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Rally Sweden LIVE: Proton’s PG Andersson and Alister McRae are ready for the ultimate snow challenge!

February 8, 2012 at 6:06 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Malaysian Makes, Motorsports, Proton

Rally Sweden, the second round of the 2012 FIA World Rally Championship, will start slightly over a day from now. Yours truly would have been just two hours away from Stockholm now, but due to a technical problem on our B777, I’m now in sunny Putrajaya (32C) instead of freezing Karlstad (-6C). Anyway, the long journey to winter wonderland starts tonight, God willing, and we’ll bring you some live reports from Sweden.

Those of you who follow world news would know that Europe is suffering from a cold snap now, with severe snow and record low temperatures. Many have died, and I’m hoping that my winter wear will hold up. This job can be hazardous you know :)

Thankfully, Proton Motorsports, which is competing in the S-WRC category (S for Super 2000) in WRC, had a better run up to the event than us. The men driving the yellow Satria Neo S2000s in Sweden are homeboy Per Gunnar Andersson and Alister McRae. PG drove superbly in the season opening Monte Carlo Rally, but an unfortunate technical problem meant that he had to retire from the S-WRC lead (9th overall) on the last day with just 20+ kilometres to go.


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Putting the disappointment behind him, the Swede prepared for Sweden in style, with a Super 2000 victory in the KNA Rally Finnskog in Norway days ago. Of the 42 entries, he finished ahead of fellow S2000 Ford and Skoda teams and fourth overall in a warm up event that included the Citroen and Ford WRC teams. Let’s hope the good form continues.

“We’ve put the disappointment in Monte Carlo behind us. It’s quite obvious that the Satria Neo S2000 has the pace and performance, and we’re back in Sweden to prove this point. Rally Sweden is an incredibly exciting event which will see competitors battling it out on ice and snow for what is a proper winter rally. We have a competitive package, and alongside experience as well as local knowledge, we’re confident the Satria Neo S2000 will live up to challenge,” PG said.

After KNA Rally Finnskog, the team spent a trouble-free day testing the Neos. “The rally in Norway went very, very well for us. The odd very cold day in Britain aside, this was the first time the Satria Neo had ever run in anything like these conditions and it worked perfectly straight away. We fitted a stronger heater to make sure the screen was clear and put some warm jackets in the back for the guys, but apart from that, this was the same car which won in Malaysia at 40 degrees. On Saturday it was winning S2000 in temperatures 70 degrees colder!” team boss Chris Mellors exclaimed.

Some might be surprised with the inclusion of Proton’s APRC champ Alister McRae. The reason he was drafted in for Sweden is because PG’s regular teammate Italian Giandomenico Basso is more of a tarmac specialist. The Scotsman has competed in Rally Sweden seven times before, finishing as high as fifth overall. He last drove here in 2004. “It’s fantastic to be back. Rally Sweden will also give us a chance to test the 2012 Satria Neo S2000 ahead of the start of this year’s APRC,” said McRae.

Rally Sweden has attracted a total of 85 entries and will be contested over 24 special stages covering a competitive distance of 360km. The rally begins with a 1.9km super special stage in Karlstad tomorrow (looks like we’ll be missing that one) and continues on Friday with nine special stages which will see competitors driving through classic Norwegian stages in the town of Kongsvinger.

Heading to KLIA now, stay tuned for updates!

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Nissan INVITATION Concept previews new B-segment car

February 8, 2012 at 3:48 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Concept Cars, Nissan

This is the Nissan INVITATION Concept which Nissan will be exhibiting at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show as a preview for a future B-segment vehicle, due to be launched from 2013.

Nissan says the production INVITATION hatchback will be sold alongside the Micra city car and the Juke crossover. Many publications are speculating that the production version of the INVITATION will replace the Nissan Note, which is due for replacement as the first generation has been around since 2004.

I can’t help but feel the INVITATION looks more like a Tiida/Latio hatch than a Note, due to a lack of a taller roofline. However, the new B-segment Tiida/Latio has already been unveiled at Shanghai, though curiously it hasn’t gone on sale yet in countries like the US even though the Micra-based sedan counterpart have already been launched in these countries.

The INVITATION is a pretty good looking concept car, and we hope that much of it gets translated into production, instead of how the original Versa concept (which was very good looking) became the Latio hatch on sale in our country now (not as good looking).

Also making its debut with the INVITATION is Nissan’s advanced Around View Monitor (AVM) safety technology – seen for the first time on a B-segment car – which makes reversing and parallel parking as stress-free as possible.

As for the name, Nissan Deputy Division General Manager of Product Strategy and Product Planning Division Francois Bancon said the name INVITATION is self-explanatory, that the car is designed to be inviting thanks to its sensuous exterior design and generous and comfortable interior space, cleverly packaged within compact overall dimensions.

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ASEAN NCAP pilot project set for May launch, programme protocols being finalised with ANCAP next week

February 8, 2012 at 2:31 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Local News

The ASEAN New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) pilot project is set to have its protocols finalised next week in Sydney, when representatives from the programme meet their Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) counterparts for a week long collaboration on the matter. The release of the ASEAN NCAP protocol is set for March 16.

