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Nick Heidfeld in line to replace Kubica at Lotus Renault GP

February 10, 2011 at 12:11 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Formula 1, Motorsports, Renault

With lead driver Robert Kubica possibly out for the entire 2011 F1 season after his serious rallying accident, Lotus Renault GP is expected to overlook its bench of reserve drivers and seek a more experienced driver to lead the line. As we’ve speculated earlier, vastly experienced German driver Nick Heidfeld has emerged as a favourite to take over the race seat and will test for the team this week.

Reports say that Heidfeld has been in talks with Lotus Renault over the last two days and will test the R31 at Jerez. Vitaly Petrov will test today and tomorrow at the Spanish circuit, with Bruno Senna and Heidfeld taking over duties over the weekend. This can be considered a shootout between the former Sauber man and third driver Senna, who last year raced with HRT.

“Should Robert be out for the entire season, then it will normally be a more experienced driver to do the entire season, to develop the car, and everything else,” team owner Gerard Lopez told IVG.it.

“There are drivers who have had good races, for example Nick Heidfeld. We all know that Nick is rather good, but we don’t know what level he is in now, we don’t know how he does with our car. Same goes for Vitantonio Liuzzi, same goes – I don’t know – for Bruno Senna, who last year was in a team with a car that could do nothing,” he added.

As to Kubica’s condition, it’s not as bad as first feared. “The phase of the final surgery operations is beginning: the double operation to foot and shoulder is planned for Friday morning, while the course of surgeries will end next week. The driver’s right hand has completely stabilised. Now the delicate recovery of the functionalities begins,” explained Giorgio Barabino, Head of ICU at the Santa Corona Hospital.

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Nissan ESFLOW – sports car body for LEAF EV technology

February 10, 2011 at 10:39 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, International News, Nissan

This is the Nissan ESFLOW concept car, which marries sports car looks and performance with zero emissions EV technology from the Nissan LEAF, the reigning European Car of the Year. Fear that we’ll all be driving golf karts in the future? Nissan says that the ESFLOW “shows that driving can still be as much fun tomorrow as it is today”.

This Geneva bound two-seater concept has a shape that isn’t too far away from a 370Z, is rear wheel drive and does 0-100 km/h in less than five seconds. There are two electric motors placed above the axis of the rear wheels in a mid-ship position, one powering each rear wheel. Torque to each wheel is controlled for optimum handling and efficiency.

Range is over 240 km on one charge and power comes from the same laminated lithium-ion battery packs used in the LEAF, but are located along the axis of the front and rear wheels in the ESFLOW. This centralises the mass of the car, and thus its rotation point, which is close to the driver’s hips.

The swoopy composite body covers an aluminium chassis with its own roll cage. Roll bars are incorporated in to the structure behind the seats to take the entire load of the car in the event of a roll over, so there are no thick A-pillars here. Nissan says the unobstructed view is akin to a fighter pilot’s.

The colour scheme chosen for the ESFLOW is inspired by glaciers, “highly reflective solidified liquid with blue tints in its shadows”. There’s more blue in the headlights, Nissan emblem and wheel inserts.

Hi res images after the jump.
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Karun Chandhok tests with Team Lotus, eyes reserve seat

February 10, 2011 at 2:31 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Formula 1, Lotus, Motorsports

Indian driver Karun Chandhok will test with Team Lotus this week in Jerez, Spain, with the ultimate hope of landing the test and reserve driver spot for TL this season. He was present at the team’s first test session at Valencia as spectator.

Besides the session in Jerez, the 27-year old Chennai born driver is also set for some drive time at the third pre-season test of 2011 in Barcelona. A decision should be made by then, but things are already looking good for the former HRT man.

“We would like him to be reserve driver but we’ve got to see whether it all works out, that’s the plan,” Team Lotus boss Tony Fernandes told Reuters: “He is going to get a couple of slots in the testing now in Jerez and Barcelona, and then we’ll decide after that. Mike (Gascoyne, tech director) and Riad (Asmat, team CEO) and everyone else feel he’s the right guy to add value to the team.”

