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Sebastian Vettel claims 7th pole of the season in Hungary!

July 31, 2010 at 9:44 pm By Harvinder Sidhu Filed Under Formula 1, Motorsports

It looks like Red Bull has bounced back after losing to Ferrari last week in Germany with the Prancing Horse’s 1-2 victory. Sebastian Vettel and his team clinched yet another pole position, which is Vettel’s seventh of the season and the team’s sixth front row lock down, thanks to Mark Webber’s second place. The Red Bull was clearly the quicker team this weekend with Ferrari following closely behind. Championship leader McLaren is pretty much concentrating on damage limitations with it’s recent lack of performance.

Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, who was ‘handed’ a race win last week will start tomorrow’s Hungarian GP in third place while team mate Felipe Massa who returns after a horrific crash last time around secured fourth place. Lewis Hamilton from McLaren finished in fifth ahead of Nico Rosberg from Mercedes. The Renault duo of Robert Kubica and Vitaly Petrov managed seventh and eight places while the final top two positions went to Sauber’s Pedro de la Rosa and Williams’ Nico Hulkenberg.

We have two World Champions outside of the top ten. Down in 11th is Jenson Button for McLaren while the man who did it seven times only managed 14th. Yet again Schumacher was outperformed by his younger countryman and has revealed earlier that he needs time to improve and also said that he aims to collect his eight championship title next year. It was also said that his Mercedes race car was specially developed for Jenson Button but the Brit made a last minute switch to McLaren. Apparently Button preferred a car that understeers while Schumacher opts for something that is more pointy. If there is any substance behind this, we should see a marked improvement in Shuey’s performance next year.

Virgin Racing has something to celebrate about today. Timo Glock was the fastest driver among the new teams with his 19th place, out-qualifying the both the Lotus drivers. This is the third time the German came out in front of the Lotuses. Heikki Kovalainen is 20th with team mate Jarno Trulli is 21st. Virgin’s Lucas di Grassi settled with 22nd while the final two positions went to the Hispania drivers: Bruno Senna and Sakon Yamamoto. Will Ferrari give Red Bull a good fight tomorrow, at a circuit that is difficult to overtake in? We will see!

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Goodyear International Drift Series in Melaka tomorrow!

July 31, 2010 at 7:30 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Local News, Motorsports

Round 2 of the Goodyear International Drift Series happens tomorrow (1 August) at the Melaka International Motorsport Circuit (MIMC), which is adjacent to the Ayer Keroh highway exit. Tickets can be purchased on-site and are priced at RM20 for grandstand and RM5 for walkabout passes. Gates are open to the public at 11:30 am when qualifying for the top-16 tandem duels start.

Round 1 of Goodyear IDS took place in Putrajaya last month, where Kiwi drifter Daniel Woolhouse a.k.a Fanga Dan prevailed in the final duel with Malaysia’s Ivan Lau. Fanga Dan and his Holden Commodore should be back, and he will be joined by Team Goodyear Malaysia drifters Michael Gan, Hanizam bin Hamzah, Ariff Johanis and Azrina Jane Abdullah, as well as top local and regional drifters.

Sanctioned by Formula Drift Pro Am, Goodyear IDS is a three-round Malaysian series that’s organised according to Formula Drift standards. By standards, we mean the track layout, rules, judging (Formula Drift USA judge Andy Yen was here to oversee Rd.1) and safety levels – cars that did not meet the strict technical inspection were turned away.

Click here for our report and gallery from Round 1.

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Second-generation Nissan X-Trail Test Drive Report

July 31, 2010 at 7:11 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Nissan, Test Drive Reviews

The Nissan X-Trail will be officially launched on the first week of August, but Edaran Tan Chong Motor (ETCM) organised a media preview of sorts to Port Dickson, where we brought you the new SUV’s selling price – RM149,500 OTR including insurance. As a recap, our X-Trail is imported CBU from Indonesia and is powered by a 137 bhp/198 Nm 2.0-litre engine paired to Nissan’s Xtronic CVT gearbox with six virtual ratios in its manual mode.

