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Chevrolet reveal interior images of its Paris lineup

September 18, 2010 at 10:39 pm By Jacob Alexander Filed Under Cars, Chevrolet, International News

We’ve gotten a hold of some interior pictures of the Chevrolet line up ahead of the Paris Motor Show. Most notable is the 2012 Aveo interior, which gets new instrument clusters, gauges and central stack design. Compared to the Aveo RS concept, it’s more sedate and looks to be the biggest change inside, for most of the Paris line up.

The Cruze hatchback that was recently previewed doesn’t get much change on the inside and is similar to the sedan version. It does seem to sport a slightly altered seat design.

Third on the list is the Chevrolet Orlando MPV. As you can tell, it borrows slightly from the the Cruze sedan, while the dash looks similar to the concept cars original layout.

Next on the list of interior reveals is the Chevrolet Captiva SUV, which doesn’t look very different from the previous model. Changes on the inside are less obvious like the electrical parking brake, Bluetooth connectivity, USB port, Aux-in and two 1 litre cup holder where the hand brake used to be.

More pictures of the cars are available after the jump.
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FIA appoints Chinese brand DMACK as WRC tyre supplier!

September 17, 2010 at 4:38 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under International News, Motorsports

Following Pirelli’s departure from the World Rally Championship after being the control tyre supplier for the past three years, FIA made a decision to open the 2011 championship to more than one tyre manufacturer, and the two companies that submitted their names for the supplier role have been appointed.

One is Michelin, which will be making a return to the WRC for the first time since 2005. Michelin is a hugely successful brand in top tier rallying and has claimed 38 world championships titles. The other tyremaker is DMACK, but who on earth is DMACK?

DMACK tyres are manufactured by Shandong Yongtai Chemical Group in Dongying, China where more than 22,000 tyres are produced every day for global distribution. The Chinese brand aims to supply privateer teams and support category competitors by offering strong, durable tyres at affordable prices. Drivers on a limited budget also have the option of on-event expertise and technical support, according to the company.

“We studied the FIA’s new regulations for 2011 and decided to make a proposal. Technically, the new regulations are very achievable for a new manufacturer and we based our proposal on bringing a strong and durable product to the championship – we also wanted to help encourage more entries into the events by offering a two-tier pricing structure,” said Dick Cormack, DMACK Motorsport Director.

Ongoing evaluation of DMACK’s WRC range is being conducted in China and the brand’s gravel tyres will be available for competitors and teams to test from the end of October.

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Heidfeld wraps up Pirelli test, job passed to Romain Grosjean

September 17, 2010 at 3:43 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Formula 1, Motorsports

Sauber bound Nick Heidfeld has completed his final task for Pirelli with a two-day test session at the Jerez circuit in Spain. It was the Italian tyremaker’s third test ahead of its official return to Formula 1 next season.

Pirelli tried out a range of compounds and worked on finalising the development of tyre construction with Heidfeld, who completed nearly 100 laps on each of the days. They are preparing four slick options for next year. The next test will be in Monza, and the man behind the wheel will be Romain Grosjean, the 24-year old ex-Renault test driver who took over Nelson Piquet’s race seat last season.

After losing his place in Renault to Vitaly Petrov, Grosjean raced in the FIA GT1 World Championship and Le Mans, before recently returning to the GP2 series. The French-Swiss driver will go through seat-fitting in the Toyota TF109 Pirelli is using for the tests today.

“In order to avoid favouring any individual team, we have jointly decided to release Nick from his contract and now we have chosen Romain to test for us in Monza. He’s packed a lot of experience into a short space of time, including all our GP3 tyre development, so I’m sure he’ll be able to give us some very useful feedback,” said Pirelli’s Motorsport Director Paul Hembery.

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Maruti Suzuki planning a 2-cylinder Alto to challenge Nano

September 17, 2010 at 2:49 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, International News, Suzuki

As we’ve reported before, while Maruti Suzuki is still the clear market leader in India, its market share is slowly declining and has gone below the 50% mark in the previous quarter. The company is fighting back with some aggressive plans though – it launched a range of CNG powered cars and the A-Star automatic last month and now, news of Maruti preparing a stripped down version of its best selling Alto has emerged (the Alto in the Indian context is the fifth generation Suzuki Alto, the Suzuki Alto sold in Malaysia is called the A-Star in India).

The new model will be priced 20-25% cheaper than the Rs 2.53 lakh (about RM17,000) Alto Standard. The entry level Standard has an 800 cc three-cylinder engine with no air con and power steering, but the Tata Nano standard version is still Rs 1.3 lakh cheaper. The new base model Alto will narrow the price gap between the Alto and the world’s cheapest car, although Suzuki has said before that it has no interest in making a Rs 1 lakh car.

