Paul Tan on the Automotive Industry
This facelifted Proton Exora was snapped yesterday by reader Dg Hafidz at the Machap R&R stop. According to Hafidz, he had trouble keeping up with this Exora in his YRV-engined Perodua Kenari as the Exora had very good acceleration, often cruising at speeds of 150 kph to 165 kph. If the description is true, there definitely has to be something very interesting inside the engine bay, most likely the Campro Turbo.
Look after the jump for the rest of the spy photos.
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No, Driven isn’t back yet… but we’re trying out our first online video review. Remember the hijack video that was on this site sometime back? Harvinder has a little fun both on and off the road with the MINI Cooper S Countryman. Look after the jump for a full hi-res photo gallery. Or you can read our text test drive review by Danny Tan.
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Yesterday, we posted about the dissatisfaction some had with the FIA’s decision to reinstate the Bahrain GP, moving the inaugural Indian GP to be the season finale in the process. The likes of Red Bull’s Mark Webber and ex-FIA boss Max Mosley warned against F1 playing a part in Bahrain’s social unrest, which has claimed injuries and lives.
Now, the teams have collectively voiced their concern via the Formula One Teams’ Association (FOTA) umbrella body. FOTA has written to the sport’s guardians and stated that its members do not want to race in Bahrain on October 30, Autosport reported. FOTA did not release a public statement, but the report says that a letter has been delivered to the FIA, Formula One Management and the Bahrain GP organisers.
After discussing the issue over the past 36 hours, it is understood that FOTA’s stand is as per above, and that it wants the Indian GP be changed back to its original October 30 date. However, FOTA has apparently not ruled out a return of the Bahrain GP at some point. It is believed that they prefer this to happen in 2012, not this season.
Even Bernie Ecclestone is not 100% for the FIA decision. “The way things are at the moment, we have no idea what is going to happen. Better that we move Bahrain to the end of the season and, if things are safe and well, then that is fine, we can go. If they are not, then we don’t go and there are no problems,” the F1 supremo was quoted as saying.
Over in Japan, automakers are looking at turning electric and hybrid vehicles into external power sources for the home, aiming to turn them into a type of rolling battery, the Nikkei reports. The push has been strengthened by such assistance provided by these green cars, which helped supply emergency power in areas during the March earthquake that hit Japan, the report says.
Nissan says that electric vehicles can be used as storage batteries and supplementary power sources, and the company is working to equip its Leaf EV with the ability to feed power into homes. The car can for example be used as an emergency power source during a power outage, utilising the electricity stored in its battery overnight to be used in the house during the day. Fully charged, the Leaf’s 24 kwh lithium-ion battery can power the average house for about two days.
Mitsubishi Motors, meanwhile, plans to market an optional device that will enable its EVs to supply electricity to rice cookers and other home appliances. It plans to make the device compatible with all its eco-friendly vehicles, including the i-MiEV and eight new EV and plug-in hybrids it is planning to introduce over the next five years.
And Toyota is mulling over the inclusion of a power supply function on its future eco cars, including the Prius hybrid and the upcoming plug-in hybrid it is launching next year. Conversely, there’s already a home battery system – the Smart Energy Veus – that can be used to power a Prius, with some conversion work.
Elsewhere, Honda and the city of Saitama have embarked on the E-KIZUNA Project, and as part of this will construct a house to test its Honda Smart Home System, which will feature electricity generated from solar panels, storing the power in an EV and using it in combination with electricity supplied off the grid. It will also explore the system’s potential to independently produce electricity for the household in the event of a disaster.
There’s still a fair way to go before such practice becomes the norm – utilising electricity from EVs and hybrids to power homes will require utilities to modify their power lines, and new legislation concerning electrical equipment will also be required.
Mercedes-Benz has released pics and details of its next gen M-Class SUV, which will premiere at the Frankfurt show. They’ve taken the evolutionary route in terms of styling, which masks the fact that this M-Class rides on new underpinnings. No major change in recipe too – the ML still sits five in two rows.
Although the new car’s 2,915 mm wheelbase is unchanged, it’s 24 mm longer, 16 mm wider and 19 mm lower than the car it replaces. But at 4,804 mm long and 1,926 mm wide, the Merc is still 53 mm shorter than rival BMW X5, which is also slightly (7 mm) wider. Because of the familiar proportions and design, the ML is immediately recognisable as one. Perhaps Merc surveys showed that most are happy with the current looks.
What’s clearly all new is the cabin design, a big upgrade from the dated dash of the current car. The elements are the same, but the housing isn’t. As you can see here, it also looks very luxurious with a leather bound dash top, matte finish wood trim and quilted hide on the seats and door cards.
Three engines will be offered at launch, including a small four-cylinder diesel unit. It’s a twin-turbo 2.1-litre oil burner in the ML 250 Bluetec that produces 204 PS and 500 Nm of torque. That’s very impressive as it’s just 41 PS and 40 Nm short of the X5 30d despite displacing almost one litre less. For something we know, the N47D engine in the F10 520d does 184 hp and 380 Nm. Combined with stop-start and brake energy recuperation, the ML 250 Bluetec achieves 28% better economy than the current six-pot ML 300 CDI.
A step up is the ML 350 Bluetec with a 3.0L V6 diesel engine. This one has 258 PS and 619 Nm of torque. This should be good for a 7.5-second 0-100 km/h run before topping out at 224 km/h.
For the petrol fans in America and Asia, the ML 350 BlueEfficiency comes with a 3.5-litre V6 engine that pushes out 306 PS and 370 Nm of torque. A twin-turbo V8 powered ML63 AMG is in the works, as is a diesel hybrid. The latter will add an electric motor to the 2.1L diesel in the ML 250 Bluetec to make it the eco champ of the range. Autocar UK’s sources say that the hybrid will have 19.2 km/l economy.
