Chevrolet Cruze – wagon to make Geneva debut

February 10, 2012 at 1:24 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Chevrolet, International News


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Chevrolet will be debuting its wagon version of the Cruze at the Geneva show, and the vehicle is due to join the sedan and hatch models in the lineup within the next 12 months.

Not much details as yet, but the company says that the new wagon will feature generous storage space and a high level of standard and safety features. The exterior design features a tapering single arch roofline and comes with roof racks as standard, providing convenience while maintaining a poised and sporty look.

The wagon measures in at 4.67 metres long, slightly longer than the hatch (4.51 metres) and sedan (4.59 metres), and load space ranges from 500 litres up to the window line in the rear to nearly 1,500 litres up to the roof top with the rear seats folded down.

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Kia Track’ster Concept – 2-door turbocharged 4WD Soul

February 10, 2012 at 1:17 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Kia

When Kia Motors American chief designer Tom Kearns and his team was styling the new Kia Track’ster Concept, they went on with the idea to make the Track’ster tough looking, like a bulldog, but still instantly recognisable as a Kia Soul, but with a whole lot of attitude added. Something that could change people’s concepts of what a sporty Kia could be.

The end result – finished in a 2-tone Whiteout and Inferno Orange design – is pretty much spot on. Under the hood is a 2.0L turbocharged engine with a 6-speed manual making 250 horsepower – a 66% increase over the most powerful engine in the production Kia Soul. The Track’ster also has all wheel drive to help send all that turbo torque to the wheels.

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F10 BMW M5 to be launched on March 10, 2012

February 10, 2012 at 1:19 am By Paul Tan Filed Under BMW, Cars

It’s the first BMW M5 ever to come with not just one, but two turbochargers, and it’s coming to Malaysia very soon! BMW Malaysia has just sent out an electronic mailer to its customer base that the F10 M5 will be launched on March 10, 2012.

The most recent M car launched in Malaysia was the X6 M, with a massive price tag of RM1,188,800. The last generation E60 M5 was sold for about RM888k – how much will the new M5 be priced at? I’d expect nothing less than a million ringgit!
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Mitsubishi to debut all-new 2012 Outlander in Geneva

February 9, 2012 at 9:20 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, International News, Mitsubishi

The all-new Geneva debutant teased by Mitsubishi last month now has a name and face to it – the vehicle is the next-generation Outlander. The SUV is set for its global premiere at the Swiss show next month.

The European-market specification Outlander will get both petrol and diesel variants – the petrol mill is the 4J11 2.0 litre SOHC MIVEC four-cylinder, which employs an all-new valvetrain, while the diesel job is the 4N14 2.2 litre turbocharged four-pot MIVEC engine, the latter working with a 2WD drivetrain and six-speed manual transmission. There’s no mention of output figures, but Geneva should take care of that.

Among the items in the kitbag are an Auto Stop&Go idle-stop system, an Adaptive Cruise Control System, Lane Departure Warning System as well as a Forward Collision Mitigation System, the last which detects obstacles on the road ahead of the car and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision.

Interior features include a gloss black instrument panel, silver decorative accents for the switches and the use of soft-touch dashboard trim material. Meanwhile, the second- and third-row seats can be easily configured to provide a number of seating patterns and also a long luggage space with a flat floor, and there’s a power-operated tailgate too.

The vehicle is set to be launched first in Russia this summer, after which it will make its debut in European, Japanese, Chinese, Oceania and North American markets. And sometime later this year, a plug-in hybrid Outlander is due to be introduced.

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Petronas roving F1 car kicks off Malaysian GP activity

February 9, 2012 at 6:09 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Formula 1, Local News, Motorsports

Formula 1 is set to resume next month, and with the Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix being the second race of the 2012 season, expect to see a host of promotional activities coming about in the weeks ahead. Petronas has already kicked off its pre-race branding, with its roving F1 car – housed in a see-through display and mounted on a truck – doing the rounds in KL late last month.

The display showcased the 2011 MGP W02 car, and roamed KL streets over a period of three days, making pit stops at KLCC and Pavilion as well as the Petronas service station in Jalan Klang Lama. It also made an appearance in the Federal Territory Day Parade in the city, held on January 28.

The participation in the parade as well as the roving agenda is part of the activity helping to create a buzz about the upcoming race, which is set to run on March 23-25. Expect just about everyone who has some form of involvement in the circus to follow suit shortly.

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SPYSHOT: A clearer view of the P3-21A interior revealed!

February 9, 2012 at 3:02 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Proton, Proton Persona R

Here’s a new shot of the Proton P3-21A interior – the clearest shot we’ve ever seen, uploaded onto funtasticko earlier today. According to funtasticko, this shot was snapped at Equatorial Cameron Highlands.

There are some differences with this particular car’s interior compared to the one we previously saw, which I’ve included right below the latest image for your easy comparison. The first interior that we saw featured what appeared to be nice glossy strip of wood on the dashboard section in front of the front passenger.

This one doesn’t have that glossy wood, which could indicate a lower spec model. Tun Dr Mahathir also mentioned a GPS navigation system in the top of the range model, while this car has a normal radio system.

