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KL International Motorshow 2010 ticket prices announced!

July 19, 2010 at 8:13 pm By Jacob Alexander Filed Under Cars, Local News

Ticket prices have just been announced for the Kuala Lumpur International Motor Show (KLIMS) which will be held from the 3rd to the 12th of December 2010. Open to the general public, adult KLIMS tickets will be priced at RM15 for the weekdays and RM20 during the weekends, whereas children get in for a flat rate of RM5.

Family tickets are also available going for RM30 for a weekday pass and RM40 for a weekend pass. This will be for a family of two adults (husband and wife) and up to five kids under the age of 12. Car manufacturers that are expected to be there include Chery, Daihatsu, Nissan, Honda, Hyundai, Isuzu, Mitsubishi, UD Trucks, Peugeot, Kia, Perodua, Proton, Toyota and Weststar Maxus. Proton has even gone on to say that they will be unveiling a little surprise at this year’s event and personally the strongest draw for me to attend is to check out what Proton is up to.

KLIMS will be held at the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) in the heart of Kuala Lumpur and will showcase the theme “We Care” which symbolise the auto industry’s accent on consumer, environment and community care.

“We made it a point to ensure that the ticket price for the Kuala Lumpur International Motor Show ’10 (KLIMS’10) remains the same as that for the previous two editions in 2003 and 2006,” explained Y.Bhg. Datuk Aishah Ahmad, President of MAA and Chairman of KLIMS ’10 Organising Committee.

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Something’s definitely up with this Proton Exora…

July 19, 2010 at 12:38 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Malaysian Makes, Proton, Proton Exora - Proton MPV 2009, Proton Persona R, Spyshots

At first glance this looks like just any other Proton Exora, except for the fact that even after it has been launched for quite some time now Proton found it necessary to put generous amounts of black tape on it. The lower fog lamp area peeks out from the taped up sections and what we can see is the old pre-MC update fog lamps without the chrome.

But the headlamp is very much covered up – there could be some kind of facelift headlamp hiding in there. Or it could simply be an old mule with the headlamps taped up from before and not removed.

This is where it gets interesting. The rear muffler is different. I don’t think there would be any reason to have a new rear muffler installed on a mule, other than to test a completely new powertrain and/or driveline ;)

Big thanks to the photographer Asan Taring for these! They were snapped en route to Malacca. According Asan and his friend, the rear end of this vehicle looked pretty different from a regular Exora. This is all so very mysterious!

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Chevrolet Volt battery gets 8-year, 160,000 km warranty

July 19, 2010 at 2:40 am By Jacob Alexander Filed Under Cars, Chevrolet, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, International News

The battery pack is one of the most vital and expensive components in a hybrid car, and the fear that it would fail is one mental hurdle in consumers’ minds. General Motors seems to understand this issue and has rolled out an 8-year, 160,000 km battery warranty for its upcoming Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid. GM says that it’s the longest and most comprehensive warranty offered by an automaker on batteries that will cover 161 parts of the power pack. The warranty is transferable.

The Volt works on a range extender system and is powered with electricity at all times. For up to the first 65 km, it’s powered solely by electricity stored in its 16-kWh lithium-ion battery, using no fuel and producing no emissions. When the lithium-ion battery runs low, an engine/generator seamlessly operates to extend the driving range by another 480 km on a full tank of fuel.

The Volt is the only mass-market EV with a battery that can be warmed or cooled. The battery is designed to provide reliable operation at temperatures from -25 C to over 50 C. In cold weather, the battery will be preheated during charging to provide full power capability. In hot weather – the most challenging environment for a battery – the Volt’s unit can be chilled during charging.

Did you know that fully charging or fully depleting a battery shortens its life? The Volt’s energy management system never fully charges or depletes the battery and has top and bottom “buffer zones” to ensure a longer life. Another cool fact about the Volt’s battery is that more than 500 diagnostics run at 10 times per second, ensuring the the battery is operating safely and keeping track of performance and life.

Sales of the Volt and its European Opel/Vauxhall Ampera equivalent will start in 2011.

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Range Rover Evoque test mules say Hello to major cities

July 19, 2010 at 2:06 am By Jacob Alexander Filed Under Cars, International News, Land Rover

Land Rover says that the upcoming Range Rover Evoque is the smallest, lightest and most fuel-efficient car they have ever produced, but don’t be fooled, it’s no pansy. Before it goes on sale in 2011, LR will be running the final phase of testing using hundreds of prototype models for trials in the toughest conditions.

But unlike most car manufacturers who hide their new designs with black tape, a handful of the test Evoques will sport a unique camouflage which is a GPS mapping trail of ten key cities, with each vehicle saying ‘Hello’ to its respective city in their language. These cities are London, New York, Sao Paulo, Paris, Milan, Madrid, Berlin, Sydney, Shanghai and Moscow. These are among hundreds of test mules that will be used to run over 17,000 individual tests.

