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Proton P3-21A rear end uncovered for the first time?

February 1, 2012 at 11:07 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Malaysian Makes, Proton, Spyshots

Remember the yellow Proton P3-21A that showed the upcoming sedan’s face uncovered? It looks like a partial rear shot of that car has been circulating online, showing us the tail lamps without any masking. Even as we analyse it, bear in mind that this may or may not be the final production design.

Shown at funtastickodesign, the lone image shows a rear lamp cluster that’s unlike the wraparound old Subaru Legacy style rear design of the Tuah concept, so perhaps Proton is looking at a more contemporary look. The edges look a bit sharp and abrupt, though.

We can see that there’s a chrome bar visually linking the two sides of the tail lamps, like how Jaguar does it for the XF.

What we see here is also consistent with what’s visible from the masked test mules running around – full red with a clear strip running in the middle, with part of the lamp extended into the boot lid.

Do you prefer this or the rear end look of the Tuah concept?

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Reports: Volkswagen AG directors visit DRB-Hicom, looking into technical collaboration with Proton

February 1, 2012 at 9:15 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Malaysian Makes, Proton, Volkswagen

Reports linking Volkswagen with Proton have emerged, with the national carmaker’s new owner playing host. According to Business Times, DRB-Hicom is understood to have hosted two Volkswagen AG group directors last Thursday. The duo met with key stakeholders of DRB-Hicom, including its top management.

“They also reviewed all Proton Holdings Bhd’s models,” the publication’s unnamed source revealed. BT says that the Volkswagen directors came down to evaluate the possibility of having a collaborative technical agreement on technology transfer with Proton.

“This is the first step and I think that there will be many more such meetings before a deal could be struck,” their source added.

As all of us know, this isn’t the first time Europe’s biggest carmaker Volkswagen is being linked with Proton; the previous marriage attempt broke down because of issues over majority stake. With a new owner in place (DRB-Hicom is VW’s local assembler), will this latest “on” in the “on-off” relationship stick, or will it fizzle out like it always does?

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Honda’s Thai plant to resume production end of March

February 1, 2012 at 8:36 am By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Honda, International News

Some updates about Honda’s Thai production, which was expected to be out for up to six months from October last year when it was inundated with floodwaters. The company says it is planning to resume vehicle production at its assembly plant in Rojana Industrial Park, Ayutthaya, by the end of March.

The plant was severely affected by the flooding that hit the Kingdom last year; production was suspended on October 4, and the company has since been restoring plant facilities and manufacturing equipment since completing the drainage of the floodwater and carrying out cleaning up operations.

“In October 2011, we had to temporarily suspend production at our facilities in Rojana Industrial Park, which inevitably impacted unit sales. We have finished repairing and installing production equipment and are now running thorough system checks,” Honda Automobile Thailand’s executive vice president, Pitak Pruittisarikorn said in a statement.

He added that until production at Ayutthaya resumes, the company will import Jazz and Accord models from Japan for local sales. Production of parts for export to Honda’s plants in other ASEAN countries will also resume – Honda says that it expects these plants, which had to suspend production due to a shortage of parts, to restart production in April.

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Malaysians to take on new Ford Ranger in the “Global Ford Ranger Challenge” – winner drives the truck home!

January 31, 2012 at 5:34 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Ford, Local News

Ford will officially kick off the “Global Ford Ranger Challenge” tomorrow (1 February), a unique, worldwide experiential marketing campaign leading up to the launch of the all-new Ford Ranger later this year. The campaign will give 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.

You can begin submitting ideas for the challenge online tomorrow 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!

Entries can be submitted to www.fordrangerchallenge.com.my or via Facebook. The time frame is from 1 Feb to 15 March, and the finalists will be announced on 31 March. 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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Skoda Citigo five-door set for Geneva debut

January 31, 2012 at 3:11 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, International News, Skoda

Some news about the Skoda Citigo. The company has announced that the five-door version of the city car – essentially the cousin of the Volkswagen Up! – is set to debut at the Geneva show next month, joining the three-door version which was revealed last September and which began selling in its home market, the Czech Republic, in late 2011.

Like the three-door variant, it’ll be powered by a 1.0 litre three-cylinder MPI mill in two output tunes, 60 PS and 75 PS, and should be presumably mated to the same five-speed manual transmission as found in the former. Both five- and three-door models are scheduled to be successively launched in European markets starting from mid-May this year.

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Ford’s 1.0 litre EcoBoost mill set to make market debut in March, to be available across the Focus model range

January 31, 2012 at 2:00 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Ford, International News

Ford’s new 1.0 litre EcoBoost engine is set to make its market debut in the UK, across the Ford Focus range starting from next month. The turbocharged, direct injection three-cylinder mill, which was officially unveiled in Frankfurt last year, will be available with two power levels, these being 125 PS and 100 PS.

The 125 PS output tune delivers 170 Nm of peak torque (200 Nm with overboost) between 1,400 and 4,500rpm, giving it the highest power density of any Ford production engine to date. In terms of numbers, this is equivalent in terms of power to the naturally-aspirated 1.6 litre Duratec Ti-VCT engine as found in the Focus, while the torque from the EcoBoost shades the 159 Nm in the NA 1.6 (conversely, the 1.6 Ti-VCT in the Fiesta here has 122 PS and 148 Nm).

