common sense was a big winner at final

THE big winner on and off the field at last night's heated football final between Indonesia and Malaysia was common sense.

The two teams squared off for the Asean Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup before 10,000 policemen as well as 80,000 fans at the packed Gelora Bung Karno stadium in the Indonesian capital.

Malaysia had won the first leg of the final 3-0 in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday. Yesterday, Indonesia beat Malaysia 2-1. That meant the visitors proudly took home the Suzuki Cup with an aggregate score of 4-2.

Yet peace reigned, thanks in no small part to the tough measures taken by the Indonesian government.

Officials set up five checkpoints in East Jakarta to frisk groups of fans for weapons, laser pointers and firecrackers.

'Don't worry, no laser today, pak,' said one fan, teasing a policeman.

but in the match itself, the paks were letting their feelings known through their slaps,high and low kicks plus a variety of other low down tactics...too bad, the garudas had only their fans to be proud of yesterday..

Peugeot 308 CC set for Malaysian debut next week

Looks like Peugeot boys Nasim will have the honour of being the first to kick off new car launches in 2011 – the 308 CC is set to make its local debut on January 6, the first of three Pug models that will make their way here next year (the RCZ should be one). Folks in KL will be able to get to grips with the two-door convertible the day after the launch at a Nasim roadshow, which runs from January 7-9, in Bangsar Shopping Centre.

The car, which is indicatively priced at RM200,000, is powered by a THP 156 Prince 1.6 litre twin scroll turbo engine with direct injection. As found on the recently launched 5008 MPV, the block offers 156 hp and 240 Nm of torque, and it’s mated to a six-speed automatic transmission with Triptronic and a sport mode.

Features and kit includes a two-piece electrically retractable roof which folds up/down within 20 seconds, dynamic directional xenon headlamps, LED rear lights, 18-inch alloy wheels and a twin rear diffuser design. Safety-wise, there are six airbags, as well as the world’s first side head airbags which are housed in the seat and deployed laterally from the head restraint.

Inside, the 308 CC features a premium leather interior designed in the tradition of prestige cabriolets, a retractable high resolution 7-inch LCD screen, a JBL Hi-Fi system, dual zone air-conditioning and premium leather electric front seats with memory functionality for the driver’s seat.

urban transport renewed

When work begins next year on the proposed Mass Rapid Transit system that will serve the population of the greater KL and Klang Valley, it will mark the start of what will be the largest infrastructure project in the country.

More than 130,000 people will be employed during its construction, and the project will develop RM3-4 bil annually in terms of direct gross national income contribution from its construction and operations, and a further RM8-12 bil generated from spillover effects.

The project will kick off with the construction of the first service line beginning in July 2011, which will run through a Northwest-Southeast corridor alignment. The line will ply a 60 km route between Sungai Buloh and Kajang, and take six years to complete. When built in 2016, the Phase 1a part of the project is expected to have more than 400,000 users daily, and serve a population catchment of 1.2 mil people.

It will contain 35 stops, with four interchanges linked to existing rail services, these being the KTM Komuter lines at Sg Buloh and Kajang and in KL, the Putra KJ line at Pasar Seni and Star Ampang line at Maluri.

These were some of the details revealed about the initial phase of the project at a briefing held by the Land Public Transportation Commission earlier today, which was presented by its chairman Tan Sri Syed Hamid Albar and CEO Mohd Nur Ismal Kamal. While there’s plenty to digest, we’ll just start the journey with the facts and some figures here.

lptc men

The Sg Buloh-Kajang line that will eventually come about will be a variation of the original MMCG joint venture’s proposal. MMCG originally proposed running two lines from Sg Buloh, one to Kajang (via Kepong) and the other ending nearer to Seri Kembangan (via Kota Damansara).

The LPTC briefing revealed that the plans would now go with the Minconsult option, which has the original lines merged into a single line, using the top half of the Seri Kembangan route and the bottom half of the Kajang one (see first diagram) in what is tagged as the Prasarana Line 3. Prasarana is the appointed project and asset owner for the MRT development.

The LPTC says that the MRT shouldn’t be looked just purely as a transportation project, saying it would serve a larger cause, primarily enabling the economic generator to move, as it puts it.

It added that the reasons for starting the system with the Northwest-Southeast line was because it is integrated into things, part of the proposed Urban Rail Development Plan due out in March next year.

And, from a feasibility point of view, it has been extensively studied, having been originally proposed by Prasarana back in 2006 as well as by MMCG and Minconsult. Lastly, it would serve public needs, as the corridor is, as the LPTC puts it, underserved.

Structurally, the plan is to get Phase 1b going in 2012, and Phase 2 in 2016, with the entire three lines of the MRT project to be completed in 2020. When finished, the 141 km-long infrastructure will serve a population catchment of close to 3.4 mil people over a radius of 20 km from the city centre, with 1.17 mil users anticipated on a daily basis.

