Ah, another short-run special, one that dresses up an already striking figure. France and Germany had the Onyx, and now it’s the United Kingdom’s turn – the Peugeot RCZ Magnetic Limited Edition will be heading across the Channel, with just 170 examples to be had. These will span over three variants, the 1.6 THP 156 and THP 200 petrol, and 2.0 HDi 163 diesel.

So what does going the Magnetic route bring about? Enhanced equipment, for one – a Sport trim level adds an soft-touch leather steering wheel and short-shift gear lever as well as sports seats. Also on, 19-inch Sortilege wheels finished in onyx matt black and a ‘black pack’ of goodies, which lends the roof arches, front grille, door mirror covers and brake calipers said shade.

Two exterior colours are available for the RCZ Magnetic, Pearlescent Pearl white or Metallic Nera black – going the white route gets a black interior, while black bags the red flame leather interior as seen in the pix.

The post Peugeot RCZ Magnetic edition announced for the UK appeared first on Paul Tan's Automotive News.

The first production unit of the Infiniti Q50, the Nissan luxury brand’s 3-Series fighter, has rolled off the Tochigi assembly line in Japan. The official off-line ceremony was presided over by Carlos Ghosn, president and CEO of Nissan, and Johan de Nysschen, president of the Infiniti division.

The first of a new generation of Infiniti vehicles, the Q50 made its world debut earlier this year at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The Q50 is smaller than the Infiniti M and replaces the brand’s G sedan.

At Detroit, two engines were announced, a 3.7 litre V6 and the Q50 Hybrid with a 3.5 litre V6. At the car’s European premiere in Geneva two months later, Infiniti included a 170 hp/400 Nm 2.2 litre turbodiesel sourced from Mercedes to the menu.

The Infiniti Q50 diesel gets to 100 km/h from rest in under nine seconds and tops out at about 230 km/h, whilst being capable of returning a quoted 4.4 litres per 100 km. Transmission choices are a six-speed manual or seven-speed auto. The hybrid is much faster, doing 0-100 km/h in under 5.5 seconds before reaching a 250 km/h top speed. AWD is available.

It is reported that triple F1 World Champion, Sebastian Vettel, played an active role in the testing and evaluation programme of the Q50 in his capacity as Infiniti’s Director of Performance. “I’m glad I was involved in the development of the Q50 and I wish you a very good ‘birthday’ and success for the future,” he said in a congratulatory video message to the production team at Tochigi.

Coming to Malaysia? Yes, Inspired Motor has confirmed that they will be bringing the Infiniti Q50 in to fight the BMW 3-Series, Audi A4, Mercedes-Benz C-Class and Lexus IS. Click here to see more of the Q50.

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Stylish Italian luxury brands Maserati and Ermenegildo Zegna have decided to work together. Company bosses Sergio Marchionne and Gildo Zegna recently signed a three-year agreement that gives birth to a long-term partnership between the two brands.

The first step in this direction pays tribute to the forthcoming Maserati Centennial in 2014, with a Limited Edition of the new Maserati Quattroporte by Ermenegildo Zegna (standard Quattroporte pictured).

The new Maserati flagship will be reinterpreted and customised with new colours, materials and trims, inspired by the collections of a leading group in men’s luxury fashion. In particular, fabrics will be produced by the historic Lanificio Zegna wool mill in Trivero, Italy.

In addition, a whole range of new optional trims by Zegna will be available for all Maserati models in 2015. In 2016, taking advantage of the Zegna Group long-term experience in ‘custom-made’ fashion clothes, Maserati will approach new tailor-made solutions, with new colours and trims available exclusively.

Only 100 units of the Maserati Quattroporte Limited Edition by Ermenegildo Zegna will be produced, and customers will benefit from a unique collection of accessories by Zegna, specially designed for each Maserati. The first prototype will be unveiled in an upcoming motor show.

Click here for full info and a high-res gallery of the all-new Maserati Quattroporte.

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We’ve just released the latest Driven+ Magazine Issue #2 for iPad and Android tablets. Yes, it is a simultaneous release and available now in Newsstand and Google Play. And before calls for smartphone versions come out, be informed we’re still working on the layout – they are whole new beasts to tame. We pray for your patience.

What’s in Issue #2, you ask? We have a few stories that involves the letter B, such as Boxster, Beetle, BMW and Bangkok. See, plenty of Bs to go around. In the other section, the Mazda CX-5, BMW 320i, Honda Civic 2.0 and the Nissan Elgrand put their heads on the review block. Are any of them any good?

Also, Danny and I go head-to-head in the Ford Mondeo and the Peugeot 508 GT. One oozes of luxury, while the other grunts with more power. But in the end, which one is the better car? It may not be the one you think.

Lastly, do send us your emails and tell us what you think and how we can improve the interactive magazine. Or, share with us your thoughts on specific cars or the motoring scene in general. We love reading your emails. Send them to letters@driven.com.my.

Thanks. See you next month.

Apple Newsstand Link: Driven+ Magazine Issue #2 May 2013 for Apple iPad
Google Play Link: Driven+ Magazine Issue #2 May 2013 for Android tablets

The post Driven+ Magazine Issue #2 out now: featuring Porsche Boxster S, Beetle 2.0 and Mondeo vs 508 GT shootout! appeared first on Paul Tan's Automotive News.

Yet another sighting of the upcoming Proton Preve Hatchback. This time around, two units of the P3-22A were snapped in a jam in front of the Masjid Jamek LRT station in downtown KL. Nothing new we haven’t seen before, though – click the pic above to enlarge.

The most recent sighting was of the Preve hatchback doing some high speed runs on the NKVE, plus a bonus video of it in action. Before that, our colleague William saw a group test with multiple units racking up urban miles together. One of the mules wore smaller steel wheels instead of the big alloys on today’s car – a hint that there will be multiple specs on offer.

You’ve seen the test mules before – in January, on the 6th, 10th, 16th and 28th – so this sighting reveals nothing new, just another sign that the P3-22A is coming soon. No one knows exactly how soon though, so in the meantime, have a look at Theophilus Chin’s renderings here.

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Here are the first pictures of a Volvo V40 Cross Country seen on Malaysian roads, sent in by eagle-eyed reader Mesh Naidu. Thanks mate! The new Swedish crossover was spotted along the Federal Highway nearby Volvo’s assembly plant in Shah Alam.

