Chery Automobile’s latest ally to be in the automotive industry might just be Fiat. Fiat has an existing alliance with a Chinese auto manufacturer - Nanjing Automobile Group, but that partnership has been far from profitable so far. One option being discussed would be Chery making cars using Fiat technologies and selling them.
That sounds wonderful, give Chery access to your technology Fiat, and perhaps the next Chery QQ will look like a Fiat Punto.
Of course, other than owning and driving one, the really hardcore fans of the MINI will want to be expressing their love for the car at all times. What better way than to equip your wardrobe with items from the latest MINI Collection. Those who can’t afford the car can settle for wearing a black top with the MINI logo on it, heheh.
BMW organised this fashion show with a showcase of the latest MINI Collection after our plant tour, right in the plant floors itself. More photos after the jump. Some of the angles are terrible though, as I was standing in the third row from the front, luckily I was taller than anyone in front of me.
P.S.: It was a pain uploading this post through GPRS. My Streamyx is still down. A week now. TMNet is the most efficient broadband company on earth, and I really need to work on my sarcasm. Click here to read the rest of MINI Collection Fashion Show
Chery Automobile Co., Ltd, J&K Technologies Inc and Tsinghua University has developed a hydrogen fuel cell car which can reach a top speed of 80 km/h and like a traditional hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, emits no exhaust fumes other than water vapor.
The joint venture has announced that the car was developed entirely on their own, and China now has fully independent intellectual property rights to a fuel cell vehicle. But then again, considering Chery’s definition of intellectual property… hmm.
Think we’ll be seeing a fuel cell Chery QQ soon?
BMW’s Hydrogen 7 is a 100-unit production ready car, powered by a 260hp V12 engine which takes the car from 0-100km/h in 9.5 seconds thanks to 390Nm of torque which peaks at 4,300rpm. While 6.0 liters of V12 goodness based on the unit in the BMW 760i making only 260hp is really nothing to shout about, in fact some might say it’s under performing, but the engine has the ability to use both regular gasoline as well as liquid hydrogen. More details after the jump. Click here to read the rest of BMW Hydrogen 7
This shiny Lexus IS250 was created for the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney, sprayed with special MirraChrome paint by KMC Corporation. It also features a new sporty bodykit that’s not available on the market yet, but will be soon, introduced as a genuine Lexus Accessory later this year.
For those who don’t know what a Lexus IS250 is, it’s the successor to the previous IS200/IS300/Toyota Altezza line of BMW 3-series/Benz C-class competitors, powered by a 2.5-litre Quad Cam VVT-i engine. In Australia, Lexus sold 200 more IS250s than C-class cars, beating the three pointed star marque by 200 cars, but the top position of the small luxury sedan is still occupied by the BMW 3-series.
One more rear-shot after the jump. Click here to read the rest of Lexus Reflection Perfection: Chromed IS250
There’s a new variant in Renault’s new Clio range, the new Clio Dynamique S 138, like it’s namesake featuring a 138hp 2.0 liter DOHC engine with variable valve timing, with a maximum torque of 194Nm at 3,750rpm giving the big engine small hot hatch a 0-100km/h time of 8.5 seconds and a top speed of 204km/h.
Other enhancements over the standard Clio range include 16 inch alloy wheels, a sporty front lip, extra tinting on the rear windows, and a ‘style pack consisting of sports headlamps, dedicated cornering lights, front foglamps and satin chrome door handles.
The new Clio Dynamique S 138 is positioned below the even more powerful top of the range Clio Renaultsport 197. Now the question is, can this engine be stuffed into a Proton Savvy? 
The latest generation of the Fiat Bravo hot hatch will be presented to media in Rome on the 29th of January 2007, and will go on sale in the following weeks in Europe first, and in the UK in summer.
The new Fiat Bravo was styled by the Fiat Style Centre. You can see it still carries on key Bravo signature design cues, like the circle pattern in the tail lamps. There are also similiar cues to the Mercedes Benz B-Class to be seen in the side profile. The new Bravo is a five-door compact hatch 434 centimetres long, 179 cm wide and 149 cm high, with a wheelbase of 2.6 metres, and a loading capacity of 400 litres.
