Mazda has changed a few things on the Mazda Demio (Mazda 2) for the 2009 model year, it’s not a facelift but more like some minor equipment changes.

The interior’s center panel is now done up in a semi-gloss black metallic finish. There are also new matching materials for the seat covers and the door trims. These are available in three designs - Calm White, Multi Black and Sporty Black.

In addition to that, a little bit of silver trim has been added here and there in the cabon, on the parking brake release button, the inner door handles, automatic air conditioning dials, the automatic and CVT shift knobs, and a silver ring on the manual transmission shift boot.

An artist’s impression by maru

Reader deanfiero_returns sent in another video of the Proton MPV that he spotted at Putra Heights last week, and it seems that the MPV has been sighted in the area quite frequently for 3 consecutive days. He also claims the MPV was quite fast to accelerate way from his Proton Waja 1.6, despite having about 3-4 occupants in it. The video is quite shaky at first but later there is a close-up, including a shot of the Proton MPV travelling next to what appears to be a red Perodua Kelisa towards the end. Useful for a size guesstimation. Watch the video after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Proton MPV spotted in Putra Heights!

I just caught the latest installment in the James Bond universe - the Quantum of Solace over the weekend. I’m abit disappointed that the sexy Aston Martin DBS did not get much screentime other than an initial heated car chase scene.

Instead, Bond goes on to drive a few SUVs from the Ford group of marques, though the makers did try to “balance” them out with a fuel efficient small car.

Let’s have a look at the cars of the Quantum Solace.

Click here to read the rest of Cars used in the Bond movie Quantum of Solace

The Lotus Sport 2-Eleven GT4 Supersport race car is a race-prepped Lotus 2-Eleven designed in compliance with the rules of the European SRO GT4 Supersports category.

The standard car’s supercharged engine has been upped from 255 PS to 270 PS and a marginal increase of torque from 242Nm to 247Nm, which Lotus says is thanks to “improved induction and exhaust systems, a high ratio supercharger drive system for increased levels of boost, and a remapped ECU” but with those kind of improvements I reckon it’s just thanks to the free-er flowing intake and exhaust.

The engine is mated to an LSD-equipped 6-speed sequential transmission with a centrally-mounted push/pull lever for quick gearshifts and also a gear selection display. The transmission and engine are tightly integrated, allowing automatic downshift-blipping for rev matching and flat upshifts.

HANS and FIA-approved carbon fiber Lotus Sport seats are installed matched with a Schroth 6-point race harness. Fuel is stored in a 70 litre FIA approved bag tank, and the car also has a plumbed-in fire extinguisher system. The suspension has been uprated with stiffer springs and race dampers from Ohlins that are 2-way adjustable. The rear suspension has new race-spec rear toe links.

Other equipment includes a full rollcage and for aerodynamics - a rigid tonneau cover, a carbon fibre rear wing and rear diffuser and a front splitter. As a result, 80kg of downforce is generated at speeds of 160km/h.

Only 10 units of the race car will be produced, priced at £78,255 (RM420,025 at current exchange rates) and the first cars will be delivered in March 2009. Some of the car’s specs can also be retrofitted to existing Lotus 2-Elevens.

Hanyang University of Korea’s Professor Cho Jae-Phil claims his research team have discovered a way to produce lithium ion batteries that have 8 times more battery life than existing lithium ion batteries!

Now if this were a gadget blog you’d immediately think longer battery life for laptops, but since this is an automotive blog I’m pretty sure you’re thinking what I’m thinking - could this finally seal the fate of electric cars as the new mode of propulsion of the future?

It seems that the lithium ion batteries of today, while still superior to nickel batteries, are limited by the ability of its graphite cathode to store lithium ions. By applying a three-dimensional porous silicon, Professor Cho’s research team claims to be able to store up to 8 times the amount of lithium ions compared to current battery technology.

In another related news story earlier this year, a Stamford University research team discovered a (similiar?) way to improve lithium ion batteries to hold as much as 10 times more charge. It also involved replacing the graphite with a “forest” of silicon nanowires which can store much more lithium compared to graphite.

