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New Ford Focus Titanium hatchback sighted at SDAC PJ

February 8, 2012 at 12:57 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Ford

It looks like the new Ford Ranger isn’t the only car that Sime Darby Auto ConneXion will be busy with this year – a LYN forumer redbull_y2k posted these two pictures of a 2012 Ford Focus Titanium at what appears to be a Chinese New Year Lion Dance program at the SDAC PJ 3S center.

What do you think – looks pretty good eh? I’m not sure what this means though in terms of launch date, as SDAC has a history of bringing in future models for different purposes way before the actual launch date.

For example, before the Fiesta was launched, they brought in a 1.4 liter automatic unit from Singapore for teaser roadshows and we even reviewed that particular car in Driven.

Later, customers also reported sighting the Mondeo EcoBoost and S-MAX EcoBoost at the same PJ 3S center way before the launch.

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Tun Dr M reveals a first look at Proton P3-21A specs list – production Tuah/Espire to be launched in May 2012?

February 7, 2012 at 8:22 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Malaysian Makes, Proton, Proton Persona R

It’s one of the things that makes Malaysia unique – a popular ex-premiere who as the adviser to the national car company, can scoop all of the motoring publications in Malaysia when it comes to test driving and revealing the first details of the upcoming P3-21A!

Our ex-Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir has test driven the new Proton P3-21A at their Shah Alam test track, and he’s revealed the first details of Proton’s new car on his Che Det blog. The following is a list of what we can gather from his post:

  • Proton’s new 1.6 liter turbo engine will be used, which allows the P3-21A to produce the power of a 2.0 liter engine with a smaller displacement.
  • Hot press steel as opposed to cold press steel
  • Vehicle Seek Lamp
  • Wiper Auto Speed
  • Automatic folding wing mirror
  • Push-button Start/Stop function
  • Automatic Wiper Sensors
  • Automatic Headlamp Sensors
  • GPS navigation system
  • Impact sensing door lock
  • Central Locking
  • Alarm with Immobiliser
  • CVT gearbox with 7 virtual speed manual mode
  • Tiptronic selection on shift lever
  • Steering-mounted paddle shifters
  • ABS with Brake Assist

We’ve already been made aware of some of these features in the past, for example when we got our first look at the P3-21A’s interior (click to have a refreshed look in case you’ve forgot), we could see the paddle shifters and the push-start button.

Tun Dr Mahathir noted that these features are for the top of the line model, with some low-end and mid-level equipment levels to have less than the above features. He also mentioned that the car would be launched in 3 months time, which would mean sometime in May 2012? Until then, stay tuned for more updates!

In the meanwhile, what’s your wishlist for the new P3-21A? Share in the comments! For me, I would like to see 2 airbags standard on all models, as well as the option for side airbags to be included in the more expensive versions. I also wish ESP stability control would be an option.

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F1: Lotus E20 launched – fourth is the target for 2012

February 7, 2012 at 11:36 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Formula 1, Lotus, Motorsports

Lotus, formerly known as Lotus Renault GP, has pulled the wraps off its 2012 Formula 1 challenger. Called E20, it’s named after Enstone, the team’s base in UK. It’s the 20th F1 chassis designed at the Oxfordshire facility. The men charged with driving the black and gold cars are Romain Grosjean and returning champ Kimi Raikkonen.

The target for the duo is fourth in the Constructors’ championship this year, set by team owner Gerard Lopez of Genii Capital. Last year, the Lotus sponsored Renault team started strongly with two podiums in the first two races, but eventually finished a distant fifth, just six points ahead of Force India.

“The hopes are to be able to get one season together and do what we were expecting last year. We hope to have a strong car, and have strong drivers, one of which is of course an ex-world champion. We hope to bring the car up to the front of the pack and probably try to aim for fourth as a reasonable goal for this season,” Lopez said.

On another note, “we’re obviously extremely proud that finally the Lotus name is a clear concept for everybody in Formula 1 now,” the owner added. The former Team Lotus, owned by Tony Fernandes, will race as Caterham this season.

