Archive for Spyshots

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This month’s issue of Autocar India carries computer generated images of the fourth generation Honda City (code 2PS) that’s due to be launched soon. We previously saw images of the City on test in India. Autocar India claim a November 2008 launch, which should mean the new City will find its way onto our local showrooms by early 2009.

Honda R&D India was quoted to have issued a statement stating that the car is indeed a prototype belonging to Honda that is currently being tested to collect on road and climatic condition data, but declined to comment further on what it is or any possible launch dates.

The 2009 Honda City bears little resemblance to the second generation Honda Jazz, unlike the previous generation which looked like an awkward 3-box Jazz with a boot stuck on. This time the City looks more like a sedan version of the European market FK/FN chassis 5-door Honda Civic hatch, which coincidentally actually has much more in common with the Jazz than its FD chassis Civic sedan brother. Hint: chassis built to take i-DSI engines and a torsion beam rear suspension.

The current generation City we have here in our market has a wheelbase of 2450mm which was equal to the first generation Jazz’s 2450mm wheelbase. The second generation Jazz’s wheelbase has grown to 2500mm, but since Toyota’s rival Belta/Vios sedan’s wheelbase has grown to 2550mm, expect the City to have a longer wheelbase than the second generation Jazz and set new best-in-class interior space records following the footsteps of its Civic sibling. Something closer to the FK/FN Civic’s 2635mm wheelbase could be possible.

In the engine bay you will find that the i-DSI engine has been discontinued for the latest generation of Hondas, instead a 1.3 or 1.5 liter i-VTEC SOHC engine is offered, with power outputs of 100 PS and 120 PS respectively.

One more rear shot of the new City after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Unmarked car confirmed to be new Honda City (2PS)

Remember that aggressive metallic dark silver concept car from Suzuki that we saw at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show this year? It was called the Suzuki A-Star Concept and word is that it previews the next generation Suzuki Alto, an important car for the Indian market.

A forumer at Team-BHP found these photos on the Orkut social network, which depicts a production version of the A-Star Concept on Indian roads.

While the overall shape including headlamp outline and etc stays true to the concept, it has lost much of its aggressiveness, instead taking on a much more cutesy look typical of A-segment cars. The rear end design is also much more realistic than the concept version, which only featured thin Nike logo-shaped slits on each side.

View more spyshots after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Next generation Suzuki Alto(?) spotted in India

A barely disguised car was spotted on the roads of Pune in India a few days ago, sporting a front grille that features cues from Honda’s latest front fascia styling book (ref: Honda FCX Clarity, Civic Euro hatch). Apparently the red plates on the car are similiar to those that Honda have used on their Indian test cars in the past, so there is a good possibility that this car is the due replacement for Honda’s compact Honda City sedan.

However, a little peek into the car’s interior showed a dashboard design that is very different from the second generation Honda Jazz, and the car has no triangular A-pillar window either. So this isn’t really a 100% guess. If this is indeed the new City, the car could be using a different dashboard design that is easier and thus cheaper to mould and produce, as compared to the new Jazz’s complicated dash design cues.

Expect an Indian and Thai launch soon, with a Malaysian launch to come some months later. View a few more photos after the jump.

FOLLOW UP UPDATE: Unmarked car confirmed to be new Honda City 2PS!

Click here to read the rest of SPYSHOT: Is this the new Honda City?

See rest of upcoming Chery MPV spyshots

Ever since initial sketches of the Proton MPV was revealed by Buletin Utama TV3, there have been readers who have noticed similarities with a disguised next generation Chery MPV that has been spotted and captured on camera in Europe. It’s only natural to start speculating. Let’s take it beyond speculation for abit shall we?

Click here to read the rest of Does the Proton MPV have anything to do with an upcoming Chery MPV?

Sketches of the front and rear three quarter views of the upcoming 2009 Proton MPV have been revealed on the Buletin Utama segment on TV3 last night, revealing a front bumper design that is reminiscent of the second generation Proton Saga.

Other design details that are revealed include a swage line on the side profile of the car to hide the actual door height.

These sketches may or may not represent how the actual production 2009 Proton MPV will look like as we have not seen an actual test mule being driven on the road yet. All that has been spotted is a test mule using a Toyota Wish body with what is presumably a Proton engine and a rojak dashboard.

