Gong Xi Fa Cai

Advertisement

Aston Martin Super Sport – 7,500,000 Euro coach project

August 19, 2010 at 7:51 pm By Jacob Alexander Filed Under Aston Martin, Cars, International News

What you see here is the Aston Martin Super Sport. It isn’t really an Aston Martin, but more of an Aston Martin inspired coachbuild project by Star Electric Cars France. It looks very mildly Aston-like, sharing only a similar front-end design with the Gaydon-based company.

Star Electric Cars France are known for designing special cars for presidents, kings and princes, and are licensed to recreate electric golf carts resembling cars from Rolls Royce, Bentley, Mercedes and Aston Martin.

Details are sketchy for the moment but the car is said to house a 5.4 litre V8 engine producing anywhere from 800 to 950hp, quite different from the company’s usual customised electric golf carts. The engine is mated to a six speed manual transmission with optional F1 paddle shifters. It also has a limited slip differential.

Only available in left hand drive (not very Aston like – the British drive on the right), the car uses a carbon fibre bodywork with scissor doors, while employing other light weight components like Brembo or AP carbon ceramic brakes. The interior sees the use of leather, Alcantara, carbon fibre and Recaro seats while a sat nav is also included with iPod connectivity.

Only eight of these special edition cars will be available and each will come at a price of 7,500,000 Euros per unit. Look after the jump for more pictures of the Aston Martin inspired supercar.
[Read more...]

17 Comments      

Turbocharged Ferrari Enzo to take on the Bonneville Flats

August 19, 2010 at 5:41 pm By Jacob Alexander Filed Under Cars, Ferrari, International News

The Bonneville Speed Week in Utah attracts the daredevils of the world who bring their own super machines to hit incredible speeds thanks to 142 kilometres of flat dessert sand under them. The salt flats have played host to various successful land speed record attempts.

One Ferrari owner decided to give it a go with his V12-engined Ferrari Enzo. Now before you think that he’s bastardized this classic, you should know that his car was previously a wreck as he crashed it in a rally back in 2006.

Along with a new body from the one-off Pininfarina P4/5, Richard Losee has went the forced induction route. The car now makes 850hp, at boost levels of 11 to 12 lbs. He says boost levels could be taken up to 18 to 20 lbs which could produce a power output of a 1,000 horses.

Helping with the vehicle dynamics, the car has been lowered and fitted with slimmer tires. A new carbon fibre nose is also fitted as they found the old one wasn’t stable at speeds of above 362km/h. No official details have been released of its performance figures, but it’ll definitely be faster than the Enzo’s top speed of 364km/h.

We eagerly await to see what the results are!

12 Comments      


Kia introduces high spec Cerato Limited in Australia

August 19, 2010 at 12:43 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, International News, Kia, Koreans

Kia Australia has launched the Cerato Limited, which is limited to “around 200 vehicles” Down Under. The Limited is based on the highest spec 2.0 SLi model, which pairs the 154 bhp/194 Nm Theta II engine to either a four-speed auto or five-speed manual gearbox – the latter not available in our Forte. The 2.0 is the only engine option for the Australian Cerato.

The SLi spec Cerato is somewhat similar to our RM93,800 Forte 2.0 SX. 17-inch alloys, leather wrapped steering/shift knob, aluminium look dash trim, steering wheel controls for the MP3/USB/iPod stereo, six airbags, stability control, climate control and auto air con are all standard in the SLi.

The Cerato Limited adds on kit such as leather seats, electric sunroof, body kit and a rear spoiler. It is priced at $25,990 for the manual and $27,990 for the auto (drive away prices). That’s $2,300 to $2,800 more than the standard SLi but the Limited provides net savings of more than $3,000 for those options, according to Kia.

More images after the jump.
[Read more...]

99 Comments      

Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia Hari Raya Promotions!

August 19, 2010 at 12:09 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Mitsubishi

Grandis

Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia are having a promotion for the Raya season. For a limited time only, anyone who books and registers the Lancer, Grandis, Triton and Pajero Sport will be rewarded with a Raya Bonus of up to RM3,000.

Other than that, customers will also receive a free exclusive Mitsubishi jacket and a 2 year Free Maintenance Package* which includes parts and labor costs.

