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Malacca state exco set to go the green path with hybrids

March 17, 2011 at 2:02 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Honda, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, Local News

Well, it’s always nice to hear that more are adopting the green path – pretty soon, it looks like a state government is going that route in a big way for its automotive-related needs. According to a report in The Star, Malacca state exco members and other top officials could be cruising in hybrid vehicles soon, if an offer to become more environment-friendly goes through.

The offer, in this case, is from Honda Malaysia, which has submitted a proposal to the state for it to change its current fleet of cars to far greener ones, namely the Insight hybrid.

“Honda is offering us a good deal and we are now waiting for the green light from the Federal Government. We have also assessed the proposal by Proton on similar cars and will leave it to the Federal Government to decide,” the state’s Chief Minister Datuk Mohd Ali Rustam said.

A new portfolio called Green Technology has been created, falling under the purview of Mohd Ali, who added that the state government was also contemplating the use of only electric-powered taxis and buses in order to create a greener Malacca.

He said that the state government was studying the blueprints submitted by Proton and a heavy vehicle manufacturer from China to introduce electric taxis and buses in the state, with the change to be carried out in stages if implementation begins.

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Will Giandomenico Basso be Proton’s second IRC driver?

March 17, 2011 at 12:51 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Malaysian Makes, Motorsports, Proton, Proton Satria Neo

According to a report, Italian rally driver Giandomenico Basso has had a test session with Proton Motorsports, and the 37-year-old said he’d seriously consider driving for the Malaysian team in this year’s Intercontinental Rally Challenge.

Eurosport reports that Basso drove a Satria Neo Super 2000 on asphalt roads in the Liguria region of Italy last week, and the four-time IRC event winner said he thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

“It was very stable and well balanced. We planned to use a road that I am familiar with as a benchmark to see how this car compared with other Super 2000 cars I have driven in the past. Unfortunately, that road was covered in snow so we went to a different road instead. But there was definitely potential with the car and I enjoyed working with the team. They made me feel very welcome, they worked very hard and I was impressed with their approach,” Basso said.

“I would like to come back to the IRC. That is my focus and that is the championship I enjoy. Nothing has been formally agreed, but if Proton propose me something I would think very seriously about accepting it,” he added.

So far, Per-Gunnar Andersson is the only confirmed driver for the Satria Neo S2000 in the 2011 Intercontinental Rally Challenge season. Proton has yet to finalise who will run alongside the 30-year-old Swede.

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Honda Malaysia introduces facelifted Accord – and there’s no change in pricing across the range

March 17, 2011 at 11:53 am By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Honda, Local News

Honda Malaysia has introduced the facelifted Accord for 2011, with some minor cosmetic enhancements leading the way – the car gets a new chrome front grille, front bumper, a rear chrome trunk lid and a new 17-inch alloy wheel design, the latter to be found on the 2.4 litre variant.

Other revisions and refinements come in the form of front corner sensors, an enhanced interior cabin, and though push-button start ignition still isn’t to be found, there’s a new jack-knife ignition key.

The interior remains very much unchanged – everything, for example, is retained on the dashboard (instrument, switchgear etc) as it was on the pre-facelift model – but there are some refinements, if you like. These consist of a thicker floor mat to reduce the effect of noise, vibration and harshness (NVH), one of the areas which the old car was perhaps lagging behind on, and both 2.0 litre VTi-L and VTi variants now come with a new leather steering wheel, with the latter also getting a leather-wrapped gear knob. No changes mechanically speaking, so the 2.0 and 2.4 litre four-pot units continue as is, with the same numbers.

The nicest news is that Honda Malaysia hasn’t bumped up the price for any of the facelifted variants, so the three Accord versions continue to sail on as such: RM142,800 for the 2.0 litre VTi, RM149,800 for the 2.0 litre VTi-L model and RM172,800 for the 2.4 litre VTi-L model, all on-the-road with insurance.

Five colours are available, these being Taffeta White, Alabaster Silver Metallic, Polished Metal Metallic and Crystal Black Pearl, joined by a new shade called Celestial Blue Metallic. The car’s already in the showrooms, so all you need is to haul on over.

As an aside, Honda Malaysia is presenting a photography exhibition tour in conjuction with the introduction of the facelifted car. The Journey of Ambition will showcase the legacy of the Accord, driven by Honda’s engineering spirit and boundless ambitions.

The exhibition starts off at Queensbay Mall, Penang from April 13-17, then heads on to One Utama Shopping Centre, PJ from April 20-24 and Empire Gallery, Subang from May 25-29 before ending in Tebrau City in Johor Bahru from June 21-26.

Gallery of the, ahem, facelifted car after the jump.
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BMW M5 teaser video reveals instrumentation panel

March 17, 2011 at 10:43 am By Paul Tan Filed Under BMW, Cars

BMW has released another set of teaser videos for the new BMW M5, showing engineers/test drivers testing the car in Austria. Not only do you get to see the M5 sliding around in the snow, but the video reveals some details about the M5′s interior as well.

The image above shows the M5′s instrumentation panel. The steering wheel in this car is not the final one – you can see the “M” button on the left spoke is a generic square white button with the letter M on it instead of it being nicely integrated into the steering wheel controls.

