General Motors’ deal to sell Opel to parts maker Magna might have soured, but the two companies will sit on the same table again – over the Chevrolet Camaro Convertible. GM reassigned the contract to Magna when a rival supplier, Germany’s Edscha AG, filed for insolvency, according to sources close to the project. Magna is slated to build the Camaro top at its Bowling Green, Kentucky plant, with fabric from its Mexican operations.

GM put first-year Camaro convertible production at about 20,000 units, which makes it one of the largest North American ragtop contracts alongside the open top Ford Mustang. North American convertible system production is at its lowest point in years. Only 41,380 were built through late November of last year, down from 200,000 four years ago, say industry sources.

Drastic sales declines last year and GM’s bankruptcy forced the automaker to kill several convertible programs, including the Pontiac Solstice, Saturn Sky and Cadillac XLR roadster, so it’s good to hear that the al fresco Camaro is going ahead. Last May, GM spokesman Terry Rhadigan told Automotive News that the Camaro convertible would be ready for production in the first quarter of 2011.

Mercedes-Benz Used 1 is the name of Mercedes-Benz’s pre-owned van (or commercial vehicle) program in the UK and various other parts of Europe. In the UK, vans sold under the Used 1 program are under 5 years of age and have less than 100,000 miles on the clock. Qualifying vehicles also get a minimum of 6 months Mechanical Breakdown Insurance.

Definitely sounds like a somewhat serious subject matter but it looks like the even the more ’serious’ side of Stuttgart has a sense of humor. They produced this viral video and uploaded it online – it’s called “Avoid Surprises”.

In Malaysia, there is no Used 1 commercial vehicle program but there is a passenger car program called “Proven Exclusivity“, which sells used cars that have gone through a 215 point check, are not more than 5 years old and have less than 100,000km mileage.

Check the video out after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Mercedes-Benz ‘Avoid Surprises’ Viral Video

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars previewed its latest model, the Ghost, at the marque’s brand new showroom in Petaling Jaya this afternoon. Situated along Jalan Semangat, the facility is operated by Quill Motorcars Sdn Bhd, which also owns a BMW dealership in the same building. Rolls-Royce Asia Pacific Regional Director Colin Kelly and Brenda Pek, GM for South & East Asia Pacific pulled off the wraps.

The Ghost is the entry-level and more affordable Rolls-Royce (if there’s such a thing), and at the preview, Rolls-Royce described it as “informal, a car that you can drive every day” while stating that “the Phantom is like a tuxedo, while the Ghost is like a Savile Row business suit”. The Ghost is slightly smaller in size than the Phantom flagship (440mm shorter, to be exact) and features more dynamic styling, which suits its positioning as the most driver-focussed Rolls-Royce yet.

The 2.4-tonne Ghost is also Rolls-Royce’s most powerful car to date, its 6.6-litre twin-turbo V12 delivers 563 bhp and 780 Nm of torque available from 1500 rpm. These figures are about 25% more than the Phantom, which is of course heavier as well. The V12 is paired to a ZF 8-speed auto transmission. 0-100 km/h is done is 4.7 seconds while top speed is electronically limited to 250 km/h. Supreme comfort is a given – the Ghost floats on adjustable height air suspension.

There are plenty of RR signatures on the Ghost, such as the rear coach doors, violin key switches and umbrellas (Teflon coated) integrated within the doors. Other luxuries include lambswool floor mats, a choice of lounge or individual seating (the latter with optional massage function), a 10-channel amp, 16-speaker (including two floor mounted subwoofers) entertainment system.

The Ghost’s first Malaysian customers should get their built-to-order cars in the second quarter of this year. Prices start from RM2.6 million, but can rise with options. Also displayed was the Phantom Drophead Coupe. More pictures of both cars after the jump.

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This new promo was created by Wieden+Kennedy London for Honda UK and it basically showcases Honda’s wide range of products, all in one ad. Quite befitting for the title of the ad which is “Everything”.

Honda has always called itself a mobility company instead of a car company. They have a very wide range of products from cars, ATVs, marine engines, motorcycles, the Honda Jet, the ASIMO robot (this could lead to Honda robotic prosthetics?), and even funky new concept devices like the U3-X.

The car featured is the FN Civic, which is made in the UK. Enjoy!

Click here to read the rest of Honda ‘Everything’ Commercial from Honda UK

Peugeot’s gasoline engines are finally being updated to be matched with 6 cogs, at least for the PSA-BMW Prince engine that Peugeot uses in the 308 and various other models.

The next generation of Peugeot cars with Prince engines will get the new AT6 6-speed automatic transmission supplied by Aisin, instead of the old AL4 that you currently find in the 308 and the 206. One of the first models to get the new combo is the 308 CC, which will get a Prince 1.6 engine with 156hp, 240Nm and the 6-speed auto.

