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Hyundai Elantra Coupe – two-door joins the line-up

February 10, 2012 at 8:04 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Hyundai, International News

Hyundai has introduced its new two-door Elantra Coupe at the 2012 Chicago Auto Show. Designed at Hyundai’s North American Design Center in Irvine, California, the car continues on the company’s dynamic “Fluidic Sculpture” design principles, with a signature hexagonal front fascia opening and jewelled swept-back headlights giving it a lean, aggressive demeanour.

Other design cues include a blacked-out diffuser valance, dual chrome-tipped exhaust tips and a boot lid incorporating a lip spoiler design element at the rear. On the SE version, the car rides on five-spoke 17-inch alloys.

The car is equipped with a 1.8 litre Nu D-CVVT petrol engine, offering 148 hp at 6,500 rpm and 178Nm of torque at 4,700 rpm, with a choice of six-speed manual or automatic transmissions to be had.

Standard kit includes Vehicle Stability Management, ESC, TCS, ABS with brake assist and EBD, as well as six airbags (front, front side and side curtain), and features on the Coupe include a 7-inch touchscreen navigation system with rearview camera and iPod/USB inputs, Bluetooth and push-button ignition.

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Aston Martin V12 Zagato – production car images out

February 10, 2012 at 2:13 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Aston Martin, Cars, International News

The first images of Aston Martin’s production V12 Zagato, which is scheduled to enter the market in the fourth quarter this year, have been released. The car – of which only 150 examples will be built – will make its first European appearance in Geneva.

Last May saw the V12 Zagato make its world debut at the prestigious Villa d’Este concours, and with consumer demand the decision was made to build a strictly limited run of cars.

Each Zagato, constructed from a combination of hand crafted aluminium and carbon fibre, will take approximately 2,000 man-hours to complete. Four unique colours have been created for the car, these being Scintilla Silver, Alloro Green, Alba Blue and Diavolo Red.

Inside, the car will feature Seven Bridge of Weir hides in a semi-aniline finish to offer durability while preserving the natural texture of the leather as trim material. Workmanship details will include hand-stitched quilting of a unique design to create a flowing pattern across the seats and headlining as well as ‘Z’ embroidery in the headrests and rear parcel shelf.

Elsewhere, the dashboard and centre stack wears satin-finish carbon fibre, with piano black accents and satin black rotary switchgear and carbon fibre sill plaques, with a ‘V12 Zagato’ inlaid metal script providing a distinctive finishing touch.

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Want to drive a Nissan Leaf? Rent one in London or Paris

February 10, 2012 at 1:48 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, International News, Nissan

Heading to London or Paris in the next three months, and looking to rent a car for travel? Well, you can join the folks at Fringe by driving a Nissan Leaf. Nissan and rental firm Europcar have teamed up to offer the Leaf as a short-term hire in the two cities. Sounds like a great idea for those who are unsure whether an EV will cut it for their needs – think of it as a trial run in real world conditions.

Every customer hiring a Leaf – which has a 175 km operating range on a single charge – will be given a face-to-face handover by a Europcar representative, who has been fully trained on the car and its workings. Simplifying the process, Europcar will recharge the car completely free of charge, even waiving the standard service fee usually made for vehicle refuelling.

The pilot scheme will initially run for three months, but success will potentially see it widened to other cities in France and Great Britain, as well as other countries in Europe. No mention of rental rates, but there’s only one way to find out, I guess …

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Chevrolet Cruze – wagon to make Geneva debut

February 10, 2012 at 1:24 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Chevrolet, International News


Click to enlarge.

Chevrolet will be debuting its wagon version of the Cruze at the Geneva show, and the vehicle is due to join the sedan and hatch models in the lineup within the next 12 months.

Not much details as yet, but the company says that the new wagon will feature generous storage space and a high level of standard and safety features. The exterior design features a tapering single arch roofline and comes with roof racks as standard, providing convenience while maintaining a poised and sporty look.

The wagon measures in at 4.67 metres long, slightly longer than the hatch (4.51 metres) and sedan (4.59 metres), and load space ranges from 500 litres up to the window line in the rear to nearly 1,500 litres up to the roof top with the rear seats folded down.

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Mitsubishi to debut all-new 2012 Outlander in Geneva

February 9, 2012 at 9:20 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, International News, Mitsubishi

The all-new Geneva debutant teased by Mitsubishi last month now has a name and face to it – the vehicle is the next-generation Outlander. The SUV is set for its global premiere at the Swiss show next month.

The European-market specification Outlander will get both petrol and diesel variants – the petrol mill is the 4J11 2.0 litre SOHC MIVEC four-cylinder, which employs an all-new valvetrain, while the diesel job is the 4N14 2.2 litre turbocharged four-pot MIVEC engine, the latter working with a 2WD drivetrain and six-speed manual transmission. There’s no mention of output figures, but Geneva should take care of that.

