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Bufori debuts in China – first showroom to be in Shanghai

October 27, 2011 at 10:50 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Bufori, Cars, China, International News

Bufori Motor Car has launched the brand in China at the Top Marques Shanghai luxury show, where Bufori MD Gerry Khouri and Chinese superstar Liu Xiaoqing jointly unveiled a La Joya in front of the media and VIPs.

The company also announced the appointment of Bufori China as the exclusive distributor of the marque’s vehicles in the country. The company, which was formed in June this year, is a partnership with Jiaochen Group, which operates numerous automotive dealerships in the Ningbo region.

The first batch of three Buforis – two La Joyas and a MkII – were air-freighted to Shanghai in co-operation with MASkargo two weeks ago, and will be exhibited at the brand’s flagship showroom in Xintiandi, a prestigious district in the centre of pulsating Shanghai, when that opens in December.

Bufori China plans to set up additional dealerships in Beijing, Chengdu and Shenzhen by 2012, and the brand – which expects China to become its biggest market very soon – will also showcase its handmade luxury vehicles at the Beijing International Motor Show in April next year.

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Hyundai Santa Fe: standard spec joins lineup, RM151k

October 27, 2011 at 4:41 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Hyundai, Inokom, Koreans, Local News

Hyundai-Sime Darby Motors has introduced a standard specification variant of the Inokom Santa Fe, available only in the vehicle’s 2.4 litre petrol form. This version of the seven-seater SUV rolls in around RM8,000 cheaper than the premium specification model announced recently, being priced at RM150,888 (on-the-road, with insurance).

Again, no difference to the output figures of the 2.4 litre Theta II engine, which are 174 PS and 228 Nm. The vehicle comes with a six-speed maintenance-free automatic transmission and continues to feature an electronically-actuated 4-wheel drive system that changes from two- to four-wheel drive or 4-wheel lock at the touch of a button.

The main differences from the premium variant are in terms of interior trim, and some features have of course been omitted. Off the item list are the Audio Visual Navigator/GPS (AVN) unit, sunroof, smart key/push start button, reverse camera and driver power seat. The standard spec version features black leather seats.

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Honda Insight facelift launched in Japan – features new Insight Exclusive variant with 1.5 liter IMA system

October 27, 2011 at 2:04 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Honda

Honda has officially revealed the facelifted Honda Insight in Japan, which now comes with a higher-end model called the Insight Exclusive that comes with a larger 1.5 litre IMA engine. Other than reworking the exterior and adding the new 1.5 litre engine option, Honda has also reworked the 1.3 litre IMA system in the regular Insight, which is now rated at a more fuel economical 27.2 km/L measured on the JC08 mode and 31.0 km/L measured in the 10-15 mode.

The company has also added more sound insulation and absorption materials to increase interior quietness. The suspension settings have been updated for a more comfortable ride, and VSA stability control is now standard on all variants of the Insight. On the inside, the shape of the rear seats have been redesigned for better passenger comfort and driver rear visibility.

The Insight Exclusive with the 1.5 litre engine does 23.2 km/L in the JC08 mode and 26.5 km/L on the 10-15 mode. Exterior features unique to the 1.5 litre model include a different front grille with integrated LED accessory lights, a unique front bumper, side sill garnishes, a rear bumper diffuser, and a shark fin antenna. On the inside, there’s dark faux wood panels with silver accents. The steering wheel also has paddle shifters to manually control the CVT gearbox’s seven-virtual gear ratios.

Look after the jump for more pix of the facelifted Insight.
[Read more...]

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Volkswagen Tiguan facelift arrives in Malaysia – RM237k

October 27, 2011 at 12:47 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Local News, Volkswagen

The facelifted Volkswagen Tiguan, which made its debut in Geneva earlier this year, has quietly made its way into VW showrooms in Malaysia. Reader Farhan spotted an example in a JB outlet, and duly snapped a couple of photos for us.

It’s available in a single engine variant form, this being a 2.0 litre TSI unit offering 210 PS at 5,300 to 6,200 rpm and 280 Nm of torque at 1,700-5,200 rpm, and the 4MOTION permanent all-wheel drive vehicle also wears a seven-speed DSG transmission.

Features for the SUV, as listed on the VGM website, include Vienna upholstery leather seats, six airbags (front, side and front/rear curtain), bi-xenon headlamps with integrated LED daytime running lights, cruise control, electronic parking brake with an Auto Hold function, speed sensitive electro-mechanical power steering as well as park distance control PDC, replete with ‘Rear Assist’ rear view camera, among others.

