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MINI JCW Championship 50 – Singapore gets two units!

May 12, 2010 at 1:35 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, International News

In 1959, Alec Issigonis created one of the great automotive icons, the Mini. That same year, sports car constructor John Cooper won his first F1 World Championship title with Jack Brabham at the wheel. Fifty years on, BMW has decided to celebrate both occasions (and make more money) with this: the MINI John Cooper Works World Championship 50 (what a mouthful!), which is limited to 500 units worldwide.

Unveiled to the public at the 2009 MINI United Festival in Silverstone, the JCW C50 comes in retro Connaught Green paint with a white roof and bonnet stripes. These, plus Challenge alloys in black and the JCW aero package, makes the C50 stand out in a sea of lesser MINIs. Apparently, the colours were provided by the legend’s son John Michael Cooper, whose signature appears on one bonnet stripe and a plaque.

The bi-xenons rest in black housings and there’s a host of carbon fibre parts, among them the bonnet scoop, rear diffuser, exterior mirror caps and tailgate handle. Owners will be keen to show off special numbering on the side scuttles finishers. Inside, it’s black with red touches and carbon pieces, plus an Alcantara wrapped wheel.

No need for added power, so under the hood is the JCW’s 211 bhp 1.6-litre turbo four-pot with 260 Nm between 1,850 and 5,600 rpm, which can even be briefly increased to 280 Nm thanks to an overboost feature. Should be a riot to drive, litreally. Drive goes to the front wheels via a six-speed manual. 0-100 km/h in done in just 6.5 seconds, on to a top speed of 238 km/h.

Two units (008 and 288) are available in Singapore. Priced at S$168,800 with COE, each unit comes with a certificate of authenticity signed by John Michael Cooper. How expensive is that? A BMW 325i is S$2,000 cheaper! More images after the jump.
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Great Wall Hover X240 gets 4-star rating in ANCAP!

May 12, 2010 at 12:32 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, China, International News

The Great Wall Hover X240 has managed to score a 4 star crash test rating out of a maximum of 5 stars in the ANCAP’s latest tests. Impressive for a Chinese car that in the past have been associated with low crash safety. The Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) is basically a crash test program supported by government transport authorities and automobile clubs in both Australia and New Zealand.

4 stars is in fact the highest rating that the SUV can score as the model sold in Australia does not have electronic stability control. ANCAP requires that for a vehicle to attain the maximum crash test rating of 5 stars, it needs to have some form of electronic stability control. The X240 does have dual front SRS airbags. Another car that scored 4 stars on the ANCAP recently was the new Toyota Camry Hybrid, which had electronic stability control. The Camry scored 28.22 out of 37 points while the X240 scored 25.48 out of 37 points.

Great Wall currently sells about 300 units of the Great Wall Hover X240 a month in Australia. You can look after the jump for the full ANCAP report. Let’s do a little voting here. The results should be quite interesting. Does above average crash test safety scores give you more confidence to purchase a vehicle from a Chinese automaker?

Right now there are a handful of Chinese automakers cars on sale here in Malaysia – Chery, Changan (Chana Era), Dadi (LMG Auto) and Brilliance Auto’s Jinbei Haise (Era Jinbei). Great Wall might be introduced here in Malaysia as well, since we have seen the Great Wall Wingle pick-up truck on test with trade plates here in Malaysia.


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VW starts DSG production in China for local consumption

May 12, 2010 at 12:00 pm By Jacob Alexander Filed Under International News, Volkswagen

China based Volkswagen Automatic Transmission Co. Ltd. has begun production of the efficient dual clutch transmission (DSG). 300,000 units will be produced in the first phase of the plan, which will gradually increase to 600,000 units seeing a total of 400 million euros being invested in the Dalian plant. This comes from the 6 billion euro investment package that has been set aside to expand production capacity and develop new vehicles in China from now till 2012.

Besides DSG, VW launched TSI engines in China back in 2007 and have started making most of the components in the country. Will we be getting Chinese made DSGs anytime soon? No, because all units produced in the Dalian factory be used for the local market as there is a great domestic demand for the efficient TSI/DSG combo.

