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  • Hyundai i30 1.6 and 2.0 launched in Malaysia!

    In Cars, Hyundai, Koreans, Local News / By / / 199 comments

    Hyundai i30

    One of the first Hyundai cars to feature the new i naming scheme is now in Malaysia, but it is not the first i car in Malaysia, as that honour has gone to the i10.

    The Hyundai i30 is a C-segment contender designed by their European center for the European market, but that has not stopped it from offering it elsewhere unlike the Kia cee’d's European exclusivity. The i30 shares the same platform as cars like the cee’d and the upcoming Forte. Proof of that is the fact that the i30 is now here in Malaysia and the wagon version is even in the US, called the Hyundai Elantra Touring.

    Hyundai i30

    Three variants are sold here, and the good news for manual fans is that there’s a manual version for the 1.6 litre. The following are the prices of the Hyundai i30 variants here in Malaysia:

    • Hyundai i30 1.6 (M) – RM92,388.00
    • Hyundai i30 1.6 (A) – RM97,888.00
    • Hyundai i30 2.0 (A) – RM112,888.00

    The 1.6 litre engine makes 121 PS at 6,200rpm and 154Nm of torque at 4,200rpm, while the larger 2.0 litre unit makes 143 PS at 6,000rpm and 186Nm at 4,600rpm. The 2.0 litre engine is the same as the one in the Elantra/Avante, and not of the GEMA series found in the Sonata.

    Hyundai i30

    The 5-speed manual 1.6 gets 15 inch wheels with 185/65R15 tyres, the 1.6 auto goes up one inch with 205/55R16 tyres while the 2.0 auto gets 17 inch wheels with 225/45R17 tyres for a sportier stance. The car rides on a 2,650mm wheelbase chassis (the i30 wagon/Elantra Touring has an extended wheelbase of 2,700mm) with MacPherson struts at the front and a multi-link suspension setup at the rear.

    In terms of safety features, all cars get 2 SRS airbags at the front as well as ABS brakes, and good news is that the 2.0 litre automatic gets ESP stability control. Another safety feature for your wallet – a 5 year or 300,000km warranty.

    Hyundai i30

    Hyundai is offering 1.99% loans for 5 year tenures, and this also applies to the rest of the Hyundai range except the Starex. Speaking of the rest of the Hyundai range, it looks like the Elantra has been renamed the Avante in the new Hyundai-Sime Darby line-up.

    This probably happened when the Hyundai franchise was unified here in Malaysia – there are no longer two separate companies selling different Hyundai models, only the Sime Darby unit. The i30 will be in showrooms August onwards. If you like the car and are already thinking of how to pimp it up once you’ve bought one, here’s some inspiration.
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  • Antonella inspired the Ford Verve Concept

    In Cars, Ford, International News / By / / 25 comments


    Click to enlarge

    Remember the hot babe above who appeared together with the Ford Verve Concept that previewed the production new Ford Fiesta? Her name is Antonella and she’s a 28 year old woman who lives in Rome. Apparently she’s not real.

    Antonella was also a “concept”, she was what Ford envisioned the Ford Fiesta’s consumer to be like. She was the personality for the Ford Verve Concept. She likes hanging out with friends, fun activities, clubbing and parties. And so did the Verve, or at least that’s what Ford says. It does look like a pretty fun car. The cellphone-like layout of the center dash area is meant to mirror her cellphone and the shape of the Verve’s instrument cluster pods are meant to mirror the kind of glasses she would wear.

    You have to admit one thing though, the 3D rendering of her in the car above is pretty good! Look after the jump for one more photo of her.
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  • Next KL International Motorshow set for 2010

    In Cars, Local News / By / / 51 comments

    KLIMS 2010

    The MAA have announced that the Kuala Lumpur International Motor Show will be held in December next year – between the 3rd and 12th December 2010 to be exact.

    KLIMS10′s motto will be “We CARE”, and CARE is supposed to stand for Commitment, Advancement, Reliability and Environment. The KLIMS organising committee says the show will take up 30,000 square meters of space at the PWTC and expects to attract over 200 exhibitors and over 330,000 visitors.

    That’s a long time to wait. See you at KLIMS next year then!

     

  • Next gen Infiniti M set for virtual 3D debut?

    In Cars, Infiniti, International News / By / / 13 comments

    Infiniti M
    Current generation Infiniti M – due to be replaced soon!

    New and cool ways of launching products are a sure way of getting more attention to your product in a sea of press releases. The word is that despite not having an actual showcar model of the next generation Infiniti M-series ready yet, it will be displaying a foam mold model at the Pebble Beach show coming up in August.

    Now you might be thinking, what’s the use of a foam mold? Wouldn’t that only show the overall silhouette of the car? Here’s the unique part – apparently Infiniti will be using 3D projection systems to project a digital rendering of the next generation M onto the mold.

    The Infiniti M is currently available as the M35 and M45, and is Infiniti’s rear wheel drive answer to the 5-Series, E-Class, GS, A6, and etc. The car is known as the Nissan Fuga in Japan, where the Infiniti brand is not present, like how the Infiniti G is known as the Nissan Skyline and most recently, the Infiniti EX as the Skyline Crossover.