We can confirm that the V40 hatchback and its Cross Country relative will be launched here sometime in August. Here’s the kicker though: they will both be offered in CKD form, which is an unprecedented move by Volvo considering that it has barely been a year since the V40’s global debut. The Cross Country is newer still!

Volvo Car Malaysia’s entire range, the S60, V60, XC60, S80 and XC90 are all assembled at the Shah Alam plant, which is now the brand’s ASEAN manufacturing hub since it closed its Thailand assembly line in 2011. The S60 was first launched in CBU form before more affordable CKD models were introduced. It looks like the V40 pair is skipping that first step altogether.

The V40 Cross Country caught testing above is a front-wheel drive T5 variant. In most other markets the badge points to a turbocharged 2.5 litre inline-five engine with 254 hp and 360 Nm of torque, but for Malaysia expect it to use the familiar Ford-sourced 240 hp/320 Nm 2.0 litre turbo four seen on other local Volvos.

A 180 hp, 270 Nm T4 1.6 litre turbo option should be available too, mirroring the S60 and V60’s engine line-up. And should Volvo Malaysia choose to have a third and cheaper engine variant, there’s also a 150 hp/240 Nm T3 version of the same engine. All motors will be mated to a six-speed dual-clutch Powershift gearbox.

In T4 or T3 form the V40, if not necessarily the Cross Country, should significantly undercut the S60 T4’s RM220,000 price tag, putting it rather close to the similarly-sized but less powerful Volkswagen Golf 1.4 TSI. Now that should be interesting. Which European hatchback would you choose then; the one with genuine or perceived premium credentials?

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After what has seemed like an eternity, the production Porsche 918 Spyder gets detailed in full at last – the plug-in hybrid supercar’s 608 hp/530 Nm 4.6 litre V8 is assisted by two electric motors (front 129 hp, rear 156 hp) to give a total output of 887 hp and a peak 1,275 Nm of twist at the crankshaft.

The price? €781,155 (RM3.03 million) for the base model; a Weissach package pushes this up to €853,155 (RM3.31 million). The 35 kg-diet package gives you a roof, rear wings, rear-view mirrors and windscreen frames in carbon, in addition to an Alcantara-trimmed interior, less sound insulation and lightweight magnesium wheels.

Speaking of wheels, they’re 265/35 ZR20s up front and 325/30 ZR 21s out back, and they conceal internally ventilated and drilled ceramic brake discs that measure 410 mm in diameter up front and 390 mm out back. Of course, braking is regenerative.

The Porsche 918 Spyder is 4.643 metres long, 1.94 metres wide and 1.167 metres tall, with a wheelbase of 2.73 metres and front and rear track widths of 1.664 and 1.612 metres respectively.

Independent AWD is achieved through a combination of combustion engine and electric motor on the rear axle (driven through a seven-speed PDK) and the second electric motor on the front axle (driven at a fixed ratio). 0-100 km/h is accomplished in 2.8 seconds and top speed is in excess of 340 km/h.

But what’s really astonishing is its green credentials: Porsche claims NEDC figures of 3.3 litres of fuel per 100 km and 79 grams of CO2 per km – not at all bad for a car that’s taken 7 minutes and 14 seconds to get round the Nürburgring in prototype form.

Load-bearing structures are all made of carbon-fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP), resulting in a kerb weight of about 1.64 tonnes (with Weissach package). Axle load distribution is 43-57 front-to-back.

The vehicle’s C of G is at approximately the height of the wheel hubs, thanks in part to the central and low position of the traction battery directly behind the driver. There’s also a two-piece Targa roof and a fixed roll-over protection system.

The Porsche 918 Spyder’s multi-link chassis features PASM adaptive dampers and rear-wheel steering. The latter executes steering angles of up to three degrees (same direction as front wheels at high speeds to improve rear-end stability, opposite direction at low speeds to improve turning circle).

There’re three modes of active aerodynamics. In Race mode, the rear wing is set to a steep angle to generate rear downforce, the spoiler between the two wing supports near the trailing edge of the airflow extends, and two aero flaps open in the underfloor fore of the front axle. The result is a ‘ground effect’ at the front axle.

In Sport mode, the rear wing’s angle of attack is reduced, cutting drag for a higher top speed. The spoiler remains extended, while the aero flaps close to yield the same effect.

E-Power mode effectively reduces drag to a minimum: the rear wing and spoiler retract and the aero flaps close. In this electric-only mode, the Porsche 918 Spyder has an approximate range of 30 km, but is still able to get to 100 km/h from a standstill in under seven seconds, en route towards a 150 km/h top speed.

The driver can also select Hybrid and Hot Lap modes. The former is self-explanatory; the latter can only be accessed from Race mode and essentially turns all systems up to 11 for a fast lap.

You’ll no doubt remember the legendary Porsche Carrera GT’s sonorous V10 soundtrack, but this one looks set to be a songstress too – its tailpipes exit in the upper part of the back end immediately above the engine, ensuring its voice is heard by all as well as optimising heat removal.

The 312-cell, seven kWh lithium-ion battery is liquid-cooled, and takes four hours to recharge from empty using a 230V outlet. Use the rapid charger and the time is halved; use the optional Porsche Speed Charging Station (DC) and you’ll have a full battery in just 25 minutes.

The post Porsche 918 Spyder: 887 hp, 1,275 Nm, 340 km/h! appeared first on Paul Tan's Automotive News.

Here we go again with the next-generation MINI rumours. These latest images from our usual spy photographers in Europe reveal the F56 MINI three-door hatchback’s new body shape and surprise, surprise, it’s set to grow in size again. The long front overhang especially looks very un-MINI like, but the rest of the car follows the same MINI formula we know and love.

The front fascia looks to take some inspiration from the Rocketman Concept from a few years ago, with an upright grille and more angled-back headlamps. The plastic claddings around the car are thicker this time round, and the rear lamps appear larger too. We’re talking small detail changes here of course, as there certainly isn’t much leeway when it comes to designing a new MINI.

There’s supposed to be drastic changes underneath though. The front-wheel drive platform is co-developed and shared with the BMW 1 Series GT (which has been previewed as the Concept Active Tourer), and the engine range will feature BMW’s new turbocharged three-cylinder motors. Four-cylinder Prince engines may live on in certain high-powered models, at least to start with.