“The development stage is crucial in the year leading up to launching the car,” said Murray Dietsch, director of Land Rover programmes. “No stone is left unturned; we have a team of experienced and skilled engineers who will work to a tight schedule to ensure we have a top quality vehicle to offer our customers.”

Hi res gallery of this rather cool marketing gimmick is after the jump.
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Jacques Villeneuve returning to Formula 1 as team owner?

July 17, 2010 at 8:21 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Formula 1, Motorsports

Ex-F1 champion Jacques Villeneuve could be making a comeback to the sport, but as a team owner. The 39-year old Canadian, who won the title in 1997, is said to have submitted an application for the 13th slot on the Formula 1 grid under the name Villeneuve Racing.

German publication Auto Motor und Sport, which first broke the story, suggested that ex Renault team bosses Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds, who exited the sport due to the Crashgate scandal, are involved with the project. Other suggestions include a partnership with former GP2 team Durango, which announced its F1 bid earlier this year.

“I’ve never made it a secret that I’m working hard on an F1 project. But I’ve not discussed the details or what my plans were and I won’t be drawn on it now. I’m not commenting,” Villeneuve told the BBC. “There is an element of truth in the rumours,” said Villeneuve’s manager, Rick Gorne. “It’s a project we’re working on.”

So far, we’ve heard of a few contenders for USF1′s 13th slot; among them are Spanish team Epsilon Euskadi, French team ART Grand Prix, Italian based Durango and the American Cypher Group. The FIA is expected to announce the winning applicant next month.

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Ford Fiesta with Malaysian spec on display in Penang!

July 16, 2010 at 8:32 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Ford, Local News

The Ford Fiesta has not had an official launch here in Malaysia as of yet but there’s already been a huge amount of information on the internet about the little Chilli Padi which features a very interesting equipment list.

It’s the only car in its class with ESP stability control, a feature that’s omitted from even some D-segment sedans. The range topping model is the 1.6 litre Sports 5-door hatchback with a Ti-VCT engine producing 120 PS at 6,000rpm and 152Nm of torque at 4,050rpm.

This engine has a rather high 11.0:1 compression ratio and Ti-VCT allows variable valve timing on both the intake and exhaust valves. This engine is mated to a 6-speed dual clutch transmission, which makes this the cheapest car with a twin clutch transmission in Malaysia at RM84,888.

0 to 100km/h is reached in 9.9 seconds but what’s interesting is you can take this down to under 8 seconds with a kit from Mountune that boosts power up to 140 PS. Other features include ABS, dual SRS airbags, ISOFIX child seat points, a 6 speaker sound system with MP3 support, and a system called “Voice Control” which allows you to control certain functions.

The mid-range model in terms of pricelist has a sedan body. The Ford Fiesta Sedan LX 1.6 Ti-VCT has the same engine and dual clutch transmission as the 1.6 Sports hatchback but curiously there is only one driver airbag on the sedan model, and the audio system has been downgraded to a 4 speaker system. But ISOFIX child seat points, ESP stability control and ABS remain as parts of the safety feature list. This one goes for RM79,888 OTR with insurance.

The cheapest Ford Fiesta model is a 5-door hatchback with a 1.4 litre engine and a 5-speed manual transmission. Peak power is about 96 horsepower at 6,000rpm and peak torque of 128Nm kicks in at 4,050rpm. For RM73,888 you also get ABS, a driver airbag, ISOFIX child seat mount points, as well as a single CD player with MP3 support and 4 speakers.

The manual car is only available in four colours – Metropolitan Grey, Mica Black, Cool White and True Red. The sedan body can be had in either Sparkling Gold, Highlight Silver, Cool White, Mica Black, Metropolitan Grey or a very nice Phantom Blue colour. The top of the range 1.6 Sports comes in a different hue of blue called Aurora Blue, and this colour is supplemented by Chili Orange, True Red, Highlight Silver, Metropolitan Grey, Mica Black or Cool White.

Look after the jump for live photos from Ford’s roadshow in Gurney Plaza Penang happening right now until the 18th this Sunday. There’s a Chili Orange 1.6 Sports and a Metropolitan Grey 1.6 LX Sedan on show there. You can also drop by the Ford Fiesta in Malaysia Facebook Fan Page to ask a Ford representative any question you would like to know about the Fiesta.
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Toro Rosso sticks with Buemi and Alguersuari for 2011

July 16, 2010 at 3:24 pm By Jacob Alexander Filed Under Formula 1, Motorsports

Red Bull Racing’s sister team, Toro Rosso, has officially confirmed their driver line up for the 2011 season, and there’s no change. The Italian based outfit will stick with 21-year-old Sebastien Buemi and much improved young Spaniard Jaime Alguersuari, who is currently in his first full season in F1.

