Archive for International News

More updates on the potential break-up of American-German automotive giant DaimlerChrysler. DaimlerChrysler recently announced it might sell off the Chrysler group, viewed by some as going back on it’s word for commitment in making the partnership work. DaimlerChrysler issued a statement to the media today saying it’s future strategy for Chrysler’s could only be decided in weeks or months.

Chrysler CEO Tom LaSorda has decided to shed some light on the matter, whatever light he is able to shed without implicating himself legally of course. The full unedited email is available after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Chrysler CEO Tom LaSorda’s email to employees

Another new variant to the 2nd gen MINI range will be unveiled at Geneva 2007, this time an oil-burner: the 2007 MINI Cooper D. This turbodiesel MINI is Cooper badged, so drivers can expect a nice, spirited drive, albeit with a lower redline to trash the engine to. The previous turbodiesel MINI was labelled a One D, but with this 2nd generation body it moves up the segment as a Cooper D. Fuel consumption is about 3.6 liters for every 100km travelled.

The 1.6 liter turbodiesel engine makes 110hp at 4,000rpm and 240Nm of torque that peaks between 1,750rpm and 2,000rpm. Overboost can be activated, giving the engine 260Nm, an increase of 20Nm, at 2,000rpm. This torque matches the figures in the new 2nd gen MINI Cooper S, which is very nice indeed. The turbocharger features variable turbine geometry, and the engine uses second generation common rail injection technology that provides for multiple injections for each operating cycle. In terms of transmission, a 6-speed manual is provided as standard equipment.

More photos after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of 2007 MINI Cooper D - diesel MINI moves up!

One more addition to the new second generation R56 MINI family - the 2007 MINI One, which will make it’s debut at Geneva 2007 next month. The MINI One is the entry-level model into the range, sporting a 1.4 liter normally aspirated engine derived from the 1.6 liter normally aspirated engine in the MINI Cooper. The 1.4 liter engine from the new Prince family jointly developed with PSA Peugeot Citroen promises at least a zippy feel to the MINI One: 95hp at 6,000rpm and 140Nm of torque at 4,000rpm. The engine features Valvetronic fully variable valve timing control, which also eliminates the use of a throttle butterfly, helping with the pumping losses that happens when a partly open throttle butterfly blocks the air intake path.

0-100km/h is done in 10.9 seconds, hardly astounding, but if you want performance go for the MINI Cooper or MINI Cooper S. The MINI One has a fuel efficiency of 4.74 liters per 100km travelled, an efficiency increase of about 15 percent over the outgoing MINI One which was discontinued at the end of last year.

Gearbox is a 6-speed manual, with two overdrive gears with the 6th one designed with an especially long ratio for optimum fuel economy even at high cruising speeds. There’s also a 6-speed auto transmission available, with the option of manual shifting either via the gear lever or paddle shifts mounted on the steering wheel. A Sports button activates faster gearshifts in the automatic gearbox - for the manual you just have to do your clutch foot work faster!

More photos after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of 2007 MINI One to make 2007 Geneva debut

Ever since DaimlerChrysler announced that the sale of Chrysler and it’s brands (Dodge, Jeep) to another party is now an option, there has been plenty of rumours, supposed insider news as well as speculation on who the new buyer would be.

Seen as a forefront to the Chrysler purchase is General Motors, who analysts think would purchase Chrysler as a defensive move against import marques like Toyota. Analysts think purchasing Chrysler would give GM a US$9 billion value in terms of product line-up, operating efficiencies including reduced R&D and advertising costs. Stock market analysts are mixed over the issue, with John Murphy of Merrill Lynch rating GM shares as a buy, while Jon Rogers, a New York-based analyst at Citigroup Investment Research rated them as a sell. DaimlerChrysler shares remain unrated.

Some think Hyundai may be a good match for Chrysler, and Hyundai has already worked with Chrysler before on certain projects including the Global Engine Manufacturing Alliance project along with an accompanying platform, as well as rebadging Hyundais as Dodge cars in Mexico. Hyundai needs more plants in the US, something Chrysler has. Hyundai currently only has one plant in the US. Hyundai needs a V8, Chrysler has the Hemi. Chrysler used to own a 10.5% stake in Hyundai. Hyundai is good at small cars, Chrysler is not - Chrysler’s good at big cars, Hyundai isn’t.

Other speculated potential suitors are the Nissan and Renault alliance, as well as SAIC and Chery of China. Chrysler and Chery already have an agreement for Chery to assist Chrysler in building small compact cars, something that Chery does best. Foreign automakers like Toyota, Hyundai and the Chinese makes are cited as one of the reasons GM would buy Chrysler, as having a foreign Korean or Chinese marque gain access to Chrysler’s extensive dealer network would be a problem - the American companies already have problems fending off the Japanese.

Anyway, whether GM takes up Chrysler or not, they are already in some form of joint venture talks now, as General Motors might give Chrysler access to it’s GMT900 platform large-SUV, something that Chrysler does not have an equivalent in it’s line-up.

Related Posts:
DaimlerChrysler might drop Chrysler Group

One disturbing trend for those concerned with both performance and fuel economy is that cars have gotten more and more heavier over the years. Compare the original Mk1 Golf GTI to the latest Mk5 version, the original was only 810kg in stock form, while the latest TFSI Mk5 weighs in at 1,340kg - thats more than 500kg heavier!

