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Infiniti and Red Bull Racing considering road car project

May 24, 2011 at 10:41 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Formula 1, Infiniti, International News

Nissan’s luxury brand Infiniti is the latest and most prominent sponsor of Red Bull Racing, and it is wasting no time in milking the potential. Infiniti has plans to collaborate with the F1 champions on a high performance road car project, it has been revealed.

“Our relationship with Red Bull is only five races old, but the trajectory for it is to move on and work more closely together. One way of doing that is on a road car project,” said Simon Sproule, Nissan’s Corporate VP for Global Motorsport.

The Brit cited the well regarded Renault Clio Williams as a “credible” and successful example of a collaboration between a road car maker and a race team. He said that whichever base car chosen will have to be substantially reworked and would have to be re-homologated before it can go on sale.

The Clio Williams was launched in 1992, but it was entirely engineered by Renault. This collaboration is likely to involve real F1 engineers from Red Bull. “There’s no reason not to be involved. We have proved that Red Bull can take on the likes of Mercedes in F1 despite their heritage and a natural evolution of that would be to use our expertise we have in [developing] road cars,” said RBR team boss Christian Horner.

Infiniti has a two-year sponsorship deal in place with Red Bull, and they expect the fruits of this collaboration to be on sale within 18 to 24 months from now.

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Aston Martin V12 Zagato endurance racer concept debuts

May 23, 2011 at 8:08 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Aston Martin, Cars, Concept Cars, International News


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Aston Martin’s newest collaboration with Zagato, the V12 Zagato endurance racer concept, was unveiled over the weekend at the Villa D’Este Concours in Lake Como, Italy, primarily as a basis to gauge customer interest, with a view towards a strictly limited run of road-going V12 Zagatos to come about.

The company’s V12 Vantage model provides the basis for the V12 Zagato, but the new two-door, two-seat coupe is very much its own entity design-wise, as should be the case. The new handcrafted aluminium body is shaped in such a manner that’s not possible using pre-formed panel techniques, AM says – utilising the skill of nearly 100 years of heritage in the craft, every aluminium panel on the car has been formed using an English wheel and traditionally-crafted body bucks.


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For example, each front wing comprises seven separate pieces of aluminium, combined and then hand finished to give one flowing form. Another iconic Zagato design cue is the double bubble roof, created in this case from five separate pieces, illustrating further the intensity of craftsmanship involved in the construction of the car.

The V12 Zagato is powered by an all-alloy, quad overhead cam 6.0 litre V12 mill producing 510 hp and 570 Nm of torque, mated to a rear mid-mounted, six-speed automated manual gearbox with auto shift manual/select shift manual (ASM/SSM) electric hydraulic control system.


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Like the first DB4GT Zagato, which was shown to the public in late 1960 and which spent much of its life as a racing car after being launched, the new car is set to walk the same path – the first two V12 Zagatos to be created are set to serve as endurance race cars.

The car will make its racing debut in the 53. ADAC ACAS H&R-Cup VLN round at Nürburgring next week, with a view to two cars racing in the 24 hour race on June 25-26.

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20 years on, Mazda’s winning 787B returns to Le Mans

May 23, 2011 at 5:02 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Mazda, Motorsports


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This year marks the 20th anniversary of Mazda’s victory in the world’s most famous endurance race, the 24-Hours of Le Mans. In 1991, Mazda became the first, and till now, only Japanese car manufacturer to win Le Mans, completing 362 laps at an average speed of about 205 km/h.

Driven by England’s Johnny Herbert, Belgian Bertrand Gachot and German Volker Weidler, the 787B is also the only rotary powered car to have won Le Mans.

To commemorate this, Mazda has been invited to demo the 787B on the Circuit de la Sarthe on June 11, hours before the 2011 Peugeot vs Audi showdown begins. In addition, the 787B will also take part in the Driver’s Parade through the Le Mans city centre on Friday, June 10.

The orange and green 787B featured a chassis designed to meet Group C technical regulations and was powered by a four-rotor rotary engine that produced 700 PS.

Since the win, the 787B has been on display at the Mazda Museum in Hiroshima, Japan. In preparation for the demo, Mazda has carefully restored it back to driving condition for the first time since its post-race overhaul in 1991. The work was carried out by current Mazda employees who participated in the company’s original Le Mans Challenge Project, along with engineers from Mazda’s subsidiary engineering company Mazda E&T.

The restored car has been tested by in-house development drivers, and its performance has been confirmed at Mazda’s Mine Proving Ground in Japan.

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UMW Toyota’s production recovers, now back to two shifts

May 23, 2011 at 3:42 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Toyota

UMW Toyota Motor has announced that vehicle production at its Assembly Services Sdn Bhd (ASSB) plant will resume back to two-shift operations from today (23 May) as parts supply from Japan has stabilised after the disruption caused by the earthquake/tsunami disaster that happened in March. ASSB assembles the Vios, Hiace, Innova, Hilux and Fortuner.

Ismet Suki, President of UMW Toyota Motor said: “We are delighted that with the strong efforts taken by our principal, Toyota Motor Corporation and all related parties including our suppliers, we can resume to normal production earlier than expected.