    The top of the range next generation M will most likely be called the Infiniti M50, featuring the VK50VE 5.0 litre V8 producing 390 horses and 500Nm of torque, while the baseline could either be an M35 or an M37 featuring either a 3.5 litre V6 or a 3.7 litre V6 respectively. The 3.7 litre did not really phase out the 3.5 litre and both engines seem to be in use concurrently in the Nissan stables.

     

  • Ford announces new 2.0 liter EcoBoost turbo

    In Cars, Ford, International News, Videos / By / / 8 comments

    EcoBoost
    EcoBoost badging on the Ford Taurus SHO

    Ford has announced a new 2.0 litre inline-4 EcoBoost (previously known as TwinForce) turbocharged engine that will begin sales in 2010. The 2.0 litre engine will feature turbocharging and Twin-Independent Variable Cam Timing (Ti-VCT).

    EcoBoostIt will deliver power equivalent to a normally aspirated V6 engine but offer between 10 to 20 percent better fuel economy. No official power figures have been revealed yet but Ford says at least 230 horses can be expected, along with 325Nm of torque peaking at just under 2,000rpm.

    “Today we see it as a premium engine. As we expand it will be the volume engine,” said Ford’s VP for global product development Derrick Kuzak, referring to Ford engines with EcoBoost, which other than this new 2.0 litre engine, also includes the previously announced 355 horsepower 3.5 litre V6 found in the Taurus SHO.

    Volume means small, mass-market cars. What’s coming up next is likely a smaller displacement EcoBoost inline-4 engine like a 1.4 litre or 1.6 litre EcoBoost turbo. Many other manufacturers have easily used turbocharged engines of such sizes to produce a 2.0 litre equivalent power output. Volkswagen even has a 1.2 litre TSI inline-3 that produces 102 PS, equivalent to a plain-jane 1.6 litre engine. It looks like the next generation of Mustang could be an all-turbo line-up, featuring this 2.0 litre turbo and the larger 3.5 litre turbo V6!

    The only question I have is, given that Mazda (that Ford has close technical ties with) has had a turbocharged direct injection four cyclinder engine for quite some time now (found in the Mazda 3 MPS, Mazda 6 MPS and Mazda CX-7), why didn’t this come sooner?

    Look after the jump for an unbelievably boring 10 minute presentation on EcoBoost by Ford’s Derrick Kuzak, but it’s got some info in it. Kuzak could definitely take some pointers from Steve Jobs though.
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  • Lasers to replace sparkplugs in the future?

    In Cars, Technology, Videos / By / / 25 comments

    Laser Spark
    Sparkplug (bottom) versus optical laser plug (top)

    A Ford that shoots laser beams? No, we’re not talking about James Bond’s next Ford Fusion. Nor are we talking about Ford bringing back the Laser nameplate. Ford and the University of Liverpool have just received a £200,000 grant from UK government-funded Carbon Trust to develop a car ignition system that uses laser beams instead of spark plugs to ignite combustion.

    A laser (that can be fired over 50 times per second) is directed through a lense towards a point in the combustion chamber where the fuel is most concentrated. It could also be split into multiple beams to give multiple ignition points.

    Using a laser could result in better use of cylinder head space as the fiber optic cable that can be used to deliver this laser beam is much thinner than a relatively big spark plug. This will allow more space in the head to be used for other things such as larger valves. However, apparently tests showed that fiber optic cables were too affected by vibration in the engine bay, so the best would be via an “optical plug”.

    If you want to read more about laser ignition, it’s best to hear it from the horse’s mouth themselves. Read the report by the University of Liverpool. Watch a video after the jump comparing a conventional spark with laser ignition.
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  • Goodyear Duraplus lasts up to 100,000km?

    In Cars, Local News / By / / 38 comments

    Goodyear DuraplusThe new Goodyear DuraPlus was launched recently in Malaysia and the company claims it is able to achieve mileage as much as 100,000km. That sounds like really good news for the budget-conscious consumer who just want to buy something, fit it on and forget about it for the next few years.

    The 100,000km figure was obtained during Goodyear’s tests on company tracks in France and Luxembourg, as well as open roads in Thailand. According to Goodyear, 100,000km is a good estimate and the tyres actually lasted even longer during the tests. The tests were conducted using 185/65R14 tyres.

    The key behind the durability of the DuraPlus is what they call TredLife Technology, which actually consists of a few key design features that enables the tyre to last longer. A wide face cavity leads to increased footprint and more wearable rubber in contact with the road. A higher land to sea ratio tread depth allows for more wearable rubber.

    duraplus1
    DuraPLUS Tire (side view)
    DuraPLUS Tire (front view)
    DuraPLUS Tire (3-4 view)

    Click thumbnails above for enlarged images

    The tyre also uses a carbon-based tread compound so the tire has a higher resistance to frictional wear, contributing to the tire’s long tread life and also increased mileage due to the lower rolling resistance. A new carcass design incorporating a stronger fabric that provides less resistance to tire rotation, leading to improved fuel efficiency. The tread pattern is asymmetric, placing more rubber on the outside shoulder of the tire, resulting in increased grip during cornering.

