Archive for Automotive Videos

New shocker in the Formula One scene – BMW has announced that it will be exiting F1 at the end of 2009, after a 3 year run in the team’s current incarnation, the BMW Sauber F1 team. In the middle of 2005, BMW acquired the Swiss team Sauber and took to the starting grid under the team’s new name.

“Unfortunately, we were unable to meet expectations in the current season. Nevertheless, our ten years of Formula One experience have had a major impact on our development engineers. We have racing to thank for numerous technological innovations as well as the competitive spirit that drives us to develop mass-produced cars,” said board member Dr. Klaus Draeger.

NEW VIDEO: BMW withdraws from F1

“The main reason for this decision was not our current performance in Formula One racing or the general economic situation. It was solely the company’s strategic realignment. Premium will increasingly be defined in terms of sustainability and environmental compatibility. This is an area in which we want to remain in the lead. In line with our Strategy Number ONE, we are continually reviewing all projects and initiatives to check them for future viability and sustainability. Our Formula One campaign is thus less a key promoter for us. Mario Theissen has been in charge of our motor sports program since 1999. We have scored a large number of successes in this period, including some in Formula One racing. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Mario Theissen and his team for this,” said chairman Dr. Norbert Reithofer.

Looks like the green movement killed yet another Formula One team, as similiar reasons were given by Honda when it decided to exit the sport. BMW will continue to participate in other sports like the ALMS, and of course, Formula BMW. These activities will continue to be supervised by Mario Theissen. The focus in the future will be more on programs like Efficient Dynamics.

I’m not sure what’s going to happen to the team. Perhaps someone will buy them over, and one man rumoured to possibly step in and take over the team is Peter Sauber, the man whose name is the other half of the team’s name. Whatever it is, BMW will work to find solutions for all current F1 employees, and someone else taking over is definitely one of them. Our national oil company Petronas could continue their F1 sponsorship with this new team and their new owners, if they choose to remain in the sport.

They really should make more amusing ads like this. Check out this Volkswagen Touran TV commercial after the jump. They’re promoting the car’s Park Assist system, which by the way is available locally on the Volkswagen Tiguan. The dude in the video can’t dance though but he kinda looks like Schumacher. The Touran is a Golf-based MPV that isn’t available in Malaysia, though there were a number of pre-owned ones (CrossTouran) sold off by Volkswagen Malaysia recently. Volkswagen recently announced that they will start assembly of the Touran in Indonesia.

Click here to read the rest of Volkswagen Touran Park Assist System TVC

BMW has released a series of videos of the new flagship BMW 760Li, powered by a new 6.0 liter twin-turbocharged V12 and an 8-speed automatic transmission from ZF. The new F01/F02 7-Series as of now still remains offered with a 100% turbocharged engine line-up. The 740i, 750i, 760i, 730d, 740d, they’re all turbocharged, with all except one engine featuring two turbochargers instead of one. But BMW needs a 730i/730Li model to compete with the S300 in countries like ours here, and this model is most likely going to be powered by a normally aspirated 3.0 liter N54 or an N55, depending on whether direct injection is offered or not. Anyway watch the video after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of VIDEO: BMW 760Li with turbo V12 power!

EcoBoost badging on the Ford Taurus SHO

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

It 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 liter engine, also includes the previously announced 355 horsepower 3.5 liter 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 liter or 1.6 liter EcoBoost turbo. Many other manufacturers have easily used turbocharged engines of such sizes to produce a 2.0 liter equivalent power output. Volkswagen even has a 1.2 liter TSI inline-3 that produces 102 PS, equivalent to a plain-jane 1.6 liter engine. It looks like the next generation of Mustang could be an all-turbo line-up, featuring this 2.0 liter turbo and the larger 3.5 liter 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.

Click here to read the rest of Ford announces new 2.0 liter EcoBoost turbo

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.

Click here to read the rest of Lasers to replace sparkplugs in the future?

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 liter 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 liter 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 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.

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Click here to read the rest of 6.6L V12 in Ghost tops BMW’s horsepower charts

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 liter 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.

Click here to read the rest of 2010 Acura ZDX production car revealed!

Lexus has recently launched the new HS250h hybrid car in Japan with a monthly sales target of 500 units per month. The Atkinson cycle 2.4 liter engine mated to an electric motor managed to achieve 23 km per liter based on the Japanese 10-15 life cycle, and on the new JC08 test cycle, it managed 19.8km per liter.

The central LCD screen system which was a main feature and attraction of the 2nd gen Prius cabin that went missing in the 3rd gen is now back in the HS250h and renamed the Harmonious Driving Navigator. It monitors and provides information on the car’s hybrid system, fuel consumption, and brake energy regeneration as well as awards “points” for environmentally (and wallet) considerate driving. These points can be used by a Lexus owner to make donations to charities registered with Project Mirai Isan, which is managed by the National Federation of UNESCO Associations in Japan.

