The Jaguar and Land Rover deal has been sealed, and the two companies go to Tata Motors, which will pay US$2.3 billion for them. As part of the deal, Ford will inject US$600 million of the US$2.3 billion into the two companies’ pension funds, leaving about US$1.7 billion remaining for Ford’s coffers. Ford will have no stake in the companies after the sale is completed.

Most of the management team will be retained, and Ford will continue to supply Jaguar and Land Rover with powertrains and technology for the time being, depending on existing supply agreements. Ford Motor Credit Co will also provide financing for Jaguar and Land Rover dealers and customers for the period of up to 12 months. The deal includes the Rover, Daimler and Lanchester brand names.

Tata Motors says it was confident this investment would have a positive effect on its balance sheet in the long run. Shareholders do not seem to share these sentiments as Tata Motors shares dropped as much as 7.3% yesterday, finally settling on a 3.6% drop at the end of the day as analysts says the deal will be a strain on the balance sheet. As for Ford, the money will help it focus on turning around its North American operations, which are currently operating at a loss.

The other bids for Jaguar and Land Rover are former Ford CEO Jacques Nasser’s One Equity Partners, Ripplewood, and Texas Pacific Group, which was advised by Bob Dover, CEO of Jaguar and Land Rover between 2002 and 2003.

Check out this drag racing-tuned Subaru Brumby with a Subaru WRX turbocharged boxer engine under its hood. When I say under the hood, I mean most of it anyway – check out the turbocharger sticking out of the hood! The EJ22 engine (stroked up to 2.34 liters) puts out 495 horsepower now (in the video it makes between 420 and 470 depending on whether nitrous oxide is used), and does the quarter mile in 10.41 seconds. Video after jump.

Click here to read the rest of Drag-tuned EJ22-powered Subaru Brumby

The Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire sedan has been unveiled in India, and comes with a choice of either a 1.3 liter SOHC petrol engine or a 1.3 liter Multijet DOHC common rail intercooled turbodiesel engine.

The petrol engine produces 87 bhp at 6,000rpm and 113Nm of torque at 4,500rpm, while the oil burner makes 75 horses and 190Nm of torque at 2,000rpm. Both petrol and diesel variants are available only with a 5-speed manual gearbox.

Dimension-wise the Swift Dzire sedan is longer than the Swift hatchback of course, but keeps the same wheelbase of 2390mm. The following table lists the differences between the two dimension-wise.

Boot space varies between 440 liters and 464 liters depending on trim level. The larger boot space value is available on the Lxi, Ldi, Vxi and Vdi trims, probably because of the slimmer tyre profile (165/80R14 versus 185/70R14) which means the spare tyre does not take as much space in the boot.

Safety features include ABS brakes, EBD, and dual front SRS airbags, which Maruti Suzuki claims are safety features that are not usually seen in this segment. Not all trim levels have them though. Spec level is relatively high, with some variants getting automatic climate control.

More photos after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire sedan unveiled in India

Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi says there will be no changes to the fuel and gas prices in Malaysia for the time being.

“Whatever the present price, we have to live with it,” said the Prime Minister at the Invest Malaysia 2008 conference. Light sweet crude oil currently trades at USD 100.35 per barrel on the NYMEX. In a Malaysiakini article, the PM adds: “When we make the announcement (on fuel prices), it is hoped that the situation would have change.”

RM43.4 billion was spent in 2007 to pay for subsidies of fuel and other essential items. Can the government afford this? And for how long?

Source

The Honda FCX Clarity is Honda’s second generation fuel cell car, and is the production version of the Honda FCX Concept, which I have wrote about last year. For cars like the Honda FCX Clarity to be usable in daily life, there has to be somewhere you can easily get the hydrogen fuel required for the car’s operation.

One ways you can refuel is via the Honda Home Energy Station. It generates hydrogen from natural gas for use in fuel cell vehicles while supplying electricity and hot water to the home. View a set of short videos after the jump on the FCX and HES.

Related Posts:
Honda FCX Clarity: second generation fuel cell car
Honda FCX Concept Video
Honda FCX Clarity Waterfight TV Commercial
The new Honda FCX Concept driving experience

Click here to read the rest of VIDEO: Honda FCX Clarity and Home Energy Station

The Honda Mobilio is a compact 7-seater MPV sold in the JDM market, built on one of the longest versions of Honda’s Global Small Platform ever, with a wheelbase of 2,740mm. It is part of Honda’s Small Max vehicle lineup which also includes cars like the Jazz, City, and Airwave, all built on the Global Small Platform and powered by the L-series i-DSI and VTEC engines. With it’s 1.5 liter i-DSI engine (1.5 liter VTEC in the Mobilio Spike), the Honda Mobilio returns 18.2km/l.

Like the Toyota Sienta, it features sliding rear doors. The Mobilio and Mobilio Spike’s packaging is similiar to the rest of the Small Max cars, featuring a low-floor cabin, and a central fuel tank layout located under the first row of seats. The cabin is 2,435mm long and 1,360mm wide. Versatile seats allow stowage of luggage up to 1,360mm tall or 2,600mm long. Folding the third row seats down creates a boot space of 579 liters. The second row can slide back and forth by up to 260mm to vary legroom.