“Our commitment to our customers remains topmost in our priority. We will continue our efforts to deliver vehicles to customers at the earliest possible timing. We appreciate our customers’ and business partners’ kind understanding during this difficult time. We will update all our customers on their vehicle delivery status individually,” he added.

This comes after news that Toyota’s three Thai plants will see production resume to double shifts today.

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Range Rover Evoque to arrive in the fourth quarter this year, ‘Salam Kuala Lumpur’ campaign launched today

May 23, 2011 at 1:02 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Land Rover, Local News

We’re in Pavilion KL now, where Land Rover Malaysia has kick started the pre-launch marketing campaign for the new Range Rover Evoque. To be launched here in the fourth quarter of this year, Land Rover’s latest product will be priced between RM300k and 400k. It’s a big ballpark, but Land Rover Malaysia will be trying hard to price it at the lower half of that scale.

Launched at last year’s Paris show as a three-door ‘coupe’, Land Rover uncovered the five-door version at the LA show – both variants will be brought to Malaysia. There will be two engine choices for us to choose from – a 240 bhp 2.0 litre Si4 turbocharged petrol engine with direct fuel injection and twin VVT, and the SD4 2.2L diesel engine with 190 PS and 420 Nm. The SD4 is already in Malaysia powering the facelifted Land Rover Freelander.

As for the pre-launch efforts, it’s part of a global campaign for the Evoque called ‘HELLOEVOQUE’, where the Evoque says Hello to major cities in the local language. For us, they’ve chosen the line ‘Salam Kuala Lumpur’ and there will be two wireframe installations that will be placed around the city – a blue one which depicts a three-door version and a five-door one, which will be in green.

Designed by London artist Benedict Radcliffe, the life-sized wireframe is making its debut in South East Asia. If you remember, this Hello idea was also used on the test mules prior to its debut.

“We are extremely excited about the market potential and impact of the Evoque. It’s a game changer for the Range Rover brand as it defines a completely new segment in the SUV market. We are targeting a younger market who are style, technology and environmentally conscious. The Evoque offers a complete Range Rover experience in a smaller, more sustainable and attainable vehicle,” said Land Rover Malaysia MD Mohd Hazem Abd Rahman.

Besides the LRX concept car design, which is the obvious main selling point, we reckon that the Evoque’s unique cabin ambience is a main draw – it’s high tech yet luxurious. Click here to view our live gallery of the Evoque from the Paris show floor.

By the way, order books for the Evoque are now open. We hear that LR Malaysia has about 30 names in it already!

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Team Proton R3 dominates Round 2 of the MSS

May 23, 2011 at 10:27 am By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Malaysian Makes, Motorsports, Proton, Proton Satria Neo

It was a successful weekend for Team Proton R3 at Sepang, with its two entries finishing first and second in the two races in Round 2 of the Malaysian Super Series (MSS). Faidzil Alang and his team-mate Syafiq Ali dominated the field to win both races in their Satria Neo and GEN.2 R3 race cars, each driver topping the podium once.

In Race 1, Faidzil made the most of his pole position and led the race from start to finish, with the only serious challenge coming from Syafiq. Syafiq, who qualified in fourth place due to a problem during qualifying, made a great start to overtake the second and third-placed cars to slot in behind team-mate Faidzil by the end of the first turn, and both drivers maintained their positions to the chequered flag.

In Race 2, heavy rain delayed the start by almost an hour and it eventually started as a wet race. Faidzil led the race from the start, trailed by Syafiq. A mechanical problem on the third lap saw Faidzil forced to relinquish his lead to Syafiq, and he ran the rest of the race fending off eventual third-placed finisher, Siah W Pyng, who also finished third in Race 1.

“We are thrilled with the results this weekend. Despite the stiff competition and challenging weather conditions, our team were well prepared to face anything. This is a testimonial of all the development work and testing we’ve done in preparation for this season as well as our experiences from previous races,” said Datuk Abdul Razak Dawood, Head of Proton Motorsports Division.

Round 3 of the Malaysian Super Series 2011 will take place on July 2-3, while Round 4 runs on Oct 1-2, and the final round is on Nov 26-27.

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B5 biodiesel programme to start with Putrajaya

May 23, 2011 at 9:52 am By Anthony Lim Filed Under Diesel Cars in Malaysia, Local News, Malaysian Fuel Prices

The implementation of the B5 biodiesel programme in the country is set to begin in June, with Putrajaya starting off things, according to Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Tan Sri Bernard Dompok.

It’s all going according to plan, as announced last year, for B5, which is a blend of 95% regular petroleum-based diesel and 5% palm oil-based biodiesel. The minister told reporters last Fri that the programme will be introduced in stages, starting from Putrajaya, before its full implementation at all petrol stations nationwide.

He added that B5 blend’s price mechanism will be regulated and determined by the Finance Ministry. “The price will not burden the people and the Government will ensure that it will be affordable to everyone,” he was quoted as saying.

