Archive for International News

BMW’s M Division head Ludwig Willisch said last Friday that the BMW Concept CS (shown above) would make it into production, and although no naming convention has been defined yet, almost everyone expects the new car to carry the nameplate of the gorgeous BMW 8-Series from the 90s. The M Division will be handling the project but like the 8-Series, there will likely be no M version.

The old 8-Series had a “spiritual M car” in the form of the 850CSi which had an engine built by the division with an S engine code complete with M badges in the engine bay, but no M badges on the rear or in the name.

Looking at BMW’s current and future engine ranges, you can expect a new 850i with the new 4.4 liter twin turbocharged V8 and an 860i with a V12, complete with ZF’s new 8-speed automatic.

Source

The facelifted Toyota Hilux has been unveiled in the UK and it looks like the same one as was unveiled on our UMW Toyota Motor webpage a few weeks ago.

The exterior features minor cosmetic changes such as new bumpers and grille while the interior gets slight design changes with the switchgear for better ergonomics. The only technical change is an updated suspension setup with new double-row roller-type rear axle bearings, new bushes and a better valve structure on the front shocks, and some changes with the 3.0 liter D-4D Double Cab model which we do not get here.

The 3.0 liter unit is now mated to a 5-speed automatic and gets a 17Nm boost in torque up to 360Nm from 1,400rpm to 3,400rpm thanks to a swirl control system to optimize the air-fuel mixture at low engine speeds.

Look after the jump for photos and a video of the facelifted Hilux.

Click here to read the rest of 2009 Toyota Hilux facelift unveiled in the UK

Toyota seems to have put out a very minor facelift of the Toyota Belta out in Japan. The Belta was originally launched end-2005 and right now is about the time for its mid-life facelift. The Japanese Belta is also known as the Toyota Vios in other markets such as ours, or the Toyota Yaris Sedan.

It looks like there are no changes at all to the styling on the outside except for a small grille change on the front to a mesh grille?

The 1.0 liter version is powered by the 1KR-FE DOHC engine putting out 71 PS at 6,000rpm and 94Nm of torque at 3,600rpm, while the 1.3 liter 2WD version is powered by the 2SZ-FE DOHC engine producing 87 PS at 6,000rpm and 118Nm of torque at 4,000rpm. The 1.3 liter 4WD version uses the 2NZ-FE DOHC engine with 87 PS and 120Nm of torque.

Look for more photos after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Toyota Belta/Vios/Yaris Sedan facelifted in Japan

Click to view larger image

The Honda Civic facelift or minor model change in Honda speak has been unveiled in its home market of Japan so we now have an idea how our own facelifted Honda Civic will look like. This comes shortly after Honda revealed its American market Honda Civic. Next will be the European Civic hatch I suppose.

True to its namesake, the changes are indeed minor which include a new front grille design which has a thicker chrome bar at the top and reshaped with sharper edges thus giving the grille a wider appearance, a new front bumper with wider air intakes to appear sportier, and new tail lamps with a larger internal lense (no longer round now). That’s about it for the exterior. Thankfully our model does not get the chrome bar between the tail lamps that the USDM version gets.

The interior does not get much changes except for updates to the in-car entertainment system to support the latest inputs like USB as well as new fabric for the seats. The high grade MXST Civic Hybrid also gets an Alcantara interior.

The engines under the hood of the facelifted Civic remain largely the same as the pre-facelift version - a 2.0 liter i-VTEC DOHC engine putting out 155 PS at 6,000rpm (a quick check shows pre-facelift version put out the same 155 PS at a higher 6,500rpm) and 188Nm of torque at 4,500rpm, and a 1.8 liter i-VTEC SOHC engine producing 140 PS at 6,300rpm and 174Nm of torque at 4,300rpm. It’s not known if the engines have any other tweaks or not while remaining with the same power output levels.

Thanks to Vincent for the tip! Look after the jump for more photos of the Civic facelift.

Click here to read the rest of New Honda Civic facelift unveiled in Japan!

