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Mazda celebrates another MX-5 milestone – 900,000 built

February 8, 2011 at 1:17 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, International News, Mazda


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Okay, so they didn’t wait till a million before breaking into the really big song and dance, but 900,000 is kinda good enough to pop the bubbly, in this case.


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That’s the number of MX-5s Mazda has churned out in the past 21 years and 10 months, which makes it the best selling two-seater sportscar in the world. Actually, that’s a title the roadster has held for a while now – back in 2000, it was certified by Guinness World Records as the world’s best selling two-seater sportscar when production reached 531,890 units in May of that year.


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Since then, Guinness updated the record when production passed 700,000 and 800,000 units, and now Mazda is reapplying to have the record updated to acknowledge production of the 900,000th vehicle. The car remains the longest-running model in Mazda’s global line-up.


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Since its introduction in February 1989, the MX-5 has undergone two complete product redesigns and a series of upgrades. As it heads toward the next production milestone of one million units, Mazda says it is committed to further evolving the roadster, and will refine its fun-to-drive character and further enhance its environmental and safety capabilities as it makes its way toward the mark. Do we hear 1.5 million, then?

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Infiniti Etherea Concept to be revealed in Geneva

February 8, 2011 at 12:45 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Concept Cars, Infiniti, International News

Infiniti has teased its upcoming concept car, likely to be named the Etherea, that it will be launching in Geneva, but it’s just a graphic depicting the profile line. As is the usual, there are no details yet of the vehicle, but the concept looks to strongly suggest that a small production coupe or hatch from the company is inbound.

The company had already intimated the arrival of the car sometime late last year. “Infiniti is currently examining concepts for a luxury performance car that will fit below the current G Line,” said its senior vice president Andy Palmer. “Like every Infiniti, it will be completely different to anything currently offered by our rivals.”

The company adds that the design will take the Japanese performance brand down a new road, to a new future. The rumour mill has it that the car might wear a Mercedes 1.8 litre CGI pot, making it the first big outing resulting from the partnership between Nissan-Renault and Daimler.

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Peugeot 308 updated with new grille and LED DRL

February 8, 2011 at 2:16 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, International News, Peugeot

Peugeot has given the C-segment Peugeot 308 a makeover featuring a significantly revamped front end that showcases a new ‘floating’ style for the front grille as well as boomerang-shaped LED daytime running lights to complement the foglamps.

This new look will premiere in the metal at the Geneva Motor Show and will go on sale from April 2011 internationally – who knows, Nasim may already be preparing for this facelift’s Malaysian introduction.

Something new for the 308 is the addition of an auto start-stop system for the 1.6 litre HDi Euro 5 turobodiesel engine. This promises a 15% reduction in diesel consumption for urban traffic, 40% faster restarting in 400 milliseconds, as well as engine shut off capability from 20km/h for the manual gearbox. This means that the turbodiesel engine can shut off when you are coasting to a stop when your speed reduces to 20km/h, instead of waiting for a complete stop. The alternator-start is designed for up to 600,000 restarts in its lifespan.

The diesel isn’t available in Malaysia though, and while we are waiting for Euro 4 which still looks like it’s sometime away, this Pug uses Euro 5 diesels.

Look after the jump for a set of photos that Peugeot have released.
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2011 Peugeot 908 racecar – now with 3.7L V8 diesel

February 7, 2011 at 11:21 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Motorsports, Peugeot

Peugeot Sport have revealed their new 2011 Le Mans contender – the new Peugeot 908 HDi FAP which now comes with a turbocharged 3.7 litre V8 diesel engine as opposed to the previous generation racecar’s 5.5 litre V12 diesel. The car was known as the 90X during development and Peugeot decided to continue with the 908 name to continue building on the previous generation racecar’s wave of success.

Even though the new engine has 4 less cylinders in its V-banks, power output is still considerable – 550 horses, even though significantly less than the V12′s output of over 730 horses. The V angle of the new engine is also 90 degrees while the V12 was a 100 degree engine.

Peugeot has decided to stick with pure diesel combustion engine power with the new engine as opposed to any hybrid/KERS trickery. This will make it the 5th consecutive years Peugeot has competed in endurance racing with a FAP filter equipped diesel engine.

Look after the jump for a full gallery of the new 908 racer.
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Marussia Virgin’s MVR-02 Formula 1 car – first images!

