Proton announces displays for KLIMS – Saga EV, Exora Extended Range EV and EMAS hybrid head the list

November 29, 2010 at 1:45 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Local News, Proton


Click for enlarged teaser image

Proton has announced its displays for KLIMS, which begins later this week – on show at its 1,500 sq metre booth will be 20 vehicles, including eight concept and show cars.

Highlights include the Saga EV (electric vehicle), which is driven by a brushless DC electric motor and powered by a 15 kWh lithium-ion polymer battery. The Saga EV can be quick-charged in just an hour or charged overnight between six and eight hours, with an estimated driving range of 100km.

Also on call will be the Exora Extended Range EV, which is currently undergoing the final phase of testing and validation, being targeted for commercial production as early as 2011, as well as the EMAS concept hybrid car and the race-winning Satria Neo Super 2000 rally car that competed in this year’s Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) and Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC).

These will be joined by the new Lotus vehicles that made their debut at the Paris Motor Show; while the full list of Lotus models to be exhibited remain a surprise, the all-new Esprit is definitely penned in as an exhibit. Proton will also be having a live styling studio.

“Proton has come a long way over the last 25 years and the showcase at KLIMS 2010 is to share these accomplishments with all Malaysians,” Proton’s managing director Datuk Syed Zainal Abidin said in a statement. “Visitors will be able to have a better understanding of the technical capabilities Malaysians today possess, and we also intend to share with them some of the initiatives currently being undertaken moving forward,” he added.

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Brabus introduces the Widestar SLS AMG

November 29, 2010 at 1:07 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under brabus, Cars, International News

brabus widestar sls 1

German tuning house Brabus has introduced a tuning package for the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG called the Widestar, and the Brabus Widestar SLS made its official debut at the Essen Motor Show, which began over the weekend.

The Brabus rendition of the Gullwing throws in a number of items, headed by a new titanium exhaust system with a sound-management system that’s driver controllable – via a pneumatic flap, the system has a sport mode that offers more growl than the stock SLS, but if it’s quiet you want, a ‘coming home’ setting gets the dB lower than that of the standard exhaust. It also adds a neat 10 hp to the 6.2 litre V8′s output.

brabus widestar sls 2

The Widestar SLS is lower than the stock car by 30 mm, and features a new height-adjustable suspension, developed with Bilstein, with optional stiffer front and rear swaybars also available for the car.

Externally, the Widestar aero kit is made up of a host of carbon-fibre bits – among these, a front spoiler, boot lid spoiler, larger front fender air outlets, a rear diffuser and rear wheel arches featuring air inlets/outlets. A choice of matt or gloss finish, or that following the body colour, can be had.

brabus widestar sls 3

The Widestar SLS also gets the wheel treatment, naturally, in this case a ultra-light Monoblock F Platinum Edition forged wheels, available in 20- and 21-inch sizes, and they come wearing either 275/30 ZR20 and 295/25 ZR21 Yokohama rubbers. Inside the cabin, custom options abound, from premium upholstery in leather and Alcantara to carbon-fibre inlays in any desired colour.

Gallery after the jump.
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In the hot seat now, for sure – BMW workers detained for suspected seat theft

November 29, 2010 at 12:00 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under BMW, Cars, International News

bmw_logo1Well, there should be plenty of new OEM BMW seats out on the virtual grey market at the moment, though some of the people responsible for that are currently in the slammer. According to a Bloomberg report, German police said a worker at BMW AG and another at a car-parts supplier were arrested last week on suspicion of stealing seats and fittings off factory lines in Munich.

The two, as well as another BMW employee, are definitely in the hot seat – they are suspected of faking production orders and siphoning off the parts, which amount to around 3 million euros, and selling them over the internet. Investigations are ongoing in Bavaria as to whether up to 15 more people are involved in the matter and if the amount that has been stolen is higher.

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Spyshot: Mysterious Proton Prototype disguised as Exora continues to make its way around town!