Yours truly got to sample the X-Trail both from the driver’s seat and as a passenger, and it’s mostly a pleasant experience. Let’s start from the back. One sits high up, and the bench is set at the perfect height and length for my legs. Although legroom isn’t as good as the Honda CR-V’s, it’s adequate if the person in front isn’t particularly long legged. In any case, there’s room under the front seats for feet to tuck in.

Continue reading the report after the jump.
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CKD BMW 523i introduced, price lowered by RM15K

July 30, 2010 at 4:57 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under BMW, Cars, Local News

BMW Group Malaysia has introduced the locally assembled BMW 523i at its assembly plant in Kulim, Kedah. The entry-level F10 5-Series was priced at RM398,800 (CBU) when it was launched in Malaysia in May, but local assembly has brought the price down to RM383,800 (OTR, without insurance, with BMW Service Inclusive + Repair). This translates to savings of RM15,000 for the customer.

The 523i is powered by a 2.5-litre straight-six (N52) with 204 bhp and 250 Nm of torque, an increase of 14 bhp and 20 Nm over its predecessor, and matching the E60 525i in torque. Paired to an eight-speed automatic gearbox, this car sprints to 100 km/h in 8.5 seconds on its way to a 234 km/h top speed.

With this CKD 523i, the price gap between it and the other variant in the range – the RM598,800 535i – is even bigger, leaving space for a mid-level F10. BMW Group Malaysia has confirmed that they will be introducing a locally assembled BMW 528i later in the year. By the way, the first shipment of CBU 523i cars was fully sold within the first month of its launch.

Operational since 2008, the BMW Assembly plant in Kulim has wheeled out over 4,900 units to date. The facility employs over 400 employees who work on the 5-Series and 3-Series. It is operated in partnership with Inokom Corporation, and while both BMW and Inokom share factory space, they operate separate assembly lines.

“The BMW assembly line facilities in Kulim are as advanced as any BMW production facility anywhere in the world and has led to the introduction of superior premium quality assembly line technology, practices and standards to Malaysia,” said Manfred Zink, Production Manager and Plant Representative of BMW Group Malaysia.

For the F10′s launch story, full spec sheet and gallery, click here.

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Nissan X-Trail revealed – RM149,500, CBU, 2.0 CVT, 2WD

July 29, 2010 at 9:23 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Nissan


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Edaran Tan Chong Motor (ETCM) has unveiled the new Nissan X-Trail to the media today. As previously speculated and captured on this blog, the X-Trail is imported CBU from Indonesia, which is the production hub of the SUV for our region. It is priced at RM149,500 OTR including insurance.

We only get one engine option – the MR20DE 2.0-litre engine that also powers the Sylphy. However, in the X-Trail this all-aluminium CVTC equipped engine makes 137 bhp and 198 Nm of torque, slightly more than the Sylphy’s 131 bhp/191 Nm. Like the C-segment sedan, the engine is mated to Nissan’s Xtronic CVT, but the stepless gearbox gets a manual shift mode here with six virtual ratios to play with. Power goes solely to the front wheels.


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Size wise, the X-Trail is longer than the old model by 175 mm and slightly wider too, although wheelbase is only up by 5mm to make 2,630 mm. I believe that the picture above shows where all that extra length has gone too – the silver X-Trail is the new model, and the section aft of its rear doors is obviously longer.


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That makes for a huge boot. Despite carrying a full sized spare tyre inside the vehicle, the versatile cargo area has a square space of 603 litres. That’s in the single floor mode; in the double floor mode, the “false floor” covers 2 drawers, the right one with configurable compartments, the left one for long items like umbrellas. Like its predecessor, the luggage board is washable, perfect for the mountain bike! A tonneau cover is standard.


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The interior ditches the central instruments for a more conventional layout. Fit and finish as well as material quality is good – the main dash moulding and all door caps feature soft touch plastics. Here, you’ll find a 2-DIN stereo with USB/AUX/Bluetooth and SD card capability sandwiched by two cubby holes.


