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VIDEO: Subaru Impreza WRX STI ad – ‘Ken Block’ style!

July 24, 2010 at 12:07 am By Jacob Alexander Filed Under International News, Subaru, Videos

Subaru went in a different direction with their ads for the latest generation Impreza WRX STI – it involves getting normal people off the street and scaring the life out of them with the help of rally driver Dave Mirra.

Powered by a 2.5 litre turbocharged engine producing 305 horses, the car shuffles through the underside of an overpass, very Ken Block-esque. Egging it on is the more than substantial amount of torque which stands at 393Nm.

The reaction on their faces should be enough to keep you entertained for a few moments. Watch a total of five different reaction shots after the jump. The first video from the top is the best of course ;)
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Toyota lending a helping hand to HRT Formula 1 team?

July 23, 2010 at 7:38 pm By Jacob Alexander Filed Under Formula 1, International News, Motorsports, Toyota

There may be some hope for struggling Hispania Racing as news have recently surfaced that they may be sourcing technical support from Toyota’s Cologne-based operations. This comes after the announcement that the F1 team will not be using the current Dallara-designed Hispania F110 chassis for the 2011 series. Dallara is an Italian chassis company that also supplies chassis to IndyCar.

Questions about the Hispania team’s technical knowledge in the engineering department have also been called into question with the only experienced member of the team being Geoff Willis who is their Technical Director.

Toyota’s F1 team have “restructured to provide specialist solutions ranging from complete car development to individual component testing or production, aimed at the automotive or engineering sectors and beyond.”

Toyota’s F1 team being a ‘consultant’ to Hispania would probably include the never used before TF110 chassis which was previously promised to Stefan GP, but the memorandum of understanding with Stefan GP have lapsed and an extension looks highly unlikely.

A source close to the team says that negotiations between HRT and Toyota will end positively as questions about the F1 team’s financial uncertainty have been addressed.

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M Sport package for F25 BMW X3 ‘leaked’

July 23, 2010 at 2:51 pm By Jacob Alexander Filed Under BMW, Cars, International News

BMW only recently released the F25 X3 and just a few days after, we’ve got pictures of the M Sport package to go with it. If you think the new X3 is a bit bland, it’s BMW to the rescue with an injection of a sporty body kit along with suspension updates.

The change into your X3 M Sport package starts outside, with new side skirts, wheel arches, body coloured front and rear aprons along with a choice of a Carbon Black metallic paint job only available within the M Sport package. This will provide a striking contrast to the high-gloss BMW Individual Shadow Line window guards and roof rails that contrast the 19-inch M light-weight alloy wheel rims.

Changes to the interior start with the ergonomically shaped sports seats that provide support against strong lateral forces, which you should expect since you decided to buy a high riding SUV. This will be covered in a dual fabric Pearlpoint cloth and leather upholstery which matches the roof liner which is in Anthracite.

Don’t worry, I’ve saved the best for last, and the only reason some people actually specify the M Sport package in their purchases, which is the revised suspension. You can expect a sporty ride which gives you stiffer suspension and dampers giving you that all important feedback when pointing your beloved X3 in to the corner.

When you do come out of that corner alive, take a breather and enjoy the new M multifunction leather steering with variable sports steering that you’re holding. Look to the sides of the steering wheel and you will realise that the steering wheel features gear shift paddles that works in tandem with the standard eight-speed automatic Steptronic transmission.

If you see yourself being content with the package, you can expect the package to be released in the second quarter of 2011.

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Nissan pokes fun at German brands in new ad campaign

July 23, 2010 at 2:36 pm By Jacob Alexander Filed Under Audi, BMW, International News, Nissan, Porsche

Nissan’s new advertising campaign is causing quite a stir, poking fun at German rivals Audi, BMW and Porsche. This was done by releasing print and poster adverts highlighting German brands flaws as compared to the 370Z and the GT-R.

Using such phrases as “The Winner Hans Down,” “The Germans Came Off Wurst,” “Kaisers Chiefed” and “Deutschland Deutschland Über-Rated,” the ad campaign was officially launched in London on a giant 360 degree 47ft IMAX billboard.

Talk about taking it to the extremes!

If you don’t think that’s enough, they’ve even scrawled statements like “More expensive, slower and less powerful than a Nissan 370Z” on an Audi TT-S. Similarly themed slogans can be seen on a Porsche Cayman as well.

