Peugeot 308 CC set for Malaysian debut next week

December 30, 2010 at 2:39 am By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Local News, Peugeot

Looks like Peugeot boys Nasim will have the honour of being the first to kick off new car launches in 2011 – the 308 CC is set to make its local debut on January 6, the first of three Pug models that will make their way here next year (the RCZ should be one). Folks in KL will be able to get to grips with the two-door convertible the day after the launch at a Nasim roadshow, which runs from January 7-9, in Bangsar Shopping Centre.

The car, which is indicatively priced at RM200,000, is powered by a THP 156 Prince 1.6 litre twin scroll turbo engine with direct injection. As found on the recently launched 5008 MPV, the block offers 156 hp and 240 Nm of torque, and it’s mated to a six-speed automatic transmission with Triptronic and a sport mode.

Features and kit includes a two-piece electrically retractable roof which folds up/down within 20 seconds, dynamic directional xenon headlamps, LED rear lights, 18-inch alloy wheels and a twin rear diffuser design. Safety-wise, there are six airbags, as well as the world’s first side head airbags which are housed in the seat and deployed laterally from the head restraint.

Inside, the 308 CC features a premium leather interior designed in the tradition of prestige cabriolets, a retractable high resolution 7-inch LCD screen, a JBL Hi-Fi system, dual zone air-conditioning and premium leather electric front seats with memory functionality for the driver’s seat.

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Transcript of interview with Team Lotus’ Heikki Kovalainen

December 29, 2010 at 11:19 pm By Harvinder Sidhu Filed Under Formula 1, Motorsports, Videos

This is the final transcript of a series of interviews which we conducted during our tour of Team Lotus’ factory in Norfolk. This transcript centers around an interview with the team’s Finnish driver Heikki Kovalainen.

HARVINDER: We understand that you have been with McLaren before this, so how does it feel getting into such a new team from the front of the pack all the way to the back?

HEIKKI KOVALAINEN: When I joined the Team Lotus, it was a decision that was needed. I felt that my previous team, it wasn’t working a 100%, I was not able to perform at the level that I thought I should have done, so I felt I needed a fresh start. Lotus at that point looked interesting to me, it looked like a big challenge but I felt that it was the right place to go and that was the reason why I decided to join the team.

I met Tony and Mike and I felt that it was a serious effort and since working with them this year, I’m more convinced that it’s the right place for me to be and we have a good future ahead of us. A lot of work have to be done but we were able to achieve the goals that we set for this season. It hasn’t bothered me too much being at the back of the grid as long as it doesn’t happen for too long time. I want to move up the grid and I know we can do that. Ultimately we want to get back to the front. It’s not going to be easy, but if we believe in it enough we can do it.

Continue reading to check out the rest of the transcript.
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Transcript of interview with Team Lotus’ Jarno Trulli

December 29, 2010 at 11:03 pm By Harvinder Sidhu Filed Under Formula 1, Motorsports, Videos

As promised, here is the transcript of the interview we had with Team Lotus’ veteran driver, Jarno Trulli. You can even catch him admit that 2010 was his worst ever season in his Formula 1 career.

HARVINDER: You have been regarded as the unlucky one in Lotus Racing this year, with a lot of retirements mainly due to mechanical issues. What do you have to say about that?

JARNO TRULLI: I think I gained the medal of the most lucky driver of the season probably and only at the end of the season I went back to count how many failures I’ve ever had. And the numbers are quite impressive, I didn’t really count during the season as I was not really taking care of it but at the end of the season I counted like 15 failures out of 19 races, so it was impressive. It has been so far my worst season ever, all my life, all my career.

And it’s really down to bad luck because honestly, Heikki hasn’t had so many trouble, he was able to finish races, complete races in perfect form. But on my side it seems I have to get all the bad luck. I don’t mind because in a way I knew that 2010 will be a difficult season and I always took it as a transition season.

What really matters for me is 2011 especially because also Tony Fernandes has put together a very good package, like engine and gearbox that will make us looking very good for next year. I want to forget 2010 and move on to 2011 because it’s a season where we can really start fighting.

Continue reading to check out the rest of the transcript.
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Transcript of interview with Team Lotus’ Mike Gascoyne

December 29, 2010 at 8:06 pm By Harvinder Sidhu Filed Under Formula 1, Motorsports, Videos

Just about a week ago we released a full feature video that centers around interviews with key Team Lotus personnel including the drivers and Mike Gascoyne. We understand that the video was a little too long, hence we have come up with transcripts for all three interviews. This is the transcript of our interview with the team’s Chief Technical Officer, Mike Gascoyne. Transcripts of Jarno Trulli’s and Heikki Kovalainen’s interviews will be up shortly.

