Honda has been seen testing it’s 2007 Honda Civic Type R on German grounds. The 2007 Honda Civic Type R will be based on the three-door version of the Honda Civic Euro. Previously, Honda showcased a 2007 Honda Civic Type R Concept at the Geneva Motor Show, a stunning kitted out yellow speed demon. The 2007 Honda Civic Type R will likely feature a 220hp i-VTEC engine similiar to the one found in the Acura RSX. The car will be front-wheel drive, no SH-AWD (Superior Handling All Wheel Drive) for this little speed demon. Two more photos after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of 2007 Honda Civic Type R Spyshots

Spotted, a Proton Waja facelift undergoing road tests. We have a new alloy rim design, and new tail lights. Photo sent in by reader Daniel.

UPDATE: More details and photos of the new facelifted Proton Waja after the jump. Thanks to reader Stephen for the new photos.

Click here to read the rest of Proton Waja Facelift

The boys at Cybernation Motorsports (an American company) have developed a forced induction kit for the 2006 Honda Civic Si. The 2006 Honda Civic Si is basically a USDM version Honda Civic with a K20Z3 engine instead of the K20A3 and R18A1 we get here in Malaysia. The K20Z3 is a high-compression, high-revving version of the K20 engine family equipped with the a performance i-VTEC system, unlike the K20A3’s i-VTEC cam setup which is tuned more towards economy. Some enthusiasts have argued that the economy-oriented i-VTEC cam setup should be called i-VTEC-E instead.

In stock form the 2006 Honda Civic Si’s K20Z3 engine makes 197hp at 7,800rpm and 189Nm of torque at 6,200rpm. It had a redline of 8,300rpm. Cybernation Motorsports have added a plug and play forced induction kit using a Turbonetics turbocharger and an intercooler to the setup. Of course, there are other components in the kit necessary to turbocharge an engine designer for normally aspirated like a standalone injection controller. Boost is set at 0.75 bar or 11psi. Currently there’s no dyno figures yet, but the car sure looks and sounds good. Videos and more photos after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of 2006 Honda Civic Si Turbo Kit

The AFTA agreement requires that the 6 original ASEAN countries (Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia, Brunei) cut import tariffs between each other to zero by 2010. This requirement does not apply to new developing ASEAN countries like Burma, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. Currently it has been agreed that automotive tariffs on CBU vehicles and CKD kits are to be lowered to 5%.

Thailand says it will not reduce it’s import tax on CBU vehicles from Malaysia to 5% and will maintain it’s current 20% import tax, as it says Malaysia has imposed non-tax tariff barriers on it’s automotive industry despite reducing it’s import tax to 5%. Thailand Fiscal Policy Office director-general Naris Chaiyasoot says Malaysia’s requirements for automotive manufacturers to register for approvals is a non-tariff barrier and this does not comply with the AFTA agreement.

This might affect the competitiveness and profit margins of made in Malaysia automotive products exported to Thailand, like the new Toyota Hiace van announced recently.

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Hartge has always been known to do crazy things with the BMW cars that they tune up. Many of you will remember the ugly but crazily fast BMW 3-series they did up. Not patient enough to wait for the real E90 BMW M3 to come out, they took the award-winning 5.0 liter V10 from the BMW M5 and stuffed it into the engine bay of an E90 model BMW 3-series. Slap on some funky bodykits and you have the Hartge H50 V10.

They’ve applied the same philosophy to the BMW 1-series hatchback here. The most powerful BMW 1-series you can get from the BMW stables is currently the BMW 130i M Sport which features an inline-6 3.0 liter delivering 265 horses. What Hartge has done is put a 5.0 liter monster under the hood. This is not the same 5.0 liter V10 they’ve used before though. Instead, they used BMW’s 5.0 liter V8 engine.

Click here to read the rest of Hartge H1 5.0 tuned BMW 1-series

At first, if you wanted to experience the thrills that BMW’s Formula 1 inspired V10 engine provided, you had to buy a boring sedan. The M5 is not boring and will never be boring to me, but some people just want the car to look like a sports car if it goes like a sports car. Like the nice people they are, BMW provided. The BMW M6 was a M version of it’s 6-series two-door coupe which featured the same award winning 5.0 liter V10 engine. Now, wouldn’t it be orgasmic if you could experience the V10 in an open top? To be able to hear the screaming intake in full clarity? Now you have the BMW M6 Cabriolet. More photos after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of BMW M6 Cabriolet Photos

[ UPDATE: The new 2007 Honda Stream has been launched in Malaysia. Click here for prices and details. ]

Honda has released photos of the new 2007 Honda Stream in Japan. There are very obvious styling elements from the new 2006 Honda Civic in the 2007 Honda Stream, but the grille has been updated to look similiar to the latest Honda Odyssey. This kind of establishes Honda’s MPV family look.

