Paul Tan's Raves and Rants on the Automotive Industry

Malaysia has just seen a rise in petrol prices due to the decrease in subsidies recently. The increase in prices was by RM0.05 for petrol (RON95) and diesel. It would seem that further reduction in subsidies would only see the rise of petrol prices in the coming years or even months.

Thus fuel efficiency is ever more important not to mention the adoption of other fuel sources and one that springs to mind is diesel. Nissan which sells the Murano variant in Malaysia, recently announced the release of a new diesel engine for the SUV in the UK.

It uses a 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine which is capable of producing 187hp and 450Nm of torque at just 2,000rpm.

This produces an average fuel consumption for both city and highway driving of 6.6L/100km along with a CO2 figure of just 210g/km with the help of a revised 6 speed automatic transmission providing Adaptive Shift Control, improved aerodynamics and an electric power regeneration system.

Other improvements on the inside include the change from a chain to a belt drive for the power steering pump, extra engine mounts and extra sound absorbing material to reduce noise intrusion from the diesel engine. Providing more air to the new engine will be a redesigned front end with a new front grille and bumper, also giving it a refreshed look.

The only Murano available in Malaysia at the moment is the 3.5L petrol engine which consumes between 9 to 13 litres for every 100km travelled, 9L being the most fuel efficient it could ever be, a far cry from what diesel motors are able to achieve.

A switch to diesel would make sense for many Malaysian’s as diesel is still RM0.10 cheaper that the cheapest petrol. Many manufacturers already offer diesels here especially for their SUVs – the Santa Fe, Captiva, X3 and X5 are all available as diesels.

More pictures are available after the jump.

© 2010 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Thu, 29 Jul 10 09:35:33 +0000.

Struggling Hispania Racing Team are set to collaborate with Toyota as team owner Jose Ramon Crabante confirmed the deal at Hockenheim this weekend. Toyota who pulled out of Formula 1 last year, is now outsourcing their services including the use of their wind tunnel, staff, design of the TF110 car and their headquarters which is based in Cologne.

This in turn has got Carabante reassuring his team that the outfit will not be moved from its Murcia base to Cologne. Speaking to a Spanish news agency, the team boss said that notwithstanding the arrangement with Toyota, the team will remain in Murcia “because the project was born here.”

Carabante went on to say that the deal which is worth 15 million Euros “will strengthen Hispania in the battle to be the best of the new teams, which is our first goal”. That title is currently unofficially held by Lotus Racing. According to the Spanish news agency, HRT’s contract with Toyota Motorsports will be for 2011 and 2012.

HRT have also recently underwent driver changes with Karun Chandok being replaced by Sakon Yamamoto. This was due to the fact that Yamamoto brought in about $5 million in sponsorship money. The Japanese driver originally replaced Bruno Senna at the British GP, but then pushed Chandok out of the hot seat for Germany.

Due to technical problems the 28 year old retired, while Bruno Senna finished in 19th position behind the whole pack. Yamamoto has also been confirmed a seat for the Hungarian GP and will race alongside Bruno Senna.

Source

© 2010 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Thu, 29 Jul 10 09:35:33 +0000.

It’s official – Porsche has greenlighted the development of a production version of the Porsche 918 Spyder. It was a no brainer on the part of the Supervisory Board in Stuttgart, as the concept received overwhelming response from both customers and the public alike. Apparently they now have a total of 1,000 serious buyers for the car that was first previewed at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show as well as Auto China in Beijing.

“The production of the 918 Spyder in a limited series proves that we are taking the right approach with Porsche Intelligent Performance featuring the combination of supreme performance and efficient drivetrain concepts. We will develop the 918 Spyder in Weissach and assemble it in Zuffenhausen. This is also a very important commitment to Germany as a manufacturing base,” said Chairman of the Board of Management Michael Macht.

