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

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Honda is expanding its mini-vehicle production lines in Japan, and will build a new plant next to its Yokkaichi Factory in Japan. The new plant will produce both engines and bodies for the Honda Life and Honda ZEST, while the existing Yokkaichi Factory will continue building the mid-engined Honda Acty and Honda Vamos K-vans.

The combined capacity of the two plants in the new minicar production system will be approximately 240,000 units, which is almost the same as the current capacity. The new plant will be built by Yachiyo Industry Co. Ltd and will feature a highly efficient and high quality production system that focuses on the Life and ZEST thanks to efficiencies gained by separating the FF and MR car productions.

In the existing setup, engines and transmissions come from Honda’s Kumamoto factory, but in the new system the engines will come from the new factory itself, with transmissions coming from Honda’s Suzuka factory. This is why the capacity of the old and new system remains about the same, but the new system will be more efficient.

I had the opportunity to drive the Honda ZEST (shown above with the new Accord) in Japan and came away pleasantly surprised. It was a refined drive and unlike the small cars we have in Malaysia, did not feel cheap at all.

The 660cc i-DSI turbocharged engine was lag-less, and having not much knowledge about the ZEST (being a JDM market car) before and during my drive, I was surprised when I was told it was a 660cc turbo afterwards. A 64 PS engine with 93Nm of torque in a 930kg car with decent interior room sounds like a good idea for a city car.

TC Eurokars Sdn Bhd had a public preview of four Renault models at its Jalan Semangat showroom on the weekend of the 21st to the 23rd of March 2008. The models displayed were the Renault Megane R26 Renault Sport, the Renault Megane Coupe-Cabriolet, The Renault Clio RS and the Renault Grand Espace. Reader Al Maarof shares with us some photos snapped of the cars.

The Renault Clio RS has a different 2.0 engine than the one found in the normal 2.0 liter Clio III. While the Clio III used new 2.0 liter Renault M engine (essentially the Nissan MR20DE), the Renault Clio RS uses the F4R – an older 2.0 liter engine in the Renault stables, but one that revs high and produces 197 horsepower at 7,250rpm, and 215Nm of torque at 5,550rpm. Matced to a 6-speed manual, it hits 100km/h in 6.9 seconds.

The other hot hatch is the Renault Megane R26 with a torsion beam rear, powered by a 2.0 liter turbocharged engine making 230 horsepower at 5,500rpm and 310Nm of torque at 3,000rpm. 0 to 100km/h takes 6.5 seconds with a 6 speed manual. If you look after the jump you’ll see the car’s huge brakes at the front. TC Eurokars indicates this one will come in at about RM235,000 in the second half of 2008.

The less hot Megane you will see after the jump is the Megane Coupe-Cabriolet which features a foldable hard top. It’s 2.0 liter normally aspirated engine makes 135 horses at 5,500rpm and 191Nm of torque at 3,750rpm, paired to a 4-speed auto.

The last car is an MPV – the Renault Grand Espace. This is a replacement model of the NGV-powered third generation Espace used as KLIA taxis we see here in KL. Its turbocharged 2.0 liter engine puts out 170 horses at 5,000rpm and 270Nm of torque at 3,200rpm. It features 6 airbags and seats 7 with independent seats for all passengers.

Check out more photos after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of TC Eurocars previews Malaysia-bound Renaults

A silver ChangAn CV6 Ben Ben has been sighted at the JPJ Putrajaya building last week, most likely brought in by Changan Berjaya Auto Sdn Bhd. This would be the second ChangAn model spotted in Malaysia so far. The first was the Changan CM8 MPV, spotted with light disguise around the Klang Valley sometime last year.

The CV6 Ben Ben is a 5-door hatchback that seats 5. It also looks like it has some decent crash test safety, according to these photos. ChangAn has even displayed a sporty version with a bodykit in the past. It is powered by a 1.3 liter engine, but I have no horsepower and torque information at the moment. It is priced at under 50,000 RMB in China, which converts to about RM22,200.

If you remember, ChangAn was also the first Chinese company to develop its own hybrid car using a 1.5 liter gasoline engine combined with an electric motor. It also recently announced China’s first independently-developed hydrogen engine.

UPDATE: Looks like the ChangAn CV6 Ben Ben’s crash test results don’t look so good, click here. Thanks to reader Niceguy for the pointer in the comments.

Changan Berjaya Auto Sdn Bhd’s website says it plans to launch its first model before the end of 2007, so I guess there has been some delay. It has two models on display on its web page, the CM8 and the CV6 Ben Ben.

For more pictures of the silver CV6 Ben Ben, read the post after the jump.

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The JPJ building at Putrajaya is a great place to see what new CBU cars are coming soon to our shores, and this latest visit by reader JDMD reveals to us that we will soon be able to buy the new Volkswagen CrossTouran. The best part is the badging on the car seems to indicate that it is powered by the new 1.4 liter TSI engine, and perhaps the new 7-speed dry clutch DSG.

Look after the jump and you will also find a TSI-badged Volkswagen Jetta, which could be a third model added to the existing 1.6 and 2.0 FSI models, or depending on which state of tune the TSI engine is in, could replace either the 1.6 or the 2.0 FSI model.