Parts that are covered include the Engine Oil, Oil Filter, Fuel Filter, Air Cleaner, Brake Fluid, Coolant, Differential Oil and Transmission Oil. The parts change schedule will follow the recommended scheduled service.

Pajero Sport

This complements the existing 5 year warranty for all Mitsubishi models except for the Pajero Sport and Triton which carries a 3 year warranty. *The 2-year free maintenance package is not applicable to Triton Lite.

Also, all Mitsubishi owners will enjoy a 20% discount on selected parts at Mitsubishi service centers from the 23rd of August 2010 to the 30th of September 2010. Owners will also be able to pick up an exclusive golf umbrella, while stocks last.

For more info, visit the Mitsubishi Motors website or your nearest Mitsubishi Motors showroom. You can also call 03-76222202 to reach the customer care line.

* – Not applicable to Triton Lite.

17 Comments      

GM files for initial public offering, aims to trim US Treasury stake to less than 50 per cent

August 19, 2010 at 11:30 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, General Motors, International News

General Motors is trying to shake its “Government Motors” tag off bit by bit, and the American carmaker has filed for an initial public offering (IPO) which could be worth as much as $16 billion, an insider told Bloomberg last week. GM didn’t reveal the number of shares that will be offered in the IPO or the price in a statement to the Securities and Exchange Commission.

According to people familiar with the deal, the IPO may be held in November, and the aim is to sell a fifth of the Treasury’s 304 million shares, cutting the government’s stake to less than 50%.

GM filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on June 1, 2009, after posting $88 billion of losses since 2004 (that was the last year the company reported an annual profit). The government stepped in with a $50 billion taxpayer bailout and as a result, the U.S. Treasury currently owns 61% of GM.

Things have looked up ever since. The company has just reported a Q2 2010 net income of $1.54 billion as vehicle sales and production increased, a 44% rise from the previous quarter. Revenue increased 44% from a year ago to $33.2 billion thanks to strong sales in China and popular models like the Chevrolet Equinox. However, GM’s European operations (Opel/Vauxhall) is consistently letting the side down – it lost $506 million in the first quarter.

Besides regaining legitimacy as a private company, the funds generated from the IPO will be channeled to revive Opel/Vauxhall and rebuild GM’s remaining domestic brands Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac. The Detroit carmaker has already offloaded Saab and wound down Hummer, Pontiac and Saturn brands.

Source

3 Comments      

Armored Jaguar XJ Sentinel to debut at Moscow 2010

August 19, 2010 at 12:42 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, International News, Jaguar

Mercedes-Benz has their MB GUARD program and BMW has their Security division. If you want to be secure in something a little different, Jaguar has a solution for you – the new Jaguar XJ Sentinel which offers ballistic protection of up to the B7 level, blast protection against 15kg TNT equivalent detonated within close proximity of the vehicle, and substantial under floor grenade protection.

The new long wheelbase only Jaguar XJ Sentinel’s protective capabilities is certified by QinetiQ, a globally recognised independent blast and ballistic testing organisation. It comes with a full 3 year or 50,000 mile factory warranty as well as comprehensive after-sales support from specialised technicians.

“The XJ Sentinel was designed and developed in partnership with industry leaders, and incorporates the very latest armoured vehicle systems to deliver extremely impressive levels of protection, while maintaining a very discreet appearance,” said the company’s Managing Director Mike O’Driscoll.

Because of the heavy weight of the Sentinel protection, it’s 385 PS 515Nm 5.0 litre normally aspirated AJ-V8 can only take it from 0 to 100km/h in 9.5 seconds. The car’s top speed is just 195km/h. Wonder why Jaguar didn’t use the 510 PS supercharged model, but the XJ Sentinel does get the better brakes from the supercharged model.

26 Comments      

Lancia Stratos reincarnation commissioned to be a one-off; limited production of 25 units possible

August 19, 2010 at 12:08 am By Jacob Alexander Filed Under Cars, International News, Lancia

The internet has been brewing with speculation and spyshots of what seems to be a new redesigned retro-futuristic Lancia Stratos. This concept first previewed at the Geneva Motor Show in 2005 by a design company called Fenomenon Ltd. Unfortunately due to financing issues, the project was sidelined.

