New Skoda Rapid is a Polo Sedan with a Fabia head!

February 5, 2012 at 9:41 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Skoda

It’s badge engineering at it’s best – the Skoda Rapid just recently launched in India is a Volkswagen Polo Sedan with a Skoda Fabia front end. It’s platform-mate, the Polo Sedan is also on sale in India as the Volkswagen Vento. There seems to be plenty of buyers in India for both cars though – Volkswagen sold 2,143 units of the Vento in January 2012 in India, while the Rapid commanded 1,513 buyers.

The Indian market Skoda Rapid is available with the same engine options as the Vento – either a 1.6 liter petrol or a 1.6 liter TDI diesel, with both engines using a 5-speed manual, and an optional 6-speed automatic for the 1.6 liter petrol.

The Skoda Rapid nameplate originated in the 80s and was used on a coupe that was described by a magazine as a “poor man’s Porsche” in reference to its handling abilities. Wouldn’t it be cool if Skoda added a coupe version of the Rapid later?

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World Bloggers and Social Media Awards 2012

February 5, 2012 at 8:06 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Local News

We’ve been nominated in the Best Auto Blog category for the World Bloggers and Social Media Awards 2012, organised by the Social Media Week 2012 happening this month at the Putra World Trade Centre from the 13th to 17th February 2012.

If you think we deserve to win the award, head onto the Award site (click here) and vote for us! We’re currently leading in the category with about 285 votes, but it would be awesome if we manage to get a bigger lead ahead of the other nominees! :)

While you’re at it, perhaps you can vote for our sister publication OHBULAN! under the Best Entertainment Blog category as well. Hurry, there’s only 1 day left to vote!

Malaysia Social Media Week (MSMW) is an event connecting people, content and conversations around emerging trends in social and mobile media. It is organised by the Social Media Chamber and endorsed by the Kementrian Penerangan Komunikasi dan Kebudayaan. Catch it at PWTC from the 13 to 17 February.

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Honda Civic hatch with 1.6L GDI turbo to enter WTCC

February 5, 2012 at 4:57 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Honda, Motorsports

Honda’s FIA World Touring Car Championship will be the 5-door hatchback you see above, developed with Mugen and J.A.S. Motorsport, but what’s under the engine hood is more interesting – a Honda R&D developed bespoke 1.6 liter engine that’s not found in any current production Honda car!

Honda’s two car WTCC entry will be powered by a 1.6 liter 4 cylinder direct injection turbo engine, developed in accordance with FIA’s Super 2000 regulations. The cars will be managed by J.A.S. Motorsport, and will be entered in every race in the 2013 season.

A typical race covers between 50km to 60km in distance, and the full racing season covers 12 racing weekends, with 2 races per weekend. All vehicles who compete in the championship are based on mass production cars with more than than 4 seats. 

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Mercedes-Benz Citan small city van to launch this year

February 5, 2012 at 4:42 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Mercedes Benz

The trend now is to go for smaller vehicles with smaller more fuel efficient engines wherever possible, and a prime candidate for these downsized vehicles are the packed cities that can be found in nearly every economy. The commercial vehicle business looks to be doing the same, as these sketches preview Mercedes-Benz Commercial Vehicles’ first small van designed for urban use.

Called the Mercedes-Benz Citan – an amalgamation of City and Titan, the new “urban delivery van” will slot in a new segment under the Vito, Sprinter and Vario models, and will be available as a standard panel van as well as a crew bus and other configurations in various lengths and weights. A Mixto passenger variant will also be on sale. Once a “niche” market in the 90s, the small delivery van segment currently accounts for 700,000 units a year in Europe alone, and Mercedes-Benz expects to claim a 4% to 5% market share with the new Citan.

Both petrol and diesel engines will be available for the Citan, and given the intended city usage, I wouldn’t be surprised if eventually you could see some kind of electric Citan in the future.