This follows on the collaborative Memorandum of Understanding signed by the Global New Car Assessment Programme (GNCAP) and the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS) in December last year to establish a pilot project for a South-East Asian NCAP to elevate motor vehicle safety standards, encourage a market for safer vehicles and raise consumer awareness in the region.

Signatories to this MOU include ANCAP as well as the Automobile Associations of Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines. ANCAP’s role will be to provide technical and program support to the ASEAN NCAP to ensure that the program pursues protocols and procedures that will ensure meaningful, accurate and reliable test results. It will also assist ASEAN NCAP in aligning with other NCAP’s around the world.

The need for an ASEAN NCAP has been brought about by fact that different safety features exist between specific models car manufacturers sell in their region and those exported to or assembled in ASEAN countries – the argument goes that Euro NCAP results aren’t applicable to the same model cars as sold in ASEAN, since cars sold in the region usually have fewer safety features in order to attain a lower selling price.

The project partners will be tasked to independently select the vehicles for testing based on the least expensive – and usually less well-equipped – variant of the model available in the major markets of the region. The selection of non-airbag variants are also set to be included.

Testing is set to be carried out here in Malaysia at the new PC3 Crash Lab test facility being developed by MIROS, will be based on the 40% front impact crash test regulation of the World Forum for Harmonisation of Vehicle Regulations (ECE: Reg. 94), but at a speed of 65 km/h – the test protocol and procedures are to follow that of the European NCAP covering the protection of both adult and child.

The first internal crash test, including a pre-ASEAN NCAP crash test, is set to take place sometime in late April to early May, with ASEAN NCAP crash test 001 scheduled for May 24, in conjuction with the 2012 annual meeting of the Global NCAP scheduled to be held in Kuala Lumpur. The event will also see the launch of the PC3 lab and ASEAN NCAP programme.

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Kia Track’ster Concept at the 2012 Chicago Auto Show

February 8, 2012 at 1:58 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Kia

The Kia Track’ster Concept Car designed by the company’s California Design Studio will make its world debut at the 2012 Chicago Auto Show this month. This is the only teaser image the company has released so far, alongside the sketch they released earlier.

This isn’t the first time Kia has made a concept car based on their Kia Soul B-segment lifestyle SUV – previously we saw the Kia Soul’ster concept, which was sort of like a convertible/pick-up variant of the Kia Soul, which would definitely look at home on the roads along Laguna Beach.

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Volkswagen Tiguan 132TSI Pacific – a SE for Australia

February 8, 2012 at 1:18 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, International News, Volkswagen

Yet another special edition has popped up, and this one, from Volkswagen, is meant exclusively for the Australian market. It’s called the Tiguan 132TSI Pacific, and helping to distinguish the vehicle as a SE are a host of comfort and convenience items as standard fitment.

Among the items in the kit bag are Park Assist 2, auto dimming rear view mirror, dual zone climate control, vanity mirror with lighting for driver and passenger, automatic headlight sensors, coming-and-leaving home function, rain sensing wipers and front fog lights.

VW Australia has four engine variants of the SUV on call, but the one that has been chosen to wear the Pacific tag is the 177 hp 2.0 litre TSI, which comes equipped with a six-speed manual transmission and 4MOTION all-wheel drive as standard, though there’s the DSG box available as an option.

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New Ford Focus Titanium hatchback sighted at SDAC PJ

February 8, 2012 at 12:57 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Ford

It looks like the new Ford Ranger isn’t the only car that Sime Darby Auto ConneXion will be busy with this year – a LYN forumer redbull_y2k posted these two pictures of a 2012 Ford Focus Titanium at what appears to be a Chinese New Year Lion Dance program at the SDAC PJ 3S center.

What do you think – looks pretty good eh? I’m not sure what this means though in terms of launch date, as SDAC has a history of bringing in future models for different purposes way before the actual launch date.

For example, before the Fiesta was launched, they brought in a 1.4 liter automatic unit from Singapore for teaser roadshows and we even reviewed that particular car in Driven.

Later, customers also reported sighting the Mondeo EcoBoost and S-MAX EcoBoost at the same PJ 3S center way before the launch.

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Tun Dr M reveals a first look at Proton P3-21A specs list – production Tuah/Espire to be launched in May 2012?

February 7, 2012 at 8:22 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Malaysian Makes, Proton, Proton Persona R

It’s one of the things that makes Malaysia unique – a popular ex-premiere who as the adviser to the national car company, can scoop all of the motoring publications in Malaysia when it comes to test driving and revealing the first details of the upcoming P3-21A!

Our ex-Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir has test driven the new Proton P3-21A at their Shah Alam test track, and he’s revealed the first details of Proton’s new car on his Che Det blog. The following is a list of what we can gather from his post:

  • Proton’s new 1.6 liter turbo engine will be used, which allows the P3-21A to produce the power of a 2.0 liter engine with a smaller displacement.
  • Hot press steel as opposed to cold press steel
  • Vehicle Seek Lamp
  • Wiper Auto Speed
  • Automatic folding wing mirror
  • Push-button Start/Stop function
  • Automatic Wiper Sensors
  • Automatic Headlamp Sensors
  • GPS navigation system
  • Impact sensing door lock
  • Central Locking
  • Alarm with Immobiliser
  • CVT gearbox with 7 virtual speed manual mode
  • Tiptronic selection on shift lever
  • Steering-mounted paddle shifters
  • ABS with Brake Assist

We’ve already been made aware of some of these features in the past, for example when we got our first look at the P3-21A’s interior (click to have a refreshed look in case you’ve forgot), we could see the paddle shifters and the push-start button.

