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Volkswagen’s 1.4 TSI Twincharger wins 2009 International Engine of the Year Awards!

June 19, 2009 at 1:03 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, International News, Videos

The results for the 2009 International Engine of the Year Awards have been released, and the grand overall winner is the 1.4 litre TSI Twincharger engine from Volkswagen, ending for the first time in 4 years BMW’s dominance over the awards.

Quite interestingly out of the 8 entries for the title, 6 and a half are German engines, with the remaining one being the 1.0 litre in the Aygo and the “half” being PSA’s share in the BMW Prince engine, which managed 7th place with 107 points. Check out the videos in this post which talk about the winning engines.

Continue reading after the jump for the full story.
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BMW Z4 sDrive23i and sDrive35i launched in M’sia

June 18, 2009 at 11:02 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under BMW, Cars, Local News

Z4 Launch

The E89 BMW Z4 is now here in Malaysia, offered in two variants – the sDrive23i and the sDrive35i. The sDrive brand is basically BMW’s new method of naming their rear wheel drive cars that do not fall under the regular numbered series range. It’s meant to follow up on the xDrive suffix that was introduced on the X6, which means all-wheel drive.

The BMW Z4 sDrive23i is powered by a 2.5 litre N52 engine, producing 204 horsepower at 6,200rpm and 250Nm at 2,950rpm. That’s actually quite an impressive torque curve, as you don’t see many normally aspirated engine hitting peak torque below 3,000rpm, and the engine has Valvetronic and Double VANOS to thank for that. 0 to 100km/h takes a decent 7.3 seconds, far from blistering but within sporty ranges. The sDrive23i’s engine is mated to a 6-speed ZF automatic.

The most powerful one offered internationally for the moment (no E89 Z4 M for now or forever) is also the most powerful one brought in here, the BMW Z4 sDrive35i. This one is powered by a twin-turbocharged direct injection N54B30 engine, producing 306 horsepower at 5,800rpm and an M3-equalling 400Nm of torque between 1,300 to 5,000rpm.

Z4 Launch

0 to 100km/h takes just 5.1 seconds and the turbocharged roadster also features a 7-speed dual clutch transmission. There are only a few models that feature this – the 335i Coupe and Convertible as well as this new Z4 sDrive35i. The 135i does not get it for now. The E90/E92/E93 M3 gets a M version of the twin clutch.

Like all the new BMWs, the new hard drive-based iDrive system is used and also features BMW TeleServices. The Z4 comes with BMW Service Inclusive 3 years/60,000km + Repair), and here are the prices:

BMW Z4 sDrive23i – RM411,800.00
BMW Z4 sDrive35i – RM558,800.00

For more information on the E89 Z4, read our extensive coverage in the past.

Related Posts:
2010 BMW Z4 roadster: launch details and photos
New photos of the new E89 BMW Z4
New footage of the 2010 BMW Z4 released!
Adrian van Hooydonk on the new E89 BMW Z4 Roadster at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show
Free BMW Z4 game for the iPhone/iPod Touch
BMW Z4 wins a Red Dot award for 2009
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Facebook teaser: BMW X1 on the beach!

June 18, 2009 at 9:29 am By Paul Tan Filed Under BMW, Cars

BMW X1 Teaser
Click for enlarged image

BMW must be really excited about their new found information outlet – social media. They seem to be using it to the max, as the latest on the BMW X1 Facebook Page is another BMW X1 teaser image. This one featuring a white X1 looks more like a product promo photo, it’s fully undisguised but the X1 is a blur. It could be that the photographer had something else in focus that ended up reflected in the lense ;)

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Chinese site claims Volvo and Geely purchase deal finalised?

June 18, 2009 at 12:26 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, China, Geely, International News, Volvo

There are no confirmed reports in the Western media yet, but Chinese website auto.sohu.com claims that Ford and Geely have already struck an agreement for the Swedish car company best known for their safety to be sold to the Chinese manufacturer. But it is the only news source that seems to be covering this story, so it either might only be a blown-up rumour or it might be so fresh that only the Chinese side want to talk about it at the moment.

Nevertheless even that news report is skeptical about how such a deal can pull through successfully. Geely’s market value is over 30 billion yuan, which is about 4.3 billion USD, and a Volvo buy would also require several billion USD, claims the site. They are saying Geely might take government loans and other financial assistance. And given Ford’s improving financial health, it will be less desperate to sell Volvo, which might raise the Swedish manufacturer’s price.

Elsewhere in media reports, people are still talking about another Chinese car company recently deciding to join the race to buy Volvo from Ford – Beijing Auto Industry Holdings. Beijing Auto currently has joint ventures in China with Mercedes-Benz and Hyundai. Other names mentioned before in the press said to be interested in Volvo include Renault, Chery, and Changan.