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De Tomaso SLC Crossover Concept to debut at Geneva

February 9, 2011 at 11:30 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Concept Cars, International News

De Tomaso is coming back to town – and it will unveil its first modern concept car at the Geneva Motor Show next month. The concept is referred to simply as the SLC for now, which stands for Sport Luxury Car, but it’s likely that a sexier official concept name will be unveiled nearer to the show days.

The De Tomaso SLC will be have a large crossover body type, which will basically mean it will go head to head against cars like the X6, the Cayenne, the Lexus RX, and the Acura ZDX. It will be designed by Pininfarina.

Two engine options will be available – a 550 horsepower V8 petrol engine as well as a 250 horsepower diesel V6.

The new De Tomaso company intends to build 3,000 units of the De Tomaso SLC annually, and two other models are also in the pipeline – a luxury sedan as well as a sports coupe, which the company intends to sell 3,000 and 2,000 units a year respectively.

De Tomaso was ‘resurrected’ by former Fiat marketing exec Gian Mario Rossignolo. The cars will be built at a Pininfarina factory in Grugliasco near Turin. The factory employs 900 people and includes a body shop, paint shop and a final assembly line.

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Chevrolet Orlando 7-seater MPV due for Malaysian debut in second half of 2011

February 9, 2011 at 11:04 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Chevrolet, Local News

Malaysian Chevrolet distributor Naza Quest Sdn Bhd have revealed that they will be launching the Chevrolet Orlando 7-seater MPV in Malaysia in the second half of 2011. The Chevrolet Orlando is built upon the Chevrolet Cruze’s chassis with a stretched 2,760mm wheelbase, similar to how the Honda Stream and the Toyota Wish are also derived from C-segment platforms.

While most of its competitors are quite rounded and curvy, the Chevrolet Orlando stands out in its segment with its American style buff angular design – very much like a box!

Globally, three different engines are available with the Orlando – a 141 PS 1.8 litre petrol engine similar to the one found in the Cruze as well as two 2.0 litre turbodiesel engines in two different tunes – 130 PS or 163 PS. There’s also a large 2.4 litre petrol engine for North America. Naza Quest did not say which engine options they are bringing in – a diesel would definitely be nice!

Look after the jump for a photo gallery of the Orlando.
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Honda Fit Shuttle to make Japanese market debut in March

February 9, 2011 at 6:21 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Honda, International News

Honda will only be officially launching its new Fit Shuttle in Japan in March, but the company has already set about featuring information about the vehicle for the domestic market via a dedicated web page.

We ran the news about the leaked brochures of the vehicle last month. As mentioned previously, two JDM versions of the compact MPV will go on sale – a Hybrid version equipped with a 1.3 litre i-VTEC + IMA system as well as a 15X model featuring a 1.5 litre i-VTEC pot.

Updated details are of transmission types – the hybrid only comes with a CVT, while the petrol version is available in both front-wheel drive (with a CVT box) and four-wheel drive form (with a five-speed auto transmission).

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Suzuki to premiere Swift S-Concept in Geneva

February 9, 2011 at 5:49 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, International News, Suzuki

Suzuki is set to premiere its Swift S-Concept at next month’s Geneva Motor Show. No details have been announced, save that the concept is based on the new Swift hatchback, and that it will feature a sportier design theme which will be “reflected by a look in which sportiness has been added to the Swift’s stylish design.”


Not the Swift S-Concept for Geneva, but the R Concept for Beijing. Don’t get them mixed up.

Er, yes, that tells us very much about the S-Concept, it does. Wonder if it’s anything like the Swift R Concept that has been announced for this year’s Beijing Auto Show in April. This one derives its inspiration from Suzy’s superbikes, notably the GSX-R 1000. Party tricks include a flash bodykit and widened wheel arches. It’ll be interesting to see how different R is from S, being that close in deployment as they are.

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Dodge Charger SRT8: Evo nose, 6.4 litres of HEMI muscle

February 9, 2011 at 3:32 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Dodge, International News

If the Evo reincarnated as a muscle car, this would be it, the 2012 Dodge Charger SRT8. To be unveiled at the Chicago Auto Show, this 2012 model year hot Charger gets a blackened snout for a nose job. It really resembles the current Lancer Evo if you ask us, except that Dodge bends in the lower edges of the Mitsubishi’s signature “jet fighter” grille. The rear is an LED fest – the Charger’s new “racetrack” taillamp design consists of 164 diodes!