The AT6 (with Tiptronic System Porsche) can withstand a maximum torque of 300Nm, so please take that in mind when you rechip your future 6-speed Pug. This is less than the 450Nm that the AM6 transmission that the Peugeot HDi turbodiesel engines are equipped with, but that is given since the AT6 is lighter and more compact.

General Motors said it has reached an agreement to sell Swedish car brand Saab to Dutch sports car manufacturer Spyker Cars NV. The American company will receive $74 million in cash, paid in two installments, and $326 million in preferred shares of Saab, GM alliance chief John Smith told Associated Press. Spyker will also guarantee up to $10 million in Saab debts owed to GM’s main financing company, GMAC Financial Services.

The AP report also states that a loan of up to 4 billion kronor ($550 million) from the European Investment Bank, backed by the Swedish government and subject to approval by the European Commission is the source of Spyker’s funds. There’s also “Back-up financing” in the form of a 150 million-euro loan ($212 million) from investment firm GEM Global Yield Fund Ltd.

Remember the Artega GT? Penned by Henrik Fisker, ex design director of Aston Martin who also drew the BMW Z8, the Artega GT is as close to a Volkswagen mid-engined roadster as they come. Why? The lightweight German sportscar is powered by VW’s 3.6-litre V6 engine mated to a six-speed DSG gearbox. That drivetrain has only 1,100 kg to pull, thanks to an aluminium spaceframe and a carbon composite bodyshell.

It has been announced that Artega’s majority shareholder and managing director Klaus Dieter Frers will resign and concentrate on his role as CEO of auto parts maker Paragon AG. Buying over his shares is Mexican private investor Tresalia Capital, who has held a minority stake since 2008. Tresalia is one of the major shareholders in the Mexican Modelo brewery which produces the world famous Corona beer, and its head, Linda Alvarado, is the granddaughter of Grupo Modelo’s co-founder.

The Artega GT will continue to be made in Delbrück, Germany, at a volume of 500 units per year. The company’s new MD is Dr. Wolfgang Ziebart, formerly a bigwig at BMW, Continental and Infineon.

Mazda UK has announced that the European version of the facelifted Mazda 6 will be shown at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2010 shortly after the JDM Mazda Atenza facelift was announced. Both cars look much alike, but with this European press pack we get to see photos of the sedan model that we get here in Malaysia with much more desirable wheels than the lowest spec version that we saw in the JDM press release.

In Europe, the car gets the same 2.0 DISI direct injection normally aspirated engine as the JDM Atenza, but the engine range also includes a 2.2 liter MZR-CD turbodiesel available in three different power outputs ranging from 120 PS up to 180 PS. There is also a smaller 1.8 liter MZR petrol engine and the familiar 2.5 liter petrol engine that we get in Malaysia.

New to the Mazda 6 facelift other than its updated looks are a new pivoting adaptive front lighting system and hill-launch assist.

Look after the jump for hi-res European spec photos.

Click here to read the rest of UK Mazda 6 facelift previewed ahead of Geneva

Toyota USA has instructed all its dealers to temporarily suspend sales of eight models involved in the recall for “sticking accelerator pedal” problems announced a week ago. About 2.3 million vehicles are in the list.

Toyota has investigated reports of sticking accelerator pedal mechanisms in certain vehicles without the presence of floor mats. There is a possibility that the accelerator pedal may, in rare instances, mechanically stick in a partially depressed position or return slowly to the idle position. This unintended acceleration could prove to be dangerous.

“Helping ensure the safety of our customers and restoring confidence in Toyota are very important to our company,” said Group Vice President and Toyota Division General Manager Bob Carter. “This action is necessary until a remedy is finalized. We’re making every effort to address this situation for our customers as quickly as possible.”

The following models are involved: 2009-2010 RAV4, 2009-2010 Corolla, 2009-2010 Matrix, 2005-2010 Avalon, Certain 2007-2010 Camry, 2010 Highlander, 2007-2010 Tundra and 2008-2010 Sequoia. No Lexus or Scion vehicles are affected by the recall.

Due to the sales suspension, Toyota will temporary stop producing vehicles on selected production lines for a week in February. Toyota’s Indiana, Kentucky, Texas, Canada and Subaru’s Indiana plant are involved.

Last year, the Japanese automaker recalled nearly four million vehicles. The problem? Floor mats that could trap accelerator pedals, also causing unintended acceleration. The two issues are unrelated, says Toyota, although 1.7 million vehicles are affected by both recalls.

This recall only involves the abovementioned models in North America, and does not include right-hand drive Toyotas sold elsewhere in the world.

