Thai-assembled Toyota Camry Hybrid unveiled!

June 1, 2009 at 6:06 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, International News, Toyota

Toyota Camry Hybrid

Toyota have previewed the Toyota Camry Hybrid that will be assembled in Thailand. The Thai-assembled Camry Hybrid will be the first Camry Hybrid to be based on the Aurion-based Camry body. Currently the Camry Hybrid sold in countries such as the US are based on the JDM Camry, which to me looks more funky and sporty, somewhat like an overgrown Altis.

As the Camry sold in Thailand and the rest of the ASEAN region are based on the Australian Toyota Aurion, it only makes sense that Toyota bases the Thai Camry Hybrid on the Aurion body. The Thai assembled Toyota Camry Hybrid features its own front grille and rear tail lamp design as well as a front bumper that looks similiar to the one found on the facelifted Toyota Camry, but with some differences in the fog lamp area.

The Australian-assembled Camry Hybrid will likely continue to be based on the JDM Camry body, as indicated by the Toyota HC-CV Hybrid Camry Concept displayed at the 2009 Melbourne Auto Show.

Toyota Camry Hybrid

Toyota Motor Thailand president Mitsuhiro Sonoda says the Camry Hybrid will be priced quite closely to exiting petrol-powered Camry models in Thailand, predicting a premium of not more than 100,000 Thai baht. This is because the Camry Hybrid is subject to an excise duty of only 10% instead of 35% in Thailand.

Since a top of the line Camry 2.4 can go for over 1.7 million Thai baht (it starts from about 1.5 million for the cheaper 2.4G), the Camry Hybrid would likely be priced at about 1.8 million Thai baht. I don’t think he was referring to the 3.5Q which retails for nearly 3 million Thai Baht.

Toyota Camry Hybrid

The warranty for the Toyota Camry Hybrid will also be extended to 5 years or 150,000km, which is longer than the regular 3 year warranty that you get with Toyota cars there. This is to help ease public acceptance of the relatively new technology which many fear will be expensive to maintain once the warranty period ends. Toyota has also partnered with insurance firms there to offer the same premiums as the regular models despite the Camry hybrid having more expensive parts.

I am not sure whether the Thai Camry Hybrid will share the same hybrid powertrain as the US market Camry with different styling, but under the US car’s hood is the 2.4 litre Atkinson cycle 2AZ-FXE engine producing 147 horsepower at 6,000rpm and 187Nm of torque at 4,400rpm, paired to a 30kW (40 horses) electric motor with 270Nm of torque. These two are combined and send power to the front wheels via an E-CVT transmission. The Thai Camry Hybrid should use something similiar.

Look after the jump for more photos of the Camry Hybrid.
[Read more...]

59 Comments      

Honda Jazz S Modulo Limited Edition – 100 units

June 1, 2009 at 12:13 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Honda, Local News

Honda Malaysia Sdn Bhd is currently offering a 100 unit limited edition Honda Jazz Grade S Modulo Limited Edition, which is essentially the Jazz Grade S with a Modulo kit which consists of a front and rear lip, side skirts, and a tailgate spoiler. It is only available in Cerulean Blue Metallic. According to Honda, the Modulo kit cost approximately RM5,000 but the 100 units are priced at the same price as the normal Jazz S: RM104,800.

With a difference of only RM5k between the Jazz S and V, it’s likely that alot of Jazz customers just opted to pay the extra RM5k for the Jazz V, so this promotion could be intended to help prop up the sales of the S variant to balance out the stock levels.

In case you don’t know, the Jazz S is the lower spec version of the two offered, with the top of the line being the Jazz Grade V. The V has larger wheels (16 inch versus 15 inch on the S) and a black interior instead of a black and blue interior on the V.

For the full list of differences, check out my Honda Jazz launch story, or look after the jump for a closer look at the bodykit parts.
[Read more...]