The Tiguan 2.0 TSI, which sits on 17-inch New Orleans style alloys wrapped with 235/55 series rubbers, is priced at RM236,888 on the road, without insurance. A tip of the hat to Farhan for the spot.

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VIDEO: Part 3 and 4 of Proton’s ‘Transporter’ adventure

October 27, 2011 at 12:00 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Local News, Malaysian Makes, Proton, Videos

The five-part video series chronicling Proton’s The Transporter adventure in Singapore continues, with part three and four just out. As is already known, Hanis Salleh, who emerged as the winner in The Transporter contest which ended in August, walked away with a 4-day/3-night all expense-paid trip to watch the 2011 Singapore GP at the Marina Bay street circuit, travelling to the republic with no less than Yasmin Hani, Diana Danielle and Jojo Struys!

The first video centred around the prelude to the trip, while the second showcased the quartet’s experience at the event with exclusive paddock passes. In the third episode, watch Diana Danielle battle it out with Jojo Struys on the “Batak machine” that F1 drivers train on to test their reflexes and reaction times, at the Proton Motorsports showcase in Clarke Quay.

As for part four, the Proton Transporter doesn’t know what he’s in for when the three ladies hit Arab Street. Expect the last installment, which presumably wraps things up, to be out soon enough. Shame it all had to end, eh, Hanis? :)

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Humanix iSAVE-SC1 e-Tricar – the car, as airbag

October 27, 2011 at 11:22 am By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, International News, Technology


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Okay, so here’s the novel take of the week. According to reports, a venture company in Japan called Humanix will introduce an electric vehicle that wears airbags. On the outside.

The Hiroshima-based company, which utilises research results from Hiroshima University and builds items such as the Cellomics Tip for use in live single cell mass spectometry applications, among others, is now set to introduce the iSAVE-SC1, an electric tricar covered with soft cloth containing shock-absorbing airbags.


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The three-wheel prototype has inflated airbags at the front and rear, and the body is covered with tent cloth. In the event of a collision, air is released from the bags to cushion the impact.

It plans to sell about 100 units of the vehicle, which seats three, from late November to March 2012, at a cost of around 790,000 yen each. The vehicles will be used for monitoring purposes, before mass production begins in April or later next year. The production version should have a complete wrap-around airbagged body as in the sketch, presumably.


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”Think of the car as wearing clothes, which is something found nowhere else in the world,” said Tsutomu Masujima, Humanix president, who is also professor at the university’s graduate school. ”I used to wonder why the surface of a car is made of metal. Through my study of biology, I noticed that living creatures are naturally soft. I began developing the car based on this idea,” he told reporters.

The maximum speed of the iSAVE-SC1 is 50 km/h, and the vehicle can be charged at home via a 100 volt power supply. The company says that vehicle will be cheap to run, at a fifth to a tenth of a gasoline vehicle’s maintenance costs, though no mention was made about the cost of replacement airbags.

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2012 Honda Integra to come with 700cc engine and twin clutch gearbox – yes, it’s a bike not a car!

October 26, 2011 at 5:49 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Bikes

Honda is bringing back the name Honda Integra to one of its products, but unfortunately it’s not the sports coupe with the screaming high-revving engine that we used to know and love. The 2012 Honda Integra is actually a motorcycle with a scooter-ish riding position which puts the rider’s feet further forward than a motorcycle.

The new Honda Integra uses a 51 hp water-cooled 700cc inline-two engine, which Honda says offers the compact dimensions of an inline engine and the character of a V-twin thanks to a 270 degree throw crankshaft. It’s a long-stroke engine, with a 73 mm x 80 mm bore-stroke ratio for its cylinders, so this should generally mean an engine designed to provide lots of low to mid end torque instead of being a screamer, which should suit this kind of bike.

The Integra also gets a second-generation Dual Clutch Transmission which is lighter and more compact than the version first used in the VFR1200F. It has a simplified hydraulic circuit, among other design enhancements. A learning function has been added to each selected running mode to detect a variety of riding environments from city streets to mountain passes and automatically performs the most suitable shift logic. You can also stick to a 6-speed manual if you want.

Honda estimates a fuel economy of 27 km/L for the Integra. Being a bike instead of a car, the new Honda Integra will debut at the 69th EICMA International Motorcycle Exhibition instead of the upcoming Tokyo Motor Show.

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Left-hand drive Proton Exora facelift spotted on test

October 26, 2011 at 4:47 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Malaysian Makes, Proton, Spyshots

At first glance, this Proton Exora looks just like any other Proton Exora, or at least that’s what we thought when we were driving up the highway and spotted two Exoras on the left lane. You can zoom in the photo above to spot the difference. When we passed them, we noticed that this Exora was a left-hand drive car!

