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BMW to launch new EV brand for Chinese market

December 13, 2011 at 12:16 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under BMW, Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, International News

BMW is set to create a new electric vehicle brand in China, together with local partner Brilliance Jinbei Automobile, according to a report. The creation of the brand is coming about in order to meet China’s joint-venture rules.

“We will have a new brand. It’s a legislative requirement,” BMW’s chief of sales and marketing Ian Robertson told Automotive News Europe, adding that the EVs destined for the Chinese market will utilise some of the electric powertrains that the company is developing.

According to Robertson, China is looking towards JV partnerships such as BMW-Brilliance to establish new EV brands, with an aim for the country to grow its exports.

“The Chinese auto market is the biggest in the world, but what they haven’t really got is an international brand with Chinese origin. I think there will be a requirement of globalisation of a Chinese brand. What’s happening is that we’re all encouraged to have more brands with a new technology element to it. If that technology is proven to be successful, then there’s an opportunity for that brand to grow and prosper,” he said.

No details were forthcoming on the models for China and their powertrains. Earlier in the year, BMW – in collaboration with Brilliance – debuted a concept plug-in hybrid 5-series at Auto Shanghai. The company plans to introduce its i3 EV in 2013 and its i8 plug-in hybrid in 2014 in China.

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Lexus’ Detroit 2012 concept previews new design direction

December 13, 2011 at 12:03 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, International News, Lexus

Time really flies, doesn’t it. Here we are at the end of 2011, with the major motor show circuit ending with the bi-annual Tokyo Motor Show. And to kick off 2012, major manufacturers will be crossing the Pacific to Detroit, USA, where the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) happens in January.

Designed by Calty, the company’s design studio in Newport Beach, California, the concept showcases the new design direction embraced by Lexus. Just this one image has been released so far, and it looks very sporty.

It looks like Toyota’s premium brand is increasingly taking the sporty route. Look at the latest GS, for instance. While German class rivals such as the BMW 5-Series have gone less sporty, more elegant with the F10, Lexus’ new exec takes over where the E60 left off. And if they continue to blend exterior sportiness with cabin craftsmanship and quality, like in the new GS, the path looks good.

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Group Lotus CEO Dany Bahar signs new four-year contract

December 13, 2011 at 3:24 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, International News, Lotus, Proton

The word is out that Dany Bahar, CEO of Group Lotus, has signed a fresh four-year contract following a meeting with parent company Proton last week. His original contract was due to expire next year. “The Proton dedication to our plans has always been solid, and the decision to extend my contract a year early is a signal of that commitment,” Bahar said.

The ex-Ferrari man came into Lotus back in October 2009. He then formulated an ambitious five-year business plan that was unveiled for the world to see at the 2010 Paris Motor Show. At the French capital, Lotus brought out a full range of sports cars that it will use to challenge the likes of Porsche. Besides the fantastic five, which ranged from the next Elise to a Aston Rapide style four-door, Lotus also has plans for a small city car called Ethos.

Of the lot, the first on the scene will be the new Esprit in 2013. Lotus is also planning to develop its own V6 and V8 engines for its future range.

To support the road car grand plans, Group Lotus is putting motorsports and racing heritage as a main pillar. This has seen it got into Formula 1 as a sponsor to Renault. The team will race next year as Lotus after a long battle with Tony Fernandes’ Team Lotus. The company also returned to Le Mans and is involved in IndyCar in America.

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Nissan GT-R – the Track Pack option ramps it up

December 10, 2011 at 2:55 am By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, International News, Nissan

A bog standard 2012 Nissan GT-R should suffice for most, but those seeking an edgier prospect can look towards outfitting the car with its Track Pack option, just the thing if circuit runs are your cuppa.

The package, available for the Pure Edition variant, is jointly developed with Japanese-based company NordRing, and features a suspension, air guide for both front/rear brake cooling and a set of lightweight six-spoke Rays alloys with gloss black painted centres; the wheels identify the version externally.