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The air-con may be manual, and the steering has no buttons or leather wrap, but the X-Trail does come with features like rear air-con vents, powered front seats (6-way adjustable for driver, 4-way for passenger), keyless entry and start and bi-xenons with washer and auto levelling. Two cupholders up front and two behind have cooling functions. Safety kit includes 2 airbags, ABS, EBD, Brake Assist, pre-tensioner seatbelts and active head restraints. According to ETCM, this is the exact same spec that attained six stars in JNCAP crash tests.

On a separate note, ETCM has confirmed that the D-segment Teana, which has been spotted on our roads, will be launched at the “end of the year” in Malaysia. The Camry/Accord fighter will be locally assembled and priced competitively, unlike their previous CBU attempt at this model.

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Proton Saga EV at Indonesia International Motor Show 2010

July 29, 2010 at 7:09 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, International News, Malaysian Makes, Proton

Proton showcased this Proton Saga EV at the Indonesia International Motor Show happening right now. According to the specs revealed at the show, this Saga EV uses a 15 kWh lithium ion polymer battery that can be quick-charged in just one hour, or via a conventional wall outlet in between 6 to 8 hours. 0 to 100km/h time is reached in 12 seconds, on to a top speed of 110km/h.

The quickcharge time seems quite short compared to other EVs that usually take about 2 hours but you have to remember the battery size also seems smaller compared to say, the Nissan Leaf which uses a 24 kWh battery. The Chevrolet Volt uses a 16 kWh battery but it has a range extender.

A red Proton Saga EV Concept shown in Malaysia back in mid-2009 featured a specifications sheet that listed a larger battery – 20kWh, that took up the entire trunk space. In that red car, the battery is able to power the car for about 109km on the NEDC driving cycle.

This white Saga EV in Indonesia and that red Saga EV from last year seems to have an identical engine bay, in fact you can see one area in the white car’s engine bay’s firewall that reveals an area of red paint underneath it, so I think this is the same car but with some modified specs perhaps?

A smaller battery would usually mean a shorter maximum mileage on a full charge (Proton did not reveal maximum range but I am guessing around 60km since the Volt’s 16kWh battery gets 65km) but as we talked about yesterday, Proton intended the Saga EV concept demonstrator to tackle basic urban city driving needs (hence the 110km/h top speed), with another Persona EV concept demonstrator developed to have a longer range.

It’s worth nothing that this is just a concept demonstrator and probably doesn’t reflect any of the specs of a production car, if Proton ever decides to build one. And where in the middle of all of this is Detroit Electric? No idea. Look after the jump for more photos.
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Nissan Murano now available with diesel engine for UK

July 29, 2010 at 5:35 pm By Jacob Alexander Filed Under Cars, International News, Nissan

Malaysia has just seen a rise in petrol prices due to the decrease in subsidies recently. The increase in prices was by RM0.05 for petrol (RON95) and diesel. It would seem that further reduction in subsidies would only see the rise of petrol prices in the coming years or even months.

Thus fuel efficiency is ever more important not to mention the adoption of other fuel sources and one that springs to mind is diesel. Nissan which sells the Murano variant in Malaysia, recently announced the release of a new diesel engine for the SUV in the UK.

It uses a 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine which is capable of producing 187hp and 450Nm of torque at just 2,000rpm.

This produces an average fuel consumption for both city and highway driving of 6.6L/100km along with a CO2 figure of just 210g/km with the help of a revised 6 speed automatic transmission providing Adaptive Shift Control, improved aerodynamics and an electric power regeneration system.

Other improvements on the inside include the change from a chain to a belt drive for the power steering pump, extra engine mounts and extra sound absorbing material to reduce noise intrusion from the diesel engine. Providing more air to the new engine will be a redesigned front end with a new front grille and bumper, also giving it a refreshed look.

The only Murano available in Malaysia at the moment is the 3.5L petrol engine which consumes between 9 to 13 litres for every 100km travelled, 9L being the most fuel efficient it could ever be, a far cry from what diesel motors are able to achieve.