HARVINDER: What do you have to say about Lotus Racing’s first rookie year in Formula 1?

MIKE GASCOYNE: I think the first message is sort of job well done. Getting the entry so late coming into Formula 1, with only five months to set up a Formula 1 team from nothing, I think, is pretty unprecedented in modern Formula 1. And I think for all the new teams in Formula 1, you were never going to come in with such short notice and start racing and beating the established teams, it was impossible, so I think 2010 was about two things.

One, it was about being the best of the new teams because that is your direct comparison.
Same engine, same gearbox, you know, they’re you, you’re going to beat. I think we were very clear, we said that we were the best of the new teams, even from race one, even though we had so little time and we did that. We would finish tenth in the championship, be the most reliable, the best presented of the new teams and I think we ticked all the boxes. We were a little disappointed with reliability, the gearbox and hydraulics but that was something that was beyond our control, but apart from that, I think we ticked every box. But I think the most important thing about 2010 was not on track, it was off track.

It was about building the team up here because it was always difficult to race established teams in year one, but you’re only a new team for one year. You know, next year we’re an established Formula 1 team. We’ve got to go race those teams and score more points. So the other important thing about 2010 is building this team up and I think if you look at the announcements we made in terms of engines, partnering Renault, gearbox partner with Red Bull Technologies, the wind tunnel that we’re going to be developing on site, the people coming on board like Mark Smith as a technical director, I think they’re the important things for next year and beyond.

2010 was okay but it was a big step to come from nowhere to be the best of the new teams. To come from a new team to race with established teams, that’s an even bigger step and that’s what we got to do next year.

Continue reading to check out the rest of the transcript.
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Auto Guangzhou: The ladies wish you a Happy New Year!

December 29, 2010 at 4:37 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, China, International News

We hope you’ve enjoyed our exclusive Auto Guangzhou 2010 coverage so far, which included reports and galleries of world debuts such as the new Nissan Sunny, MG3 supermini, Hyundai Verna, Li Nian Everus S1 as well as curious creations such as the BMW 520Li, FAW’s “Cross Avanza” and Youngman’s garish rendition of a sporty Proton Persona, among others vehicles.

The huge and modern (their metro makes our urban rail transport feel last century) city of Guangzhou is also replica central for items like branded watches and handbags, and we also showed you some “replicas” of luxury items Porsche Cayenne and Audi Q5, made by Hawtai and GAC respectively.

In the midst of all these knock offs, don’t forget that China is where every luxury brand is raking in record sales; this is an increasingly sophisticated and discerning market flush with cash, and you’ll struggle to find the Hawtai and GAC Q5 in a sea of the real stuff in major cities. This is now the world’s largest auto market, and even a “small” Chinese show like Guangzhou is relevant to the world.

If you haven’t enjoyed the above, you will now. If you did, you should perhaps send us a New Year’s hamper because you’re gonna love what’s after the jump. We’ve gathered the lovely ladies of Auto Guangzhou 2010 into one big gallery, so go ahead and enjoy! Happy New Year from Canton!
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BYD to unveil Premier e6 variant and S6DM SUV in Detroit

December 29, 2010 at 1:04 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under BYD, Cars, China, International News

As part of the going green strategy it will be presenting at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit next month, BYD Auto will be giving the Premier version of its e6 five-seat crossover and S6DM dual-mode electric SUV their world debuts at the show.

The S6DM SUV is what BYD calls the world’s first independent 4WD dual-mode electric SUV. It can do over 60 km purely on electric power and over 500 km in extended range with its 2.0 litre petrol block helping things along. Drivetrain features include a 10 kW electric motor tagged M1 working the front wheels, while a 75 kW unit (M2) powers the rear wheels, and there’s a six-speed dual-clutch transmission in the mix.

Meanwhile, the Premier variant of the e6 will feature a more dynamic and sporty exterior design (the bog standard e6 is the one in the pix), among other things. Equipped with a BYD Iron-phosphate “FE” battery, it takes only 40 minutes to fully charge the e6 on the 100 kW fast charging cabinet or six hours via the 10kW standard charging pole; specs include a 300 km range on urban roads and a top speed of 140 kph.

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Auto Guangzhou: Domestic carmakers have SUV envy

December 29, 2010 at 10:21 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, China, International News


Click to enlarge

China loves SUVs, and that segment is the fastest growing of all, recording a 82.94% increase in Jan-Oct 2010 compared to the same period a year ago. The SUV market now accounts for nearly 10% of total passenger car volume, according to reports, and is still on the rise.

The Audi Q7 is out of stock, Shanghai VW is selling 10,000 units of the Tiguan per month, demand outstrips supply for Dongfeng Honda’s CR-V and models such as the Mercedes-Benz GLK, BMW X5, Nissan Qashqai, Toyota Highlander and Renault Koleos are enjoying brisk sales. So it’s no wonder that local carmakers want a bite of the pie.