We’ve already seen the new MINI’s centre speedo-less interior before, and now we get a closer look at the centre console in low (small monochrome screen) and high spec (larger colour display) forms. The row of toggles below the rotary air-con knobs is particularly interesting, as the red stalk looks like to be the engine start/stop switch. You can also see a new-style automatic gearknob in the high spec test car.

The next generation MINI reveal is still a few months away at the very least, and it will have a longer five-door variant soon after. With more BMW influence in its interior and engine bay, the MINI looks to be growing up both in size and character. We just hope it’ll still have enough MINI in it to attract those wearing miniskirts rather than power suits.

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Naza Euro Motors will be taking the Citroen DS4 and DS5 out on a series of roadshows in the Klang Valley. The Citroen DS Tour 2013, as it’s called, will kick off today at the first stop, which is the Waterfront mall at Desa Park City, Kuala Lumpur.

The roadshow at DPC, which runs until Sunday, May 19, will be held from 10 am to 10 pm daily. Test drives of both the Citroen DS4 and DS5 will be available, to give members of the public a chance to experience these award-winning models.

Following the roadshow at Desa Park City, the Citroen DS Tour 2013 will move on to Setia City Mall in Shah Alam, and that takes place from June 26-30. In the third quarter of the year, the Citroen DS Tour 2013 will head on to Penang and Johor Bahru.

The post Naza Euro Motors kicks off the Citroen DS Tour 2013 appeared first on Paul Tan's Automotive News.

BMW Malaysia is now offering the BMW M Performance Power Kit for the F10 BMW 520d with 8-speed automatic transmission. Previously it was only available for the manual transmission versions of the F10, so F10 520d owners had to wait for the auto version to be released while the E90 and F30 320d owners who opted for the upgrade were happily enjoying their increased power.

The kit includes a new ECU with updated data, an upgraded charge air cooler, a plastic air guide, various required small parts, as well as aesthetic bits such as a BMW M Performance Power Kit Aluminium badge and BMW M Performance sticker for the side sill.

520d owners can expect to shave 0.5 seconds off their 0 to 100km/h sprint, as well as increase their top speed by 5km/h. In-gear acceleration time needed from 80km/h to 120km/h in 4th gear will decrease by 0.8 seconds, or 5th gear by 1 second. This is thanks to maximum horsepower increasing from 184 PS to 200 PS at 4,000rpm, and maximum torque from 380Nm to 420Nm at 1,750rpm. Interestingly, fuel consumption and emissions is also expected to improve based on ECE driving cycle numbers.

Warranty remains intact, and the kit goes for a retail price of RM8,513.61.

The post BMW M Performance Power Kit for the F10 520d appeared first on Paul Tan's Automotive News.

As everyone is busy picking up their jaws off the floor at the sight of the new W222 S-Class, here’s a preview of its two-door cousin, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class Coupe. This is essentially the new CL-Class but with a new name, following the trend set by the C and E-Class Coupes.

Our European lensmen CarPix took these photos of the car undergoing tests with is sleek new profile in full display. The shoulder line looks unusually high, leaving just a sliver of room for the glasshouse. Expect the deep sides panels to carry complex curves seen on S-Class.

While the front end looks to be a copy of the sedan bar the addition of a centre-mounted star, the rear appears to be a completely unique design. The light clusters are set in a horizontal orientation, unlike the sedan’s vertical units.

Traditionally the S-Class-based coupe is offered exclusively with the sedan’s top V8 and V12 engines, i.e. S 500 and S 600, plus more hardcore S 63 AMG and S 65 AMG models. In any case, this will be more of a boulevardier than a track weapon; a cruiser not a bruiser if you must. There’s always the SLS AMG GT if you find this too blunt for your taste.

Technology wise, expect it to have all the fancy bits from the sedan, dressed in a more coupe-appropriate interior. We’ll likely have to wait till the Geneva Motor Show next year to see the new S-Class Coupe in full, sparing the Bentley Continental GT of misery for a few more months.

The post SPIED: Next year’s Mercedes-Benz S-Class Coupe appeared first on Paul Tan's Automotive News.

Following earlier news that it was expected to do so, Honda has officially announced its return to Formula 1 beginning from the 2015 season, striking up a partnership with McLaren in which it will supply engines to the latter. The automaker made the announcement yesterday evening in Tokyo.

The alliance will see Honda being in charge of the development, manufacture and supply of the power unit, including the engine and energy recovery system, while McLaren will be in charge of the development and manufacture of the chassis as well as the management of the team, which will be known as McLaren Honda.

The two names will be hoping to recreate the success of their involvement in the late 80s to the early 90s, in which four constructors championships and four driver’s titles were bagged.

“The new F1 regulations with their significant environmental focus will inspire even greater development of our own advanced technologies and this is central to our participation in F1. Together with McLaren, one of the most distinguished F1 constructors, Honda will mark a new beginning in our challenges in F1,” said Honda president and CEO Takanobu Ito.

“The names of McLaren and Honda are synonymous with success in Formula One, and, for everyone who works for both companies, the weight of our past achievements together lies heavily on our shoulders. But it’s a mark of the ambition and resolve we both share that we want once again to take McLaren Honda to the very pinnacle of Formula One success. Together we have a great legacy – and we’re utterly committed to maintaining it,” added McLaren Group CEO Martin Whitmarsh. Here’s to 2015 then.

The post Honda announces Formula 1 return in 2015 appeared first on Paul Tan's Automotive News.

Four Malaysians are heading off to Italy to drive a Lamborghini, at Imola no less. The quartet, Raja Ram Martham Muthu, Fong Chieu Yen, Lim Kwee Choy and Sit Chee Keong, happen to be the grand prize winners of the Castrol EDGE “Drive of Your Life” campaign, the latest Castrol initiative to reward its customers.

The four will get to experience piloting not only one, but two Lamborghinis, the Gallardo and Aventador on Imola. Also on the cards, a taxi ride in a Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo racing car as well as a visit to Sant’agata Bolognese, where the Lamborghini factory and production line, the official Lamborghini museum and the Carbon Fibre Facility awaits.