The estimated cost of the entire project, as initially scoped by Gamuda, is RM36.6 bil for all three lines, not just for the initial Sg Buloh-Kajang one, though the LPTC says that the complete eventual cost has not been finalised.

This cost will involve tunnelling, building the underground stations, elevated guideways, elevated stations, depots, track works and system works. Rolling stocks and land acquisition, where it is needed, isn’t factored in to this initial cost estimate.

From a project structure viewpoint, LPTC will be the supervising and coordinating agency, while project and asset owner Prasarana has a bit on its plate – it is to appoint RapidKL as the system operator and MMCG JV as the project delivery partner, as well as create a subsidiary to manage property and commercial developments around the MRT assets.

As for project funding, the Ministry of Finance is to set up a special purpose vehicle company as the infrastructure’s funding entity.

Next March will see the public display of the Sg Buloh-Kajang line alignment, where everyone will finally get to see which areas the MRT line will run through and how it will all shape up – the LPTC says that public must be consulted, and feedback obtained. Undoubtedly, some may find cause for complaint, but for many, the idea of this has been long-awaited, and very much a godsend.

great wall ckd asean: is malaysia in it..

Various sources on the internet point to Great Wall Motor Co having an assembly plant here in Malaysia. It seems that Malaysia has been identified as one of the countries where the Chinese carmaker wants to set up a plant, together with Vietnam and Philippines.
These three countries will make passenger cars, while separate Great Wall Motor Co plants in Indonesia and Thailand will make pick-up up trucks such as the Great Wall Wingle. Given that they want plants in so many countries, they’ll most likely be in partnership with local partners.
Earlier this year we heard news of the government receiving applications from five foreign carmakers to setup assembly plants here in Malaysia. The government did not reveal which companies these were, only saying that they were European and Asian companies, which is really quite general.
Great Wall could most likely be one of the 5 companies, and MITI had better give the green light fast because although we’ve seen Great Wall cars on test in Malaysia before, the Chinese company is already selling cars in the Philippines and has already identified that it will work with local dealer Philippine National Motor to setup a plant there with an annual capacity of 10,000 units. Great Wall also already has CKD plants in Vietnam in partnership with the locals.
Models that Great Wall Motor seem to be focusing on exporting are the Florid, the Peri, the Wingle, the Cowry, the Coolbear and the Hover SUV. They also have the Voleex C30 and Voleex C70 sedans. The Hover SUV was recently granted a 4 star score in the Australian NCAP crash test. The only model that we’ve seen on test in Malaysia before is the Wingle.

To A Much Bettta 2011..

Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.

Life is beauty, admire it.

Life is bliss, taste it.

Life is a dream, realize it.

Life is a challenge, meet it.

Life is a duty, complete it.

Life is a game, play it.

Life is costly, care for it.

Life is wealth, keep it.

Life is love, enjoy it.

Life is mystery, know it.

Life is a promise, fulfill it.

Life is sorrow, overcome it.

Life is a song, sing it.

Life is a struggle, accept it.

Life is tragedy, confront it.

Life is an adventure, dare it.

Life is luck, make it.

Life is too precious, do not destroy it.

Life is life, fight for it.

Merry Christmas to One And All...
And a Happy New Year...

Lotus unveils 5-year business plan – Lotus Cars set to go against Ferrari and Porsche?

There are some very interesting things in store ahead for Proton’s Group Lotus, and we had a preview of some of it today. Proton hopes that these list of new happenings for Lotus will be able to turn it into a profitable company within 5 years. Lotus has never made a profit in the decade that it’s been under Proton ownership.

New Management

Proton (and Lotus) Chairman Datuk Mohd Nadzmi Mohd Salleh started with bringing in new management – we saw ex-Ferrari man Dany Bahar appointed as the new CEO of Group Lotus back in October last year.

Dany then brought in a whole list of new employees including Ferrari Director of Design Donato Coco (who was also previously at Citroen before Ferrari), Andreas Schlegel from Aston Martin marketing and network development, Andreas Prillmann who was Director of Sales and Business Development at Ferrari, Robert Hentschel from EDAG USA and Frank Tuch who was Director of Quality Management at Porsche, amongst many other new team members.

We were given a full list of new management credentials and the long list was very impressive. Dany Bahar likened the new Lotus management team to the Real Madrid football team. This is the team that will spearhead Lotus into the next five years. Lotus has big ambitions. Be prepared for a shocker here – it wants to diversify from its current niche market positioning and move into the premium sportscar segment dominated by marques such as Ferrari and Porsche.

New Product Line-Up

By 2015, Lotus wants to be selling cars that cost between 100,000 to 130,000 Euro, with annual sales increased from between the current 2,000 to 2,500 cars a year to as much as 6,000 to 8,000 cars a year. Its new motto – “Tomorrow’s luxury sports car, today.” Lotus currently has presence in 30 markets worldwide, and it wants to add another 25 potential markets to this list.