The 918 Spyder Hybrid supercar produces a total of 708hp from both its high revving V8 engine and its electric motor, which is channeled through the 7-speed PDK gearbox and a fixed transmission ratio for the electric motor. This enables a 0 to 100 acceleration figures of as low as 3.2 seconds, while maintaining an average fuel consumption figure of just 3 liters per 100km and pumping out 70g/km of CO2.

No official word on the pricing of the car, but rumour has it that it will be slightly more than Porsche’s previous showpiece, the Carrera GT, coming in at around 500,000 Euros. More information will be released in the coming months by Porsche.

© 2010 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Thu, 29 Jul 10 09:35:33 +0000.

Naza World will be having an ‘Upgrade Promo’ during the weekend of August 6th to August 8th 2010 from 9am to 7pm at all Naza World branches throughout the country, with the biggest of all being of course the Naza PJ Automall by the Federal Highway.

No, Naza isn’t going into aftermarket upgrades in a big way – that’s not what Upgrade Promo means. It probably means it’s time to ‘upgrade’ your car in time for the Ramadhan balk kampung season with special discounts during the weekend. Last I heard that there’s the latest generation Ford Focus RS for sale at a price tag of over RM300,000.

Dato Hj SM Faisal will be donating RM500 out of his personal coffers to five charitable causes for each car sold during the Ramadhan month. As Naza expects to sell 500 cars during the Ramadhan month, this will hopefully amount to RM250,000 of donation.

© 2010 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Thu, 29 Jul 10 09:35:33 +0000.

Lotus may be playing a bigger role in the premier level of American single seater racing which is the IndyCar series. This comes after the announcement that the race series will allow teams to design their own aero packages onto a standard Dallara chassis from 2012. Currently Lotus and Cosworth are partnered with IndyCar team KV Racing Technology which is driven by former F1 driver Takuma Sato. The series uses stock V8 engines and chassis from Honda and the aforementioned Dallara chassis respectively. This isn’t unusual in the racing game and is a cheaper form of racing which creates a level playing for all teams.

The arm of Lotus involved within IndyCars is Lotus Cars (Lotus Group) and has very little affiliation with the Lotus Racing team. It is headed by CEO Dany Bahar who was a former Ferrari man. It would be good to see what role they may play in the coming months of the race. Tony Fernandes had this to say about the matter, “Lotus Racing congratulates the IZOD IndyCar Series on this exciting news and supports the ICONIC Advisory Committee’s recommendation on the revolutionary concept of a standard safety cell with various manufacturers producing aero kits. We look forward to seeing more details on this future car strategy, and hopefully, allow our involvement in the IZOD IndyCar Series.”

© 2010 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Thu, 29 Jul 10 09:35:33 +0000.

The A1 is Audi’s new entry level model that was launched internationally recently catering for the urban young professional market. Prospective buyers of the A1 can already customize each car to their own specification with paint and colour schemes, but there will always be those who want even more customization. This is where the traditional tuners come in.

ABT are now gunning for a chance to improve the whole ‘yuppie’ theme with exterior revisions and most importantly an improvement in power delivery across the range of engines. The first thing that catches your eyes are the bright red KLECKS, ALOHA and HIGH-VOLTAGE colour schemes. This makes each car more unique than the next.

Under the hood the engine range has gone through some revisions. Thanks to a professional remap, the new 1.2 TFSI engine now puts out 115hp compared to the standard 86, while the 1.4 TFSI engine produces 150hp which stood at 125hp previously. Fans of oil burners are also given a treat as the 1.6 litre engine has been uprated to 125hp.

Complementing that increase in power is the use of ABT performance springs that also lower the car’s centre of gravity. Other additions include a front lip, side skirts, rear wing insets, rear skirt insets and a rear spoiler. All of which can be customised in brushed aluminium, grass-green or lavender depending on your choice of theme.

Giving it a sporty look and no doubt strong aural presence is the ABT double pipe sports rear muffler. This when coupled with the choice of 17 or 18 inch alloy wheels complete the package.

