Our prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi told the press yesterday that Volkswagen was currently conducting a due diligence audit on Proton, confirming the previous report by The Edge. A due dilience audit is ann investigation or audit of a potential investment which serves to confirm all material facts in regards to a sale.

“It is important for Proton to be comfortable with its potential partner. And as soon as that is confirmed, then I believe we must tie up the deal as quickly as possible,” he said.

He further added that the introduction of the Proton Persona had nothing to do with the timing of Volkswagen’s due diligence study, but it does prove to the world that Proton is still capable of coming up with a superb product.

Source

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The Edge: Due diligence audit for Proton this month

Volvo will be repositioning it’s Volvo S60 model to go against the likes of the BMW 3-Series, Audi A4 and Mercedes Benz C-Class with it’s younger sibling the Volvo S40 to be transformed into a 5-door hatchback (think of the Ford Focus 5-door hatch). The S40 will go against the BMW 1-Series and the Audi A3.

Autocar reports that there is a little tussle internally at Volvo with the engineers battling the accountants in an effort to get funds to engineer a chassis for the new S60 that is up to the mark in terms of driving dynamics with the 3-Series. The new chassis is said to have a slightly longer wheelbase than the current S60.

Source

Something Lotus generally does not do is respond to individual articles in the media, but this time the British company has stepped up and responded to the recent news that Jinhua Neoplan will be assembling Lotus sports cars in China.

“The company does not normally respond to individual articles in the media, but occasionally we feel it necessary to comment directly to set the record straight about specific rumors that could affect staff morale or performance. There has been comment in the Chinese press that two Lotus sports cars will be put into production in China by the end of the year. This is not true. Staff has been briefed by [chairman] Mike Kimberley on plans for the company for the next five years. Those plans do not feature the manufacture of Lotus cars anywhere other than at Hethel. In future please treat such press comments with the scepticism (sic) they deserve,” said a Lotus representative in an email.

Source

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Jinhua Neoplan to assemble Lotus cars in China

I guess today is the day that most of you have been waiting for the day that the car that promises to set off a snowball effect of recovery at Proton. First sightings of the new Proton sedan were early this year in April, but we actually got to see 3D renderings of it in March. Little did we know that it was a real car to be put into production.

UPDATE: Proton Persona SE now on sale for RM59,800!

As most of you have known by now thanks to a tip off by The Edge, the new Proton sedan is called the Proton Persona. The name is not unfamiliar as it has been used before for the UK market Proton Wira. This makes the name somewhat apt, as it is finally the car that will replace the Wira, something the GEN2 did not do when it was introduced a few years ago.

Proton has taken steps to ensure the Proton Persona is what the customer wants, not what the management wants. Many models clinics and surveys have been conducted to ensure market acceptance. After my first impression of the car at the media preview earlier this week, I must say that Proton has done a relatively good job with this car!

Read more on the Proton Persona after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Proton Persona launched: Proton’s new sedan

Rumours have been rife in the auto industry about the return of one particular car made legendary by a certain Japanese anime series. We’re talking about the Toyota Corolla AE86. In a scoop by Japanese magazine Best Car, they’ve reported that Toyota is indeed working on a spiritual successor to the AE86 - lightweight, great handling, and most importantly rear wheel drive. Toyota’s NZ engine family was cited as as possible powertrain, however as far as I know it is currently a FF powertrain. The FR 3SZ-FE from the Avanza sounds more probable.

A few days ago newspaper Asahi Shimbun further added fuel to the excitement, stating that Toyota and Subaru will be jointly working on this new project and Toyota could source a rear wheel drive boxer engine from Subaru for the car. A target release date is sometime in 2010. Toyota needs a replacement for the Scion tC and the Celica anyway.

Two more scans after the jump.

Source

Click here to read the rest of Possible revival of the Toyota AE86 in 2010

Kia has released another teaser image of the Kia Sports Coupe Concept - a side profile view this time. An image of the front was released a month ago, and the 2+2 coupe will be revealed to the public in it’s entirety together with it’s name at the 2007 2007 Frankfurt International Motor Show.