Liking what you see so far? The way the center dash area curves down to the gear selector area actually reminds me of the Proton Waja design.

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Taking on challenges at the Nurburgring with Castrol EDGE

February 9, 2012 at 9:21 am By Harvinder Sidhu Filed Under Advertorial, BMW, Cars, Local News

Last year, Khairul Izwan was among very few lucky motoring enthusiasts who got the chance to experience the Nurburgring, or also known as the “Green Hell” with a BMW M3 which pumps out 414 hp and 400 Nm of torque from its 4.0 litre V8 power house. “Awesome” was an understatement when Khairul shared his ultimate driving experience.

This year, Castrol Malaysia is bringing back the Castrol EDGE Experience Nurburgring: The Sequel, in which one “strong” Malaysian will be flown to the legendary track in an all-expense-paid driving experience of a lifetime. Before that happens, let’s take a moment and talk about the challenges of driving a powerful piece of machine such as the BMW M3 at one of the world’s most demanding tracks.

The 22.8 kilometer-long Nurburgring is widely considered as the most challenging track in the world with up to 160 corners. The track is used for both motorsport and for vehicle testing by many vehicle manufacturers. These car manufacturers rely on the track’s various characteristics which include high speed straights and turns, slow to medium speed corners and undulations to test the driveability of their cars.

Due to the high G-forces and the extreme pressures exerted to various parts of the car such as the suspension, the transmission and most critically the engine, driving at the Nurburgring takes a huge toll on the car and on the driver as well. Compared to other tracks, the Nurburgring has more and longer straights for one to negotiate. At such straight sections of the track, the car will be spending a lot of time at its top speed, with the driver’s foot on the accelerator pedal as though his or her life is dependent on it :)

This means that during this time, the engine, which in this case is a 4.0 liter V8 will be working at its rev limits for a longer time. Imagine driving an M3 at up to 8,000 revs for approximately 30 seconds? You can hear the beautiful engine note as the engine is working very hard to deliver all of its horsepower to the rear wheels! (minus the transmission loss of course).

In such gruelling conditions, the choice of engine oil is crucial, whereby the oil acts as a lubricant for the moving parts of the engine. At such extreme engine speeds, the engine is running at high temperature and the oil has to continuously adapt and respond to the engine’s needs.

The BMW M3 which was used at the Nurburgring last year had Castrol EDGE in its engine, allowing the engine to consistently maintain its reliability and maximise performance. Certain parts of the engine such as the cam and its followers can receive pressure of up to 10,000 kilograms per square cm and that is equivalent to the pressure of being approximately 100,000 meters below sea level!

Now the new Castrol EDGE is engineered with Titanium Fluid Strength Technology™ which continuously responds and adapts to the engine’s different need under various extreme driving conditions, including pushing the BMW M3 in and out of every corner of the Nurburgring. This new technology minimizes metal to metal contact and maximizes engine performance at the same time.

No doubt Castrol EDGE’s unique adaptive strength is designed to perform under the most extreme pressure giving drivers the confidence and freedom to push the engine closer to its limits. Now you have the chance to experience the performance of both the Castrol EDGE and the BMW M3 at the best place in the world that you can possibly do it, the “Green Hell”! To put yourself in the running to win this ultimate driving experience and other cool prizes, click here now!

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Rally Sweden LIVE: Proton’s PG Andersson and Alister McRae are ready for the ultimate snow challenge!

February 8, 2012 at 6:06 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Malaysian Makes, Motorsports, Proton

Rally Sweden, the second round of the 2012 FIA World Rally Championship, will start slightly over a day from now. Yours truly would have been just two hours away from Stockholm now, but due to a technical problem on our B777, I’m now in sunny Putrajaya (32C) instead of freezing Karlstad (-6C). Anyway, the long journey to winter wonderland starts tonight, God willing, and we’ll bring you some live reports from Sweden.

Those of you who follow world news would know that Europe is suffering from a cold snap now, with severe snow and record low temperatures. Many have died, and I’m hoping that my winter wear will hold up. This job can be hazardous you know :)

Thankfully, Proton Motorsports, which is competing in the S-WRC category (S for Super 2000) in WRC, had a better run up to the event than us. The men driving the yellow Satria Neo S2000s in Sweden are homeboy Per Gunnar Andersson and Alister McRae. PG drove superbly in the season opening Monte Carlo Rally, but an unfortunate technical problem meant that he had to retire from the S-WRC lead (9th overall) on the last day with just 20+ kilometres to go.


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Putting the disappointment behind him, the Swede prepared for Sweden in style, with a Super 2000 victory in the KNA Rally Finnskog in Norway days ago. Of the 42 entries, he finished ahead of fellow S2000 Ford and Skoda teams and fourth overall in a warm up event that included the Citroen and Ford WRC teams. Let’s hope the good form continues.

“We’ve put the disappointment in Monte Carlo behind us. It’s quite obvious that the Satria Neo S2000 has the pace and performance, and we’re back in Sweden to prove this point. Rally Sweden is an incredibly exciting event which will see competitors battling it out on ice and snow for what is a proper winter rally. We have a competitive package, and alongside experience as well as local knowledge, we’re confident the Satria Neo S2000 will live up to challenge,” PG said.

