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Jaguar Land Rover thriving under Indian ownership

November 15, 2011 at 4:18 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, International News, Jaguar, Land Rover

English brands Jaguar and Land Rover seem to be thriving under Indian ownership. The Tata owned company sold 130,090 units from January to June 2011, a 13.8% jump over the same period last year, attributed to improved products and strong growth in emerging markets such as China and Russia.

Reports mention that JLR’s new 2.2L diesel engine, as seen in the Jaguar XF saloon, has been good for the brands. Also, Land Rover’s stylish new Range Rover Evoque has found 7,700 new homes up till September, and is seeing high demand. The Evoque was launched in Malaysia earlier this month, priced from RM353,888 for the 2.2L Diesel 5-Door Prestige to RM393,888 for the 2.0L Petrol Coupe Dynamic Plus. Click here to read the launch story.

Along with the sales figures, JLR’s profits (before tax) for Q3 of the 2011-12 financial year were up by almost 9% to £287million, while revenues were up 30% to £2.9billion, compared to Q3 2010.

Earlier, JLR said that it has successfully created more than 1,000 new jobs at its Solihull manufacturing plant. This 25% growth in workforce is to cater for a new model blitz of “40 significant product actions over the next five years.” And judging by recent form, there should be more than a few winners in there.

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Land Rover DC100 evolves from Frankfurt for LA

November 15, 2011 at 4:06 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, International News, Land Rover

Land Rover is showcasing the DC100 as well as the DC100 Sport – first seen in Frankfurt – at the LA Auto Show, which begins tomorrow, and the company says the concepts have undergone a bit of tweaking since their unveiling in September.

The concepts now ride on optimised off-road 20-inch alloy wheels shod with Cooper all-terrain tyres, and the DC100 now also features expedition accessories, with a raised air-intake ‘snorkel’ for wading and a roof rack among them. Their North American introduction is all part of the company’s plan to explore the possibility of the future Defender – due in 2015 – being brought into the US.

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Seat unveils its electric path – Altea XL Electric Ecomotive and Leon TwinDrive Ecomotive paves the way

November 15, 2011 at 3:43 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, International News, SEAT

Seat has introduced its prototype Altea XL Electric Ecomotive, a totally electrically-driven zero-emissions car, as well as its prototype plug-in hybrid, the Leon TwinDrive Ecomotive. The debutants are set to make their way to government institutions in Catalonia and Madrid for assessment in their vehicle fleets.

The Altea XL Electric Ecomotive has 115 hp (or 85 kW) and 270 Nm of torque for numbers, as well as a 135 km/h top speed. Seat says the Altea XL doesn’t sacrifice any loss of passenger and cargo carrying space, with the batteries located under the rear seats and the boot.

Features include a rooftop photovoltaic cell panel, which recirculates fresh air inside the passenger compartment when the car is parked under the sun, reducing the energy needed afterwards by the climate control system.

Meanwhile, the Leon TwinDrive Ecomotive has a range of 52 km in full electric mode, with a top speed of 120 km/h. In combined mode, with the engine in play, the car gets to 170 km/h, and consumes only 1.7 litres per 100 km, says the Spanish automaker, which is looking at introducing its first electric plug-in hybrid car commercially in 2015, to be followed by an all-electric vehicle in 2016.

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Peugeot wins Le Mans Cup for the second year

November 15, 2011 at 1:32 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Motorsports, Peugeot

Peugeot finished off the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup 2011 season on a winning note, with a one-two finish at the six-hours of Zhuhai race in China last weekend securing a sixth race win – and a fourth one-two – in seven races for the automaker. It had earlier secured the ILMC manufacturer and team titles at the Petit Le Mans race in the United States in October.

At Zhuhai, Anthony Davidson and Sébastien Bourdais, in the number 7 Peugeot 908, claimed victory ahead of teammates Franck Montagny and Stéphane Sarrazin, who were in the number 8 Peugeot 908, after a close race in which the Peugeot 908s once again combined performance, reliability and endurance.

After making its competitive debut this season, the Peugeot 908 celebrated its fifth win in seven races, and the car has displayed exemplary reliability, with only one DNF this year, low fuel consumption and low tyre wear on its way to victory.

The 2011 ILMC season has also seen five pole positions, 13 podium finishes and seven fastest race laps for Peugeot on its way to bagging the championship, which had the 12-Hours of Sebring, 1,000 km of Spa-Francorchamps, 6-Hours of Imola, 6-Hours of Silverstone, 24-Hours of Le Mans, Petit Le Mans in Atlanta and the 6-Hours of Zhuhai as the races.

The manufacturer’s title was secured with 211 points, with Audi a distant second on 119, while for the team title, Team Peugeot Total finished with 113 points, ahead of Audi Sport Team Joest on 85 points.

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Saab’s owners may be forced into voluntary liquidation, even if sale to Pang Da and Youngman goes through

November 15, 2011 at 12:01 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, International News, Saab

The Saab see-saw continues, and now, there’s a likelihood of liquidation for Swedish Automobile even if the company is sold to Chinese companies Pang Da and Youngman. It seems that the proceeds of the sale – and that of Spyker – may not be enough to pay off creditors.

According to reports, brand owner Swedish Automobile – which has tentative agreements to sell both Saab and Spyker – will consider “all of its options,” including a voluntary liquidation, should the deals go through, the company said last Friday. The transactions – Saab for 100 million, and Spyker for 32 million – are set to raise a combined 132 million euros, though that amount is insufficient to cover the company’s debts of 136.5 million euros, it said.

The company added that a lack of approvals and final agreements on the deals raises questions about the future of Swedish Automobile and any settlement with stakeholders. Earlier in the month, General Motors, which had preference shares in Saab, and which supplies the brand with crucial components, said it would not approve the sale.