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Auto Bavaria Sg. Besi celebrates CNY: Special activities including extended test drives and special promotions on selected models

February 3, 2012 at 10:08 pm By Harvinder Sidhu Filed Under Advertorial, BMW, Cars, Local News

Auto Bavaria is celebrating CNY this weekend at all of its branches and at Auto Bavaria Sg. Besi, there will be activities including Chinese Caligraphy and a Lion Dance, apart from extended test drive sessions which will allow guests to test drive their preferred BMW models on an extended course, up to Putrajaya and back.

Models available for test drives include the all-new 520i which is powered a Munich’s 2.0 litre TwinPower Turbo engine. Other models include the 528i, 520d, 323i and more. There is also a special 0% financing package for the 3-Series range and special deals on limited pre-registered units of the BMW X1, 5-Series and the BMW X3.

For more information, please feel free to contact Auto Bavaria Sg. Besi at 03-9223 3200. Have a good weekend everyone :)

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New Ford Ranger in camouflage spotted, it’s coming soon!

February 3, 2012 at 3:31 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Ford, Local News, Spyshots

Yours truly was in Shah Alam yesterday when this camouflaged truck came into sight. It was heading towards the Guthrie Expressway, so I stopped at a petrol station to swap seats with my passenger. Camera out and ready, I realised that the “mystery truck” in question is the new Ford Ranger.

Covered in black and white swirl patterns to confuse and distract, we can still see the outline of the Blue Oval logo on the tailgate. In any case, the three square tail lamp design is a giveaway, and looking at the large size of the thing, it can’t possibly be any of the one-tonne pick-up trucks on sale today.

On the Guthrie, we overtook the truck for the side profile and front views you see here. And the front shots confirm that it is indeed the Ranger T6.

Recently, we saw a video of a blue new Ranger towing all its rivals, and now this. Looks like the second quarter 2012 local launch of the new truck is right on track. We will be getting the new 150 hp/375 Nm 2.2-litre engine, paired to either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic gearbox.

The range topping 3.2-litre Wildtrack model is not yet confirmed for now, but we think it’s a matter of time before the fully decked out “ultimate Ranger” hits town.

We have been previously told that the 2.2L Ranger will be competitively priced against rivals, and not far away from the outgoing Ranger. At launch, only the dual-cab XLT will be offered; other cab styles and the XL will come later. The Wildtrak model, if brought in, will be priced to match the Hilux 3.0 and Triton 3.2, despite boasting a longer kit list.

We’ve driven the new Ranger in Thailand already, and think that it’s a truck worth waiting for. Watch out for the test drive report!

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Fiat 500L: 5-door Fiat 500 to make Geneva 2012 debut

February 3, 2012 at 2:11 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Fiat

These are the first shots of the new Fiat 500L, the newest member of the Fiat 500 family, with the L in its name meaning “Large”.

The 500L is bigger and has 5-doors instead of 3, with a cab forward cabin design. Fiat says the 500L has MPV passenger space combined with the feel of a small SUV on the road, along with the dimensions and efficiency of a B segment car.

I’m thinking – doesn’t Fiat already sort of have a product like this in its range called the Fiat Panda? I suppose the 500L is an Italian take on large versions of modern incarnations of retro classics, like the Mini Countryman.

The Fiat 500L will make its public debut at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show in March, with an initial engine range consisting of two petrol engines – TwinAir and 1.4L as well as a 1.3 liter Multijet diesel.

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Ex Proton CEO Tengku Mahaleel to make shock return?

February 3, 2012 at 9:39 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Malaysian Makes, Proton

Tengku Tan Sri Mahaleel Tengku Ariff, the outspoken former Proton chief, is set to make a shock return to the national carmaker, which is now under DRB-Hicom’s ownership. Business Times reports that the ex CEO will probably return as chairman of Proton, leading the company into another new phase.

“More or less, it’s almost a done deal,” a source close to DRB-Hicom told BT. If true, TM will replace Datuk Seri Mohd Nadzmi Mohd Salleh, who was one of the bidders for Khazanah Nasional Bhd’s 42.74% stake in Proton.