It’s quite smart of ABT to take a slightly different approach to the A1. Owners of cars like the A1, the MiTO, and the MINI Cooper may tick differently compared to owners of larger cars and thus you see these ‘themes’ with ABT’s styling.

If you like the ABT design, there are more pictures available after the jump to enjoy.

© 2010 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Thu, 29 Jul 10 09:35:33 +0000.

Mitsubishi have released an updated version of the Pajero Sport GS (which is the new name of the original 4X4 model before the 4X2 GL was launched) that now comes with added equipment as standard. This includes auto climate control, cruise control, rear spoiler, roof rails and 2-DIN LCD wide touch screen entertainment system with built-in reverse camera.

The 7-seater SUV runs on a 2.5-liter 16-valve inline-4 intercooled turbocharged DOHC diesel engine producing 134hp and 314Nm of torque from as low down as 2,000 rpm. This is mated to Mitsubishi’s INVECS-II 4-speed automatic transmission.

According to Mr Tetsuya Oda, Chief Executive Officer of Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia, the SUV has been a hit with Malaysians, selling over 1000 units since its debut in June. Mitsubishi plan to sell 2,000 units of the SUV by the end of this year.

Priced at RM 161,531.80 (OTR with insurance), the range topping Pajero Sport GS comes with a 2 year or 40,000 km free maintenance program. If you have no use of the 4WD option available on the GS, the cheaper GL model comes in at RM 145,467.80 (OTR with insurance).

High-res pictures of the Pajero Sport are available after the jump.

© 2010 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Thu, 29 Jul 10 09:35:33 +0000.

Back in April, we were privileged to be part of the international press launch of the Peugeot RCZ, which is not only great to look at, but very nice to drive as well (click here to read the report). The event took us to the Basque country in northern Spain, but local Peugeot distributor Nasim Sdn Bhd made extra effort to organise a visit to PSA Peugeot Citroën’s Automotive Design Network (ADN) located in Velizy, a small suburb just outside Paris.

ADN was opened back in 2004 at a cost of 130 million euros to PSA Peugeot Citroën, and while both French brands share this facility, their respective design studios are separate, an arrangement described as “a solution that promotes healthy competition”. Housing about 900 employees from more than 20 countries, this 70,000 square metre 3-storey building acts as a “genetic nursery” for Peugeot. I suppose you could say that the new Peugeot design language found on the 508 was born here.

ADN is entirely dedicated to automobile design, including conducting, applying and enhancing the engineering and design studies that precede and support the creation process. It is equipped with resources for R&D, creation (styling studios), as well as for producing prototypes (milling machines, paint and assembly workshops). Models from 1:1 scale units, see through models to fully working concept cars are made here.

Security was very tight (two huge guys who look like club bouncers accompanied us the whole time) and our cameras weren’t allowed in so unfortunately we can’t show you what we saw. Passing through a labyrinth of corridors and stairs, we arrived at the Virtual Reality Center, where we were allowed to experiment with 3D simulation tools such as the Holobench, Scale 1 screen and the Cave system. It was like being in the Motion Master but with the ability to touch and effect the elements.

We were also brought to a huge dome-roofed arena with the Peugeot 408 parked in the middle. Here, the car’s chief designer Ivo Groen walked us through the 308-based sedan’s design, aided by remote controlled lighting from direct, overhead daylight to artificial light. Apparently, the unit we saw and sat in was the first full working model that was shown to Peugeot bosses.

The lively Groen, who owns an Alfa Romeo GTV6 and a 1971 Lamborghini Espada among other cars, explained that the choice of a more subtle face over the “wide mouthed” look familiar to us was intentional, as the sedan is meant to be less aggressive and controversial. The strips of chrome around the car are to evoke elegance. In the metal, the 408′s proportions are tidy for a “converted” sedan, and the very simple rear end reminded me of the 406.