Furthermore, it appears that the front of the car has no tape covering it up at all, offering us a full view of how the facelifted Exora will look like. The back still has a little tape on. Theo Chin has a rendering of the new front end.

This might mean that Proton is preparing to introduce the Exora into left-hand drive markets soon. Earlier this month, Proton announced that it signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Chinese automaker Hawtai Motor Group to explore manufacturing the Exora in China amongst other things, and we know China is a left-hand drive country.

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Lexus GS F Sport to be unveiled at SEMA in November

October 26, 2011 at 10:45 am By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, International News, Lexus

Lexus is set to unveil the F Sport version of its new GS sedan at the SEMA show in Las Vegas on November 1. The GS F Sport features bolder exterior design elements than its civilian counterpart, and these include a new front bumper design with larger side grilles, as well as a dedicated mesh design for the upper and lower grilles.

At the rear, the F Sport gets a grey metallic finish to the bumper diffuser, and on the GS 450h F Sport there’s an additional chrome moulding on the bumper’s lower section. The package also includes a rear spoiler and – exclusive to the grade – dark metallic finish 19-inch alloy wheels, wearing staggered width rubbers – 235/40 in front, and 265/35 series at the rear.

As for the interior, it gets matching door and seat upholstery finished in a new Garnet (deep red) shade exclusive to the F Sport. Other features include aluminium trim elements, 16-way adjustable F Sport front seats, a black headliner and pillar finish, dimple perforated leather steering wheel and gear knob covers as well as aluminium pedals and scuff plates with the F Sport logo in black.

Performance-wise, all the GS F Sport models are fitted with larger, 356 x 30 mm ventilated front disc brakes, of which the hat section of the braking system’s two-piece rotor is made of aluminium, to reduce weight as well as suppress heat deformation.

The F Sport also gets a retuned front and rear suspension, supported by Adaptive Variable Suspension to maximise body control and steering response. The front and rear shock absorbers have been modified to optimise AVS damping control, and uses low viscosity oil to improve efficiency by reducing friction. The rear shocks have also been inclined further to the rear, and the lower bushings have been made larger and stiffer.

The AVS features two damper setting controls – Normal and Sport S+, the latter for greater body control and precise responses to steering when cornering. Switching to Sport S+ mode automatically increases the difference between inner and outer shock absorber damping.

At the same time, the Variable Gear Ratio Steering automatically reduces the steering gear ratio by about 10% while the electric power steering increases steering assist torque by about 4%, to sharpen handling and optimise steering feel.

As for drive modes, the car has four – Eco, Normal, Sport S and Sport S+. In Sport S mode, engine speed and throttle response are adjusted to give a more engaging driving experience. Switching to Sport S+ combines the enhanced powertrain output of Sport S with co-ordinated control of the GS’s Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management system.

The last includes the AVS and EPS plus, where fitted, the Lexus Dynamic Handling system, Variable Gear Ratio Steering (VGRS) and Dynamic Rear Steering (DRS), the trio being seen as standard on the GS 450h F Sport, making it the world’s first hybrid vehicle to feature an integrated four-wheel steering system.

The handling system monitors vehicle speed, steering direction and driver inputs, and calculates the optimum angle for all four wheels. With VGRS at the front and DRS at the rear, the system can independently control front and rear wheel steering angles to greatly improve turn-in response, rear grip, stability and overall agility when cornering.

The DRS monitors vehicle speed and yaw rate, steering angle and speed, and lateral G force to determine the required rear wheel steering input, up to a maximum two degrees – at most speeds below 80 km/h) the front and rear wheels turn in opposite directions, while in certain conditions above that speed, they turn in the same direction.

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Nissan Juke-R – first view of the munch monster

October 26, 2011 at 9:48 am By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, International News, Nissan


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The Nissan Juke-R super crossover bandied about earlier in the month has finally been revealed in the metal – the car made its first public appearance at a Nissan crossover media launch in Malaga, Spain, at the end of the press conference.

The Juke-R of course wears the 3.8 litre twin-turbo V6 from its famous sibling, the GT-R, as well as the latter’s six-speed transaxle, with a modified four-wheel drive GT-R driveline and propshaft linking fore and aft together.

Just two versions of the Juke-R are being created, one in each of left-hand and right-hand drive. The cars are developed by Nissan and built by leading motorsports outfit RML, with input from Nissan Technology Centre for Europe (NTC-E). Testing of the car will begin in November.

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