The new R56 MINI Cooper has gone through the Euro NCAP Crash Test and managed to score a 5 Star crash test rating, scoring 13 out of 16 points for deformation behaviour in a head-on collision, and 16 from 18 points in the side-on and pillar collision.
This is what BMW had promised for us at the Shanghai Motor Show. Before this, people were saying it was going to be the successor to the special Z8 supercar called the Z9, but apparently not so. Instead, BMW shows us that it too can play at the whole coupe-roofline 4-door GT sedan just like the others. What others? Why, the Porsche Panamera, the Maserati Quattroporte and the Aston Martin Rapide of course. It is called the BMW Concept CS, not to be confused with the Concept CS1 shown quite some time ago, which was a completely different animal altogether.
Chris Bangle applies his classic flame surfacing design cues once again, creating a lovely play of shadows on what seems like a normal curved body panels. The classic kidney grille nose design carries a very wide nose look found on the Z4 rather than the more conventionally sized one on the 6-series, making this look like the result of the 7-series and the Z4 mating together.
Just so you know, there’s currently a conflict of opinion on what this will be called - some say an 8-series, and some say the 6-series facelift will come in configurations, the classic 2-door and a new 4-door coupe. I’d say the prior is more likely, the number 8 is always a hit with the Chinese businessmen anyway 
At 5.1 meters long, it is slightly shorter than the BMW 7-Series Long Wheelbase’s 5.17 meters length, and is definitely longer than the normal wheelbase 7-Series. The interior seats four people with four individual sports seats, with the driver enjoying a driver-oriented cockpit.
More photos after the jump. Click here to read the rest of BMW Concept CS revealed at Shanghai Motor Show
Reader acbc wrote in with these photos of the upcoming Proton GEN2 Sedan on road tests! It doesn’t look very much different other than the fact that it’s a GEN2 with a proper sedan boot tacked on to it, but of course this is not the final production model so we might see some changes here and there as a mid-life facelift. It looks very similiar to the 3D renderings posted in March. If you look closely at the front grille - is that a copy of Honda’s new floating grille design I see?
Photos also do not tell us what’s under the hood, so we might see the introduction of a Campro engine with the recently announced Variable Intake Geometry system developed by Bosch for Campro. These photos also do not tell us of the interior, which might have been improved, like how the Proton Savvy Facelift has improved on the interior with a more suitable color scheme. Or a glovebox might have been added.
Here is another spyshot of the upcoming E90 BMW M3 Sedan, which will join it’s Coupe brother the E92 BMW M3 Coupe soon. Another variant of the BMW M3 coming up soon is the E93 BMW M3 Convertible, and I’m not sure if the E91 3-Series Touring will be made into an M3 as well, but since the E60 M5 now comes in Touring form, why not?
Once again, these spyshots of the M3 Sedan show the E90 Sedan with an E92 Coupe front end, which looks so much better than the E90 front end with it’s inset flat faced kidney grilles look instead of having them protrude and look menacing. I wonder if the upcoming E90 Sedan facelift will feature this new front end as well, or if it’s only exclusive to the E90 M3 Sedan.
Related Posts:
BMW M3 Sedan Spyshot
New E92 BMW M3 Videos
Production 2009 BMW M3 Coupe Details
The New BMW M3 4.0 liter V8 Engine Specifications
BMW M3 Coupe Concept at Geneva 2007
An engine that has surfaced and pretty much faded in a short time is Honda’s i-VTEC I Engine, a variant of the K-series DOHC engine family featuring gasoline direct injection. It made it’s debut in the previous generation 2004 Honda Stream 7-seater MPV in Japan, but the current Stream does not use this engine anymore, instead using a 2.0 liter version of the R-series i-VTEC SOHC engine.
The engine featured the ability to use ultra-lean air-fuel mixtures of about 65:1, much leaner compared to the the usual direct injection engine 40:1 ratio, and of course so much more leaner than the stoichiometric air-fuel mixture of 14.7:1 - this saves fuel. Fuel consumption dropped to 15km per liter. Power ratings remain the same at about 155 horsepower. This engine in the Stream is mated to a CVT gearbox with a manual 7 virtual gear shifting feature.
Honda also had a demonstration engine back in end 1999 where a 1.4 liter DOHC Honda engine was equipped with a VTEC-DI system. This was Honda’s first demonstration of direct injection to the public. The engine was installed in a Honda Logo (the predecessor to the Honda Fit/Jazz) and made power and torque outputs of 107 hp at 6200 rpm and 133 Nm at 5000 rpm.
Check out a video of the i-VTEC I engine after the jump. Click here to read the rest of Honda’s i-VTEC I Engine: Direct Injection
A reader of South African website Wheels24 sent in these spyshots of the upcoming Peugeot 308 C-segment hatchback to the website. The photos were taken during a commercial shooting so the car is not camouflaged in anyway other than whatever cloths they threw on when they noticed the reader snapping photos. What does this mean for us?
