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Bull run! – Red Bull F1 car to be seen on Jln Bukit Bintang

March 29, 2011 at 12:12 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Formula 1, Local News, Motorsports

Yup, the Petronas F1 Malaysian GP is up next on the cards on April 8-10, and you can be sure there’ll be plenty of related activities as the days count down. One such noisemaker is the Red Bull Speed Street event happening this coming weekend, right in the heart of the city.

Former Red Bull Racing F1 driver David Coulthard will entertain the shopping crowd on April 3 with a driving demonstration of a F1 car along the famous thoroughfare of Jalan Bukit Bintang, in this case along a 500 metre stretch starting from The Westin hotel and Pavillion to the Jalan Sultan Ismail junction after Lot 10.

The public can expect manoeuvres such as short sprints, burnouts and donuts during the almost hour-long event, the stuff that doesn’t happen (by intent, anyway) in an actual F1 race.

It’s the first time that Austrian energy drink company Red Bull is organising a F1 show car event in Malaysia, and the event also marks the launch of the blue and silver Red Bull in Malaysia, previously unavailable for sale in the country.

The public will be able to get up close with the Red Bull Racing car from Sat, April 2, outside the Pavillion while it’s being set up. There’ll also be an Audi R8 LMS and a R8 Spyder on display, and Red Bull Racing and Puma motorsport merchandise will be on sale. If you fancy a spin of a different sort, Sony Computer Entertainment will have a gaming area featuring the Red Bull X2010 supercar in its PS3 game, GT5.

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Nasim starts initiative to get closer to Peugeot owners

March 29, 2011 at 11:42 am By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Local News, Peugeot

Local Pug boys Nasim have begun a new after-sales initiative aimed at providing its customers with in-depth understanding of their vehicles as well as the essential maintenance tips for their Peugeots.

Kicking of this initiative was the Discover Peugeot 3008 seminar, which was held last weekend at the Grand Dorsett Hotel in Subang Jaya for 50 owners of the Peugeot 3008. The two-hour long seminar included an in-depth presentation on the various features of the 3008 as well as practical sessions on 14-point checks and basic maintenance tips.

“This is a new initiative that’s being undertaken by Nasim to further grow the Peugeot brand. In the coming months, we will have seminars on the other models in our line-up such as the 207, 308 and the 5008. It’s essential that our customers get the very best out of their vehicles. At the same time, this is an opportunity for us to get to know our customers better,” Nasim’s COO Datuk Samson Anand George said.

Nasim had sent out invitations for the free seminar to all 3008 owners in the country and the first 50 to RSVP were given seats for the seminar; they were also invited to bring along a guest.

During the presentation segment of the seminar, owners were given an in-depth explanation to the various safety technologies featured in the 3008 such as ABS, ESP, deadlocking, airbag deployment, dynamic roll control as well as the various impact zones in the SUV that are designed to minimise injury to the driver and passengers.

In the practical session, the owners were shown the proper methods in changing a tyre, jump-starting a flat battery, deadlocking, reprogramming their keys, checking engine oil, power steering fluid and coolant levels as well as releasing the electronic parking brake on a flat battery.

Since its launch in June 2010, Nasim has sold some 500 units of the 3008, while 250 units are on the way to be delivered to new customers.

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BMW Motorrad enters big scooter world with Concept C

March 29, 2011 at 11:28 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Bikes, BMW Motorrad, International News

BMW Motorrad isn’t a name synonymous with scooters, but is looking to enter the big scooter market, as previewed by this Concept C. If birthed, which is very likely, BMW’s maxi scooter will enter a market that has the Suzuki Burgman, Yamaha TMAX, Honda Silver Wing and Gilera GP 800 – the latter with an 839 cc V-Twin.

The Concept C sees BMW put “maximum possible emotion to its interpretation of this subject” and also familiar design cues. This monster has the so-called “split face” and a twin-tipped front spoiler in the style of models such as the S 1000 RR.

The body lines sweeping up to the bike’s rear underscore its active riding character, says BMW. Sportiness and dynamism are also displayed by the close cut, speeder-style windscreen. Also notice the aluminium look bash plates with the air intake adopted from the famous GS.

Tech wise, the Concept C features a complex monolever mechanism with hollowed-out shaft connected to a visible suspension strut. In this concept, front-wheel control takes the form of an upside down fork. The stable twin disc brakes up front features two radial brake calipers. In addition, there’s a single disc brake at the rear and ABS.

While electric drive is a future possibility, the Concept C features internal combustion engines. It’s powered by a new, two-cylinder inline engine paired to a CVT. Engine power, torque, and therefore performance “will be moving towards the top of the segment” it’s claimed, although no figures are given. By the way, the Gilera GP 800 packs in 75 hp and 76 Nm of torque, so BMW will have to top that to be the top dog.