November 29, 2010 at 1:03 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Malaysian Makes, Proton, Spyshots

That mysterious prototype car with the distorted Proton Exora exterior continues making its way around the roads of Malaysia. From what we hear, the modified Exora exterior is just a decoy and what’s underneath has absolutely nothing to do with the Exora.

Since this time we have some higher resolution images snapped with a DSLR, a peek into the interior shows the very top most surface of the dash, which is also quite Exora-like – they probably used the Exora dash too, as what is being tested could be the powertrain and chassis.

With the nearest Proton full model change car launch being the next generation Proton Persona replacement model known internally as the Persona R (R for Replacement), can’t blame us for wondering if this is that new sedan on test. Or perhaps it’s some kind of crossover commissioned by Youngman Europestar.

Look after the jump for lots of hi-res spyshots of the car, photographed by Mohd Faizal Nayan en route to a gathering in Cameron Highlands.
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Lotus Racing – factory tour report coming soon!

November 28, 2010 at 6:42 pm By Harvinder Sidhu Filed Under Formula 1, Lotus, Motorsports

We have been invited to visit Lotus Racing’s Formula 1 factory in Hingham, Norfolk where the team’s headquarters is housed and where its Formula 1 cars are built. The trip will take place mid this week in the heart of winter where we will join selected members of the media and take part in a factory tour which will give us more insight on how a Formula 1 team is run and how the race car is developed.

Speaking about the race car, we could be treated to a sneak peak on the developments of next year’s machine. We are also scheduled to carry out interviews with the team’s key personnel and drivers including Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen.

The team did confirm that we will be able to interview both drivers hence it points to the fact that both Jarno and Heikki will be maintained at least for the 2011 season. The team has yet to officially confirm the line-up but principal Tony Fernandes has hinted before that there is no reason to change the line-up.

Hopefully we will also score some juicy details on the possibility of the team keeping its name since Group Lotus is rumored to sponsor the Renault Formula 1 team next year. Are there any questions that you would like us to ask Lotus Racing during the visit? Leave your feedback after the jump as we will try to accommodate.

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KLIMS bound Hyundai Avante caught on camera!

November 27, 2010 at 12:01 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Hyundai, Koreans, Local News, Spyshots

As revealed earlier this month, Hyundai’s stand at KLIMS 2010 will feature three showstars – the ix-Metro concept car, the facelifted Santa Fe SUV with new engines and the latest Hyundai Avante. Here, a grey unit of the C-segment saloon was spotted on a trailer by reader CKF, and since it’s the only car on the truck, we presume it’s the same model you’re going to see at KLIMS.

The Avante gets Hyundai’s latest “fluidic sculpture” design language as per the Sonata YF. We can see from these small images that the dominant profile line starts from the long rear lights, spearing through the door handles and ending at the front wheel arch. Another more subtle line joins both wheel arches.

The car shown here is a Korean domestic model as production for export markets will only start at the end of first quarter 2011. There won’t be much delay in making right-hand drive versions, and Malaysia will be among the first markets to get the RHD car. Add in the red tape and approvals and we’re looking at a second half of 2011 launch.

Unlike rivals, there won’t be a 2.0L model but an all-new 1.8L engine called ‘Nu’ powering the Avante. This 148 hp/178 Nm 1.8 is a smaller, lighter and more frugal replacement for the 2.0L Beta engine used in the previous gen car. It has Dual CVVT, two-stage Variable Intake System (VIS) and runs on a timing chain. Hyundai will also use double-pipe plumbing for the Nu engine to improve cooling, which means they can get away with using a smaller compressor, which aids fuel consumption.

The other engine is a 1.6L Gamma and the gearbox for both is Hyundai’s in-house 6-speed auto. It’s not decided yet if we will get Gamma, Nu or both engines although the bigger mill will be needed to impress the capacity obsessed regular Malaysian carbuyer.

Look out for it at KLIMS!

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Nissan to introduce diesel variant March in India

November 26, 2010 at 6:23 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, International News, Nissan

nissan micra

It looks like India will be getting something that we won’t be seeing anytime soon. Nissan is set to introduce the diesel version of its March hatchback in the country next month, and the car, known as the Micra in that market, will be equipped with the Renault-derived 1.5 litre K9K four-pot oil burner.

