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Nissan introduces all-new Serena MPV in Japan

November 12, 2010 at 1:55 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, International News, Nissan

serena c26 1

Nissan has launched its fourth-generation Serena ‘minivan’ in Japan, and the vehicle will begin domestic sales at the end of this month. The C26 is a full-model change, replacing the C25 which was in the market from 2003 until this year.

The vehicle features the new MR20DD engine, and the 2.0 litre direct injection block, with twin variable valve timing control, replaces the MR20DE on the outgoing Serena. Output figures for the unit, which is mated to a Xtronic CVT gearbox, are 147 hp at 5,600 rpm and 210 Nm of torque at 4,400 rpm.

serena c26 b

The eight-seater gets a larger cabin than its predecessor, including an interior length that’s 300mm longer than the C25′s. As before, you get a multitude of seating configurations, fourteen in all, and the third row seats, through the help of an innovative link mechanism, sits 175mm lower compared to the ones in the previous Serena, offering the occupants better visibility.

Novelties include an Idling Stop system, which adopts an ECO motor that restarts the engine and also serves as an alternator during deceleration. Pluses offered by the belt-type engine cranking system, where the ECO motor restarts the engine by directly rotating a pulley directly connected to the crank through the belt, are a shorter start time as well as quieter operation, since there’s no starter motor.

serena c26 c

Besides offering improved aerodynamic efficiency (it’s 8% better than the older Serena), the new one has a Zone Body that’s stiffer, yet is more comfy than its predecessor.

Among the many items on the equipment list are VDC, TCS, ABS and EBD plus Brake Assist, Hill Start assist, curtain and side airbags, Isofix mount points, front seat active head restraints and auto light and rain sensors.

Gallery after the jump.
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All-new Buick GL8 MPV launching this month in China

November 12, 2010 at 12:46 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Buick, Cars, China, General Motors

Buick is big in China, which tastes in automobiles lean more towards America than Europe or Japan (huge saloons are in, tiny city cars aren’t, for instance) . If you’ve stepped foot in Shanghai or Beijing, you’d surely have noticed this Naza Ria/Kia Carnival style big, square MPV. That’s the GL8, and it’s popular as a luxury people carrier for business people. While it sells well, the GL8 is terribly dated, and out of sync with other premium offerings the Chinese are lapping up.

Well, the time has come and Shanghai GM has announced that it will launch the new Buick GL8 on November 28. Targeted to business users, the offers “improvements in design, power, control and technology” and will “create a new era for locally made executive wagons.” Engines options include a 2.4L Ecotec or a 3.0 V6 SIDI direct injection engine. The transmission is a six-speed automatic with Tiptronic buttons on the gear lever – an unusual layout. OnStar and Buick’s Quiet Tuning system will also be standard.

From the teaser images, we can see that the production GL8 follows closely the template set by the Buick Business Concept shown at the 2009 Shanghai show. Buick’s trademark chrome “waterfall grille” is there, as is the concept’s characteristic step down in the window line, although the showcar LED headlights have been replaced by more realistic ones.

View images of the new GL8 and the Business Concept after the jump.
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Nissan recalls more than 600,000 Frontiers and Xterras

November 12, 2010 at 12:34 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, International News, Nissan

US frontier

The recall season looks like it’s far from over. Nissan has issued a recall on around 605,000 vehicles, mostly in North America, Canada and Latin America, due to steering or battery cable-related issues.

The company said the steering recall affects 303,000 Frontier pickups made from July 2001 to Oct 2004 and 283,000 Xterra SUVs built in July 2001 to Jan 2005, all built at the company’s plant in Smyrna, Tennessee and which were sold in the US, Canada, Mexico and in Latin America. Nissan said that corrosion can develop in the lower steering column joint that limits joint movement, and if unchecked, might possibly lead to the steering shaft cracking.

A further 18,500 Sentra sedans, assembled in Mexico and which were primarily sold in the US, were covered by the battery-cable recall, where a connection defect on the positive battery cable terminal can lead to difficulty starting the vehicle or stalling at low speeds.

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Limited edition Skoda Fabia RS to mark IRC double win

November 12, 2010 at 11:17 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, International News, Motorsports, Skoda


Click to enlarge

Skoda Motorsport swept the 2010 Intercontinental Rally Challenge clean by winning both the Manufacturers’ championship and the Drivers’ title with Juho Hänninen and Mikko Markkula. The team’s other pairing of Jan Kopecký and Petr Starý were runners-up in the Drivers’ challenge, underlining Skoda’s dominance in this season’s IRC, which ended last month.

The Skoda factory team participated in 11 of this year’s 12 IRC events and won seven of them. Peugeot’s 2009 champion Kris Meeke was third in the standings. Peugeot was also a distant second in the Manufacturers’ table.

And to celebrate this achievement, VW Group’s Czech subsidiary will be releasing a limited edition Fabia RS inspired by their IRC winning Fabia S2000. Limited to 200 examples, the hot Fabia will be painted in the green livery of the rally car, with white roof and white wheels, although it looks slightly odd to these eyes without the S2000′s wide body.

