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BMW and Brilliance to develop 5-Series based EV

January 24, 2011 at 12:50 am By Paul Tan Filed Under BMW, Cars, China, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel

BMW and its Chinese JV partner Brilliance China Automotive Holdings have agreed to team up to develop an electric vehicle for the Chinese market based on the platform of the BMW 5-Series, and a concept version of the new large EV will be displayed at one of the big auto shows in China this year.

There are no further details yet as of now, and BMW’s own EV efforts has so far been contained to smaller vehicles like the MINI EV, with its large vehicles mostly using hybrid technology instead of a pure EV solution. Brilliance has also dabbled with EVs in the past – shown in this story are two EV concepts that Brilliance has exhibited in the past in its own capacity without anything to do with BMW. We also don’t know for sure if the new BMW 5-Series based EV will be sold as a BMW or as a separate brand.

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New shots of F12 6-Series Convertible from Cape Town

January 23, 2011 at 6:25 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under BMW, Cars

BMW are currently having international media test drives of the new BMW 6-Series Convertible in Cape Town, Africa, and they’ve uploaded some on-location images snapped from the event to their press archive.

There’s even a shot of the new 6-Series with an Individual package (look at the nice white leather!) next to the outgoing model, as well as shots of the 6-Series in the 2010 World Cup Stadium in Cape Town.

Enjoy the new hi-res images after the jump, or visit our previous story for the initial set of hi-res images of the new 6-er drop top.
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BMW X1 now available with M-Sport specification

January 23, 2011 at 6:15 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under BMW, Cars, International News

This is the M-Sport bodykit for the BMW X1, a welcome addition to refresh the subcompact SUV, but not as interesting as the new inline-4 turbo engine of course. There’s probably a chance for both the engine as well as the M-Sport package in Malaysia.

The M-Sport equipment package includes 17 inch star-spoke M alloy wheels, chrome plated door sill finishers, High-Gloss Shadowline window trim, an M-SPort multi-function steering wheel, Sports seats and anthracite headlining.

Look after the jump for a full gallery of the X1 M-Sport.
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VIDEO: Lotus Elan Concept Instrument Panel Graphics

January 23, 2011 at 4:19 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Lotus

We managed to capture this video of the Lotus Elan‘s full colour digital instrument panel when we were at the Group Lotus headquarters earlier this week. It basically consists of a few LCD screens – one large one in the middle flanked by two smaller ones by the side.

The large central LCD shows a big rev counter that changes its orientation according to what mode you’re in flanked by various other readings such as fuel level and oil pressure. Right smack in the middle of the rev counter is a digital speedometer. I can’t really see what’s on the right smaller LCD panel but the one on the left seems to show what’s playing on the entertainment system – they look like album cover images.

If you take a look at the previously released concept images of the Elan, the right LCD panel shows the outline of a track, I presume this can also be used to show navigation instructions when you’re not on a track.

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2012 Toyota Vios Artist Impressions based on new Vitz

January 23, 2011 at 3:59 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Toyota

The Toyota Vios and the Toyota Vitz are basically hatchback and sedan siblings, and in fact in some markets they both share the same name – the Toyota Yaris, differentiated only by its bodytype. Since the new Toyota Vitz has been launched in Japan, it’s only a matter of time before a new Vios sedan appears to complement the new hatchback.

Theophilus Chin whipped up these renderings of how a sedan based on the new Toyota Vitz could look like. The Vios was launched in 2007 and was facelifted in 2010, so a new one could be due by the end of this year or early next year. The Vitz wheelbase has grown longer from 2,450mm to 2,510mm but I don’t think a new Vios will grow any longer than its current 2,550mm wheelbase, which is already longer than the last generation hatchback.

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Peugeot Bryan Bouffier wins the 2011 Monte Carlo Rally

January 22, 2011 at 9:03 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Motorsports, Peugeot

The 2011 Monte Carlo Rally has been won by Bryan Bouffier, driving a 207 for Peugeot France. It will be a win to remember for the 32-year old Frenchman who hails from a town called Die (in the Drome region, where Valence is located), as amazingly, he’s never scored a single point in the IRC before this.

French champ Bouffier finished the rally 32.5 seconds ahead of second placed Freddy Loix (Skoda) and 1m19.7s ahead of the third placed Peugeot UK car of Guy Wilks. Bouffier’s teammate Stephane Sarrazin was originally third after winning four stages of the rally, but since he’s just driving this round of the IRC, the Le Mans racer took a time penalty to help Wilks. Sarrazin was fourth.

It’s freezing cold and snowy in the mountains when we were there to experience the famous Col de Turini yesterday night, and tyre choice was the key factor in the tricky conditions. It’s never easy, as conditions vary between different parts of a stage, and some parts may be bone dry with other parts covered in ice. We felt this for ourselves in the van travelling to the stages.

