Paul Tan on the Automotive Industry
In this week’s episode of Travel Safe & Save with PETRONAS PRIMAX 95 XTRA, we check out a few interesting destinations around the Selangor area. Should be very suitable for a quick day trip this weekend? 
We drove the Hyundai Tucson on this road trip – check out our test drive review of the Tucson for more information on Hyundai’s compact SUV.
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As far as technological showcases go, there’s nothing like bombing them to bits with an absolute flood of tech – there’s certainly enough of that in the BMW ConnectedDrive arsenal, covering a staggering number of topics. Our earlier story focused on the communications, infotainment and personalisation aspects, already impressive in its breadth and scope, and now, it’s the turn of the driver assistance-related systems, many of which merge into the Efficient Dynamics domain, and these are no less notable in both amplitude and presence.
Full story after the jump.
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It’s about time for Lexus’ E-Class and 5-Series fighter to be updated, and we’ve already seen the future of the Lexus GS in the form of the recently showcased Lexus LF-Gh hybrid concept.
Now we see the production version being tested on the mother of all test grounds – the Nurburgring. The next generation GS is still very heavily disguised but we can see similarities to the LF-Gh hybrid concept preview car, such as the horizontal LED daytime running lights integrated into the lower edge of the headlamps.
There’s also not much to be seen at the rear but we get to see bait of the LED tail lamps lighting up here while the car is braking.
The current GS has a 2,850mm wheelbase, and this is expected to be retained with the new generation car. The new car will supposedly be slightly wider though – 1,870mm versus the current generation’s 1,821mm width.
Look after the jump to check out the rest of the spypix along with the previously published image gallery of the LF-Gf hybrid concept.
Spyshots licensed from SB-MEDIEN.
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For fans of the marque with the silver arrow – here’s a video produced by Mercedes-Benz UK featuring a bunch of AMG cars burning rubber on the track. The cars are driven by the Mercedes Silver Arrows team, the Stuttgart car company’s display driving team. Nothing like the rumble of a V8 engine to ease up the mid-week stress!
Malaysian Chevrolet distributor Naza Quest is having a Hari Raya Sales and After-Sales campaign, which will treat Chevrolet owners in Malaysia to a claimed RM3.6 million worth of complimentary car services.
The campaign will run from July 15 2011 to August 31 2011. During the period, new Chevrolet owners will receive a complimentary set of a Smart Tag and Touch N Go card worth RM200. The whole idea is that this will help Chevy owners avoid traffic congestion at the toll gates during the balk kampung season.
All Chevrolet owners will get a free 40 point check worth RM100 plus a 25% discount on parts, lubricants and labor for scheduled maintenance.
Nissan and Mitsubishi have announced that the current generation Nissan Navara one-tonne pickup truck will be manufactured at Mitsubishi Motors’ Laem Chabang plant in Chonburi, Thailand. This means that both the Navara and rival Mitsubishi Triton will roll off the same factory. Production under this deal is scheduled to commence in 2012.
We’re not surprised by this, as it was already spelled out last December as part of a wider agreement to expand the scope of cooperation between the two companies. In the longer term, the two companies are looking at a manufacturing and engineering collaboration for a new generation one-tonne pickup truck. In other words, the next Triton and Navara will be sisters.
This follows an announcement in June about the establishment of a joint venture company to develop minicars for both brands. This, and the pickup deal, is expected to reduce costs and enhance the competitiveness of both companies.
The Audi A5 range has been given a refresh, four years after the four rings impressed us with a graceful, beautifully proportioned Walter de’ Silva coupe. Audi has since added soft top Cabriolet and four-door Sportback variants to the family. Besides some minor exterior upgrades, the facelifted A5 comes with changes under the skin as well.
As you can see from our combi image, the signature Audi grille of the new car (on the left) has a different shape – the top edges have been sawed off to make it a six point box.
The new bumper features pronounced air inlets with big struts, revamped grilles and flat fog lights. The engine hood has been give some sharply chiseled edges for a “3D look” and the front end now appears lower and wider.
The headlights are also new. Their lower edge forms a wave and the LED daytime running lights runs a ring around the main projector, a more distinctive layout than the underline of the pre-facelift A5. The rear lights have also been redesigned and are optionally available with continuous LED light strips. The bumper has been reprofiled, too.
Audi’s benchmark cabin gets some updates as well. There are new steering wheels, including an option for a flattened ring, and new steering column stalks. A button is used to directly adjust the optional seat heating/ventilation in three stages. Also updated were the ignition key, the automatic gear selector lever and controls for the air con and Audi drive select.
Displays are now illuminated in white. There’s also a new selection of upholstery and inlays. Additionally, the originally four-seat Sportback can now be ordered as a five-seater.
The engine lineup consists of three petrol engines and four TDI units, all with forced induction and direct injection. Start-stop and brake energy recuperation is standard across the board.
Audi highlights the redesigned 1.8 TFSI that features new innovations in the control of the valves and their lift, thermal management concept, injection system, turbocharger and the integration of the exhaust manifold. This 170 hp/320 Nm engine consumes just 5.7 litres of fuel per 100 km and spews 21% less CO2 than before.
Models with quattro AWD and S tronic transmission also feature a crown-gear center differential with torque vectoring. In normal driving, this mechanical component sends power primarily to the rear wheels. It redistributes drive if necessary, up to 70% to the front and 85% to the rear. Torque vectoring uses targeted, minor braking interventions to improve handling.
