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FIA and Christian Horner: Red Bull RB6 is perfectly legal

April 12, 2010 at 3:37 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Formula 1, Motorsports


Red Bull’s RB6 that powered Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber to a one-two finish at the Malaysian GP is the fastest car on track at the moment, leading some rivals to question its legality. Word has been going around that the RB6 uses some sort of ride height adjustment device which optimises performance for both qualifying and the race.

This has led the FIA to issue a statement. “Any system device or procedure, the purpose and/or effect of which is to change the set-up of the suspension, while the car is under parc ferme conditions will be deemed to contravene art 34.5 of the sporting regulations,” it said. The ruling body has also inspected the RB6 and found it to be perfectly legal, faxing all the F1 teams to confirm that anyone who implements such a system will be contravening the regulations.

Meanwhile, Red Bull Racing team boss Christian Horner says the FIA’s reminder “has no impact” on its RB6. “The car that we will take to China will be exactly the same mechanically as it was in the first three races. It has absolutely no impact on the specification of our car.

“Fundamentally, we’ve got a fast car. The guys have done a good job and it’s inevitably one of those things that people perhaps make accusations when you are running competitively,” he said. “But I take it as a compliment. I’m sure if we were running 14th, similar accusations wouldn’t be made,” he told Autosport.

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Local Toyota sales unaffected by recalls, UMWT sales rise

April 12, 2010 at 2:07 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Toyota


Some might have expected Toyota’s image and sales to suffer across the globe after the world’s top automaker was hit by a wave of recalls, with those in the US particularly sticky and still ongoing. We could see repercussions in the longer term of course, but March and year-to-date sales in America saw upward figures thanks to aggressive incentives to counter the bad press. Back home, although Toyota buyers in Malaysia don’t get sweeteners like zero per cent financing, sales are up nevertheless.

UMW Toyota Motor (UMWT) has revealed figures for the first quarter of 2010, and the 21,017 units sold represent a 22% jump from the same period last year. This has led to internal confidence that this year’s target will be met. “With this positive momentum, I am confident in achieving our target of 88,000 units or 16% market share,” UMWT president Kuah Kock Heng said.

Last year, UMWT sold more than 82,000 units with a market share of 15.4%, and sat at the top of the non-national vehicles segment, a position it has not conceded for 20 years.

Kuah was in Sarawak, and he chose to focus on Toyota’s growth there. Malaysia’s largest state contributed 10% of UMWT’s 2009 sales, and it’s no surprise that the Hilux pick-up truck is the most popular model in the range; four out of 10 Toyotas sold in Sarawak is a Hilux. “For the first quarter of this year, we have delivered 968 units on Sarawak roads, this is a 35% increase compared to 715 units in the same period last year,” Kuah added. Up north in Sabah, the Hilux has a 48.8% monopoly of the pick-up segment.

You’ve got to hand it to Toyota for the Hilux’s success. Here’s a truck that’s outspecced and outpowered by its rivals (the latter by a big margin) and still outsells them easily without a fight. I really don’t envy the marketing people at Isuzu, Ford and Mitsubishi – they must be at wit’s end thinking of a strategy to beat the Big T.

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Volkswagen and Suzuki to co-develop Thai eco-car?

April 12, 2010 at 12:07 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, International News, Suzuki, Volkswagen


Nissan became the first company to launch its eco-car in Thailand with its new March at the recent Bangkok Motor Show. Other Japanese carmakers like Toyota and Honda are expected to follow suit; the latter showed off its New Small Concept at the Thai show. Meanwhile, Volkswagen and Suzuki are likely to help each other develop an eco-car in Thailand, according to an industry source.

Bangkok Post reports that a senior official at Thailand’s Board of Investment (BoI) confirmed the German and Japanese automakers were negotiating about collaborative possibilities. Small car expert Suzuki is already a certainty, after reaffirming its stand to go ahead with a 7.5-billion-baht eco-car venture in Thailand last year. VW meanwhile, was among seven automakers applying for promotional privileges from the BoI. The state agency approved the proposals of six companies (Nissan, Toyota, Honda, Mitsubishi, Suzuki, Tata), but asked for additional details from Europe’s biggest carmaker.