Volkswagen Kassel is the main plant producing DSG units in Europe and the Dalian plant has been set up with on site support from Kassel based experts. Chinese staff have also received specialist training in Kassel before production started.

“The start of DSG production in China is another important step for Volkswagen Group China. We can progress towards our goal of further extending our market share while at the same time achieving a greater reduction in the fuel consumption and emissions of our vehicles by fostering progressive powertrain technologies,” said Dr. Winfried Vahland, President and CEO of Volkswagen Group China.

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Audi A1 production starts in Belgium, prices revealed

May 12, 2010 at 9:31 am By Jacob Alexander Filed Under Audi, Cars, International News

Audi has officially started taking orders for the new Audi A1 after a much anticipated wait. According to Audi AG, orders looks like they will surpass production levels this year, meaning certain customer would have to wait for their bundle of joy.

Audi’s Brussels plant will be producing 50,000 units of the A1 from now till end 2010 while 80,000 units will be delivered to customers next year. The company expect to eventually make 100,000 units annually by 2012.

For 15,800 euros you get the 86 hp 1.2 TFSI which has excellent fuel economy of 5.1L/100 km while only producing 118 g/km of CO2. The other engine variants available would be the 1.6 TDI that produces 105 hp while retailing at 18,800 euros. This particular model uses only 3.9L/100 km, saving you on fuel in the long run. The 1.4 TFSI produces 122 hp and will sell for 19,900 euros and has a fuel economy of 5.2L/100 km. This while only producing 119 g/km of CO2 emissions.

There’s no doubt that the Audi A1 will carry a premium price compared to its competitors, one of them being the MINI which starts of at around 13,000 euros. While space is a luxury in the backseat of the MINI, the A1 is 200 mm longer than it. The other contender would be the Alfa Romeo MiTo which comes in at just under 15,000 Euros for the 1.4-litre 95 hp version.

Click here for live images of the A1 from the Geneva show and a huge official gallery.

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Renault Megane dCi 110 DPF now available with 6-speed twin clutch transmission

May 12, 2010 at 9:02 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, International News, Renault

The Renault Megane range now comes with a 6-speed dual clutch transmission! But before you get all excited and assume the new Megane RS will be hitting our streets with twin clutch goodness, relax, because the new twin clutch Renault Efficient Dual Clutch (EDC) gearbox will be available only with the diesel dCi 110 DPF engine.

The EDC transmission weighs about 82kg including its twin mass damping flywheel. It needs about 1.7 litres of lubrication which leads me to believe it is probably a dry clutch transmission like Volkswagen’s 7-speed DSG instead of wet clutch like Volkswagen’s 6-speed DSG. The odd gears are handled by one clutch while the other clutch handles the even gears and the reverse gear. The transmission also has a manual shift mode.

The transmission is able to drop fuel consumption and CO2 emissions of an equivalent torque converter automatic model by up to 17%, or 30g/km of CO2 emissions. This will allow a few models (namely the Megane Coupe, Megane Estate, Megane CC, Scenic and Grand Scenic – the last two are considered to be part of the Megane range) to be able to be badged “Renault eco2″, which will make them the first automatic transmission Renaults to qualify.

In addition, CO2 emissions will be low enough (114g/km) in the Megane Hatch, Coupe and Estate to get a 500 Euro “eco-bonus” subsidy from the French government.

Look after the jump for a video demo of the Renault EDC.
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Bell & Ross BR03-92 Instrument Phantom Infiniti

May 12, 2010 at 8:28 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Infiniti, International News

Infiniti has worked with Bell & Ross to produce this special 100 unit Limited Edition BR03-92 Instrument Phantom Infiniti wristwatch. You can only buy them at Infiniti Centres in Europe so American customers will be out of luck, unless they grab one through the grey market or buy one while on holiday in Europe.

The watch was launched in commemoration of the new Infiniti FX Limited Edition crossover, which like the watch has only 100 units available. Purchase of the watch is not restricted to Infiniti FX Limited Edition owners though. Anyone with £2,809.97 (RM13.3k) to cough up can buy one.