Rather than see 2,000kg hot hatches sometime in the future, someone has decided to do something about this and hopefully force everyone to follow suit - Thomas Weber, board member in charge of R&D over at DaimlerChrysler.

Weber admits that the weight of cars have been growing alarmingly over the past few years. DaimlerChrysler has moved weight reduction into the middle term concerns, together with improving drivetrain efficiency and energy management. Special project teams devoted to lightweight construction were formed in late 2006. DaimlerChrysler is now using ultra high performance steels in highly stressed structural parts and aluminum at chassis locations that are under less strain. Every parts designer is given goals for weight reduction in his area.

According to surveys, vehicle weight increases every year from about 1% to 1.5%, plus vehicle length grows about 5 to 10cm from one model generation to another. Weight increases because of increase in vehicle size as well as increase safety, amongst many reasons. In this age of fuel efficiency concerns, will we see this trend reversed?

The second production variant of Kia’s new cee’d range for the European market will be launched at Geneva 2007 on the 6th March 2007. The 4.5 meter long wagon has a long wheelbase, helping with a large and comfy passenger cell.

The wagon is 235mm longer than the 5-door Kia cee’d hatch, and luggage capacity is 534 liters, which enlarges to an even larger amount when the split rear bench is folder down. The top hinges have been moved forwards by 225 mm (compared to the ceed hatchback), so the tailgate has reduced outswing and upswing. This allows users to stand closer to the car and allows for the tailgate to be fully opened in restricted parking spaces.

More photos after the jump.

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Kia cee’d Sport Wagon

Click here to read the rest of 2007 Kia cee’d Wagon

Remember the Suzuki SX4-based sedan that was posted in this blog back in September 2006? Suzuki will be unveiling it to the world at the 2007 Geneva Motor Show next month. Despite the Suzuki SX4’s all-wheel drive capability, the SX4 Sedan will be a front wheel drive vehicle, featuring the same 109hp 1.6 liter engine in the Suzuki SX4. Read the related post to view all 4 photos of the new sedan based on the Suzuki SX4.

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Click to enlarge: Volkswagen Passat BlueMotion Estate

Volkswagen’s new Passat BlueMotion will make it’s debut at the 2007 Geneva Motor Show on the 6th of March 2007 - wish I could be there. Following the footsteps of the first BlueMotion vehicle, the Volkswagen Polo BlueMotion, the new Passat BlueMotion offers outstanding fuel efficiency statistics. It’s possibly the most fuel efficient vehicle in it’s segment: using only 5.1 liters per 100km and producing only 136 g/km of CO2.

This means a full tank will get you 1,350km of driving range, and based on an average yearly mileage of 15,000km, this means you only have to refuel the Volkswagen Passat BlueMotion 11 times a year, or about once a month! The 70 liter fuel tank would cost RM110.60 to fill up at current diesel prices of RM1.58 per liter - that’s RM1216 a year!

These impressive stats are thanks to an aerodynamic body with a drag coefficienct of 0.27cD, lower than some sports cars, and a finely tuned 105hp TDI turbodiesel engine with a diesel particulate filter. Despite all the frugality, the Volkswagen Passat BlueMotion’s top speed is not too bad at 193km/h for the sedan and 190km/h for the estate variant.

Mazda gives us a preview of it’s new B-segment hatchback, the Mazda 2. Updated to modern Mazda design language, gone is the boxy outlook of it’s predecessor, instead you get a sporty hatch which is reminiscent of the Toyota Yaris. The new Mazda 2 is shorter at 3880mm, however it still keeps an identical wheelbase of 2490mm.

It has a sporty front, with a large air dam flanked by two smaller ones hosting fog lamps, and large headlamps, however I have to disagree with their choice of front grille design - something bigger would have looked better. Trunk space is rated at 250 liters, but with the seats down it enlarges to 469 liters of space. The 2008 Mazda 2 is expected to be unveiled with three engine options, a 1.3 liter petrol (two variants - 74hp/118Nm and 83hp/121Nm), a 1.5 liter petrol (103hp/136Nm) as well as a 1.4 liter turbodiesel.

Two more photos of the rear and side profile after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of 2008 Mazda 2 Preview

MINI’s previous Concept Frankfurt gave us an insight into the future of the MINI product range - currently comprising of the One, One D, Cooper, Cooper S and Cooper Convertible. You could say the Concept Frankfurt was a modern incarnation of the old school Mini Traveller, a way of BMW MINI telling us that it plans to develop a new station wagon MINI. However due to legal reasons, the new MINI station wagon will not be called the MINI Traveller, but instead a new name has been chosen: the MINI Clubman.

Spyshots have already been circulating the internet, and the MINI Clubman will feature an assymetrical design, with one side having just a driver’s door, but the other side having a passenger door as well as a small suicide door which swings open to facilitate easy entry into the rear seats. Auto Motor und Sport reports that the MINI Clubman will also receive all-wheel drive technology in end 2008.

Two other rumoured MINI projects include an all-wheel drive MINI Cooper is also in the works, as well as something a little more tricky. This tricky little thing will be called the MINI Colorado, and it will be somewhat like the typical MINI Cooper, however it will have off-road design elements to it, with a higher suspension as well as all-wheel drive, facilitating some light offroading. Colorado is just an internal codename for the moment, but the old school Mini had a variant called the Moke, which was somewhat like a tiny cross between a Jeep and a Mini (refer to photo in the top left).