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Reader NathenNod snapped these photos of another Nissan Bluebird Sylphy on test in the Segambut today. This is the second photographed sighting of the Civic-sized car on this blog this year. Will we see the Nissan Sentra replaced with an aptly-priced new Nissan Bluebird Sylphy next year?

More spyshots after the jump.

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2006 Nissan Bluebird Sylphy
Nissan Bluebird Sylphy spotted in Malaysia!

Click here to read the rest of Taped up Nissan Bluebird Sylphy spotted again!

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Proton dealers will be accepting official bookings for the new Proton Saga replacement known to us as the Proton BLM tomorrow. TV3 reports quoting official Proton sources that the 1.3 liter 4 door sedan will be sold at prices of between RM30,000 to RM35,000.

I just got back from a routine petrol fill-up, and found that the petrol stations were packed full with cars queueing up to fill their tanks.

Are we looking at a fuel price increase at midnight tonight? There is word of an increase of 40 cents, which would mean RM2.32 for a liter of RON97 petrol.

Not sure if its true or not as there has been so many false alarms before, and more than often it turns out to be untrue. It seems like it has become a habit for us Malaysians to fall for rumours.

UPDATE: Minister of Domestic Trade & Consumer Affairs Shafie Apdal has given a statement that the petrol price hike rumours are exactly that - rumours.

348 units of completely built up Proton GEN2 cars are already on their way to China, having left the port today. This is the second shipment, with an initial batch of 60 already delivered earlier this month. Proton expects to ship a total of 1,600 CBU units by the end of January 2008. A total of 1,500 Proton GEN2s per month will be shipped over the next 20 months - a total of over 30,000 units. In addition, the first shipment of spare parts worth RM2 million has already been delivered.

The Proton GEN2 has undergone 6 months of testing in China in order to obtain the China Compulsory Certification, which includes build quality, crash test, safety, fitting, and component tests. It will be sold under the EuropeStar name in China - more details on that in the related posts linked below.

Bookings for the Europestar-badged Proton GEN2 in the Chinese market has reached 1,600 units so far.

Related Posts:
Europestar RCR - rebadged GEN2 in China
Europestar GEN2 gets “unique styling”
Youngman to sell Proton GEN2 badged as Europestar in China

Source

The Malaysian Reserve reports that a local firm has approached Proton with a proposal to take over Proton’s stake in Lotus. The business daily did not mention which local firm this is - but whispers through the grapevines say this might be Naza.

Naza wants to build its own cars. It’s first attempt at it’s own car was the Naza Sutera, now known as the Naza Forza. For future models, Lotus could provide Naza with the necessary platform to build its car on - the Versatile Vehicle Architecture. Also, as successful distributors of most of the supercar brands here in Malaysia, it could also take over the marketing of Lotus sports cars in this country.

Of course, we don’t actually know for sure if it is Naza, or if there is such a thing at all, so let’s wait and see if The Malaysian Reserves is right about this.

Source

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The new W204 Mercedes-Benz C-Class now has an Euro NCAP score - 5 stars, thanks to its 7 airbags, seatbelt tensioners, belt-force limiters, and NECK PRO head restraints - all fitted as standard items on the European spec C-Class.

Of course, the body structure also plays an important part in the survivability of the passengers - crumple zones and such. 70% of the Mercedes-Benz C-Class’s body panels are made from state-of-the-art, high-strength steel alloys that minimise weight and maximise safety. Quadruple-skinned B-pillars and the side members absorb the bulk of any side-impact forces and channel these forces into the body structure, are made partially from ultra-high-strength, hot-formed high-tech steel.

View a video of the front impact crash test after the jump.