The brakes behind these are cooled by additional cooling ducts, built into the front bumper; these reduce the operating temperature of the front brake discs by as much as 100 degrees during track use, improving the stopping performance. Similar ducts, hidden behind the rear wheels, channel cooling air over the rear discs.

Meanwhile, the suspension’s spring rates have been revised to be optimal for track use, though like all GT-Rs, the dampers are adjustable to offer more comfort when the car is being used on the road.

Inside, going the TP route gets one Recaro front seats trimmed with blue bolsters and an innovative high grip material to help keep the driver in place during hard cornering and braking. No rear seats on this one – they’ve been removed to save weight. A ‘Track Pack’ emblem on the centre console helps remind the driver what the model is.

No changes to the output, which is 550 PS, like the regular GT-R, though going with the package adds to the total cost. A case of less is more? Definitely, however you choose to look at it.

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Dodge Dart – a reinterpretation of the Giuletta as sedan

December 7, 2011 at 4:21 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Dodge, International News


Click to enlarge.

It’s called the Dodge Dart, and this one is set to be Chrysler’s first vehicle that’s based on Fiat architecture. The current Dart will be the second vehicle to bear the name, the first one being from nearly five decades ago, when it arrived on the scene in 1963.

Aside from the name, there’s nothing historical about the new one, which is a four-door sedan set to make its world debut at the 2012 North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January.


Click to enlarge.

It’s adapted from the Alfa Romeo Giulietta, but given the rework – with a lengthened and widened platform heading the list – to offer more space for American buyers. A choice of three AR engines will be available, these being a new Tigershark 16 valve 2.0 litre, a 1.4 litre MultiAir Intercooled Turbo and a Tigershark 2.4 litre MultiAir four cylinder mill, along with three transmission choices.

The company isn’t showing off the whole car yet, but teases it through a couple of partials, saying that the vehicle – which will be made in the US at Chrysler’s Belvidere plat in Illinois – will wear 18-inch wheels, projector headlamps, accentuated fenders and signature Dodge full-width LED ‘racetrack’ tail lamps, among other design cues.

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Nissan Leaf is 2011-2012 Japanese Car of the Year

December 7, 2011 at 1:05 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, International News, Nissan

The Nissan Leaf has added another feather to its cap – the EV has been named as the Japanese Car of the Year for 2011-2012. The announcement was made at the Tokyo Motor Show, and this is the first time in the award’s 32-year history that an electric vehicle has won.

The win makes it a hat-trick of COTY titles for the Leaf, which has also taken the 2011 European Car of the Year and the 2011 World Car of the Year accolades. The last Nissan to bag both the European and Japanese Car of the Year titles was the Micra (or March), back in 1993.

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Jatco introduces CVT8 and CVT8 Hybrid transmissions

December 7, 2011 at 12:33 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under International News, Technology

Jatco has announced a new continuously variable transmission for midsize and large front-wheel drive vehicles, offering an improvement of 10% in fuel economy compared to earlier models.

Designed for application with 2.0 to 3.5 litre engined vehicles, the CVT 8 features a ratio spread of 7.0:1, which is around 15% higher than current models. Friction is 40% down for the unit, which features Adaptive Shift Control as part of the kit.

The new ratio has been obtained by combining smaller shaft diameter pulleys with a new and differently shaped belt, which is flatter, and the range of ratios between the two pulleys has been expanded with only minimally increased axial distance.

Elsewhere, a more compact oil pump, the use of specially formulated low viscosity oil and an interface increase between the pulleys and the belt – to reduce neccessary oil pressure – as well as modification to 60% of the component parts have translated to the lowered friction.

The CVT8 is to be introduced next year, debuting in vehicles in North America, and will be built in both Mexico and Japan. The company has also announced the CVT8 Hybrid, developed in conjuction with Nissan. The system incorporates an electric motor and two clutches into the unit, offering a compact, versatile powertrain that does not require a specially designed body. Nissan plans to release a new hybrid vehicle with this system in the US in 2013.