The clearance of Saab’s sale is also required from Chinese authorities, the Swedish government and the European Investment Bank. Swedish Automobile’s preliminary agreement with Zhejiang Youngman Lotus and Pang Da is valid until today, November 15.

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VIDEO: Chevrolet Trailblazer Show Car is looking good

November 14, 2011 at 8:39 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Chevrolet, International News, Videos

Here’s a video of the Chevrolet Trailblazer Show Car that made its debut at the recent Dubai Motor Show. The video shows gives us a 360 degree view of the SUV, both in and out.

The Trailblazer is a seven-seat SUV based on the brand’s Colorado pick-up truck, so it will share a market with the Toyota Fortuner and Mitsubishi Pajero Sport, which are based on the Hilux and Triton, respectively. The design was done at GM’s South American Design Centre, located in Sao Caetano do Sul, Brazil, and it’s obvious that the production version will look very much like this, minus a few show car touches.

Powertrains will be shared with the Colorado, which means 2.5 and 2.8 Duramax diesels paired to manual or six-speed autos. One potential big selling point will be the rear suspension. Unlike its rivals, the Trailblazer is said to have coil springs plus multi-link rear suspension, promising better handling and comfort.

The Trailblazer will be made alongside the Colorado at GM’s Rayong, Thailand plant, so this could be a potential model for the Malaysian market. We will of course get the Colorado first next year. Read our test drive report of the Colorado here.

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Hyundai Genesis Coupe facelifted – 3.8 V6, 350 hp, 400 Nm

November 14, 2011 at 8:00 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Hyundai, International News, Koreans


UPDATE: More images added, including rear shot

Hyundai has given it’s Genesis Coupe a facelift at the Korea Speed Festival 2011 in Yeongam, Korea. These official pics show the refreshed sports flagship in action on Korea’s Formula 1 track, and we can see that it now wears the company’s new face, plus new headlamps as well as the must have LEDs.

Under the hood of the Genesis Coupe is Hyundai’s latest Lambda 3.8-litre GDi engine, capable of 350 hp and 400 Nm of torque. This means that the direct injection V6 is 43 hp and 40 Nm up on the current V6, and the horse count also trumps six-pot rivals from America (Dodge Challenger, Ford Mustang, Chevy Camaro) as well as the 3.7-litre V6 in the Infiniti G Coupe.

Hyundai says that “in order to raise the emotional quality in the Lambda 3.8 GDi model, a sound generator is applied to replace the rough engine sound with a classy and sporty sound.”

The base engine has also been upgraded. Out goes the current car’s 2.0 turbo four that makes 210 hp and 302 Nm, and in comes the Sonata Turbo’s twin-scroll turbo engine with a larger radiator intercooler. The new 2.0L lump churns out 275 hp and 375 Nm, guaranteeing brisk performance.

There’s more good news for the markets that will get this left hand drive car. Both the V6 and inline-4 will be paired to Hyundai’s eight-speed automatic transmission. Previously, the base car made do with a 5-speed auto while the V6 had six speeds. Of course, both can be had with a good old six-speed manual ‘box as well. Yummy!

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Hyundai Elantra Coupe to get Chicago 2012 debut!

November 14, 2011 at 6:53 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Hyundai, Koreans


We first saw these renderings of a Hyundai Elantra Coupe by Theophilus Chin earlier this year when we reported that US Hyundai dealers had given positive feedback on the possible introduction of such a model. After all, there’s already a Kia Forte Koup, why not an Elantra Coupe as well, especially for the US market – one of the very few markets where C-segment and D-segment coupes still sell in large numbers.

Apparently the dealers are getting what they wished for – it’s reported that Hyundai would be introducing the Hyundai Elantra Coupe in February next year at the 2011 Chicago Auto Show. Some American journalists have already previewed the coupe in Michigan this month, but they have nothing to show us as photography was not allowed.

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Tokyo 2011: Daihatsu to debut D-X sports car concept

November 14, 2011 at 3:01 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under 2011 Tokyo Motor Show, Cars, Daihatsu


Daihatsu will be bringing this D-X sports car concept to the upcoming Tokyo Motor Show, a machine that the small car experts bills as a “proposition for a new aesthetic of sports car that exerts a one-of-a-kind presence”. They’re calling the D-X “a new kind of a sports car”, we’re thinking of a new kind of Copen!

Among the unique features of the D-X (for d-cross) is a resin-based body that allows owners to enjoy a multitude of variations, according to Daihatsu. It’s seen here with some “4X4 style” body cladding normally seen or superminis and MPVs, but rarely sports cars. We presume that the black stuff can be taken off by owners for a more conventional look, as and when they please. Not seen here, but Daihatsu says the interior is “spartan feeling”.

Under the hood is a two-cylinder engine with direct-injection and turbo, said to strike a balance between the joy of driving and fuel-efficiency. No more details, but read more on Daihatsu’s planned two-pot engine in our previous post here.

The company adds that the D-X offers a driving experience with that “sense of oneness between person and vehicle that only a compact car can provide” a line that’s not too unlike Mazda’s Jinba Ittai message for the MX-5.

A future affordable sports car for the rakyat via Perodua?

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MINI USA adds yummy Recaro seats to the option list

November 14, 2011 at 1:38 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under BMW, Cars, International News

American MINI fans are a happy bunch, as one of the items on their wish list will now be granted. MINI USA is adding Recaro seats to the options list after years of requests. The grippier and better looking chairs come in only one configuration – heated and finished in black Dinamica with Leather.

Known as option 4FA, the Recaros are available for the hatchback, Clubman, Coupe and Roadster, but not the Countryman and Convertible. Ticking the box will cost Americans $3,000 on Cooper models and $2,750 on Cooper S and JCW types. The option will be available from next March.

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