This car could go into production as the mechanical twin of the next generation Hyundai Genesis Coupe, which is reportedly rear wheel drive.

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Kia Sports Coupe Concept front teaser

Porsche will be launching a new special edition of it’s Cayman mid-engine coupe in November 2007 called the Porsche Cayman S “Porsche Design Edition 1″. The limited edition Cayman was conceived to be a nod to Porsche Design and the famous Chronograph 1s designed by Ferdinand Alexander Porsche 35 years ago.

The interior is done up with black leather and Alcantara upholstery while the center console, dashboard and door trims glisten in black. The sports steering wheel, gear lever and handbrake grip are also done up in non-slip black Alcantara. With this limited edition Cayman, it seems that black is once again the new black.

The Cayman Porsche Design Edition 1 is lower by 10mm than it’s siblings, and features standard Porsche Active Suspension Management that actively controls the hardness of the shocks. The 19 inch wheels (taken from the Type 997 Porsche 911 Turbo) with 235/35ZR19 tyres at the front and 265/35/ZR19 at the rear have 5mm spacers to give the Cayman a more intimidating stance.

All 777 lucky owners of this limited edition will also receive a briefcase containing a Flat Six Chronograph, a pocket knife, sunglasses, a pen, and a key wing all done in black - this includes the knife blade. The cars will be numbered on the lid of the glove box.

Click here to read the rest of Porsche Cayman S - Porsche Design Edition 1

Mercedes-Benz will be unveiling a concept large luxury sedan at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show next month called the Mercedes Benz F700 concept. Unlike most of Mercedes-Benz’s previous F-class concept cars, the powerplant in this one is a little more conventional but still represents a leap in internal combustion engine technology.

No, the number 700 in it’s name does not denote a 7.0 liter engine of some sort. Instead, the Mercedes-Benz F700 will be powered by the recently announced 1.8 liter DiesOtto engine, capable of power outputs of 238 horsepower and 400Nm of torque, yet using less than 6 liters of fuel per 100km in an S-Class!

The F700 could also give us a glimpse of what Mercedes has in plan for us for the next generation S-Class in terms of styling. Expect something similiar to the Concept Ocean Drive. More details on the DiesOtto in a separate previous post.

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Mercedes Benz DiesOtto inline-4 engine concept
Mercedes Benz Concept Ocean Drive design study

The Mazda RX-8 Rotary Engine 40th Anniversary Edition celebrates the 40th anniversary of the first use of the rotary engine by Mazda back in 1967 in the Mazda Cosmo Sport. The limited edition car is based on the Type S and Type E RX-8, comes in Marble White and is limited to the Japanese market with a grand total of 200 units.

The Mazda RX-8 Type S (manual) or Type E (auto) base is upgraded with Bilstein dampers, and the front suspension cross member is filled with urethane foam to provide an ideal amount of vibration supression. Brakes for the Type E have been upgraded to larger ones that already come standard on the Type S, similiar with the 225/45R18 91W tires and 18-inch alloy wheels.

The 1.3 liter twin rotor engine has had it’s rotors finely balanced for their weight and rotation characteristics, and a special engine cover has been added.

On the interior, it is trimmed with black genuine leather and light silver Alcantara combination seat covers and a light silver synthetic leather door trim. The seats are 8-way power seats. The leather continues to find it’s way around the interior - steering wheel, and gear shift are done up in a similiar classy way.

It’s too bad that the car is only available for the Japanese market but perhaps a handful will be specially brought into other parts of the world by grey importers.

Two more shots after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Mazda RX-8 Rotary Engine 40th Anniversary Edition

Kia has revealed a second teaser image of the new Kia Pro-cee’d set to be revaled at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show. The Kia Pro-cee’d is the production version of the Kia pro_ceed concept car shown last year at the 2006 Paris Motor Show.

This new shot shows a rear view of the car. For the front view and more details on the new Kia Pro-cee’d, click here or have a look at the related posts below.

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Kia Pro-cee’d to make debut at Frankfurt 2007
Kia pro_cee’d concept at Paris