Archive for Cars

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I’m sure alot of you are aware of credit card features such as Mastercard Paypass and Visa Wave, but what if you could integrate something like that into your car key? That’s precisely the idea that BMW Group Research and Technology had when they came up with this concept multifunctional smart key.

The new smart key is multifunctional like what a MyKad is supposed to be - it can store a credit card and even stuff like lectronic tickets for bus, train and air travel.

The world has much to thank Ford about when it comes to the new Ford Mustang. It’s the car that started the whole “retro-futurism” muscle car trend that gave us beauties like the new Transformers Chevy Camaro and the new Dodge Challenger.

This is the revised fifth generation Mustang, facelifted for the 2010 model year, which will go on sale in early 2009. You can have it in either 4.0 liter V6 or 4.6 liter V8 engines, with the former being from the Cologne engine family featuring an iron block with an aluminium SOHC head, 2 valves per cylinder, and a redline of 6,100rpm. Peak output is 210 horsepower at 5,300rpm and peak torque is 325Nm at 3,500rpm.

The V8 from the Ford Modular family is where it gets just a little more “exciting”: variable valve timing, all-aluminium and 3 valves per cylinder good for 300 horses at 5,750rpm and 434Nm of torque at 4,500rpm up to a redline of 6,250rpm. Both engines can be mated to either a 5-speed manual or a 5-speed automatic transmission.

The special limited edition Mustang Bullit will be continued with this facelift, with an additional 3,000 units planned to be added to the initial 7,700 unit number. This version features a slightly tuned up engine producing 315 horses and 440Nm of torque, and Ford also promises crisper throttle response and a higher redline of 6,500rpm.

The Mustang also gets a new glass-roof option priced at US$1,995 allowing you to enjoy the night sky without actually having to opt for the Convertible model.

Pay a visit to the photo gallery after the jump for high-res Mustang goodness.

Click here to read the rest of 2010 Ford Mustang: official details and photos

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Volvo Cars has released a teaser image of the Volvo S60 Concept that’s set to make a public debut at the 2009 Detroit Motor Show in January 2009. A view of the concept’s all-white interior was unveiled earlier, which featured a center dash stack made of crystal crafted by Orrefors.

The S60 Concept features a coupe-like silhouette and the design of the shoulder line pays homage to the likes of the Audi A5 and Hyundai Elantra as in it has a wave-like shape extending from the front headlamp to the rear taillamp. Volvo Cars says is inspired by the cliffs and seas of Volvo’s home country, Sweden.

“We both can and dare to deliver even more exciting and more dynamic designs while retaining our grip on the lead position with regard to safety. The concept car shows part of our future, it’s a hint that the all-new S60 will be one of the strongest contenders in the CD premium segment. The concept car’s design gives a visual promise of enthusiastic driving characteristics and I can assure you that the all-new S60 will deliver a sporty drive like no Volvo before,” says Stephen Odell, President and CEO at Volvo Cars.

We’re definitely waiting in anticipation, Steve! This 2009 concept will preview a production version which will make a debut for the 2010 model year.

The Fisker Karma is a plug-in hybrid luxury sports sedan, and was also the subject of controversy because Tesla accused Fisker Coachbuild of not doing a good job with the work it was contracted to do with the upcoming (and postponed) Tesla Model S sports sedan. Tesla has since dropped the lawsuit.

The Karma is an extended-range plug-in electric vehicle, which means its sole method of drive is its electric motor, which can take it up to 0 to 100km/h in a rapid-enough 5.8 seconds. But it also has a combustion engine, which was just recently announced this week to be GM’s inline-4 turbocharged direct injection Ecotec engine from the Pontiac Solstice GXP that can produce 260hp.

This engine’s sole purpose is to generate electricity to recharge the Karma’s batteries to extend the car’s 80km battery range. I’m not sure why such a high-powered engine is necessary for this, instead of a small displacement engine like GM’s own extended range plug-in, the Chevrolet Volt. Perhaps its because the li-ion batteries need to be recharged more rapidly because of the high power requirements of the electric motor.

