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Infiniti releases fifth JX concept teaser – a full rear shot

August 8, 2011 at 11:06 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Infiniti, International News


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This is the fifth teaser image released by Infiniti of its upcoming luxury crossover. A seven seater called the JX Concept, it will be unveiled at the 2011 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance on August 18.

Previous images show partially the front three quarter view, revealing the long headlights and profile lines. Another shows a distinctive kink at the D-pillar area. We’ve also seen a close up shot of the LED tail lamps. This latest pic fully shows the JX’s rear end, which is in line with the Infiniti look seen on the FX, which has just been facelifted.

More than just a concept, the JX, which slots in between the five seater FX and jumbo sized QX, is set for production and will join the Infiniti range in Spring 2012. The production car will debut at the LA show at the end of this year.

Nissan’s luxury marque promises “a stunning interior” with “exceptional seating flexibility, easy access to the roomy third row, plus the latest in-vehicle technology – including next-generation telematics”.

View the previously released teasers after the jump.
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Mitsubishi to rebadge Nissan NV200 as Delica D:3 in Japan

August 8, 2011 at 7:19 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, International News, Mitsubishi, Nissan

The OEM partnership between Mitsubishi and Nissan looks to be growing even further – Mitsubishi is set to take yet another vehicle from Nissan into its model line-up for the domestic market.

Thus far, under the existing OEM agreements with Nissan, Mitsubishi is selling the AD commercial vehicle under its badge, while supplying its eK Wagon and other minivehicles, according to reports. Already, both companies have set up a JV to develop mini-cars for the market, with operations having begun in June.

Now, Mitsubishi is set to add Nissan’s NV200 van to the list and plans to start selling the 1.6 litre-class vehicle as the Delica D:3 sometime from the end of October, and it’s hoping to shift 5,000 units for the initial year.

The company is also mulling over getting a luxury sedan like the Teana to sell under its own brand. Having considerably trimmed its model line-up, 60% of Mitsubishi’s domestic sales are now made up of mini-vehicles, and the reports add that procuring more models from Nissan will allow the company to feature a more balanced product range without increasing its R&D spending.

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Nissan Teana now available with touch screen full colour GPS navigation screen and aerokit

August 8, 2011 at 6:36 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Local News, Nissan

In our mega D-segment sedan test drive review that included the Nissan Teana, we couldn’t help but feel that the large LCD screen above the climate control buttons was kinda wasted on a low resolution monochrome screen with large calculator-like fonts.

Malaysian Nissan distributor has a fix for that – it’s now offering the 2.0 litre and 2.5 litre Nissan Teana with the option of a 7″ touch screen Multimedia Navigation System that has SpeedNavi GPS navigation. The system also includes a wide angle reverse camera to help you maneuver your Teana in tight spots. Other features include a Bluetooth hands-free system, music and movie playback from an SD card slot or USB port, and iPod connection support.

The steering wheel audio control function will only work with the existing audio system though, as they aren’t configured to work with the new Multimedia Navigation System.

There’s also a new aerokit for Teana owners who want their car to look a little different. It’s kinda subtle even on light colors such as the image above, so it should be even more subtle on a dark car.

You’ll get both the Multimedia Navigation System and the aerokit for free if you buy a Teana from now until 30th September 2011. You’ll also get a free maintenance package for 2 years or 40,000km, whichever comes first. Existing Teana owners can retrofit the Multimedia Navigation system for RM2,500 and the aerokit for RM3,000.

Look after the jump for a small gallery of the MNS and aerokit.
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Ford Performance Vehicles GT BLACK – a limited edition

August 8, 2011 at 2:03 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Ford, International News


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Following the overwhelming positive feedback received on its FPV Concept that was revealed at the Australian International Motor Show in Melbourne last month, Ford Performance Vehicles has decided to go with a limited production run of the car.

The GT BLACK, as it’s called, retains the black-on-black treatment of the concept, and just 125 units of the variant will be made. The car is based on the current standard supercharged Boss GT version, which features a 5.0 litre Miami V8 engine offering 455 hp at 5,750 rpm and 570 Nm across 2,200-5,500 rpm in its V2G guise.


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The Silhouette black paintwork, including styling matt black stripe decal package on the bonnet, rear wing and bodysides, covers the entire car, including the front and rear bumpers, rear diffuser and upper and lower grilles.

The fog lamp bezels have also been made black, as have the exhaust tips, while completing the exterior will be GT premium five-spoke, 19-inch alloy wheels finished in gloss black with black wheel nuts.


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Inside, it’s black throughout too, with black leather trim, a black finish around the Interior Command Centre (ICC) unit, tissue box and door spears, and a unique black gear shift badge to be found on manual transmission models.