The instrumentation panel is unique though – it’s got its M logos, red needles, and the usual variable redline that you get in M cars. In this car, the engine must have warmed up already – the yellow zone is already at its minimum starting from 6,800rpm and the redline starts from 7,200rpm – not as high as the E60 M5 so you won’t get a screamer in the engine bay but turbo V8 power will make up for that.

Look after the jump for one more screenshot as well as two videos.
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BMW M3 Ute Truck spotted at the Nurburgring!

March 16, 2011 at 9:42 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under BMW, Cars

Remember the E39 M5 which had been converted to a utility truck by its owner? Well, someone has done the same to the latest BMW M3, and it’s actually none other than BMW themselves. This BMW M3 Ute was spotted at the famous Nurburgring race track, presumably undergoing suspension testing. It looks like the kind of thing which makes you look at your calendar to see if it’s the 1st of April yet!

Apparently it’s a one-off car commissioned by a company that makes accessories for BMW Motorrad bikes. We know bikes and pick-up trucks somehow go together, but despite that flatbed I don’t think any bike could fit in there!

Look after the jump for the rest of the photos.
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Motor insurance to go up from January 1, 2012

March 16, 2011 at 4:54 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News

Motorists will have to pay more for the motor insurance cover from January 1, 2012 onwards. For those who have been following the news, you would know that general insurers have been lamenting about an unsustainable motor insurance framework for the longest time.

Motor insurance tariffs have been stagnant for more than 30 years. Accident rates are up (why – have our driving skills become worse, or perhaps our roads?), and cars are becoming increasingly more complicated and expensive to fix.

Under the new motor cover framework, premiums will go up from the January 1, 2012 and will gradually be increased over a period of four years. From 2016, it seems the motor cover industry will detariff, which will allow general insurers to set whatever prices they want, opening up the possibility of competition to offer the best rates to car owners. We could end up seeing more premium insurance providers with quick and premium service alongside “no-frills” budget insurance providers, with a lot of hurdles during the claims process.

Here’s an example of the changes that will happen in 2012. For Third Party cover, motorcycles with 110cc engines will have their premiums increased by amounts of between RM1.00 to RM3.50 per year. For a private car with an engine size of 1,400cc, premiums will go up by between RM6 to RM34 a year. These are the only examples released by Bank Negara so far – we will report more info once it’s available.

Source

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Honda Brio spied in Thailand, to be launched tomorrow

March 16, 2011 at 1:41 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Honda, International News, Spyshots

The Honda Brio will be launched in Bangkok tomorrow, but it has already been caught testing on a Thai motorway. As we can see from this white example – which doesn’t wear badges, but is undisguised – the production car stays true to the concept’s lines. This is of course assuming that the mule seen here is production ready, which we think it is.


We were there at the Thai Motor Expo last November to bring to you live coverage of the Brio Prototype’s world debut. It was revealed then that the A-segment Brio is 3,610 mm long, 1,680 mm wide and 1,475 mm tall. That’s 45 mm longer, 85 mm wider, but 65 mm lower than a Hyundai i10. These profile side-by-side pics show no difference between the concept and the white mule (except for body coloured B pillars), which pics appeared on a Thai website.

This blur shot of the rear also shows no changes to the Brio’s rear, which features a distinctive hatch that’s blacked out entirely. The spied car also wears a rear spoiler like the concept. We’ll have to wait for the launch for more info, specs and price. It was mentioned that this Thai eco car will cost approximately 400,000 baht.

Click here to see more of the Brio.

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Some highlights from the Castrol EDGE Experience Nurburgring finals at Sepang earlier this month

March 16, 2011 at 1:01 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Videos

Video from The Star Online

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Pininfarina BlueCar to be built for French car sharing service

March 16, 2011 at 11:54 am By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, International News

Pininfarina has announced that it has penned a contract with Cecomp and Bolloré, in which it will build 4,000 of its BlueCar electric vehicle for Autolib, a car sharing service which will be operational in October 2011 in Paris and 40 other municipalities in the Île-de-France district.

The car, which will feature as the mainstay in the low-cost car rental scheme, will be built at the company’s plant in Bairo Canavese in northern Italy. The contract will run until December 31, 2013, at a total rental rate of 14 million euros.

The BlueCar, which made its debut in at the Paris Motor Show in 2008, is a four-seater, five-door hatch which features a Lithium Metal Polymer battery that can be recharged at a traditional mains plug. With a life span of around 200,000 km, the battery enables the car to have an operational range of up to 250 km on a single charge.

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Volkswagen Group to introduce Seat brand in China

March 16, 2011 at 11:50 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, International News, SEAT

The Volkswagen Group wants to further enlarge its already huge footprint in China, and will call on Spanish brand Seat to provide the extra ammunition. VW has decided to introduce the Seat brand in the world’s largest auto market, and will set up a stand for Seat at next month’s Shanghai auto show.

According to IHS Global Insight, the first Seat models will be imported from Europe, before production starts at VW’s Foshan assembly plant, which will be completed in 2013. VW Group brands already present in China include Audi, Lamborghini, Skoda and of course, Volkswagen.

Spain based Seat doesn’t have much of a presence outside Europe. It makes lower priced alternatives to mainstream VW brand cars with an accent on sport. This ingredient will be its unique selling point in China.

Seat sold 340,000 vehicles last year and lost 311 million euros. Some reports say that VW will give up on the brand by 2015 if it fails to make money. Last roll of the dice perhaps?

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