Archive for International News

Proton’s Thai distributor Phranakorn Auto Sales will be launching a CNG-equipped Proton Persona in Thailand tomorrow. The Persona CNG will be able to run on both petrol and compressed natural gas, a fuel which is also available in Malaysia and though limited in availability. CNG is very popular with taxis because of its cheaper price.

Following this announcement you can probably expect Proton to offer a similiarly equipped NGV Persona in Malaysia soon. Factoring the cost of the equipment needed to allow the car to run on natural gas into the hire purchase loan will take alot of financial burden off the carbuyer who is seeking to benefit from the lower price of natural gas.

The problem is refuelling your car with CNG in Malaysia is currently only limited to selected Petronas stations which are mainly concentrated around the Klang Valley. This is an inconvenience.

No prices for the Thai market Proton Persona CNG have been released yet, but as a comparison the Neo is sold for 499,000 Thai baht while the GEN2 goes for 549,000 Thai baht. The cheapest Proton model is the Savvy which goes for 399,000 Thai baht and comprises of half of all Proton cars sold in Thailand.

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Hot on the heels of the Lexus IS250C is the Infiniti G37 Convertible which will make its European debut in the summer of 2009. The car will only make its first public appearance at the 2008 LA Auto Show this November but a teaser photo of the side profile has been previously revealed, and now a second teaser image is out showing a rear three quarter view. Look after the jump for the first teaser image.

Click here to read the rest of Second teaser image of Infiniti G37 Convertible

Renault’s Z.E. Concept is your standard run of the mill concept electric vehicle that’s based on a production model with jazzed up styling so that it looks worthy to be called a concept. Instead of a petrol or diesel engine, the Renault Kangoo be bop that is the base for this concept is instead powered by a 94 horsepower electric motor with a peak torque of 226Nm, backed by lithium ion batteries. The press release does not state how this is charged so we can only assume it is a plug-in EV. All of this is pretty heavy though - the concept clocks in at 1,520kg unladen.

Perhaps more important than the run of the mill motor itself is how Renault plans to stretch the miles with a limited battery source.To help conserve battery power for the electric motor use, Renault has employed a few techniques to reduce power consumption by auxiliaries such as the lighting, heating and climate control.

Firstly, the Z.E. Concept’s bodywork functions like a Thermos flask. The body comprises of two insulating panels with a sandwich of air. This limits variations in temperature between the exterior and the interior. The internal temperature regulation system is powered by a solar panel on the roof.

As for heating, Renault plays on the psychological effect of generally feeling warmth if the face and hands are warm. So the heater system channels warmth to these key zones through means such as a heated steering wheel.

Aerodynamics have been improved by using low-energy cameras to replace wing mirrors and a special alloy wheel design that is low on drag. The headlamps use LEDs to reduce power consumption.

Click here to read the rest of Renault Z.E. Concept based on new Kangoo be-bop

You may not recognise the car you see above as a Ssangyong. Granted its still in concept form but at the same time it’s still a far cry from the odd things you see coming out of their design studio. Trucks like the Actyon are actually very decent but sadly do not enjoy much sales in Malaysia because of its unorthodox looks.

This will all change from now on, and hopefully it will entice more people to try out the Chinese-owned Korean marque with German hearts. The concept above was styled by Giugaro ItalDesign, and is meant to showcase Ssangyong’s future design language. Giugaro is working on the designs of future Ssangyongs, including a total of 20 new models built on 5 new platforms over the period of 5 years beginning 2009.

The C200 is also the first monocoque Ssangyong, and the first front wheel drive car from the company, although an all-wheel driven version of the production car is also planned. Powering it is a 175 PS inline-4 petrol engine mated to a 6-speed auto.

The new model line-up will still consist primarily of the SUVs and trucks that Ssangyong has traditionally built, but more passenger cars other than the Chairman is in the works. Some of the new Ssangyongs will be based on Rover platforms, which parent company SAIC also owns.

Look after the jump for more angles of the C200 Concept.

Click here to read the rest of Ssangyong C200 Concept previews new Ssangyong design language

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Here are more details on the Suzuki Alto, which we sort of had a look at earlier in teaser form and also as a rebadged Nissan Pixo. The new compact A-segment hatchback is targeted to sell about 60,000 units a year in Europe following its Spring 2009 launch. It’s also set to be one of the few top sellers in India under the Maruti name.