Tun Dr Mahathir noted that these features are for the top of the line model, with some low-end and mid-level equipment levels to have less than the above features. He also mentioned that the car would be launched in 3 months time, which would mean sometime in May 2012? Until then, stay tuned for more updates!

In the meanwhile, what’s your wishlist for the new P3-21A? Share in the comments! For me, I would like to see 2 airbags standard on all models, as well as the option for side airbags to be included in the more expensive versions. I also wish ESP stability control would be an option.

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F1: Lotus E20 launched – fourth is the target for 2012

February 7, 2012 at 11:36 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Formula 1, Lotus, Motorsports

Lotus, formerly known as Lotus Renault GP, has pulled the wraps off its 2012 Formula 1 challenger. Called E20, it’s named after Enstone, the team’s base in UK. It’s the 20th F1 chassis designed at the Oxfordshire facility. The men charged with driving the black and gold cars are Romain Grosjean and returning champ Kimi Raikkonen.

The target for the duo is fourth in the Constructors’ championship this year, set by team owner Gerard Lopez of Genii Capital. Last year, the Lotus sponsored Renault team started strongly with two podiums in the first two races, but eventually finished a distant fifth, just six points ahead of Force India.

“The hopes are to be able to get one season together and do what we were expecting last year. We hope to have a strong car, and have strong drivers, one of which is of course an ex-world champion. We hope to bring the car up to the front of the pack and probably try to aim for fourth as a reasonable goal for this season,” Lopez said.

On another note, “we’re obviously extremely proud that finally the Lotus name is a clear concept for everybody in Formula 1 now,” the owner added. The former Team Lotus, owned by Tony Fernandes, will race as Caterham this season.

The E20 wears familiar black-gold clothes, but there are new sponsor logos from Rexona and Clear Anti-Dandruff shampoo on the flanks.

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Toyota joins the FIA World Endurance Championship

February 7, 2012 at 10:45 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Motorsports, Toyota

The FIA World Endurance Championship now has Toyota as a full time entrant for 2012. The Japanese carmaker formally registered itself to give WEC promoter Automobile Club de l’Ouest the minimum two manufacturers it requires in LMP1, as agreed with FIA. Normally an Audi vs Peugeot affair, the French company ended its endurance racing programme last month.

“It was originally planned to enter only selected races, which would have fallen short of the number required to be considered a full-time entrant. Due to the unexpected changes faced by the WEC, that plan has been revised,” Toyota said in a statement.

“The circumstances for the championship changed suddenly in the last weeks and Toyota Racing considers it important to work together with the FIA and ACO to establish a successful future for endurance racing. We have done everything we can to show our support and we look forward to an exciting season,” it added.

Toyota’s original plan was to contest individual races on invitational basis. The team has so far announced a single car entry at Spa and two cars for Le Mans 24 Hours in June. It’s not known if this latest development will include more races for the TS030 Hybrid race car. “There is a clear limitation on what we can do budget-wise and resource-wise,” a Toyota Motorsport GmbH spokesman told Autosport.

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Proton sponsors Le Tour de Langkawi for the 17th year

February 7, 2012 at 9:15 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Malaysian Makes, Proton

Proton has extended its support to the country’s most prominent cycling event, Le Tour de Langkawi. The national carmaker has been sponsor for 17 years now, since the race was first held in 1996. At a recent simple ceremony, Proton presented a mock key and the symbolic Blue Jersey to LTDL 2012 organisers. The Blue Jersey will be worn by the tour’s overall Sprint Champion.

This year’s sponsorship of the tour will include the supply of a fleet of vehicles, including technical support, maintenance, manpower and merchandise giveaways during the cavalcade. The Proton cavalcade is a procession of vehicles that will proceed ahead of the main racing peloton in promoting the tour. The Inspira, Saga, Exora, Persona, Perdana and Satria Neo will all be used.

“Le Tour de Langkawi provides Proton with a fantastic opportunity to showcase our range of vehicles not only to the local audience, but also the international riders, teams, officials and television viewers who will be following the race,” Proton’s Director of Group Marketing, Branding and Motorsports, John D. Chacko said.

LTDL 2012 has attracted a total of 120 cyclists representing 22 local and international professional teams. They will compete in a grueling 1414.8 km race stretched over 10 days. This year’s race will see the teams being flagged at the Proton Centre of Excellence in Shah Alam for Stage 6, which is a 108 km charge to the peak of Genting Highlands. As you can imagine, this will be the toughest stage of the tour, which starts on 24 February in Putrajaya.

Here are some pics of the Inspira with R3 kit and LTDL official car livery. Nice rims!

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