Proton P3-21A Tuah interior revealed for the first time!

December 30, 2011 at 10:46 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Proton, Proton Persona R, Spyshots

And here we have our first real peek into the interior of Proton’s upcoming P3-21A global sedan, thanks to reader Daud who spotted a group of 3 units being test driven by Proton engineers parked in Genting Sempah.

Click the image below to zoom in and you’ll be able to see some details. We’ve done our best to enhance the contrast of the image so you can make out the details through the reflection. It’s a pretty good looking dashboard, and we think we can spot out paddle shifters, an engine push-start button, and a multi-info display in the instrumentation cluster.

The interior is predominantly a sleek black/dark grey and silver, with a curved centre console that meets the centre dash area. The in-car entertainment controls seem to be mounted high up the dashboard, close to the centre air conditioning vents.

Check out the gallery below for more shots from the set. Some other angles we have area rear disc brakes, an oil cooler spotted behind the bumper, and a shot of the rear tail lamps of the P3-21A lit up.

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Saab in talks with Turkish gov’t, according to reports

December 30, 2011 at 10:45 am By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, International News, Saab

Saab Automobile, which declared voluntary bankruptcy last week, remains determined in its search for a suitor to save it from oblivion. According to reports, the Swedish carmaker is in talks with the Turkish government, after the latter supposedly expressed interest in the carmaker.

Citing sources close to Saab’s management, German mag auto motor und sport reported that the talks have been initiated by Victor Muller, Swedish Automobile’s chief executive, adding that the discussions were still at a very early stage. It was however reported last week that Turkey’s Industry Minister Nihat Ergun said that the government was not interested in Saab.

Elsewhere, another report by Swedish business daily Dagens Industri said that one of India’s largest carmakers may also be interested in buying parts or all of the company. Any deal would however need the approval of former owner and key licence holder General Motors, which blocked the last bid – by the Chinese – to save Saab.

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BMW 1-Series three-door hatchback patent filings leaked

December 30, 2011 at 10:43 am By Danny Tan Filed Under BMW, Cars, International News, Spyshots

The new BMW 1-Series with the codename F20 was unveiled back in June, but only in five-door hatchback form. Now, here are some patent filings to show us how the three-door hatchback variant will look like.

No big departure from the 5dr, which is expected. Measurements should be unaltered, too. The 1er is both longer and wider than its predecessor, while wheelbase has grown by 30 mm to make 2,690 mm. Taken bare, the wheelbase is quite long, but because of the 1-Series’ unique cab rearward RWD layout, cabin space should be more snug than a typical C-segment hatchback.

BMW launched the 5dr with two different trim levels – Sport Line and Urban Line. Will the 3dr come with the same option, or will it be just Sport? Click here for more pics and info on the F20 1-Series.

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Proton extends free rear lap belt installation programme

December 30, 2011 at 10:25 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Malaysian Makes, Proton

Proton has announced an extension of the end date of its free rear centre lap belt installation service from 31 December 2011 to 31 January 2012. This is due to poor response so far – only about 17% out of the 225,930 affected Proton vehicles have been installed with the rear lap belt, to date.

Since the Government first announced in June 2008 to make it compulsory for vehicles to be fitted with the lap belt, Proton has been installing it at no cost to owners of the Saga LMST and Gen.2 models manufactured between 2004 and 2008.

In September this year, Proton embarked on an outreach programme consisting of roadshows and on-ground activities across the country to create awareness on this matter. This included setting up hospitality and safety marquees at highway R&Rs in Dengkil, Ayer Keroh, Gunung Semanggol and Temerloh, and pamphlet distribution at selected tolls.

Stepping up efforts, Proton Mobile Teams (eight teams of four technical personnel) were also dispatched beginning early this month to used car outlets and locations such as mosques, hypermarkets and petrol stations.

“We would like to urge our customers with the affected cars, and Malaysians in general, to not only comply with the new ruling to avoid getting fined by the authorities, but to adopt the practice of using seat belts for rear occupants in the name of safety. We also urge parents to take up the habit of ensuring that their children who are seated at the back are properly belted up,” said Proton Group MD Dato’ Sri Syed Zainal Abidin.