Earlier this month, Peugeot and Naza penned a deal for the latter to assemble a three-box C-segment car, which most likely is the 408, although the “408″ name is for the Chinese market and isn’t confirmed for ours. Assembly of this model, codenamed T73, will begin in the second quarter of 2011.

© 2010 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Thu, 29 Jul 10 09:35:33 +0000.

Hyundai showcased the new Hyundai Elantra/Avante at the Busan International Motor Show in Korea this year. Like all other new Hyundais, the new Elantra sees the use of the company’s new “fluidic sculpture” design language. Futuristic, was my reaction.

We’re featuring here some seemingly ‘unofficial’ shots of the Elantra doing its rounds on a scenic route revealing more of the cars design lines from every angle. Along with that, a spec sheet has also been included elaborating more on what you can expect from the car.

As mentioned before, the car will feature the 1.6 GDI engine that produces 138hp and 166Nm of torque. This is mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission with an impressive fuel consumption figure of 6.06L/100km, while the manual gearbox returns a 5.88L/100km figure.

In terms of tech, you will get features such as Smart Parking Assist System (SPAS), HID (High Intensity Discharge) headlamps, rear LED lamps and heated rear seats. This will be housed in the new body that is 4530mm long, 1435mm high and has a width of 1,775 enjoying a long wheelbase of 2700mm.

I’m particularly pleased by the fact that the interior photo unveils that the car uses a floor-mounted accelerator pedal, which I much prefer over the conventional version!

More pictures of the car available after the jump.

© 2010 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Thu, 29 Jul 10 09:35:33 +0000.

Click for enlarged image

This is a covered up Proton Exora snapped by reader Zai today on the North South Highway near the Proton City exit. Looks quite normal actually even down to the wheels, until you look at the side where you begin to notice some livery.

According to Zai, the livery had a big ‘hybrid’ word. I can’t really see it in these photos but considering the light green and light blue stripes that we can see as part of the livery, it kinda fits the hybrid theme. I guess this means that a hybrid Exora is now here in Malaysia. Proton revealed in the past that a hybrid Exora had existed in the UK and that it would eventually bring it back here to Malaysia.

A promotional poster at Proton’s recent 25th anniversary dinner (available below) reveals more details on Proton’s alternative fuel vehicle endeavors.

Click for enlarged image

According to Proton, their EV project started in November 2008 with a team of technologists dispatched to Lotus Engineering UK to develop two EV cars. One was a Proton Persona with a longer range, faster acceleration and higher maximum speed while the other was a Proton Saga EV with basic performance for urban city driving needs.

It’s hybrid vehicle efforts started in September 2009, with an Exora-based “serial digital hybrid electric vehicle” demonstrator to be used for performance evaluation, testing and safety assessment. This could be the car we are seeing above?

© 2010 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Thu, 29 Jul 10 09:35:33 +0000.

Gone are the days where stretch limousines were known as the height of luxury and class (they were never that big outside of the US anyway), replaced by “off the shelf” top-tier models from Rolls-Royce, Bentley and Maybach. If none suits your fancy, you can always go tailor make your own. That is exactly Worcestershire based Design Q proposes with the 2010 Range Rover.

Given the designation Q-VR, Design Q’s Range Rover aims to incorporate the opulence and comfort of a private jet on four wheels (besides cars, the company actually works on jets and yacths). The Rangie been stretched out to fit a list of luxuries such as an interior drinks cooler, cigar humidor and a mini-spa centre – what the latter means is up to your imagination! Along with that, the two rear seats have been modified to recline business class style complete with leg rest.

To make a big statement and arrive in style, Design Q has crafted a private jet like door for the Q-VR that opens upward plus a fold out step. The company expects the vehicle to be used by Middle Eastern oil barons, so there’s no point to even try and guess the price. Bigger pictures after the jump.

© 2010 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Thu, 29 Jul 10 09:35:33 +0000.