“The Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo racing series presents the ideal platform to showcase Castrol EDGE’s strength to perform under the most arduous of conditions experienced across Europe’s most demanding race tracks,” said Castrol marketing director of Malaysia, Singapore and Philippines, Mark Ng.

The campaign, which was designed to celebrate Castrol’s sponsorship of the Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo series, ran from December till March. Sounds like the four are set for a great experience with them bulls.

The post Castrol EDGE Drive of Your Life – four go to Imola appeared first on Paul Tan's Automotive News.

Inspired Motor, the Tan Chong subsidiary in charge of the luxury Infiniti brand in Malaysia, is having a showcase at The Gardens Shopping Mall, Mid Valley. The roadshow started yesterday, and will be there till May 19, which is this Sunday. The mall’s operating hours are from 10am to 10pm.

On display are two models from Infiniti, the FX37 SUV and M25 Sedan. The striking SUV is powered by a 3.7 litre V6 engine and can be had from RM435,000. The RM350k M25, on the other hand, is a luxury sedan rival to cars like the BMW 5-Series, Audi A6 and Lexus GS. It starred in our four-way luxury sedan shootout, which you can read here.

The post Infiniti showcase at The Gardens featuring FX and M appeared first on Paul Tan's Automotive News.

My my, what a surprise – our spy photographers CarPix have snapped the upcoming BMW M235i Coupe almost completely undisguised, save for a bit of black cloth covering the rear. Looking at the amount of people as well as the jig arms around this red M235i, I’d say there was some kind of photography or videography session going on.

Even though the 2-Series range will replace the 1-Series Coupe and Convertible, the new 2-Series looks like it shares nothing in common with the new 1-Series on the exterior. This is not a 1-Series with a boot – the headlamps are slimmer, and the front end is sharper. It does share a similar interior with the 1-Series though, as we’ve seen in a previous spyshot.

This is the top of the range BMW M Performance M235i version of the car, which will share what’s under the hood of the M135i, a 320 horsepower version of BMW’s turbocharged 3.0 litre 6-cylinder N55 engine. You can spot the blue-painted big calipers behind the spokes of the M alloys.

It’s turning out to be a good looking car. We also notice it’s missing some of the latest BMW design elements such as that feature where the exposed sides of the kidney grilles meet the headlamps. There’s a little M badge on the fender instead of an air vent as seen on the 4-Series and the 3-Series GT.

If they’re already taking professional shots of what looks like a production car, the launch must be just around the corner.

The post BMW M235i Coupe sighted nearly undisguised! appeared first on Paul Tan's Automotive News.

BMW Malaysia has announced the arrival of the facelifted second-generation BMW Z4 in the country. Two variants of the E89 LCI, which was introduced last December, are the first to arrive, these being the sDrive20i and sDrive28i M Sport. The sDrive35is, meanwhile, is also available, but on a request basis, we hear – no word on pricing for that one, but if you have to ask, well …

The facelift job is pretty subtle – minor exterior tweaks abound, from new headlamps that now feature white corona rings to a revised front fender indicator surround where the side badge resides, as well as a new alloy wheel design.

Both variants feature the familiar 2.0 litre four-cylinder engine with twin-scroll turbocharging, with different states of output tune – the sDrive20i having 184 hp and 270 Nm, while the sDrive28i has 245 hp and 350Nm of torque. Performance figures include a 0-100 km/h sprint time of 6.9 seconds for the sDrive20i and 5.5 seconds for the sDrive28i. An eight-speed automatic transmission is the gearbox choice.

The M Sport package on the sDrive28i throws in an M Sport suspension, 18-inch M light-alloy wheels and the M aerodynamics package, replete with large air intakes in the front wing and a rear bumper inlay painted in Anthracite metallic.

The interior gets sports seats, Aluminium Carbon trim strip, an M specific leather steering wheel, gear lever knob, driver’s footrest, door sill finishers as well as an anthracite-coloured roof liner.

A total of eight external shades are available for the new BMW Z4, with two new colours – Mineral Grey metallic and Glacier Silver metallic – joining the palette list. Buyers will be able to select an optional BMW Individual hardtop, which is available in two colours, solid Black and Glacier Silver metallic, though you’ll have to fork out RM6,000 for it.

As for pricing, the BMW Z4 sDrive20i goes for RM359,800, while the sDrive28i M Sport retails for RM489,800, both on-the-road without insurance, with BMW Service + Repair Inclusive (BS+RI).

The post BMW Z4 E89 LCI – sDrive20i and 28i M Sport arrives appeared first on Paul Tan's Automotive News.

Here are some good hi-res spyshots from reader Daniel Tay, who spotted this mystery car clad in black tape in Melaka. It’s a big sedan, which he thought was the new Honda Accord, but upon closer inspection, we can reveal that it’s the new Nissan Teana testing in Malaysia. Here’s why.

In July 2012, Nissan unveiled the 2013 Nissan Altima for the North American market, before the L33 appeared as the new Nissan Teana in China earlier this year. This means that Nissan is streamlining its D-segment offerings into one “world car,” but with different trim and powertrains for different markets.

Paul then got up close and personal with the Altima/Teana at the 2013 Seoul Motor Show, and you can see the live gallery here.

Compared to the showcar from Seoul, this test mule wears the same wheel design, and the general shape of the disguised car, including the outline of the rear lamp cluster and boot, are similar too.

Another clue is from the sole interior shot here – it shows the top part of the centre stack, which has a “tiered” surface. Conveniently, there’s a current Teana “clearing the way” for the car in black.

Besides the design, which is more dynamic now with cues from the new Sylphy, the new Teana is powered by a QR25DE 2.5 litre four-cylinder engine, not the VQ series V6 in today’s car. It’s Nissan, so expect a smooth CVT doing transmission duties.

This sighting comes very soon after the Teana’s launch in China. Is Tan Chong already preparing the groundwork for local assembly of the D-segment sedan? Click here to see a live gallery of the new Teana and here for official videos and studio shots.

The post SPYSHOTS: 2014 Nissan Teana testing in Malaysia appeared first on Paul Tan's Automotive News.

And here it is, after many spyshots, teasers and leaks, Mercedes-Benz has finally unveiled its new flagship car – the W222 Mercedes-Benz S-Class. The unveil happened in Hamburg last night, where the launch gambit involved an Airbus A300-600 belonging to DHL cargo, which flew the car in from its ‘birth place’ in Stuttgart. The W222 rolled onto the stage with its first passenger Alicia Keys.

