Lotus City Car to go into production in October 2013

December 16, 2010 at 9:51 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, International News, Lotus

Dany Bahar has revealed that the Lotus City Car concept has been confirmed and will be launched as a production car in October 2013. He also mentioned that the car would be a project together with Proton and another car manufacturer, which leads us to believe that Proton and Lotus have found a suitable third party to share in the development costs of the vehicle, or at least provide a platform.

According to Bahar, there will be three cars spawned from the project – one for the Asian market (this should be Proton’s), one for the European market (the third party?) and a sportier version (this is the Lotus for sure). So who might this third party be? There has not been any official word yet but according to Autocar India back in November this year, the Nissan V platform might be used to underpin the EMAS range of cars.

Since Nissan already has a V platform car – the March, if indeed rumours that this project would use the V platform is true, the European car in question could be some form of next generation Renault Clio perhaps? 2013 would be actually a good time to launch it since the current car launched in 2007 (and facelifted recently) would be due for replacement by then.

Source

66 Comments      

Karim Habib returns to BMW as head of exterior design

December 16, 2010 at 9:46 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under BMW, Cars, International News

habibThe man who was responsible for the design of the current F01 BMW 7 Series as well as the Concept CS from 2007, Karim Antoine Habib, has returned to BMW from Daimler, and will take up the position as Head of Exterior Design, BMW Automobiles from March 2011.

Habib replaces Anders Warming, who has been named as the new design chief at Mini. Habib had previously spent 10 years of his career working for BMW, holding various posts in interior and exterior design, and was the chief designer in Advanced Design when he left for Daimler in 2009.

F01

The Lebanese-born designer’s return to the fold brings him back to working alongside BMW design chief Adrian van Hooydonk, who is looking forward to resuming the collaboration. Perhaps the design language at Mercedes wasn’t exactly Habib’s cup of tea?

Speaking of BMW design, the F10 5-Series won the latest 2011 iF design awards recently. Other cars that won in the 2011 iF awards include the Kia Sportage and the Kia Optima.

12 Comments      


Volkswagen recalls 228,000 cars in the US over potential fuel line hazard – 2006-2010 Golf, Jetta and Beetles affected

December 16, 2010 at 9:23 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, International News, Volkswagen

golf v

Volkswagen of America has issued a recall on more than 228,000 vehicles, and the list of cars includes 2006-2010 Rabbit (essentially, the Mk V Golf), Jetta and Beetle models as well as the 2009 2.5-litre Jetta Sportwagen.

The company says that on all of the recalled vehicles, with the exception of the Beetle, a small plastic tab in the windshield wiper fluid reservoir could chafe against a fuel supply line under the hood, leading to the possibility of a fuel leak and potential fire if chafing occurs.

beetle 1

For the Beetle, a fastening clamp on the hydraulic hose of the power steering system may be located in an improper position, again leading to the possibility of chafing an underhood fuel supply line, where a fuel leak and a fire could develop.

VW said its dealers will inspect and replace the underhood fuel line if necessary, and depending on the model, either remove the plastic tab from the windshield washer fluid reservoir or adjust the fastening clamp into the correct position. The company said there had been no reports of fires, crashes or injuries related to the issue.

18 Comments      

New BMW Performance products for the E70 X5 LCI

December 16, 2010 at 7:55 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under BMW, Cars

BMW has released a range of BMW Performance products for the facelifted E70 BMW X5. Just as a recap, BMW Performance is a label for accessories that BMW sells to spice up its cars, in efforts to take some of that (mostly aesthetic) aftermarket mod spending away from other tuners. BMW Performance bodykits look different from the M-Sport bodykits and are often more aggressive-looking. In Malaysia if you see an E90 it could carry one of three sets of bumpers – standard, M-Sport and BMW Performance.

Anyway back to the BMW Performance parts for the X5. There’s now a BMW Performance Aero Kit for the X5, which BMW claims was developed in BMW’s wind tunnel in Munich.

It can be fitted to the 2011 X5 LCI, except for the X5 M and X5 models equipped with a trailer hitch. It includes redesigned front and rear bumpers as well as side skirts and an optional black kidney grille.

On the interior there’s a BMW Performance Aluminium Pedal Kit which is made of aluminum with rubber inserts. And there’s a direct replacement for the steering wheel which has a thick flat-bottom rim covered in hand-stitched Alcantara.

This steering wheel can be fitted to any facelift X5 except for the X5 M and Land Departure Warning equipped regular X5s.
[Read more...]

12 Comments      

F25 BMW X3 gets M-Sport package unveiled in detail

December 16, 2010 at 6:05 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under BMW, Cars

Here it is – a whole collection of official photos of the M-Sport package for the F25 BMW X3. Prior to this, we only had three photos of the same white kitted X3 you see above in front and rear three quarter angles as well as a shot of the alloy wheels. These set of photos reveal the full details including the interior, which features that brushed aluminum trim that has become synonymous with BMW M-Sport kits and nicely brightens up the interior.

