A bunch of German engineers take the new Subaru Impreza on a spin around the track and end up wishing they built it. It’s quite funny looking at serious guys in lab coats bobbing their heads to the music. Watch the video after the jump. Click here to read the rest of Subaru Impreza German Engineers Ad
The design language of the Honda Accord sedan and Honda Accord Coupe did not surprise us that much as we’ve already seen a close-to-production concept version sometime back in January this year.
The Honda Accord Coupe Concept was exhibited at the 2007 Detroit Motor Show and now the final production 2008 Accord Coupe is a close production representation of that concept. You can already expect aftermarket parts that mimic the clear smoked tail lamps on the concept coupe to be used on the production coupe.
The 2008 Honda Accord Coupe, like the sedan has been completely redesigned for the 2008 model year. The Accord Coupe is available in either a 190 horsepower 2.4 liter inline-4 i-VTEC DOHC form or a 268 horsepower 3.5 liter V6 i-VTEC SOHC form.
The V6 engine in the coupe differs from the one in the sedan as it’s valvetrain does not have the Variable Cylinder Management feature, thus reducing valvetrain inertia thanks to the reduced weight. This means the non-VCM V6 engine has a better torque curve at low to medium engine speeds compared to the VCM-equipped V6 engine. The Accord Coupe V6 can also be specified with a 6-speed manual transmission while the V6 sedan is only available in automatic.
Now that we have a new USDM market Honda Accord sedan and coupe, what remains to be updated is the European market Honda Accord which has generally been different from the USDM market Accord, but is sold in the US as the Acura TSX. Honda has previously displayed another sedan called the Honda Sports 4 Concept. That might give us an idea how the next generation Euro Accord will look like.
More photos after the jump. Click here to read the rest of 2008 Honda Accord Coupe Details and Photos
Vehicle sales were at it’s highest point this year in July 2007, hitting 44,926 units (41,015 passenger, 3,911 commercial) - a figure 2.6% higher than June and a 9.6% improvement over the same month in 2006. MAA credited these improvements to higher civil servant income, new model introduction, improved market sentiments and better consumer confidence. However, vehicle sales for the year to date was still 9.1% lower at 265,665 units compared to 292,330 units during the same 7 month period in 2006.
August sales is exepcted to stay around July’s level, but some industry analysts expect it to continue on an upward trend from August onwards thanks to the Proton Persona as well as Merdeka and year-end promotions from other manufacturers.
The Naza Group still has plans to list the company on the stock exchange. The listing exercise is to raise funds to build a new plant in Bertam, Penang which is estimated to cost about RM1.2 billion as well as new model development.
The plant was announced in 2005 and will have an annual production capacity of 100,000 cars. “It is still on. There is no delay actually. Sometimes, it is the market situation,” said Naza Group head Tan Sri Nasimuddin SM Amin.
It is also expanding it’s Gurun plant, but no targeted production capacity was mentioned. Tenders have been opened for works related to the plant expansion. The Gurun plant currently makes 50,000 units a year.
Honda has released details and full product images of the new 2008 Honda Accord sedan and coupe, but let’s look at the Accord sedan first as it is more relevant to our local market. The Honda Accord sedan in the US comes with 3 engine options - two 2.4 liter inline-4 i-VTEC units as well as a 3.5 liter V6 engine for the top of the line model.
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The 2.4 liter engine is available in two stages of tune - a 177hp @ 6,500rpm, 218Nm @ 4,300rpm basic unit that has 7 more horsepower than the 2.4 liter in the current Accord as well as a tuned up 190hp at 7,000rpm variant with 220Nm of torque at 4,400rpm thanks to a reprogrammed ECU and a high-flow muffler with a variable valve silencer.
The V6 unit grows from 3.0 liter in the current Accord up to 3.5 liters and makes 268 horsepower at 6,200rpm and 336Nm of torque at 5,000rpm. This SOHC V6 engine is equipped with Variable Cylinder Management which allows the engine to operate on three, four or all six cylinders to help boost fuel economy or power as needed. The coupe has this same engine without the VCM - the reduced valvetrain weight improves low to mid-range power.
Once again the 2008 Honda Accord rides on a double wishbone front suspension at the front, enhancing the driving experience. In the US market, this new Honda Accord marks a few firsts for a USDM Accord - disc brakes on all wheels for all models, Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) on all models, power lumbar support, auto-dimming inside mirror, compass, multi-line display CD and MP3 player, auxiliary-input jack and subwoofer. I sincerely hope the Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) as standard on all models make it to Malaysia - when you pay over RM130,000 for a car I think safety features such as traction control are very important.
The interior space of the new 2008 Honda Accord has been improved so much that it is now classified as an EPA Large Sedan in the US market. Honda says the interior offers “equal” front and rear seating comfort for four adults - the rear passenger comfort level is no longer a hit and miss thing if the front passengers move the seats too far rearward. If you measure the growth in size from the exterior, the new 2008 Accord is 76mm longer than the previous model, 28mm wider and 22mm taller. Torsional rigidity has been improved by 20% thanks to the usage of 48% high-tensile steel, the highest by volume of any Honda Accord to date.
Aerodynamics have also been improved thanks to a new frame rail system which positions the frame rails inside the Accord’s body structure instead of underneath it, creating a nearly flat bottom to ruduce under-floor turbulence. The car is also more balance now in terms of weight distribution as the fuel tank has been moved lower and further forward.
