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A reader who wishes only to be identified as “The Stik” has sent in these photos of what is obviously the new Perodua SUV to be launched sometime in May 2008, replacing the Perodua Kembara. This trailer carrying a few covered up cars was spotted on Sunday on the Federal Highway. The new Perodua will have a 1.5 liter engine and 4WD.

The new SUV will likely get a new name even though it replaces the Kembara in its product range, and will also be the vehicle that launches Perodua’s new branding, as mentioned by Perodua MD Syed Hafiz in an interview with The Edge earlier.

From these photos, we can confirm that the new Kembara replacement Perodua SUV will be based on the Toyota Rush/Daihatsu Terios. No other detail is revealed other than the alloy wheel design which looks like a 5-spoke design as opposed to the Toyota Rush’s 6-spoke design.

Unlike all of Perodua’s current vehicles which are locally assembled, the new Perodua SUV will be fully imported from Japan and will positioned higher than its Indonesian-import Toyota Rush sibling in terms of pricing.

View a few more snaps after the jump.

Related Posts:
New Perodua MPV coming in September 2009

Click here to read the rest of New Kembara Replacement Perodua SUV spotted!

Click to enlarge – photo snapped with Nokia E90

Have you ever wondered where all the water from the SMART Tunnel goes? The tunnel is designed channel flood water away from the city centre even when it is not closed, with closure deemed necessary only during major storms.

The picture above shows the Taman Desa lake where all the water from the SMART Tunnel ends up, snapped earlier today when it was raining in town. You can see that the colour of the water coming out of the tunnel is very different from the rest of the lake.

The tunnel was closed for a few days towards the end of last month, and massive traffic jams ensued. It seems that despite the RM2 toll many of us now cannot live without the tunnel if we are to hope to reach home in time for an early dinner with the family.

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Kia Motors has unveiled a revolutionary driving control system with an update to the Kia KEE concept called the Kia KEE_wii.

Instead of a conventional steering, accelerator and brake pedals, the Kia KEE_wii uses a small ‘controller which fits comfortably into two hands. Making steering motions with the small controller will turn the car in whichever direction the driver likes whilst accelerator and brakes are button operated.

An added benefit is that passengers can take the controls and enjoy the dynamic drive of the KEE_wii from any seat in the car.

To counter the reduced visibility faced by a “driver” sitting in the back seats, Kia has developed a new system called the Independent Driver Input Operating Technique that utilises radar to avoid accidents.

Related Posts:
Kia Kee 2+2 Sports Coupe Concept

BMW has announced the first details of the new Canine Repellent Alloy Protection system. Designed to stop dogs fouling against the sparkling alloys of new BMW cars, the innovative Canine Repellent Alloy Protection system (C.R.A.P.) is the latest offering in the BMW EfficientDynamics programme.

Using the EfficientDynamics Brake Energy Regeneration system, energy that would normally have been lost during engine over-run and during braking is harnessed as Rim Impulse Power (R.I.P.) and stored for future use. Whenever a dog tries to relieve itself on the wheel of a suitably-equipped BMW, a small and relatively painless electric shock is immediately administered to the animal, thus deterring it from future fouling.

Dr Hans Zoff, Head of Automotive Security from BMW AG, said; “Research shows that most BMW customers like to keep their cars clean and dog fouling is a constant irritant. Not only does the Canine Repellent Alloy Protection system support this aim, but it does so using energy created through the EfficientDynamics programme. Beauty through engineering perfection – our philosophy in a wheel nut.”

Text by: BMW Press

Edaran Tan Chong Motors has revised the prices for 9 of its models, with all of the revisions involving an increase in price ranging from a few hundred dollars up to a RM2,000 increase, especially for the popular Nissan Grand Livina 7-seater MPV models.

All prices are for West Malaysia OTR private registration, and effective from the 7th of April 2008 onwards. All bookings before the 7th of April will enjoy the old price, so you still have a few days more.