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Between 30% to 50% of the world’s platinum output is used in automobile catalytic converters, and automobile-based usage are set to become even higher of fuel cell cars become more popular in the future, as platinum catalysts are also used in fuel cells.

Platinum is called a precious metal for a reason. Some keywords found in the definition of a precious metal include rare, and high in economic value. Thus it would make sense for an automaker to try to reduce the usage of such precious metals in their vehicles.

Nissan has developed a new ultra-low precious metal catalyst that will debut on the new Nissan Cube, set to be launched this week on the 19th of November 2008. They claim it uses half the amount of precious metals (rhodium and platinum) compared with regular catalysts - 1.3 grams versus 0.65 grams.

In regular catalysts, the high exhaust gas temperatures cause the precious metals to cluster together, thus reducing exposed metal surface. To counter this, catalysts typically contain more precious metals. Nissan’s catalyst adds a “wall” which prevents the clustering of the precious metals.

MUGEN has wasted no time in releasing a kit for the newly launched Honda Life, to satisfy those who have the extra hunger for individuality and don’t want their little Honda Life to look just like everyone else’s.

The MUGEN Honda Life accesssory set consists of a new front bumper which includes the option for daytime running lights, ventilated door visors, a choice of new alloy wheels (2 types available - one with 10 Y-shaped spokes and another with 8-spokes), an i-TCMS (intelligent-Tire Condition Monitoring System) device to monitor tyre pressure that’s mounted on the dash to the right of the gear lever, and a sports exhaust system.

Look after the jump for more shots of the MUGEN Life accessories.

Click here to read the rest of MUGEN bodykit for the new Honda Life

At first sight you’ll recognise the wheel above as the Michelin Tweel. The Tweel was a concept wheel which used flexible spokes which deform to absorb shock. It does not need air pressure. It also had the ability to be “tuned” to have different vertical and lateral stiffness. This way, vertical stiffness can be reduced to improve ride comfort while lateral stiffness can be increased to improve handling and cornering ability. This allows one tweel to have the best of both worlds!

The Tweel has undergone more R&D and will in the future be used as a lunar wheel for NASA moon rovers. Michelin already supplies NASA with tyres for its space shuttles for more than 20 years now. According to Michelin, the new Tweel-based lunar wheel maintains flexibility and constant ground contact pressure even at very low temperatures to enable moon rovers to navigate loose soil and lunar craters with ease. It has a lower mass with a higher load capacity that is 3.3 times more efficient than the original Apollo Lunar Rover wheels.

German tuner Hamann recommends you ponk out a whole 5-digit load of cash and purchase these wheels for your new F01 BMW 7-Series, when it gets arrives on our shores of course. The multi-spoke-ish design of both wheels were probably designed to match the huge grill at the front. Look after the jump for 4 shots of the wheels fitted onto a short wheelbase BMW 730d.

Click here to read the rest of Hamann wheels for the F01 BMW 7-Series

Toyota launched a minor facelifted version of the Toyota Rush in Japan on the 13th of November 2008. The version of the Rush sold in the Japanese market is the short wheelbase version of course, which is sold here as the Perodua Nautica while the Toyota Rush that UMW Toyota Motor sells is a long wheelbase 7-seater version.

The new Toyota Rush features a new front bumper, new tail lamps, and a new alloy wheel design for the G trim level. The 2WD automatic model also scores 15.4km/l on the Japan 10-15 mode fuel economy test, which is a 5% improvement over the original Rush.

The Toyota Rush is also known as the Daihatsu Be-Go, Daihatsu Terios in different markets, and the Perodua Nautica in Malaysia. It is available in both short wheelbase and long wheelbase versions with the option of 7 seats, depending on the market it is sold in.

Daihatsu also unveiled its facelifted Be-Go in Japan on the same day, as they are parallel products - the same thing sold under different badges in the same market.

Look after the jump for more shots of the new Toyota Rush.

Click here to read the rest of 2009 Toyota Rush Facelift unveiled in Japan