The planned super basic Alto will be powered by a two-cylinder engine codenamed YP3 and parts sourcing has already begun. Vendors involved in the process say that the car will be launched by the second half of 2011. These haven’t been confirmed by Maruti, but it ties in nicely with the recent phasing out of the Maruti 800 from 13 cities as it does not comply with Bharat Stage IV emission regulations. The 800, Maruti’s cheapest car, is a very old Suzuki Alto that used to be India’s best selling car before the current Alto took over that title.

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Australian GP cost taxpayers $49 million – some are angry!

September 17, 2010 at 11:51 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Formula 1, Motorsports

It has been revealed that the Formula 1 Australian GP has posted a big loss this year. The Victorian government, which hosts the race at Albert Park, Melbourne said this year’s edition cost taxpayers $49 million. That sum is the highest in five years and more than double what the 2006 race cost. And despite the bigger attendance this year, sales revenue is on a downhill slide.

It has also been reported that with circuit upgrading costs factored in, taxpayers coughed out a total of $57 million for this year’s GP. Also dragged out is the fact that executives at the Australian Grand Prix Corporation received bonuses totalling $150,000, including $50,000 for CEO Drew Ward, whose total salary topped $380,000.

Needless to say, the news has attracted flak from various parties. “I think it is just outrageous, it has gone past a joke and it is time both sides of politics started to seriously reconsider the ongoing cost of taxpayers bailing out of this event,” independent state MP Craig Ingram told the Age newspaper.

“The cost of $49 million for a car race when as a local member of parliament we struggle to get funding for health services, education, support services for disabled kids at schools, for roads and other infrastructure – I just think there is a whole range of services and other infrastructure which need that sort of money more than a car race,” he added.

Australia’s Major Events Minister, Tim Holding defended the race. He said: “The economic benefit to Victoria far outweighs the cost of staging the Formula 1 Grand Prix. The race was seen by about 12.8 million people in Europe this year and the massive television exposure that the Melbourne Grand Prix receives has helped to build our world-wide reputation as a great place to visit and a great place to live.”

Some are still sceptical. Peter Logan from the Save Albert Park group told papers that the race doesn’t help tourism. “Three years ago, the auditor-general found it does not produce the economic benefits the Government has claimed and he found no tourism benefit for Victoria. This cost of $49 million is just a huge cost on all Victorian taxpayers.”

Whatever it is, Melbourne has a contract to host F1 for the next five years. As a host of the travelling circus ourselves, what’s your view on this?

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First “factory built” Fisker Karma hybrid to debut in Paris

September 17, 2010 at 4:28 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, International News

Remember the Fisker Karma? The California-based startup wheeled out the outlandishly styled Karma plug-in hybrid sports sedan back in 2008, and recently announced that the car will go into production after securing a $528.7 million loan from the US Energy Department. It’s done now and the upcoming Paris show will see Fisker show off their “first factory-built” Karma.

Designed by company co-founder and CEO Henrik Fisker, the four-seat Karma is powered by a 300 kW (403 hp) electric motor that enables 0-100 km/h in 5.9 seconds and a top speed of 200 km/h. The company claims “annual average economy” of 2.4L/100 km and emissions of just 83 g/km. Mr Fisker’s CV is claimed to include sleek designs such as the Aston Martin V8 Vantage, DB9 and BMW Z8, which could explain why the Karma looks so sexy.

Fisker has ambitious plans. To support its ultimate goal of producing more than 100,000 cars per year, the company is building a global importer and retail network to market and service its vehicles. In Paris, Fisker will share details about the “prestigious European and Asian groups” that it has managed to lure on board.

In July, Fisker launched the company’s first international marketing campaign entitled “Pure Driving Passion”. It features the work of top fashion photographer Miles Aldridge (Vogue, Cartier, Hugo Boss) and Academy Award-nominated cinematographer Wally Pfister (Inception, The Italian Job, The Dark Knight). The campaign aims to show that eco conscious vehicles can be sexy too. View the images after the jump and see if you agree.
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Suzuki SX4 steps into the dark side for UK special edition

September 17, 2010 at 3:44 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, International News, Suzuki


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The Suzuki SX4 is a nice urban runabout that has done pretty well in the Klang Valley since its launch in 2007. Its funky pseudo SUV looks attracts those who are adventurous enough to look beyond the usual Japanese B-segment sedan and those who like the Swift but find it too small. Being an affordable CBU from Japan car with good agility and a stylish cabin helps too.

There are quite a few white examples running around, but here’s how an SX4 will look like in an all black scheme. This is a Special Edition for the UK market badged SZ-L. To contrast the black, the roof rails, front grille, alloy wheels and front and rear skid plates are in Gunmetal. Less cuddly and more sinister (slightly). Inside, there’s a new Alcantara trim in light grey while the leather steering gets Gunmetal stitching. No image of the cabin released though.


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The SZ-L comes with a 118 hp 1.6-litre Euro 5 engine with manual transmission. Suzuki claims 0-100 km/h in 10.7 seconds and 16.1 km/l combined fuel economy for their facelifted Euro spec SX4. Our market gets the pre-facelift model with a 110 hp/150 Nm M16A engine and a 4-speed auto. It’s priced at RM89,988 OTR with insurance.