Since we’ve gone over the new S-Class’ exterior looks many times already, we won’t go into detail about what these many high resolution photos can explain way better than text. As it turns out, there’re only two ‘looks’ for the flagship car – those sporty bumpers that we saw in the leaks are part of the sportier-looking AMG Sports Package. The car in the first photo above is the standard look.

Those tail lamps that looked rather smallish in the spyshots and leaks seem to look better in some of these photos, so I guess it’s an angle thing. We can’t wait to see how the new S-Class looks in real life to make up a final opinion on the car’s looks.

The interior is an evolution of the W221‘s interior design, but enhanced and updated. The double screen instrumentation binnacle design continues with the W222, but the screens are now huge 12″3 inch high resolution TFT screens in 8:3 aspect ratio. The analogue instrumentation that was used for the RPM, fuel and other misc gauges in the W221 have been eliminated.

Everything else should be very familiar to the S-Class owner – seat controls on the door, climate control buttons in a row below the COMAND display, various other buttons surrounding the COMAND dial, a palm rest that flips open to reveal a keypad, as well as a steering wheel column shifter. The air conditioning vents are now circular instead of rectangular in shape, as is the analogue clock in the middle of the dashboard.

Despite the wheelbase remaining the same as the outgoing W221/V221 for both the W222 and the V222 long wheelbase model, the new W222 S-class offers 12mm extra headroom, 14mm more shoulder room and 10mm more elbow room for the front occupants, as well as a 14mm increase in rear knee room and 9mm increased shoulder room for the rear occupants.

Other than the luxurious exterior and interior, what’s very interesting about this car is the technologies that it has introduced to enhance the comfort and safety of Mercedes-Benz’s flagship sedan. To make things easier to digest, we’ll go through these one by one.

The first ever car standard without a single light bulb

The new S-Class is the first car in the world which doesn’t use a single light bulb in the car as part of the standard package rolling out of the factory. Everything is powered by LED – yes, a total of almost 500 LEDs are found all around the car.

The headlamps have up to 56 LEDs each, the tail lamps are powered by 35 LEDs each plus 4 LEDs for the rear fog lamps, and the interior is lit up by about 300 LEDs, including the ambient lighting.

It knows that bumpy roads are up ahead

The new S-Class uses ROAD SURFACE SCAN to detect road unevenness using a stereo camera, and the air suspension is adjusted automatically in anticipation of these unevenness using MAGIC BODY CONTROL. This isn’t a standard feature though – it’s optional for the 8 cylinder models only, which means the majority of the W222 sold in Malaysia won’t have it.

What’s standard is an enhanced version of the AIRMATIC air suspension system, improved over the system found in the W221, as well as the continuously operating Adaptive Damping System ADS PLUS.

There’s a built in perfume dispenser

The AIR BALANCE package consists of perfume atomisation, ionisation and even more efficient filtration compared with the standard model. Mercedes-Benz allows the perfuming system to be switched on and off manually, with manual adjustment of the intensity. The perfume atomisation system individualises the smell of the vehicle interior. Thankfully for those who would still want to enjoy the leather interior smell, the fragrance is claimed to neither changes the interior smell permanently, nor are perfume molecules deposited on fabric surfaces or clothing.

The THERMOTRONIC automatic climate control in the rear has two additional zones to improve thermal comfort. Another new feature is electric heating of the armrests.

It can give you a hot stone massage

Yes, there’s a hot stone massage function, something that was revealed when Mercedes-Benz teased interior photos of the car earlier.

The seat specialists at Daimler have developed a unique massage function with 14 separately actuated air cushions in the backrest with integrated warming. There is a choice of six massage programmes, two of them using the warming function. The function is also available for the rear seats.

New options for the rear seats

There are a total of 5 different configurations for the rear seat of the V222 long wheelbase model, with the top of the line being an Executive seat, with a backrest angle adjustable by up to 43.5 degrees, allowing occupants in the rear to concentrate on work or relax in comfort.

This is the largest backrest inclination in the luxury segment. The reclining seat features a calf support which is freely adjustable for length and angle. In combination with the heel rest on the folding chauffeur seat at the front and an additional comfort cushion, this allows a reclined position that sets new standards in the automotive sector with respect to sleeping and resting comfort.

If the “First Class Rear” is specified (with rear centre console), the front console on the transmission tunnel is visually continued to the rear, making the rear cabin a strict 2 seater. It is equipped with cup holders which use Peltier technology to cool or warm drinks over a longer period of time. Like an aircraft seat, the centre console is available with two tables which can be easily folded in or out using one hand.

If you opt for the standard wheelbase W222, you get two rear seat variations – static bench seat or individual seats with 37-degree adjustment. The adjustment kinematics have been changed in the luxury and reclining seat variants. Unlike the conventional trailing backrest design, the backrest is adjusted separately so that the legroom and seat reference point remain unchanged. The cushion can be separately adjusted for angle and horizontal position.

A woofer in the firewall

The standard sound system has 10 loudspeakers, but for audiophiles the Harman Kardon and Bang & Olufsen options are replaced by two high end sound system options – Burmester Surround Sound system as well as the top of the range Burmester High End 3D Surround Sound system.

All versions of the W222′s audio system has a new feature called Frontbass, which innovatively places the woofers in the firewall of the car, thus using the 40 litre space in the cross member and side member as a resonance chamber. This eliminates the need for woofers in the doors. Mid-range speakers in the doors are moved up. The benefits of this are more room in the bottom half of the door for stowage, and the higher positioning of the mid-rangers improve the sound stage.

Is it even possible to further improve seat belts?

Apparently there is room for improvement, as Mercedes-Benz have discovered. Rear seat passenger safety is enhanced via 3 features – the seat belt buckle extender, the beltbag and the cushionbag.

The first two of these developments are included in the PRE-SAFE rear package. The illuminated seat belt buckle extender, an electric motor extends and retracts the belt buckle automatically. In this way, any belt slack in the area of the pelvis and thorax can be reduced so that passengers are secured more firmly in both the sideways and the lengthways direction.