To enhance the collectability of the GT BLACK, each vehicle will come with its own unique build badge and certificate of authenticity.

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Proton launches “1Perayaan Proton” programme to celebrate the festive season

August 8, 2011 at 1:31 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Local News, Proton

Proton has introduced a special programme called 1Perayaan Proton to celebrate the upcoming festive period with all Malaysians, what with Ramadan and Syawal 1432 Hijrah as well as National Day and Malaysia Day taking place over the next month.

The programme, with a ‘Commit To Be Better’ theme, runs until September 16 and features a variety of activities and initiatives by the national car company. For starters, the company is providing a variety of special offers to Proton owners this festive season. Up until September 15, Proton Edar service centres throughout the country will offer a free 18-point safety inspection service to all Proton car owners so they can ensure that their cars are in good condition for the long distance trip home.

Up to August 29, Proton Edar will be extending the operating hours at all its centres from 8am to 5pm, right through the week. A special Raya service package called ProCare Basic Plus has also been introduced – customers who spend RM300 and above for the service will be in the running to win an iPad2 and other prizes. There’s also a special sales promotion for those looking to purchase a new Proton; running until August 31, there are discounts, free services and some great prizes to be had. More info on this can be gleaned from the retail outlets.

There’s also a VIP (Very Important Proton) Program, which invites all Proton car owners to relive the sweetest and most special experience they’ve had with their Proton. As part of this, a ‘My Proton Makeover’ will be conducted, in which five selected Proton car owners with the most interesting story will win a prize in the form of a makeover or renewal of their Proton – find out more about how to participate in the competition here. The result of these makeovers will be presented on September 16 in conjunction with Malaysia Day.

Elsewhere, among the initiatives happening during this period is a community tour, which began at the end of July and ends on August 12, with a group of 50 to 90 volunteers from Proton visiting five welfare homes, shelters and orphanages in five states (Pahang, Penang, Kelantan, Johor and Negri Sembilan) to carry out a variety of charitable tasks, such as cleaning and greening the environment and carrying out minor repairs as well as provide motivational talks and career workshops at the venues.

“The programme is a way for Proton to contribute back to society, especially to the less fortunate. It is Proton’s hope to share the joy and fun with them during the festive season,” said Proton MD Datuk Seri Syed Zainal Abidin.

The culmination of the 1Perayaan Proton programme is with the Proton Merdeka Day and Malaysia Day parade on September 16, in Merdeka Square, KL, where the company will be showcasing its series of concept cars (Tuah, Jebat, Lekir, Lekiu & Kasturi), the Saga EV and Exora REEV (Electric Vehicle Range Extender), among others.

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2012 Toyota Camry – teased ahead of US launch

August 8, 2011 at 11:57 am By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, International News, Toyota

Plenty coming this month from Toyota – the new Lexus GS 350 is being launched at Pebble Beach on August 18, and five days later will see the unveiling of the 2012 Camry for the North American market, with the fifth-generation car being introduced simultaneously in four locations across the US on August 23.

Ahead of that, the company has teased the upcoming car with a cropped three-quarter front angle photo via a Twitter post, revealing just the headlamp and side profile of the front bumper assembly. It looks like the grille is different than that suggested by the grainy scan from a month back, supposedly showing the car in all its glory.

The hybrid version of the sedan is also slated to be unveiled alongside the US market SE and XLE versions of the XV40′s replacement. Guess we’ll all just have to wait and see how it finally shapes up, when it comes.

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Honda recalls 2.5 million cars globally to fix gearbox software issue

August 8, 2011 at 10:30 am By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Honda, International News

Honda has issued a recall for 2.5 million vehicles globally, including 1.5 million in the US, for a software upgrade to the vehicles’ transmission control module. The models covered in the recall are the Accord (2005-2010 model year), CR-V (2007-2010) as well as the Element from 2005-2008, all equipped with four-cylinder engines.

The company says that if the transmission is shifted rapidly between reverse, neutral and drive, especially in an attempt to free the vehicle from being stuck in mud or snow, this can damage a secondary shaft bearing in the transmission. If damage occurs, this can lead to the engine stalling or make it difficult to engage the transmission into park.

The software fix eases the transition among the gears, and Honda says that there have been no reports of accidents resulting to physical injuries related to this problem. The other million vehicles being recalled globally are 760,000 units in China and 135,142 in Canada. No mention of the Accords and CR-Vs here being affected so far.

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Travel Safe and Save with PETRONAS PRIMAX 95 XTRA – 5 episodes premiered and 5 more exciting ones coming up!