It is not known at the moment when the new 2008 Honda Accord will be introduced in Malaysia, or whether these engine enhancements will be brought here or not as we usually carry the same engine specs as Thailand Accords, and one of the ways the new engine makes more power is because it has a higher compression ratio. Thailand fuel might not be able to handle that. A new Accord also usually means a new Honda Odyssey is coming soon, which is a lovely MPV.
Read Honda’s full press release on the 2008 Honda Accord.
More images and a video after the jump! Click here to read the rest of 2008 Honda Accord Full Details and Photos
Click to enlarge
Kia will be revealing the production version of it’s Kia pro_cee’d 3-door hatchback at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show on the 11th next month. The new Kia pro_cee’d will have 19 different variants offering various engine options and trim levels - LX, EX and TX.
The Kia pro_cee’d is longer, lower and lighter than it’s 5-door Kia cee’d sibling, but keeps the same 2650mm wheelbase. Rear luggage capacity with the rear seats upright matches the 5-door model. The windscreen is shallower and vehicle height is reduced by 30mm. The doors are 276 mm longer than the front doors of the 5-door ceed model. Kia Motors Europe chief designer Gregory Guillaume notes that although the rear screen is steeply raked, rear headroom remains good.
Those who want more performance out of their pro_cee’d can order the optional Sports Pack, which comprises 17-inch alloy wheels with 225/45 R17 tyres, stiffer dampers, a sport-concept interior trim which features ‘tyre-track pattern fabric and silver stitching, plus alloy pedals and stainless-steel door-scuff plates.
More photos after the jump. Click here to read the rest of More details on Kia pro_cee’d before unveiling
The John Cooper Works aftermarket kit for the new R56 MINI Cooper S boosts power up from 175 horsepower to 192 horsepower and 240Nm of torque up to 270Nm thanks to a sport exhaust system, high-flow air filter and reprogrammed engine management.
0 to 100km/h now takes 6.8 seconds, guaranteed to give you your daily dose of Gs whenever you feel like it. If you want to dress up your car as well, an exterior bodykit includes a John Cooper Works branded front grille and tailgate, body kit and 18-inch wheels. There are also optional carbon fiber trim and panel pieces.
German tuner Bremgo has took a BMW 335i, slapped on some M3 lookalike parts on it and shoehorned the huge 5.0 liter V10 from the BMW M5 into the coupe’s engine bay. They used the SMG drivetrain instead of the manual transmission. This is effectively the first SMG-equipped 3 Coupe to be running around until the M DCT-equipped BMW M3 is launched sometime next year. Other than the body parts and engine swap, the car also receives a artge perforated leather steering wheel, AC Schnitzer 5-spoke alloy wheels.
Bremgo has stuffed the M5’s V10 into other cars before, including an E46 M3 CSL. In this particular application they tuned up the M5’s engine to 550 PS, so you can expect this E92’s M5 motor to have similiar specs. They have also played with diesel abit, stuffing the 330d’s turbodiesel into the M3 Cabriolet, effectively taming it down a little and making it a nice fuel efficient small GT of sorts.
More photos after the jump.
Source Click here to read the rest of Bremgo drops the M5 V10 into a 335i Coupe
Japan and Indonesia has signed a bilateral trade agreement yesterday, in efforts to boost trade and investment between the two countries. The agreement will take effect immediately, but it will be implemented in stages over the years and is expect to be fully implemented only in 2016, with tariffs eliminated on more than 90% of the trade between the two countries.
Under the new trade agreement, Indonesia will reduce or eliminate tariffs of about 93% of its 11,163 tariffs, with 58% to be eliminated immediately. In turn, Japan will reduce more than 90% of its 9,275 tariffs, with 80% to be cut immediately, including those for textile and agricultural products. Japan is Indonesia’s biggest export market.
Indonesia will remove tariffs on Japanese cars and auto parts by 2016, and Japan will immediately remove tariffs on almost all industrial products from Indonesia.
What has happened to the JMEPA (Japan-Malaysia Economic Partnership Agreement) between Malaysia and Japan talked about back in mid-2005? Is it in effect now? Is it the reason why Mitsubishi has managed to price the Lancer so aggressively?
There was previously a report by AFX News that Volkswagen’s keen interest in Proton was to take advantage of the Japan-Malaysia Economic Partnership so it could use Malaysia to export to Japan. There was also a previous report about Volkswagen planning a plant in Japan. How does this affect the Volkswagen and Proton talks?
Sources:
Japan-Indonesia Economic Partnership Agreement
AFX News: Malaysia Proton shortlists Volkswagen as strategic partner
WSJ: Japan-Indonesia Pact
To Expand Economic Ties
Bloomberg: Indonesia, Japan Sign Trade Deal to End Most Tariffs
Edmunds: VW-Proton Talks Sputter
Reuters: Volkswagen to set up plant in Indonesia
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JMEPA: The reason Volkswagen wants Proton?
Cheaper Japanese vehicles but with a condition?
Volkswagen to build assembly plant in Indonesia?
Volkswagen looking at Indonesia instead?
We will be able to get a glimpse of what the production version of the Audi A1 will look like in end-October this year thanks to a concept model that will be revealed at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show. What we’ve been seeing so far in the press have been artist’s impressions of what the car will look like. We’ve also seen some internal sketches of the car, and they basically look like a shorter, tinier version of Audi’s typical design cues.
Audi’s new attempt at a small city will be displayed as a hybrid concept car, though the final production car will have petrol and diesel powered models as it’s bread and butter.
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Audi A1 sketches leaked
Audi A1 artist’s impression