The new second generation 2009 Honda Fit Sport has been unveiled in the US and it will go on sale in Fall 2008. It differs slightly visually as compared to the JDM Fit – mostly cosmetics like bumper design and grilles. The USDM Fit’s overall length is slightly longer but keeps the same wheelbase. The extra millimeters go to the slightly larger bumpers which have to comply with US crash safety regulations.

Under its hood is a 1.5 liter i-VTEC engine. Honda has not revealed details about how much power output the US-bound engine will have as this might differ country to country because of fuel quality and emissions regulations, but taking the Japanese model as a reference, the engine should put out around 120 PS.

The engine is mated to a 5-speed automatic gearbox with steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters, replacing the CVT in the previous model. This new Fit/Jazz is now available globally with either a CVT transmission or an automatic transmission depending on different markets. In Japan it uses a CVT, while in our South East Asian region and now America, it uses a 5-speed auto.

The Honda Fit Sport now has the option for factory 6.5 inch colour satellite navigation system called the Honda Satellite-Linked Navigation System with Voice Recognition.

For more information on the new Honda Fit Sport (called the Honda Jazz in our region) including power and torque curves, dimensions and etc, check out the linked post below.

View more photos and 2 studio footage videos after the jump.

Related Posts:
Second Generation Honda Jazz – Photos and Details
USDM Honda Fit Sport High-Res Photo Gallery

Click here to read the rest of 2009 Honda Fit Sport launched in the US

Proton is recalling a total of 34,000 Proton Savvys due to potential water entry into the rear wheel-bearing which could lead to a malfunction of the affected components. Proton say this recall is purely a precautionary measure for the safety of its customers.

“The safety and satisfaction of our customers is a primary concern. As a precautionary measure, we are recalling all Savvy’s for inspection and repair. We do apologise to all the Savvy owners for any inconvenience,” said Proton managing director Dato Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir.

Customers should immediately contact the nearest Proton Edar or EON service branch for an appointment to have their cars inspected, or call Proton i-Care at 1300880888.

Aston Martin has unveiled the first photos of its Aston Martin Vantage GT2 racer, which finally completes Aston Martin’s portfolio of GT race cars in each of the four GT categories – GT1, GT2, GT3 and GT4.

GT2 is the Series Grand Touring Cars category. GT2 cars are generally much closer to a production car than GT1 cars which typically use exotic materials in their construction, but GT2 cars are still generally significantly upgraded compared to a GT3 car.

Not much specifications have been revealed on the Vantage GT except that its engine can be run on both normal gasoline and E85.

Click here to read the rest of Aston Martin Vantage GT2

Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Datuk Shahrir Samad is of the opinion that the Approved Permits system (which are used to control the import of CBU cars into Malaysia, amongst other things) should be abolished.

In a report in this week’s The Edge Weekly, Datuk Shahrir said despite the government saying Approved Permits are more of a formality rather than a control system, they can be a barrier and be open to abuse. The Approved Permits system has to be abolished to prevent a group of local companies from forming a cartel to keep prices high and hold back supplies.

The first E85-capable Hummer will be the 2009 Hummer H2 truck and H2 SUT pick-up truck, with GM also planning to offer more than 15 FlexFuel models for the 2009 model year (including the recently unveiled Hummer H3T and H3). As for Hummer, it has committed to offer biofuel options on all its vehicles by 2010.

The problem with E85 Hummers in its native market of the USA is that less than 1% of fuel stations nationwide offer E85. GM wants to get around this by selling the E85 fuel at the dealer. Yup, you buy your car from a dealer, then you go back to the dealer to fill up.

Classic Chevrolet-Hummer in Grapevine, Texas has spent about half a million US dollars to install nine pumps dedicated to E85, E10 and biodiesel. The biofuel station is called Classic Clean Fuels and is located next to the dealer’s Hummer store.

General Motors vice president of R&D and Strategic Planning Larry Burns says in the future GM could also look into hydrogen fueling stations at dealers.

Related Links:
2009 Hummer H3T to be unveiled at Chicago 2008
Hummer H3T Video
The Malaysian Insider: Green fuel may not be so green after all