The exterior kit features the usual M-Sport mods – front and rear bumper designs unique to to M-Sport kitted cars, high gloss Shadowline trim, M-Sport tailpipes and either 19 inch or 20 inch alloy wheels. The suspension system also gets sportier settings unique to the M-Sport model, though the X3 already has the benefit of a suspension system with both a Normal and Sport variable setting.

On the inside, you have the brushed aluminum trim that we’ve already mentioned, M-sport steering, and for the xDrive20d model with the manual transmission there’s also an M shift lever. The roof lining is anthracite, and other minor aesthetic mods such as door sills with M logos and an M footrest complete the package.

Wonder if they’ll make a 340 horsepower X3 M? Full gallery after the jump.
[Read more...]

8 Comments      

Toyota Vitz gets front windows with 99% UV reduction

December 16, 2010 at 4:32 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, International News, Toyota

I’m not really sure what to make of this… but here it goes. According to a press release by Toyota UK, Toyota says it will begin offering a new type of front-door glass that is able to cut UV light into the front of the car up to 99% beginning 2011.

The first car that will offer this is the Toyota Vitz/Yaris. Combined with existing UV-cutting windscreens, Toyota says the new combination is able to provide sunburn protection the equivalent to that of wearing gloves while driving.

But when I look at the image above as well as the explanation that goes with it, what I see is a single-piece tempered glass used for door windows with a UV-absorbing film placed on the interior surface. Isn’t that what we’ve been doing all this while by tinting our cars?

39 Comments      

Volkswagen’s electric vision of the London Black Cab

December 16, 2010 at 2:31 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, International News, Volkswagen

Here’s Volkswagen’s vision of the famous London Black Cab, an all black rendition of the Milano Taxi Concept that came out in April. Based on the underpinnings of the forthcoming UP! city car, it was recently unveiled in the British capital by Klaus Bischoff, Head of Design at Volkswagen.

The Volkswagen Taxi Concept is powered by an electric motor fed by lithium-ion batteries. With a capacity of 45 kW/h the batteries allow the electric motor to generate a maximum power output of 115 PS, translating to a theoretical top speed of 120 km/h. The range is estimated at 300 km between charges with an 80% charge taking around one hour to complete.

The concept measures 3,730 mm long, 1,680 mm wide and 1,600 mm tall. That makes it shorter than the VW Fox although its long wheelbase and minimal overhangs allow for a spacious cabin with room for two adults plus a luggage area. The major functions of the vehicle (climate, entertainment and fare information) are shown on a touchscreen display next to the driver. A similar screen relays information to the passengers.

The styling is similar to the UP! concept cars and features cool details such as the silver Union Jack on the roof and the City of London’s coat of arms. It’s a cab, so the ‘Taxi’ light on the roof glows green when it’s available and red when it’s not. Gallery after the jump.
[Read more...]

11 Comments      

Bahar: Renault F1 deal cost one third of what Tony asked

December 16, 2010 at 11:07 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Formula 1, Lotus, Motorsports

When news broke that Group Lotus was buying into the Renault F1 Team, one of the more popular questions was why couldn’t they just invest in Tony Fernandes’ Team Lotus. Wouldn’t that have solved the issue of a Lotus vs Lotus battle on next year’s Formula 1 grid and in the courts? Group Lotus CEO Dany Bahar shed some light on the matter at a media lunch in London.

Apparently, there were such moves, but the other side made it too difficult, and too costly for Group Lotus. “A question that has come up many times was why did you not find an amicable solution with Tony Fernandes? Well we tried,” he said.

“Let me just say when the counter proposals are so ridiculous and absurd, it makes no sense to continue these discussions. And if you can go with a top five team that is maybe one third of the cost that was asked by the other side, then that makes sense.

“We do not have the financial resources, and we don’t have the time to invest in a newly formed team that really deserves respect. By buying into an existing one which is well financed, which has the right partners in there, it was just the more conservative approach and we just wanted to fight at the top end of the grid. And that should not sound disrespectful to anyone, but we have such an ambitious plan ahead of us, we don’t want to lose time and we want to support the brand out there”.

What were the hurdles? “We were not afraid of partnering with Mr Fernandes, but as I said, there is one way that Lotus does business – and this is getting involved and not just putting the logo on the car. We need to be involved in the management. We need to take decisions together. We need to fund it together as well, which is fine, but it cannot just be that we are seen as a sponsor, we pay the cheque and everything else is run by someone else. That is something that we will never do. And even if it is a public perception, it will never happen,” Bahar clarified.

