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Driven Season 1 Track Day: hot laps in a Lotus 2-Eleven racecar, BMW drives and more!

July 12, 2010 at 12:14 am By Harvinder Sidhu Filed Under Local News

Season 1 of the Driven automotive television show recently came to a close but before that the program held it’s first ever track day event at the Sepang International Circuit on June 25th. The event allowed weekly contest winners of The Double Barrel Hunt and selected guests to take rides in a race-prepped Lotus 2-Eleven courtesy of Empire Motorsports. The open-top 2-Eleven is based on the Lotus Exige and outputs 270hp from a supercharged 2ZZ-GE Toyota-sourced engine.

Joining the Lotus was a track-ready Honda DC2 supplied by Team TeleVAS which recently took part in the Sepang 1000 kilometers endurance event. Furthermore participants were also given the chance to get behind the wheels of selected BMW vehicles, specially supplied by Auto Bavaria Sungai Besi, an official local distributor of BMWs.

Participants managed to try out new models including the recently launched BMW X1 xDrive20d and the F10 BMW 523i as well as the sporty BMW 325i, the diesel-fueled BMW 320d and the high-performance turbocharged BMW 135i which produces 306 PS and 400Nm of torque.

Another BMW star which was present and was used as the Driven Pace Car was the BMW Z4 sDrive35i. Participants were allowed to drive the cars for an average of 5 laps each around the North Track of the circuit. They also got the chance to get up-close and personal with Hypertune Models, who came along with two Hypertune Project Cars including a tuned-up Honda Civic Type R and a Toyota Corolla Levin.

The event was later concluded with the announcement of The Double Barrel Hunt’s Grand Prize winner, Mohd Fahmi bin Ismail who walked home with an RM5000 fuel voucher from BHPetrol, a Nokia N97 Mini and an Ultra Glass Coating Neo full car treatment. Driven also aired highlights of the event on the season finale and it is available online at www.driven.com.my.

The team at Driven would like to take the opportunity to thank BHPetrol, Auto Bavaria Sungai Besi and the all above mentioned sponsors for supporting the Driven Track Day. The second track day event is scheduled to take place during Season 2. While that happens, please continue reading to check out an image gallery of the event.
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Geely to set up Volvo R&D centre in Jiading, Shanghai

July 11, 2010 at 11:54 pm By Jacob Alexander Filed Under Cars, International News, Volvo

After news that the EU have okay-ed the sale of Volvo to automakers Geely, comes word that the Chinese company will be setting up a research and development centre for Volvo at the Shanghai International Automobile City. Looks like the ‘technology transfer’ plans have started immediately! Rumours of Geely scouting for a possible site in China for a Volvo assembly plant still persists, and such a plant will likely be near the R&D centre.

The R&D centre will be called Geely-Volvo Research and Development Center and will be situated in an industrial park in the Jiading district of western Shanghai, which plays host to other big names like Shanghai Volkswagen Automotive Co., Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp. and also automotive suppliers such as Fiat Powertrain Technologies. The Shanghai International Circuit is also located in Jiading.

Geely’s president Li Shufu said that Volvo’s biggest handicap is its economies of scale and will only start making a profit if sales hit 370,000 units a year. This number currently stands at 335,000 vehicles globally, of which 22,664 are Chinese market contributed numbers.

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Porsche plan to introduce new entry level smaller Boxster model?

July 11, 2010 at 11:49 pm By Jacob Alexander Filed Under Cars, International News, Porsche

It was announced recently that Porsche has appointed a new CEO who was formerly the head of product management at VW owned Audi. Matthias Mueller was said to be a driving force at Audi which is what Porsche need for their line-up of cars.

This comes after figures showing that its entry-level Boxster and Cayman models have suffered a 12 percent decline in deliveries to 7,630 in its first nine months. Counteracting this drop, Porsche introduced the 53,100 euro Boxster Spyder which featured the 3.4-litre six cylinder engine impractically designed to drive with the textile roof down, which even I could see was not great planning for an entry level model which should be more practical.

Thus the German automaker have already drafted up plans to double the number of models in its line-up from four to eight. This will include adding a new range of cars similar to the Boxster but smaller, hopefully in price as well. Accomplishing this, Porsche will utilize platforms within the VW range, already seen with the Cayenne SUV, sharing its platform with the Toureg and Audi Q7.

Rumours of a Porsche Golf have been repeated on and on in the past few years and perhaps that will finally come to reality? But the idea of a smaller Boxster-like vehicle with an engine up front driving the front wheels is just weird!

Porsche aims to bolster up sales to a point where they will be producing 150,000 units of vehicles globally by 2013, along with surpassing Toyota in deliveries and profitability by 2018.

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PSA Citroen announces joint venture with Changan Automobiles

July 11, 2010 at 11:44 pm By Jacob Alexander Filed Under Cars, ChangAn, Citroën, International News

PSA Peugeot Citroen and Changan Automobiles have announced the finalization of a 50-50 JV in China, financed by an initial investment of 8.4 billion Yuan (RM4 billion).. First on their list is the introduction of the C3-based DS3 line up. The first vehicle is set to be launched in the second half of 2012.