New Lotus cars will move away from its current manual transmission only and bare necessity lightweight positioning. The cars will go upmarket and become more complex. New Lotus cars will have features such as 7-speed twin clutch transmissions, active aerodynamics, continuously variable dampers, hybrid and range extender systems, heads up displays, and something interesting – the option for alcohol fueling.

We were shown sketches of some upcoming Lotus cars in the presentation today but we were asked not to snap photos of the presentation so I respected that. But they looked pretty aggressive and sporty and there were various bodytypes.

There wasn’t any SUV model in sight though, so no indication of any Lotus APX production car built on the VVA architecture. I believe there will be a Lotus concept car shown at the Paris Motor Show this year, as Lotus PR UK have just sent out a PR release advising us to watch out for something unexpected at Paris.

It’s not to say that Lotus will be leaving behind its roots – I believe that the likes of the Elise will continue to be sold, but these new Lotus cars will fill niches that the company is not currently in, segments filled by products such as the Ferrari 599 and 612 for example. It won’t be easy though. The engines of cars such as Ferrari and Porsche very much influence their character and brand. Lotus do not have their own engine – most if not all are Toyota-sourced.

But I won’t say it’s a bad thing if the screaming V10 from the Lexus LF-A (even if detuned) is used by Lotus in a future Lotus Esprit successor – that wonderful howl should be experienced by more and not just limited to the small number of LF-As around! Wishful thinking aside, there are many other engines from Toyota’s Lexus stable that Lotus could use, such as the numerous front longitudinally mounted rear wheel drive V8 engines used in the IS-F, the GS and the LS.

There was also word in the past that the upcoming Esprit would be receiving a BMW engine – the twin turbocharged 4.4 liter V8 in particular. That engine’s output is able to challenge the Ferraris and Porsches that we’re talking about competing with. BMW is not closed to offering the use of its engines in other maker’s products – it supplies a 6-potter turbodiesel to Carbon Motors for their police car, Morgan uses BMW engines in its cars, and the legendary McLaren F1 also had BMW power.

Lotus Cars’ very own Aston Martin Cygnet?

There’s also something interesting in the works – apparently Lotus will also have its own version of the Proton EMAS concept by Giugiaro. At its Geneva unveiling, the EMAS already had a Lotus Range Extender engine fitted in it, or at least that’s what the spec sheet said. Proton and Lotus unveiled today a plan to jointly develop and sell the Proton EMAS.

The Proton version will be sold in Asia and the Middle East and will feature a 5-door hatchback body, while Lotus will sell a 3-door sports city car globally. Both Proton and Lotus models will feature similar combustion engine and/or hybrid powertrains and will essentially feature the same mechanical underpinnings, however there will be a high level of exterior and interior differentiation. The Proton will be a Proton and the Lotus will be a Lotus.

Lotus Engineering

Lotus is more than just cars of course. You also have Lotus Engineering, an engineering firm that competes with the likes of EDAG, LG CNS, Magna Steyr and etc. Even though Proton owns Lotus Engineering, they admit that they haven’t been working that closely with them to use their engineering expertise for Proton cars so far in the decade of ownership. The two companies plan to change this from now on. Thus far, projects awarded to Lotus by Proton has always been on an ad hoc basis only and total projects awarded to Lotus by Proton in the past decade have only totaled up to 95 million British Pounds so we can expect this to increase in the future.

Lotus Engineering is also collaborating with automotive and engine component company Fagor Ederlan to put the 1.2 liter three-cylinder Lotus Range Extender engine into production. They have just completed a joint technical and market study and have decided on the best way to start production for the engine. The engine has been designed specifically for range extender usage – it is tuned for making a certain amount of power at certain RPM thus is designed to be coupled to a Range Extender’s power generator and not to a gearbox.

This is the big picture of the Lotus 5-year plan and we were told that Proton and Lotus management would be “locking themselves up in a room” over the next 2 days to have continuous brainstorming meetings. No doubt there will be coffee and perhaps currypuffs to fuel their thoughts so here’s a toast of Ipoh White Coffee to the future of Lotus and we eagerly await to see what Lotus unveils at this year’s Paris Motorshow!

honda shows how its done..

Honda has announced that the styling direction of the next-generation Honda Civic will debut at the 2011 Detroit show in January via a concept car, and has released this official sketch as a teaser. The production version of the ninth-generation Civic based on the Detroit concept will go on sale in spring 2011.

The sketch shows a two-door hatch or coupe, but we can pick up some hints from the front fascia. It features a V-shape with elements pointing down towards the middle of the front. The headlights are slim and sharp, and the lower grille isn’t unlike the CR-Z’s snout, although unlike that coupe, there’s an upper grille here. This sketch also rules out the City’s Optimus Prime face.

Overall, the front reminds me a little of the Accord Euro R. Do you like what you see?

thumbs up to new f1 engine rules..