China might be taking another step forward in reducing their carbon footprint by making it compulsory for all vehicles in China to have the “BSG hybrid” system. BSG stands for “Belt Driven Starter Generator” and it works like a start-stop system where the engine shuts off when the car is idle. Start-stop is now common in most European new cars and is supposed to be part of “mild hybrid” measures along with things like brake energy regeneration.

This comes after the GM of Chery New Energy Company, Yuan Tao, revealed that relevant authorities are currently working on the new policy. An unnamed insider from another Chinese manufacturer, Dongfeng, confirmed the above statement and added that it would be implemented in 2012. Dongfeng already sells a BSG version of its S30 sedan (pictured).

BSG is a simple system and according to Dongfeng, it will only cost 1,000 yuan ($147.50) per car if mass produced. On average, fuel efficiency is boosted by 5%. It may not sound like much, but when you consider the fact that China used 540 million tons of gasoline and 520 million tons of diesel in 2008, this system could see annual fuel consumption decrease by 5 million tons!

Source

© 2010 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Thu, 29 Jul 10 09:35:33 +0000.

It seems like a trend to pimp up big SUVs to look like those in R&B videos. Popular models for conversion are the Porsche Cayenne, Range Rover and Audi Q7. Here, JE Design has come up with a proposal for the latter, which includes styling and performance upgrades. Power from the 3.0-litre diesel engine has been uprated to 285 hp from the standard 233 hp while the torque has increased from 500 Nm to 550 Nm.

These improvements have been achieved with a revised ECU that now propels the 2.3-tonne SUV to the century mark in 8.4 seconds, 0.7 sec down from the previous 9.1 seconds. Top speed is 219 km/h.

The increase in power is complemented by the assertive body kit that gives the Q7 a wide body look. The kit includes a rear bumper extension with square tipped double exhausts on both sides, headlight covers, roof mounted spoiler, flared wheel arches and a new front spoiler.

Apart from a roof mounted spoiler to add downforce, there is also the option of an electronic lowering kit that lowers the Q7 by 35 mm. The big Audi sits on 22-inch graphite-silver alloys covered with ultra-high performance tyres.

Gallery after the jump.

© 2010 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Thu, 29 Jul 10 09:35:33 +0000.

Porsche has confirmed that it will make electric sports cars, and three Boxsters with all-electric drive systems will kick off the research and testing process in early 2011. The trio will provide an initial insight into new electric drive components and battery systems for EVs. The field test will also give information on the infrastructure required for electromobilty, user behaviour and demands.

“We will definitely be offering an electric sports car in future. But such a concept only makes sense if it offers product qualities typical of a Porsche,” said Michael Macht, President and CEO of Porsche AG.

This isn’t a piece of surprising news as Porsche is known to be toying with the idea of putting the 918 Spyder concept into production. The stunning 918 Spyder, which wowed this year’s Geneva show goers, combines the qualities of a plug-in hybrid and the performance of a supercar. Just imagine 0-100 km/h in under 3.2 seconds and a faster Nurburgring lap time than the Carrera GT with best effort fuel consumption of 3 litres per 100km – amazing isn’t it? Click here for a seductive video of the 918.

You can’t buy that yet, but hybrid Porsches aren’t out of reach if you have the cash. The Cayenne S Hybrid will be launched in Malaysia very soon as part of the new Cayenne range that includes the Cayenne S, Diesel and Turbo.

© 2010 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Thu, 29 Jul 10 09:35:33 +0000.

Many who shop in this segment opt for something more flashy, which is why the recently facelifted Mercedes CL-Class is a relatively rare sight. But this big, comfy coupe has a heart of a beast in AMG form. The CL63 AMG will feature a smaller but more powerful than before twin-turbocharged 5.5-litre V8 producing 536 hp and 799 Nm of torque; the addition of the AMG performance package sees this figure increase to 563 hp and 899 Nm.