Engine options consist of two variants of 1.9 liter MultiJets putting out 120hp and 150hp, an economical 1.4 liter making 90hp as well as two 1.4 liter T-JET turbocharged petrol engines making 120hp and 150hp.
With the new Bravo also comes a new Fiat corporate logo, derived from the famous shield that adorned the front of Fiat cars from 1931 to 1968, with the vertically elongated letters of the word FIAT standing out against a ruby red background, encased in a chromed frame. Have a look at an larger image of the new Bravo’s grille showcasing the new Fiat corporate logo after the jump, as well as more photos of the new Fiat Bravo. Click here to read the rest of 2007 Fiat Bravo announced
Along side it’s Lion-badged brother the Peugeot 4007, the new Citroen C-Crosser SUV has been announced by Citroen, and is set to go on sale from Summer 2007 onwards, similiar to the 4007’s sales date. The Citroen C-Crosser adopts the name of Citroen’s C-Crosser Concept 4X4 shown at the 2001 Frankfurt Motor Show.
Power is provided by the same 2.2 liter common rail turbodiesel with particulate filters mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox. The 4X4 transmission has the normal three options of 2WD, 4WD and a locked mode for low speed low grip conditions.
A feature I didn’t mention in the 4007 post - the tailgate opens in two sections. This makes it easier to load bulky objects into the boot. The lower part is able to support up to 200kg, allowing it to double up as an al fresco seat, perfect for owners with a love of outdoor activities.
BTW, have been trying to blog more often, but it’s very hard to post when most posts require photos, this means I have to grab them from the press sources which are huge because they’re also for print media, resize, upload, all of this can be done conveniently with a broadband connection. But what do you know, when the Raya holidays started, Streamyx decided to take a break as well, leaving me with no choice but to use an unlimited GPRS package which is only sufficient for e-mailing and text downloads. Streamyx has been down for 4 days now.
Is anyone from TM reading my site?
Related Posts: Click here to read the rest of Citroën C-Crosser SUV announced
Peugeot 4007 announced by Peugeot
Spyshots of Peugeot’s new SUV developed together with Mitsubishi with the Mitsubishi Outlander platform have been floating around since early this year, and today PSA Peugeot Citroen has announced the new Peugeot 4007 SUV together with its Citroen C-Crosser twin brother.
Though it is on Mitsubishi Outlander underpinings, the new SUV looks nothing like it’s roots - it was styled at Peugeot’s design center in France, and keeps the same feline design language as the other cars in it’s family. While the flagship Outlander is powered by a 2.4 liter Mitsubishi MIVEC engine, Peugeot’s offering is spearheaded by a 2.2 liter turbodiesel with a Diesel Particulate Filter System.
The common rail direct injection turbodiesel makes 156 bhp and 380Nm of torque, and is biodiesel ready. Biodiesel fuel up to a 30% mixture can be used without any modification to the engine. Standard transmission is a 6-speed stick shift. One additional photo after the jump. The new 2007 Peugeot 4007 will go on sale in the second half of 2007.
Related Posts: Click here to read the rest of Peugeot 4007 announced by Peugeot
Citroën C-Crosser SUV announced
Yes, the convertible that brings you women has just been updated to the latest E9x series, to be introduced worldwide in Spring 2007. The E93 2007 BMW 3-Series Convertible will debut first in 325i and 335i guises, but will closely be followed by smaller petrol models, as well as turbodiesel models - I know Europeans would love a 335d Convertible. More details on the 2007 BMW 3-Series Convertible after the jump.
Related Posts: Click here to read the rest of 2007 BMW 3-Series Convertible unveiled (E93)
BMW 335i Convertible Test Drive Report
Honda Nationwide Mobile Roadshow Next stop: Kuantan
East Coast Mall 3 to 5 July Full Schedule |