Volkswagen has managed to resist the temptation of joining Formula 1 so far. As recent as early this month, the new Porsche boss Matthias Mueller “ruled out” the series.

“F1 is a drivers’ world championship, with the focus on the sponsors and the manufacturers only secondary. For us, this is a clear drawback for such a long-term investment, as is the unclear rules for the future. (But) if the VW Group was interested, then Porsche would surely be the brand that would work best for this,” he told German newspaper Westfalen Blatt.

But the new rules that limit engines to 1.6-litre four-cylinder units in 2013 could be thing that changes VW’s mind. When asked, VW Motorsport’s Hans-Joachim Stuck spoke of the possibilities.

“We welcome the decision. It is not only great news for F1, but for the whole of motorsport, as it takes the sport in the right direction environmentally. Of course, we have not decided anything, but the conditions for Volkswagen to possibly enter the category have now been created. The engine rules are a good starting point for Volkswagen,” he said.

VW’s motorsport program subscribes to “Resource-saving motorsport” and efficient engines with production-based technology (the brand’s Formula 3 engine is a 2.0-litre four-cylinder NA engine with ‘just’ 210 hp ). Using bio natural gas engines in the Scirocco R-Cup and at the Nürburgring 24 Hours is proof that “Volkswagen is already in the process of putting the aims of eco-conscious motorsport of the future into action now,” according to VW Motorsport Director Kris Nissen.

Will we see Porsche racing with Ferrari, Mercedes and Lotus in F1 in the near future?

5464 fl

Unveiled by Proton MD Datuk Syed Zainal moments ago, it is officially called the Saga FL.

From the boss’ speech, and the new features, we know that Proton is trying to get the younger crowd to consider the Saga as their first car, urban middle class folks that would otherwise buy a Myvi.

The Blue Rock colour you see here is one of the two new colors (the other is Cafe Latte, a light brown hue), and is the same colour as the Thai show car. There are now two trim lines – Standard and Executive – down from the previous three. Manual (5-speed) and automatic (4-speed) choices are available for both trims, which mean that there are four possible configurations.

Powered by the same 1,332 cc Campro engine with 94 hp and 120 Nm, the Saga FL gets Proton’s new face, which will be sign of things to come. As detailed before, the new exterior consists of new lamps front and rear, new grille, new bumpers on both ends and new design rims. Standard variants ride on 175/70 R13 wheels while Executive FLs use 185/60 R14 rubber.

Most of the new features that the FL gets over the old car is for the Executive. They are dual airbags, steering audio buttons and USB/AUX ports for the Clarion MP3 stereo. New goodies available on both trims are side mirrors with LED signal lamps, rear power windows, rear LED tail lamps. The rest of the Executive-only equipment includes driver’s seat height adjuster, powered wing mirrors, fog lamps and slim rear spoiler.

The new Proton Saga facelift is now available in four different variants – the Standard M/T and A/T as well as the higher spec Executive M/T and A/T, which is one grade level less than the pre-facelift Saga, which was available in N-Line, B-Line and M-Line. Effectively, this means very basic N-Line with the cheapest price tag and the black bumper is not represented in the new line-up.

All models have the front and rear power windows, MP3 function for the audio player, and the side mirrors with LED turn indicators.

What the Executive model adds over the Standard model are the USB and AUX input, the dual front SRS airbags (Standard model doesn’t have any airbags), steering wheel audio switches, driver seat height adjustment, electric door mirrors, fog lamps, rear spoiler, a multipurpose container and side protector moulding. Wheels are alloys wrapped with 180/60R14 on the Executive, and steel wheels wrapped with 175/70R13 on the Standard.

The engine and gearbox remains the same as the pre-facelift Proton Saga for now, however Proton has indicated that they will be rolling out an update to the Campro engine family sometime next year, and this update could include the new Proton Saga. The update will include improvements to the normally aspirated Campro engines as well as add a new turbocharged variant for models like the Proton Exora.

The Saga is available in Solid White, Tranquility Black, Genetic Silver, and two new flours – Cafe Latte and Blue Rock. Our live galleries after the jump are mostly of the two new colours so you’ll know what they look like.

Of course, the most important part are the new prices. Prices have gone up by about RM1,000 to RM1,300 across the board, which is not too bad a jump considering there’s an extra passenger airbag in the airbag-equipped models. In the price comparison, we’ll compare the Standard with the B-Line and the Executive with the M-Line.
Saga Difference Saga Facelift
1.3 Standard M/T RM36,998 RM1,000 RM37,998
1.3 Standard A/T RM39,998 RM1,000 RM40,998
1.3 Executive M/T RM39,498 RM1,200 RM40,698
1.3 Executive A/T RM41,998 RM1,300 RM43,298

Malaysias turf..

Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua Sdn Bhd (Perodua) managing director Datuk Aminar Rashid Salleh expects vehicle sales in Malaysia to hit a new high in 2011.

