Gong Xi Fa Cai

Advertisement

Freak Civic: Honda dreams to be two separate Toyotas!

August 13, 2010 at 11:29 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Honda, Laughs, Lexus, Toyota

Making a car look like something else is something. Making it look like TWO other cars is truly rare. This Thai Honda Civic spotted at a PTT petrol station mimics the Lexus IS at the rear but takes on a Toyota Crown Athlete persona from the front. This freak is actually quite convincing, and there aren’t many hints of the car’s roots if you don’t see it in profile, where the Civic’s curved roof betrays it.

The owner is obviously a big fan of VIP-style tuning, with Junction Produce badges (in gold, no less!) adorning his Lexus rear, big shiny wheels and slammed suspension. Perhaps the sight of this “challenge” might inspire some to cut and paste some freaks in our own backyard!

More pics after the jump.
Source
[Read more...]

74 Comments      

Infiniti Performance Line launched with 348 bhp G Coupe

August 13, 2010 at 11:01 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Infiniti, International News

Infiniti has introduced a performance vehicle collection called the Infiniti Performance Line (IPL) in the US. The first IPL car is the 2011 Infiniti Performance Line G Coupe.

“IPL was conceived to create a new premium performance envelope. IPL brings all the elements together, styling harmonised with performance, exhaust note with acceleration feel, ride comfort and confident handling. It’s the perfect formula for unmatched driving exhilaration,” said Infiniti Vice President Ben Poore.

The IPL G Coupe is based on the second-gen RWD G Coupe. Exterior changes include a dramatic front and rear bumper design with integrated fog lights, sculpted side sills, rear spoiler and chrome exhaust tips. Those new 19-inch IPL split 7-spoke graphite-finish wheels (wrapped with Bridgestone Potenza RE50A tyres) are really eye catching too. Just two exterior hues are offered: Graphite Shadow and Malbec Black.

The IPL G Coupe’s enhanced performance comes from three areas – engine tuning, dynamic tuning and sound quality/acceleration feel tuning. The IPL exhaust is a full dual exhaust design with independent left and right pipes. The muffler’s inner structure and materials have been tweaked to reduce pressure and provide an “appropriate performance exhaust note”. The result is a 30% reduction in exhaust pressure versus the standard Y-pipe design.

The VQ37HR 3.7-litre V6 engine management system has been recalibrated through air-fuel mixture and ignition timing optimisation, raising the max horsepower output point to 7,400 rpm (from 7,000). The torque curve has been tuned for linearity “to obtain a natural acceleration feel”. The IPL G Coupe makes 348 hp – 18 hp more than standard – and 374 Nm of torque (+8 Nm).

The much praised G Coupe handling should be even better here, thanks to revised spring rates – increased by 20% up front and 10% at the rear. The shocks have also been tuned. The IPL G Coupe also offers a “sport-tuned steering gear”, brakes with aluminum-alloy opposed calipers (4-piston front/2-piston rear) and a viscous limited-slip differential.

Very seductive. Check out the gallery after the jump.
[Read more...]

16 Comments      


Mahindra is the chosen bidder for Ssangyong takeover

August 12, 2010 at 7:13 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, International News, Koreans, Ssangyong

Mahindra has been chosen as the preferred bidder for Ssangyong Motors, and the two companies are set to sign a Memorandum of Understanding by the end of August 2010 before a due diligence process starts the following month. Mahindra will also be paying a 5% deposit for its bidding price this month.

There’s no official word on how much Mahindra’s bid is. Whatever the amount is, taking over Ssangyong isn’t going to be cheap, and then there is also the question of the huge amount of debt the South Korean SUV maker has. Renault-Nissan pulled out due to high costs, and Mahindra was picked over Indian tyre maker Ruia Group and South Korean company Young An Hat Co Ltd, the owner of Daewoo Bus.

13 Comments      

Volvo Raya promo offers free equipment, low interest rates

August 12, 2010 at 7:09 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Volvo

Volvo Car Malaysia is having a Hari Raya promotion that offers customers low interest rates and free equipment. They are also giving 20% discount on accessories for new purchases.

For the Volvo S80 and the XC90 2.5T, buyers will get a free Rear Seat Entertainment system worth RM8,461. Embedded in both front seat headrests, this all-in-one entertainment system allows rear-seat occupants to watch movies or play games independent of what the main ICE system is doing. For the S40 and V50 2.0 Powershift, Volvo offers a Portable Navigation System (by Garmin) worth RM3,208.