The Micra Diesel will join the 79bhp HR12DE 1.2 litre petrol version in the market – which started selling in July this year – beginning December 10, in two variant forms, the XV and XV Premium. The common rail direct injection eight-valve block, with 63 hp at 4,000 rpm and 160 Nm at 2,000 rpm, is mated to a five-speed manual tranny, the only gearbox available for the car in the Indian market. Numbers include a 158 kph top speed and an impressive 23.08 km per litre fuel consumption figure.

The K13 diesel will be assembled in Nissan’s factory in Oragadam, Chennai for domestic sales, though it will also be exported to South Africa next year.

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Red Bull pays out big bonus to championship winning staff

November 26, 2010 at 6:19 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Formula 1, Motorsports

Red Bull Racing has done an amazing job to win both the Constructor’s championship and Driver’s title in the 2010 Formula 1 season, and the team’s guys and girls will be duly rewarded for a job well done. According to Bild, RBR staff will get at least a £10k bonus while the champ himself Sebastien Vettel will pocket an extra 3 million euros or £2.6m.

The energy drinks company boss Dietrich Mateschitz is rewarding every single member of RBR’s 500-strong team with £10,000 each, and up to £42,000 extra for senior staff, for delivering the titles to Milton Keynes.

But Mateschitz is just sharing the spoils of victory, as the billionaire’s team are in line to receive total prize money of £62 million for their efforts in the 2010 F1 season. That’s more than enough to cover the bonuses. And the hordes of people now buying the (admittedly cool) Puma RBR merchandise will surely replenish the team’s coffers in no time!

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Hyundai Grandeur (Azera) – first images released!

November 26, 2010 at 4:20 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Hyundai, International News, Koreans


Click to enlarge

This is the sole official image of the new Hyundai Azera, or Grandeur in some markets. Turning out to be exactly like the sketches we showed you last week, Hyundai’s big saloon gets a dose of the company’s “fluidic sculpture” design to match the rest of the range. From this image, we can see that the old car’s characteristic rear haunches were retained.

Immediately recognisable as the Sonata’s bigger brother, the Azera slots in between the D-segment Sonata and the luxury rear driven Genesis saloon. In the US, the Azera should be taking on the likes of Toyota’s Avalon and the Ford Taurus.

This car’s predecessor was sold in Malaysia by Hyundai-Sime Darby and it came with a 3.3-litre V6 engine. Launched in 2006, the ‘TG’ Azera sold at RM220,000 back then. The XG from another generation back was also sold here, and there are still a few running around.

UPDATE: One more image after the jump!
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Perodua sales grow in East Malaysia, 35% market share

November 26, 2010 at 3:20 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Malaysian Makes, Perodua

Perodua launched the Viva Elite Exclusive Edition in Sabah yesterday following the Peninsular launch two weeks ago, adding sales momentum to its best seller in East Malaysia. The small car maker aims to sell 600 units of the RM42,000 leather equipped Exclusive Edition per month.

According to Perodua MD Datuk Aminar Rashid Salleh, a total of 240,000 Vivas have been sold since it was launched in 2007 and the high spec Viva Elite is the best selling variant of the range from January to October this year, accounting for 41.4% or 24,000 units from a total of 58,000 units.

In East Malaysia, Aminar said that the Viva is the company’s best selling model at nearly 50% of total sales. “Of the 21,300 vehicles sold in East Malaysia, Sabah contributes 46% to our sales in this region and I believe this market still has a lot of room to grow,” Aminar told Bernama.

The firm has high hopes on East Malaysia. “Sabah and Sarawak are our fastest growing regions with nearly 14% contribution or 21,300 vehicles to our overall sales so far this year. We aim to increase sales contribution from this region from its current to 20% within five years,” he added. Perodua is the market leader in East Malaysia with nearly 35% of total industry volume.

Click here to view details and images of the Viva Elite Exclusive Edition from our previous post.

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