AC Schnitzer kits up the E93 BMW 335i Convertible and calls it the ACS3 3.5i Convertible. The ACS bodykit has aerodynamic properties to it, helping increasing downforce. Suspension enhancements include a new special antiroll bar kit for the rear axle, and a multipiece AC Schnitzer alloy strut brace for the front.

Two options for Wheels are available - 19 inch AC Schnitzer Racing Type IV BiColor wheels wrapped with 225/35/R19 at the front and 255/30/R19 at the rear, as well as larger 20 inch AC Schnitzer Racing type IV in silver, wrapped with 245/30R20 and 295/25R20 tyres for the front and rear respectively.

The 306 horsepower 3.0 liter twin-turbocharged petrol unit is untouched as a tuning kit is still under development, so the ACS3 3.5i Convertible kit remains mostly cosmetic at the moment. The turbodiesel 335d model’s tuning kit is nearer to completion, and will offer an increase from 231hp to 265hp.

More photos after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of AC Schnitzer ACS3 3.5i Convertible (E93 335i)

These are shots of the new BMW 1-Series 2-door coupe just exiting from a car wash - notice the marks left by the wet tyres as it exits what appears to be some kind of garage. It is mostly undisguised, although random pieces of tape here and there still doesn’t reveal the full deal. Compared to the recently launched 1-Series hatch facelift, the 1-Series coupe sports a slightly different bumper design - it now has two strips separating the foglamps from the center intake grille. See a comparison photo after the jump, as well as rear shots.

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Click here to read the rest of BMW 1-Series Coupe, mostly uncovered

DaimlerChrysler Malaysia launched the latest variant of it’s W221 S-Class on Wednesday - the Mercedes Benz S300L, with the L denoting a long wheelbase model. The name S-Class is derived from the German word Sonderklasse, which means special class. And it is a car that will make you feel special indeed, as this S300L base model costs a cool RM639,888 on the road without insurance.

More details after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of W221 Mercedes-Benz S300L in Malaysia

Ford’s X-MAX is Ford’s latest 4X4 SUV, based on the Ford Focus platform. It is aimed at the likes of the Toyota RAV4 and the Honda CR-V - somewhat like the Ford Escape. It’s design cues are mostly based on the Ford Iosis X concept car which was shown at the Paris Motor Show in 2006.

The Ford X-MAX will be available in both two wheel drive and four wheel drive drivetrains. The 4WD version will use the Volvo V50 AWD’s transmission system, which operates in front wheel drive mode most of the time until traction is required at the rear. This positions the X-MAX most likely as a mid-range C-segment SUV, as if it is more upmarket Ford would have used the more complex 4WD system found in the Land Rover Freelander 2.

Engine variants would most likely be the same as the Focus, and the top of the range will use Ford and Volvo’s 222 horsepower 2.5 liter inline-5 turbocharged engine.

Singapore’s The Business Times reported that Volkswagen officials, Khazanah Nasional officials as well as officials from the Prime Minister’s department will be meeting in New York for Proton-Volkswagen tie-up talks this week. An agreement is not expected, but the results of the meeting will bring the talks significantly forward towards conclusion, hopefully a positive one.

The Business Times did not identify it’s sources, only mentioning that it was an industry executive. Malaysians and Germans meeting in the US? How strange.

As for GM, there’s nothing concrete, only preliminary talks. GM’s CEO Rick Wagoner says “We are interested in talking about the opportunity there, but I think it is still more a possibility for us than a probability. The ball is 100 percent in their court in what kind of structure they want to pursue. It’s more a long shot than a likelihood for us.”

Source

The new Subaru Impreza has been launched in Japan, and we now know that the JDM market only gets the hatchback. Apparently the sedan is exclusively for the US market only, though I am sure some units will somehow find it’s way here into Malaysia.

An all-new third generation chassis is not all that’s new with the Impreza - the WRX suffix has now been dropped from the 2.0 liter turbocharged Impreza (the US market gets a 2.5 liter turbo). Subaru has decided to keep the WRX name for STi models only.

This “warm” 250 horsepower Subaru Impreza variant will be called the Subaru Impreza S-GT instead. To get something with the WRX badge on it, you now have to go for the WRX STi, expected to come with more than 300 horses on top.

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Chery S12 to enter South American market

After a short pause because of the recent change in ownership over at Chrysler, the talks between Chery and Chrysler on their small car collaboration has resumed.

Two cars are being discussed - one is a Chery model that will be badged as a Chrysler in the US market. CKD kits of the Chery S12 will be shipped to Mexico and South America, and the kit will be assembled there for sale in those markets. The Southern American states share similar fate to South East Asia, we always get the boring stuff.

For other markets where something more premium is needed, Chrysler and Chery intends to produce a production version of the Dodge Hornet concept car in China, both engineered and manufactured at Chery’s research center and plant in Wuhu, Anhui.

Production could begin in 2010.

Source

BMW wants to position the upcoming BMW 1-Series as the BMW for purists - mainly the group of E30, and E36 3-Series drivers (and some E46) who have been disappointed at their favourite car growing larger, fatter, too luxurious, and heavier since the new E90.

“There are people who always loved BMW but, to be honest, loved some of the older stuff more because, for them, it was smaller, more compact, more pure. The series has grown up, but some of them did not necessarily want the 3 series to grow up. For them, the older BMWs were more youthful. The new 1-Series is the purest BMW we have,” said BMW of North America LLC general manager Rich Brekus.

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AutoBild carries this spyshot of the next generation BMW 7-Series interior. Notice the shifter has been moved from a little shift by wire knob on the steering column to BMW’s new shift by wire shifter that was first introduced on the E70 BMW X5. The second model that carries this shifter is the facelifted E60 5-Series. The iDrive LCD monitor also looks abit strange, looking like it has a curved contour at the bottom side. This, and the strange thick and chunky look of the dashboard design leads me to believe what we are seeing is additional camouflage to cover up the real dashboard design.

Volkswagen produced this infomercial for the Volkswagen TSI Series of engines. Volkswagen aimed to produce a motor that both offered fuel economy as well as performance, together with driving comfort in the sense that driving will not be a tiring process that requires you to rev your engine to high revs all the time to get decent pickup. Cruising around with city driving under 2,500rpm without feeling the engine is lacking in torque offers a more relaxing drive.

Recently, Volkswagen added a 1.4 liter turbocharged engine to it’s TSI family, joining the existing 1.4 liter twincharged engine. Interesting to note that the intercooler for this engine is water-cooled, and is integrated into the intake manifold. The use of a single turbocharger in this TSI-badged engine means TSI does not refer to the twincharging method of using both a turbocharger and supercharger for forced induction anymore, instead referring to small displacement, low fuel consumption, and high power Volkswagen engines.

This video focuses on the new 1.4 liter single turbocharger TSI engine, and differences with it’s twincharged sibling.

Check out the video after the jump.

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Click here to read the rest of Volkswagen’s TSI Engine