“I believe our drivers will be well prepared for 2011, which is why they are both confirmed for next year,” team boss Franz Tost said. “It is also logical, because one key role of Scuderia Toro Rosso is to bring on young drivers from the Red Bull young driver programme and at the ages of 21 and 20 respectively, both Seb and Jaime certainly still meet the right criteria,” he added.

Sebastian Buemi is currently 14th on the leader board with 7 points, with his younger teammate Alguersuari two places down in 16th with 3 points. That gives Scuderia Toro Rosso a total of 10 points or 9th in the Constructors Championship, ahead of the three rookie teams.

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Rolls Royce White Ghost Limited by Mansory

July 16, 2010 at 2:14 pm By Jacob Alexander Filed Under Cars, International News, Rolls Royce

The last time we featured a Mansory car it was a shocker. This time, the company seems to have new found restraint with the release of this modified Rolls Royce Ghost.

Called the White Ghost Limited, this RR’s V12 comes with an engine management system remap to push out 629 hp from 562 hp. Torque is also up from 780 Nm to 860 Nm. The ensures that even with 2,360 kg to haul, the White Ghost breaches the century mark in just 4.5 seconds, 0.4 seconds faster than stock. Top speed is a deregulated 290 km/h.

To complement the performance, Mansory adds on a body kit, rear spoiler, LED running lights up front and on the mirrors, and a rear apron with diffuser and dual exhausts. It’s the White Ghost, so you can’t have it in any other colour but white. The 22-inch wheels have “diamond-polished” surfaces.

The cabin features high grade leather with a cross-stitched pattern enhanced by a headliner and dashboard covered in Alcantara. The dash, door caps and steering come with “light coloured bamboo inserts”, which is an acquired taste. Ambient lighting includes LEDs on the seats, door panels and dashboard.

Has Mansory improved the Ghost or butchered it? One thing for certain, this White Ghost ain’t cheap. The upgrade package (excluding car price) starts from 119,800 euros! Hi-res pictures after the jump.
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Ferrari 458 Challenge revealed, Challenge Trofeo Pirelli series coming to Asia-Pacific in 2011

July 16, 2010 at 12:48 pm By Jacob Alexander Filed Under Cars, Ferrari, International News, Motorsports


Click to enlarge

The Ferrari 458 Challenge made its world debut at the company’s Annual Dealer Meeting in Maranello recently. This car replaces the F430 Challenge and will see action in the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli in the 2011 season, which will also feature an Asia-Pacific series. The RM2 million supercar’s stock engine, which is a 4.5-litre V8 producing 570 hp and 540 Nm of torque, is maintained, but other bits have been fine-tuned.

First up are the modified gear ratios and the calibration of the dual-clutch F1 transmission, which they say guarantees higher torque at lower revs. Also available will be the E-Diff electronic differential that is no stranger to the Ferrari road car range. Contained within E-Diff is the F1-Trac traction control system which has a wet and dry setting. It constantly monitors grip levels for maximum road holding.

Acceleration has been improved using weight saving techniques (standard car does 0-100 km/h in under 3.4 seconds), among them reducing the thickness of the body panels and using materials such as carbon fibre and Lexan. This lighter body will sit on a new 30 mm lower suspension set-up made of solid aluminium bushings, stiffer springs and single-rate dampers. There are also centre-nut 19” racing rims, larger dimension Pirelli slicks and new generation Brembo CCM2 brakes, which is also on the track-only 599XX.

All these enhancements have been proven on track as Ferrari says that the car laps Fiorano in 1 minute and 16.5 seconds, a whole two seconds quicker than the F430 Challenge.

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Lotus Racing likely to stick with current driver line-up

July 16, 2010 at 12:27 pm By Jacob Alexander Filed Under Formula 1, Lotus, Motorsports

Malaysians might have to wait a bit longer to see Fairuz Fauzy racing in Formula 1. This comes after Lotus Racing’s Chief Technical Officer, Mike Gascoyne expressed his satisfaction with the current two drivers.

“I think the intention is to stick with the drivers we’ve got. I think they’re doing a great job,” said Gascoyne. There were rumours circulating that Jarno Trulli underperforming would be Fauzy’s ticket into a Formula 1 race seat. The fact that Fauzy has been included in Free Practice sessions intensifies the situation.

On Trulli’s performance in this season, Gascoyne stated it has been down to appalling luck and reliability. “That’s the thing with experienced guys, if we give them the car, they can perform with it. Jarno has shown he can still pull the big laps out when he has a trouble-free weekend,” he added.

No time line has been provided as to when the 2011 official line up will be announced, only that it will be “very soon.” So keep your eyes peeled for the next update.

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