Just in case you’re curious they’ve supplied the public with a spec chart comparing all the aforementioned cars, and on paper it does look like the 370Z and GT-R’s are better buys than the German equivalent. It’s also worth remembering that spec sheets can’t describe driving feel and pleasure, which can only be accomplished with a test drive.

Nevertheless Steve McLennan, Nissan UK Marketing Director, is quite pleased with his ad stating “It simply challenges the convention of German sportscars being the only benchmark for performance and quality. Nissan is confident in the ability of 370Z and GT-R to eclipse our comparable German rivals in terms of outright performance and accessibility and it’s now time to shout about it.”

Do you think Nissan has a point? An equivalent BMW Z4is M Sport costs RM598,800 as opposed to a Nissan 370Z which costs RM370,000, while the Porsche Cayman S easily reaches RM640,000.00! Have your say.

High-res pictures are also available after the jump.
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Hamann presents new body kit for the F10 BMW 5-er

July 23, 2010 at 1:48 pm By Jacob Alexander Filed Under BMW, Cars, International News

Hamann’s take on the new F10 BMW 5-Series features a new front spoiler, sporty side skirts, rear bumper centre valence, roof mounted spoiler and a boot mounted spoiler.

They are also offering large 20 inch wheels, LED running lights inserts, a stainless steel four tailpipe sports exhaust system and a lowering kit which will reduce your ride by 35mm.

The interior will be covered by a carbon fibre package which adds trim pieces to the dashboard, doors, centre console and steering wheel while you get Hamann embroidered seats, floormats and aluminium pedals.

You can start customising the look of your new F10 today with the help of the pictures provided but unfortunately no prices have been released for the kit. A picture gallery is available after the jump.
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Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG supercar launched in India amidst month to month sales growth of 83%

July 23, 2010 at 1:39 pm By Jacob Alexander Filed Under Cars, International News, Mercedes Benz

Luxury automakers have it easy as they rarely have to go to their demographic to sell their wares unlike company lower down the food chain. This is more apparent in countries where owning a car is a luxury in itself, like Malaysia, or India for that matter.

Thanks to the current economic boom in India, many are aspiring to own their dream car and it’s pretty obvious it’s not going to be a Suzuki Maruti. It’s the aforementioned luxury brands such as BMW and Mercedes. Which would explain why these brands are doing so well in the country,

The figures don’t lie as the German company recently posted record sales which rose by 69 percent in the first six months of the year, with 2,500 vehicles being delivered to customers. This is quite surprising when you realise that Mercedes Benz sold just 3500 in 2009. June 2010 alone saw a rise of 83 percent.

“Sales substantially exceeded our expectations in the first half of 2010, supported in particular by the success of the new E-Class. We are currently the strongest premium brand in India and we want to build on our success in the second half of the year and expand our market position. As was the case in the first six months, we are also aiming to achieve record sales for the full year 2010.”

So well that, Mercedes has even made the SLS AMG available to prospective Crore-aires. The price? Between 2 to 2.5 Crore, depending on what you kit it with. 2.5 Crore is just 1.7 million Malaysian Ringgit, so basically the Indians are getting it cheaper than us. Malaysian multi-millionaires can get one for about RM 2 million.

Funny thing is some Indian news sites are claiming that they are the first in the world to get the SLS AMG but I clearly remember that it was launched in Malaysia first just before the 2010 Malaysian GP?

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Bloodhound team going for the 1,000mph land speed record

July 23, 2010 at 1:33 pm By Jacob Alexander Filed Under International News, Technology

Driver Andy Green and his team will try and beat his own previous land speed record of 760mph (1,223km/h) by gunning for the 1,000mph (1,609km/h, about Mach 1.3) mark in 42 seconds. You may be thinking what could possibly propel someone from 0 to 1,000 without ripping their face off? An aircraft engine? Try a Eurofighter Typhoon jet engine.

The EJ200 engine creates more than 20,000 pounds of force which would be enough for some record breakers. Not for Green and his Bloodhound team, as they have coupled this with a hybrid rocket which pumps out a combined thrust of up to 47,500 pounds of force. Putting that into perspective, it would be equivalent to the power of 180 F1 cars.

What those big engines will be propelling is a 950kg, 12.8-meter long vehicle which was carefully designed with aerodynamic research using computational fluid dynamics to create a shape that would be stable at supersonic speeds and controllable sub-sonic velocity. This is finished off in an aerospace paint usually seen in civil and military aircrafts.