Related Posts:
2007 Volkswagen CrossTouran
Volkswagen announces new 7-speed DSG gearbox
New 122hp single-turbo 1.4 liter and 7-speed DSG from Volkswagen

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Volvo has made the R-DESIGN kit standard equipment on its Volvo C30 hatchback, down from the 1.6 liter petrol engine up to the 230 horsepower turbocharged inline-5.

The R-DESIGN kit features a bodykit, rear spoiler, the R-DESIGN logo on the grille and alloy wheels, off-black T-Tec fabric with contrasting cream leather embossed with the R-DESIGN logo, blue instrument dials, a leather sports steering wheel, aluminium ridged sports pedals and a gear knob with aluminium inserts.

More photos after the jump.

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The quirky looking new Infiniti FX joints its smaller sibling the EX in the luxury Japanese automakers line-up. It is another crossover SUV, a fusion of a sports car and an SUV according to Infiniti. It is built on the same FM (Front Midship) platform as the Infiniti G37 and G37 Coupe, which is a rear wheel drive platform, with the option for AWD.

The flagship FX50 model will feature the new VK50VE V8 with VVEL (Variable Valve Event and Lift) continuously variable valve lift. It produces 390 horsepower and 500Nm of torque, mated to a new 7-speed automatic with Adaptive Shift Control (ASC), Downshift Rev Matching (fancy name for throttle blipping) and manually shiftable via solid magnesium paddle shifters.

The FX37 has relatively less power and uses a 3.7 liter V6 engine producing 320 PS at 7,000rpm and 360Nm of torque. It also has the 7-speed throttle blipping automatic.

Power is sent to all four wheels via the ATTESA E-TS with Electronic Stability Program (ESP) and Traction Control (TCS). ESP can be switched off if desired. If all-wheel drive is not required, the ATTESA E-TS system will channel 100% of torque to the rear wheels.

The suspension at the front is a double wishbone setup, which replaces the previous model FX’s MacPherson strut setup. Standard FX50 dampers are active Continuous Damping Control (CDC) electronically controlled shock absorbers. It takes the input from a variety of sensors and continuously alters the damping of the shocks to provide optimal ride and handling, according to two modes – Auto or Sport.

The FX50 rides on very lightweight 21 inch Enkei wheels wrapped with 265/45R21 tyres. The FX37 has wheels an inch smaller as standard, but 21 inch wheels are also able to be specified by choosing the Sport pack, which also includes the active CDC dampers.

More photos after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of New Infiniti FX: FX37 and FX50

Naza Italia Sdn Bhd was appointed as the sole importer for Ferrari cars in Malaysia, and will begin operations in April 2008. It plans to invest in 4S showrooms, with the first flagship showroom to begin operations by Q3 2008.

“A substantial amount of the investment will be allocated for customer relationship management, sales and after-sales services, training, branding and marketing activities. Naza Italia will be bringing to local customers the whole Ferrari line-up, ranging from the F430 range to the 599 GTB Fiorano (shown above) and the flagship 612 Scaglietti. Our existing automotive business has enabled us to build significant relationship with the niche market which is demanding access to high quality automobiles. Our mission is to provide an experience to the Malaysian market. We plan further enhancements with new additions, innovative facilities and services, all of which will significantly contribute to the success of Ferrari in Malaysia,” said Naza Italia Sdn Bhd CEO S. M. Faisal Tan Sri S.M. Nasimuddin, who is also the Executive Vice President of the Naza Group.

Ferrari’s communications director for Asia Pacific Mr Matteo Bonciani said Ferrari considered Malaysia as an important market, and that there were 1,054 units sold in Asia Pacific in 2007. He added that Naza had proven to be the premier distributor in Malaysia, which was why it was picked to be the new sole importer. The Ferrari business in Malaysia was previously handled by Next Car Sdn Bhd.

The Malaysian media had a chance to get acquainted with Mr Carlos Ghosn, President and CEO of Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. recently at Tan Chong Motors Assemblies Plant in Serendah, Selangor.

Built at a cost of RM230 million over a 47.3 acre site, it currently produces Nissan models like the Latio, new Grand Livina and the soon-to-be-launched Sylphy.

The Serendah plant has been up and running in less than a year from end of construction. Plans are afoot for production to run a 2nd shift by September, thereby doubling up roll-off to 2,400 units a month.

Read the report by Dr. Long after the jump.

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This is the third Kizashi Concept to come out of Suzuki’s stables, and it was displayed at the 2008 New York International Auto Show. While the previous two Kizashi Concepts had estate bodies, this version is a sedan. Dimensions are 4650mm long, 1900mm wide, 1450mm tall and it has a wheelbase of 2800mm.

A production version is in the works, but there are no final specs yet, though Suzuki hints at a 3.6 liter DOHC V6 putting out about 300 horses or so. The engine will have plated cylinders which save weight and space, a technique that pays homage to Suzuki’s motorcycle business. The engine will be mounted at the front, and will send power to all four wheels.

See more photos and watch an animated video of the Kizashi 3 after the jump.

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More about the Suzuki Concept Kizashi

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