Well, for one we might see the Peugeot 308 on roads soon if Cycle and Carriage decides to sell it here after it’s launch, and two - Naza might get to sell a locally assembled version of the previous Peugeot 307 model. Click the image for a larger look at the car.
[ UPDATE: The new 2007 Ford Ranger TDCi has been launched. Click here for more details. ]
Motor Trader has spyshots of the new Ford Ranger in Ford Malaysia’s holding bays at it’s plant in Shah Alam. This means the new Ford Ranger will be launched here soon to replace the current aging model that used to be the king of pick-up trucks in Malaysia, until the Japanese took over with the Mitsubishi Storm and later the Nissan Frontier.
As with most of the pick-up truck offerings here other than the Isuzu D-MAX, the variant offered here would most likely be the 2.5 liter turbodiesel. The DuraTORQ 2.5 liter DOHC turbodiesel uses a Variable Geometry Turbocharger with an intercooler, and common rail injection. Based on the Philippines specs, it makes 143hp at 3,500rpm and 330Nm of torque from 1,800rpm. The current pick-up horsepower king in Malaysia is the Mitsubishi Triton with a 136hp and 314Nm torque engine.
The gearbox options are either a 5-speed auto or a 5-speed manual, and if offered here should give it an edge over all the other pick-ups as it would be the only pick-up with a 5-speed auto, with the others only offering 4-speed units.
Check out the related post below for more details on the Thailand-spec new Ford Ranger. You can have a look at the new interior, which is refreshingly truck-like in a sea of pick-up trucks that try to sport car-like interiors. I believe a truck should be all truck - mean and macho!
Related Posts:
New Ford Ranger with 5-speed Auto in Thailand
[ UPDATE: The Perodua Viva has been launched! Click here for full details on specifications and pricing, as well as many clear photos of both exterior and interior! ]
The Perodua Kancil and Perodua Kelisa have jointly raked in sales of about 700,000 units since 1994. As you all know, both models will be replaced this year with the eagerly awaited Perodua Viva.
We finally have an indication of the launch date - the Perodua Viva will be launched somewhere in May 2007 and will feature three engine options - 660cc, 850cc and 1,000cc. Price range is unknown, but some have indicated a price range of between under RM30,000 up to somewhere in the RM40,000 range for the highest spec 1.0 liter automatic model.
Perodua expects to sell 7,000 units a month of the new Perodua Viva, and is preparing about 2,000 to 3,000 units of stock in hand before launching. It would be interesting to note that the Perodua Myvi was originally launched with a sales target of 4,800 units a month, but actual sales shot rocket high, and after so long the Myvi still gets healthy sales of about 6,000 units a month average. Almost every fresh graduate or college student I know has the Myvi as their first choice of car, some even stretching loans up to 7 or 9 years just so they can afford the car.
As a recap, here are some of the previous posts covering the Perodua Viva. Check them out to view all the spyshots and juicy details previously posted about the car!
Related Posts:
Perodua Viva Photos on Forum
Perodua Viva to be unveiled mid-2007
New Daihatsu Mira launched in Japan
Kancil Replacement Model (Perodua Viva) sighted in Mines
Kancil Replacement Model (Perodua Viva) spotted!
Kancil and Kelisa Replacements in first half 2007 (Perodua Viva)
Upcoming Perodua Kelisa replacement?
Could this be a Kancil Replacement Model?
New Perodua Kancil / Kelisa coming down our alley?
Royal Dutch Shell and ConocoPhillips signed an agreement yesterday to transfer 100% of Conoco Jet (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd shares to Royal Dutch Shell, in a move that would mean Shell now owns all 44 of ProJET petrol stations in Malaysia.
The ProJET stations will be rebranded to Shell stations in the next 6 months, adding to Shell’s existing number of over 830 stations in Malaysia.
Both Lotus and it’s parent company Proton have been flourishing in the Australian market lately. Lotus was rated at the fastest growing brand in Australia, with a 450% increase in sales volume over the same first three months of the year period in 2006. Proton was the fifth largest growing marque, with sales increasing 54% over the same time last year.
Proton Cars Australia managing director John Startari said the sales boom was thanks to new models like the Proton Satria Neo (recently made AMRS race series safety car) and a more reliable supply of the Proton Jumbuck (Proton Arena).
Korean cars have not enjoyed the same luck in Australia, with Hyundai and Kia sales dropped 18 and 11.58 percent respectively.
UPDATE: It looks like flourishing is not really the word to be used in this post. According to the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries of Australia’s website, Proton’s 54% sales jump was from 400 cars to 616 cars.