Another new feature in the A5 series is the electromechanical power steering, which reduces fuel consumption by up to 0.3 litres per 100 km and up to 7g CO2/km because it consumes zero energy while driving straight.
All S5 models are now equipped with a 3.0 TFSI producing 333 hp. Compared to the older 4.2-litre V8, the supercharged V6 consumes on average 20% less fuel per 100 km. Accelerations remains impressive with a 0-100 km/h dash time of 4.9 seconds. Top speed is of course limited to 250 km/h.
Visual cues to distinguish it from the old S5 include new lights, modified body details and new crystal-effect paint finishes. Like the rest of the range, the S5 also gets the crown-gear center differential and electromechanical power steering.
The A5 is sold in Malaysia as a 2.0 TFSI Quattro for RM399,900. Hi res gallery after the jump.
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Mercedes GP Petronas gave its new exhaust system a debut at last weekend’s British GP, and not only is the team happy with the better performance it brings, they’re expecting a stronger showing for the remaining half of the season. The MGP W02s of Rosberg and Schumacher ran a longer exhaust design to improve the efficiency of the blown diffuser, something the top three teams also use.
“We are on a new path with the exhaust system. With the system we had before we had explored most of the potential of it, and we were finding it very difficult to make progress. The new exhaust system is quite encouraging because we are seeing greater levels of potential with the new system than we saw with the old system,” team principal Ross Brawn explained.
“Our challenge – and we haven’t proven it yet – is to get over the reliability issues, and the installation issues. It wasn’t helped with the changes in engine mapping which have come along right in the middle of our project, but if is generally positive,” he added.
There are more updates on the way. “We can see potential in the system, but more important we have things coming which will take more and more advantage of this technology and this approach. We are reasonably optimistic. I am optimistic we will find some good advances with the system,” an upbeat Brawn said.
Rosberg was sixth and Schumacher ninth in Silverstone despite his misadventures, pushing Mercedes up to fourth in the Constructors’ Championship.
Volvo has been dabbling with electric cars for quite some time now, but now they’re further developing the idea with the addition of combustion engines to serve as range extenders for their electric vehicles, increasing the amount of distance that an electric vehicle can cover.
Like hybrid cars, range extender electric vehicles have both an engine and an electric motor. Unlike hybrid cars, in range extender electric vehicles the combustion engine does not drive the wheels directly, instead it starts up only to generate electricity to recharge the vehicle’s battery. This is known as a series connected setup.
Examples of range extender electric vehicles that you may have heard of are the Chevrolet Volt, and in concept form, our very own Proton EMAS Concept.
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Volvo has produced a number of range extender concepts. They not only use a series setup but a parallel setup as well. The first one called Technical Concept I is based on a Volvo C30. It has a 3 cylinder engine producing 60 horsepower (45kW) installed under the rear boot. This engine is fueled by a 40 litre fuel tank. This 45kW engine is hooked up to a 40kW generator, which can either power the car’s 82kW electric motor, or recharge the car’s battery. According to Volvo, this allows the C30′s electric range to be boosted from the original 110km up to over 1,000km.
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Technical Concept II is also based on a Volvo C30. This isn’t a regular range extender vehicle as there is a combustion engine installed in the rear that directly drives the rear wheels, thus it is a parallel setup instead of a series setup. And it’s quite a powerful engine as well – a three cylinder that makes 190 horsepower thanks to a turbocharger, driving the rear wheels via a 6-speed automatic transmission. This engine can also be used to charge a battery via a 40kW generator, which powers a 82kW electric motor. The two combined power sources puts out over 300hp, taking the C30 Technical Concept II up to 100km/h in under 6 seconds.
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The Technical Concept III is based on a Volvo V60. It’s similar to Technical Concept II where both the electric motor and engine drive the wheels, but in this setup the entire drivetrain is installed under the bonnet in the front. Up to 50km/h, the car runs on its 111hp (80kW) electric motor, but after that the 190hp kicks in. The engine is also hooked up to a 40kW generator so it can be used to charge the battery as well. The car can run 50km on the battery alone, but its 45 litre tank of petrol extends it up to over 1,000km.
“This is an exciting expansion of our increasing focus on electrification. Battery cost and size mean that all-electric cars still have a relatively limited operating range. With the Range Extender, the electric car has its effective range increased by a thousand kilometres – yet with carbon dioxide emissions below or way below 50 g/km,” says Derek Crabb, Vice President Powertrain Engineering at the Volvo Car Corporation.
BMW has made quite a name for itself when it comes to video, after all their The Hire series is well established as the benchmark for videos of its kind – product marketing that’s actually very enjoyable to watch.
Now they’re trying something else – a music video, and the car being promoted this time is the new BMW 1-Series. “check my machine” is a film collaboration between BMW Group’s Electronic Media Department and creative Munich artists Jonas Imbery (Gomma Records) and Mirko Borsche (Bureau mirko borsche). The Brainstormclub and Eyetrip are responsible for production.
“The appeal of the work was to develop a viable, independent, recognisable composition that only makes use of vehicle sounds, such as the blinkers, GPS voice, closing noises, seat belts, doors, safety alarm, to name but a few. The visual resolution at the end shows clearly that the percussive elements such as the bass synthesizer, the vocals and the melodies were produced by the vehicle itself,” said Mirko Borsche.
They could have made the video look better though… what you’ll be looking at is essentially the F20′s production line in the manufacturing plant.
Making music with a car isn’t something new though, even locally we have the Ford Fiesta radio ad jingle made with a Fiesta and Shawn Lee’s beatboxing.