For the list of accessories on offer or to find out more about the hire-purchase rate, head to your local Volvo dealer.

12 Comments      

F1 sponsors form their own union – Formula 100

August 12, 2010 at 5:27 pm By Jacob Alexander Filed Under Formula 1, Motorsports

Besides regulatory bodies such as the FIA, Formula 1 has its own “unions” such as the Formula One Team Association (FOTA) and Grand Prix Drivers Association that fights for the rights of its members. Now even the team sponsors want a say in the sport’s direction – they have formed an organisation called Formula 100 to air their views.

The F100 is made up of 100 founding members comprising top individuals and sponsors that support the teams. F100 will have its first meeting at the Waldorf Hilton in London on 1st September. Those who will take the stage include Richard Bracewell, GM of global sponsorship Shell, Chris Burton, VP of global Sponsorship at SAP and former F1 commentator James Allen who will chair a panel discussion. Perhaps Tony Fernandes will be there in his capacity as AirAsia boss. AirAsia sponsors Williams F1 while long haul AirAsia X sponsors Lotus Racing.

There will be no agency reps or media present, ensuring only a high powered audience. Important current issues will be discussed, and minutes from the event will be submitted to F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone. “F100 is a great concept and will allow the sponsors to both learn from each other as well as propose change for the good of the sport. The calibre of members and quality of the panellists have to be taken seriously,” said Allen.

About 175 sponsors pour in around $723 million annually into Formula 1, according to industry monitor Formula Money.

Source

6 Comments      

Zeroshift developing multi-speed transmission for EVs

August 12, 2010 at 5:07 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel

If you look at the specs sheets of most electric cars these days you’ll see that it might have large torque figures, but they’re also complemented by 0 to 100 km/h acceleration times that aren’t that fantastic as well as rather low top speeds. This is actually because most EVs run on a single speed transmission, so there’s only one gear that has to be balanced to do both the work of ‘pick up’ and ‘cruising’.

Tesla had originally planned for the Elise-based Tesla Roadster to have a two-speed transmission but apparently it was too challenging and it settled for a BorgWarner single-speed transmission. Having more than one transmission ratio will enable manufacturers to downsize electric motors and keep them running longer at the medium loads and speeds where peak efficiency of over 95 percent is possible, translating into potentially more performance, greater range and longer lasting batteries. The single speed transmission in current EVs force the motor to run outside its optimum efficiency range most of the time.

Zeroshift has been working on a multi-speed gearbox for electric vehicles (EVs) that needs no clutch – a damper inside the gear hubs and electronic control of the motor make ratio changes seamless without interruption. The synchromesh in a regular manual gearbox is replaced with paired interlocking rings that change ratios without interrupting the torque. To provide the required levels of shift refinement, Zeroshift’s concept uses electronic control of the electric motor or motors to match the shaft speeds and an integrated a passive damper system within the drive hub to isolate any vibrations.

“Our studies suggest that by using a compact, multi-speed transmission and a smaller electric motor, manufacturers can gain an operating efficiency of up to 10 percent. You can use that 10 percent to improve EVs’ range or reduce the size, weight and cost of battery packs,” says Bill Martin, Zeroshift’s managing director.

10 Comments      

VW Vento “entry level premium sedan” launched in India

August 12, 2010 at 2:47 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, India, Volkswagen

Volkswagen has launched the Vento in India, which is the sedan version of the current generation Polo. Billed as an “entry level premium sedan” the Vento is certainly priced quite “premium” from Rs 6.99 lakhs. For perspective, one can buy a base Maruti Swift for just over Rs 4 lakhs (ex showroom Delhi). The Vento range tops out at Rs 9.24 lakhs for the 1.6L TDI Highline.

The Vento is built at VW’s Chakan plant in Pune, which has an an annual capacity of 110,000 cars. There are two engines available – a 1.6-litre petrol with 104 bhp/153 Nm and a 1.6 TDI, also with 104 bhp but with 250 Nm of torque. The petrol unit can be paired to a 5-speed manual or a 6-speed auto with Tiptronic, while the diesel can only be had with the manual ‘box.

No TSI/DSG combo for India, but both powertrains are well proven units that should be very robust. Remember the cute VW Cross Polo that was sold here? That’s the same engine and gearbox VW is using for the Indian Vento. VW quotes 15.83 km/l and 14.4 km/l for the petrol manual and auto respectively, while the TDI is capable of 20.54 km/l. As with all new cars in India, the engines are Bharat Stage IV (their version of Euro 4) compliant.

