage should the lottery picks me!

Live images from Geneva and official gallery after the jump!
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Porsche 918 Spyder live images from Geneva

March 6, 2010 at 4:05 am By Danny Tan Filed Under 2010 Geneva Motor Show, Concept Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, Porsche

Here are some live pictures of the 918 Spyder concept that Porsche unexpectedly revealed in Geneva. The Stuttgart based sportscar maker, now under the Volkswagen umbrella, was very protective of its “sports car for the 21st century” (500 bhp V8 with 9,200 rpm redline, 0-100 km/h in 3.2 seconds, faster around Nurburgring than the Carrera GT, capable of 33.3 km/l) – as you can see from the pictures, they erected a barrier (with few big Germans keeping guard in case any daredevil journalist got too close) around the show stopper. My vote goes to Weissach in the Geneva battle of the hybrid hypercars between this and the Ferrari 599 HY-KERS!

My best efforts are in the gallery after the jump – they’re not great, but you’ll get to see some close ups of the exterior details and the cabin. For more details on the 918 Spyder, click here to read our earlier post. An impressive video is in the post right below this.
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Porsche 918 Spyder Promo Footage

March 5, 2010 at 7:37 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Porsche, Videos

Porsche 918 Spyder

This is an awesome video produced by Porsche – and the main star is the new Porsche 918 Spyder plug-in hybrid concept. It also has some shots where you can see the interior, which we couldn’t see in the initially released press pix. Check it out!

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It’s official – Naza is new distributor for Chevrolet!

March 5, 2010 at 7:30 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Chevrolet, General Motors, Local News, Naza

Naza’s new Chevrolet distributorship has been made official earlier this week, after it signed a Distributor Sales and Service Agreement with General Motors for the Chevrolet brand here in Malaysia. Naza is now the sole and exclusive authorized distributor, while Cergazam which was previously the temporary ‘custodian’ of the brand will continue on as a dealer.

The dealership network for Chevrolet currently stands at 8 in Malaysia, and Naza plans to increase this to 18 by the end of this year, including 5 Naza-owned dealerships. All outlets will be 3S outlets, which means when you buy your car from the dealership, they will also be able to support your servicing. Certain brands have a mix of 3S dealerships and pure ‘sales’ dealerships where you would have to go somewhere else for your servicing needs.

The existing Chevrolet line-up will remain for now, but the first new car to be launched soon will be the Chevrolet Cruze 1.8 with the 6-speed transmission. Naza and GM are also discussing the possibility of CKD operations at Naza’s Gurun plant in Kedah. Naza will also honor the existing warranties of Chevrolet cars sold in Malaysia through the previous incarnation of Chevrolet, a JV between GM and DRB-HICOM.

In other Naza related news, Naza Automall (along the Federal Highway) will be extending its hours from its previous 9am to 7pm hours to new opening hours of 9am to 10pm, an extension of 3 hours past the usual operating hours. So if you’re stuck in the Federal Parking Lot Highway late in the evening you can detour and check out some cars.

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MB C230 makes way for C250 CGI in Malaysia

March 5, 2010 at 2:17 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Mercedes Benz

The W204 Mercedes-Benz C230 with the 2.5 litre V6 engine has been replaced by a new more torquey C250 CGI model here in Malaysia. The new C250 CGI like its larger E250 CGI sibling is powered by a higher output version of the 1.8 litre turbocharged direct injection engine. The new C250 CGI goes for RM287,888 in Malaysia.

The new C250 CGI produces 204 horsepower at a lower 5,500rpm point as compared to the V6 model, and more torque – 310Nm between 2,000rpm to 4,300rpm. However, the 7-speed 7G-Tronic has been replaced by a 5-speed automatic, as these 4-pot turbo engines are only available with the 5-speeder while the 7-speeder is mated to the V6 and etc engines. Fuel consumption is much better at between 7.2 to 7.9 litres per 100km.

One thing to note though – these inline-4 CGI engines in Malaysia are a little different compared to the models you get overseas. The inline-4 engine – referred to as the M271 DEH or M271 Evolution – originally had a ‘lean burn mode’ for its direct injection system.

This is a special economy mode where the air-fuel mixture is able to be tuned for more air and less fuel, thus saving fuel and producing good amounts of power at the same time. In lean burn mode, the Piezo injectors inject fuel multiple times in one cycle.

Mercedes-Benz says that our fuel quality is not suitable for lean burn mode thus the lean burn function of the ECU has been deactivated. Our M271 engines will do direct injection but only in homogeneous mode, which uses a ratio of 14.7:1. Being a turbocharged engine, there will probably be thoughts of flashing the ECU with a performance version of the software to gain more power. These aftermarket software MIGHT (I’m not sure) re-enable lean burn and reduce the reliability of your engine. Be sure to check.

For now, the C200K continues to run the supercharged Kompressor version of the M271, but Mercedes-Benz Malaysia says a C200 CGI is coming very soon.

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