Tengku Mahaleel’s last stint in Proton ended on 30 September 2005, when his contract was not renewed by the board of directors led by Datuk Mohammed Azlan Hashim, then the chairman of Proton. TM joined Proton as Vice Chairman, Strategy & Operations in 1996 and was with the company for over nine years. The official statement then explained that Proton is a “national asset, an institution of sorts and not a private entity.”

Prior to his departure, he did a controversial interview with a Chinese daily, disagreeing with the way the national automotive industry was heading. “Automobile assembly means you just need screw drivers, you don’t need die and mould and engine factory. If the government only needs the automobile assemblers, we can then grab a Mitsubishi car, fix it with a Proton emblem and say: ‘Nah, this a Proton car’,” he was quoted as saying.

Not a man to mince words, that’s for sure!

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New Lexus GS is coming soon – now open for booking

February 3, 2012 at 12:31 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Lexus, Local News

Lexus Malaysia has opened order books for the all new Lexus GS, which means you can now put your name down to be one of the first owners of the GS when it arrives soon.

First unveiled at last year’s Pebble Beach show in the US, Lexus’ challenger to the BMW 5-Series, Mercedes E-Class and Audi A6 is a huge departure from the car it replaces, looking more dynamic and sporty than its German classmates, something it has never been before this generation.


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There are quite a few variants to choose from. Lexus Malaysia will import in the GS 250, GS 250 Luxury and GS 350 Luxury. By the way, this is the first time Lexus is putting an engine below 3.0L in the GS, allowing it to better match German rivals, who all have lower entry points. F-Sport variants for both engines will also be available.

The GS 250 is powered by a 2.5-litre V6 with D-4S direct port injection and Dual VVT-i. Maximum output is 206 hp at 6,400rpm and peak torque of 253 Nm is delivered at 4,800 rpm. 0-100 km/h is done in 8.6 seconds on to a top speed of 228 km/h. The V6 is matched to a Super ECT-i close-ratio intelligent six-speed automatic transmission, with sequential manual shift function. It’s likely that most GS buyers will opt for this engine.


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There’s also a good selection of colours available, both for the exterior and cabin. Prices range from RM370k to RM488k OTR excluding insurance. We’ve seen it in the metal and sat in it before, at motor shows, and can say that the GS has never been more desirable.

Click here for full details and a hi res gallery.

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F1: McLaren reveals its 2012 challenger – the MP4-27

February 2, 2012 at 1:07 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Formula 1, McLaren, Motorsports

McLaren has unveiled its 2012 Formula 1 car, the MP4-27, at the team’s Woking base. With two British world champs in Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button, McLaren finished last season with six victories and second in the standings, behind champions Red Bull. The MP4-27′s brief is therefore simple – beat the bulls.

The 2012 car looks a lot like last year’s machine, but McLaren says that the MP4-27 chassis has been substantially revised, with all major systems updated or redesigned. No more U-shaped sidepods too, to comply with new regulations.

“We have set ourselves tough and ambitious targets, and we aim to deliver those by the first race and have a championship-winning car. This car is a complete rework from nose to tail, and there is very little that is carried over. A bit of the fuel system is the same, but almost everything else on the car has changed,” said Tim Goss, McLaren’s director of engineering.

“There were a few features we have pushed quite hard from the beginning of the project. I am proud of the whole team and the efforts so far, and from now we go to the next phase of the project which is really wringing the performance out of it. We have a good track record of that – we have big plans, upgrades for the front wing, rear wing, floor and bodywork are already planned,” Goss added.

Elaborating further, technical director Paddy Lowe said: “The regulations are trimming us into narrower and narrower boxes. We don’t see big radical changes from one year to the next year. This car looks very similar but underneath a great deal of changes have taken place.

“Every part has been assessed for weight and performance. If you add all that up, you get a car that is quicker. Teams are tasked to find that 1% to 2% performance improvement – but nevertheless there are obvious innovations.

“We have done a lot of work around the back end, and there is a lot more tidy packaging there, and we have had to do a lot of work on exhausts. That has given the aerodynamicists a great challenge, not only to find the downforce but also in creating the right balance. You need downforce but also you have to be able to use it in the right area.”

Are we looking at the machine to break Red Bull and Seb Vettel’s total domination?

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