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Porsche picks Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2 for 911

January 3, 2012 at 3:04 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, International News, Porsche

The Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2 tyre has been picked by Porsche as the OE tyre for the its newly launched 911. Goodyear’s ultra high performance (UHP) segment contender will be used for the popular 19-inch wheel fitment on the Carrera 2. Sizes are 235/40 up front and fat 285/35 donuts at the back. As many would know, Porsche and Bibendum are close buddies, so this is quite a coup for Goodyear.

The iconic 911 has a unique rear engined, RWD configuration, and those rear Goodyears will have to put down 350 hp and 380 Nm of torque from Zuffenhausen’s 3.4-litre six-pot boxer engine. Even sports cars like the 911 cannot ignore fuel consumption and emissions figures, and the new Carrera 2 uses 1.6 litres less fuel per 100 km than its predecessor.

The Eagle F1 A2 comes with Goodyear’s FuelSaving Technology. This tech is driven by reduced tyre weight and a new ‘high surface’ silica grade that contributes to reduced heat generation, lowering rolling resistance as a result. The A2 also features the latest ActiveBraking Technology using innovative 3D block design within the tyre tread.

The Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2 was officially launched in Asia three months ago in Hua Hin, Thailand. We were at the Kaengkrachan Circuit near the seaside town to sample the tyre. Click here to read the full story.

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Toyota Aqua hybrid makes market debut in Japan

January 3, 2012 at 12:42 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, International News, Toyota

Toyota last week announced the introduction of the Aqua in Japan, a month after it made its debut at the Tokyo Motor Show. The compact hybrid is the domestic version of the Prius c, and wears a Hybrid Synergy Drive system based around a 1.5 litre engine.

The 1NZ-FXE Atkinson cycle mill offers 74 PS at 4,800 rpm and 111 Nm at 3,600-4,400 rpm, and works alongside an electric motor/Ni-Mh battery combination offering 61 PS and 169 Nm, with combined maximum output being 100 PS. Performance figures include a 0-100 km/h time of 10.7 seconds and a 35.4 km per litre consumption, under the JC08 test cycle.

Standard safety kit includes ABS, EBD, brake assist, VSC and hill-start assist, and ten exterior colours abound, with four interior accent shades patterns (Earth Brown, Fresh Green, Cool Blue, and Natural Gray) to boot.

The Aqua will be available in three grades, these being L, S and G, with different packages to boot. Pricing starts from 1.69 million yen for the baseline model, which is just under RM70,000. It’ll be interesting to see when UMW Toyota brings this one in – it should be right up there mixing it with the Honda Insight from a price perspective, when it does.

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Reports: MINI Cargo commercial van heading to Geneva

January 3, 2012 at 12:41 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under BMW, Cars, International News

Trendy European businesses who need a small van but don’t want the image of an Opel Astravan or Peugeot 207 Van will have a good choice soon. German car rag Auto Motor und Sport reports that BMW’s MINI brand will unveil a new member of the bug eyed family at the Geneva Motor Show in March.

According to them, the new commercial van variant will be called MINI Cargo. It won’t be an all new bodystyle, but will be based on the current Clubman, which is an elongated MINI hatchback with barn style doors. As with other supermini based vans, the rear seats will be removed to make way for a flat load floor. Another trademark of these vehicles are blocked off rear windows.

Not likely to reach our market, where the MINI is a luxury toy for the wealthy, as opposed to a (stylish) mass market common car in its home continent.

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Hyundai aiming to sell seven million vehicles in 2012

January 3, 2012 at 11:50 am By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Hyundai, International News

Hyundai Motor announced yesterday that it is targeting to sell seven million vehicles worldwide this year, an increase of 6% from 2011, in which it sold 6.6 million units globally, more than a million in the US alone.

The figure – which includes Kia numbers – is however conservative, considering that the company has been posting double-digit growth in annual sales volume over the last three years. It may be reflective of the company being wary of a global economic slowdown this year, the reports say.