45 Comments      


Toyota Vios GT bodykit for the Thai market

June 1, 2009 at 11:10 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, International News, Toyota

Toyota Vios GT

UMW Toyota has been toying with a TRD Sportivo bodykit for the Vios but perhaps they should also take a look at what their friends up north are doing. This Toyota Vios GT is on sale in Thailand and it features a bodykit which I at first glance thought was the TRD Sportivo bodykit, but after looking closely I noticed there are variances in the design.

Other than a sporty front bumper without foglamps, the Vios GT also features an improved (over the TRD Sportivo design that is) rear bumper with a little integrated faux diffuser design. They also gave it a chrome tipped exhaust pipe but made it point downwards!

Toyota Vios GT

But still in the end this is just another dressed up Vios. Nothing special under the hood – just a stock 1.5L VVT-i with stock output levels. With the previous generation Vios at least Toyota Thailand was adventurous enough to offer a Vios Turbo that put out 143 horses and 196Nm of torque thanks to a factory-installed bolt-on turbo (yes I know that kinda contradicts), equivalent to a 2.0 litre engine.

No factory turbocharged Vios on sale anywhere in the world as of now but in Japan, its Vitz (Yaris) hatchback brother gets a TRD Turbo M variant that puts out 150 horsepower and 195Nm of torque.

Look after the jump for a full photo gallery of the Vios GT.
[Read more...]

95 Comments      

Proton Saga 1.6 B-Line M/T now available for booking at Proton Edar’s website!

June 1, 2009 at 8:02 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Malaysian Makes, New Proton Saga, Proton

Proton Saga 1.6

The Proton Saga 1.6 litre B-Line with manual transmission is now available for public booking on Proton Edar’s website. The B-Line M/T listed at RM39,000 is the sole 1.6 litre model on sale, and is only available in Chilli Red. That’s about roughly a RM3k premium over the 1.3 litre B-Line M/T.

No specs for the B-Line 1.6L M/T have been made known on the site but based on various ads placed on online classifieds: it has power windows for the front, air conditioning, an alarm system and a CD player so it should satisfy the bare requirements of creature comforts, but with no safety features as there is no airbag.

The car comes with steel wheels so if you want to spend some money you can quickly junk them and put something else on to match the more powerful engine.

Proton Saga 1.6

Interestingly the cheapest and most affordable N-Line which was priced at RM31.5k seems to be completely gone from Proton Edar’s website now.

It is not unusual for car manufacturers to launch a car model with the very baseline model priced without profit or even at a loss to draw customers to showrooms, and then later get the sales staff to try to sell them the more profitable trim levels. This baseline model will then be phased out later.

Also, is it just me or have the prices changed since launch?

159 Comments      

F10 BMW 5-Series Saloon Interior Videotaped!

June 1, 2009 at 3:09 am By Paul Tan Filed Under BMW, Cars, Spyshots, Videos

BMW F10

Now this is the 5-Series that alot of you will be alot more excited about – the sedan version of the next generation BMW 5-Series codenamed the F10.

Sure the 5-Series GT may be a new-ish segment entry for both BMW and the automotive world but Malaysia is a sedan market.

BMW F10

The next generation 5-Series will include 3 bodytypes – sedan, estate and the already unveiled GT. This prototype videotaped by German news agency TVnews Hessen after it was stopped by German police on the autobahn because it looked suspicious – I cannot blame them, just look at the heavy disguise!

BMW F10

Not much detail on the headlamps either but I think we can most probably expect the front end of the 5-Series sedan to look quite similiar to the 5-Series GT.

BMW F10

The cameraman also managed to take a peek into the interior of the vehicle. Like the outside the interior is also heavily disguised so not much can be seen except that the new steering wheel design that debuted on the F01 as well as the black panel instrumentation will be in the F10 – notice the chrome ring around the meter panel does not extend into a full circle at the bottom – that’s where BMW’s new multi-info display is.

Our resident photo-manipulator Theophilus Chin has already presented to us his take on how the F10 Sedan might look like, with cues taken from both the F01 and the 5-Series Gran Turismo.

Look after the jump for the original video.
[Read more...]