The E20 wears familiar black-gold clothes, but there are new sponsor logos from Rexona and Clear Anti-Dandruff shampoo on the flanks.

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Toyota joins the FIA World Endurance Championship

February 7, 2012 at 10:45 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Motorsports, Toyota

The FIA World Endurance Championship now has Toyota as a full time entrant for 2012. The Japanese carmaker formally registered itself to give WEC promoter Automobile Club de l’Ouest the minimum two manufacturers it requires in LMP1, as agreed with FIA. Normally an Audi vs Peugeot affair, the French company ended its endurance racing programme last month.

“It was originally planned to enter only selected races, which would have fallen short of the number required to be considered a full-time entrant. Due to the unexpected changes faced by the WEC, that plan has been revised,” Toyota said in a statement.

“The circumstances for the championship changed suddenly in the last weeks and Toyota Racing considers it important to work together with the FIA and ACO to establish a successful future for endurance racing. We have done everything we can to show our support and we look forward to an exciting season,” it added.

Toyota’s original plan was to contest individual races on invitational basis. The team has so far announced a single car entry at Spa and two cars for Le Mans 24 Hours in June. It’s not known if this latest development will include more races for the TS030 Hybrid race car. “There is a clear limitation on what we can do budget-wise and resource-wise,” a Toyota Motorsport GmbH spokesman told Autosport.

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Proton sponsors Le Tour de Langkawi for the 17th year

February 7, 2012 at 9:15 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Malaysian Makes, Proton

Proton has extended its support to the country’s most prominent cycling event, Le Tour de Langkawi. The national carmaker has been sponsor for 17 years now, since the race was first held in 1996. At a recent simple ceremony, Proton presented a mock key and the symbolic Blue Jersey to LTDL 2012 organisers. The Blue Jersey will be worn by the tour’s overall Sprint Champion.

This year’s sponsorship of the tour will include the supply of a fleet of vehicles, including technical support, maintenance, manpower and merchandise giveaways during the cavalcade. The Proton cavalcade is a procession of vehicles that will proceed ahead of the main racing peloton in promoting the tour. The Inspira, Saga, Exora, Persona, Perdana and Satria Neo will all be used.

“Le Tour de Langkawi provides Proton with a fantastic opportunity to showcase our range of vehicles not only to the local audience, but also the international riders, teams, officials and television viewers who will be following the race,” Proton’s Director of Group Marketing, Branding and Motorsports, John D. Chacko said.

LTDL 2012 has attracted a total of 120 cyclists representing 22 local and international professional teams. They will compete in a grueling 1414.8 km race stretched over 10 days. This year’s race will see the teams being flagged at the Proton Centre of Excellence in Shah Alam for Stage 6, which is a 108 km charge to the peak of Genting Highlands. As you can imagine, this will be the toughest stage of the tour, which starts on 24 February in Putrajaya.

Here are some pics of the Inspira with R3 kit and LTDL official car livery. Nice rims!

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SPYSHOT: Proton P3-21A Persona R rear uncovered!

February 6, 2012 at 7:38 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Malaysian Makes, Proton, Proton Persona R, Spyshots

Here’s another leaked shot of the soon to be launched Proton P3-21A, posted over at funtasticko. Don’t mind the slightly misaligned bootlid, it’s probably because the boot was not shut properly. The horizontal strip running across the bootlid is similiar to the one found on the Proton Exora – although it’s body coloured here, perhaps like the Exora it will be finished in chrome on high end models. What do you think of the design so far? It’s quite a departure from the Proton Tuah Concept eh?

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Join the Malaysia Ranger Challenge to win yourself your very own all-new Ranger XLT 2.2L Manual!

February 6, 2012 at 11:28 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Ford

The Malaysian leg of the Global Ranger Challenge has officially kicked off, giving us Malaysians a chance to put the famous “Built Ford Tough” claim to the ultimate test by taking the new Ranger through tough, real-life challenges.

Submit your ideas for the challenge at the Malaysia Ranger Challenge website, and five lucky entrants will be selected to get behind the wheel to turn their idea into reality.