After its debut in the Focus, the UK-developed engine is set to feature in the C-MAX, Grand C-MAX and all-new B-MAX later this year.

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Mitsubishi ASX upgraded for 2012 – now with 17-inch alloys and smart key/push-start ignition, RM138k

January 31, 2012 at 12:25 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Local News, Mitsubishi

Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia has announced the introduction of the upgraded ASX crossover. The 2012 year changes for the vehicle includes new 17-inch alloy wheels and a smart key/push-start ignition system.

Also new to the ASX are auto-retractable side mirrors, and the premium leather seats now feature enhanced comfort and increased lumbar support.

Otherwise, the vehicle continues on as is – the 150 PS 2.0 litre MIVEC mill and six-speed CVT box remains unchanged, as are the rest of the features list, which includes items such as magnesium paddle shifters, coloured LCD multi-info display, 2-DIN touchscreen entertainment system and rear view camera.

The 2012 ASX – which hits the showrooms on February 2 – is available in four colours, these being White Pearl, Mica Black, Red Metallic and Titanium Grey, and is priced at RM138,156 (on the road, exclusive of insurance), complete with a 3-year/100,000 km warranty and two-year maintenance package.

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Reports: Lotus looking for £500m partner, Genii interested

January 31, 2012 at 11:22 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, International News, Lotus

Reports coming from the UK say that Group Lotus CEO Dany Bahar is looking for financial partners to buy over the sportscar maker from Proton. The Sunday Times news piece suggested that Bahar is not looking for any partner, but one with the ability to fund Lotus’ costly five-year turnaround plan, one with £500 million ready to invest.

The report adds that Genii Capital is interested in the loss-making Proton subsidiary. Genii, which already owns the Lotus F1 team, is said to have been eyeing Group Lotus for some time and is “close to completing due diligence”.

If the report is accurate, we have a willing buyer. But is Proton’s new owner, DRB-Hicom, a willing seller? “Options are open. At this particular moment, I’m open to sell or not to sell Lotus,” DRB-Hicom boss Datuk Seri Mohd Khamil Jamil was quoted as saying.

Proton, owner since 1996, has already poured in a lot of resources into Group Lotus – should they wait for the fruits of the investment or cut their losses?

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BMW unveils first DTM 2012 livery featuring Castrol EDGE

January 31, 2012 at 9:15 am By Danny Tan Filed Under BMW, Motorsports

Here’s what BMW’s 2012 DTM challenger looks like in full livery. This livery features the green of Castrol EDGE, Castrol’s flagship motor oil, and the blue of Aral Ultimate high-performance fuel. Other visible brands include Bosch, Hankook, Sonax, Dekra and Puma. Suspension makers Sachs and H&R are present, too.

“For many years we have put our faith in high-performance Castrol lubricants, and have celebrated countless successes together on the racetrack. For that reason, everyone here at BMW Motorsport is delighted that we are able to build on this established partnership in the DTM. Castrol EDGE and Aral Ultimate are high-performance brands, which suit our DTM project perfectly,” said BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt.

This won’t be the only look for the M3 DTM, though. One of the six BMW entries will run in this Castrol EDGE look, so expect to see the traditional BMW corporate livery of the past 20 years on the other cars.

The driver lineup looks as good, with DTM champion Martin Tomczyk and long-time Mercedes driver Bruno Spengler joining regular factory drivers Andy Priaulx, Augusto Farfus, Joey Hand and Dirk Muller. Schnitzer, RBM and RMG are the three teams.

The German tin top race series flags off at Hockenheim at the end of April.

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Fiat 500L 5-door hatch coming soon, 7-seater on the way!

January 30, 2012 at 4:25 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Fiat, International News

Fiat’s reborn icon is about to grow in size. The popular retro styled 500 will get a five-door hatchback variant called 500L, L for large. Codenamed L-Zero, the supermini sized 500L will make its debut at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show.

Reports say that the 5dr’s front end is similar to the current 500, although the 500L will sit on a widened Punto platform. The 500L will be around 4,150 mm long, which is about 60 mm longer that the current three-door 500 hatch. European sales start in July, followed two months later by a seven-seat version that is around 10 mm longer than the five-seater.

Engine options will most probably include Fiat’s TwinAir turbocharged two-cylinder 900 cc engine (85 hp), a 1.4L petrol with 77 hp or 105 hp, as well as a 1.3L diesel with 75 hp or 95 hp.

The current Fiat Idea small MPV will be discontinued at the end of this year, and the 500L will fill that hole in Fiat’s European range. Continental rivals will include Citroen’s C3 Picasso, Ford’s B-Max and the MINI Countryman. The 500L will be built in Kragujevac, Serbia.

The modern Fiat 500 has been a success for the Italian brand, finding more than 770,000 new homes since 2007. Last year, Fiat sold over 195,000 units of the 500 worldwide, including 26,000 units in North America, a non-traditional market for small cars.

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