The beltbag is an inflatable seat-belt strap that is able to reduce the risk of injury to passengers in the rear in a head-on collision by lessening the strain placed on the ribcage. The reclining seat is equipped with a cushionbag under the seat cushion upholstery as standard. When the seat is reclined, it prevents the occupant from sliding beneath the seat belt (so-called submarining) in an accident. This has enabled Mercedes-Benz to design a comfortable reclining seat which provides a higher level of accident safety than a seat with a trailing backrest.

Intelligent Drive – plenty of driver assist

• DISTRONIC PLUS with Steering Assist and Stop&Go Pilot takes the burden off the driver when it comes to lane guidance and is also able to follow vehicles in traffic jams automatically.
• Thanks to the stereo camera, the Brake Assist system BAS PLUS with Cross-Traffic Assist is able to detect crossing traffic and pedestrians too, and to boost the braking power applied by the driver accordingly.
• If the lane markings are broken lines, Active Lane Keeping Assist can detect when the adjacent lane is occupied, especially by oncoming traffic, and reduce the risk of the vehicle leaving its lane unintentionally by applying the brakes on one side.
• Adaptive Highbeam Assist Plus allows the high-beam headlamps to be kept on permanently without dazzling traffic by masking out other vehicles in the beams’ cone of light.
• Night View Assist Plus was further improved and supplemented by a thermal imaging camera. Night View Assist Plus can alert the driver to the potential danger posed by pedestrians or animals in unlit areas in front of the vehicle by automatically switching from the speedometer to a crystal-sharp night view image and highlighting the sources of danger. A spotlight function is furthermore able to flash any pedestrians detected ahead. This attracts the driver’s attention to the source of the danger at the same time as warning the person on the side of the road.
• ATTENTION ASSIST can warn of inattentiveness and drowsiness in an extended speed range and notify the driver of their current state of fatigue and the driving time since the last break, offers an adjustable sensitivity setting and, if a warning is emitted, indicates nearby service areas in the COMAND navigation system.

What about the engine options?

Only a few W222 S-Class engine options were unveiled during the launch time. We’re expecting quite a few more options to sandwich these engines at the bottom as well as top end of the range. Developing markets such as ASEAN will undoubtedly require a petrol S300 model, which will likely use the same engine as the current S300, unless they decide to offer a turbocharged four cylinder version instead.

The V12-powered S-Class tradition will continue with an S600, and there will naturally be AMG models as well. The S350 W221 will probably be replaced by a yet to be announced S400, powered by the same 3.0 litre twin-turbo V6 in the facelifted W212 E400.

Mercedes-Benz Malaysia will probably get the W212 facelift launch out of the way first before even thinking about the W222.

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The battle of the hypercars has begun, even before any of the three contenders start production. Porsche fired the first salvo, claiming that its upcoming 918 Spyder will be faster than the Ferrari LaFerrari and McLaren P1. And that’s despite being down on power and weighing more than both its archrivals.

Porsche’s product manager James Eastwood told CAR UK the 918 Spyder’s combined 887 hp hybrid powertrain and through-the-road electric four-wheel drive make it more than capable to match its 900+ hp rivals, citing a technological advantage in its favour.

Its rear-wheel drive rivals will have to brake in a straight line, compromising corner-entry speed. The 918’s torque vectoring and independently-driven front wheels can maintain better drive and achieve higher entry and mid-corner speed. Four-wheel steer increases agility too, and is worth an extra 50 hp or 100 kg weight saving over a racing lap claims Eastwood.

As it is a prototype 918 Spyder has lapped the Nurburgring in 7 minutes and 14 seconds – much quicker than the Carrera GT and the latest 911 Turbo S – and that car was driven by an engineer rather than a racing driver. Expect it to improve on that as well as the sub-3 seconds 0-100 km/h time and 325 km/h claimed top speed when it reaches its final production form.

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Following on from the reveal of HSV’s Gen-F range, the full-size Holden Caprice gets some changes for the 2014 model year – chief among which is a re-designed interior with improved materials and a new layout.

Priced from AU$54,490 (RM162k), the base Caprice is powered by a 3.6 litre V6 reported to produce 285 hp and 350 Nm of torque. It gets new premium leather front seats, keyless entry and start, new-look 18-inch alloys and extra chrome exterior trim.

It also gets an eight-inch MyLink touch-screen infotainment system that has voice recognition and Siri Eyes Free integration, in addition to Pandora and Stitcher SmartRadio built-in apps. Other features include Auto Park Assist, Blind Spot Alert, an electronic parking brake and remote vehicle starting. Transmission is handled by a six-speed auto ‘box.

Bearing a AU$59,990 (RM178k) sticker price is the range-topping Holden Caprice V. This one has a 6.0 litre Gen IV V8 that should develop 353 hp and 517 Nm of torque, also mated to a six-speeder. On top of the base Caprice’s kit, it gets a new rear-seat entertainment system with remote control, DVD, AUX and dual channel wireless headphones.

There’s also Forward Collision Alert, Lane Departure Warning, a colour HUD, leather bucket seats all round, a nine-speaker Bose audio system and an electric sunroof. The Caprice V sits on new-look 19-inch alloys, and round the back you’ll find quad tailpipes.

“Holden has added the features and advanced technology that customers would only expect from prestige brands to Australia’s own large luxury car – and we’ve made Caprice available with an RRP under $60,000 for the first time,” said sales and marketing ED Philip Brook.

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Nissan is expected to launch its first test course outside of Japan next to a planned second Thai production plant in Samut Prakan by mid-year, the Bangkok Post reports.

“The Thailand Proving Ground will be the hub of Southeast Asia, which is the base of Nissan Technical Centre. It will help to reduce shipping costs significantly, as all new models have to be shipped to be tested in Japan,” said Takayuki Kimura, president of Nissan Motor Thailand.

Presently, Nissan operates three proving grounds in Japan, namely in Tochigi, Kanagawa (pictured) and Hokkaido. We also know of a Nissan proving ground in the desert of Arizona, USA, so the first overseas test course claim is questionable. Doesn’t change the fact that it’s a big deal, though.

Last year, Nissan announced plans to build an 11 billion baht factory adjacent to its existing one in Samut Prakan. The 24,000 square metre facility will include a production line, R&D centre and the proving ground.