The new Suzuki Alto measures 3,500mm long, 1,600mm wide and 1,470mm tall with a wheelbase of 2,360mm. This means it is shorter, wider but lower than the Viva which has dimensions of 3,575mm x 1,475mm x 1,530mm. As for boot size, the Alto can take 129 liters with the rear bench in place and utilised.

The Alto uses a MacPherson strut suspension design at the front and what Suzuki calls a proprietary 3-link torsion beam at the rear, whatever that means. Under the hood is the inline-3 1.0 liter K10B unit that made its debut with the Suzuki Splash. It produces 68 PS at 6,000rpm and 90Nm of torque at 4,800rpm.

With a kerb weight of 910kg for the high-spec automatic version, it has a power to weight ratio of 13.38kg per PS, compared to the Viva 1.0 Premium automatic’s 13.33kg per PS. This means its performance should be very similiar to the Viva 1.0 Premium, though the VIva’s peak torque of 90Nm kicks in earlier at 3,600rpm.

Look after the jump for 3 more shots of the Alto.

Click here to read the rest of New Suzuki Alto: performance and dimensions

Mitsubishi quietly revealed a high-powered version of the Mitsubishi L200 (known as the Triton here) at the 2008 Paris Motor Show with the “2.5Di-D High-Power” designation.

The 2009 L200 2.5 Di-D High-Power features a 2.5 liter engine that produces much more power than in its 136 PS standard form. In fact, the figures are even higher than the recently launched Triton 3.2L!

The new engine gets a 29% power boost up to 178 PS at 4,000rpm and 400Nm of torque at 2,000rpm for manual versions or 350Nm of torque for automatic versions. Fuel consumption is 8.5 liters of diesel per 100km while CO2 output is 223g/km.

The 2009 L200 also gets better sound and vibration insulation, additional side airbags for the Club Cab varaint, side and curtain airbags for the Double Cab, and a new front seat design with improved cushion and side support.

If you pair this new high performance engine with the Walkinshaw Performance Sport Pack Upgrade, your L200/Triton will surely be a riot! The upgrade pack (an estimated £2,595.00 - RM16k - inclusive of installation) replaces the L200’s rear solid axle with a multi-link rear suspension featuring coil springs.

Other enhancements in the Walkinshaw pack include PU performance bushes for increased axle control, rubber performance chassis bushes for reduced road noise transmission, Koni performance shocks for the front and rear as well as a stainless steel twin tailpipe performance exhaust.

The Perodua Kelisa has been the cheapest automatic car in the UK for quite some time now but according to Nissan, the upcoming Nissan Pixo is likely to take away that title, with an expected price tag of under £6,500 (RM40,000). Other cheap automatic small cars include the Kia Picanto which is priced over £7,500.

The Nissan Pixo is a badge engineered Suzuki Alto and comes standard with safety features such as ISOFIX points for child seats, dual front SRS airbags and ABS brakes on every model variant including the baseline “Visia” trim level. The high-spec “Acenta” model will feature side airbags as well as other creature comforts such as power front windows, a split-folding rear bench and foglamps.

You cant really load much with it so don’t expect it to be able to take a family and luggage for balik kampung trips as its capacity is only 129 liters with the rear bench up and in use. The Pixo measures 3565 mm long, 1470 mm tall and 1600 mm wide with a 2360mm wheelbase. It weighs about 855kg.

Suzuki’s 1.0 liter inline-3 engine sits in the engine bay emitting only 103g/km of CO2 on average with a fuel economy of 4.6 liters per 100km on the combined cycle for the version with the manual transmission. It produces 65 PS at 6,000rpm, and 90Nm of torque at 4,000rpm. It is mated to either a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed auto.

Look after the jump for more photos of the Pixo.

Click here to read the rest of Nissan Pixo: UK’s cheapest automatic car?

I’m sure that somewhere along the way inside Mitsubishi’s headquarters a bunch of people have been telling their design theme that the whole shark nose theme (Mitsubishi calls it a “Jet Fighter” grille) that the Lancer has going on won’t work on a small car.

But they didn’t listen, so here you have the Mitsubishi Colt major facelift for the 2009 model year. Mitsubishi claims only 35.1% carry-over parts from the pre-facelift Colt.

The new Colt also introduces the new Clear Tec brand that indicates which Colt variants are especially friendly to the environment, which will also include a Flex Fuel vehicle that will probably be able to run on petrol or a mixture of ethanol and petrol.