On the many arrows that are flying his way, the ex-Ferrari employee said: “Although the public perception is I am the bad guy and I am doing everything I can to sabotage them, this is complete nonsense. You cannot imagine that Dany Bahar can influence prime ministers, the board of Lotus, the board of Proton, the shareholders. There are so many people involved and it would not make sense!”

139 Comments      

Test Drive Report: Second-generation Volkswagen Touareg

December 15, 2010 at 3:55 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Test Drive Reviews, Volkswagen

After the big bang entry of the Golf TSI and new Polo, the arrival of Volkswagen Group Malaysia’s next new model will be relatively low key, and rather unexpected. The first batch of the second generation Touareg SUV is already in town, as we discovered when filling up at a petrol station last month. You can register your interest now, but we understand that sales will start in January 2011.

VGM responded to our request for a test drive with the same brown “999″ unit that we spotted. It is a 3.6-litre V6 powered model paired to an 8-speed automatic gearbox, the sole variant offered in Malaysia. Despite being improved in every area (as you’ll read about after the jump) and loaded with equipment, the price is unchanged from the outgoing model – yours for RM437,283 OTR excluding insurance.

Continue reading the report after the jump.
[Read more...]

118 Comments      

2011 Proton Saga FL launched in Malaysia – full details

December 15, 2010 at 11:47 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Malaysian Makes, New Proton Saga, Proton, Videos

You have seen the facelifted Proton Saga from our Thai Auto Expo 2010 coverage earlier this month, and now it’s the Malaysian market’s turn to get the car. Unveiled by Proton MD Datuk Syed Zainal moments ago, it is officially called the Saga FL.

From the boss’ speech, and the new features, we know that Proton is trying to get the younger crowd to consider the Saga as their first car, urban middle class folks that would otherwise buy a Myvi.

The Blue Rock colour you see here is one of the two new colors (the other is Cafe Latte, a light brown hue), and is the same colour as the Thai show car. There are now two trim lines – Standard and Executive – down from the previous three. Manual (5-speed) and automatic (4-speed) choices are available for both trims, which mean that there are four possible configurations.

Powered by the same 1,332 cc Campro engine with 94 hp and 120 Nm, the Saga FL gets Proton’s new face, which will be sign of things to come. As detailed before, the new exterior consists of new lamps front and rear, new grille, new bumpers on both ends and new design rims. Standard variants ride on 175/70 R13 wheels while Executive FLs use 185/60 R14 rubber.

Most of the new features that the FL gets over the old car is for the Executive. They are dual airbags, steering audio buttons and USB/AUX ports for the Clarion MP3 stereo. New goodies available on both trims are side mirrors with LED signal lamps, rear power windows, rear LED tail lamps. The rest of the Executive-only equipment includes driver’s seat height adjuster, powered wing mirrors, fog lamps and slim rear spoiler.

The new Proton Saga facelift is now available in four different variants – the Standard M/T and A/T as well as the higher spec Executive M/T and A/T, which is one grade level less than the pre-facelift Saga, which was available in N-Line, B-Line and M-Line. Effectively, this means very basic N-Line with the cheapest price tag and the black bumper is not represented in the new line-up.

All models have the front and rear power windows, MP3 function for the audio player, and the side mirrors with LED turn indicators.

What the Executive model adds over the Standard model are the USB and AUX input, the dual front SRS airbags (Standard model doesn’t have any airbags), steering wheel audio switches, driver seat height adjustment, electric door mirrors, fog lamps, rear spoiler, a multipurpose container and side protector moulding. Wheels are alloys wrapped with 180/60R14 on the Executive, and steel wheels wrapped with 175/70R13 on the Standard.

The engine and gearbox remains the same as the pre-facelift Proton Saga for now, however Proton has indicated that they will be rolling out an update to the Campro engine family sometime next year, and this update could include the new Proton Saga. The update will include improvements to the normally aspirated Campro engines as well as add a new turbocharged variant for models like the Proton Exora.

The Saga is available in Solid White, Tranquility Black, Genetic Silver, and two new flours – Cafe Latte and Blue Rock. Our live galleries after the jump are mostly of the two new colours so you’ll know what they look like.

Of course, the most important part are the new prices. Prices have gone up by about RM1,000 to RM1,300 across the board, which is not too bad a jump considering there’s an extra passenger airbag in the airbag-equipped models. In the price comparison, we’ll compare the Standard with the B-Line and the Executive with the M-Line.

  Saga Difference Saga Facelift
1.3 Standard M/T RM36,998 RM1,000 RM37,998
1.3 Standard A/T RM39,998 RM1,000 RM40,998
1.3 Executive M/T RM39,498 RM1,200 RM40,698
1.3 Executive A/T RM41,998 RM1,300 RM43,298

[Read more...]

587 Comments