“I believe that TIV (total industry volume) will reach 600,000 units next year based on the growing number of new car buyers and a healthy economy,” he told StarBiz.

Aminar said the local automotive industry still had a good growth potential despite sceptics arguing otherwise.

“Some might say that the automotive industry in Malaysia is a sunset industry, but I beg to differ. I believe that the industry has a lot of room to grow.

“The TIV in Malaysia has averaged about 500,000 units in the last decade and it would be easy to assume that the average would stay that way, but that is just not true.”

Aminar said Malaysia had a growing young population that would drive new vehicle sales.

“Malaysia is a young country, with 60 per cent of its population between the ages of 15 and 64, while 30 per cent are below 15 years of age. The demographic suggests that the number of car buyers will increase over time as a personal vehicle is still needed due to an inadequate public transportation system.”

He also said the government’s intention of transforming the nation into a high-income economy via the New Economic Model (NEM) would benefit the local automotive sector.

“We believe this will also help boost automotive sales as consumers will buy cars to reflect their status as income, especially disposable income, rises.”

From January to September, TIV rose 14 per cent to 453,249 units compared with 397,950 units in the same period last year. The Malaysian Automotive Association (MAA) has forecast TIV for 2010 to hit 570,000, its highest ever since reaching 552,316 units in 2005.

For next year, MAA president Datuk Aishah Ahmad said TIV was expected to grow at a marginal rate of 2 per cent to 3 per cent from 2010.

Industry observers and analysts also expect sales of hybrid vehicles to improve next year following the government’s decision to remove excise duties on such vehicles effective January 1.

Aminar said the automotive industry’s 2010 year-to-date sales performance had been “very encouraging”.

“If we annualise that number we will have an average of 151,100 vehicles per quarter. That means that the TIV potential (for 2010) is 604,400 units!

“However, the fourth quarter has always seemed to slow down a bit and, taking that into account, we believe that total TIV (2010) will range from 580,000 to 590,000 units.”

Aminar said Perodua was confident of achieving its sales target of 185,000 units this year. According to reports, the national carmaker expects to sell 190,000 vehicles in 2011.

On what was needed to improve the automotive industry, Aminar said the Government should keep to its plans under the National Automotive Policy (NAP) as it would give the auto players a solid path to strategise their long-term plan properly.

“The NAP also gives the automotive vendors precious time to gradually increase their competitiveness in terms of cost management, further improve their quality level as well as productivity and efficiency to be on par with their international counterparts.

“This will allow them to be able to export their products to other international players and not just rely on domestic players.”

Aminar also said any trade barriers in the automotive industry should be removed at a gradual pace and not suddenly.

“If all the trade barriers were abolished overnight then you would see resale value of cars plummet. This will devastate not only the resale market but new car sales as well as many car buyers usually trade in their vehicles.

“The customers with existing loans will find it difficult to settle as the value of their cars would be greatly diminished. It would be better if the current barriers were removed gradually over time to lessen any impact.”

Indonesian Update

Frost & Sullivan: Indonesia's Passenger Vehicle Sales to Grow at CAGR of 8.6 percent Due to Increased Demand for MPVs, SUVs and Entry of Low-Cost Economical Cars

JAKARTA, Indonesia, Sept. 7 -- Frost & Sullivan expects Indonesia's passenger vehicle sales to increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.6 percent from 2010 to 2015 due to increased demand for multi-purpose vehicles (MPVs), sports utility vehicles (SUVs) and entry of low-cost economical cars.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20081117/FSLOGO)
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081117/FSLOGO)

Mr. Vijayendra R Rao, Industry Manager, Automotive & Transportation Practice, Asia Pacific at Frost & Sullivan, said that MPVs and SUVs are expected to continue to be the most popular passenger vehicles in Indonesia during 2010-2015.

If you are interested in more information on this study, please send an e-mail to Alice Chia, Corporate Communications, at alice.chia@frost.com, with your full name, company name, title, telephone number, company e-mail address, company website, city, state and country.

Mr. Rao said that the MPVs low pricing is the key driver of the segment's popularity among consumers. He predicts that MPVs will dominate the market in 2012 due to its low entry level price tag.

He noted that while all other passenger vehicle segments experienced a dip in market share in 2009, MPVs bucked the trend by growing 11.2 percent to 65.2 percent in 2009 as compared to a market share of 54.1 percent in 2008, to be the most popular passenger vehicle segment in Indonesia.

Mr. Rao said that vehicle production in Indonesia is expected to grow at a CAGR of 8 percent during 2010 to 2015 as more vehicle manufacturers are increasing their capacity with encouragement from the government.

Mr. Rao also said that the Indonesian government had recently announced that it is working on a system of incentives and an industrial concept to turn Indonesia into one of Asia's automobile production hubs. "The government plans to implement more regulations that will attract investments in automotive production facilities and reduce import tariffs for completely knocked down (CKD) and completely built unit (CBU) units," he added.