The plant will have a production capacity of 75,000 vehicles a year when it starts operating in August 2014, eventually doubling to 150,000 units. Nissan’s existing factory makes 220,000 cars a year now. Once the second plant is running at full capacity, Nissan Thailand will have an annual production capacity of 370,000 vehicles.

Kimura said that Nissan plans to sell 500,000 vehicles in the Asean region in its fiscal year 2016, which will equate to more than 15% market share. For fiscal year 2012, the company sold 260,000 vehicles in our region for a market share of 7.2%.

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Last year, Mitsubishi took on the challenge of competing in the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb for the first time, doing so with two all-electric cars, a 49 kW production i-MiEV driven by Beccy Gordon and a 240 kW i-MiEV Evolution steered by two-time Dakar Rally winner Hiroshi Masuoka.

For 2013, the automaker is back to race up the hill with what is the progression of the i-MiEV Evolution – the MiEV Evolution II, as it’s known as, is an all-electric prototype upgraded with lessons learnt from last year’s outing.

The i-MiEV Evolution finished second in the Electric Division, and the company says that participation in the event brought a rich harvest in terms of vehicle speed, acceleration and other on-road data, as well as drive battery consumption, motor temperature and other data and know-how critical to electric vehicle development.

Like last year’s car, the MiEV Evolution II uses parts used in production vehicles, combined with a high-capacity battery and high-output motors, both specially designed by the automaker’s suppliers.

Based on experience gained from last year’s race, Mitsubishi has added a S-AWC (Super All-Wheel Control) integrated vehicle dynamics control system to a two-front/two-rear four-motor drivetrain for increased handling and control in the new car. These, together with a specially-designed body that provides reduced weight and improved aerodynamics, has resulted in a significant improvement in driving dynamics.

The two i-MiEV Evolution racecars will be piloted by Masuoka and six-time Pikes Peak motorcycle champion Greg Tracy.

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Honda will be making a return to Formula 1 racing in 2015 as an engine supplier, marking its third sojourn as such. The automaker – which first started its participation in F1 in 1964 – was last involved in F1 with the Honda Racing F1 Team, exiting the sport at the end of 2008.

The Nikkei reported yesterday that Honda Motor president Takanobu Ito is likely to make an announcement of the involvement sometime soon. The daily said that Honda is expected to supply its engines to McLaren.

Next season will see the introduction of a revised engine formula, in which the current 2.4 litre V8 specification will be replaced by a 1.6 litre turbocharged V6 configuration, replete with an energy recovery system.

The report states that Honda has been conducting research and development according to the upcoming revision, and the automaker says that it plans to apply the technology obtained through its F1 racing programme to its regular cars.

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Here’s one for gaming fans out there: Gran Turismo 6 has been announced for the PlayStation 3 and is set to be launched by the end of this year. The news came at an event celebrating the racing simulator’s 15th anniversary. Has it really been that long since we played the first Gran Turismo on the original PlayStation? Time flies when we’re having fun.

It’s a bit odd that the sixth instalment of Sony’s console series’ best-selling franchise won’t debut on the brand new PS4, which is due real soon. Then again, Gran Turismo creator Kazunori Yamauchi likes to work at his own pace. We had to wait a long five years to play a GT game on the PS3, and it looks like it’ll be the same story again for the next-generation console.

Gran Turismo 6 for the PlayStation 3 will feature a new rendering engine that pushes the limits of the machine for even more photo-realistic graphics, as well as more cars (1,200 at launch, with more to come through DLC packs), 33 locations and 71 layouts (seven and 19 more than GT5 respectively, including the revamped Silverstone circuit in the screenshots).

Gameplay will be different too with new aerodynamics, tyre, suspension and kinematics model with technical contributions from Yokohama Rubber and KW Automotive. Lots of other updates are also in store, including a new user interface with shorter load times. A demo version will be available in July, with the full game closer to the holiday season. Excited yet?

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Petron Malaysia, part of Petron Corporation in the Philippines, kicked off its first anniversary celebrations at its Jalan Selayang service station last Saturday. From May 18 until mid-June, there will be fun-filled activities every Saturday at nearly 60 Petron stations in the Klang Valley.

The first anniversary event saw motorists and their families enjoy a day of games and activities that won them exclusive merchandise, while Smiles Cardholders redeemed points to purchase electronic items at the Treats convenience store. Keeping them entertained were a special choir performance by SMK Kepong as well as a very colourful dance show.

“Petron is honoured to be part of its customers’ lives. This month-long celebration is our way of thanking them for supporting us throughout the year and we look forward to serving them better,” said Petron Malaysia retail business head Faridah Ali.

“We are passionate about fostering our relationship with our Malaysian customers everywhere in line with what our brand exemplifies—innovative products, excellent service, and successful partnerships built on trust, and caring for our customers,” she concluded.

Petron started operations after its successful acquisition of ExxonMobil’s downstream businesses in Malaysia in April 2012. Since then, 125 out of 550 stations nationwide have been rebranded, with the remainder to be done in phases up until 2014.

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In conjunction with Teachers’ Day, which is celebrated in Malaysia today, Perodua is introducing a “Terima Kasih, Cikgu” package to “thank, honour and celebrate the country’s dedicated educators.”

The package offers a rebate of RM1,000, a personal accident insurance plan worth RM20,000 as well as competitive hire purchase rates from 2.7% by participating banks. The package, which is open to all educators from both public and private institutions of learning, starts from today till November 15, and is valid for all Perodua models.

“This package is our way of giving back to society’s unsung heroes and their selfless dedication in educating our young – from all of us at Perodua, thank you. On top of the offers given, early birds (those who book their cars this month) are entitled for a RM200 petrol gift card,” Aminar said.

“Along with the three years free service, we believe that this package offers the best value-for-money proposition on the overall motoring experience,” he added. More details, terms and conditions can be had a your neighbourhood P2 dealer.

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Though only due to be unveiled in about 2 hours time at an event in Hamburg, here are the first photos of the new W222 Mercedes-Benz S-Class, which made their way onto the internet just a couple of hours ago.

We will be back with proper coverage of the S-Class after the official unveiling of course, with a full high res gallery as well as the complete technical low down on Mercedes-Benz’s new flagship vehicle. For now, you’ll have to make do with these first batch of photos, as well as the technical details unveiled via the leaked German language brochure we published earlier this week.