This is good enough to haul the big car from 0 to 96 km/h (60 mph) in just 4.4 seconds, on to an electronically limited top speed of 250 km/h. The AMG performance pack is faster by 0.1 sec and does a restricted top speed of 300 km/h. Using a smaller displacing engine as compared to the naturally aspirated 6,208cc V8, fuel efficiency has improved by a substantial 27%. Even performance cars are subject to downsizing now!

Want 12 cylinders? You’ve got to have the CL65 AMG then. The 6.0-litre V12 gets a 17 hp hike which gives you 621 hp and an equally seat bracing 999 Nm of torque. 0 to 96 figures are down to 4.2 seconds while restricted top speed is also at 300 km/h.

The gearbox used in the CL63 AMG will be the 7-speed SPEEDSHIFT MCT transmission with the option of Sports, Comfort and manual shift modes. Due to the higher power from the CL65’s V12, Mercedes has opted for a 5-speed SPEEDSHIFT transmission for the range topper.

These new engines are housed in a facelifted body similar to the non AMG CL-Class, but with an AMG body kit that includes a new front grille, revised bumpers, headlights, AMG exhaust system and 20-inch alloy wheels. Inside, updates include a new steering wheel, and different trim options. Direct-Steer, Torque Vectoring Brakes and Crosswind Stabilization systems are standard here.

Hi-res gallery after the jump.

© 2010 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Thu, 29 Jul 10 09:35:33 +0000.

DuPont Refinish has joined Lotus Racing’s growing list of backers, jumping on board as an Official Technical Supplier to the Malaysian owned team with immediate effect. DuPont Refinish is the corporate aftermarket paint brand of DuPont, the American chemical giant that developed materials such as Nylon, Kevlar, Lycra, Teflon and Nomex, among other household names.

The agreement, signed at the German GP last weekend, sees the paint manufacturer provide full technical support to Lotus Racing. In return, DuPont Refinish’s liquid logo will appear on the team’s T127 race cars, transporter trucks, motorhome and garage.

The main criteria for paint in F1 are low weight, combined with optimum thickness, thermal stability, resistance to mechanical stresses such as stone chips and debris, and colour brilliance to ensure the cars look their best for our TV sets and live spectators.

The T127s and the trucks that transport them have all been painted in the famous green and yellow livery with the highly productive DuPont Refinish paint systems. The fast drying properties of the paint is well suited to the sport, where it is crucial to get the cars back on track as quickly as possible after body damage.

© 2010 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Thu, 29 Jul 10 09:35:33 +0000.

There is obviously a market for the likes of the questionably designed Mercedes-benz CLS. Even Audi introduced the A7 recently and now comes news that BMW will follow suit with a proper four-door coupe (the 5 GT is more like a curvy hatchback).

According to German publications, management board member Klaus Draeger hinted at a recent event that the grand coupe concept will become a four door coupe and will go under the 6-Series badging and will feature design from the Concept Gran Coupe. The Concept Gran Coupe looks very much production ready and it’s likely that most of the design will be carried over, with some additions of course – the frameless doors will likely remain but it will probably get a B pillar.

This might also see the use of a hybrid engine in the new models along with the standard diesel and petrol engine and even an M-branded variant. The release date is a bit sketchy, but it could be seen in the market sometime in 2012.

Apart from that, the development of a 6-Series with a Shooting Brake bodytype has also been discussed. BMW are said to be evaluating the viability of such a model and are still unsure if they will be putting it into production.

Source

© 2010 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Thu, 29 Jul 10 09:35:33 +0000.

BMW’s MINI division will be joining the World Rally Championship’s Super 2000 category next year with a rally-going version of the MINI Countryman called the MINI Countryman WRC, rally-prepped by Prodrive.

The Countryman WRC will be powered by a 1.6-litre, four-cylinder turbo-charged engine from BMW Motorsport. Super 2000 specs allows for the use of 1,600cc turbocharged engines and four wheel drive as a complement to the 2,000cc normally aspirated engines such as the one found in the Satria Neo Super 2000.