Gallery after the jump.
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Goodyear donates tyres to St John Ambulance Malaysia

March 29, 2011 at 10:33 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Local News

Goodyear has underlined its commitment to the local community through its renewed support of St John Ambulance Malaysia (SJAM) for the sixth consecutive year. Goodyear Malaysia recently donated 36 units of 185R14C G28 tyres to the SJAM-Kawasan Pantai Selangor chapter to be fitted on its fleet of Toyota Hiace ambulances.

“Goodyear is pleased to be supporting SJAM again as we believe that their efforts in social and humanitarian work benefits the local community and creates a long term vision for the country at large. It also further supports Goodyear’s commitment of encouraging community safety,” said Richard Fleming, MD of Goodyear Malaysia.

Goodyear’s Global Philanthropic Program identifies recipients based on whether it meets civic, economic and educational growth as well as the opportunity to improve social and physical community health. Under Goodyear’s community outreach program, support can be extended in the form of grants, sponsorships, in-kind donations as well as volunteer opportunities for Goodyear associates. Grant proposals with a safety focus are given highest priority.

SJAM is one of the oldest non-governmental organizations in Malaysia that promotes the teaching of First Aid and related health care issues to the community. It carries out projects such as mass CPR training, Citizen Action and Response in Emergencies (CARE) and First Aid Training Projects designed to place a first aider in every home across the country.

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Proton starts 2011 APRC campaign in confident mood

March 28, 2011 at 7:37 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Local News, Malaysian Makes, Motorsports, Proton, Proton Satria Neo

Proton Motorsports launched its 2011 Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) campaign few hours ago at Sunway, with the team preparing for the season opening Rally of Malaysia this weekend (1-3 April) in confident mood. Proton regarded last year as a learning year, but expects better results this year.

“We have proven that the Satria Neo S2000 is a race winning car. We are out this year to prove that it is also a championship winning contender,” said Datuk Abdul Razak Dawood, head of Proton Motorsports. Proton Group MD Dato’ Sri Syed Zainal Abidin, who firmly believes in the power of motorsports, also shared this view, urging the team to stand on the podium and win races this season.

Proton will field two Satria Neo S2000 cars piloted by Alister McRae and Chris Atkinson. They will be joined by two Group N Satria Neos campaigned by CUSCO of Japan. These two lightly modded 1,600 cc Neos will be driven by Kosuke Takashino and Akira Bamba, the latter looking like a J-pop boyband member. These cars are being sold to competitors in Japan wanting to race in the APRC and domestic rally championships.

The Neo S2000 has collected some improvements over last year, mainly in the suspension and engine. For the former, MEM has worked together with Dutch company Reiger for a setup that has more travel and with less friction in the dampers. Engine wise, they worked on the mid range for a stronger punch out of corners with less need to downshift. This complements the already strong top end response.

Last year, Proton finished second in the APRC Manufacturer’s Championship and its best result was a 1-2 finish at the China Rally. The brand is no stranger to winning in the regional series; it was champion in 2001, 2002 and 2004. Besides APRC, Proton is also competing in this year’s Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC).

I focused my lens more on the CUSCO Group N car, as we’re all rather familiar with the Neo S2000 by now (click here to see it in action in Monte Carlo). Gallery after the jump!
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Next generation Nissan Tiida (Latio) hatchback spotted in China, and it looks good!

March 28, 2011 at 3:48 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, China, Nissan

It looks like China is the country to look at when it comes to checking out the latest and greatest stuff from Nissan for the average layman (not the expensive stuff like the 370Z, GT-R, etc). The new Nissan Sunny made its world debut in China, and we also saw a revised design for the Nissan Teana. And now we have this, an all-new Nissan Tiida, known as the Nissan Latio in Malaysia.

These images from Chinese website Auto Sohu show a very attractive looking new Nissan Tiida hatchback, whichh has now become a full fledged C-segment vehicle rather the B/C segment car that was the current generation Tiida. Nissan’s B-segment sedan and hatch offerings are now officially the March and the Sunny.

According to Auto Sohu, wheelbase for the new Tiida is now a Sylphy-matching 2,700mm, one of the longest in the C segment, which should translate into decent interior space. I wonder if this look will translate well onto a sedan body. A sedan based on this platform and wheelbase length can be used to replace the Bluebird Sylphy.

Apparently the Latio will also get a hot hatch version powered by the 1.6 litre turbo engine that you can currently find in the Nissan Juke. The MR16DDT makes 188 horsepower and 240Nm of torque, which will transform the new Tiida into an interesting competitor for the likes of the Golf GTI and the Mazda 3 MPS.
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BMW Performance Power Kit for N47 diesel: 420Nm!