The Mitsubishi Colt CZT hot hatch receives a new name - the Mitsubishi Colt Ralliart, and is now available in both 3-door and 5-door form. It continues to have a 1.5 liter turbocharged engine putting out 150 PS. The suspension has had 8 different changes in different points including a thicker front stabilizer bar to reduce body roll.

Non-Ralliart engine options include a 1.1 liter inline-3 petrol engine with 75 PS and 100Nm of torque, a 1.3 liter petrol engine with 95 PS and 125Nm of torque and a 1.5 liter petrol engine with 109 PS and 145Nm of torque. These are mated to either a 5-speed manual or an AllShift automated manual gearbox.

Note that other markets come with a CVT transmission instead of this AMT transmission, including the ones we have in Malaysia. The diesel Colt has been discontinued as the pre-facelift sales mix consisted of only 13% oil burning Colts.

Look after the jump for plenty of hi-res photos of the new Colt.

Click here to read the rest of 2009 Mitsubishi Colt unveiled: details and photos!

You could say that Nissan’s workhorses are equally as iconic to the company as their 4WD sports cars. The C22 Vanette is still very popular for businesses and is still begin produced in Malaysia. Though most contractors still love the Hilux more, the basic Nissan Frontier is popular choice as a workhorse and remember how many small businessmen used the Nissan AD Resort as their workhorse and family vehicle at the same time? Such is the versatility of stationwagons but somehow the Malaysian car-buying public has forgotten about this bodystyle.

The old Nissan 1400 single cab pick-up truck also served its buyers well and up until recently it was still sold in South Africa, which gives it a total lifespan of 37 years. It can now finally retire with the unveiling of the new Proton Arena-style Nissan NP200 utility vehicle based on the Dacia Logan pick-up. The front rides on MacPherson struts while the rear has a H-type torsion beam.

It has a modern engine that’s vastly different from the 1400’s old carburetted 1.4 liter engine. Instead, a 85 horsepower 8 valve 1.6 liter engine is used, with 128Nm produced at 3,000rpm. This is quite weak for a 1.6 liter but Nissan has shortened the first three gears of its 5-speed manual to give the NP200 better acceleration and more pulling power away from a stop when fully loaded up to its maximum payload of 800kg.

It tailgate supports up to 300kg of load, and the load-bed has 16 anchorage points comprising of 4 bed surround fasteners, 2 safety hoop hooks and 6 rings on the bed floor. Load area is 1,200 liters while the load length is 1.8 meters.

The interior features a 300 liter storage compartment behind the two seats. It has a power steering and an optional radio. In South Africa no air conditioning is available but there is a heater and a 4-speed fan. No ABS or airbags either but future high spec version for other markets may feature all these creature comforts and safety equipment.

Look for more photos of the NP200 after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Nissan NP200 ute based on Dacia Logan pick-up

In efforts to make it easier for more people to enter the world of rally motorsports, Renault Sport Technologies have created a new variant of the Clio R3 Maxi called the Renault Clio Renaultsport R3 Access.

In countries with relatively weaker currencies such as ours, motorsports can be even more prohibitive to the grassroots, with only the rich with tons of disposable income being able to participate in races and the rest of us having to contend with trafficlight sprints and rempiting on long straights in the middle of the night.

The R3 Access Clio aims to open up “access” to motorsports to a wider range of people with a pre-tax price of €32,600 (RM158,000) and a calculated average competing cost of €17 (RM82) per km. If one wants to upgrade to R3 Maxi specs later they can easily do so via a “Premium kit” which will upgrade the chassis, brakes and engine up to R3 Maxi specifications.

The Access model features a Clio Renaultspot bodyshell strengthened with a welded roll cage featuring more than 40 meters of tubing. The 2.0 liter high revving engine derived from the Clio Renaultsport 197 produces 200 horsepower at 7,500rpm and 214Nm of torque at 5,250rpm. It goes on to a redline point of 7,800rpm at which you will shift to the next cog of the Sadev 6 speed dog-teeth gearbox with a ZF LSD.

The wheels are identical to the Maxi spec version featuring 17 inch Speedline alloys wrapped with Michelin rubber. The car rides on Bilstein dampers at all four wheels and has the 4-pot Brembo brakes standard on the Clio Renaultsport 197.

Look after the jump for a few more hi-res photos.

Click here to read the rest of Renault Clio Renaultsport R3 Access