Related Posts:
New 2007 Mercedes-Benz C-Class (W204) unveiled!
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Click here to read the rest of W204 C-Class scores 5 stars in Euro NCAP

Honda Japan has released this promotional video clip of the new second generation 2008 Honda Fit. It’s nothing much - mostly rolling beauty shots that show you the car’s design cues. Watch the video after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of 2008 Honda Fit promotional video

The Nokia Eco Sensor Concept (click image to enlarge) features a high tech analyzer which can analyze carbon monoxide, and other particulates. If this mobile phone ever makes it into production, we could see JPJ officers walking around with it, using it to test your car’s emissions to see if it violates any set regulations - if there are any in the country in the first place.

There are just too many people running around without a catalyst - even I am guilty of this as my first car came with an aftermarket exhaust system that had the catalyst removed.

Just imagine - a summon could be sent to the JPJ database immediately through 3G, and a Bluetooth portable printer could print out a hardcopy of the summon. In fact, the car can be identified using an image recogniser software for number plates, running on the phone. Folks at JPJ in case you’re reading, I can develop something like this if you’re interested, just use the contact form

Source

The “warm” version of the Lancer Evolution, the Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart is expected to be unveiled sometime in 2008, and it is expected to be based on the 5-door hatch version of the Lancer. The 5-door Lancer was previewed to us through the Mitsubishi Sportback Concept (shown above).

Expected specification level - 240 PS detuned version of the GEMA family Mitsubishi Evolution X engine, the Evo X’s 6-speed Twin Clutch SST automatic, an all-wheel drive system carried over from the Lancer Evolution IX, an aluminium bonnet panel, Recaro front seats, sports steering wheel with paddle shift and a Ralliart radiator grille.

Related Posts:
Mitsubishi set to update model range
Mitsubishi reveals twin clutch SST gearbox

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The US domestic market Honda Accord (and our Asian version as well) is known as the Honda Inspire in Japan, because the Japanese Accord follows the smaller and sportier European Honda Accord.

Soon after the US market Accord was unveiled, comes the Japanese 5th generation Honda Inspire. There are two variants - the 35iL and the 35TL, and both come powered by the new 3.5 liter i-VTEC V6 engine with cylinder deactivation. The J35A is a SOHC motor and produces 280 PS at 6,200rpm and 342Nm of torque at 5,000rpm.

This engine features a cylinder deactivation system called Variable Cylinder Management. It allows the engine to either run on the full 6 cylinders, or either 4 or 3 cylinders, depending on driving conditions. This means either a 2.3 liter V4 or a 1.75 liter inline-3 engine. A little green ECO light denoting economy mode will light up on the dashboard when VCM is activated.

The front of the new Honda Inspire is similiar to the US model Accord, featuring HID-equipped headlamps and a bold trapezoidal grille. The rear is slightly different, with two extra strips of red taillamp area on the bootlid stretching from the taillamps to the number plate holder. This is probably what our Asian Honda Accord’s rear end will look like, instead of the USDM rear end design.

Safety features include a standard airbag system which includes driver and front-passenger i-SRS airbags, front-seat i-side airbags, and side curtain airbags. The body uses Advanced Compatibility Engineering which ensures the passengers are protected during a collision. The top of the range 35iL model has Honda’s CMBS (Collision Mitigation Brake System) and E-pretensioners.

CMBS determines if there is a danger of a collision and alerts the driver. If a collision is imminent, CMBS activates the brakes to reduce speed automatically. E-pretensioners retract seatbelts automatically before a collision occurs.

The new Honda Inspire is bigger than its predecessor not only on the exterior but on the interior as well. or rear passengers, the tandem distance (a measure of the distance between front and rear seats) has been increased by 25mm and the floor lowered to provide a more natural seating position. Knee space has also been increased by 35mm, while the couple distance for front occupants has been widened by 40mm.

A thinner floor frame and slender fuel tank are employed along with optimized exhaust system layout to achieve a 15mm reduction in floor height. The trunk has been made 54mm longer to create a spacious 510 liter capacity.

More photos after the jump.

Related Posts:
2008 Honda Accord Sedan Details and Photos
Honda Accord Coupe HF-S Concept
Honda Factory Performance Accord Coupe

Click here to read the rest of Honda Inspire for the Japanese market unveiled!