Archive for International News

The Chevrolet Trax is the successor to the Chevrolet Spark in all but name, being a 4-door minicar with a 1 liter engine. Like the Spark/Matiz, it was developed by Daewoo. The new Chevrolet Trax is built on a new global platform for small cars that will also be the base for other future GM small cars like the Opel Corsa. It’s body is two-toned coloured: Blaze Orange for the upper part and a Burnt Orange matte finish for the lower half. It is still a concept car at this point of time.

[ UPDATE: The talks have finally ended in a no go. Click here for latest update. ]

I have no idea where Singapore’s Straits Times got it’s information from, but Volkswagen spokesman Andreas Meurer says Volkswagen is still in talks with Proton on a possible strategic tie-up, and there will be a high-level meeting in the near future. So now we know the talks are still on, however since the 31st March 2007 deadline will no longer be kept, we do not have any date to count down to. Just have to sit patiently and wait. I knew there was something fishy about that Singaporean report.

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The latest AMG tuned-up version of the luxurious CL Coupe has been unveiled at the 2007 New York Auto Show. Powered by a 6.0 liter AMG-engineered V12 bi-turbo engine, the CL65 AMG puts out a nice 612 horsepower between 4,800rpm and 5,100rpm, as well as 1000Nm of torque between 2,000rpm to 4,000rpm, making the engine seem like a really beefy but low-revving unit. This engine is mated to a 5-speed AMG Speedshift gearbox, as the engine’s massive torque is just too much for the 7G-Tronic 7-speed to handle.

Aesthetically, the CL65AMG features an AMG bodykit, 20 inch AMG forged wheels wrapped with 255/35/ZR20 tyres up front and 275/35/ZR20 tyres at the rear, as well as an AMG interior. Handling is improved via an AMG sports suspension featuring Active Body Control. Active Body Control counteracts body roll via an adjustable suspension strut, similiar to Porsche’s Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control and BMW’s Dynamic Drive. The center console has an S/C/M button which changes transmission, accelerator response and suspension spring/damper settings.

The car stops to a halt via an AMG brakesystem featuring new double-frame sliding calipers. 100km/h to a complete stop takes 35.6 meters.

Check out more photos after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Mercedes Benz CL65 AMG Revealed!

Porsche is planning a smaller SUV that will join the existing market filled up with the BMW X3 and the future Audi Q5, Infiniti EX35 and Volkswagen Tiguan, according to German magazine AutoZeitung. The new smaller Porsche SUV would likely share the same platform as the Q5/Tiguan, and carry over the Cayenne’s V6 and V8 engines. Let’s hope Porsche’s styling department can execute a small SUV styling better than it’s done with a large SUV. The Cayenne isn’t really the best looking SUV around.

It’s strange how we’ve come to accept that more and more sports car manufacturers are going all out to develop SUVs. I wonder why Land Rover, Hummer or Jeep hasn’t decided to build a high performance sports car.

[UPDATE: The Honda Civic Type R Sedan has been launched in Malaysia. Click here for details.]

The sedan version of Honda’s new Honda Civic Type R will go on sale in Japan beginning today, Friday March 30th 2007. Key features include the high performance high revving K20A 2.0 liter normally aspirated engine found in the Europrean Civic Type R hatch mated to a 6-speed manual transmission, a torque-sensitive helical LSD, large 18 inch wheels providing a peek at the huge 17 inch disc brakes with 4-pot Brembo calipers behind them, as well as a sporty bodykit. The bodykit includes a new bonnet design with a more prominent dome. Suspension has also been tuned for sporty performance and features thicker stabilizer bars.

Interior enhancements over the normal sedan include a new black color scheme, bucket seats exclusively designed for the Civic Type R Sedan, a new dash featuring i-VTEC engine revolution indicator alerts, a small-diameter leather-wrapped oval steering wheel, an aluminum ball-type shift knob, a short stroke sports shift linkage, metal sports-type pedals and footrest, and a button-type engine starter.

In this edition, the K20A revs all the way up to 8,000rpm with an output of 225 PS, and churns out a peak of 215Nm of torque at 6,100rpm. Throttle activation is via drive-by-wire, and the intake and exhaust manifolds are tuned for high revolution engine output. The 6-speed gearbox ratios are perfectly matched to the rev range and torque curve, as can be seen from the gear position, revolution and torque curve chart after the jump. It also sports a highly rigid aluminum transmission case and a baffle plate to mitigate oil starvation during high speed cornering.