The tie up will see the development of cars and light commercial vehicles with an initial annual production capacity of 200,000 vehicles and engines at Shenzhen. The new factory will be running two lines, which will include the renovation of an existing production line and the addition of a second line. There are also plans for a new R&D centre to be built.

Apart from this new joint venture, PSA has a partnership with Dongfeng Motor Group Co to build Peugeot cars such as Peugeot 408 (which is somewhat like a 308 Sedan) and also Citroen C5 sedans. It looks like the rest of the Citroen line-up will be taken care by the Changan JV.

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Citroen adding WiFi connectivity to their cars

July 11, 2010 at 11:25 pm By Jacob Alexander Filed Under Cars, Citroën, International News

Citroen have announced that they will make on board WiFi access available on most of their model line-up, which will include the new C3, C3 Picasso, C4, C4 Picasso, C5, C6 and DS3 models. The way it works is with the use of a 3G WiFi router much like a MiFi device which will act as a modem/router. It creates a wireless network within the vehicle when used with a 3G SIM card. This allows access to the internet using devices such as laptops, mobile phones and portable games consoles.

If by any chance you wish to take your vehicle abroad, the system deactivates itself avoiding expensive data costs. Citroen will charge you £545 for the pleasure of the internet in your car. With this move, Citroen joins the ranks of various other car makers which are offering MiFi-like devices in their cars such as Audi, GM and Chrysler. BMW’s iDrive also has the ability to use a SIM card to access data services however you can only use it with iDrive and not any external third party device.

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Mark Webber wins the British GP as Vettel loses it on Lap 1

July 11, 2010 at 9:27 pm By Harvinder Sidhu Filed Under Formula 1, Motorsports

Mark Webber has clinched his third win of the season at the 2010 British GP while his team mate Sebastian Vettel who started from pole position only managed 7th as the German went off track on the opening lap, dropping him down the field. Things became worse for him when he had to pit following a puncture.

Webber’s victory came after using a chassis that is older than what Vettel was using and after the “front wing” fiasco where Webber was forced to use an older front wing during yesterday’s qualifying session. Lewis Hamilton who started the race in fourth finished in second place while Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg took the final spot of the podium, after fending off McLaren’s Jenson Button who settled for fourth.

Veteran Rubens Barrichello managed to collect some valuable points for Williams with his fifth place finish. Kamui Kobayashi also did the same for Sauber as the Japanese driver crossed the line in sixth. Seventh place man Vettel led four German drivers who made up the rest of the top ten. They included Force India’s Adrian Sutil, Mercedes’ Michael Schumacher who stood in the shadows of his team mate yet again and lastly Williams’ Nico Hulkenberg.

Despite starting the race from third and seventh places, both Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa from Ferrari failed to score any points today as they finished in 14th and 15th respectively. The former suffered from a bad start and was also given a drive through penalty after wrongfully overtaking Robert Kubica from Renault mid-way through the race. Despite moving down the field Alonso continued to entertain viewers with his enthusiastic driving.

Both Lotus drivers managed to finish the race despite fear of yet another hydraulics-related problem. Jarno Trulli led the way as the Italian finished in 16th place ahead of Heikki Kovalainen. Behind him in 18th was Timo Glock from Virgin followed by Karun Chandhok from Hispania. Four drivers were classified in the “Did Not Finish” list including Toro Rosso’s Jaime Alguersuari, Sauber’s Pedro de la Rosa, Renault’s Robert Kubica and finally Lucas di Grassi in the sister Virgin car.

In terms of the Constructor’s Championship McLaren still leads with 278 points while Red Bull is second with 249 points. Ferrari is currently in third with 165 points followed by Mercedes with 126 points. Hamilton is still in the top spot of the Driver’s Championship thanks to 145 points. Team mate Button is close behind with 133 points. Both Red Bull drivers are in third and fourth, with Webber and Vettel having 128 and 121 points respectively.

Following a dramatic British GP with many thanks to the event’s opening lap, Formula 1, which now crosses the half-way mark will now set it’s direction towards Hockenheim for the German GP on July 25th.

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Proton Saga 25th Anniversary Edition features dual front SRS airbags and 4 power windows!

July 11, 2010 at 9:21 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Malaysian Makes, New Proton Saga, Proton

Like the 25th Anniversary Edition Exora, the Proton Saga 25th Anniversary Edition is also limited to 25 units and comes at a premium price of RM 54,500, considerably higher than the both the top of the line Saga SE’s RM44,548.00 price tag. As a reference, a Saga M-Line is priced at RM41,548.00.

But the premium of close to RM10,000 brings you something else other than your usual 25th Anniversary ‘look’ which is the nice brown Nappa leather, bodykit (looks the same as the SE’s), alloy wheels unique to the Saga 25th Anniversary Edition, grey instrument faces (Saga is black face and Saga SE is white face) and the ‘tiger’ stripes running the length of the shoulderline.