The 2AZ-FXE 2.4 liter engine makes 150 PS and 187Nm of torque, supplemented by a 143 PS electric motor with 270Nm of torque, backed by a NiMH battery. An e-CVT combines the two power sources up to a maximum of 190 PS at any one time.

Nothing really that interesting about the engine as its the same one found in the Camry Hybrid but as if to make up for it, there are a few interesting techy bits about the HS250h. The Lexus HS250h also has LED headlamps as well as tail lamps. It has a heads-up display system which can display various info such as speed, lane information and warnings.

A Pre-crash Safety System using millimeter-wave radar detects whether driver’s eyes are properly open and also determining direction of driver’s face. If risk of accident is determined, system warns driver with buzzer and automatic braking. If there is a risk of a crash, the hazard lights flash, and if the risk is even higher, headrests are shifted to the appropriate positions to reduce strain on the neck and chances of whiplash injury.

There is also a telemetry system that reminds me of BMW Assist or BMW ConnectedDrive. The Lexus take on such services is called G-Link (called Lexus Enform with Safety Connect in the US). You will have access to a concierge that help you out in various ways. If you meet an accident, G-Link communicates with the remote Lexus center to contact the police and fire department. The call center will then call you to check if you are safe. If there is no answer, an ambulance will be called. The call centre operator can also help you with finding a location and can send GPS coordinates to your on-board GPS unit automatically. If there is an intrusion while the car is parked, the owner can be notified via phone and email.

G-Link also monitors various car components such as the brakes and engine and can assist with booking a service appointment with your Lexus service center. Of course all of this costs money and G-Link is only free for the first 3 years if you buy the car new.

Look after the jump for a photo gallery with some new photos of the HS250h, some videos, as well as the previously published photo gallery of the HS250h dedicated hybrid.

Click here to read the rest of More juicy details on the Lexus HS250h

After officially unveiling the Audi A5 Sportback a couple of days ago, the German auto maker has now released a 5 minute-long driving footage of the new 5-door coupe, that is also spiced up with some beauty shots. The Sportback is offered with three engines from the diesel family and a further three units from the petrol family. The former is topped out with the 240 horsepower 3.0 liter TDI V6 while the latter has the 265 horsepower 3.2 liter FSI V6 on top of its list. Continue reading to watch the video.

Click here to read the rest of VIDEO: New Audi A5 Sportback

Here’s a mega bonanza of multimedia goodies about the all-new Jaguar XJ, a car that Jaguar has been really shouting alot about. It really is a big deal, it’s the first departure from classic XJ looks in a really really long time.

The new XJ follows the new design language set by the XF but adds some quirky elements that you’d normally only expect from Citroen to it, such as the weird black-out polycarbonate C-pillars designed to make the rear windscreen look wider. What exactly is the point I don’t know, perhaps it’s a new way of making the rear end of a large car look sleeker – Callum pillar (like the Bangle butt) anyone?

Drag coefficient is the same as the XF – 0.29! The aluminium chassis of the new XJ is largely based on the previous X350 but updated with new bits wherever Jaguar saw fit. Long the outgoing XJ and most cars in this segment there will be both a long wheelbase and short wheelbase version. Four engines will be offered with the new XJ. The sole diesel version is the new 3.0 liter AJ-V6D engine with twin sequential turbochargers, putting out 275 PS and taking the XJ from 0 to 100km/h in 6.3 seconds, while consuming only 40.1mpg.

The top of the line petrol version is the supercharged 510PS 5.0-litre AJ-V8 Gen III, followed by 470PS supercharged and 385PS naturally aspirated petrol V8s depending on market. Read more about the Gen III AJ-V8 (AJ133).

Okay let’s just forget about all of that and go inside the car. This is where an XJ’s owner will be spending most of his time. And damn it’s a gorgeous place to be in! It combines retro styling cues with futuristic elements and very good use of wood like only a Jaguar could. The wraparound wood that sweeps across the whole interior is said to be inspired by a luxury boat.

The main LCD of the in-car entertainment system has a dual view mode which means the driver and passenger sees two different things because they are looking at it from different angles. This means the driver can have something else on the screen while the front passenger watches a movie. The other thing is the instrumentation panel right in front of the driver – it’s a pure computer screen which displays some really gorgeous animated virtual gauges instead of physical dials.

Imagine cruising in the new XJ during magic hour – the last hour of sunlight during the day. The sun is still lightly illuminating most of the interior but there’s enough darkness for Jaguar’s lovely mash-up of interior ambient lighting to glow.

That’s really the best time to feast your eyes and soak up the new XJ’s interior aesthetics and lighting. You simply can’t get that in a 7 or an S.

Look after the jump for a massive hi-res photo gallery and a couple of videos of the XJ. You really have to watch the videos as they tell you more about the XJ especially that amazing interior with the Virtual Instrument dials than text ever could.

Click here to read the rest of X351 Jaguar XJ sports a whole new look!