August 8, 2011 at 1:34 am By Harvinder Sidhu Filed Under Travel Safe and Save

Episode 5 – Taiping

It has been slightly over five weeks when we premiered the Travel Safe and Save with PETRONAS PRIMAX 95 XTRA online travel show on this website. Both Harvinder and Julie have already covered various off-the-beaten tracks in the peninsular including the gorgeous island of Penang, the very pleasant Tanjung Sepat, the very charming Ipoh and the beautiful Negeri Sembilan.

In our latest episode, the duo explored the wonders of Taiping by visiting the Kuala Sepetang Charcoal Factory, the Port Weld Fishing Village, the Taiping Casual Market and Adeline’s Villa in the Gopeng rainforest.

We hope you are enjoying the series so far and remember to make that road trip this weekend :) Want to find where our hosts will be heading to next? Be sure to catch Episode 6 this Thursday. You can also watch all of our previous episodes after the jump. Enjoy!
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Sharpen your driving skills with BMW Driver Training

August 8, 2011 at 12:48 am By Harvinder Sidhu Filed Under BMW, Cars, Local News

To us Malaysians, driving is an everyday affair and without cars, you can safely say that our economy would come to a grinding halt. With cars being part of our everyday lives for decades now, many have yet to fully understand safety on the road. Many of us still take driving lightly and disregard the fact that we could harm ourselves, or worse yet, put someone else in danger just by losing our focus when driving.

Having said that, many of us practice the right driving habits but at times, we are forced to be in situations that will put ourselves and the people around us in danger. Personally I have been through these situations plenty of times, such as swerving out of harm’s way when a biker pulls out of a junction suddenly without warning.

Which is why some automakers promote defensive driving which can help reduce accident rates on the roads. BMW has their very own version of this, called the BMW Driver Training which has been around since 1977. Running for several good years in Malaysia, the BMW Driver Training programme teaches its participants various driving techniques that will help prevent accidents on the road. The most recent one was held last weekend at the Sepang International Circuit.

With its certified and highly trained instructors, the programme starts off with a one and a half hour long theory session. Following this, participants get behind the wheel of a BMW 3-Series, which in last weekend’s case, a 325i Sport and drive through various exercises including double-handed slalom which allows you to practice the correct steering technique.

There is also something called emergency braking which enables you to experience a braking situation with the ABS or anti-lock braking system working in the background. Contrary of popular belief, ABS doesn’t give you stronger braking but instead it allows you to steer your car while carrying out emergency braking. Participants will experience this further with the brake, steer and avoid exercise.

This is then followed by emergency lane change which teaches you how to avoid a potential hazard on the road by swerving or “flicking” the steering wheel. Then there is also understeer and oversteer exercises which show you how both scenarios are induced and how they can be prevented with the help of vehicle electronic stability programme or ESP. Participants will then have to combine what they have learned and implement them in a slalom competition which can be quite fun :)

The icing on the cake is the track fascination where participants get “chauffeured” around the entire Sepang circuit by the instructors. At the end of the day, participants will go home with a valuable piece of certificate that is valid worldwide, indicating that the bearer has successfully completed the Advance module of the programme. He or she can use this to upgrade to the Intensive level, which will be offered in Malaysia soon.

All in all, it is a good way to spend a weekend and most importantly, improve your driving techniques and the understanding of more safety on the road. For those who are interested in taking part in this recommended training, please call BMW Voice at 1800 88 3000. Participation fee starts off at RM1,700 for BMW owners and RM1,800 for non-BMW owners. You can also visit the BMW Driver Training website here.

The next BMW Driver Training takes place on 3rd and 4th September 2011. Continue reading to view an image gallery.
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New BMW X3 xDrive20i with 2.0L turbo – 184hp/270Nm

August 7, 2011 at 8:55 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under BMW

The BMW X3′s engine range gets a new addition – it will be available with BMW’s new 2.0 litre turbocharged inline-4 petrol engine from autumn 2011.

Power output will be 184 horsepower at a low engine speed of 4,800rpm, while peak torque is 270Nm from as low as 1,250rpm. The peak horsepower numbers match the 20d engine, and peak torque kicks in at a very low RPM just like its diesel counterpart, though it’s a whole 110Nm less, but that’s normal in a petrol versus diesel comparison.

Because of the small engine displacement size, BMW Malaysia could use it to their advantage to price an X3 xDrive20i competitively and offer a petrol powered counterpart to their currently sole X3 offering – the xDrive20d.

BMW has also added the 35d engine option to the X3, but so far none of the 35d engines in any of the BMW models have been offered officially by BMW Malaysia, because of fuel quality issues presumably.

There are some X6 35d being brought in by the grey importers – wonder why, is diesel getting popular, or are there just not enough petrol X6 to bring in from Europe because of a shift towards more and more Europeans buying diesel cars to save on costs?
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