The first generation Honda Stream which has already undergone a mid-life facelift in 2004 was based on the Honda Civic chassis so it’s safe to assume this new Honda Stream is also based on the new 2006 Honda Civic’s excellent chassis. This should make it a good drive. This new Honda Stream will be offered internationally in two specification levels. The lower-end spec will feature the R18A 1.8 liter SOHC i-VTEC engine and a 5-speed automatic gearbox also found in our local Honda Civic 1.8S. The higher-end spec called the Stream RS-Z will feature the R20A 2.0 liter SOHC i-VTEC engine equipped with a CVT transmission instead of a K20A DOHC i-VTEC.

Since UMW Toyota recently launched the Toyota Wish CBU in Malaysia, we can expect Honda to update the Stream here on our local shores with this 2007 model too. For photos of the 2007 Honda Stream’s interior, click here. As for the rest of the exterior photos, you wil find them after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of 2007 Honda Stream Photos

Proton launched it’s iconic two-door hatchback, the Proton Satria back in December 1994. The Proton Satria was based on the Mitsubishi Colt and came in 1.3 liter and 1.6 liter variants. Two years later, it received it’s first minor facelift, with the number plate relocated to the hatch instead of on the bumper. Four years after it’s introduction, the sporty Satria GTI variant was released, featuring a sporty bodykit, Lotus tuned ride and handling as well as a powerful 1.8 liter twin-cam engine making 140 horsepower. In 2003, Proton introduced the Satria Special Edition which featured a new bodykit and a minor interior facelift. In 2004, the R3-tuned limited edition Satria R3 was launched.

The Satria is one of Proton’s more successful models, achieving near-cult status in hatchback-loving countries like the UK. We have been looking at spy photos of the Proton Satria Replacement Model for more then a year now, and the wait is now over. Proton has launched the Satria Replacement Model and it has been given the name Proton Satria Neo. Let’s have a look at the new Proton Satria Neo.

Related Posts:
Proton Satria Neo R3 Details and Photos - new limited edition tuned up Satria Neo!

Click here to read the rest of Proton Satria Neo 1.3 and 1.6 In-depth

Indian automotive manufacturer Mahindra & Mahindra and DRB-HICOM’s unit USF-HICOM (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd are currently studying a proposal to assemble CKD pick-up trucks via a joint-venture in Malaysia. USF-HICOM’s management is currently studying the feasibility, and in-depth talks have not been held yet.

USF-HICOM currently distributes the Mahindra Scorpio SUV in both petrol and diesel variants here in Malaysia. Mahindra’s pick-up truck arsenal includes the Mahindra Utility, the Mahindra NC640DP, the Mahindra Pik-up and Mahindra Pik-up CBC.

DRB-HICOM also distributes pick-up trucks from Mahindra’s main Indian rival, the Tata Group. DRB-HICOM’s unit Scott & English (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd sells RM60 million worth of Tata vehicles yearly. Previously, there was news about Tata assembling cars here in Malaysia, which might include the Tata Indica small-sized city hatchback.

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Related News:
Possible Tata Indica local assembly
Mahindra to assemble pick-up trucks in Malaysia
Proton and Mahindra strategic alliance

UMW Toyota gave us an insight into their plans for the rest of the year at their AGM yesterday. There are plans to introduce the new 2007 Toyota Camry by year-end 2006, and also bring in the Lexus marque in CBU form.

However to proceed with these plans Toyota requires more Approved Permits (APs) from the government. Even with the current situation with three CBU models (Yaris, Wish, RAV4) there are not enough APs to go around, so sales of the Yaris and Wish could not be pushed as much as they would like to, but still manageable.

Looking at Toyota Japan’s line-up and the current grey-import market in Malaysia, the new CBU models would likely be the Toyota Harrier luxury SUV and the Toyota Estima large MPV.

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