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KTM X-Bow undergoing homologation at JPJ Putrajaya

May 13, 2011 at 6:32 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Spyshots

Fancy a KTM X-Bow to enjoy your country drives and have abit of fun on the track? Soon, you might be able to just buy one from authorised KTM showrooms in Malaysia, as a white KTM X-Bow was spotted at JPJ’s complex in Putrajaya, likely for homologation. This is probably not a grey car for sure as grey cars don’t usually go through this JPJ process.

The KTM X-Bow is an “open air” sports car in the style of the Caterham Seven and the Ariel Atom. It uses Audi’s 2.0 litre turbocharged TFSI engine and can hit 100km/h in 3.9 seconds.

Picture thanks to Kelab Hasil Ibupejabat JPJ.

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Hyundai i40 sedan debuts in Europe, to market late 2011

May 13, 2011 at 2:53 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Hyundai, International News

Hyundai’s new i40 sedan has been unveiled at the 2011 Barcelona Motor Show – the Europe-only offering follows in the footsteps of the i40 tourer, which made its debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March.

The 4.74-metre long i40 is the latest model to be unveiled under the company’s new brand slogan – ‘New Thinking. New Possibilities,’ and will go on sale in Europe in the fourth quarter of this year.

The car bears cues taken from the ‘fluidic sculpture’ philosophy, though here there are also elements of what is tagged ‘premium wing’ – Hyundai says its designers wanted to emphasise on creating fluidic volume with a modern touch as well as a sophisticated wing-like detail. The D-segment car has a wheelbase measuring 2.77 metres, and the company says it delivers best-in-class dimensions for front head (1,025mm), shoulder (1,455mm), and leg (1,170mm) room.

It will enter the market with a choice of four Euro V-compliant engines – two petrol and two diesel, with both manual and automatic transmission options. The diesels are 1.7 litre units, in 115 PS and 136 PS form; Hyundai is expecting the 136 PS unit to be the most popular engine among private and fleet buyers.

As for the petrol unit, these will be the 1.6 litre Gamma mill, offering 135 PS, and the all-new four-cylinder, 2.0 litre GDI engine called the ‘Nu’, which makes its debut in the i40. The Nu GDI lump generates 177 PS at 6,700 rpm and 208 Nm of torque at 4,700 rpm, and offers a 0-100 kph time of 9.7 seconds in an i40 equipped with it.

Transmission-wise, all four engine variant forms come with a six-speed manual gearbox, with only the 136 PS 1.7 litre diesel version also available in six-speed auto form. In terms of environmental performance, the car features the latest Blue Drive-derived technologies, including Intelligent Stop & Go (ISG), low rolling-resistance tyres and an alternator management system (AMS).

Elsewhere, the diesel-powered versions feature a new acoustic package developed for the variant/s – it utilises materials such as an air permeable carpet, sound absorbing layers for engine-room encapsulation, and textile wheel-arch liners to absorb noise sources from engine, road, and muffler, providing a 20% improvement in interior noise levels and a reduction in outside engine noise when idling, compared to an i40 without these features.

As for equipment levels, there’s smart-parking assist, a lane departure warning system, Bluetooth connectivity and full map navigation with a rear view camera, among others. There’s also standard day-time running lights with optional Xenon headlamps (optional) somewhere in the mix.

The company is looking at the i40 to build on the momentum gained on the continent in recent years, and is expecting to sell 60,000 units of the i40 in a full year.

Gallery after the jump.
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Saab-Hawtai deal falls through – Great Wall enters picture

May 13, 2011 at 10:14 am By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, International News, Saab

It looks like the reported deal between Hawtai Motors and Saab, which would have seen the Chinese automaker taking a 29.9% equity stake in Saab parent company Spyker Cars for US$172 million, has fallen through.

Apparently, Hawtai was not able to obtain all the necessary consents for the deal, which reports indicate may be because Beijing views the company as too small and too weak to manage the risks.

The reports add that Saab and Hawtai are continuing to work on a deal, but Saab added in a statement that the talks are no longer exclusive. Meanwhile, Chinese SUV maker Great Wall is also in talks with Spyker over a potential tie-up with the Swedish concern, which needs funds to pay overdue bills and resume long-term production.