He noted that Indonesia's automotive component exports has grown by 35 to 40 percent annually since 2003, with the major components exports being bumpers, body accessories, mufflers, gearboxes, wheel rims, steering wheels, columns, and drive axles. Indonesia's automotive components are exported mainly to Japan and other ASEAN countries such as Thailand and Malaysia.

Mr. Rao said that Indonesia's total industry volume (TIV) is likely to increase 15% to reach 405,225 by the end of 2010, in tandem with the improved economy and positive consumer sentiment.

Strategic Analysis of Passenger Vehicles Market in Indonesia is part of the Automotive & Transportation Growth Partnership Services program, which also includes research in the following markets: Strategic Analysis of Passenger Vehicles Market in Malaysia, Strategic Analysis of Passenger Vehicles Market in Thailand. All research services included in subscriptions provide detailed market opportunities and industry trends that have been evaluated following extensive interviews with market.

Yo.

Russian business tycoon and mining magnate, Mikhail D. Prokhorov, has ventured out into the hybrid car business. He is the same gentleman who owns the U.S. basketball team, New Jersey Nets. This will be the first gas-electric hybrid car by Russia, and will be able to use either petrol or natural gas in the process of generating its electric power. The car will be named ‘Yo’, and will be manufactured under a new company called e-Auto, and is targeted to go on sale in mid 2012.
‘Yo’ will be directly competing with the Toyota Prius. It will be propelled by 2 electric motors, and a small petrol engine that can work both on petrol and natural gas, which will work towards generating electricity that the car consumes while in use. While the Prius gives around 50 miles per gallon, this car is expected to give close to 70 miles per gallon, and will also have a better total range as compared to any other normal plug-in electric car.

The cost is expected to be a little less than $15,000, though actual pricing will be finalized in the near future. The ‘Yo’ is said to have a better mileage than the Prius due to it being lighter in weight and also having a lesser top speed.Mr. Prokhorov said he wanted to show the world that Russia can give it an extraordinary, useful and modern car. And from the way things seem, the ‘Yo’ might just deliver on that promise.

a word from the experts..

The Frost & Sullivan ‘Aspirational Car of the Year’ Award is conferred to a manufacturer based on a structured research process and by evaluating the performance of its products by end users. The “Voice of Customer” survey recognizes an OEM that has launched the best models across various segments of passenger vehicles, satisfied aspiring needs, and been rated high for its achievement in “Excellence in Technology and Innovation”. Maruti Suzuki Swift was awarded the Frost & Sullivan 2010 Aspirational Car of the Year Award in Segment B.

The recipient of this Award had to excel in one or more of the following criteria:

* Improvement in customer satisfaction levels
* Reduced churn rate
* Reduction in operational costs while maintaining high levels of satisfaction
* Imitation by competitors

Receiving the award Mr. Shashank Srivastava, Chief General Manager Marketing, Maruti Suzuki India Limited said, “Swift is one of the most important brand for us. It has been a great success story for Maruti Suzuki and the Indian Automotive Industry. With its radical styling, sporty drive and advance features it taken the customer expectations to a new level, creating an all new segment. It is heartening to see Swift get this most aspirational car award. The Swift continues to be the most popular and aspirational car for the customers.”

will the real slim shady please stand up..

GROUP Lotus plc and Genii Capital have formed a partnership which will see the Renault F1 Team renamed as Lotus Renault GP for the 2011 racing season.

The title sponsorship agreement will run until the 2017 season.

Group Lotus will acquire a major equity stake in the team from Genii Capital.

For 2011, the Lotus Renault GP cars will race in a new interpretation of the iconic black and gold colours that were last used when Lotus and Renault joined forces in the 1980s.

The partnership between Lotus and Genii brings the ability to quickly incorporate new technologies from F1 cars into Lotus road cars, including hybrid technology, kinetic energy recovery systems, aero advancements and lightweight materials.

Genii, an investment holding company with a portfolio of automotive technologies, brings non-F1 technologies such as lightweight braking systems, variable compression engine technology and on board software systems to the partnership.

Group Lotus CEO Dany Bahar said, "I can think of no better platform for automotive brand communications than motorsport and F1. We are aware that there has been a lot of controversy around the usage of our brand in F1 and I am delighted to be able to formally clarify our position: We are Lotus, and we are back."



Datuk Sri Mohd Nadzmi Mohd Salleh, chairman of Proton, the majority shareholder of Lotus, said: "We know that Group Lotus has much to offer Formula 1 and vice versa. After careful consideration, we believe this arrangement will be fruitful, both from a commercial and marketing point of view."



Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Proton advisor, said: "This is an exciting development which delivers strategic benefits to both Group Lotus and Proton."



Carlos Ghosn, chairman and CEO of Renault, commented: "This multi-partner alliance will bring new dynamics to the team and enable it to compete with the sportís best from next season."

Genii can also offer Proton the ability to leverage on its existing business relationships in Russia and other parts of the world.