The industry source said that Volkswagen had now embarked on a new push and was negotiating with Suzuki about jointly developing the small, fuel-efficient cars in Thailand. It was previously reported that VW planned to invest 27 billion baht for the eco-car project, a sum much higher than the others. This was because VW has no presence in Thailand and needed to start its venture from scratch, including parts sourcing. Suzuki could be the answer to these obstacles.

Suzuki, now 19.9% owned by VW, is commited to build facilities for pressing, welding, painting, assembly and engine production. Its plan is to start producing 1.3-litre eco-cars in 2012, initially at 10,000 units per year. Suzuki majors in small cars and is an established player in India and ASEAN, and these were among the star points Volkswagen saw when it bought into the Hamamatsu based company. Well, it looks like Wolfsburg is getting its first “dividend” with this Thai eco-car scenario.

Malaysian carbuyers could stand to enjoy some spill over effects of these developments in Thailand. To qualify for eco-car duty cuts and tax breaks, 70% of production must be for local consumption, which means eco-car participants can export the rest of these small, fuel sipping cars – and as the region’s biggest passenger car market, I can bet we figure in their plans.

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2011 Lotus Elise – world’s cleanest sports car

April 12, 2010 at 10:56 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, International News, Lotus


Lotus has been eyeing the tag of “World’s Cleanest Sports Car” with the facelifted Elise and has clinched it with the new entry-level 1.6-litre model’s confirmed emissions figure of 149 g/km of CO2. With that, Lotus says the Elise has the lowest CO2 output for its performance level for any gasoline sportscar in the world.

The Toyota sourced 1ZR-FAE 1.6-litre engine with Valvematic and Dual VVT-I produces 134 bhp and 160 Nm and is paired to a six-speed manual gearbox. While that may seem like not much, the Elise is a featherweight at 876 kg, and performance figures of 6.5 seconds from 0-100 km/h and top speed of 200 km/h are respectable.

Compared to the old shape Elise S, this new entry model displaces 200 cc less, has one more gear ratio, emits 16% less CO2 and is over 23% more frugal. The extra cog helps in the 19.9 km/l extra urban (highway) consumption, and the Elise 1.6 has a big range of 800 km on a tank of fuel. Aerodynamics have been improved by 4% over the old shape as well.

The facelifted model gets a new headlight design which is part of a revised front fascia. There are now LED daytime running lights and LED direction indicators. At the back, the vents at the outer edge of the taillights have been removed, the bumper has been restyled and there’s also a new engine cover.

More pictures after the jump.
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Naza Kia introduces facelifted Kia Sportage

April 10, 2010 at 5:50 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Kia, Koreans, Local News


Naza Kia launched the facelifted Kia Sportage today at the Shah Alam stadium carpark, where the company is having the Naza Kia Family Festival over the weekend (10-11 April). Not to be confused with the new Sportage revealed at the recent Geneva Motor Show, today’s debutant is actually the mid-life facelift version of the second generation Sportage, which went on sale here back in 2005.

The reason we’re only getting it now is because Naza Kia needed to finish all the CKD packs of the original model, and while it may seem like a stop gap till the all-new Sportage arrives next year, it’s still an affordable way to own an SUV at RM112,000 OTR including insurance (no change from before). Naza Kia themselves aren’t expecting the sky; they project lower figures for 2010 than the almost 700 units sold last year.


There are some cosmetic changes, and most of it is concentrated at the front. As you can see from our side-by-side image above, the new model looks much more contemporary and comes with new headlights, grille, bumper and honeycomb mesh. At the back, the facelifted Sportage sports twin exhaust pipes, a new rear garnish and new rear lamp design.

New cabin features include fabric and leather combination seats, rear parcel shelf and illumination for the vanity mirrors. One useful addition is the flip-up rear glass, which can open independantly of the tailgate. Besides these, the Sportage has ABS, EBD, dual airbags and a factory MP3 stereo as standard. It is powered by a 2.0-litre engine with CVVT making 140 bhp and 184 Nm. This twin-cam unit is paired to a 4-speed automatic with Shiftronic.


You can head over to the Shah Alam stadium tomorrow to check out the Sportage and the rest of Naza Kia’s range. There are various activities, contests and performances going on and Kia owners get free 18-point checks for the vehicles. Naza Kia also has a range of pre-owned cars at “very, very attractive prices”, but I doubt that would include the well-received Forte, which has found over 2,000 buyers so far.

Live images of the Sportage after the jump.
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BMW TeleServices Workshop, X1 Launch and Parts Clearance at AB Sg Besi this weekend!