The introduction, of course, follows on the recent announcement that the super subsidy on regular diesel is to be removed, meaning everyone – including those running commercial vehicles – will have to pay the same RM1.80 per litre for regular diesel.

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Team Lotus: Up and down, but pretty pleased overall

May 23, 2011 at 4:23 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Formula 1, Lotus, Motorsports

It was quite a rollercoaster Spanish GP for Team Lotus. Saturday was a high, when Kovalainen entered Q2 and qualified 15th, but it didn’t quite pay off in the end, although they had quite a strong start to the race. Heikki reflects:

“It’s a real shame my afternoon came to an end like that. I made a mistake on the entry to turn four and went off but up until that point the race was pretty good. Both Jarno and I were right in the mix early on and we were fighting in the midfield for a lot of the race but then the tyres started to go off and the early pace wasn’t there for the later stages of the afternoon.

“Maybe we should have pitted earlier on but we’ve still learnt a lot from this weekend and can take that to Monaco where I think it will be a very interesting weekend for everyone,” he said.

“Heikki made a small mistake on lap 52 and then Jarno had a cracked exhaust which meant we had to keep an eye on that, but overall we have made real progress this weekend and have amassed a great deal of data on the new package that will help us learn how to get the most out of all the changes, so it is another positive weekend for the whole team,” said Mike Gascoyne, Chief Technical Officer.

Deputy Team Principal Kamarudin Meranun sounded quite upbeat too: “There are a number of positives to take from this afternoon – we were able to fight with the established teams and have shown that we are consistently improving, little by little. That is the key goal for this year and we keep moving forward so we leave Spain pretty pleased overall.”

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Vettel holds off Hamilton to win the Spanish GP, Button 3rd

May 22, 2011 at 10:29 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Formula 1, Motorsports

Championship leader Sebastian Vettel has held off Lewis Hamilton to win the Spanish GP. The McLaren man gave everything he had and put up a great challenge but Vettel kept a cool head to claim the chequered flag six tenths ahead of Lewis. Jenson Button stopped one time less than the front runners to complete the podium for McLaren.

Pole sitter Mark Webber will be disappointed with fourth. He was jumped by Vettel and Alonso at the start and never was in contention after that. Home favourite Alonso sensationally leaped both Red Bulls at the start, but surrendered the lead to Vettel after the second round of pit stops. He finishes fifth, a lap down.

Michael Schumacher finishes sixth, just ahead of Mercedes GP Petronas teammate Nico Rosberg and Nick Heidfeld. Rosberg looked faster than the multiple champ in many phases of the race, but just couldn’t get past. Quick Nick on the other hand drove a great race from 24th on the grid to eighth – he didn’t set a qualifying lap yesterday. Rounding off the points paying spots are the Sauber duo of Sergio Perez (9th) and Kamui Kobayashi (10th).

There were plenty of overtaking for Catalunya standards, helped by this year’s KERS, DRS and Pirelli tyres. There was action from the start, where Webber dived in to block Vettel, only to see the Ferrari of Alonso take both from the inside. Others that had a good start were Schumi (up to 6th) and Trulli, who jumped Team Lotus teammate Kovalainen despite starting three places behind.

The soft Pirellis don’t last long, and Vettel was the first of the leaders to pit at Lap 10. He came out behind the Schumacher train and immediately overtook Button and Massa in style. Alonso and Webber pitted the next lap, but the order remained. As the others dived in the pits, Trulli and Heikki were up to 7th and 8th at a point, surely the highest they’ve ever been, albeit temporarily.

Vettel started the second round of stops on Lap 18. Alonso followed two laps later but came out behind the Red Bull. The Spaniard was now being chased by Webber, who found it very hard to pass. This two went on battling for a long time, letting the McLarens jump them in the process. Around Lap 36, Button, who was on soft tyres (others had to use their hard rubber) really turned on the pace to overtake the duo.

In the final stages, Hamilton got very close to Vettel, Massa retired after a poor race and Heidfeld mounted a profitable late charge. The race didn’t turn out as wished by Team Lotus – Kovalainen crashed out on Lap 51 and Trulli finished 18th, two laps down and only ahead of the Virgins and one HRT.

Click here for the official time sheet. Next week, F1 goes to Monte Carlo!

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Peugeot 508 to be launched in September 2011?

May 22, 2011 at 7:58 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Peugeot

Is Peugeot launching the new Peugeot 508 in September this year? This classifieds ad looking for female models on local forum LYN seems to indicate so. The date of the launch specified is from the 2nd of September 2011 to the 4th of September 2011, in a prominent Klang Valley shopping mall.

The Peugeot 508 is built on the same platform as the Citroen C5, and in one go Peugeot used the 508 to replace both the 407 and the larger 607, while the 308-based 408 sedan continued the 40x lineage.

I don’t expect the 508 to be priced at the same level as the 407 currently (about RM128k to RM133k), since there’s the 408 (which will be CKD) to fill that segment. Perhaps a high spec Peugeot 508 with a 1.6 litre turbo BMW-PSA Prince engine could be priced something close to a Ford Mondeo.

Hat tip to Peugeot-owner reader Azlan for the pointer!

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