We previously showed you the facelifted Fiat Punto supermini which ditches the mini-Maserati looks and adds “Evo” to its name. Now here’s an early image of the hot version of that car, tuned by the legendary Abarth.

According to reports, Abarth will work on Fiat’s 1.4-litre Multiair engine to produce 170 bhp in the regular performance model and around 200 bhp in the top Esseesse variant, right smack in Renaultsport Clio territory. The current standard model is rated at 150 bhp, while the Esseesse makes 180 bhp, so the use of Multiair tech adds on about 20 horses to the Scorpion badged Punto Evo.

Italy’s hot hatch flag carrier is also rumoured to come with Fiat’s new dual-clutch gearbox. The same sources also say that the Abarth Punto Evo’s rear lights are LEDs, and that it should debut next month in Italy for around €19,000.

Source

We now have some real life photos of the new Peugeot 408 live from the car’s unveiling in Beijing. After all, professionally shot product images may sometimes be different from how the car looks in real life, so these live photos give us a better idea of how the car looks like and zooms into the small details as well.

The notchback styling of this ‘308 Sedan’ is definitely executive much better than the 206 Sedan or 207 Sedan. Because of the extended 2,710mm wheelbase, the roofline can be made curvier and more natural while still giving the car sufficient rear headroom.

The rear three quarter view reminds me a little of the pretty neat looking Peugeot 406 Coupe, which was referred to by PSA design director Jean-Pierre Ploué not too long ago as one of the last really good looking Peugeots – which will hopefully change with the new design language on the SR1.

Anyway, we also have a live video recording of the reveal for you to enjoy. Please head on to gallery and video after the jump!

Click here to read the rest of Live photos from Peugeot 408 launch in Beijing

Peugeot has big plans to increase its presence in Asia, and Malaysia – via its partner Naza – plays a major role in this programme. At a press conference this afternoon, Peugeot deputy managing director Nicolas Wertans unveiled the company’s new identity for the first time outside of France (simultaneous with the launch of the 408 in China) and laid out what’s in store for us in the near future.

Peugeot plans to make Naza’s Gurun plant its right-hand drive manufacturing hub that will not only serve the ASEAN region, but possibly Australia, New Zealand and even South Africa. Exports will start this year, where the T33 compact sedan will be shipped to Thailand and Indonesia.

Peugeot has started the expansion of its ASEAN regional office in Petaling Jaya and Mr. Wertans said that a new team is being sent from France to study the market. This team will be based here to better understand the taste and expectations of Malaysian carbuyers.

Five new models will be launched in 2010, the 3008, 5008, 308 CC, RCZ and T33 sedan. The 3008 is a crossover while the 5008 is Peugeot’s version of the Citroen Grand C4 Picasso. Moving on, the 308 CC is a metal folding roof coupe-convertible while the RCZ is a compact sports coupe that follows the Audi TT’s template, shown in the metal at last year’s Frankfurt show.

These cars are all fresh offerings, even in Europe, and the RCZ isn’t even on sale yet in the UK, so this blitz reflects our market’s newfound importance. No chance of these cars coming in with Peugeot’s excellent HDi diesels however; we’ll have to make do with petrol engines from the Prince family.

The T33’s impending launch has been covered on this blog before. It’s essentially a 206 Sedan with an updated nose, but Wertans won’t confirm the 207 Sedan name. To be launched by the end of the third quarter this year, it will come with a Peugeot badge (not Naza) and a 1.6-litre engine paired to a “Porsche” Tiptronic gearbox, likely to be the same drivetrain as the 308 VTi. With a sales target of 500 units per month, the T33 is set to be Naza’s bulk seller, taking over from the phased out 206 Bestari.

Meanwhile, the 408 that was launched hours ago in China, codenamed T73, could come in the near future. Wertans said that Peugeot “is seriously thinking about it, but it’s too early to tell”. The booted 308 is not a replacement for the 407, and isn’t likely to carry the “408″ name in every market it’s sold in – besides China, it will go to Brazil, Russia, India and other developing markets.

These plans will further boost Peugeot’s Asia sales, which grew by 45% in 2009. The French company hopes to expand in emerging markets, as its core market becomes highly saturated (currently 60% of total sales are from Western Europe, where it holds a 7.2% market share).

The new lion logo, “Motion & Emotion” tagline, and design language previewed by the gorgeous SR1 concept forms part of a “major repositioning for the next decade” said Wertans. The SR1 features styling cues that will be on Peugeot’s next generation of cars (no more “big mouth” grille) while the part car, part scooter BB1 concept is confirmed for production. “It’s not if, but when it’s coming to Malaysia,” said Wertans of the four-seat BB1, although he must have looked very, very far ahead when saying that.