April 9, 2010 at 11:32 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under BMW, Cars, Local News

BMW X1

The BMW X1 has already gone through a set of media and special customer launches across this week but Auto Bavaria Sg Besi has something interesting going on this weekend. They will having their own little X1 launch at 11 AM, and this will be accompanied by food, drinks, a Teleservices workshop and a continuation of their parts clearance sale where all AB outlets did a massive clearance sale for parts, accessories and merchandise last weekend. You could get up to a 70% discount even on expensive parts such as BMW alloy wheels and tyros.

You should attend the BMW TeleServices workshop if you’re interested in knowing what TeleServices is. TeleServices was first launched in Malaysia in March 2009. It is part of the BMW ConnectedDrive suite of services, and is related to the maintenance of your car. When a service is due as determined by BMW’s Condition Based Server on-board system, the car will communicate with the BMW TeleServices server via the mobile phone network and relay this service information. Your dealer/service center will then call you up to arrange an appointment for you to bring your car in for service at your convenience.

It’s not just oil changes – CBS sensors can detect worn parts such as brake discs and pads and etc. The service job – if not something complicated like some major part broken – should be quick and fast as the CBS system will also inform BMW of what parts needs to be ready at the service center, so everything will be ready for service work to begin with minimal diagnostic and logistics delay.

You need a BMW equipped with Bluetooth and the BMW Navigation Professional System to be able to use TeleServices. Your car has to be paired with your Bluetooth mobile phone as the SMS to the TeleServices command center goes through your phone. From what I understand the server is overseas and it is just an SMS so the charge to your mobile phone bill could be somewhere around RM2 from what I understand from the service center guys.

The TeleServices workshop at Auto Bavaria Sg Besi will be around 20 to 30 minutes and they’re having 3 sessions – one at 9:45 AM, one at 12 PM and one at 3 PM. So head on there if you want to learn more. Look after the jump for a full pricelist of clearance parts you can find at Auto Bavaria Sg Besi this weekend. I even spotted a few stuff for my E39 such as the silly can holder that pops out of the dash which always seems to be getting broken!
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Mercedes GP CEO Nick Fry defends outpaced Schumacher

April 9, 2010 at 5:20 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Formula 1, Mercedes Benz, Motorsports


Much has been said about the return of Michael Schumacher to Formula 1. The hype meter never dropped since the day the seven-time champion signed for Mercedes GP Petronas, and fans looked forward to having four world champions battling out on the same grid. Three races into the 2010 season and people are starting to realise that Schumi, now 41, is human after all, and no one can come back from a three-year hiatus and fit in back at the top.

While the three other champs (Button, Hamilton, Alonso) and Sebastian Vettel have had some brilliant drives among them so far, Schumi was outpaced by compatriot and Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg in Bahrain, Australia and Malaysia, and Italy’s La Gazzetta dello Sport points out that the only other driver with a full 3-0 defeat in 2010 is Renault’s rookie Russian Vitaly Petrov. Back home in Deutschland, daily Bild ran a headline reading Der Schumi-Absturz (the fall of Schumi), adding that 24-year-old Rosberg is now Mercedes’ “new number 1″.

This has led the Brackley based team’s chief executive Nick Fry to defend the veteran, saying that Schumacher is working back up to full strength. “Every race he is learning a little bit more and it is all coming together slowly but surely, which is probably what you would expect,” he told the Press Association. “I would not underestimate him,” added Fry.

At Sepang, Schumacher retired after just 10 laps when his car lost a wheel nut. Rosberg finished third for Mercedes GP’s first podium. He has collected 35 points so far, four behind championship leader Felipe Massa. Schumacher has nine points.

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Volkswagen limited edition ketchup – only 1,000 bottles!

April 9, 2010 at 4:26 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Laughs, Volkswagen


Click to enlarge image

It’s too late for an April’s Fool joke, so let’s try to take this seriously shall we. VW has launched Volkswagen Classic Ketchup, of which just 1,000 bottles will be available, at Techno Classica 2010 in Essen. It costs 3.00 Euros at the show, and those who visit Wolfsburg can also buy these as souvenirs.