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Delta E-4 Coupé – fast, yet frugal two-door electric

May 13, 2011 at 9:57 am By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, International News


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British engineering consultancy Delta Motorsports has launched its Delta E-4 Coupé, a battery-electric two-door coupe with a range of 320 km on a single charge. Not that the car isn’t quick – it has a 0-100 kph time of under five seconds.

Built from the ground up, the E-4 – officially unveiled at Silverstone – features a carbon composite chassis, designed by Delta and manufactured by KS Composites, that weighs just 85 kg, which is two-thirds less than a comparable steel structure despite being designed to pass EU crash tests.

It’s powered by high performance direct-drive electric motors designed in partnership with Oxford University and its spin-out, Oxford YASA Motors. These produce over 120 hp each and well over 600 Nm of torque, while only weighing 23 kg. The batteries are mounted under the floor to help reduce aerodynamic drag.


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Delta Motorsports, which was founded in 2005 by Simon Dowson and Nick Carpenter, has been working on the E-4 since 2007. Development of the prototype was supported by a grant for research and development by EMDA, an East Midlands regional development agency. A further five vehicles have been produced for the UK’s Technology Strategy Board’s Ultra Low Carbon Vehicle Demonstrator Program.

The E-4 Coupe will be taking part in this year’s RAC Future Car Challenge, which takes place in November.

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Proton aiming for more APRC glory in Australia

May 13, 2011 at 12:11 am By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Motorsports, Proton

Proton is looking to continue its good fortune in the second round of the Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC), the International Rally of Queensland, which begins today.

After winning the season opener, the Malaysian Rally, last month, Proton is currently leading the Manufacturers Championship with 35 points and the newly-incorporated APRC teams trophy with 54 points. Drivers Chris Atkinson and Alister McRae are also first and third in the drivers standings, with 33 points and 21 points respectively.

In last year’s Australian outing, both drivers were blazingly quick in the Satria Neo S2000, winning all but two of the stages – Atkinson clocked five fastest times from nine special stages on the opening day and a further six quickest times from eight special stages on the second day. It didn’t end with victory, however – Atkinson’s car stalled in a water crossing, while McRae was forced into retirement after hitting a large rock on the final day.

So the boys are back, looking to bag the glitter this time around. “There’s a real feeling in the team that we’re coming back to finish what we started in Queensland last year. We were really quick last time out, but we didn’t get the result. We want to change that this time,” said Atkinson.

“Competing in front of the home crowd does bring an extra element of pressure and expectation, but nobody expects more from me than I do myself. The roads over here are really good, and it rewards big commitment from the driver, which is what you want. There’s no doubt it’s going to be a big battle, particularly with Alister. Alister was fast here last year, as he was in Malaysia earlier this year, so he’s certainly going to be one for us to watch,” he added.

Meanwhile, McRae said the Satria Neo S2000 appeared to be well suited for the conditions in Australia, especially with more improvements made in terms of power delivery.

“The car felt very, very impressive in Malaysia after the work the team had done to it over the winter and we’ll be looking to getting even more performance out of it in here. Chris won in Malaysia and I would like to win here, but it’s not going to be easy to beat him with all the local support,” said the Scottish driver, who now resides in Australia.

Elsewhere, Proton will also be looking to continue its lead in the two-wheel drive manufacturer standings for the APRC Rally Cup, as well as the APRC Junior Championship, after an outstanding debut by the Japanese-based Proton Cusco Rally Team whose drivers took the team’s Group N Satria Neos to a one-two victory in Malaysia.

In Australia, the PCRT will be fielding Japanese driver Akira Bamba – who won the class in Malaysia – and veteran and multiple APRC champion Karamjit Singh, who is making his return to the championship.

Meanwhile, as a run-up to the rally, the Satria Neo S2000 was earlier pitted against a Eurocopter BK117 in a promotional “Rally Car versus Helicopter Race,” an event which had Proton winning it last year.

This year, however, the race against a helicopter with twice the number of engines and five-times the power output saw the Satria Neo S2000 narrowly beaten by three to two runs down the runway at the Sunshine Coast Airport in Marcoola.

The rally has received a record entry of 96 cars, including 16 overseas participants, representing 10 countries. Run over three days, the rally will cover 19 special stages with a competitive distance of 230.79 km driven over gravel.

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Ford Mondeo facelift and Ford S-MAX MPV at SDAC

May 12, 2011 at 5:07 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Ford

SDAC must be gearing up for the launch of both the Ford Mondeo and the Ford S-MAX as both were spotted by reader Desmond Choe at the SDAC headquarters in PJ two days ago. There were some test drives going on. Some readers also alerted us of this activity via our Facebook Fan Page (joined yet?).