The Fabia RS (or vRS in the UK), also available in wagon form for the first time, is powered by a 1.4L twincharged TSI engine with 180 bhp and 250 Nm. This is mated to a seven-speed DSG transmission for a 0-100 km/h time of 7.3 seconds. Top speed is 224 km/h.

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Chevrolet Camaro Convertible previewed on Facebook

November 12, 2010 at 10:04 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Chevrolet, International News

The long awaited Chevrolet Camaro Convertible is due for an early 2011 launch, but instead of doing the usual teasers, Chevy has given the world a first view of the full car via Facebook. The page is called the Camaro Den. The open top Camaro will be getting its proper debut at next week’s LA Auto Show and sales will start in the first quarter of next year.

The rag top (sorry, no folding metal roof) will come in 3.6L direct injection V6 and 6.2L V8 engines at launch; the smaller engined RS with 312 hp and the range topping SS with 426 horses. A six-speed manual transmission will be standard on the RWD Camaro, with a six-speed auto on option.

Pics after the jump.
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Second-generation Toyota RAV4 EV set for LA debut

November 12, 2010 at 8:53 am By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, International News, Toyota

rav4 ev 1

Toyota will be unveiling its second-generation RAV4 EV in concept form at the upcoming Los Angeles Auto Show, which begins on November 17. Ahead of it, the company has released a couple of images of the vehicle’s badging and instrument dial as a teaser.

It has certainly been a long while coming, the replacement for the original NiMH-equipped RAV4 EV – built on the first-generation XA10 RAV4 4-door platform – which the company leased in the US from 1997 to 2003.

rav4 ev 2

The new RAV4 EV, sitting on a third-gen RAV4 XA30 platform, is the first development brought about by the collaboration between Toyota and Tesla Motors to develop battery-powered vehicles.

The SUV will feature a lithium-ion battery supplied by Tesla and is planned to have its market introduction in the US in 2012. No details have been released as yet, but the debut in LA should take care of that.

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Rendering: Proton Inspira Coupe – next generation Putra?

November 12, 2010 at 12:08 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Malaysian Makes, Proton

What do you think – does a two-door Lancer-based Proton Inspira look good? We’ll probably never see such a Proton Putra replacement in real life but it can exist on your computer screen thanks to these renderings by Theophilus Chin!

There used to be two-door versions of the Mitsubishi Lancer, but in the past two generations such models have gone missing probably as the world simply stopped buying non-premium 2-door coupes outside of North America, and that’s a market that Mitsubishi isn’t really doing that great in in the first place.

In fact in the C-segment there aren’t that many two-door coupes remaining, I can only think of the Honda Civic Coupe, and the Focus Coupe and the Kia Forte Koup at the moment, and the first two are only sold in North America. It sure would be nice to have a 4B12-powered 2.4 litre Proton Putra or Inspira Coupe! :)

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Petronas Formula Xperience – Formula BMW FB02 driven!

November 12, 2010 at 12:01 am By Harvinder Sidhu Filed Under Local News, Motorsports

Motorsport, as we all know it is expensive, very expensive and that even starts with the most basic form of motorsport, go-karting. It’s either you are backed with hundreds of thousands of ringgit or you have raw natural talent. Even a Formula 1 rookie would have to bring money into the team, such as Hispania’s Bruno Senna and Karun Chandhok. However there are various organizations out there that are trying to find workable talents and subsidize, if not fully cover one’s motorsport endeavors.

Take Petronas as an example. The national oil and gas giant has been putting loads of money into motorsport, such as MotoGP with the Fiat Yamaha Team and Formula 1 with Mercedes. Not only that, the company has been promoting motorsport at lower levels. One such campaign is the Petronas Formula Xperience. The company pretty much sponsors a group of budding young talents to part in the Petronas Formula Xperience. These young drivers, aged between 10 till 16 get to race professionally in single seater race cars. The idea is that they first go through a selection process, based on natural talent, not how much money you are bringing in and who your daddy is.

The kids have their to prove their worth on the track and natural talent is not the only thing the guys at Petronas look for. These potential racers will have to carry good PR skills. As a professional race car driver, one would have to deal with sponsors and fans, and teams require this. Gone were the days when all one needs to do is just race, although some Formula 1 drivers today still lack PR skills, such as Kimi Raikkonen, judging from his demeanor during interviews.

In Petronas’ Formula BMW Xperience, the kids will be professionally trained in both theory and practical. They will have take care of their diet and fitness levels too, which are important in motorsport. They will go into extensive testing and practice to sharpen their skills, so they can take on bigger things in the high-octane world of motor racing. Did I mention that all expenses are paid for by Petronas? One Formula BMW single seater already costs hundreds of thousands, not including cost of tires, crew, marketing, track rental, other equipment and more.

It’s not easy what these drivers have to go through, as some of them still have to attend school. To make us appreciate and experience what these kids go through, Petronas has invited a select few, including yours truly to the Sepang circuit recently to drive the Formula BMW, with the kids giving us some useful pointers!