Volkswagen Spiced Ketchup was born back in the 1970s (a collaboration with Kraft) as the ideal complement to VW’s curry sausage. It is said to have a thicker “viscosity” than standard ketchup and a unique flavour, the recipe for which is, like that of the curry sausage itself, as closely guarded a secret as any classified automotive R&D project.

In 1997, Volkswagen began officially bottling and selling the Spiced Ketchup. In that year, 20,000 bottles were sold. Since then the sauce has gone from strength to strength (in numbers, not spiciness): in 2009, over 425,000 bottles were sold and in the first 10 weeks of 2010, 100,000 bottles have already been sold. The difference between Volkswagen Spiced Ketchup and Volkswagen Classic Ketchup? VW asks us to imagine the culinary equivalent of the first and sixth generation Golf GTI!

Alongside ketchup, Volkswagen is also putting on show some of its classics, among them significant cars like the K70, Iltis all-wheel drive, Golf Country Crossover and the Tarek off-roader.

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Ferrari 599 GTO is Maranello’s fastest ever road car

April 9, 2010 at 2:35 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Ferrari, International News


This is the 599 GTO, Ferrari’s fastest ever road car. It is a limited edition special which Maranello describes as the road going version of the extreme 599XX track car. Reviving the Gran Turismo Omologata moniker that recalls the 1962 250 GTO and the iconic 1984 GTO, only 599 examples of the 599 GTO will be made. Ferrari will debut its latest at the Beijing Motor Show later this month.

The 599 GTO’s engine is lifted from the 599XX but with necessary modifications for road-going homologation. With that, the engine complies with Euro 5 and LEV 2 standards. The 6.0-litre V12 makes 661 bhp at 8,250 rpm with maximum torque of 620 Nm at 6,500 rpm. This is good for a 3.35 second run from 0-100 km/h and a top speed of “over 335 km/h”. It uses a 6–speed F1 gearbox with 60 ms shift times and the ability to make multiple downshifts. The 1,495 kg 599 GTO lapped Fiorano at 1’24″, faster than the Enzo.


Apart from new springs and a stiffer rear anti-roll bar, the 599 GTO also features a second generation magnetorheological suspension control system. It works in tandem with VDC (Vehicle Dynamic Control) and latest-generation F1-Trac traction control. These combine to make the car extremely responsive to driver inputs – thanks in part to the “very direct steering ratio” – highly stable under braking, sharper on turn-in, more precise in cornering and quicker out of corners, says Ferrari.

It also comes with second-generation carbon-ceramic brakes (100-0 km/h in just 32.5 metres), new aerodynamic innovations such as wheel doughnuts that improve aerodynamic efficiency and brake cooling, and Supersport tyres developed by Michelin. The driver-car interface is also new with the adoption of the Virtual Race Engineer (VRE) which provides the driver with instantaneous information on performance. We wonder if Mr. VRE will give the 599 GTO driver hurry ups like how Rob Smedley does with Felipe Massa.

Gallery after the jump!
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MTM R8 GT3-2: Supercharged, 560 bhp, rear-wheel drive!

April 9, 2010 at 12:42 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Audi, Cars, International News


Cold winters do strange things to German tuners. With the amount of snow they get, you’ll think that Wettstetten based tuner MTM would be grateful for the quattro AWD system on the Audi R8, but instead they have gone ahead and made a rear-wheel drive version of Audi’s supercar!

Presenting the MTM R8 GT3-2, which MTM says is the only RWD street-legal Audi around. The company “promises a complete new driving experience and pure driving pleasure” as you battle with the 560 supercharged horses from the 4.2 FSI engine. Torque is rated at 580 Nm. This is a big jump from 414 bhp and 430 Nm of the standard car and even surpasses the R8 V10′s 517 bhp/530 Nm. The GT3-2 accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.9 seconds on to a 317 km/h top speed. The 0-100 time is identical to the R8 V10, but remember that this tuned car puts its power to tarmac only via the rear wheels.


MTM adds on its own suspension kit with several settings, lightweight forged wheels on Dunlop Sport Maxx GT or Michelin Cup Sport tyres. The 20-inch rims hide 380 mm punched and ventilated brake discs. Nothing much is done on the outside except for a carbon fibre front spoiler, side skirt and rear wing for better air flow. I think the red chequred design looks quite cool on a black R8.

Besides selling the GT3-2 new, MTM has an open invitation to brave (or mad?) R8 owners to transform their Audi into a rear-wheel drive car. Images after the jump
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