Would you buy the Honda Mobilio/Mobilio Spike if it is available in Malaysia? I think most would feel awkward because of its Japanese boxy looks, but the unorthodox dimensions is the very thing which creates a large interior space inside.

View more photos and a video of the Honda Mobilio after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Honda Mobilio and Mobilio Spike 7-seater MPV

The Toyota Sienta is a compact 3 row 6/7-seater MPV sold in the Japanese domestic market. The word Sienta came from the Spanish word siete which means 7, combined with the English word entertainment. It is powered by the 1NZ-FE 1.5 liter VVT-i engine, producing 110 PS at 6,000rpm and 141Nm of torque at 4,400rpm, with the option for 4WD. The 2WD version is mated to a CVT transmission.

The compact MPV has a 2,700mm wheelbase, which is longer than the Toyota Avanza’s 2655mm and only 5cm shorter than the Toyota Innova’s 2750mm wheelbase. This should mean the interior space is actually quite decent. The rear uses sliding doors instead of normal doors, and the rear hatch is top-hinged.

This particular car was launched in 2003, and was facelifted in 2006. Following a normal 5 year Japanese model lifecycle, the Sienta should be retired in the JDM market by 2009, and replaced by a new model.

This is just a possibility and should not be taken for fact – considering Toyota’s penchant for efficiency, the Sienta could be recycled and adapted for sale in the ASEAN market, and could be the base for the new MPV being developed for production in Indonesia, as suggested by reader torishimeyakuin.

View more photos and a rather weird commercial of the Toyota Sienta after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Toyota Sienta – compact JDM 7 seater MPV

Click image above more details on the car that the Perodua MPV will be based on

UPDATE: The new Toyota MPV that the Perodua MPV will be based on has been unveiled! Click the linked text to find out how the new MPV looks like as well as its dimensions and specifications.

An interview with Perodua managing director Datuk Hafiz Syed Abu Bakar in The Edge Weekly has revealed some plans about Perodua this year. For one, Perodua will be undergoing a rebranding sometime in the middle of the year, which will coincide with the launch of the new Perodua Kembara. The rebranding exercise will also give Perodua a new logo, which will be more of a restyled evolution of the current one rather than something new.

The new Perodua Kembara will come with a 1.5 liter engine (likely the 3SZ-VE) and will have four-wheel drive. It will not be assembled locally by Perodua but will be a CBU import from Japan. It will be a low volume product, and the expected price tag is likely to be more than the Toyota Rush because of its higher specs (the 4WD drivetrain) and Japan sourcing. It will be targetted at the urban, upper-middle income group. Expect the new Perodua Kembara to be based on the short wheel base Daihatsu Terios with a May 2008 launch date.

Another surprise revealed in the article is Perodua’s plans for 2009. Perodua will launch a new three row 6-seater MPV by the end of 2009. Datuk Hafiz likened it to a Toyota Wish, but a smaller version. I wonder what could this be based on. Can’t really think of any compact 6-seaters from Daihatsu/Toyota other than the Daihatsu Gran Max, but that’s more of a Rusa-like van. (UPDATE: The Perodua MPV codenamed D46T will be based on the “>Toyota Passo Sette!)

If you read this article by Xinhua News Agency posted on the 5th of March 2008. it is revealed that Toyota and Daihatsu is developing a new MPV in Indonesia. The MPV is set to be launched in 2009. This model is could be the one that the new 2009 Perodua MPV will be based on.

Anyway whatever it is, it’s something to look forward to next year. 2009 seems to be the year of the MPVs.

Click here to read the rest of New Perodua MPV coming by end 2009

AV Ventures Sdn Bhd has received a Letter of Intent from Proton to develop and supply components such as steering, wiper and washer and window regulator systems for Proton’s new MPV.

According to the report by The Edge, supply for these components would commence sometime in Q1 2009, so I think we can expect the new Proton MPV to arrive on schedule. On a side note, we now know who to curse if the new MPV’s power windows fail

Source

Related Links:
First sighting of new Proton MPV-related test mule
Proton MPV due in early 2009

This photo has been circulating around the internet and many have been posting it up claiming that these are leaked promotional images of the new Proton MPV. It does look very good. But no, this is not the new Proton MPV. This is actually an unknown person’s Photoshop job of the Mazda 8, which Naza World started selling in Malaysia recently. If you look closely, the alloy wheels still have the Mazda logo on them.

But still, response to this design as a “Proton” in the many forums around the internet so far has been very good, and alot of people seem to believe it is Proton. Kudos to Mazda’s designers for designing a nice looking MPV, and congratulations to the creator for producing a Photoshop job that many believed.

Have a look at more shots of the Mazda 8 MPV after the jump.

Related Links:
Mazda Hong Kong’s Mazda 8 page
Mazda Japan’s Mazda MPV page
First sighting of new Proton MPV-related test mule
Proton MPV due in early 2009

Click here to read the rest of Is this the new Proton MPV?