    11 sizes are available in Malaysia, for 13 inch to 15 inch wheels. The Duraplus replaces the Goodyear GT3 in the Malaysian line-up.

    Goodyear Tyre Sizes

    DuraPlus Price List

     

  • Cobra Connex Stolen Vehicle Recovery system for the Honda Accord

    In Cars, Honda, Local News / By / / 16 comments

    Here’s more info on the Connex Stolen Vehicle Recovery system that is currently an option with the Accord.

    The system is actually by the Cobra vehicle security company, and is pretty reknown. For example, the Italian company’s Connex systems are being used by alot of companies such as Audi France where they use Connex as the standard alarm and recovery solution for the Q7, A8, S, RS and V8-engined cars.

    When you buy the package from Honda at RM3,660 inclusive of installation, first year annual service fee (RM360) and a compensation guarantee (optional and worth RM140), it will be installed at the Honda dealer. This package is currently for Peninsular Malaysia cars only, and comes with a 3 year warranty.

    Cobra LogoNow what is the compensation guarantee? Basically if your car is recovered within 72 hours of theft management notification, you get cash of up to RM5,000 and bills of up to RM5,000. This covers bills for repair and replacement of damaged parts.

    If the stolen vehicle is not recovered within 72 hours, you get a cash compensation of RM15,000 and a RM15,000 subsidy at Honda dealers for a new car if the car is not recovered at all. If recovered after 72 hours, you get a RM5,000 compensation for repair and replacement of parts related to the theft.

    The system operates based on GPS to track the vehicle location and a GSM-based communication device that runs on the cellular networks to communicate with the Cobra Connex operation center. The annual fee of RM360 (first year free) covers the GSM device charges, you will not have to pay any extra cash to maintain the Connex system’s GSM SIM card.

     

  • 6.6L V12 in Ghost tops BMW’s horsepower charts

    In Cars, Rolls Royce, Videos / By / / 15 comments

    Rolls-Royce Ghost

    It’s official – the upcoming Rolls-Royce Ghost will feature BMW’s most powerful engine ever, in a car made by the company at least. The 6.6 litre V12 engine under the Ghost’s hood will produce 570 PS (563bhp) and 780Nm of torque, figures that best the X5 M and X6 M’s 4.4 litre V8 engine 555 PS by a narrow margin. The McLaren F1′s BMW engine tops the M division’s powercharts at 680 PS and 705Nm in its highest state of road-going tune in the LM version.

    The 780Nm equals the M V8 engine, and it is achieved at 1,500rpm. 0 to 100km/h will take just 4.9 seconds in the new Rolls-Royce Ghost, and the car will rush towards the horizon to an electronically governed top speed of 250km/h. Power is sent to the rear wheels via a 8-speed ZF transmission.

    Rolls-Royce V12

    “Rolls-Royce power is entirely different to anything else in the automotive world. It is delivered free from stress and exertion but at the same time must engage the driver. Ghost is about fingertip control while still enjoying a dynamic connection with the road. Equally passengers need to be cosseted from the physical sensations of acceleration, braking and cornering. Our chassis set up keeps Ghost stable and flat, preventing it from wallowing or pitching in the corners or imposing undesirable forces on those inside,” claims Rolls-Royce Director of Engineering, Helmut Riedl.

    The Ghost will feature air struts at each corner of the car’s 3,295mm wheelbase, and will use multi-link aluminium front and rear axles. Engine, exhaust and tyre noise have been engineered to be as quiet as possible, so the way the V12 engine screams to delivers its power will be quite different from the M V8 engine.

    The cheapest Ghost will go for £165,000 excluding taxes and delivery charges, beginning late 2009. It will hit our region (Asia Pacific) from Q2 2010 onwards. That’s already just under RM1 million if you convert it directly, so with all the taxes and etc you get in our country I won’t dare imagine what the final price tag will be like.

    Related Posts:
    Rolls-Royce Ghost: name of the new RR4
    Rolls-Royce Ghost to offer “magic carpet ride”
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  • 2010 Acura ZDX production car revealed!

    In Acura, Cars, International News, Videos / By / / 45 comments

    Acura ZDX

    Honda has released initial details on the new 2010 Acura ZDX, which is what Honda calls a four-door sports coupe. Honda will be positioning it between the MDX SUV and the RL sedan. The ZDX will be powered by Honda’s 3.7 litre SOHC i-VTEC V6 engine, producing 300 horsepower and 366Nm of torque, mated to a new 6-speed automatic transmission which will hopefully later trickle down the product range into the Accord. The ZDX also features SH-AWD or Super Handling All-Wheel Drive. Only 3 photos of the production car have been released so far, which you will find after the jump along with some videos and a full photo gallery of the concept version of the ZDX which Honda revealed at the New York show.
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