Toyota Rush updated for 2011 with darker interior

December 10, 2010 at 12:08 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Toyota

Looks like the Avanza isn’t the only model that has been updated for the 2011 model year – the Toyota Rush has received a similar update. Like the Avanza, the Rush’s interior has been updated to a dark colour scheme similar to that of the Perodua Nautica’s.

There’s also a new front bumper with restyled foglamp housings for the 1.5S variant. On the rear, the Toyota Rush gets restyled tail lamps and a restyled protector plate. Wing mirrors now have turn indicators. The Rush also comes standard with solar film from the factory now – 99% UV cut and 40% IR cut.

Other than the new colour scheme for the interior, there’s a new gearknob design as well as a new better-looking three-spoke steering wheel, replacing the previous version’s four spoke steering wheel. The audio system is now a 2-DIN unit that plays MP3s and WMA from either CDs or USB storage. The third row is now able to be split-folded 50:50.

Everything else is pretty much same old – the engine remains the 3SZ-VE making 109 PS and 141Nm, and the chassis still rides on MacPherson struts at the front and a live axle with coil springs at the rear. In terms of safety features the Rush has ABS and EBD as standard but only the 1.5S gets dual SRS airbags, while a single driver airbag is standard on all of the other models.

  • Toyota Rush 1.5S Automatic – RM96,990
  • Toyota Rush 1.5G Automatic – RM91,190
  • Toyota Rush 1.5G Manual – RM88,190

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Electric superbike set to go racing against petrol racebikes

December 10, 2010 at 11:07 am By Anthony Lim Filed Under Bikes, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, International News

swigz ebike

Next month will see the start of a rather intriguing two-wheeled battle, that of electric versus gasoline, as the world’s most powerful electric superbike goes head to head against conventional gasoline-powered race bikes in a professionally organised road race in the US.

The Swigz Racing bike will compete against the likes of racing superbikes such as the Ducati 1198 and KTM RC8 at the Auto Club Speedway in California in January, though it will make its track debut later this month in a private test.

By February next year, the 194 hp and 400 Nm electric superbike – which features a bespoke KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) among the host of tech on board – should become the most powerful road racing motorcycle of any kind being actively campaigned.

swigz ebike 2

Excluded from the FIM and TTXGP Championships for electric motorcycles, which set a new 250kg maximum weight limit for 2011 (the bike weighs 266 kg), Swigz Racing’s owner Chip Yates, who is also the bike’s rider, said the decision was made to take the platform forward in the competitive environment of gasoline bike racing.

With a power to weight ratio that is slightly better than 600cc bikes, the machine will begin the 2011 season by competing in the WERA Pirelli Sportsman Heavyweight Twins Superbike class, where its power to weight ratio puts it in the middle of the field, though a more than 20% increase to its current 194 hp has been planned after the first race.

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New Chevrolet Aveo to be renamed Chevrolet Sonic?

December 10, 2010 at 1:25 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Chevrolet, International News

Word around the auto block is that Chevrolet will be scrapping the Aveo name for its next generation B-segment hatchback set to be sold next year, instead opting for a cooler-sounding name – the Chevrolet Sonic.

It is hoped that the new name would distance the all-new model from the previous generation’s less than fantastic image, and Sonic is also easier to pronounce than Aveo. The thing is, GM has already unveiled the Chevrolet Sonic at the 2010 Paris Auto Show this year and it has Aveo badges all over it. Is it too late for a rename?

It won’t be the first new generation GM car that’ll get a new name – the Optra and the Cobalt names were both scrapped in favor of a new C-segment sedan name – Cruze.
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Ford B-MAX MPV Concept set for Geneva 2011 debut

December 10, 2010 at 1:08 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Concept Cars, Ford, International News


Good news – the Fusion will finally be replaced!

Ford will be showing a concept Ford B-MAX mini MPV at the 2011 Geneva Auto Show in March next year. As hinted by the B-MAX name, it will be a segment smaller than the Focus-based C-MAX and will be built on the Ford Fiesta’s B-segment platform. It’s competitors in Europe will be vehicles such as the Opel Meriva (apparently Europe’s best selling minivan) and the Kia Venga. The concept will go into production in early 2012.