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Volkswagen Golf 1.4 TSI Test Drive Review

September 15, 2010 at 12:42 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Test Drive Reviews, Volkswagen

The Volkwagen Golf GTI is the dream car of many urban professionals. It’s not priced completely out of affordability, it looks sedate enough and it has 5-doors so it can pass off as a ‘sensible’ type of vehicle to scrutinizing family members, it’s powerful and torquey at all the right rev ranges, and it allows you to experience the latest in automotive technology – dual clutch transmission technology, the concept of engine downsizing, turbocharging, direct injection, the works!

To top it all off, it actually looks good to most of us, and whoever doesn’t adore the looks will most likely not necessarily dislike it either. Because it’s such a relatively safe choice while at the same time ticking many positive checkboxes, it’s no wonder that the Golf GTI has gained such success in Malaysia.

But still, the new Mk6 Golf GTI’s price tag of over RM200k might be a hindrance to some. The previous generation of Golf featured a sort of warm hatch model – the Golf Sport/Golf GT, powered by Volkswagen’s 1.4 litre TSI engine. The significantly smaller engine produced a very nice 170 PS, which is about as much as the 2.5 litre inline-5 that VW uses in the American market Golf (known as the Rabbit there).

There’s no Golf Sport as of yet with the Mk6, but what we have is something with performance levels that are quite close – enter the Mk6 Volkswagen Golf TSI, powered by Volkswagen’s award winning EA111 1.4 litre TSI engine, making 160 PS and 240Nm of torque. This is a seriously very interesting engine, for one, the more powerful variants of it employ twin-charging, which basically means it uses two force induction devices to push power up to well over the 100 horsepower per litre mark.

Look after the jump to read our full review of the new Golf TSI.
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Porsche 911 Carrera GTS previewed ahead of Paris show

September 15, 2010 at 12:40 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, International News, Porsche


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Yes, it’s yet another 911 variant with the same old looks, but everyone still dreams of a Porsche, no? Anyway, this is the 911 Carrera GTS that will be shown for the first time in Paris. Available as a coupe or cabriolet, the GTS sits between the Carrera S and the GT3. Porsche says that its latest consumes no more fuel than the Carrera S although it gets 23 extra horses.

Which makes it a total of 408 hp from the 3.8-litre flat-six engine, not too far from the GT3′s 435 hp. Attention was paid to the intake and exhaust functions of the engine, and a special resonance intake manifold featuring six vacuum-controlled tuning flaps switch between power and torque-optimized geometry – compared to only one tuning flap in the Carrera S.

This allows for increased mid range torque. The max figure of 420 Nm is unchanged, but is available at 4,200 rpm, 200 rpm earlier than in the S. A sport exhaust system with two dual-tipped pipes (outer shells painted black with polished inner tubes) is standard.


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The GTS comes standard with a six-speed manual while the seven-speed PDK is an option. Compared to the Carrera S, top speed for the manual Coupe rises slightly to 306 km/h. Acceleration from 0-60 mph (96 km/h) is 4.0 seconds for the GTS Coupe with PDK and Sport Chrono Package Plus.

Looks wise, the GTS combines the 44 mm wider Carrera 4 body of the AWD models (including wider rear track and wheels) with rear-wheel drive. The GTS also runs on 19-inch centre-mount RS Spyder wheels. Other visual cues include the SportDesign front apron with black spoiler edge, special sideskirts and the Carrera GTS logotype on doors and rear lid. Compared to the Carrera S, the GTS’ cabin is rich in alcantara.

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2012 Ford Focus ST with 247 bhp to debut at Paris show

September 15, 2010 at 12:38 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Ford, International News

The focus on Ford’s stand at the upcoming Paris Motor Show will be the third-generation Focus. Although the Blue Oval has already wheeled out its C-segment global car earlier this year in Detroit, this will be the “formal launch” and the first time that the complete line-up of three “production-ready” bodystyles (five-door hatch, sedan and wagon) will be displayed together. Will we see a slightly different car from the Detroit showstar? September 30 is the date.

The world premiering star of the cast will no doubt be the Focus ST, which is dubbed the “global performance version” of the new Focus. The hot hatchback will be on sale in early 2012, while the rest of the range will debut in Europe and North America by early 2011.

What we know now about the Focus ST is that the range topper (for now) will come with a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged EcoBoost engine with 247 bhp (250 PS) and “an addictive sound”. Power wise, this puts the ST on equal footing with the Renaultsport Megane 250 and higher than the 223 bhp five-cylinder car it replaces. A six-speed manual is almost a certainty, but will the ST come with a dual-clutch Powershift option?

The old ST was quite subtle in looks, but this new car has gone the other way. A huge “mouth” takes centrestage up front while the rear features a central twin exhaust that’s interestingly shaped. This special launch colour is dramatically called Tangerine Scream.

More pics and a look at the cabin after the jump. Click here to see videos of the Focus at Detroit.
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