Through Genii, Proton can also potentially access advanced automotive technologies by virtue of Geniiís association with Mangrove, a venture capital group.

Gerard Lopez, founding partner of Genii Capital, said, "For Group Lotus, access to Formula 1 opens up new marketing opportunities and a major platform for business exchanges and development. In this regard, Genii Capital possesses shareholdings in, and direct access to, cutting edge companies in the automotive industry. Our tie-up with Group Lotus and Proton, which will enable its future road car ranges to take advantage of significant new technologies, is a natural step."

The drama that is brewing between the new Lotus Renault GP and Team Lotus headed by Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes has put Malaysia under the spotlight.

Sources informed us that Group Lotus has already been planning to go into Formula One and the budget has been allocated.

Team Lotus, on the other hand, has been reported to forge ahead with its racing plans for next year, also using a Renault engine.

Whether the focus on these two Malaysian teams will bring good to the country is yet to be determined.

In the meantime, let's just sit back and enjoy the drama, and hope that it brings some good for the taxpayers.

proton in arabic??too muchhhh!!!!

What happens when you cross a Proton Persona with the Proton Satria Neo? The result is above – the Aseelah/Aseela, designed and built by the National Program for Automobile Technology, an affiliate of the King Abdul Aziz City for Science and Technology organization. It was exhibited at the Riyadh Motor Show 2010 this month.

There was news sometime ago about KACST and Lotus Engineering teaming up to develop Saudi Arabia’s automotive industry in terms of development and manufacturing capability. It’s not surprising that one of their first cars is based on the Persona, and a collection of other parts from the Proton parts bin it seems. In another arrangement, Lotus Engineering also used the Persona/GEN2 platform when it was contracted by China’s Youngman to develop Europestar-branded cars for the Chinese market.

Middle East-based news organization The Media Line reports that KACST will set up a vehicle production line at the cost of about 60 million Saudi Riyals to produce between 2,000 to 5000 cars a year, but the report doesn’t really provide a definitive answer on whether the Aseelah will be the first product being built by the KACST production line. But they did give an indication on how much a production version of the Aseelah would be sold at – under 50,000 Saudi riyals.

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen a car from Saudi Arabia – the first was the Saudi GAZAL1 Concept based on the Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen designed by King Saud University

..the monsters coming to town....thot they orready ere..hehe

The Honda CR-Z, which is presently hybrid only, will get a new turbocharged four-cylinder engine, which could spawn a Type R variant, UK’s Autocar reports. Citing sources in Japan, the report says that the 1.6-litre turbo is currently undergoing development at Honda’s Tochigi R&D facility.

To also find its way into the Jazz, Civic and Accord, this i-VTEC turbo unit is part of Honda’s downsizing program, and will push out 2.0L performance from just 1.6 litres. There will be two versions – a 160 hp unit and a 200 hp version that’s set to carry the legacy of the Civic Type R’s K20A. The latter will motivate the “CR-Z Type R” that could debut late next year.

The idea isn’t new. The image above is of Honda’s CR-Z Hybrid R concept from this year’s SEMA show. It had a turbo alongside the 1.5-litre hybrid powerplant for 200 hp and 238 Nm of torque, plus red hot body styling.

After repeatedly being bombarded with sad news on Type R deaths recently, enthusiasts who feared the extinction of sporty Hondas finally have something to cheer about. Gallery of the Hybrid R concept is after the jump.
The Honda CR-Z, which is presently hybrid only, will get a new turbocharged four-cylinder engine, which could spawn a Type R variant, UK’s Autocar reports. Citing sources in Japan, the report says that the 1.6-litre turbo is currently undergoing development at Honda’s Tochigi R&D facility.

To also find its way into the Jazz, Civic and Accord, this i-VTEC turbo unit is part of Honda’s downsizing program, and will push out 2.0L performance from just 1.6 litres. There will be two versions – a 160 hp unit and a 200 hp version that’s set to carry the legacy of the Civic Type R’s K20A. The latter will motivate the “CR-Z Type R” that could debut late next year.

The idea isn’t new. The image above is of Honda’s CR-Z Hybrid R concept from this year’s SEMA show. It had a turbo alongside the 1.5-litre hybrid powerplant for 200 hp and 238 Nm of torque, plus red hot body styling.

After repeatedly being bombarded with sad news on Type R deaths recently, enthusiasts who feared the extinction of sporty Hondas finally have something to cheer about. Gallery of the Hybrid R concept is after the jump.
The Honda CR-Z, which is presently hybrid only, will get a new turbocharged four-cylinder engine, which could spawn a Type R variant, UK’s Autocar reports. Citing sources in Japan, the report says that the 1.6-litre turbo is currently undergoing development at Honda’s Tochigi R&D facility.