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W204 C-Class gets “Special Edition” model

June 18, 2009 at 12:05 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, International News, Mercedes Benz

W204 Special Edition

Daimler is now selling a special trim level for the W204 C-Class, a “Special Edition” that can be had in either sedan or wagon bodystyle. The car features darkened front headlamps with a dark cover frame, a new iridium grey paintwork (obsidian black, palladium silver, iridium silver or calcite white optional), shoulderline trim strips in polished aluminium, silver matt radiator grille with a chrome ring and chromed twin louvres, chrome highlights in the bumper, a glossy black B-pillar, and finally it rides on 17-inch 5-spoke light-alloy wheels with mixed-size tyres (235/60R17 at the front, 255/55R17 at the rear), or optional 16 inch wheels.

Look after the jump for a small gallery of the new edition.
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Abt Q7 pumps out a scary 1,200Nm!

June 17, 2009 at 4:48 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Audi, Cars

Audi Q7 Abt

Abt has unveiled a new engine tuning kit for the V12-powered turbodiesel Audi Q7. The standard 500 horsepower and 1000Nm of torque that the 6.0 litre turbodiesel V12 produces is pumped up to 560 horses and 1,200Nm of torque. That must be one really strongly-built 6-speed automatic that’s mated to the V12, having to handle so much twisting power. Abt also has upgrade kits for the other engines that come with the Q7:

  • Audi Q7 4.2 FSI 350hp – up to 500hp and 550Nm via chip tuning and a supercharger.
  • Audi Q7 4.2 TDI 326hp – up to 365hp and 780Nm of torque via chip tuning.
  • Audi Q7 3.0 TDI 240hp – up to 282hp and 560Nm via chip tuning with the Abt Power kit, or 310hp and 610Nm via chip tuning and an uprated turbocharger with the Abt Power S Kit.

The Q7 has started becoming popular in the parallel import scene. It’s big, hulking, looks impressive and most importantly looks expensive. Those that want a little more out of their 4.2 litre V8 given the amount of road tax that they’re paying each year may take a look at slapping on the 500hp kit.

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VIDEO: Another longer Forte Koup promo

June 17, 2009 at 3:20 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Kia, Koreans, Videos

Kia Forte Koup

Here’s another version of the Kia Forte Koup promotional clip that was published on this blog earlier this week. This time you get to see two Koups in action – one red and one blue. The previous 30 second promo clip actually used snippets of footage from this one. This one is actually longer, clocking in at over 1 and a half minutes.

Watch the video after the jump.
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Lorinser tries dressing up the Lexus LS460

June 17, 2009 at 10:01 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Lexus

Lorinser LS460

Lorinser who usually dresses up Mercedes-Benz cars has released this bodykit for the Lexus LS. The bodykit consisting of a front bumper side skirts, a rear bumper and a choice of Lorinser wheels is not too overly done, with the only sign of aggression being at the rear where the neatly integrated rear exhaust tips that come standard with the LS have been replaced by quad exhaust tips integrated into the rear bumper lip. There is also a very small bootlid spoiler tacked on.

Lorinser LS460

S300 and S350 owners in Malaysia have been spoiled silly by the amount of kits they have available to tack onto their cars. The AMG bodykit whether from Mercedes-Benz or replicas seems to be very popular lately and then there is of course the Brabus kits offered by Naza. BMW will soon get an M-Sport kit for the F01/F02. Now a Lexus owner will be able to do that too, though it’s very unlikely for a typical Malaysian Lexus buyer to ever consider doing it.

Look after the jump for one more side shot of the Lorinser LS.
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Status Design bodykit for the Porsche Cayenne

June 17, 2009 at 9:41 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Concept Cars, Porsche

Status Design Cayenne
Click for enlarged image

We’ve seen some pretty aggressive Porsche Cayenne bodykits around and people are actually buying them and slapping them onto their cars, even here in Malaysia. But really, this is possibly the most outrageous bodykit of all. Just look at that Enzo-like nose cone! This kit was developed by Status Design, a company based in Moscow, Russia. If you ever want your Cayenne to look like some kind of bizarre Enzo-Peugeot hybrid, this is your solution. Right now it’s all just on paper as a preview, but the company aims to put the kit into production.

56 Comments      

First look at Hyundai Santa Fe facelift

June 17, 2009 at 9:20 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Hyundai, International News, Koreans

Hyundai Santa Fe

The first images of Hyundai’s mid-life refreshing of the Hyundai Santa Fe has been revealed, and it looks like the odd grille that first appeared on the facelifted “angry crab” Accent/Verna Transform will be making its way onto many other Hyundai models. The most significant change is under the hood, where the new R-Engine turbodiesel engine family will be installed. The 2.0 and 2.2 litre engines have an all-aluminium construction and produce 184PS/392Nm and 200PS/436Nm respectively. These are pretty strong numbers for turbodiesel engines of these size, especially with only a single turbocharger. More details and pix to be revealed as they are released.

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