Bouffier went for a combo of snow and studded tyres that saw him climb from seventh to first. The biggest loser in the weather roulette was IRC defending champ Juho Hanninen. The Skoda man led the rally with a comfortable margin in the early parts, but eventually finished sixth. France’s 48-year old Francois Delecour, also in a Peugeot, was fifth. Ex world champ Petter Solberg was as high as second on his IRC debut but was another victim of tyre choice. He retired 13 km from the finish with an alternator failure.

By the way, winner Bouffier has some connection to Proton. He was actually the lead development driver for the Proton Satria Neo S2000 back in 2008. Third placed man Wilks drove for Proton in 2009 as well. Unfortunately, current drivers Chris Atkinson and PG Andersson bowed out on Day 1. Read our previous post here.

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Tesla to introduce Tesla Model X SUV later this year

January 22, 2011 at 8:02 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, International News

Tesla Model S

Tesla’s model portfolio will be expanded with the addition of a third electric vehicle called the Tesla Model X, which will be an SUV. The Model X joins the existing Tesla Roadster as well as the yet to be released Tesla Model S sedan, which is itself still about 2 years from production.

The Tesla Model X SUV will be revealed later this year, and CEO Elon Musk promises it will be way “cooler” than any SUV or minivan. It only makes sense to sell an SUV model alongside the Model S sedan as it would be quite easy to develop a crossover SUV body on a sedan’s platform, and Americans as you know are mad about the SUV bodystyle.

Why hasn’t anyone hasn’t put the Lotus APX into production as some kind of EV SUV yet?

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Williams F1 team may list on the stock exchange!

January 21, 2011 at 11:58 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Formula 1, Motorsports

Want to own a part of an F1 team? Anyone like you and me may be able to do that in the near future as Sir Frank Williams have announced that in the best interest of securing the future of the team and its 450 employees, he may list the team’s shares on the stock exchange.

“For some years I have been considering how to secure the long-term ownership of Williams such that it will remain true to the aims with which Patrick and I established the team back in 1977. My goal then was to race in Formula One as an independent Constructor. This was and is my great passion and I will race for as long as I continue to be blessed with good health. It is also my desire that the team is in good shape to go on racing long after I am gone,” said Sir Frank Williams in a statement issued by Williams F1.

To that end, it is prudent and necessary to plan for an ownership structure that will enable Williams to be an independent Constructor, owned and staffed by people committed to Formula One and to the sound business practices which have supported us over three decades. have concluded that the option which will best achieve this is to broaden our shareholder base with public shareholders, while having a stable core of long-term investors closely involved in the running of the team. This will ensure stability, good governance and will, I believe, enable us to attract and retain the best people and partners,” he added.

So far this is just an announcement that the team is considering this route and they may choose to take it, but nothing’s happened yet. The team shareholders are currently Sir Frank Williams, Patrick Head and Toto Wolff. Sometime in early 2010, there were rumours that they were trying to get Volkswagen to buy into the team. Sir Frank assured that regardless of whatever steps they take, he will remain the majority and controlling shareholder as well as the Team Principal.

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Ferrari Four V12 – Scaglietti replacement with 4WD power!

January 21, 2011 at 9:13 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Ferrari, International News

These are the first three shots of Ferrari’s first ever four-wheel drive car – the Ferrari Four, also known by its acronym FF. It has a shooting brake-like body style, with a long front bonnet that clearly says this Ferrari is front engined!

The Four in its name refers to its four seats and four wheel drive. Ferrari’s implementation is called 4RM, and Ferrari claims it’s weighs on average half the weight of a conventional four wheel drive system. We all know what a properly tuned system can do – just look at how the Nissan GT-R goes around the ‘Ring. Ferrari’s implementation is tied in to its electronic dynamic control systems to make sure the system doesn’t only just deliver power to a wheel for grip, but for maximum velocity around a corner as well.

The Ferrari Four is powered by a new 6,252cc V12 engine with direct injection, revving high to make 660 horsepower at 8,000rpm and 683Nm of torque at 6,000rpm. It is mated to a dual clutch transmission mounted at the rear axle. The combination of the engine, gearbox and 4RM takes the car up to 100km/h in just 3.7 seconds. Other less exciting specs include 450 litres of boot space extendable to 800 litres. There’s also the option for the HELE system which includes various ‘green’ features like auto start-stop.

More details when the FF makes its debut at Geneva!
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Airbags to be made compulsory for passenger cars (except 4WDs) in Malaysia from 2012!

January 21, 2011 at 7:12 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News

Fantastic news such as this doesn’t come very often for Malaysian motorists – according to Transport Minister Kong Cho Ha, local car manufacturers such as Proton and Perodua have agreed in principal to make at least one airbag standard issue in all passenger cars by 2012. This will mean the most basic Proton Saga will be equipped with at least one driver airbag next year, and the same goes for the Perodua Viva.

Hopefully this will also spur all foreign badges to make airbags standard in their cars as well, although nearly all foreign makes already have at least one airbag in their cars. For some reason though, 4WD vehicles are excluded from this “gentleman’s agreement”.

Nevertheless, it’s about time the government did something to reduce road accident fatalities. Next – how about stability control and ABS brakes?

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