As of yet, they haven’t specified a date for their record attempt as they say it all depends on funding. If you’ve got an insatiable need for speed, try breaking the Bloodhound’s speed record. That should cool you nerves for a bit.

Check out the picture gallery after the jump for high-res pictures.
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Ferrari World Abu Dhabi unveils its ride attractions!

July 23, 2010 at 1:31 pm By Jacob Alexander Filed Under Ferrari, International News

You’ve got your usual Disneyland and Universal Studios, and now you’ve got another must see theme park to visit, especially if you’re a petrol head. It’s Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi which according to the press release, is an “exciting attraction designed to tell the Ferrari story, passion, excellence, performance and technical innovation to families.”

How they’ll pass that information on while hurtling you at 240km/h into the sky, remains a mystery even to me. If curious as to what are the Ferrari (speed) themed rides on offer, as mentioned before you have the world’s fastest roller coaster, the G-Force which shoots you 62 metres in the air in a seat inspired by the Ferrari Enzo, the Fiorano GT Challenge which is a duelling roller-coaster of Ferrari F430’s, and the “V12″ which as its name describes is a flume ride inside a 12 cylinder engine.

If you’re a little faint-hearted they’ve accommodated your needs as well with attractions such as Made in Maranello which is a virtual trip behind factory doors, Scuderia Challenge – a cutting edge race simulator used by the drivers of Scuderia Ferrari, and Viaggio in Italia which gives you a virtual aerial voyage over Italy.

Other attractions include a 4D fantasy journey, interactive 3D shows along with movies relating to the history of anything Ferrari. Kid’s will have a ball of a time as they’ve got something called Junior GT, which is a driving school where they get special instruction and drive reduced scale F430 GT spiders on a driving course.

After they’ve got the feel of the car, they can hop onto the Junior Grand Prix where they can enjoy the race track in a scaled down versions of a F1 car. Something for everyone, Ferrari World will have a range of concept restaurants and cafés offering authentic Italian dining experiences along with shopping venues.

You can forget about the holiday in Italy, all you need is a ticket to Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. The theme park will officially open its doors on the 28th of October this year. More pictures of the attractions are available after the jump.
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Mildly disguised Nissan Teana spotted at Awan Besar R&R

July 23, 2010 at 1:28 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Nissan, Spyshots

Nissan Teana

Edaran Tan Chong Motor continues to test the Nissan Teana on our local roads. These duo of a silver and black Teana was spotted by reader Amru Yusrin earlier this week at the Awan Besar R&R just after lunch time.

In this photo above, we get a little glimpse at the interior – looks like ETCM has selected a beige interior for us, supplemented by what looks like chrome/aluminium/silver surrounds around certain areas such as around the air cond vents. If they are taped up and being driven around like this I am guessing that this time the Teana will be CKD.

It’s good that Nissan will be once again joining the D-segment market here in Malaysia – it’s been dominated by either the Accord or Camry for just too long.

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Novitec Trident fits a supercharger into the Maserati Quattroporte

July 22, 2010 at 4:19 pm By Jacob Alexander Filed Under Cars, International News, Maserati

German tuners of Italian makes Novitec Trident, have recently revised the Maserati Quattroporte with a bump of power and a few changes inside and on the exterior. This comes in the form of slotting a supercharger into the engine bay which pushes power delivery to an amazing 590hp at 7300rpm, while getting a torque figure of 572Nm.

Apart from a supercharger a new water to air intercooler is added to the Quattroporte’s 4.7 litre V8 engine along with a new intake manifold, bigger fuel injectors and a recalibrated ECU. You now get a 0 to 100 figure in just 4.6 seconds, going on to reach a top speed of 295km/h.

Keeping all that power on the road, the tuners fitted new electronically controlled sports suspension that can be continuously adjustable with multiple settings for compression and rebound, while a hidden boot lid spoiler made from clear coated carbon fibre gives it a look lacking in many saloons.

Inside customer have a range of interior picks such as leather, Alcantara, Blu Ray players along with other multimedia systems totally customizable. This whole package sits on 21-inch alloy wheels with five double spoke covered in Pirelli P Zero high-performance tires in sizes 255/30 ZR 21 up front and 295/30 ZR 21 at the back. No pricing details are available but anything that gives this high performance Italian saloon more power is money well spent. Meanwhile enjoy the picture gallery after the jump.
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