Two trim levels are available – Trendline and Highline. Trendline is very basic and can be recognised by its non-body coloured door handles and only two solid colour options – white and red. Highline gets goodies like ABS, dual airbags, front passenger seat that can be adjusted from the rear, CD/MP3 stereo with 4 speakers, electric wing mirrors, Climatronic with rear AC vents and remote control central locking. The Vento’s steering is reach and rake adjustable, which is nice.

For more details on the Vento/Polo sedan, click here. More hi-res images after the jump.
[Read more...]

49 Comments      

Team Need for Speed’s 1,100 hp Time Attack Scion tC

August 12, 2010 at 1:27 pm By Jacob Alexander Filed Under Cars, Motorsports, Scion

Team Need for Speed (formed by the good folks at Electronic Arts, maker of the Need for Speed game series), has a new car for the Time Attack series in the US – a 1100 hp AWD Scion tC! The race car will feature an all-wheel drive setup and has been custom built by Chris Rado. The reason it looks like a tractor is because the large front and rear wings are there to create as much downforce as possible.

Scion backed Rado, who has his own World Racing team, also built a 899 hp tC for Modified magazine earlier this year. A professional racer by trade, Rado is approaching 60 career wins as a US based pro race car driver. He currently takes part in NHRA, NSCRA, Pacific Street Car Association and Full Throttle.

More information about the powertrain has yet to be provided, but for now enjoy the picture gallery after the jump.
[Read more...]

33 Comments      

2011 Scion tC coupe – a rare sporty dish from Toyota

August 12, 2010 at 11:17 am By Jacob Alexander Filed Under Cars, International News, Scion, Toyota

Scion, Toyota youthful North American sub-brand, has introduced the second-generation Scion tC sports coupe. The new car is powered by a new 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine with Dual VVT-i, roller rocker arms and a Variable-induction Intake Manifold System. The result is 180 hp and 235 Nm, 19 bhp and 15 Nm more than the old 2.4.

Choose between new 6-speed transmissions (manual or auto with sequential shift) that increase efficiency over the old 5-speed manual/4-speed auto. The use of an electronic power steering (EPS) system also contributes to the improved fuel economy.

Handling is said to be better than before. The new tC sits on MacPherson strut front-suspension and a double-wishbone rear-suspension tuned for a “sporty ride that is both nimble and confident”. 18-inch aluminum-alloy wheels are wrapped in wider tyres while the disc brakes on all corners are larger than its predecessor’s.

The dashboard is no frills and driver focussed. It comes with a tilt-and-telescopic flat bottom steering wheel, driver “walk-through seat memory” function along with bucket seats. Standard kit also includes a 4.3-inch colour TFT screen Pioneer stereo with speaker components from the Lexus LX 570, ABS/EBD/BA, VSC and 8 airbags.

Toyota doesn’t really do sporty these days, so this Scion tC is rare, and for a small sporty coupe it seems to tick the right boxes on paper. Gallery after the jump.
[Read more...]

53 Comments      

Youngest woman to climb Everest endorses Nissan Juke

August 12, 2010 at 9:39 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, International News, Nissan


Click to enlarge

Carmakers looking for a famous face to endorse their cars normally fall back on movie stars or pop stars, but Nissan UK’s marketing tactic for its Juke is slightly different. 22-year-old Bonita Norris, the youngest woman ever to climb Everest is the face of the radically styled baby crossover. Bonita “displays the qualities respected by Nissan and that typify the new Juke” and was chosen for her incredible personal achievements and natural sense of adventure.

Swapping thick mountains climbing gear for thin lycra, Miss Norris said: “I’m delighted to back the launch of Nissan Juke because I believe in backing British, and anything that creates jobs and pride for this country has my support. Juke defies the stereotypes and breaks the mould, I can relate to that. I’m unconventional and I’ve got a spirit of adventure that drives me to do different things and this is what Juke represents.”


Click to enlarge

The Juke will be built in Sunderland alongside the Qashqai and Qashqai+2, and Nissan is obviously making the most out of the “built in Britain” tag to appeal to the locals. The Juke’s UK launch is on 24th September, but Nissan has collected more than 2,000 bookings in the UK and over 15,000 orders across Europe, mirroring similarly good reception in Japan.

Details and image gallery (of the car) can be found here. One more hi-res pic of Bonita and the Juke (sounds like a cartoon!) after the jump. Enjoy!
[Read more...]

39 Comments