Among the items in the kitbag are an Auto Stop&Go idle-stop system, an Adaptive Cruise Control System, Lane Departure Warning System as well as a Forward Collision Mitigation System, the last which detects obstacles on the road ahead of the car and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision.

Interior features include a gloss black instrument panel, silver decorative accents for the switches and the use of soft-touch dashboard trim material. Meanwhile, the second- and third-row seats can be easily configured to provide a number of seating patterns and also a long luggage space with a flat floor, and there’s a power-operated tailgate too.

The vehicle is set to be launched first in Russia this summer, after which it will make its debut in European, Japanese, Chinese, Oceania and North American markets. And sometime later this year, a plug-in hybrid Outlander is due to be introduced.

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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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VIDEO: Alfa Romeo Giulietta plays ice hockey in the UK

February 1, 2012 at 4:28 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Alfa Romeo, Cars, International News, Videos

With cold wintery weather forecast for the UK this week, and freezing temperatures set to affect many UK roads, Alfa Romeo UK thought of an unusual way to promote the Italian brand – get the Giulietta to play ice hockey!

The key was to showcase the Giulietta’s All Weather mode via Alfa’s driver selectable D.N.A. system, and Alfa teamed up with stunt driver Paul Swift and the UK’s top ice hockey team, Coventry Blaze, to create the video you see here.

In the 1:41 clip, captured solely by the iPhone 4S, you’ll see the sexy C-segment hatchback taking on Blaze star David Phillips in the Coventry Skydome ice rink, in a challenge of icy skill and pinpoint control.

In the “man vs car” battle, the fella in red delivered two cool trick shots – striking a one-inch thick by three-inch diameter hockey puck from just inside the end zone into the home team’s six feet wide net guarded by a goalie. Remember, do not attempt to drive into Sunway Pyramid to repeat these tricks, however fun it looks :)

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VW to assemble T5 Transporter and Multivan in Indonesia

February 1, 2012 at 1:57 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, International News, Volkswagen

Volkswagen will assemble “Semi Knocked Down” (SKD) units of its Transporter and Multivan vans in Indonesia. Both based on the current T5 platform, the vans will be for the local market. Indonesia is ASEAN’s most populous country and people carriers are the most popular choice of vehicle there.

The T5 Transporters and Multivans will be built at Volkswagen’s Hanover plant in Germany before being transported to its SKD Center in Bissendorf/Wedemark nearby. Here, the vehicles will be partially disassembled and before making the long journey to Jakarta via Hamburg. At the destination, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles’ partner Indomobil/Garuda Mataram Motor will pay duty on the SKD units before piecing back the vans.

“We are very pleased that this successful and trusted partner is now also assembling our models for this growth-oriented market. This ensures the product quality which Volkswagen customers are accustomed to, and which they expect from a premium product like the T5,” said Jens Ocksen, Member of the Management of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles for Production.

A hassle yes, but the duties and taxes saved over bringing in a fully CBU car from Germany must be worthwhile. VW plans to assemble around 220 T5s this year, and the first vehicles will be delivered this month. Do you think a Hyundai Starex type of Volkswagen passenger van will work in Malaysia?

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Honda’s Thai plant to resume production end of March

February 1, 2012 at 8:36 am By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Honda, International News

Some updates about Honda’s Thai production, which was expected to be out for up to six months from October last year when it was inundated with floodwaters. The company says it is planning to resume vehicle production at its assembly plant in Rojana Industrial Park, Ayutthaya, by the end of March.

The plant was severely affected by the flooding that hit the Kingdom last year; production was suspended on October 4, and the company has since been restoring plant facilities and manufacturing equipment since completing the drainage of the floodwater and carrying out cleaning up operations.

“In October 2011, we had to temporarily suspend production at our facilities in Rojana Industrial Park, which inevitably impacted unit sales. We have finished repairing and installing production equipment and are now running thorough system checks,” Honda Automobile Thailand’s executive vice president, Pitak Pruittisarikorn said in a statement.

He added that until production at Ayutthaya resumes, the company will import Jazz and Accord models from Japan for local sales. Production of parts for export to Honda’s plants in other ASEAN countries will also resume – Honda says that it expects these plants, which had to suspend production due to a shortage of parts, to restart production in April.

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Skoda Citigo five-door set for Geneva debut

January 31, 2012 at 3:11 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, International News, Skoda

Some news about the Skoda Citigo. The company has announced that the five-door version of the city car – essentially the cousin of the Volkswagen Up! – is set to debut at the Geneva show next month, joining the three-door version which was revealed last September and which began selling in its home market, the Czech Republic, in late 2011.

Like the three-door variant, it’ll be powered by a 1.0 litre three-cylinder MPI mill in two output tunes, 60 PS and 75 PS, and should be presumably mated to the same five-speed manual transmission as found in the former. Both five- and three-door models are scheduled to be successively launched in European markets starting from mid-May this year.

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