February 7, 2011 at 8:02 pm By Harvinder Sidhu Filed Under Cars, Formula 1, Motorsports

This is Marussia Virgin’s 2011 Formula 1 contender, the MVR-02 which is being launched at the BBC Television Centre in London. As you can see, the car’s livery is heavily inspired by its predecessor. The previous car was called the VR-01 with the VR standing for Virgin Racing. The M alphabet in the new car came about following a recent equity purchase by Russian-based Marussia Motors.

Starting from this year, the team will race under the Russian license as it is en route to becoming a full-fledged Russian outfit. This means that if a Marussia Virgin driver wins a race, the Russian national anthem will be played.

The team ran an interim car during the recent tests in Valencia, Spain with drivers Timo Glock and Jerome d’Ambrosio. The MVR-02 is powered by Cosworth’s CA2011 2.4 litre V8 powerplant and the car has been designed entirely using CFD or Computational Fluid Dynamics. Continue reading to view more images of the MVR-02.
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Proton Exora with different bumper spotted during tests

February 7, 2011 at 5:47 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Malaysian Makes, Proton, Spyshots

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Reader Dzulkarnaen snapped these pix of this black Proton Exora at the Awan Besar R&R sometime in January this year. As you can see, the front bumper looks quite different from the Exora that’s currently on sale now, with what appears to be vertical oriented intake grilles – not sure what they’re used for.

And here’s an artist’s impression by Theophilus Chin, translating what we can see from the bumper in the spyshot onto a product image. This might be an indication of what the facelifted Proton Exora might look like, or perhaps a new look exclusive to the upcoming top of the line turbocharged Proton Exora CFE Turbo, or it might not even be a Proton – perhaps a Youngmanized Exora.

Look after the jump for the rest of the spyshots.
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Q&A with Team Lotus technical boss Mike Gascoyne

February 7, 2011 at 5:07 pm By Harvinder Sidhu Filed Under Cars, Formula 1, Motorsports

Formula 1 teams are busy making preparations for the 2011 Formula 1 World Championship which kicks start in Bahrain on 13th March. Teams are currently testing their contenders at official test sessions and the first test session of the year concluded a couple of days ago in Valencia, Spain at the Ricardo Tormo circuit.

Malaysia’s Team Lotus was also present at the test with drivers Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen shaking down and collecting vital data from the T128. We have managed to score an email interview with the team’s Chief Technical Officer, Mike Gascoyne and you can find the Q&A transcript after the jump.
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2011 F1 World Championship – new rules and regulations

February 7, 2011 at 4:38 pm By Harvinder Sidhu Filed Under Cars, Formula 1, Motorsports

Countless reports are being produced these days in regards to Formula 1 as most teams have unveiled their 2011 contenders and are testing their machinery during official test sessions. The term “new rules” is being thrown around but what are the new rules?

We have decided to come up with this article so you will be up to speed with the new rules introduced for this season. Read the full details after the jump.
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Hyundai i40 – first image revealed of VF wagon’s interior

February 7, 2011 at 1:39 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Hyundai, International News, Koreans


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More on the teaser front, it seems. Hyundai new VF wagon, better known as the i40, will be making its world premiere in Geneva, and the company has released the first official photo of the car, revealing the interior. Elements featuring in the cabin include a dark base highlighted by chrome accents as well as leather seats.

Designed and engineered at Hyundai’s European R&D headquarters in Rüsselsheim, Germany, and specifically for the European market, the all-new D-segment model is aimed at moving the company towards a ‘modern premium’ positioning, offering high-end features and vehicle quality at an accessible price.

No technical details have yet emerged about the estate, save that it is slated to on sale in Europe from June this year, and it’ll be followed by a sedan form later in the year.

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Toyota Yaris HSD Concept – B-segment hybrid for Geneva

February 7, 2011 at 1:11 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, International News, Toyota

Toyota looks like its aiming for a serious push down the hybrid path into Europe’s largest market sector, the B-segment, and will show the precursor to things in the form of the Yaris HSD Concept, which makes its world debut in Geneva next month.

The Japanese automaker hasn’t divulged any details about the upcoming hatch, aside from a teaser shot of its nose and stating that it will have hybrid-specific styling cues and new, forward-looking design elements. It adds that that the car anticipates the company’s hybrid intentions for the segment and represents the next step in its full hybrid roll-out strategy for the continent. More to come in Geneva, then.

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