With this extension, Saga LMST and Gen.2 owners who have yet to fix their rear centre lap belts can make an appointment at authorised Proton Service Centres to have it done. Installation will take approximately 15 to 20 minutes per car.

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Proton and Hawtai expected to ink collaboration deal soon

December 30, 2011 at 10:18 am By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Hawtai, Malaysian Makes, Proton

Reports indicate that Proton and Chinese carmaker Hawtai Automobile are expected to sign an official collaboration agreement before Chinese New Year at the earliest.

According to an unnamed Hawtai executive, discussions have already reached a much deeper state, and the exec added that the two sides have also explored plans to establish a new team of around 30 people in Beijing, with Hawtai planning to send nine other employees to Malaysia.

In October, at the China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit in Nanning, Guangxi, Proton and Hawtai agreed on a potential collaboration, aiming to establish a technology site – with each having a 50% ownership share – to research and develop new models and key auto parts.

Besides R&D, the venture is also to focus on engineering and technology support, quality assurance work, supplier management and other basic tasks. Additionally, work on developing new vehicles, including new energy cars, is part of the agenda.

The reports state that domestic production of the Exora MPV and the upcoming P3-21A sedan – to be assembled at Ordos City, Inner Mongolia – will be the first order of business. The two companies are currently exploring ideas on how to lower costs to export the vehicles – which comply with Euro 5 emission standards – to Europe and other markets abroad.

The cooperation between Proton and Hawtai is to be carried out according to a new business model that won’t be limited to just Malaysia and China, but will include different markets from across the globe, acording to Hou Haijing, acting vice president and director of Hawtai’s automobile division. The two companies will use a global platform to develop new vehicle technology, procure auto parts and finally expand into new foreign markets, he added.

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The ladies of Tokyo 2011 – a belated Christmas present!

December 29, 2011 at 7:22 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under 2011 Tokyo Motor Show, Feature Stories

Ohayou gozaimasu! Yes, we know it’s long overdue, but better late than never, no? ;) Here are the ladies from this year’s Tokyo Motor Show, which returned to Tokyo proper after 24 years. Lots of ground to cover, and lots of cars to see, so girls weren’t our main priority.

Anyway, the ladies of Tokyo weren’t as eye catching as I remember, or is it just us getting jaded? In terms of eye candy (not the wheeled variety), I think we enjoyed the regional motor shows more. Forgive the lack of quantity – slim pickings.

Enough talking, you be the judge!

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Chevrolet Sonic RS previewed ahead of Detroit, 1.4L turbo

December 29, 2011 at 6:04 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Chevrolet, International News

At this year’s season opening Detroit show, Chevrolet unveiled its B-segment contender, the next gen Aveo called Sonic. The upcoming NAIAS 2012 will see the GM brand wheel out the hot version of the Sonic, tagged RS. To go on sale in late 2012, the Sonic RS will be offered exclusively in five-door hatchback form – no sedan RS.

Go faster kit includes front sport seats, a thicker steering wheel with flat bottom, a new shift knob, aluminum sport pedals, specific instrument panel graphics and RS-specific interior trim colour. Outside, the RS is set apart by a deep air dam design and vertical intakes at the edges of the fascia that house the fog lamps.

Under the hood, the RS will come with the same 1.4L Ecotec turbo that powers top spec Sonics. This 138 hp/200 Nm unit is matched with a six-speed manual or six-speed auto gearbox. Unique gear ratios for the stick shift and a different final drive ratio for the auto gives the Sonic RS a “sportier feel” than non-RS models.

The suspension combines front MacPherson struts and an axle-mount compound link-type torsion beam, with gas-charged shocks. Front and rear tracks are identical at 1,509 mm for well-planted stability and balance, Chevy says. The RS is the only Sonic variant with four-wheel disc brakes.

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Japanese petrol stations now offering EV charging service

December 29, 2011 at 12:46 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, International News

Great news for Japanese owners of electric cars like the Mitsubishi i-MiEV and Nissan Leaf. Oil companies JX Nippon Oil, Idemitsu Kosan Co, Cosmo Oil Co. and Showa Shell Sekiyu KK are teaming up to test a fixed-fee EV charging service at their gas stations. 27 stations will be involved in Tokyo and Kanagawa Prefecture starting in the first quarter of 2012.