“This is a very exciting new motorsport program. During the 1960s MINI captured the imagination of the world when the tiny car took on the might of V8 powered Fords and won what was then one of the toughest motorsport events, the 4000km Monte Carlo rally. I believe our new MINI will become a firm favourite of the latest generation of rally fans, just as it is adored by its millions of owners across the world,” said Prodrive chairman David Richards.

From BMW’s press release its seems that the Countryman WRC car will be available for customer orders as well and there have already been some bookings. BTW, who knows this new 1.6 liter turbo instead of 2.0 normally aspiration rule might spur Proton to switch its Neo S2000 from the current 2.0 liter Renault to a 1.6 liter Project Phoenix turbo

© 2010 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Thu, 29 Jul 10 09:35:33 +0000.

The Audi A7 Sportback has been officially launched. It is a big four-door coupe type of car with a hatch, like the Porsche Panamera. Audi says its latest car encapsulates the best of three worlds with the sporty elegance of a coupe, the comfort of a sedan and the practicality of a station wagon.

An accurate rendition of the Audi Sportback Concept from the 2009 Detroit show, the A7 is a big car at 4.97m long and 1.91m wide, with a 2.91m wheelbase. It’s sits 4 cm lower than the A8 limo and the overall size is between the current generation A6 and the A8. Weight is reduced via the extensive use of aluminum and “high-tech steels”. A 2WD A7 weighs in at 1,695 kg, which makes it lighter than a Mercedes CLS. The Audi’s 535-litre boot can be upped to 1,390 litres by folding the rear seats.

There will be a choice of four direct-injection V6 engines: the 3.0 TFSI supercharged unit producing 300 hp/440 Nm, a 2.8 FSI engine with 204 hp/280 Nm and two versions of the 3.0 TDI engine; one with 245 hp/500 Nm and another with 204 hp and 400 Nm of torque. The latter boasts amazing fuel consumption of 5.3 L/100 km while only producing 139 g/km of CO2, and is the eco champion of the range.

The engines can be had with Multitronic CVT and FWD or the seven-speed S tronic (dual-clutch) with quattro AWD. The latest quattro system has a crown-gear center differential and torque vectoring. Brake recuperation and start-stop is standard across the range.

A “sporty character” is brought by a five-link front suspension and the track-controlled, trapezoidal link rear suspension. The chassis features aluminum control arms and a newly developed power steering system with an electromechanical drive for high efficiency. The Audi Drive Select system is standard and can be supplemented by optional adaptive air suspension or a sports suspension that sits 10 mm lower. The smallest wheels are 18-inch items, with 20ins being the largest.

Inside you find the usual luxuries from Audi which include fine leathers and Alcantara, aluminium and quality wood inlays, aluminium finish on rotary knobs, four-spoke leather multifunction steering wheel, touchpad controlled MMI system with a HDD based sat nav and 6.5-inch monitor, electromechanical parking brake, a new head-up display and optional climate-control/massage functions for the front seats. Like the A8 limo, the Audi A7 is a mobile WLAN hotspot. You can also have the Advanced Sound System from Bang & Olufsen featuring 1,300 watts of power and 15 speakers. Sounds like a nice place to be in!

Safety wise, standard kit includes Audi pre sense, adaptive cruise control with stop & go function, active lane assist, night vision assistant, speed limit display and park assist. The A7 Sportback is set to go on sale in Europe at the end of this year. A large hi-res gallery awaits you after the jump.

© 2010 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Thu, 29 Jul 10 09:35:33 +0000.

Looks like it so happens to be Nissan spyshot day today! This is the first time we’re looking at the interior of those mildly disguised Nissan Teanas that have been going around the Klang Valley, thanks to reader Ezham. Our Teanas are specced with a light cream interior with brown wood trim, quite similar to what we can see in the Latio and the Sylphy. Look after the jump for the rest of the photos snapped at the Sungai Buloh overhead R&R yesterday. Thanks Ezham!

© 2010 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Thu, 29 Jul 10 09:35:33 +0000.