“GM is proud that Fisker has selected one of the world’s best powertrains for installation into the new Karma. The advanced design of this engine offers a superior performance-to-weight ratio that makes it the right choice for the Fisker Karma,” said Tom Stephens, Executive VP of GM Powertrain & Global Quality.

Look after the jump for a gallery of the Fisker Karma.

Click here to read the rest of Fisker Karma to use 260hp 2.0L turbo from GM

Porsche has released more details and 7 high-resolution shots of the new Porsche Panamera, which include the 5 medium-res photos we saw earlier. Before you head onto the photo gallery after the jump to download the high-res photos for wallpaper use (for those who like the look of this thing of course), let’s get into the initial details of the Porsche Panamera range.

Porsche calls the Porsche Panamera a four-door grand touring sports car, which does a good job of describing what it is actually. It’s 4,970mm long, 1,931mm wide and 1,418mm tall, but no wheelbase was quoted. That slots it somewhere in between the length of an E-Class and an S-Class, but that’s probably because it does not have the additional length of the S-Class SWB’s boot. It’s also wider than the S-Class and rides much lower.

Porsche says the engine options that sit in the engine bay up-front consist of six-cylinder and eight-cylinder options with some being turbocharged, which point to a similiar line-up to the Porsche Cayenne - a 3.6 liter V6 for the baseline Panamera, a 4.8 liter V8 for a Panamera S and a twin-turbocharged 4.8 liter V8 for the Panamera Turbo. Porsche also says there will be a hybrid.

Drive will either be to the rear wheels or to all four wheels, so regular Panameras will be offered alongside “Panamera 4″ models, as evident from the set of photos which feature a Porsche Panamera 4S, which indicates a normally aspirated V8 powering all four wheels.

You can either shift through the gears youself with a six-speed manual transmission or enjoy the ease of the PDK gearbox, a 7-speed dual clutch transmission which unlike other “basic” twin clutchers, can also predict downshifts.

Look after the jump for a set of high-res photos and a video.

Click here to read the rest of More shots and details of the Porsche Panamera

The Proton Persona is now in Saudi Arabia, making it the third Proton model offered by Proton’s Saudi Arabian distributor Al Rashed & Al Thunayan Auto Co. The first two models offered there are the Proton Waja and the Proton GEN2, and after the Proton Persona will soon come the Proton Saga.

Last I checked, Proton’s distributorship contract with Al Rashed & Al Thunayan Auto Co is for 5 years beginning the year 2006, and involves a volume commitment of 2,400 units for 2008. They hope this will grow to between 4,000 to 5,000 units annually in the future.

This Chevrolet Cruze WTCC car will replace the Lacetti as Chevrolet’s entry in the World Touring Car Championship for the 2009 series, powered by a 2.0 liter petrol engine. It will be prepared by RML Motorsport, who have looked after the Chevy WTCC car since 2005.

“The Cruze is a great car and feels fast straight out of the box. We are obviously still at the very early stages of development but already I can feel how much better it handles and what an advantage the car’s wider track will be in a race environment,” said British driver Rob Huff, who will be joined by Swiss racer Alain Menu and Italian driver Nicola Larini, the same trio who also drove for the Chevy team this year.

The road-going Chevrolet Cruze was launched in Korea as the Daewoo Lacetti a few weeks ago and will make its UK debut in the first half of 2009.

Click here to read the rest of Chevrolet Cruze WTCC car for 2009 series

Eric Reguly of Canadian paper Globe and Mail has a piece on why the Detroit Three should be allowed to go bust. Click here to read the story.

Essentially the gist of the article is that the Detroit Three have gone lazy and have relied on lobbying auto-related laws such as CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) standards to be able to sell low-tech large guzzling and polluting SUVs at over-inflated prices, while other automakers who actually have to sell their cars in other markets which are not protected continued technically innovating and developing their cars following the global market trends.

The CAFE was a protectionist bailout in disguise, and now when the shit hits the fan, they want to be bailed out all over again, this time with cold hard cash.