The four companies have created what they call an “EV Service Station Network” where members can charge their plug-in EVs at a conventional petrol station alongside internal combustion engine powered cars.

Of the four, JX Nippon Oil currently has the most participating stations, and the company is looking at a monthly fee of ¥3,000 (RM122 at current exchange rates) for individuals and corporate card holders. Pay the fee and one can recharge their EV at any participating station.

Quick charging an EV will take considerably longer than a regular car, though, so the companies will offer “additional services” for EV chargers. This could probably be drinks, reading material and WIFI, like in service centres.

This is what we need to neutralise what the industry calls “range anxiety” in the acceptance of battery powered vehicles. But for non heavy users, a 100 km real world range will be enough to take one to work and back, in one single charge. Treat the EV like your power hungry smartphone and make a habit of charging it every night and you should be fine.

Closer to home, Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia has registered their first i-MiEV for awareness purposes and Edaran Tan Chong Motor will be launching a pilot program next year that offers experimental drives to Government bodies, members of the media as well as the public. Stay tuned for more updates on the green front!

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Auto transmission driving licence to begin in May 2012

December 29, 2011 at 12:24 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Local News

From May next year, there’ll be two types of regular Class D, or car, driving licences – the one in effect right now and a new one, which is the automatic transmission driving licence. As part of the reworked driving curriculum that will be introduced, the new licence will enable learner drivers to learn to drive and take the practical test in an automatic car, reports state.

The new licence – which presumably will only allow a valid auto licence holder to drive only cars with an auto box – will be implemented nationwide once the driving curriculum is revised, according to Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Abdul Rahim Bakri.

Abdul Rahim added that despite the introduction of the auto transmission driving licence, learner drivers will still be able to choose to learn and take the practical test in either a manual or an automatic transmission vehicle.

“The ministry is not in a hurry to implement the automatic car driving test, to be fair to driving school operators. We need to give them time as they have to replace manual cars with automatic cars, and this is costly,” the minister said, adding that more people, especially older learners and women, will prefer to drive an automatic as it was easier.

Meanwhile, the reports add that Abdul Rahim said the new driving curriculum will focus on producing discerning and disciplined motorists to help reduce fatal accidents, since human factors were the root cause behind 60 to 70% of accidents.

“Previously, our curriculum emphasised driving skills and knowledge of the highway code, but now we want to churn out considerate motorists,” he said. As for the Kejara demerit system, he said there was no proposal to replace the system, stating that it was still relevant and used in many countries.

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Ex-champ Petter Solberg to drive for Ford in WRC 2012

December 29, 2011 at 11:55 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Ford, Motorsports

Former WRC champion Petter Solberg will drive for Ford in next year’s World Rally Championship, after completing a test for the works team. The name is no stranger to rally fans, but if you don’t follow the sport, there’s a chance you might have seen ‘Solberg’ on the rear window of a Subaru rally car replica.

The Norwegian (they’re all Scandinavian) is 37-years old now, and he last won the WRC title in 2003 with Subaru. He hasn’t been out of the sport, though, running his own team for the past three seasons.

Solberg signed a single year deal with Ford, and he takes the place of Mikko Hirvonen, who’s leaving for Citroen. In the game of WRC musical chairs, Mikko is taking the place of Sebastien Ogier, who has gone to join the new Volkswagen WRC team.

Solberg will partner Jari-Matti Latvala, who is Ford’s lead driver. To be co-driven by Chris Patterson, the ex Subaru man will be driving a Ford (the Fiesta WRC) for the first time since Rally Finland 2000.

“The addition of Petter Solberg to the team brings one of the sport’s most experienced and flamboyant drivers back to the team where he started his top-level career. A drivers’ world title and 13 world rally victories are testament to his abilities and his vast experience will be a great asset to our line-up,” said Ford of Europe’s senior manager for motorsport, Gerard Quinn.

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