Recently, a rich financier by the name of Michael Stoschek and his son Maximilian commissioned the build of a one-off model of the legendary rally car. Stoschek is the owner and CEO of successful auto parts company Browse KG.

Not much information has been released about the car apart from the fact that the car will be built by Pininfarina. It uses the same platform and running gear as the Ferrari F430 Scuderia, which includes a 510hp 4.3 litre V8 engine.

Information from its dedicated website states that the project began in 2008 and Jason Castriota, who now works for Saab, worked on the design while at Pininfarina. His duties were taken over by Luca Borgogno, after Castriota left for Bertone. There also may be a chance that a limited run of 25 models might be produced, but that has yet to be officially confirmed. More details about the car will be released soon.

Look after the jump for a picture gallery.
[Read more...]

22 Comments      

Kia POP electric city car concept due for Paris Motor Show

August 19, 2010 at 12:02 am By Jacob Alexander Filed Under Cars, Concept Cars, International News, Kia

Kia has announced that it will be unveiling a three seater electric city car concept at the Paris Motor Show this year. No official information has been given about the electric drive train but from the pictures, we can see that it features a 2 + 1 seating layout.

Other notable cars with similar design include the Gordon Murray T25, which has a centred seating position for the driver and two back seats for the passengers. The POP on the other hand, seems to feature a bench-like seat in front, with a single seat at the back. It would be interesting to see how much boot space is left in the small car.

Measuring in at three metres long, the car’s competitor will be the Smart forTwo and the Toyota iQ. Further information will be revealed by the Korean company closer to its debut on the 30th of September. The POP follows Kia’s release of the plug in hybrid Ray concept, in its range of eco-friendly concepts.

More pictures available after the jump.
[Read more...]

15 Comments      

General Motors and SAIC to jointly develop small engines and transmissions

August 18, 2010 at 11:57 pm By Jacob Alexander Filed Under Cars, China, General Motors, International News

GM and Shanghai Automotive Industries Corp (SAIC) have a healthy partnership in China, with their recent joint venture (with Wuling) to create a new car brand called Bao Jun (treasured horse). Furthering their partnership, the two have announced their plans of co-developing powertrains and dual clutch transmissions for small vehicles.

They will be concentrating on small displacement engines with direct injection and turbo charging technology, ranging from 1.0 litres to 1.5 litres. Both companies will use the engines in their respective brands in China and the rest of the world. Work will be carried out consecutively by engineers in Detroit and the Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center (PATAC) joint venture in Shanghai.

The new transmission on the other hand, will be for front wheel drive vehicles (the common engine/driveline layout for compact cars) and will feature dual dry clutch technology. This will allow improvements in fuel economy and performance with reduced CO2 emissions – when both the engine and transmission are combined, it is said to provide up to 20% improvement in fuel consumption compared to other transmissions manufactured in China.

“These development agreements open an exciting new chapter in the partnership between SAIC and GM. Not only will they add critical green technologies to our next-generation vehicles, they will also build on the strong engineering capabilities forged as a part of GM and SAIC’s corporate responsibility,” said Hu Maoyuan, Chairman of SAIC.

6 Comments      

Union to protest against Renault Latitude at Paris 2010

August 18, 2010 at 11:49 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, International News, Renault

If you’re one of those lucky enough to be in France for the Paris Motor Show later this year, you might just notice a huge crowd swarming around the Renault stage, focusing on the new (and rather handsome) Samsung SM5-based Renault Latitude.

This huge crowd will not be people who love the car. On the contrary, these people hate the car and what it stands for – the import of a Renault product that’s not built in France into the continent. The Confédération Générale du Travail or CGT (English: General Confederation of Labour, a union) will be bringing in bus-loads of workers to demonstrate against Renault’s plan to import the Renault Latitude, as well as Renault’s perceived shift towards overseas production. I don’t blame them – Western European labour is expensive!

The Latitude is car based on the Renault Laguna, but looks quite different and costs less to make, both because of design and the fact that its built at a more affordable site. The Laguna isn’t doing that well in Europe compared to its Volkswagen and Vauxhall/Opel rivals. Renault’s market share in the mid-size car segment that the Laguna competes in have dropped by about half in the past 7 years – it now stands at 3.4% compared to 7.5% in 2003.
[Read more...]

16 Comments