Continue reading to check out our experience.
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Megane Renault Sport 250 Cup launched – RM230K!

November 11, 2010 at 3:28 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Renault

UPDATE: Live gallery from today’s launch added

TC Euro Cars today launched the Megane Renault Sport 250 Cup at the Sepang International Circuit. The latest Megane RS is a much anticipated entry by enthusiasts and at the time of launch, 11 people have already put their names down for it. This made in Spain 250 hp three-door “coupe” is attractively priced at RM229,800 OTR without insurance (RM188 cheaper than the old R26), making the VW Scirocco look expensive in comparison.

For that money, one gets a high spec performance machine that’s comes with a limited slip differential (LSD) by GKN Driveline, lovely Recaro seats (with Renault Sport logo and yellow seat belts), 4-piston Brembo brakes with 340 mm slotted discs (largest in class, 35 mm bigger than cross drilled R26 discs) and the R.S. Monitor showing real-time data (stopwatch with memory function, acceleration timer, g-force meter, turbo pressure, oil temp, torque/power figures) plus the option of five throttle map settings.

The wheels are 18-inch items with 235/40 Michelins. TC Euro chose not to opt for the dramatic 19-inch “spider style” wheels due to our road conditions and tyre replacement costs.

But the most vital inclusion is the Cup chassis, which is 10 mm lowered with uprated springs, dampers and anti roll bars. Suspension flex has been reduced by 35% and 38% respectively for the front and rear while the front anti roll bars have been stiffened by 13% over the standard chassis. The Performance Hub allows for an independent steering front axis, eliminating torque steer. Aluminium pivots and lower arms reduce unsprung weight while ball joints are used in place of bearings for less friction. Speaking of weight, the Megane RS’ kerb weight is 1,387 kg. The ESP system is a multi mode affair which can be fully switched off.

The 2.0-litre engine from the R26 has been updated with around 30% of new parts, including a twin-scroll turbo, reinforced piston/conrods, new coolers, sodium coated valves and piston ring carriers. The result is 250 hp and 340 Nm of torque at 3,000 rpm, 80% of which (272 Nm) is available at 1,900 rpm. This is 20 hp and 30 Nm more than in the R26, which is why performance is improved – the 250 Cup does 0-100 km/h in 6.1 seconds on to a top speed of 245 km/h compared to the R26′s 6.5 sec/235 km/h. To compare, the 207 hp Scirocco’s stats are 6.9 sec and 238 km/h.

Renault Sport is a “keep it true” brand dedicated to the enthusiast, which is why there’s no twin-clutch or auto option – you can only have it with a six-speed manual. This gearbox is a new one with revised ratios and a more precise feel over the R26. Combined cycle fuel consumption is 8.4 litres per 100 km or 11.9 km/l.

The 250 Cup is positioned as a track tool that’s perfectly comfortable on the road, so it gets plenty of luxuries. Keyless entry and start, Bluetooth handsfree, dual-zone air con, auto lights and wipers, iPod and USB ports, bi-xenons with daytime running lights plus six airbags. By the way, not only did the Megane RS score a five-star Euro NCAP rating, it did so with maximum 37/37 points.

We posted up a video last week showing racer Denis Lian doing a 2:43.02 time at Sepang. He was at the launch today and said that better conditions would have seen him do half a second better. The Singaporean praised the Megane for combining both driver feel and the ability to set fast lap times (they don’t always walk hand-in-hand!) , as well as its amazing punch out of corners, adding that the car’s German rivals feel “anodyne” while British rivals (Ford Focus RS?) have lots of feel but are “too wild”.


Lucky first eight buyers sampled their own cars on the track today

Available in three colours (yellow, white, grey), the Megane RS 250 Cup comes with a 3-year warranty. An optional GT Pack (moonroof and leather seats) is available for RM10,000. Gallery from the launch at SIC is after the jump.
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Lotus Racing to use black and gold colours for 2011

November 11, 2010 at 3:26 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Formula 1, Motorsports

Lotus Racing announced today that it will be using a black and gold colour scheme for its race machines next year, which brings the company back to its old colour scheme such as the one found on the John Player Special Lotus 97T Formula One car shown above.

“When we first unveiled our 2010 car there was unanimous praise for our decision to bring the historic green and yellow livery back to the modern F1 grid. I know the return to the track of the legendary black and gold will be met with even more universal support as it strikes such an emotional chord with fans around the world,” said CEO Riad Asmat.

Apparently fans will be able to get a chance to participate in the design of next year’s livery through some kind of competition, but exactly how will only be announced later. What we know for now is the winner of the competition will join the team at their first test next year to see next year’s car with the new livery out on the track for the first time.

What do you think – do you prefer a green and yellow colour scheme or a black and gold colour scheme? I am quite a fan of the green and yellow look but it’s premature to say which one looks better as we’ve yet to see a finalized new black and gold livery yet. Share in the comments your thoughts!

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