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It’s no secret that the Mercedes Benz Vision GLK FREESIDE is a near production preview of the upcoming Mercedes Benz GLK-Class, a compact SUV to rival the BMW X3, the Landrover LR2 and the Volkswagen Tiguan.

The name GLK has a meaning - G means a cross country vehicle (G-Wagon), L means luxury and K means Kompaktheit, which is German for compactness. Its styling looks rather butch, and there are some odd design elements, for example I do not see why they had to make the lower part of the front headlamps step down slightly inwards.

The Mercedes-Benz Vision GLK FREESIDE is powered by a 2.2 liter Bluetec inline-4 turbodiesel engine mated to a 7G-Tronic gearbox, putting out 168 horsepower.

More photos after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Mercedes Benz Vision GLK FREESIDE

The all new Subaru Forester was launched recently in Japan, in its third generation since it was first launched in 1997. There are three variants offered in Japan, the 2.0X, the 2.0XS and the 2.0XT, ranging from basic, midrange to premium. The 2.0XT model also has better off-road capability, with a 225mm ground clearance compared to the 2.0X and the 2.0XS’s 215mm clearance.

The Subaru Forester uses a double-wishbone rear suspension and the usually strut-tyep front suspension. The new Forester uses an advanced form of Subarus proprietary Ring-Shaped Reinforcement Frame Body Structure. Through streamlined body construction and the extensive use of high-tensile steel, including 590 MPa–level steel for key structural body frames, the new model achieves higher body rigidity, improved straight-line driving stability, and riding comfort. Despite its larger body and platform, compared to the predecessor, the vehicle weight increases only minimally.

The 2.0X and 2.0XS uses a 2.0 liter normally aspirated DOHC boxer engine putting out 148 PS and 191Nm. The engine also has AVCS, or active valve control system, essentially a continuously variable valve timing system. This improves low to mid-range torque. The 2.0XT uses a 2.0 liter turbocharged boxer engine, putting out 230 PS and 319Nm. It uses a resin-based intake manifold which ha smooth inner walls which are less resistant to the intake flow. The weight is also reduced by 30% compared to the earlier manifold.

The manual and auto transmissions use different AWD systems. The automatic models get an Active Torque Split AWD, while the manual models use a centre differential AWD system with viscous LSD (limited slip differential). All models come standard with Vehicle Dynamics Control (VDC), a form of stability control.

More photos after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of New 2009 Subaru Forester 2.0X, 2.0XS and 2.0XT

Nasim Sdn Bhd, a Naza Group company has taken over the Peugeot brand since the start of this year. Nasim will be supported by the Automobiles Peugeot regional training centre and regional office which is based in Petaling Jaya.

The Automobiles Peugeot regional training centre caters to Peugeots regional markets in Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Nepal, New Zealand, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. It is equipped with the latest Peugeot diagnostic tools as well as the latest Peugeot models which are brought in for training purposes.

The Peugeot Platform which is a global online helpdesk for Peugeot service technicians worldwide will also be made available to all authorised Peugeot service centres here.

Nasim is currently having a registration drive for all Peugeot owners. If you are a Peugeot owner, head over here to sign up. The first 1,000 registrants will be entitled to special prices on selected spare parts. All who register will be given a Peugeot Privilege card which will entitle the holder to special parts prices, service packages, upgrade campaigns and a host of other benefits.

A new full 3S Peugeot Blue Box in Glenmarie will be operational from March 2008 onwards. Nasim will introduce new Peugeot models by the end of Q1 2008.

Register at the Peugeot Malaysia website

Related Posts:
Naza secures Peugeot distributorship for 2008
CCB discontinues Peugeot partnership in Malaysia

Chery’s new Chery A6 Coupe will go on sale in the second half of 2008. The front wheel drive coupe was based on the Chery A6CC Concept shown at Shanghai 2006.

It is built on Chery’s new B2 platform, and has a wheelbase of 2700mm. The original concept had a 3.0 liter V6, but for the production version three engine options are available - a 3.0-liter V6, a 2.4-liter V6, and a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4 engine.

Read the linked post below for more photos of the A6CC Concept.

Related Posts:
Chery A6CC Concept

Perodua will be launching a new model in 2009, a news report by The Edge Daily revealed. The report said local accessories vendor Hirotako Holdings Bhd is currently in talks with Perodua to design and manufacture air bags for the new 2009 model.

Hirotako’s 51% owned subsidiary Autoliv Hirotako Sdn Bhd is a JV between Hirotako and Autoliv AB of Sweden. Autoliv Hirotako supplies seatbelts, air bags, and other components for Proton cars.

Related Posts:
2008 Perodua Kembara Artist’s Impression
New Daihatsu Terios announced in Indonesia
Toyota Rush long wheelbase suitable for Malaysia
2007 Daihatsu Move launched

Source

Honda Malaysia Sdn Bhd is currently having a Chinese New Year Campaign for 2008, which begins today and ends on the 29th of February 2008.

Anyone who purchases a brand new Honda City or Honda Accord during this period will enjoy low interest rates as listed below:

• 2008 Honda City i-DSI - 2.18%
• 2008 Honda City VTEC - 2.18%
• 2008 Honda Accord 2.0 VTi - 1.88%
• 2008 Honda Accord 2.0 VTi-S - 1.88%
• 2008 Honda Accord 2.4 VTi-L - 1.68%
• 2006 Honda Accord 3.0 V6 - 1.38%

Customers who test drive any Honda models during the promotion period will also receive a free limited edition Honda Racing Umbrella.

Happy New Year 2008! Proton has produced a teaser video for the new Proton Saga replacement model, codenamed the Proton BLM. The car is expected to be priced between RM30,000 to RM40,000 (updated) but these are indicative prices released by Proton as a teaser… the final price for the cheapest model could be slightly lower! As mentioned earlier, bookings are now open starting from today.

You can also book online, and the booking fee is RM500. Surf over to the online booking page and you will find out that the new Proton Saga will be available in 7 colours - Zircon Green, Metallic Black, Granite Grey, Genetic Silver, Chilli Red, Solid White, and Blue.

Click the above thumbnails to enlarge

UPDATE: EON Glenmarie sales representative Mohd Arif Iqbal has indicated that tentative prices for the 1.3 liter BLM started at RM31,500 for the N-Line model up to RM39,500 for the fully specced M-Line version, which comes with airbags.

The video below shows the car’s key styling details, and one difference from the models we’ve seen in spyshots are that the rear lamp cluster now appears to have a slightly more orange signal indicator lense instead of a clear lense.

Watch the video below!

Video: New Proton Saga BLM Teaser

Related Proton BLM Posts:

• Bookings now open for the new Proton BLM
• New Saga Replacement Proton BLM sighted with minimal disguise on the road
• Proton and the Indian automotive industry
• Black and white Proton BLM spyshot
• New Proton BLM spyshot - this time in turquoise!
• Another rear shot of the Proton BLM
• Is this the new Proton BLM?
• Clearer Proton BLM side profile spyshots
• Proton BLM Artist’s Impression by Maru