All engines are paired to Merc’s 7G-Tronic Plus seven-speed automatic transmission and an AWD system. There’s also selective damping suspension and the optional Airmatic self-leveling air suspension plus Active Curve System with dynamic roll stabilisation. All these chassis tricks are controlled by knobs between the seats.
Full gallery after the jump.
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More adventures for the Nissan Leaf, this time going up a hill. In this case, no less than Pikes Peak – the Leaf is set to challenge convention further this June 26 when it competes in the 89th version of the international hill climb, with veteran Nissan off-road truck racing champion Chad Hord at the wheel.
The Leaf is set to compete in the Production Class for electric vehicles and, other than the removal of some interior parts like seats and carpets to make room for safety equipment (such as a roll cage, racing seats and safety harnesses), the Pikes Peak Leaf will be very close to the way it left the factory.
The car will be powered by, like every Leaf, a lithium-ion battery composed of 48 compact modules and a high-response 80kW AC synchronous motor offering 107 hp and 280 Nm of torque. Undoubtedly, the Pikes Peak car will certainly be dressed up for the occasion, but will it look anything like the purpose-built Leaf Nismo RC race car (pictured above), which is set to do two demo runs at the Le Mans Vers Le Futur support event at this weekend’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, one wonders.
Production for the new Audi Q3 has begun at SEAT’s factory in Martorell, Spain. The small SUV, which will do battle with BMW’s X1, had its world debut at the recent Shanghai show. Market launch is scheduled for the fourth quarter of this year.
Around 100,000 Q3s are slated to roll off the three-shift assembly line annually. Audi and SEAT together have invested around €330 million in infrastructure and facilities at the 18-year old plant. A new body shop featuring 450 robots was specially set up for the Q3 on a 322,917 sq.ft site. It features the “roof bell,” an innovative development from the Audi Toolmaking Shop in Ingolstadt. A robot grabs the roof and aligns it precisely while a second robot has the roof bell ready for the following roof of the next body.
By building the Q3 at Marotell, Audi will provide about 1,500 jobs at the plant, including 700 newly created positions. This comes at a time when Spain’s economy is in dire straits and unemployment is high, so it can be viewed as social responsibility on VW Group’s part. All staff have completed a 180-hour program designed specifically for the Q3.
In a future second phase, Audi plans to build the Q3 in China for local consumption. Read all about the Q3 and view the gallery here.
A new international racing series has been confirmed for next year. The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) and the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO), organisers of Le Mans, have formed a partnership to run the FIA World Endurance Championship starting in 2012.
The calendar of the first season will mirror the existing Intercontinental Le Mans Cup series, and the famous 24 Le Mans race will be the highlight. ACO’s ILMC made its debut at the end of last year with a three-round pilot series. Besides Le Mans, this year’s ILMC calendar includes races such as the Sebring 12 Hours, Spa-Francorchamps 6 Hours, Imola 6 Hours, Silverstone 6 Hours, Petit Le Mans (Road Atlanta, USA) and a 6-Hour race in China.
In order to symbolically seal this partnership, FIA president Jean Todt has been asked to start the 79th edition of the 24 Hours Le Mans race next week. “I am delighted to welcome the return of the FIA Endurance World Championship, especially with a promoter like ACO. I am also very pleased to have a legendary race like the 24 Hours of Le Mans as part of it,” the Datuk Seri said.
With the WEC in place, FIA World Endurance Championship titles will be awarded to constructors and drivers, and an FIA GT Endurance World Cup will be created for constructors.
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Mazda is set to premiere the Freestyle Cab version of its new BT-50 pickup at the upcoming Australian International Motor Show in Melbourne, which begins on July 1. It’s the second global debut taking place Down Under for the BT-50 – the dual-cab version premiered in Sydney last October.
As the moniker suggests, the pickup utilises the Freestyle door configuration first seen on the RX-8, thus offering an exceptionally wide pillar-less door opening and an increased sense of cabin space. On each side of the cabin, a front-hinged door and a rear access panel combine to provide a 1,408mm-wide opening that makes for easy entry to and exit from either the front or rear seats.
Mazda says that the rear-seat comfort has been improved in the Freestyle Cab – the cushions have been lengthened by 50 mm for better thigh support and more stable fitment of child seats, while the seatback height has been increased by 128 mm.
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The rear seat cushions can be removed, and with the rear access panels opening to an angle of nearly 90 degrees, loading and storing cargo into the cab’s rear seating is a breeze. Elsewhere, the cargo tub has increased in width, length and height, translating into an overall cargo volume of 1,453 litres, an increase of 266 litres over the equivalent current model.
No mention is made of the powertrains for the Freestyle Cab, but engine options should be the new 197 hp and 470 Nm MZ-CD 3.2 litre turbodiesel engine, with either six-speed auto or manual transmissions, and the MZ-CD 2.2 litre diesel unit, offering 148 hp and 375 Nm, the same mills the dual-cab will wear for Australia.
Over in China, state-owned carmaker Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Co is set to begin sales of its first electric car in Beijing from September, according to reports.
The vehicle is a compact sedan which will offer a 100 km travel range and a 130 kph maximum speed. No further details were available about the EV, which is codenamed C30DB, though the pricing was indicated – the sedan will be priced at 300,000 yuan, which is around RM140k, though government subsidies in effect means that buyers will need to pay only 180,000 yuan (RM83,500), the reports add.
Earlier this year, the Beijing city government started restricting new car sales in the Chinese capital to 20,000 units per month in a bid to ease the traffic congestion in the city. Electric vehicles, however, are exempted from this restriction, so it looks like the upcoming BAIC EV will provide more than just the ‘going green’ alternative as far as options go.