Under that bulging hood is the new 6.4-litre HEMI V8 that boasts more horsepower and torque plus improved fuel economy over the 6.1L HEMI it replaces. Estimated power ratings are 465 horsepower and 630 Nm of torque, including an estimated additional 109 Nm of torque at 2,900 rpm. Specific figures will be released later.

Economy is aided by Fuel Saver technology, which is a four-cylinder mode with adaptive valve exhaust system. This allows the system to engage over a wider rpm range. An active intake manifold and high lift camshaft with cam phasing provides maximum low end torque while optimising high end power. Paddle shifters for the carryover five-speed auto are standard.

The Charger SRT8 features adaptive damping suspension with two driver selectable “Auto” and “Sport” settings. The SRT-tuned fully hydraulic steering system has been improved with a heavy-duty pump and revised gearing for more direct feel and on-center response.

“World-class stopping power” is courtesy of four-piston Brembo calipers and vented/slotted rotors measuring 14.2 inches up front and 13.8 inches in the rear. Those five-spoke wheels are 20-inch lightweight forged and polished aluminum items.

Gallery after the jump.
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Takanobu Ito: Honda to revive NSX replacement plans

February 9, 2011 at 1:55 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Honda, International News

The Honda NSX deserves a successor, but plans for one were scrapped along with Honda’s Formula 1 involvement back in 2008. It was the power of the accountant, not dreams, that was stronger during that period, but since then the economy and car sales have rebounded, and many carmakers are even breaking records these days. So is it finally time for the NSX replacement?

According to a report by Asahi, Honda is revisiting plans to make one, and it was revealed by no other than company president Takanobu Ito at a motorsports function. The new model will be based on the HSV-010GT race car that is currently competing in Super GT. That racer was supposed to be the road going NSX before the detour, so it’s essentially a continuation of the project.

Ito said he wanted to commercialise the HSV because other automakers participate in the competition with racing versions based on cars sold on the market. “I think Honda should respect the history of the Super GT competition (as a stock-car race),” he said. Honda found a loophole in the regulations that allowed it to campaign a “production ready” model in the HSV-010.

There could be more good stuff besides the flagship, something more attainable. “There are two types of sports cars-affordable and high-performance. I hope we will be able to market both,” the boss was quoted as saying.

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Jazeman Jaafar to continue in British F3 series with Carlin

February 9, 2011 at 1:53 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under International News, Motorsports

Petronas-backed Malaysian driver Jazeman Jaafar will stay with championship winning team Carlin in 2011, returning to the Cooper Tires British F3 International Series for a second season of competition.

The 18-year-old had a strong rookie season with two podium finishes, including a second place finish in only his tenth F3 race. With 16 top ten finishes from 30 starts, he’s keen to build on his success
as he enters his second year of racing in the series.

“My first season of British F3 was a huge learning curve,“ he says. “I moved up from Formula BMW to the much more powerful and more technical F3 machinery and had a lot to learn.”

“Entering 2011, I feel much more comfortable, not only having already competed at this level for a season, but also by staying with Carlin who nurtured me through my rookie year, I have a stability which is very important. I would like to thank Petronas for giving me the opportunity to race at this high level in motor racing.”

“My goal is always to win races and that will be my focus this season. The grid shaping up for this year looks highly competitive and I don’t underestimate how tough it will be, but I have the commitment, passion and determination to succeed,” Jazeman says.

“As a racing driver my aim is to reach the pinnacle of my sport, which is, of course, Formula 1, and if I am to do that I have to prove that I have the skill and the talent needed; British F3 is the right training ground for this,” he enthuses.

The team’s racing director, Trevor Carlin, says the Malaysian teenager had a good rookie season with the team last year and that the team was pleased that Jazeman and Petronas opted to stay with Carlin this year. “We look forward to consolidating all the hard work last year, building on the experience and working together to bring further success,” Carlin added.

The British F3 International Series 2011 calendar takes in five countries and includes four tracks currently raced in the FIA Formula 1 World Championship. The season opens at Monza, Italy on April 14-16 and concludes at Silverstone, UK on October 7–9, with testing being resumed in late February.

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