WATCH: Buletin Utama TV3, 26th May 2008 - Part 2

Related Links:
First sighting of new Proton MPV-related test mule
Proton MPV due in early 2009

Reader CT mailed in these photos of a Toyota Vios J that he managed to snap, which indicates that a barebones Toyota Vios with a manual transmission is due to be launched quite soon.

The Toyota Vios J-spec trim level features steel wheels (hubcaps are likely to be added on the final production model) and does not have foglamps on the front bumper. Taking a look in the interior (photo after the jump), you will find a dark interior colour scheme and a single DIN CD player rather than an integrated unit.

There doesn’t seem to be any SRS Airbag logo on the steering wheel shown in the photo of the interior, so we can assume for now that the J-spec model will not have airbags. Let’s hope ABS stays.

Look after the jump for another 3 photos.

Click here to read the rest of Toyota Vios J with manual transmission spotted!

These photos show what seems to be a white Perodua Myvi SE with an all-new bodykit. The new look seems more feminine rather than the current Myvi’s unisex look (like the Suzuki Swift’s sister?), but this could just be an effect of the angle of the photo.

There also seems to be new colours for the Myvi, including yellow for the SE and two new colours for the standard Myvi - a lighter shade of orange and a new light blue shade. The new pastel-like colours look quite refreshing, and is a good addition to the range as I think we are all bored of the endless almost monotonous amounts of Myvis on our roads now, thanks to the car’s success.

On the interior, we can see that certain models have had their integrated stereo system replaced with a 2-DIN slot, filled with a 2-DIN player that is likely MP3 capable as a USB slot for thumbdrives or other USB-capable MP3 players can be seen.

There is also a shot of a dashboard which shows a new design for the meter cluster.

It’s about time for a mid-life facelift of the Perodua Myvi anyway, since it has been 3 years since the B-segment Perodua was launched in 2005. This means that a facelift for the Indonesian Daihatsu Sirion is on the way as well, as the Indonesian car is built by Perodua, uses Myvi styling and is brought in from Malaysia.

Reader Nozzydrive sent in these shots of the latest B8 model Audi A4 snapped here in Malaysia. The baseline model will feature the recently announced 1.8 liter TFSI engine, which replaces the old 1.8 liter turbo engine in the B7 A4 1.8T.

The new 1.8 liter TFSI engine (click for page with torque curve) features gasoline direct injection and a water-cooled Borg Warner K03 turbocharger. Peak power is 160 PS from 5,000rpm to 6,200rpm, and peak torque is rated at 250Nm at a very low 1,500rpm, with 165Nm available at 1,000rpm.

Models that use a Multitronic transmission gain an extra “virtual gear” - 8 speeds for you to choose from now, though for best acceleration you should just leave it in the normal CVT behavious mode so it can stay at the optimum RPM.

More shots after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of B8 Audi A4 spotted in Malaysia!

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A white Hyundai H1 Starex was spotted in the vicinity of JPJ Putrajaya by reader JDMD, our regular Putrajaya CBU snapshot “supplier”.

Looking at the rows of seats through the windows, we can see that this is the 4 row version of the MPV. The Starex can be configured to seat up to 11 people, but an 8 seater configuration is also available.

Peeking into the interior to have a look at the dashboard reveals manual air conditoning (as opposed to the automatic climate control you can see in the last photo in my previous post on the Starex), and an automatic gearbox shift lever.

Continue reading for more photos of the Starex in Putrajaya.

Click here to read the rest of Hyundai Starex MPV spotted in JPJ Putrajaya!

The car above is the Volkswagen Lavida, a Chinese domestic market model that has been developed and set to be sold only in the China market as it was developed for domestic tastes. I’m not sure how the name was chosen, but it could be taken from the Spanish phrase La Vida which means “the life”, as Ricky Martin has propagated.

It is built on the Volkswagen PQ34 platform with an increased wheelbase of 2,610mm, the base platform for the Mk4 Volkswagen Golf and Mk1 Skoda Octavia. This puts it in the region of a C-segment sedan in terms of wheelbase, with the Lavida having a wheelbase 10mm longer than the current Toyota Corolla Altis. Under the hood is a choice of engines from 1.6 liters to 2.0 liters.

You will find that various press around the internet has called the car an A-segment sedan, but Chinese model size segmentation is different from the rest of the world, with even the big Volkswagen Passat classified as a B+ sedan.

Other dimensions include a length of 4608mm, a width of 1743mm and a height of 1465mm. The car weighs 1245kg for the 1.6 liter and 1323kg for the 2.0 liter.