A switch to diesel would make sense for many Malaysian’s as diesel is still RM0.10 cheaper that the cheapest petrol. Many manufacturers already offer diesels here especially for their SUVs – the Santa Fe, Captiva, X3 and X5 are all available as diesels.

More pictures are available after the jump.
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HRT boss confirms Toyota deal – Yamamoto confirmed for Hungarian GP

July 29, 2010 at 4:27 pm By Jacob Alexander Filed Under Cars, Formula 1, International News, Motorsports

Struggling Hispania Racing Team are set to collaborate with Toyota as team owner Jose Ramon Crabante confirmed the deal at Hockenheim this weekend. Toyota who pulled out of Formula 1 last year, is now outsourcing their services including the use of their wind tunnel, staff, design of the TF110 car and their headquarters which is based in Cologne.

This in turn has got Carabante reassuring his team that the outfit will not be moved from its Murcia base to Cologne. Speaking to a Spanish news agency, the team boss said that notwithstanding the arrangement with Toyota, the team will remain in Murcia “because the project was born here.”

Carabante went on to say that the deal which is worth 15 million Euros “will strengthen Hispania in the battle to be the best of the new teams, which is our first goal”. That title is currently unofficially held by Lotus Racing. According to the Spanish news agency, HRT’s contract with Toyota Motorsports will be for 2011 and 2012.

HRT have also recently underwent driver changes with Karun Chandok being replaced by Sakon Yamamoto. This was due to the fact that Yamamoto brought in about $5 million in sponsorship money. The Japanese driver originally replaced Bruno Senna at the British GP, but then pushed Chandok out of the hot seat for Germany.

Due to technical problems the 28 year old retired, while Bruno Senna finished in 19th position behind the whole pack. Yamamoto has also been confirmed a seat for the Hungarian GP and will race alongside Bruno Senna.

Source

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Porsche officially greenlights production 918 Spyder

July 29, 2010 at 4:24 pm By Jacob Alexander Filed Under Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, International News, Porsche

It’s official – Porsche has greenlighted the development of a production version of the Porsche 918 Spyder. It was a no brainer on the part of the Supervisory Board in Stuttgart, as the concept received overwhelming response from both customers and the public alike. Apparently they now have a total of 1,000 serious buyers for the car that was first previewed at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show as well as Auto China in Beijing.

“The production of the 918 Spyder in a limited series proves that we are taking the right approach with Porsche Intelligent Performance featuring the combination of supreme performance and efficient drivetrain concepts. We will develop the 918 Spyder in Weissach and assemble it in Zuffenhausen. This is also a very important commitment to Germany as a manufacturing base,” said Chairman of the Board of Management Michael Macht.

The 918 Spyder Hybrid supercar produces a total of 708hp from both its high revving V8 engine and its electric motor, which is channeled through the 7-speed PDK gearbox and a fixed transmission ratio for the electric motor. This enables a 0 to 100 acceleration figures of as low as 3.2 seconds, while maintaining an average fuel consumption figure of just 3 litres per 100km and pumping out 70g/km of CO2.

No official word on the pricing of the car, but rumour has it that it will be slightly more than Porsche’s previous showpiece, the Carrera GT, coming in at around 500,000 Euros. More information will be released in the coming months by Porsche.

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Naza World ‘Upgrade Promo’ for the Ramadhan month

July 29, 2010 at 4:21 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News

Naza World will be having an ‘Upgrade Promo’ during the weekend of August 6th to August 8th 2010 from 9am to 7pm at all Naza World branches throughout the country, with the biggest of all being of course the Naza PJ Automall by the Federal Highway.

No, Naza isn’t going into aftermarket upgrades in a big way – that’s not what Upgrade Promo means. It probably means it’s time to ‘upgrade’ your car in time for the Ramadhan balk kampung season with special discounts during the weekend. Last I heard that there’s the latest generation Ford Focus RS for sale at a price tag of over RM300,000.

Dato Hj SM Faisal will be donating RM500 out of his personal coffers to five charitable causes for each car sold during the Ramadhan month. As Naza expects to sell 500 cars during the Ramadhan month, this will hopefully amount to RM250,000 of donation.

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