6 Comments      

Honda Accord CrossTour aimed at the Venza

June 1, 2009 at 2:36 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Honda, Spyshots

Honda Accord CrossTour

Honda will not leave BMW and Toyota to play alone in the new segment that they seem to have carved out for themselves with the Toyota Venza and the BMW 5-Series Gran Turismo. VWVortex forum member GoVdubSPEEDGo/M. Balisky spotted two of these lightly taped up Accord CrossTour crossovers up in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in southeastern US.

The side profile can be quite positively identified as similiar to the US/Asian market Honda Accord, with a sloping hatchback rear end and previous gen Accord Coupe-like rear lights. Acura will have its own similiar segment vehicle called the Acura ZDX.

Look after the jump for more photos.
[Read more...]

14 Comments      

New BMW M3 Edition Models available in White, Black, Yellow and Blue

June 1, 2009 at 12:37 am By Paul Tan Filed Under BMW, Cars, International News

BMW M3 Edition Models
Click for enlarged image

We’ve long ago found out and mourned BMW’s decision not to produce a hardcore lightweight track-ready CSL version of the new V8-powered BMW M3. Yes, no M3 CSL but we do get this – a foursome of BMW M3 Edition Models, which are basically a choice of 4 M3s that are colour coordinated inside and outside with minor mods such as a lowered suspension.

To go into specifics, the four M3s come in either Alpine White Non-Metallic, Black Non-Metallic, Dakar Yellow Non-Metallic or Monte Carlo Blue Metallic. On the inside, the Black and White models get a white-coloured surface for the Alpine White and Black models on the center armrest, center console and door panel armrests. The Dakar Yellow and Monte Carlo Blue models get yellow or blue contrasting seams on the armrests and door close handles.

BMW M3 Edition Models
Click for enlarged image

All the 4 models get Checkered Flag Design entry trim bars, Carbon Structure Leather interior trim with white contrasting seams. The cars also get Black Novillo Leather seats with contrasting seams (white on the Alpine White and Black cars, body colour for the Dakar Yellow and Monte Carlo Blue cars) and vertical trim stripes on the upper section of the backrest and at the front of the legrest.

BMW M3 Edition Models
Click for enlarged image

On the outside, the cars get a dark eloxy-plated chrome finish for the kidney grilles, side gills and dual exhaust tailpipes. The openings on the engine compartment lid are finished in black. The 19 inch forged M light alloy wheels are either available in black or regular, and for the Alpine White, Black and Monte Carlo Blue models, the same rims are also available in contrast white with polished spokes. The suspension has been lowered by 10mm on all four corners.

I’m not sure on what occasion did BMW release these models, as they are simply called Editions, not Special Edition, nor Anniversary Edition, or even We Just Feel Like It Edition.

9 Comments      

Proton posts RM338 million FY2008/2009 loss!

May 31, 2009 at 5:21 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Malaysian Makes, Proton

ProtonProton is in the red again for the financial year 2008/2009 after a short stint of profitability for the 2007/2008 financial year. Profit of RM144 million in the previous financial year dropped to a loss of RM338 million for the financial year ended 31st March 2009.

Chairman Dato’ Mohd Nadzmi Mohd Salleh says the results are primarily due to impairment of property, plant and equipment (PPE) and inventory write-down of certain models impacted by volume contraction, and is reflective of the current global economic condition.

He added that the second half of the financial year was dversely affected by the accelerated amortisation of certain dies and jigs as well as the increased costs of components and raw materials arising from higher foreign currency exchange rates, particularly, the Japanese Yen and the US Dollar.

He noted that despite the loss, revenue had actually improved from RM5.62 billion in FY2007/2008 to RM6.49 billion in FY2008/2009, an increase of RM864.98 million. Proton currently has a cash balance of RM899.5 million, down from RM1,173.9 million in FY2007/2008. They also expect to receive a RM81 million R&D grant through the National Automotive Policy for the financial year.

“As a fully fledged automotive company, we spent a substantial amount on the development of new models such as the Proton Exora and Lotus Evora during the year. While this had affected our cash reserves, we will be able to recover when the cars are sold,” said the group’s managing director Dato’ Haji Syed Zainal Abidin.