While continuing its efforts to consolidate its position as the world’s No 5 automaker, the Korean automaker is shifting its focus from volume to quality, in a bid to ensure its growth isn’t thwarted. In recent times, the carmaker has improved its quality ratings in advanced nations, while solidifying its position in emerging countries, the reports add.

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India’s Mahindra & Mahindra linked to bankrupt Saab

January 3, 2012 at 10:50 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, India, International News, Mahindra, Rumours, Saab

Saab may be bankrupt financially, but it has no lack of suitors. After rumours of a sale to the Turkish government surfaced last week, word has it that India’s biggest SUV maker is an interested party. The said company is Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd, which is interested in buying at least parts of bankrupt Swedish carmaker, two people familiar with the situation said.

The maker of the Scorpio is in the process of trying to set up meetings with the two court-appointed administrators who are overseeing Saab’s bankruptcy, according to the sources, who want to remain anonymous because the plans are private. M&M spokeswoman Roma Balwani declined to comment.

M&M is no stranger to buying a bankrupt company. In early 2011, the Indian brand completed the purchase of a 70% stake in SsangYong Motor Co for about $368 million, as it sought to benefit from the South Korean company’s technology and international sales network. After the takeover, SsangYong revealed that it plans to spend more than 240 billion won ($208 million) on product development and brand building in the year, hinting at M&M’s financial muscle.

Recently, Mahindra also bought out Renault’s stake in the Logan sedan joint venture and took control of Bangalore-based Reva Electric Car Co, so its appetite is obvious. Is Saab about to join the list?

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Saab in talks with Turkish gov’t, according to reports

December 30, 2011 at 10:45 am By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, International News, Saab

Saab Automobile, which declared voluntary bankruptcy last week, remains determined in its search for a suitor to save it from oblivion. According to reports, the Swedish carmaker is in talks with the Turkish government, after the latter supposedly expressed interest in the carmaker.

Citing sources close to Saab’s management, German mag auto motor und sport reported that the talks have been initiated by Victor Muller, Swedish Automobile’s chief executive, adding that the discussions were still at a very early stage. It was however reported last week that Turkey’s Industry Minister Nihat Ergun said that the government was not interested in Saab.

Elsewhere, another report by Swedish business daily Dagens Industri said that one of India’s largest carmakers may also be interested in buying parts or all of the company. Any deal would however need the approval of former owner and key licence holder General Motors, which blocked the last bid – by the Chinese – to save Saab.

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BMW 1-Series three-door hatchback patent filings leaked

December 30, 2011 at 10:43 am By Danny Tan Filed Under BMW, Cars, International News, Spyshots

The new BMW 1-Series with the codename F20 was unveiled back in June, but only in five-door hatchback form. Now, here are some patent filings to show us how the three-door hatchback variant will look like.

No big departure from the 5dr, which is expected. Measurements should be unaltered, too. The 1er is both longer and wider than its predecessor, while wheelbase has grown by 30 mm to make 2,690 mm. Taken bare, the wheelbase is quite long, but because of the 1-Series’ unique cab rearward RWD layout, cabin space should be more snug than a typical C-segment hatchback.

BMW launched the 5dr with two different trim levels – Sport Line and Urban Line. Will the 3dr come with the same option, or will it be just Sport? Click here for more pics and info on the F20 1-Series.

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Chevrolet Sonic RS previewed ahead of Detroit, 1.4L turbo

December 29, 2011 at 6:04 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Chevrolet, International News

At this year’s season opening Detroit show, Chevrolet unveiled its B-segment contender, the next gen Aveo called Sonic. The upcoming NAIAS 2012 will see the GM brand wheel out the hot version of the Sonic, tagged RS. To go on sale in late 2012, the Sonic RS will be offered exclusively in five-door hatchback form – no sedan RS.