If you look at the photo of the interior above you’ll see that the hole on the passenger side of the dashboard that was previously a storage area has been ‘filled up’ by a passenger SRS airbag. The car also has power windows on all four windows.

In this sense the specs seem quite similar to the Australian market Proton S16. I’m hoping that with a future facelift or specs update we’ll be able to get dual SRS airbags in regular Proton Saga models as well. I also hope that ABS brakes are in the works as this is even missing on the Australian S16!

Click here for the full specifications list, and check out our live photo gallery of the limited edition Saga after the jump.
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Mercedes S350 BlueTEC uses AdBlue for cleaner emissions

July 11, 2010 at 9:11 pm By Jacob Alexander Filed Under Cars, International News, Mercedes Benz

Mercedes have released details of the new S350 BlueTEC which they say is one of the cleanest diesel model in the world. Claims like this can be made because of the AdBlue emission control system which removes harmful nitrogen oxide (NO) from the exhaust fumes. AdBlue is a registered trademark of Germany’s VDA for AUS32 (Aqueous Urea Solution 32.5%). It is mixed according to a standard spec known as ISO 22241.

The S350 BlueTEC basically injects AdBlue into the exhaust flow. This releases ammonia and converts up to 80% of the NO into harmless nitrogen and water, with the help of a catalytic converter. The AdBlue tank is located under the luggage compartment floor and has a capacity of 25.7 litres which is replenished at regular maintenance intervals of 25,000 kilometres.

You may be wondering just how much replenishing your AdBlue tank costs. Consumer Reports tried refilling their BlueTEC-equipped GL-Class and was charged US$316.99 for 7.5 gallons (28 litres) of AdBlue, which comprised of a US$241.50 (about RM775 or RM28 per litre) cost for the AdBlue solution – the rest being labour, tax and other charges.

Also note that AdBlue decomposes over time in storage (it forms ammonium hydroxide and carbon monoxide), but the ISO standard calls for the process to produce AdBlue that can last at least 12 months. Considering diesel cars are typically used for high mileage travel patterns I don’t think one’s AdBlue expiring would be an issue.

Apart from improving emissions, the diesel motor is pretty fuel efficient, boasting performance figures similar to an 8 cylinder engine, while only having fuel consumption figures of a mid-sized saloon. The figure in question is that of just 6.8 litres for every 100 kilometres travelled, while producing an impressive 258hp and a spine-tingling 620Nm of torque. The torquey 3.0-litre diesel V6 engine now pushes the car to the century mark in just 7.1 seconds and has an electronically limited top speed of 250km/h.

The S-Class now comes with Lane Keeping Assist, Active Blind Spot Assist, PASSION leather package featuring Alcantara, and a Bang & Olufsen BeoSound AMG sound system. This creates a sale price of € 76,279 (about RM308k) and is on sale now in Germany. More pictures of the interior are available after the jump.
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Red Bull grabs front row in Britain, Ferrari seals third

July 11, 2010 at 12:48 am By Harvinder Sidhu Filed Under Formula 1, Motorsports

Red Bull is definitely reclaiming the title fight with yet another 1-2 race start for tomorrow’s British Grand Prix at the Silverstone circuit. Red Bull’s front row lock-down is headed by Sebastian Vettel, who just came back from a pole and a subsequent win in Valencia. His Australian team mate Mark Webber secured second place while Ferrari seems to be back at the front with Fernando Alonso’s third place.

McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton who is currently leading the Driver’s Championship settled in fourth place ahead of Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg and Renault’s Robert Kubica. Felipe Massa in the other Ferrari will start the race from seventh place in front of former Ferrari driver Rubens Barrichello who now races for Williams.

Sauber made it into the top ten with Pedro de la Rosa’s ninth place and highly-decorated Michael Schumacher only managed tenth place. The 7-times World Champion, who has been spending most of the time behind his younger compatriot so far in the season later revealed that he made some mistakes in Q3 that caused him to register unsatisfying lap times.

Lotus Racing is still the top new team as the green-yellow squad managed 19th place, thanks to Heikki Kovalainen’s 1:34.405 lap time. Behind the Finn is Virgin’s Timo Glock, ahead of Lotus’ Jarno Trulli who gave his seat to Fairuz Fauzy for Friday’s first practice session. Next up in 22nd is Lucas di Grassi in the sister Virgin race car. The final two positions were taken up by the Hispania drivers: Karun Chandhok and Sakon Yamamoto who takes over the wheel from Bruno Senna.

Please go here to view the full results.

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Proton Emas Concept and 25th Anniversary Edition Cars unveiling at gala dinner last night

July 10, 2010 at 4:45 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Malaysian Makes, Proton, Proton EMAS Concept

Here’s a video we recorded from last night’s dinner, where the Proton Emas concept was shown in Malaysia to the public for the first time, along with the trio of 25th Anniversary Edition cars. This particular Emas was done up in a blue paintjob, and I think this is the first time we’ve been able to see the Emas headlamps light up in an actual video. Also, look at the gallery after the jump for more shots of the blue Emas concept at the dinner hall.
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