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The wait has been a long one, but for many, it’s worth it. Here’s the Malaysian-market all-new Isuzu D-Max, replacing the current long-standing model that’s been in service (through various incarnations) since 2003. The second-generation D-Max is priced between RM69,799 to RM100,689 across five variants.

No questions about it, this pick-up is new from the ground up. Built on the i-GRIP (Isuzu Gravity Response Intelligent Platform) base, it’s significantly larger than before in every measurement – 5,295 mm long (+260 mm), 1,860 mm wide (+60 mm), 1,795 mm high (+60 mm) with a wheelbase of 3,095 mm (+45 mm). Ground clearance too has been increased by 10 mm to 235 mm.

The larger dimensions translate to a much more spacious cabin and bigger cargo area. It now has a more SUV-like interior with a bigger focus on passenger comfort, especially those sitting in the back. Isuzu claims that the angled rear seats backs are the best in the class. New additions include isofix mounting points, folding rear seats plus various cupholders and storage compartments.

If the interior looks familiar to you, that’s because the new D-Max shares it with the Chevrolet Colorado. The platform and interior were co-developed with parent company GM, but the running gear, dynamics and exterior styling are completely bespoke to each brand.

It’s a good looking truck isn’t it? There’s a big and bold grille up front, flanked by sharp looking projector headlamps. The bulging wheelarches are now part of the sheetmetal, no longer plastic add-ons. Aerodynamic efficiency is the best in the class, with a 5% improvement in drag coefficient (Cd) than before.

All but the base model get a new 2.5 litre four-cylinder turbodiesel engine producing 136 hp at 3,600 rpm and 320 Nm of torque between 1,800-2,800 rpm, making use of a Variable Geometry System (VGS) turbocharger to outpower the old 3.0 litre motor. Two five-speed transmissions are offered either in manual or automatic flavours; the latter with a manual override function.

The D-Max features an advanced crash protection structure on the passive safety front. Dual airbags, three-point seat belts for all occupants plus ABS, BA, EBD, Traction Control (TCS) and Electronic Stability Control (ESC) systems are also on offer, but only on the two top models.

At the bottom of the range sits the RM69,799 2.5L 4×2 MT low rider variant, using an older 79 hp/176 Nm turbodiesel engine. It gets base-spec reflector-type headlamps, grey grille, 15-inch steel wheels, single airbag and black wing mirrors and rear bumper but keeps the Load Sensing Proportional Valve (LSPV) and limited slip differential (LSD).

The next two models in the line-up, the 2.5L 4×2 MT Hi-Ride (RM79,899) and 2.5L 4×4 MT-L (RM85,499) use the newer, more powerful engine and are equipped with 16-inch alloy wheels, projector headlamps and chrome finish on the grille, wing mirrors and rear bumper as standard. Airbag count stays at one though.

Moving up to the top spec D-Max 2.5L 4×4 in manual (RM94,619) and automatic (RM100,689) forms get you the e-LUMAX multi-info display, leather-wrapped steering with audio and handsfree controls, 2-DIN multimedia player with Bluetooth connectivity and a six-speaker audio system (with ‘Exciter’ surround speakers embedded into the roof lining).

Exterior additions such as fog lamps, LED rear lights, 17-inch wheels, roof rails, bed liner and side steps are also thrown in as standard on the two most expensive models. As these variants are more likely to be used as family recreational vehicles rather than for commercial or heavy duty use, they go without the LSPV and LSD.

A roll bar is a RM1,200 option on all variants bar the base model. Five colours are available – Phoenix Red Mica, Phantom Grey Mica, Stallion Black Metallic, Titanium Silver Metallic and Magnum White Solid, with the first two offered only on 4×4 models. Isuzu offers a three year or 100,000 km warranty.

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The launch of the Porsche Cayman and Cayman S last night also saw the official introduction of the Porsche Cayenne Turbo S and the Cayenne S Diesel, which brings the total number of Cayenne variants in the country to eight.

The Cayenne Turbo S was spotted by Hafriz back in March, which when we reported that it – and the Cayenne S Diesel – was set to be launched in April. The range-topping SUV makes 550 hp from its 4.8 litre V8 engine, 50 horses more than the Turbo. Torque is also up by 50 Nm, meaning there’s 750 Nm on call. Performance specs include a 0 to 100 km/h sprint time of 4.5 seconds (0.2 sec faster than the Turbo) and a 283 km/h top speed.

It’s dressed up with bespoke 21-inch 911 Turbo II wheels with high-gloss black highlights, quad rectangle exhaust pipes, body-coloured wheel arch extensions and gloss black-finished grille, side mirrors and headlight housings. The Turbo S is also equipped with the Sport Chrono package as standard.

As for the S Diesel, its 4.2 litre V8 turbo oil burner churns out 382 hp and 850 Nm, all good enough to get the bulk from standstill to the 100 km/h mark in 5.7 seconds, with a top speed of 252 km/h to be had.

The Cayenne S Diesel, which is equipped with Porsche Traction Management active all-wheel drive, features an uprated brake system – identifiable through its silver brake calipers – and “Diesel” badging on the front wings, among other things.

Pricing for the Cayenne Turbo S kicks off from RM1,330,000, while the Cayenne S Diesel’s base price starts from RM750,000, with a four-year factory warranty and a four-year complimentary service maintenance package rounding things off.

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Holden Special Vehicles has released details and some juicy pictures of its new Gen-F range, which comprises Maloo, Clubsport, Clubsport Tourer, Senator Signature and GTS models.

The members of the already-menacing HSV family gets a bodykit, side gills, LED DRLs and quad tailpipes, with the range-topping Gen-F GTS (pictured) donning reworked bumpers, a bigger spoiler and snazzy black alloys.

Their cockpits benefit from racy goodies such as carbon-fibre trim, additional gauges, a flat-bottomed steering wheel, alloy pedals and sports seats.

With a brutal 585 hp and 740 Nm of torque from a supercharged 6.2 litre LSA V8 (from the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1), the Gen-F GTS is the fastest Holden ever built. The others should draw either 425, 435 or 455 hp from a 6.2 litre LS3 V8, depending on the model.

The GTS Gen-F will reportedly begin Australian sales in September; the rest could hit showrooms in June.

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