The Mondeo is the new facelifted model that we managed to have a short go in awhile back, this time in white instead of black. The S-MAX you see here is an MPV built on the EUCD Mondeo platform, which makes it a larger vehicle than the Focus-based C-MAX and the Fiesta-based B-MAX.

Look after the jump for a complete gallery of the two vehicles.
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2011 Nissan Grand Livina facelift unveiled in Indonesia

May 12, 2011 at 3:56 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, International News, Nissan

Nissan is now selling a facelifted Nissan Grand Livina MPV in Indonesia, with small aesthetic upgrades such as a new front grille, a new alloy wheel design, and new white-faced instrument cluster dials.

The interior has also been given a black colour scheme, though things like interior colour are probably not something that might be specific to a facelift, just the country’s product planner ticking checkbox next to the item “black interior” instead of “cream interior”. The rest of the car and engines looks like they remain the same.

Look after the jump for a few shots of the updated MPV.
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Aston Martin and Zagato reunite again – new car due in 2012

May 12, 2011 at 2:16 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Aston Martin, Cars, International News


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Fifty years after the iconic DB4GT Zagato made its production debut, and 25 years after the V8 Vantage Zagato – and then later, the V8 Zagato Volante – came about, Aston Martin and Italian design house Zagato have announced that they have yet again renewed their famous partnership, with a new collaboration set to make its first showing as an initial concept at the Villa D’Este Concours in Lake Como, Italy on May 21.

No details yet on the concept, which the companies are presenting with a view towards a production car sometime in 2012, with only a teaser image available. Undoubtedly, there should be many more series production examples of the new Aston Martin Zagato vehicle than the 19 DB4GT Zagatos built.

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BWI develops lighter, smaller active stabiliser bar system

May 12, 2011 at 1:28 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, International News, Technology


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Another tech-related development, this time on the anti-roll front. Seems braking and chassis systems specialist BWI Group has developed a lightweight, more compact version of its proven Active Stabiliser Bar System (ASBS), and the new development is set to make the many benefits of active roll control available to a far wider range of vehicles.

Originally developed for large SUVs, the technology reduces the compromise between sharp handling and ride quality. Advances in the systems’ actuators and optimisation of other components has translated into a reduced weight of 15%, which means the system can meet the package constraints and weight targets of smaller cars, including sports cars and smaller SUVs.

The BWI Active Stabiliser Bar splits the anti-roll bar in the middle and uses a computer-controlled actuator (graphic below) to apply variable levels of torque to the ends of each section. When cornering, the system applies an anti-roll torque, opposed to the lateral acceleration, which limits body roll.


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When subject to road disturbances, the system has the ability to apply a torque opposed to the one generated by the springs and dampers, thus limiting head-toss. This gives the benefits of stiff, large diameter bars without the normal compromise in comfort and refinement.

Because ASBS can deal with all the vehicle roll angle and roll velocity inputs, leaving the springs and dampers to deal just with vertical inputs, it helps eliminate the traditional compromise between ride and handling. The system is able to modify the understeer or oversteer behaviour of vehicles near-instantaneously. With a range of linear and rotary actuators with single or twin channel operation, systems are available for a wide variety of applications.

The company has developed a new rotary actuator that will go into production on an SUV in 2012, while a high-performance sports car with an active stabiliser bar system is due to start production later this year, using BWI’s linear actuator. Current users of BWI’s ASBS include Land Rover – the Range Rover Sport uses ASBS actuators and hydraulic control modules.

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Toyota Prius – not all next-gen versions to be plug-in

May 12, 2011 at 12:54 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, International News, Toyota

Well, it seems the Nikkei didn’t quite get it right with its report on the next-generation Prius model range – due to arrive in 2014 – all coming with plug-in capability.

According to further reports following up on the original piece, Toyota, via its US office, has said that there’s no basis to believe that every next-gen Prius will be a plug-in. “The report is not accurate. We spoke to our offices in Japan, and the story is not true. There is no formal plan to make all Priuses plug-in by 2014,” a company spokesperson said.

Apparently, there’s no formal plan in place, so such an eventuality isn’t likely to arise, and with regards to pricing (the story said that the new plug-in models would enter the market at around the same price range as the current Prius line), nothing has been confirmed yet either.

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