Check out more photos and interesting graphs after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of 2007 Honda Civic Type R Sedan Details

This is Infiniti’s EX Concept, a new crossover SUV that’s one segment smaller than the larger FX SUV, taking on the likes of the BMW X3 and the upcoming Audi Q5. It will be displayed at the NYIAS 2007. The EX Concept is most likely to go into production as an EX35, using either a VQ35DE or a VQ35HR engine, though the prior makes more sense to me, since the VQ35DE engine has more torque than it’s HQ sibling, thus being more suitable for an SUV application.

While still a concept at the moment, Infiniti says the EX is 95% ready. Plus some of the features on the concept will not make it into production, for example a liquid crystal glass roof that can change from a transparent state to a more translucent appearance.

Something new is the Lane Departure Prevention (LDP) system, which is an evolution of Infiniti’s existing production Lane Departure Warning System. This further enhances the warning system by actually stopping the sleepy driver from accidentally moving out of his lane rather than just warning him. Brakes are applied individually to begin a yaw movement back into the intended lane.

One more rear view shot after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Infiniti EX Concept: future Infiniti EX35

Hyundai has released details on it’s Hyundai Concept Genesis, due to be revealed at the New York International Auto Show on April 4th 2007. Hyundai’s newly developed Tau DOHC 32-valve V8 powers this sedan. Front-rear weight distribution is respectable at 53:47. The 4.6 liter Tau V8 is mated to a 6-speed ZF automatic transmission with manual shifting, delivering over 300 horsepower to the rear wheels, launching the Concept Genesis from 0 to 100km/h in under 6 seconds.

Other than a good front-rear weight distribution, handling is further enhanced with a front five-link suspension featuring upper and lower arms linking the front wheels to the chassis. This arrangement creates a virtual king pin axis which reduces unwanted steering wheel kickback, improving feel and responsiveness. The rear also uses a five-link independent setup.

More photos after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Hyundai Concept Genesis details unveiled

The car in the image above is the SSC Ultimate Aero TT, an aerodynamic sports car powered by a 6.3 liter twin turbo V8 with 1,183 horsepower on the tap at 6950 rpm - more than the Bugatti Veyron. Torque is a gut twisting 1302Nm at 6,150 rpm.

Let’s put that much torque into context in a real world situation here - test driver Rick Doria said he experienced wheelspin at speeds of 305km/h. What’s amazing is these figures are obtainable using RON92 fuel, which the engine based on a Chevrolet motor was designed to use.

SSC wants to beat the Bugatti Veyron’s current top speed record of 407km/h. The car’s aerodynamic body, which was wind tunnel engineered and tested to be stable at speeds of up to 439km/h, managed to hit 370km/h in it’s most recent test. The test location had only 2 miles of usable road, and at the 370km/h record, the SSC Ultimate Aero TT was only in 6th gear at 56% throttle.

A new test at a location with more suitable conditions is planned, so let’s see if the SSC team manages to achieve a new speed record.

The first new “Modern Gentleman” cars have rolled off Nanjing’s assembly line in Nanjing, from a factory that Nanjing managed to piece together using the robots and assembly lines they bought from Rover.

The first two new models from Modern Gentlemen are the MG7 Saloon and the MG-TF sports car. Nanjing’s new factory can produce 200,000 cars, 250,000 engines, and 100,000 gearboxes annually.

Nanjing intends to keep the original British flavor, however it’s future direction from MG will be the Chinese market. However, it also intends to sell the cars around the world, but China is the major market. Some Modern Gentleman cars will also be produced in Longbridge, UK as well as Ardmore, Southern Oklahoma, with the latter to begin soon next year. MG originally stood for Morris Garages.

Proton has loaned the Lotus Group £40 million, or RM272 million ringgit, to cover the Lotus Group’s third successive year of losses. This loan will be converted to equity, which actually means Proton is basically giving Lotus money in exchange for more shares. While new CEO Michael Kimberley has a 5-year plan to turn Lotus around, it is not expected to return to profitability until after 2009.

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