Ford iosis Max Concept

The new Fiesta-based Ford B-MAX Concept will probably send the seriously aging Ford Fusion (not the American sedan – the name is used for a different model in Europe) into retirement – it looks really outdated and lost in a sea of new Kinetic Design Fords, which is no surprise as it has been on sale since 2002!

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It’s down to the wire at Zerotohundred.com’s ‘Time to Attack: The Finale’ this Sunday

December 9, 2010 at 11:34 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars

Reaching the decade mark is quite an achievement for a motoring network and Zerotohundred.com chose to mark the occasion with its very own time attack series, ‘Time to Attack,’ that will reach its climax this Sunday as the final round is flagged off.

The series consisted of three rounds thus far throughout the year that saw track aficionados from all walks of life bring their equally varied machines to the Sepang International Circuit to try and set the fastest lap in their respective class.

All that action, drama, hell-toe downshifts and spin outs will finally pay dividends for some as the final, and fourth round, ‘Time to Attack: The Finale’ takes place this Sunday, 12 December, at SIC.
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New Mitsubishi Global Small Car to be built at new Thailand factory – 150,000 units annually

December 9, 2010 at 9:57 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Mitsubishi

Mitsubishi Motors has laid the foundation stone for its third and latest factory in Thailand, which will be built right next to its first and second factories. The new factory will begin mass production in March 2012, rolling out a new “global small car” with engines of 1.0 litre to 1.2 litres in size. The new Mitsubishi global small car is yet another “Thai Eco-car”, like the Nissan March and the recently unveiled Honda BRIO prototype.

The 16 billion baht factory will produce 150,000 of the Mitsubishi Eco-car annually and will employ approximately 3,000 employees. The factory is a built-up factory, which means it will handle pressing, welding, painting and assembly of the vehicle.

We only have the two sketches you see in this post for now, but the Eco-car will be unveiled in full at the Geneva Motor Show next year. Mitsubishi plans a starting price of about 400,000 Thai baht for the small car in Thailand.

“It’s my great pleasure that Mitsubishi Motors Thailand’s factory becomes a part of our Eco-car Project. This Mitsubishi factory will bring to Thailand many technologies for automobile production and lead to improve labor skills for auto industry as well as related industries,” said Thai minister Chaiwut Bannawat.

“It’s a great honor to have this memorable day for the construction of the third factory. From the beginning, Mitsubishi Motors Corporation has strongly believed in Thailand’s potential as the production hub for global markets; now Mitsubishi Motors Thailand became the production base of our 1-ton pickup. We share the Thai government’s environmental concerns and we have made Thailand the global production hub for the “global small,” shared Mitsubishi Motors Corporation president Osamu Masuko.

It looks like Thailand has successfully expanded on its pick-up truck production hub status to one that is the center of production of a next generation of compact and fuel efficient vehicles (sedans and hatchbacks), through its Eco-car Project, which provides incentives to car companies that comply with Eco-car fuel efficiency rules. Even though our country is supposed to have the largest passenger car market around, Thailand seems to be proving a more attractive as a production hub for these compact hatchbacks.

Mitsubishi also announced that it is preparing for a future launch of the Mitsubishi i-MiEV in Thailand. They’ve started a joint study for fleet EV testing together with the government of Thailand, which includes researching the acceptability and marketability of EVs in Thailand, setting up user support systems, and expanding charging infrastructure, etc. Mitsubishi has similar agreements with the governments of Monaco, Iceland, Denmark and Singapore, among others.

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Honda to phase out the final Element after eight-year run

December 9, 2010 at 5:20 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Honda, International News

The quirky Element, which looks like a “Honda Hummer”, will be discontinued. American Honda Motor Co has announced that the 2011 will be the final model year of production for the “crossover utility vehicle”. More than 325,000 Elements have been sold in the USA since December 2002.