After KNA Rally Finnskog, the team spent a trouble-free day testing the Neos. “The rally in Norway went very, very well for us. The odd very cold day in Britain aside, this was the first time the Satria Neo had ever run in anything like these conditions and it worked perfectly straight away. We fitted a stronger heater to make sure the screen was clear and put some warm jackets in the back for the guys, but apart from that, this was the same car which won in Malaysia at 40 degrees. On Saturday it was winning S2000 in temperatures 70 degrees colder!” team boss Chris Mellors exclaimed.

Some might be surprised with the inclusion of Proton’s APRC champ Alister McRae. The reason he was drafted in for Sweden is because PG’s regular teammate Italian Giandomenico Basso is more of a tarmac specialist. The Scotsman has competed in Rally Sweden seven times before, finishing as high as fifth overall. He last drove here in 2004. “It’s fantastic to be back. Rally Sweden will also give us a chance to test the 2012 Satria Neo S2000 ahead of the start of this year’s APRC,” said McRae.

Rally Sweden has attracted a total of 85 entries and will be contested over 24 special stages covering a competitive distance of 360km. The rally begins with a 1.9km super special stage in Karlstad tomorrow (looks like we’ll be missing that one) and continues on Friday with nine special stages which will see competitors driving through classic Norwegian stages in the town of Kongsvinger.

Heading to KLIA now, stay tuned for updates!

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Nissan INVITATION Concept previews new B-segment car

February 8, 2012 at 3:48 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Concept Cars, Nissan

This is the Nissan INVITATION Concept which Nissan will be exhibiting at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show as a preview for a future B-segment vehicle, due to be launched from 2013.

Nissan says the production INVITATION hatchback will be sold alongside the Micra city car and the Juke crossover. Many publications are speculating that the production version of the INVITATION will replace the Nissan Note, which is due for replacement as the first generation has been around since 2004.

I can’t help but feel the INVITATION looks more like a Tiida/Latio hatch than a Note, due to a lack of a taller roofline. However, the new B-segment Tiida/Latio has already been unveiled at Shanghai, though curiously it hasn’t gone on sale yet in countries like the US even though the Micra-based sedan counterpart have already been launched in these countries.

The INVITATION is a pretty good looking concept car, and we hope that much of it gets translated into production, instead of how the original Versa concept (which was very good looking) became the Latio hatch on sale in our country now (not as good looking).

Also making its debut with the INVITATION is Nissan’s advanced Around View Monitor (AVM) safety technology – seen for the first time on a B-segment car – which makes reversing and parallel parking as stress-free as possible.

As for the name, Nissan Deputy Division General Manager of Product Strategy and Product Planning Division Francois Bancon said the name INVITATION is self-explanatory, that the car is designed to be inviting thanks to its sensuous exterior design and generous and comfortable interior space, cleverly packaged within compact overall dimensions.

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ASEAN NCAP pilot project set for May launch, programme protocols being finalised with ANCAP next week

February 8, 2012 at 2:31 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Local News

The ASEAN New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) pilot project is set to have its protocols finalised next week in Sydney, when representatives from the programme meet their Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) counterparts for a week long collaboration on the matter. The release of the ASEAN NCAP protocol is set for March 16.

This follows on the collaborative Memorandum of Understanding signed by the Global New Car Assessment Programme (GNCAP) and the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS) in December last year to establish a pilot project for a South-East Asian NCAP to elevate motor vehicle safety standards, encourage a market for safer vehicles and raise consumer awareness in the region.

Signatories to this MOU include ANCAP as well as the Automobile Associations of Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines. ANCAP’s role will be to provide technical and program support to the ASEAN NCAP to ensure that the program pursues protocols and procedures that will ensure meaningful, accurate and reliable test results. It will also assist ASEAN NCAP in aligning with other NCAP’s around the world.

The need for an ASEAN NCAP has been brought about by fact that different safety features exist between specific models car manufacturers sell in their region and those exported to or assembled in ASEAN countries – the argument goes that Euro NCAP results aren’t applicable to the same model cars as sold in ASEAN, since cars sold in the region usually have fewer safety features in order to attain a lower selling price.

The project partners will be tasked to independently select the vehicles for testing based on the least expensive – and usually less well-equipped – variant of the model available in the major markets of the region. The selection of non-airbag variants are also set to be included.

Testing is set to be carried out here in Malaysia at the new PC3 Crash Lab test facility being developed by MIROS, will be based on the 40% front impact crash test regulation of the World Forum for Harmonisation of Vehicle Regulations (ECE: Reg. 94), but at a speed of 65 km/h – the test protocol and procedures are to follow that of the European NCAP covering the protection of both adult and child.

The first internal crash test, including a pre-ASEAN NCAP crash test, is set to take place sometime in late April to early May, with ASEAN NCAP crash test 001 scheduled for May 24, in conjuction with the 2012 annual meeting of the Global NCAP scheduled to be held in Kuala Lumpur. The event will also see the launch of the PC3 lab and ASEAN NCAP programme.

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