To also find its way into the Jazz, Civic and Accord, this i-VTEC turbo unit is part of Honda’s downsizing program, and will push out 2.0L performance from just 1.6 litres. There will be two versions – a 160 hp unit and a 200 hp version that’s set to carry the legacy of the Civic Type R’s K20A. The latter will motivate the “CR-Z Type R” that could debut late next year.

The idea isn’t new. The image above is of Honda’s CR-Z Hybrid R concept from this year’s SEMA show. It had a turbo alongside the 1.5-litre hybrid powerplant for 200 hp and 238 Nm of torque, plus red hot body styling.

After repeatedly being bombarded with sad news on Type R deaths recently, enthusiasts who feared the extinction of sporty Hondas finally have something to cheer about. Gallery of the Hybrid R concept is after the jump.

...still at it..

..i know what you did...on ur workday...hehe

...neo....malays..

Hidden in a corner of Proton’s big display area at KLIMS 2010 is this, the Satria Neo R3 Concept. This mean looking Neo is powered by a Campro CPS engine tweaked by R3 to make 200 hp and 250 Nm of torque! The concept has a sole objective – ultimate performance.

In R3′s hands, the 1.6L Campro CPS gets a turbocharger, R3 forged pistons, steel conrod, performance camshafts, reworked cylinder heads, carbon airbox, a new exhaust system and management computer. The results are 200 hp and 250 Nm (170 hp and 200 Nm on wheel), which is a huge 75 hp/100 Nm jump over the stock engine. The manual gearbox is a close ratio unit.

Like the Satria Neo R3 Lotus Racing, the R3 uses a complete AP Racing brake kit comprising 4-pot calipers, 295 mm floating discs and performance brake pads. The fancy Ohlins coil over suspension also make an appearance here. The show car wears 15-inch wheels with 195/50 Bridgestone Potenza RE55S semi slicks.

Looks wise, the Neo R3 is in black with a yellow stripe running the length of the body, like the Saga R3 Concept we showed you from Bangkok. The sides also come with a yellow chequered flag patterned stripe. The carbon fibre bonnet, body kit and add ons are similar to that of the limited edition RM115,000 Lotus Racing Neo, with bronze coloured lower front/rear bumpers.

Inside the Nappa and Alcantara covered cabin, you’ll find Recaro seats with Sparco harness, a Sparco R323 wheel with 60 mm spacer and a bolt on 4-point half roll-cage in yellow. The base of the gear lever (shiny knob) and door cards are in yellow too. A 2-DIN touch screen ICE system with GPS takes its place in the centre stack and analog instruments have been replaced by a single digital panel

perodua bezza...yezzzaaaaaaaaa...

Perodua has unveiled a next-generation prototype model called the Bezza at KLIMS. The sleek concept is tagged as the sort of vehicle that’s ideal for the future Gen-Y crowd looking for something bigger to efficiently traverse the concrete jungle as well as for longer journeys.

bezza 1

Penned 100% by Malaysian designers (totalling 53 in all, including those from private learning institutions) led by P2′s chief designer Muhammad Zamren Musa, and fabricated in Thailand, the four metre-long B-pillarless vehicle is the company’s vision of what a compact car is – a vehicle that maximises the interior with a minimised exterior.

bezza 2

Branded as a ‘mobile living space,’ with all the mod cons expected in the digital age (communications, infotainment), the study is set to become a blueprint for the company’s future models, P2 says, even though the Bezza doesn’t feature any powertrain/drivetrain – the focus of the concept is on styling studies, that of design cues and character. Perodua says that if interest in the design is high, plans to develop the particular design further into a working unit may be pursued.

bezza 3

The five-seater concept, which uncannily contains traces of the Prius in its exterior lines, features sliding rear doors and swivel front seats for easy ingress and egress, along with a distinctly agressive headlamp design.

bezza 3 new

The clean-looking interior features a cockpit layout dashboard, with the instrument panel designed for the driver’s visual ease, and the floating centre console is shaped to provide additional legroom for both driver and front passenger, with a large luggage storage area part of the design brief as well.

jebat n gang hoping to revive proton....

A favourite modification theme for Mitsubishi Lancer owners is to ape the legendary Evolution, and we’re sure that some Proton Inspira owners or prospects are looking at the same direction too. But before anyone has attempted that on their new car, Proton Design themselves have come up with an “Inspira Evo” to provide some inspiration. As part of the carmaker’s “Pahlawan” series of concepts at KLIMS, this is the Jebat!

The Jebat has a matt black coat covering large parts of its front and rear, with a matching strip at the lower section of the doors. Look closely and you’ll also notice that the front and rear fenders are puffed up, wide-body style. There are also daytime LEDs, bonnet vents (three in total) and a rear spoiler for the Evo look. The rear bumper has a diffuser that’s quite narrow, covering only the length of the number plate. The wheels are 18-inch items.

Inside, Hang Jebat gets to sit on nice Recaros with red stitching, a theme repeated on the door panels. That and a Clarion touch screen ICE system are the only changes from the standard car.