March 28, 2011 at 1:18 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under BMW, Cars, Diesel Cars in Malaysia

If you have a BMW 4-cylinder turbodiesel car, you might be interested in a new range of tuning kits for your oil burners straight from Munich.

The latest BMW Performance Power Kit released at Geneva early this year can bring the 184hp/380Nm 20d 4-cylinder N47 turbodiesel engine’s power output up to a nice 200 horsepower and 420Nm of torque, while fuel consumption remains unchanged. The 420Nm peak comes in from 2,000rpm.

Unfortunately for the 520d, it’s only available for manual cars at the moment, I’m guessing this is something to do with the 8-speed automatic as the 6-speed-equipped 3-Series doesn’t have any issue with the power kit on the automatic version.

For the 177 horsepower version of the 320d, the upgrade kit brings power up to 197 horsepower, with peak torque clocking in at 390Nm from 1,750rpm. The higher torque improves acceleration across the speed range, and it is claimed that highway acceleration time from 80km/h to 120km/h will drop by as much as 1 second.

Both these power kits are not just a simple remap – an uprated intercooler and a 600W radiator fan is required to maintain OEM reliability and is part of the package.

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VIDEO: Petronas Formula 1 teasers featuring the MGP W02

March 28, 2011 at 11:58 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Formula 1, Mercedes Benz, Motorsports, Videos

Mercedes GP Petronas had an Australian GP to forget, with both Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher scoring DNFs. Both drivers were involved in collisions that affected their race, leading VP of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport Norbert Haug to call it the “toughest weekend of our 20 races”.

But that’s racing, and we hope to see the Petronas backed team bounce back in front of “home fans” at the Malaysian GP.

The national oil company has produced a series of teasers for its upcoming F1 ad, which is themed “Who says Formula 1 technology is only for Formula 1?”. The four teasers released so far shows the Mercedes MGP W02 appearing in daily life situations, which ties in with the tagline.

There’s one showing Harajuku girls using the F1 car and another where a European lady jogs past a parked Silver Arrow on the sidewalk. There’s even one featuring a Malaysian toll booth!

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Team Lotus: Not in midfield yet, but happy with race pace

March 28, 2011 at 11:18 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Formula 1, Motorsports

Team Lotus’ stated aim this season is to catch the midfield teams, teams like Toro Rosso and Force India, and eventually bigger players like Lotus Renault. But while the former two were in the points in yesterday’s Australian GP, and Petrov scored a podium for LR, TL’s sole finisher Jarno Trulli was 13th and only ahead of Virgin. That’s the same place they were occupying for the best part of last season. But the boss sounds pleased though.

“I am happy. After a tense day to see Jarno have a strong finish in 15th (before the two Saubers were disqualified) and show good speed in the race is very pleasing. We knew we had a potential issue with the radiator on Heikki’s car so when he had to pull over it was not a surprise, but the main thing for me today is that the pace we showed in the pre-season tests is back,” said team principal Tony Fernandes.

“We were able to stay with the midfield teams and that has been the stated target for this year so now we know we have a base to build on for the season ahead and some time to fix the radiator issue before we go home to Malaysia for the next race,” he added.

Kovalainen, who retired due to a radiator leak on lap 20, gave an honest review. “Until the retirement I was very pleased with my own performance. I had a good start and was then staying with Alguersuari and Perez until the water leak brought my race to an end.

“I think this has been a bit of a tricky weekend for us, perhaps more difficult than we had anticipated, but we have some time now to analyse why the pace wasn’t quite where we had expected it to be and to work on the reliability before we get to Malaysia.”

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GALLERY: Ford Ranger unveiled at Bangkok Motor Show

March 28, 2011 at 9:35 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Ford, International News

We saw the all-new Ford Ranger one day before the Thai public got to do so, and so did you in our previous post, but here are more pics of the handsome truck revealed at Impact Bangkok. As mentioned, production of the one-tonne challenger will kick off in Thailand mid 2011, and it’s scheduled to arrive in Malaysia early next year.

The Ranger gets an all-new platform paired to a fresh drivetrain. It’s set to raise the segment bar by offering a six-speed automatic and manual transmissions, and the main engine will be a 2.2-litre TDCi with 150 PS and 375 Nm of torque. There’s also a 3.2-litre five-cylinder oil burner with 200 PS and 470 Nm. A third option that won’t be coming here is the 166 PS/226 Nm Duratec petrol engine.

At the preview event, we weren’t allowed on stage for photography, which meant that no interior shots were possible. However, at the launch, I took my chances and rushed up the platform amidst the chaos to sneak a few shots of the cabin. Not the most comprehensive collection, but it’s all I managed before being “ushered” off the stage.

What do you think of the new Ranger? Do you like what you see and hear? So far we’re impressed, and can’t wait to drive it. Live gallery from BKK after the jump.
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