Not only will these five be the first consumers in Malaysia to test the Ranger T6, the one with the best challenge (as chosen by the public) will drive away with his/her very own new Ranger XLT 2.2L Manual!

Examples of challenges might be testing if it’s comfy enough to camp in it for 48 hours straight, or show what you would tow with it’s towing capacity of over 3 tonnes, or even testing its horsepower and torque by taking it off-road. Be creative about it – you can check out the Global Ranger Challenge of other countries such as Australia or South Africa to get some inspiration.

Entries can be submitted to www.fordrangerchallenge.com.my. Submit your idea in the form of a short story of 200 words or less, or a recorded video. A new Ranger will then be loaned to each of the five finalists, who will carry out their nominated challenge with the help of a professional film crew provided by Ford. Footage will be uploaded to the Global Ford Ranger Challenge website for the public to view and vote.

The winner of the truck will be announced at the launch event of the new Ranger in Malaysia. Additionally, people who vote online will be entered into a lucky draw for a range of prizes. Online voting will happen throughout the month of May.

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New Skoda Rapid is a Polo Sedan with a Fabia head!

February 5, 2012 at 9:41 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Skoda

It’s badge engineering at it’s best – the Skoda Rapid just recently launched in India is a Volkswagen Polo Sedan with a Skoda Fabia front end. It’s platform-mate, the Polo Sedan is also on sale in India as the Volkswagen Vento. There seems to be plenty of buyers in India for both cars though – Volkswagen sold 2,143 units of the Vento in January 2012 in India, while the Rapid commanded 1,513 buyers.

The Indian market Skoda Rapid is available with the same engine options as the Vento – either a 1.6 liter petrol or a 1.6 liter TDI diesel, with both engines using a 5-speed manual, and an optional 6-speed automatic for the 1.6 liter petrol.

The Skoda Rapid nameplate originated in the 80s and was used on a coupe that was described by a magazine as a “poor man’s Porsche” in reference to its handling abilities. Wouldn’t it be cool if Skoda added a coupe version of the Rapid later?

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Honda Civic hatch with 1.6L GDI turbo to enter WTCC

February 5, 2012 at 4:57 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Honda, Motorsports

Honda’s FIA World Touring Car Championship will be the 5-door hatchback you see above, developed with Mugen and J.A.S. Motorsport, but what’s under the engine hood is more interesting – a Honda R&D developed bespoke 1.6 liter engine that’s not found in any current production Honda car!

Honda’s two car WTCC entry will be powered by a 1.6 liter 4 cylinder direct injection turbo engine, developed in accordance with FIA’s Super 2000 regulations. The cars will be managed by J.A.S. Motorsport, and will be entered in every race in the 2013 season.

A typical race covers between 50km to 60km in distance, and the full racing season covers 12 racing weekends, with 2 races per weekend. All vehicles who compete in the championship are based on mass production cars with more than than 4 seats. 

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Mercedes-Benz Citan small city van to launch this year

February 5, 2012 at 4:42 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Mercedes Benz

The trend now is to go for smaller vehicles with smaller more fuel efficient engines wherever possible, and a prime candidate for these downsized vehicles are the packed cities that can be found in nearly every economy. The commercial vehicle business looks to be doing the same, as these sketches preview Mercedes-Benz Commercial Vehicles’ first small van designed for urban use.

Called the Mercedes-Benz Citan – an amalgamation of City and Titan, the new “urban delivery van” will slot in a new segment under the Vito, Sprinter and Vario models, and will be available as a standard panel van as well as a crew bus and other configurations in various lengths and weights. A Mixto passenger variant will also be on sale. Once a “niche” market in the 90s, the small delivery van segment currently accounts for 700,000 units a year in Europe alone, and Mercedes-Benz expects to claim a 4% to 5% market share with the new Citan.

Both petrol and diesel engines will be available for the Citan, and given the intended city usage, I wouldn’t be surprised if eventually you could see some kind of electric Citan in the future.

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