Ahead of it’s public unveiling at the 2006 Bologna Motor Show this December, Toyota has revealed it’s production model Toyota Auris, soon after the Auris Space Concept was shown at the Paris Motor Show last month. The new Toyota Auris will come in 5 variants, two gasolines - a 1.4 VVT-i, a 1.6 Dual VVT-i, as well as 3 turbodiesels - a 1.4 D4-D, a 2.0 D4-D and the top performer, a 2.2 D4-D turbodiesel.

More on the new Toyota Auris after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Toyota Auris announced, 2 gas and 3 diesels

The Honda Accord was recently facelifted for the 2006 model earlier this year, with subtle changes in front and something more radical at the back, but if you want details on what’s changed, I’ll have to point you to my previous post on the launch. Here, I’ll be providing an account of my experience driving the car around the roads of Langkawi for 1 day, as well as 3 days in the KL city. I tested the 2.4 liter model.

Test drive report after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Honda Accord 2.4 VTi-L Facelift Test Drive

Fiat has just unveiled details on it’s new European C-segment contender, the Fiat Linea, which will be pitched against the likes of the Ford Focus and the Renault Megane. The Fiat Linea is built on the Fiat Grande Punto’s platform and even shares similiar design cues at the front end, but the platform has been stretched to provide for a longer wheelbase. This allows greater rear legroom, and makes a longer rear overhang look less weirder than it will look on a short wheelbase car - this allows for a massive 500 liter boot! Nice sleek side profile. I kind of like the new design language that Fiat is adopting, it makes the cars look like mini Maseratis.

The Fiat Linea will debut at the Istanbul Motor Show, and it will be manufactured in Turkey at a beginning production of 60,000 units a year. The Fiat Linea is expected to go on sale in the second half of 2007 in European countries, though strangely UK sales isn’t in plans for the moment.

Hyundai’s first attempt at a full size seven-passenger SUV - the Hyundai Terracan based on Mitsubishi Pajero underpinings - was pretty much a failure. I haven’t seen it on the road anywhere, and there are talks that there are only 2 in Malaysia, both being owned by people related to the Hyundai distributorship here.

Hyundai is giving the segment a shot again with the newly launched Hyundai Veracruz, a mid-ish full-ish sized luxury SUV named after a coastal Mexican state. Hyundai says the Veracruz will have more cargo volume than the bigger Mercedes benz GL, provided it’s third row seats that provide it’s 7-seater capacity are stowed away.

Power will come from a 265 horsepower 3.8 liter V6 or a 3.0 liter turbodiesel, and the Hyundai Veracruz is expected to be unveiled to the public early January 2007 at the Detroit Motor Show.

Click here to read the rest of 2007 Hyundai Veracruz

Hyundai-Sime Darby Motors Sdn Bhd plans to start CKD assembly of Hyundai SUVs by mid-2007, in efforts to capture a bigger share of the non-national car market. Hyundai’s Malaysian SUV offerings currently consist of the Tucson crossover SUV and the Santa Fe SUV. The Tucson is a small SUV going on head to head with likes of the Ford Escape, and the Hyundai Santa Fe competes with the bigger boys like the Honda CR-V.

Local assembly of the Hyundai Getz 1.4 with an Inokom badge has managed to drop the price by about RM10,000 - so I guess we can expect a CKD Santa Fe soon, with the Tucson coming later, similiar to the route Naza took with local assembly of the Kia Sorento first, and possible assembly of the Sportage in the future.

Sharp has developed a special LCD display that can be used for in-car dashboard meter panels, thanks to it’s 1500:1 contrast radio - the industry’s highest! The new 8 inch screen has a pixel count of 800 x 480, and it’s great contrast ratio offers excellent blacks even in the kind of lighting that a car dashboard has to go through.

With an LCD, the method of displaying information can be varied to provide a wide range of options, such as displaying GPS navigation maps right in the center dash! This system is already available in the new Mercedes Benz S-Class.

Source

Volvo Cars has just released the Volvo XC90 V8 Sport in the US market, responding to customer requests for a sportier Volvo XC90. Going head to head with the likes of the BMW X5 4.4i (or the upcoming 4.8si), the Volvo XC90 V8 Sport has a 311hp V8 engine, and comes in two unique colour options - Passion Red and Electric Silver.

The chassis has had some enhancements to improve it’s driveability - stiffer antiroll bars and shock absorbers, quicker steering response, and the Nivomat self-levelling system is installed standard. On the exterior, you have twin chromed exhaust pipes and large 19 inch alloy sport wheels. The wheel arches come with color-matched extenders, which puts emphasis on the presence of the huge wheels. Chrome details such as the roof rails have been replaced with a matte silver finish, and the skid plate is lower.

As for the interior, you have sports seats and a sport steering wheel as well as gear shift done up in perforated leather. Instrument dials light up with a shimmering blue luster.

The Volvo XC90 V8 Sport is a limited edition vehicle, and will be on sale in Q4 2006 at US$49,300,00. That’s RM 181,281.00, but of course you know the deal with our tax brackets, oh well. More photos after the jump, with enlarged versions too!

Click here to read the rest of 2007 Volvo XC90 V8 Sport

Let’s face it, a BMW is a chick magnet (Bring Me Women), and even more so if it’s a convertible. This ad for the E46 BMW 3-Series convertible follows a groom on the way to his wedding, but look at what he has to go through on the way. Video after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of BMW 3-Series Convertible Ad

In GreenFleet’s Capital Fuel Challenge, the Hyundai Getz 1.5 CRDi turbodiesel won first place for the private sector category, beating a Toyota Prius 1.6 petrol hybrid which got 2nd place as well as a Volkswagen Caddy 1.9 TDi turbodiesel which ended up third.

The test was conducted in London traffic, with speeds averaging from 5 to 10 mph, yup - this isn’t a highway test. City traffic only. The Getz managed to get 45.15 mpg, while the Prius only got 32.43 mpg. The third place Caddy managed 36.53 mpg, better than the Prius, but it lost the 2nd place to the Prius because Prius emissions were slightly lower - 201.85 CO2 g/km versus 204.31 CO2 g/km for the Caddy.

In the public sector category, there was a Prius which managed 45.71 mpg, as opposed to the 32.43 mpg for the Prius in the private sector category - this shows that Prius fuel efficiency is highly dependant on external factors - perhaps the driver in this case. Still, 45.71 mpg in the best performing Prius is only slightly better than the Getz’s 45.15 mpg.

Perhaps hybrids are overrated after all.

Let’s not talk about the times we’ve speed intentionally, as no amount of technology can prevent that - but what about the times where we slowly found ourselves creeping above the speed limit, but never realising it until the speeding ticket comes? Siemens hopes to help us a little with this problem, with their new Siemens VDO Traffic Sign Recognition technology (click image to enlarge)

The Siemens VDO Traffic Sign Recognition technology can read road signs which display speed limits, and can warn the driver if he is driving over the speed limit. The car’s adaptive cruise control (if any) can also be configured to adjust cruising speed according to the speed limit. Production is expected in 2008, and the system is part of the many Siemens driver aid technologies, part of it’s pro.pilot program.