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Tokyo 2011: VW Cross Coupe Concept is small but stout

December 6, 2011 at 1:19 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under 2011 Tokyo Motor Show, Cars, International News, Volkswagen

One of the best looking and realistic concepts on show in Tokyo is German. Volkswagen brought this broad, hunky piece of metal to Japan, called the Cross Coupe Concept. VW says that this crossover is part four-door coupe, part compact SUV – sounds a little like a mini Range Rover Evoque, doesn’t it?

Wide body, low roof, plunging roofline, raked windscreen, prominent square cut wheel arches and an imposing bold front end – the Cross Coupe lookes even better in grey metal than pics. All the right ingredients for an urban fashionable crossover.

After circling the showcar a few times, I was sold. VW says that the “Cross Coupé hints at the future of SUV design at Volkswagen,” which can only be a good thing.

A neat design touch is at the nose, where Walter de Silva, Klaus Bischoff and co have combined VW’s usual inner headlight elements with the grille bars, emphasising the wide look. This CC’s proportions also make the Tiguan look gawky. By the way, while it may look large, the Cross Coupe, while bigger than a Golf, is actually smaller than a Tiguan.

More good signs inside. VW isn’t known for designing sporty, driver centered cabins, but here’s one that deviates from the straight laced, business-like dashboards that they usually prefer.

We see a centre stack tilted to the driver, a high centre console for a boxed in cockpit feel and a flat bottomed steering wheel. Actually if you strip off the obvious show car detailing such as the fancy inner air vents and gear knob, this could well be a production design. Try it.

The Cross Coupe sits on VW’s new modular transverse matrix (MQB), the first time a vehicle has been shown off this platform. It has three power sources. Under the hood is a 148 hp/210 Nm TSI engine as well as an electric motor that makes 54 hp and 180 Nm.

If the Cross Coupe is to be used in AWD or pure electric mode, a further electric motor integrated as a co-axial drive unit in the back axle powers the rear wheels. This one generates up to 114 hp and 270 Nm. Overall output of the system is 262 hp.

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Ford Ecosport is a Fiesta based SUV, web images leaked

December 6, 2011 at 10:48 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Ford, International News, Spyshots


Click to enlarge screen shot

Ford is coming out with a SUV version of its successful B-segment Fiesta, and it will be called EcoSport. Rumoured to be bound for the India Auto Expo in January 2012, pics of the new model has been leaked online. IndianAutosBlog carried some reader captured screen caps and it reveals that EcoBoost tech will be present in the SUV.

The Indian report goes on to say that the engine in question is the 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine. This three-cylinder turbocharged Ti-VCT mill produces the power of a normal 1.6 petrol in the higher of its two outputs, but with much lower consumption and more torque, and is part of Ford’s downsized DI + turbo engine range. We have an in depth piece on this cool little engine – click here to read more.


A rendering of how the Ford EcoSport mini SUV might look like

Besides the 1.0 EcoBoost, Indians will require a diesel engine as well, and the Fiesta’s 1.5-litre oil burner should be carried over. The footprint of the EcoSport is expected to be small, about the size of the Perodua Kembara.

India and China are two big markets that will be producing the EcoSport. If they decide to make it in Thailand, we might stand a chance of getting one, too.

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LIVE from Tokyo: Retro liveried Honda RC-E is super sexy

December 5, 2011 at 11:31 am By Danny Tan Filed Under 2011 Tokyo Motor Show, Bikes, Honda, International News

If only four-wheeled EVs are half as sexy. Honda revealed the RC-E concept at Tokyo to great response, thanks to evocative livery that recalls the glory days of the RC racers from the 1960s. Having seen the real vintage stuff days ago at the Honda Collection Hall, Twin Ring Motegi, this one made me drool!

The RC-E is electric powered, so that fuel tank contains no liquid, but batteries. Not much details have been released, but Honda promises a powerful and smooth ride, and 600cc class performance in a 250cc class body. Should be a very strange bike experience – strong off the line EV style, but with no noise!

We can see good stuff such as the Ohlins TTX suspension and Brembos. And part of the reason it looks good is because there’s no need for big headlights – the RC-E’s LEDs are nestled in the nose vent below the No.1. Also notice the plug sign at the bottom of the bike, hinting at what’s powering it.

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