Both you and I couldn’t be there at the Mercedes GP Petronas team race car livery unveiling at the Mercedes-Benz Museum, but with the wonders of the internet you can watch a recording unveiling right here, right now, after the jump. There’s much more from the drivers in this video compared to the one posted earlier today, so enjoy!

Click here to read the rest of Mercedes GP Petronas racecar livery launch video

The Peugeot 408 notchback sedan made its world debut in China this week. No, it’s not a replacement for 407. The replacement for the 407 will move up a notch in the market since it intends to replace both the 407 and the 607. It will be called the Peugeot 508.

The new Peugeot 408 is actually a C-segment notchback sedan based on the C-segment Peugeot 308 platform, but with its wheelbase lengthened to give better interior room since it is a 4-door. Suspension settings have also been revised for the car’s new sedan weight and for a more comfort-biased setup. In China, its positioned against other C-segment sedans like the Civic and the Focus. And this time Peugeot seems to have gotten the ‘hatch to sedan’ conversion right – it looks a lot less awkward than the 206 Sedan.

The 408 measures 4,680mm long, 1,800mm long and 1,500mm wide. It has a wheelbase of 2,710mm which trumps the Civic’s throne as the longest wheelbase C-segment vehicle available right now (well not exactly – the Fluence wheelbase is said to be 2,702mm). It approaches CD-segment territory with that wheelbase length (the Pug 407’s wheelbase is 2,725mm)! This should mean pretty good interior room in theory.

The Chinese launch of the car introduces a two engine line-up – a 110hp 1.6 liter engine and a 147hp 2.0 liter engine. Different markets may get different engines. The 1.6 liter engine’s 110 horses is reached at 5,750rpm while peak torque of 147Nm is reached at 4,000rpm with 85% reached from just 2,000rpm. and 95% (140Nm) between 3,000rpm and 5,500rpm. That’s a good and wide torque spread. The 2.0 liter unit is equipped with continuously variable valve timing. It produces its peak power at 6,000rpm with peak torque of 200Nm reached at 4,000rpm.

The transmission options are either a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed automatic, which is the new AT8 Porsche Tiptronic system model. Not the same one as found in the 206 or the 308, which is the AL4. The AT8 uses a torque converter by ZF which improves gearbox output and reduces consumption by about 5%. The gearbox management can also lock the three higher gears to reduce torque converter slip during gentle driving. From my sources, these are not the only engine options available for the 408 so if it comes to Malaysia at all, there is still a question mark there. It would be nice if the same Prince engines in the 308 are offered.

Speaking of Malaysia – guess what, it’s under consideration to be launched in Malaysia as part of Peugeot’s plans for the ASEAN region that were revealed in a press conference this afternoon. It won’t necessarily carry the 408 nameplate though – that’s a marketing decision yet to be made. For now we can refer to it as the T73 sedan. Watch out for an update on that later this night.

Click here to read the rest of Peugeot 408 launched in China: 308-based sedan!

General Motors is of the opinion that it will be able to reduce costs and improve performance, quality, reliability and manufacturability of electric motors by doing it themselves. So they’ve set out to try to design and build their own and have set 2013 as a targeted debut year. The GM-designed and built motors will see first use in a two-mode hybrid system for rear wheel drive vehicles. This sounds like trucks, trucks and more trucks – the Volt and Cruze are front wheel drive.

“In the future, electric motors might become as important to GM as engines are now. By designing and manufacturing electric motors in-house, we can more efficiently use energy from batteries as they evolve, potentially reducing cost and weight – two significant challenges facing batteries today,” says Tom Stephens, GM vice chairman, Global Product Operations.

The GM two-mode hybrid system runs like its namesake in two modes. It is capable to run the car in an EV-only zero emissions mode. The two two modes are the ‘input mode’ and the ‘compound split’ mode. The ‘input mode’ is used for moving from a stop, driving at low speeds, and towing, basically any vehicle situation where you need more torque. This mode runs in gear 1 and 2 and can run either with electric power only, engine power only, or both. The compound split mode is used for cruising. In this mode, the electric motors only help the combustion engine when they are needed.

GM claims that they’ve been working at preparing for this for years now, and that the electric motors would be built in the US at a GM facility. They probably couldn’t do it any other way, since they received US$105 million from the US government sometime in the second half of last year with the intention that the money be used for the R&D and manufacturing of electric motors and related drive components in the US. If they decide to go with more cost effective countries, they would probably have to return the money.

But while they dump money into motor R&D, they are also planning to continue to work with suppliers to co-design electric motors and buy them. “This is a strategy we use today with batteries. We are partnering with suppliers to create innovations faster than ever before. Our goal is simply to establish GM as a leader in automotive electric motors. We see that leadership as a key enabler – both to our long-term success and to our nation’s move away from oil dependence,” added Stephens.

Source

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