Go faster kit includes front sport seats, a thicker steering wheel with flat bottom, a new shift knob, aluminum sport pedals, specific instrument panel graphics and RS-specific interior trim colour. Outside, the RS is set apart by a deep air dam design and vertical intakes at the edges of the fascia that house the fog lamps.

Under the hood, the RS will come with the same 1.4L Ecotec turbo that powers top spec Sonics. This 138 hp/200 Nm unit is matched with a six-speed manual or six-speed auto gearbox. Unique gear ratios for the stick shift and a different final drive ratio for the auto gives the Sonic RS a “sportier feel” than non-RS models.

The suspension combines front MacPherson struts and an axle-mount compound link-type torsion beam, with gas-charged shocks. Front and rear tracks are identical at 1,509 mm for well-planted stability and balance, Chevy says. The RS is the only Sonic variant with four-wheel disc brakes.

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Japanese petrol stations now offering EV charging service

December 29, 2011 at 12:46 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, International News

Great news for Japanese owners of electric cars like the Mitsubishi i-MiEV and Nissan Leaf. Oil companies JX Nippon Oil, Idemitsu Kosan Co, Cosmo Oil Co. and Showa Shell Sekiyu KK are teaming up to test a fixed-fee EV charging service at their gas stations. 27 stations will be involved in Tokyo and Kanagawa Prefecture starting in the first quarter of 2012.

The four companies have created what they call an “EV Service Station Network” where members can charge their plug-in EVs at a conventional petrol station alongside internal combustion engine powered cars.

Of the four, JX Nippon Oil currently has the most participating stations, and the company is looking at a monthly fee of ¥3,000 (RM122 at current exchange rates) for individuals and corporate card holders. Pay the fee and one can recharge their EV at any participating station.

Quick charging an EV will take considerably longer than a regular car, though, so the companies will offer “additional services” for EV chargers. This could probably be drinks, reading material and WIFI, like in service centres.

This is what we need to neutralise what the industry calls “range anxiety” in the acceptance of battery powered vehicles. But for non heavy users, a 100 km real world range will be enough to take one to work and back, in one single charge. Treat the EV like your power hungry smartphone and make a habit of charging it every night and you should be fine.

Closer to home, Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia has registered their first i-MiEV for awareness purposes and Edaran Tan Chong Motor will be launching a pilot program next year that offers experimental drives to Government bodies, members of the media as well as the public. Stay tuned for more updates on the green front!

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Indonesia set to be No 1 automotive market in ASEAN

December 27, 2011 at 12:14 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, International News

Thailand is likely to cede its position as the top automotive market in ASEAN this year, primarily as a result of the massive flooding that occured a few months back. Though the numbers aren’t completely in, it is set to fall behind Indonesia in terms of overall numbers for 2011.

Up to September, the Kingdom was still in top spot, but sales volume dropped by half in October compared to the month before, and the slump continued in November. Reports estimate that the full-year sales volume is expected to fall short of the 800,000 or so units shipped in 2010.

Meanwhile, new-vehicle sales in the first 11 months of this year in Indonesia climbed by 17%, to 813,856 units, a figure that has already surpasssed the previous record of 760,000 from 2010. As it goes, the annual total is on pace to hit 870,000 units, the reports add.

And it looks set to cement that position – earlier this month, the country’s industry minister projected that both sales and production will exceed a million units by 2013. In anticipation of this, Japanese automakers – which already hold a combined market share of more than 90% in the market – are boosting production and their parts suppliers are ramping up investment.

Indonesia is hoping to become home to Japanese car factories by promoting the nation as an alternative to flood-ravaged Thailand, the country’s Trade Minister Gita Wirjawan said in a recent interview. The country has already contacted a multitude of Japanese firms, and “has told them that we are very much interested in receiving investment,” according to Gita.

It isn’t just the Japanese that are making their way in – General Motors has decided to invest US$150 million to construct a new plant, and BMW recently started local production of one of its luxury sedan models. The reports add that despite the effect of the European debt crisis, consumption is expected to remain robust in Indonesia next year, aided by interest rate cuts.

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