Dato Haji also adds that Proton intends to double their total sales volume by 2010, with the bulk of improvement coming from improvements in export market sales. The Proton Exora will be launched in Indonesia in July 2009. Proton sold 156,845 cars in FY2008/2009, up from 139,942 in FY2008/2007. Out of that amount, 16,746 or just over 10% were export cars and 2,280 were Lotus cars.

In other Proton related news, the Proton Exora is now eligible for the Proton Xchange programme effective immediately, where customers will be able to trade in their old cars with minimum lifespan of 10 years for a RM5,000 discount.

Look after the jump for the full Q4 results announcement by Proton.
[Read more...]

152 Comments      

New Toyota Corolla Altis 2.0V with Dual VVT-i engine introduced in the ASEAN market!

May 30, 2009 at 11:01 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, International News, Toyota

Toyota Corolla Altis 2.0V

Toyota has added a 2.0 litre variant with sporty intentions to the Toyota Corolla Altis in Thailand and Indonesia called the 2.0V. It even has a new sportier mesh grille to complement the new more powerful engine under the hood.

Under the hood of this updated Altis is the 3ZR-FE which has Dual VVT-i which means variable valves on both the intake and exhaust. While more modern than the 1AZ-FE VVT-i found in the Camry, it’s still not the top of the range 2.0 litre from Toyota as the current crown is held by the 158 PS 3ZR-FAE with Valvematic continuous valve lift control, eliminating the need for a throttle butterfly.

The 3ZR-FE in the Altis 2.0V is tuned differently in different countries. In Indonesia it produces 152 PS at 5,600rpm and 21.2 kgm (I used a calculator and this translates to a whopping 208Nm!) of torque at 4,400rpm.

Toyota Corolla Altis 2.0V

That’s actually some pretty impressive torque figures for a 2.0 litre engine as all of its competitors only produce roughly between 190Nm to 200Nm. In Thailand and Philippines the engine is somewhat detuned, producing only 141 PS at 5,600rpm and a more sedate 189Nm of torque at 4,400rpm.

What you’ll notice immediately when it comes to transmission is the addition of paddle shifts, but there are more changes underneath. The Altis 2.0V’s gear ratios are completely different from the 1.8 litre version. The Altis 1.8 gear ratios are 2.847, 1.552, and 1.000 for the first three gears and an overdrive of 0.700 with a final drive of 4.237, but the 2.0V uses revised ratios of 3.943, 2.197, 1.413 and finally a fourth gear ratio of 1.020 with no overdrive gear. But to make up for the new ratios, the final drive has been changed to 2.923.

Look after the jump for a photo gallery of the new Altis 2.0V.
[Read more...]

95 Comments      

Volkswagen Golf Variant gets updated to Mk6

May 29, 2009 at 4:00 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, International News, Volkswagen

Volkswagen Golf Variant

Known has the Jetta Wagon in some other markets, the estate variant of the new Golf has been updated as per the Mk6 Golf hatchback. It’s alternate names are either the Golf Variant, or the Golf Estate. Like the rest of the Mk6 range unveiled thus far, it is largely based on the Mk5 but solves one major problem that the previous generation had – it was too expensive to build.

The Golf Variant starts from 18,500 Euros and is packed with features that can be considered high spec in Malaysia but is standard issue in the standard baseline Golf Variant as standard ESP stability control, 6 airbags, daytime running lights, roof rails, power windows all round, upshift indicator to help you optimise fuel consumption, power and heated outside mirrors, 1/3 to 2/3 split folding rear bench seat and seatback, and climate control.

Volkswagen is launching the new Golf Estate on the market with four gasoline and two diesel engine options, all complying with Euro 5, starting from 80 PS and 102 PS petrol engines, 122 and 160 PS gasoline TSI engines, and two TDI turbodiesels putting out 105 PS and 140 PS. The TSI and TDI engines may be ordered with a DSG transmission.

Look after the jump for a small photo gallery.
[Read more...]

23 Comments