Click to enlarge

The “Porsche Cayenne” you see above is from an automaker called Hawtai, not to be confused by local biscuit company Hwa Tai. While it borrows cues from the big Porsche and a front grille design from Jaguar, the B35 sits on the previous gen Hyundai Santa Fe’s platform (Hawtai used to have a JV with Hyundai). Diesel engines developed by Italy’s VM Motori will power the B35, which will also have ZF gearboxes. It will be launched next year.

The gold one is already on sale. Clearly a previous gen Kia Sorento with an Audi inspired nose, the G3 is made by Gonow, which is a now subsidiary of GAC. State owned GAC is also the owner of the Changfeng brand. The G3 is powered by a Mitsubishi sourced SOHC 2.0L engine with 120 hp and 170 Nm. A manual gearbox send power to the rear wheels.

Take a closer look after the jump.
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Auto Guangzhou: New BMW 520Li is the best example of maximum car with minimum engine

December 28, 2010 at 3:37 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under BMW, Cars, China, International News

China is a place where big cars like the Audi A6, Volvo S80 and BMW 5-Series aren’t big enough. That’s why you’ll find long wheelbase versions of these models sold there. At Auto Guangzhou 2010, BMW launched the latest variant of its China 5-Series range – the 520Li.

It’s a bit unusual for “20″ to be stuck with “Li” but this formula of maximum car paired with minimum engine isn’t new – it’s something that works in Singapore as well. The LWB version of the F10 stretches the standard car’s wheelbase by 140 mm to measure 3,108 mm. By the way, that is longer than the F01 7-Series’ 3,070 mm wheelbase and not much shorter than the LWB Seven’s 3,210 mm. As you can see from the pic on the left, legroom is generous.

The “20″ in the name lead this writer to think of the anemic four-cylinder in the 320i, but fortunately, a 2.5-litre inline-six resides in this entry level Five, paired to the usual 8-speed auto gearbox. The engine makes 177 hp and 230 Nm to lug 1.8 tonnes – 0-100 km/h is done in 9.7 seconds and top speed is 222 km/h. As comparison, our CKD 523i with 204 hp/250 Nm does 8.5 seconds and 234 km/h.

Of course, not every Chinese businessman will settle for a 520Li. Above this 418,600 yuan base model is the 523, 528 and 535, and all are Li variants. Do you think this formula of maximum car with minimum engine will work in Malaysia?

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Dodge Journey to be Fiat Ulysse replacement in Europe?

December 28, 2010 at 1:45 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Dodge, Fiat, International News

It’s not just a case of austerity in terms of development costs, the idea of cross-sharing is – makes sense in this day and age, if you’ve got the right product for the job, that is. In the case of the Fiat Ulysse MPV, of which production has just been discontinued this month, the speculation is that its replacement will not be another Fiat-derived vehicle, but the Dodge Journey, which will be rebadged as a Fiat offering in Europe.

According to reports, the Fiat version of the large minivan will be named the Freemont, and the vehicle will make its debut in Geneva next March and begin selling in European markets in June.

Engine choices will include a Fiat-based 170 hp 2.0 litre turbodiesel, which will be the first time ever a Chrysler platform will utilise a Fiat pot. In the US, the Dodge Journey was recently given a facelift, and the update made its debut at the Los Angeles show last month.

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Auto Guangzhou: Youngman’s L3 GT is not a pretty sight

December 28, 2010 at 9:41 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, China, Malaysian Makes, Proton

Familiar sight in a foreign land? I was greeted by the Proton Gen.2 and Persona at the start of my Auto Guangzhou walkabout. Well, they weren’t officially Protons, but rebadged versions under the Europestar brand by Youngman Automobile Group.

Both the Gen.2 and Persona are called L3 and wear “Engineered by Lotus” emblems. Videos of Lotus sportscars sliding around were also playing at their stand. This is by far the most blatant attempt to ride on Lotus’ brand power I’ve ever seen and naturally, there are no mention of Proton whatsoever. Youngman does however name drop well known suppliers such as Bosch, Pilkington, Blaupunkt, Siemens and Posco.

Besides the standard Campro powered L3 models, Youngman also showed a kitted up “GT” version of the sedan. This white example had a “wide body” design with plenty of air intakes on the bumpers, wheel arches and bonnet. Red Brembo brakes can be seen behind the BBS rims and there are quad pipes, two on each side. A huge carbonfibre-look wing sits on the boot. “Lotus Motorsport” stickers complete the look. Quite crude and not a pretty sight in my opinion.

Live gallery after the jump.
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