Kah Bintang is now selling the latest Hyundai Elantra here in Malaysia. Under the hood is an inline-4 2.0 liter DOHC CVVT engine producing 143 PS at 6,000rpm and 186Nm of torque at 4,600rpm. It is mated to a 4-speed automatic. This is not the nice GEMA-based 2.0 unit in the Kia Optima, but a different family. It uses an electric power steering system.

The car rides on 16 inch alloy wheels with 205/55R16 tyres, and uses McPherson struts at the front, and a multi link suspension at the rear. Brakes are discs all round, with the front being ventilated. Turning radius is 5.17 meters, while the car’s wheelbase is 2,650mm. The 6 speaker audio system plays CD/MP3/WMA, and has aux input for you to hook up your external music device like iPods and etc. The interior is done up in leather, which includes the steering wheel, driver armrest and shift knob. Climate control is automatic. The steering wheel is both tilt and telescopic adjustable.

Safety features include dual SRS airbags, anti-lock brakes, front seatbelt pretensioners with force limiter, and electronic brakeforce distribution. The door locks unlock automatically upon impact. The car scored a 5-star crash test rating for the US NHTSA front impact test.

Kah Bintang says the new Hyundai Elantra managed to go from JB to Butterworth with a 53 liter tank of fuel - that’s a distance of about 746km.

The new Hyundai Elantra is priced at RM91,208.10 OTR without insurance.

View a few more photos after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of 2008 Hyundai Elantra on sale in Malaysia

The previous Proton Saga advertisement posted here featuring our Angkasawan received some interesting feedback. Here is another Proton Saga advertisement video, this time featuring David Arumugam of the Alleycats.

I guess now we know where that Proton Saga sighted with the number plate came from, it’s the same car in this video!

VIDEO: Proton Saga Alleycats Advertisement

Click to enlarge

Toyota is now offering the Toyota Camry in a new colour and with a new aerokit, of which both is shown above. The new colour is called White Pearl CS (070), with CS being an acronym for crystal. The new colour is only offered on the Toyota Camry 2.0G and the Toyota Camry 2.4V. Specifying this colour will cost an extra RM800.

As for the new Toyota Camry aerokit, it can be fitted on all models and all colours, but only as a factory-fit. Aftermarket retrofitting for existing Toyota Camry owners is not possible as Toyota says it will tamper with the vehicle’s original specifications as approved by Toyota Motor Co Japan. The aerokit is optional and costs RM2,200. It consists of a front lip, a rear lip, side skirts and a trunk lid spoiler. Warranty for the aerokit follows the Camry’s 3 year or 100,000km warranty.

One more rear shot after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Toyota Camry with Aerokit available in Malaysia

Usually when there is a new Proton car launch, this blog will feature the car’s TV commercial (for free, sheesh) as most of us are interested in how Proton is marketing the product. As requested by readers, here is Proton’s “Angkawasan” TV commercial for the new Proton Saga! This is despite me feeling a little wary about the resulting comments, as we all know how the majority of the rakyat feel about our Angkasawan project. So please, if you decide to share your thoughts in the comments, focus on the ad and not the Angkasawan.

UPDATE: Watch another video in this series of TV commercials promoting the new Proton Saga, this time featuring David Arumugam of The Alleycats.

VIDEO: Proton Saga Angkasawan Advertisement

Pick one: all 420 horses of that amazing V8 rumble you get to hear in full clarity because the M3 Convertible has an open top, or the higher rigidity and lighter weight of the BMW M3 Coupe? Most of us will be happy with either because an M3 is not something that anyone can own. For the rest of us, experience the sights and sounds of the BMW M3 Convertible after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of VIDEO: The E93 BMW M3 Convertible

Click to enlarge

Here are some photos of the Proton Saga “RED” Concept by Proton Design, which will let some of you soon to be new Proton Saga owners know what modifications could be possible with the car’s aesthetics. Having a special kitted up version of each new model launch has been a tradition now, and I hope this continues.

The Proton Saga “RED” Concept features a nice metallic red paintwork, a black roof, nice light grey grill surrounds, and large wheels, complete with a minimal tyre to fender gap. The interior gets a two-tone black and grey design, with red door trim, red seats and a grey-red trimmed steering wheel.

Check out more photos after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Proton Saga RED Concept by Proton Design

This is probably the most anticipated car in the history that I have had this blog running, the car that will mark the retirement of the old Proton Saga and mark the beginning of a new saga in the history of Proton. It is what both we and Proton call “the People’s Car”.

It is the car that signifies Proton is going back to the basics and fulfilling its responsibility as the national car manufacturer to actually produce national cars that the majority of the people actually need - a cheap, economical run-about car with a sedan bodystyle.

That car is the new second generation 2008 Proton Saga, known to us for the past few months as the Proton BLM.

Click here to read the rest of New Proton Saga Launch and Test Drive Report

Here is the full scoop on the new seven speed dual clutch transmission to debut in the BMW M3. Instead of M DCT as previously speculated, the transmission will be called the BMW M DKG instead, presumably meaning the same in German.

A BMW M3 with a 6-speed manual goes from 0 to 100kmh in 4.8 seconds, but with the new M DKG dual clutch transmission, shift time is shaved off by 0.2 seconds to 4.6 seconds. As with most twin clutch transmissions, you have the odd gears on one shaft and the even gears on the other, and upshifts are instantaneous because the next gear is pre-selected. The M DKG is a wet clutch system.

Drivelogic allows 11 different shift patterns - 5 automatic and 6 manual. There is also a separate Low Speed Assistant mode which allows the M DKG transmission to be smoother during slow maneuvering at speeds of less than 5km/h - parking your car for instance. It increases the smoothless and degree of accelerator control achievable by the driver. On the Volkswagen DSG, the throttle is actually way too snappy for you to park your car comfortably. This is because of the nature of the gearbox, essentially robotically controlled clutches,

Of course, manual shifting is available either by pushing and pulling the gear knob, or via paddle shifts on the steering.

Related Posts:
BMW M DCT to debut at Geneva 2008?
BMW M DCT: BMW’s new twin clutch gearbox

Tomorrow is the launch day of the new Proton BLM, which will replace the “classic” Proton Saga with a new modern model with updated crash safety, and updated internals.

Can Proton produce something that is baseline yet still looks stylish? Something that when you look at it, you may think that the owner could have afforded something else but decided to buy the BLM instead because of its value of money. Basically not something that you are forced to buy because of price alone. If Proton manages to achieve this with the Proton BLM, it will have a huge one up over cars like the Renault Logan.

You’ll find out when you come back to this blog at 5:30PM on the 18th of January 2008 (tomorrow) to find out the full scoop on the new Proton Saga replacement, including a short test drive report.

In the meanwhile, read the previous posts on the BLM linked below:

Related Posts:

• Proton BLM: New Proton Saga Teaser Video
• 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
• Proton BLM step by step build up teaser
• Updated Proton BLM stage by stage teaser
• 2nd Proton BLM stage by stage teaser demo

A teaser button on UMW Toyota Motor’s website leads to a registration page where you can sign up for updates on the new Toyota Corolla Altis, which according to the page will be launched sometime in March 2008.

No other details about the car is revealed, so we’ll have to keep guessing at the moment what different trim level and specifications we will be getting on Malaysian soils, but a good guess would be a line-up that is similiar to the Thai line-up, which is also unrevealed.

Related Posts:
New Toyota Corolla Altis preview at Beijing 2006
ASEAN Toyota Corolla Altis at the Thai Motor Expo