Look after the jump for the “specs” of the watch.
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BMW and Mercedes selling “value for money” cars in India

May 11, 2010 at 5:25 pm By Jacob Alexander Filed Under BMW, International News, Mercedes Benz

German premium marques BMW and Mercedes-Benz have uncovered a unique tactic for the Indian market – selling “stripped out” variants and going down the “value for money” route. Bizarre? Read on.

Unlike in Europe, premium badge customers in India have very little say in customising their rides and choosing options. So it’s high spec at a high price, like in Malaysia. When BMW and Mercedes brought in variants of the 3-Series and C-Class without extras such as leather, sunroof, parking sensors, electric seats and high end audio systems, it was for the car rental market and no advertising was done. But word got around and private customers started to ask for these affordable premium cars, so this isn’t the ingenious marketing solution that it looks like but more of a fluke!

Marketed as “Corporate Edition”, the reduction of a few lakh rupees opens BMW/Merc ownership to customers that are shopping for high-spec versions of cars such as the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, Skoda Superb and Nissan Teana. The bare Beemer goes for Rs23.95 lakh, Rs3 lakhs (about US$6,600) cheaper than the standard car. Expect to pay around Rs26.27 lakh for the base C-Class, which makes it a whopping Rs6.22 lakh (about US$14,000) cheaper than the high end version.

Stats from BMW confirm that in the three months since they started selling the 175 bhp/350 Nm 320d CE models, 305 units have found buyers, which is within expectations. Mercedes joined the base model party in April. Premium badged cars without much toys are actually quite common in Europe, where buyers get more freedom in choosing options. Do you think such variants will work in Malaysia?

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GALLERY: More Renault Megane CC beauty shots released!

May 11, 2010 at 4:18 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, International News, Renault

In conjunction with the start of European sales this month, Renault has released a huge gallery of beauty shots featuring the new Megane CC, the coupe-convertible variant of Renault’s third-generation C-segment entrant.

Launched at the Geneva show earlier this year, the new CC takes after the new family look of the Megane III, which is a bit too fussy for these eyes. And while it’s not as deliberately angular as its predecessor (which is sold in Malaysia by TC Euro Cars), the profile is familiar, which also means that the CC’s bum looks big from certain angles.

The highlight of this car, like the one before it, has got to be the folding glass roof, which is now 10% larger and is the biggest in the class. The roof opens in 21 seconds. Manufactured by Karmann, the 110 kg roof module is designed and made in Germany before being shipped to Douai, France, where the CC is put together alongside the Scenic/Grand Scenic.

Lots of work have gone into making the Megane CC’s body as stiff as possible, and the suspension compensates for the additional 160 kg weight over the hatchback. Renault says that static and dynamic torsional stiffness has been improved by 80% and 30% respectively over the previous generation Renault Megane II CC.

Petrol engines include a 110 bhp/151 Nm 1.6 (six-speed manual), a 140 bhp/195 Nm 2.0 (Nissan designed CVT) and a turbocharged 1.4 TCe engine. The latter is a properly downsized unit that combines 130 bhp, 190 Nm and combined fuel consumption of just 13.7 km/l. It’s only available with a six-speed manual.

Gallery and complete information is after the jump.
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Land Rover – stepping into the front-wheel drive market

May 11, 2010 at 11:36 am By Jacob Alexander Filed Under Cars, International News, Land Rover

Word is that Land Rover is planning a foray into the front-wheel drive market with its next crossover model – the Range Rover LRX. Apparently, Land Rover initially ruled out the option but recently said that they “cannot ignore the growth of the two-wheel drive SUV segment”.

The LRX will be launched as an all-wheel drive car and the FWD version will be introduced shortly after. The change to front-wheel drive is said to improve Land Rover’s eco-credentials as CO2 emissions are 130 g/km for the FWD compared to 140 g/km for the AWD.

The engine is said to be a 2.2-litre turbodiesel engine producing around 185 bhp, the same PSA Group unit from the Freelander. A surprise would be the fact that standard transmission is a six-speed manual; the last stick shift Range Rover was available in 2002.

The production LRX is expected to be unveiled at the Paris Motor Show later this year.

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