First seen in concept form as the Model X at Detroit 2001, the Element “created its own functional class and became an immediate favorite for small businesses, outdoor enthusiasts and pet owners,” according to Honda. Major upgrades were made through the years, including more power and safety features for 2007 and the Dog Friendly Element accessory package in 2009. North American customers who want a car like that will be pointed to a CR-V from next year onwards.

“The Element proved that ultimate functionality can often come from thinking inside the box. It made boxy vehicle designs cool, and Element owners continue to enjoy its unique styling and unmatched versatility,” said John Mendel, Executive VP of American Honda.

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Proton Inspira is fastest rising search term of 2010 for Malaysian searchers on Google

December 9, 2010 at 4:48 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Malaysian Makes, Proton

Malaysians are truly mad about cars, and this is proven in their online search behavior. According to Google’s 2010 Zeitgeist Malaysia, the term Proton Inspira is the fastest rising search of the year 2010 for Malaysians, which is really amazing considering that the name Proton Inspira was only unveiled to the masses on the 14th of October 2010.

The Google Zeitgeist basically reveals the world’s search patterns annually, and they also publish a country by country report. Along with the fastest rising searches (not exactly the same meaning as the most amount of searches, which could remain constant), every year Google also picks different categories to feature, and this year we have some interesting lists such as “fastest rising movies” and “fastest rising World Cup players”.

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Porsche to build VW Group’s sports car, big car platforms

December 9, 2010 at 3:18 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, International News, Porsche, Volkswagen

The newly adopted kid in the Volkswagen family, Porsche, has been given an enviable slice of the cake, leaving the others (especially Audi, which is a consistent top performer in the school of sales) green with envy. The cake in question is the development of future models, and Weissach’s meal includes the sports cars and big luxury cars.

Automotive News reports that Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn has told Porsche that it will take the lead in developing the “modular standard matrix” that will underpin the future Panamera and Bentleys. Porsche will also be responsible for a new sports car platform (for both front-mid and rear-mid engines) that will be shared with the likes of Audi and Lamborghini. This allays fears that the 911 of tomorrow will be sitting on a VW platform.

The report also says that the recent announcement that Porsche will invest 150 million euros in its R&D centre in Weissach plus the hiring of 100 engineers is linked to this responsibility.

Audi will continue to develop the “modular longitudinal matrix,” first introduced in 2007 for the A4, A5 and Q5. The number of models to use this architecture will grow to 15, Winterkorn said. The VW brand on the other hand, will focus on what it does best, that is to take charge of a “modular transverse matrix” that will debut on the 2012 Audi A3 and the next gen Golf. This platform will underpin 40 models and 6 million units annually, providing the numbers in VW’s quest to rule the auto world.

This so called “modular toolkit strategy” is a key strategy in giving VW a competitive advantage in its bid to topple Toyota as leader in sales and profitability. It is said to reduce development, procurement and production costs by 20% and engineered hours by 30%, besides allowing for more variants without the high costs.

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What? The Honda CR-Z hybrid not fun to drive? Says who?

December 9, 2010 at 12:57 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Honda, International News

Well, you can’t please them all. Despite having made lots of new friends and bagged awards, there’s at least one publication that doesn’t quite think the Honda CR-Z hybrid quite cuts the cloth – in the US, Consumer Reports‘ has carried out a test of four different fuel-efficient cars, and the car was part of that test group.

Despite achieving a 35 mpg overall figure and having a crisp manual transmission, it seems the two-seat hybrid hatch scored too low for the publication to recommend it, and the vehicle ended up as the lowest ranked of the four fuel-efficient cars on test for the January issue.

While CR said the car handled nimbly, it wasn’t very sporty otherwise – other points were that the ride is choppy, visibility is lacking, noise levels are high, and on-limit handling can be tricky, though the six-speed manual transmission and braking were plus points.

Meanwhile, two of the other cars in the group, the Ford Fiesta and Mazda2, fared very well, both achieving ‘Very Good’ ratings; the rag said they are both fun to drive and deliver impressive fuel economy. For the Fiesta, its agile handling, relatively quiet cabin and composed ride were high points.

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