Honda has added a new safety feature to its Vehicle Stability Assist system called Motion Adaptive Electric Power Steering (Motion Adaptive EPS). Currently only available with the newly launched Honda Legend, it will be added to the Japanese-market Honda Accord (not the same as our Accord as it is known as the Honda Inspire there) and the next generation Honda Odyssey.

Motion Adaptive EPS provides steering wheel feedback to the driver during an unstable slippery corner to prompt the driver’s action in steering the wheel the right way as sometimes drivers tend to over-correct the steering angle. It can also correct steering input when braking on a surface which causes uneven traction between the left and right side wheels of the car.

While it remains a premium feature for now, like all technologies Motion Adaptive EPS should slowly trickle down to the rest of the Honda range. The only question is how long?

Click for hi-res photo

This is Honda’s second take on a hybrid-only car, to be shown in concept form first at the 2008 Paris Motor Show. The production version of the second generation “Cadillac of hybrids” (as John Travolta’s character called it in the movie Be Cool) the Honda Insight will on sale in April 2009.

Honda UK’s environmental manager John Kingston said earlier this week that this car will change customer’s perception of hybrids thanks to real economical savings compared to just that mostly “green” feeling that other hybrids give.

The 5-door, 5-seater hatchback car will locate the battery and control unit beneath the cargo space. Like Honda’s previous IMA system it will feature an internal combustion engine and an electric motor for assistance. Honda also claims significant cost and weight reduction with the new car, allowing the hybrid to reach more customers.

The new Insight Concept will be displayed alongside Honda’s two other alternative fuel/hybrid cars - the Honda CR-Z lightweight sports car concept and the Honda FCX Clarity. Look for one more shot of the cars after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Second Generation Honda Insight Concept unveiled!

The Mazda Kiyora is Mazda’s latest concept car and will be unveiled at the 2008 Paris Motor Show. The Kiyora concept is a lightweight urban compact car. The Kiyora name means “clean and pure” in Japanese and is meant to represent the “Sustainable Zoom Zoom” harmony between driving pleasure and environmentally friendly features.

The urban compact is equipped with a direct injection 4-cylinder engine and Mazda’s Smart Idle Stop System. Is this a Mazda-ized Ford Ka or something larger?

Look for two more photos of the concept after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Mazda Kiyora concept set for Paris 2008 debut

The Hyundai Veracruz will be making its European market debut in the form of the Hyundai ix55. The Hyundai ix55 is essentially a Veracruz with styling and other changes to suit the European market. It will be displayed at the upcoming 2008 Paris Motor Show and further details will be released then.

In the US, the 7-seater Veracruz is offered with either a 3.8 liter V6 or a 3.0 liter turbodiesel engine. It’s a no brainer which engine will be more popular in Europe.

Click to enlarge

Hyundai has released the first image of the new Hyundai i20, a 5-door 5-seater hatchback which will replace the Hyundai Getz in the Korean automaker’s line-up.

According to Hyundai Motor Europe president Kun Hee Ahn, the new i20 is built on an all-new platform and is tailored to European tastes both in terms of looks and in ride and handling which calls for a firm and agile drive.

The car will be displayed to the public at the 2008 Paris Motor Show together with a “green” i20 i-blue concept which will feature a 90 horsepower 1.4 liter turbodiesel engine mated to a 6-speed manual. The i-blue concept is expected to achieve 68mpg and put out only 99g/km of CO2 emissions.

Click to enlarge

SEAT will be displaying its latest hot hatch at the 2008 Paris Motor Show, the SEAT Ibiza Cupra. Based on the 3-door hatchback bodystyle, the SEAT Ibiza Cupra features a 180 PS version of the 1.4 liter TSI engine featuring both a supercharger and a turbocharger to maximize boost pressure across all engine RPM ranges.

Power is put through the front wheels via a 7-speed DSG gearbox which you can manually shift via steering wheel paddle shifts.

Styling touches for the Cupra edition of the car include a new front bumper, little air intakes surrounding the front grille, 17 inch alloy wheels, and a new rear diffuser integrating a trapezoidal-shaped centrally-mounted exhaust tail pipe. On the interior you get Cupra sports seats and aluminium foot pedals.

Look for two more photos after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of SEAT Ibiza Cupra features 180PS twincharged 1.4L