Frankly I tend to agree. The only globally marketable car that seems to be coming out of GM’s factories now are all Daewoo-based. It’s ironic - from what was once a cheap car designed to sell in “emerging markets” like the special “ASEAN cars” we get here in our market, the new Daewoo Lacetti (pictured above, to be badged the Chevrolet Cruze) is touted as the car that could save GM, even in the US.

Nissan’s new 2009 370Z Coupe has arrived, having being just unveiled at the LA Auto Show last week, though we’ve already previously seen leaked product shots on the net before the show.

They’ve intentionally given the new Z a more retro-ish styling that they say pays homage to the original 240Z from the 70s, though there’s nothing retro about that odd headlamp design (that debuted on the new Maxima) that comes with a matching taillamp design. Unlike other cars which seem to grow larger with each generation, the new Nissan 370Z is actually smaller than the Nissan 350Z.

The new car’s wheelbase is a whole 99mm shorter than the 350Z - 2550mm versus 2649mm and its also shorter by about 2.7 inches and lower by 0.3 inches. However it’s wider by 1.3 inches and the rear track also increases by 2.2 inches.

The chassis has also been strengthened, with the front torsion rigidity up by 30% and rear torsion rigidity up by 22%. Rear body vertical bending rigidity is also up by 30%. A new front suspension crade reduces front body lateral bending, while an underbody V bar reduces rear lateral bending. Also, don’t forget the new radiator housing which uses carbon fiber composite.

More aluminium has been used on the 370Z than ever on a Z car before this - for the first time the Z car has aluminum door panels, along with an all-aluminum hood and an aluminium hatch. The front double wishbones also use aluminium and are lighter, while the 4-link rear supension is also stiffer and lighter with the cradle now made of a single piece with no welding.

The engine is the VQ37VHR that debuted in the Infiniti G37 with 332 horses at 7,000rpm and 366Nm of torque at 5,200rpm, but what’s interesting is the transmissions that are mated to this motor. The automatic choice has 7 cogs, a quick lock-up function, automatic throttle blipping on downshifts, and paddle shifts for a closer resemblance to what a manual feels. In manual mode, a quick-shifting mode is activated allowing 0.5 second shifts.

The manual option is a 6-speed manual with what Nissan calls a “SynchroRev Match” feature (it’s an option with the Sport Package, not standard), which automatically rev-matches your engine speed for downshifts. You still operate the clutch and the gear lever normally, its just that the transmission automatically blips and rev-matches for the downshift. Yes, heel and toe is no longer necessary, though you can still do it yourself if you want to by disabling the SynchroRev Match feature.

There are also some differences with the pedals. For one, the aluminium pedals use a new rubber insert material for better grip. The accelerator pedal is now floor mounted like BMWs or the new Honda Civic, while the brake pedal now has a new variable ratio design for easier operation.

The standard wheels are 18 inchers with Yokohama Advan Sport 225/50R18 tyres at the front and a wider 245/45R18 size at the rear. Optional are 19 inch RAYS forged aluminium-alloy wheels wrapped with Bridgestone Potenza RE050A rubber in 245/40R19 and 275/35R19 sizes for the front and rear respectively.

The roadster model will debut sometime in 2009 for the 2010 model year. Look after the jump for a hi-res photo gallery of the new 2009 Nissan 370Z.

Click here to read the rest of 2010 Nissan 370Z: Official Details and Photos

Mazda has decided to beat the spy photographers at their own game and publish these high-res high-quality photos of the upcoming hatchback version of the Mazda 3 undergoing road tests, complete with your classic taped up and covered sections.

The original Mazda 3 hatchback while having an obvious family resemblance to its sedan sibling did not share a single body panel with the sedan. You can expect the new Mazda 3 hatchback to follow its predecessor’s lead, but if we find out the front end is one and the same as the previously unveiled smiley sedan, it’s probably a sign of cost-cutting times.

Look after the jump for Mazda’s self-published “spyshots” of the Mazda 3 hatchback.

Click here to read the rest of Mazda releases “spyshots” of the Mazda 3 hatch!