Back in Borneo in the old days, Jeep, pronounced “gee-eep” by the native people, was the noun for almost all things automobiles, whatever automobile was available in Borneo then. You could be on an old Land Rover, the one with the spare tyre mounted on the hood, a popular vehicle in Borneo back then, but you would still be on a gee-eep to them.

For instance, a man might ask his friend, “How do you plan to go the market today” and it was not uncommon to hear a reply like this, “I think, I may take the buffalo or maybe I shall just wait for a gee-eep to come by.”

The name Jeep sticks until this day in some parts of South-east Asia, and people are still calling a certain type of vehicles gee-eep. Gee…

But that is beside the point. So, how is the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee doing? Can the iconic brand name put back order into its maker’s tumultuous years? The 2011 Grand Cherokee Jeep, announced in May, broke what was then a long-drawn out silence — in terms of vehicle announcement, that was — from Chrysler.

If you are curious about the SUV, curious no more as some lucky souls have test-driven the beauty and come back with their reports. One of them is Autoblog. It is a very comprehensive review indeed, in the usual style of Autoblog. We won’t be spoiling their finding, so be sure to check the review yourself. There is, however, a mention about “a little life” on some hills at the end of the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee test drive report and review.

2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee

Up next is a four-page test drive report by Automobile magazine. In conclusion it mentions the word “unique” and “compelling”.

I hope, one day in the future, I could drive a Jeep to my village in Borneo and tell my folks back there, “Hey, look here. I’m driving a new gee-eep.”

CrunchGear’s David Freeman has test-driven the new Audi R8 V8 Spyder and prepared a report about his experience with the supercar.

It is not your typical test-drive report but for someone who confesses to writing typically about USB drives, his write-up is pleasantly entertaining; makes you wonder how would a car review writer writes if he is to report about USB drives.

In the report Freeman talks about his experience behind the wheel and the technology that makes the R8 V10 Spyder a R8 V10 Spyder. Read the Audi R8 V10 Spyder mini review here. Other reviews and test drive reports of the R8 V10 Spyder: Audi R8 V10 overall verdict, Audi R8 V10 review.

Headlights are the car’s eyes. And eyes should have eyelashes, shouldn’t they? And if headlights are the car’s eyes, there’s nothing wrong with dressing them up with eyelashes, isn’t it? Introducing Carlashes™, the long, curly eyelashes for cars.

Guys may be a little apprehensive about driving cars with eyelashes but the fairer sex may not mind at all.

It will surely make heads turn and lightens up the traffic. According to the team behind Carlashes™, there are several styles and shapes available to fit different headlight shapes.

Just tell them your vehicles make, year and model when ordering.

Other key features, as publicised on Amazon.com are: Flexible design bends around headlights, attaches easily with 3M double sided trim tape, designed to stay on your car at normal driving speeds and it will not damage paint. Interested? Buy them straight from Carlashes™ or via Amazon.com.

The 2011 Ford Edge has start shipping in the US and Canada. The first version of the Edge was introduced in 2006. To date, 400,000 units of Edge have been sold. The 2011 Ford Edge features new styling, improved driving dynamics and industry-leading MyFord Touch technology.

“Edge defined the crossover segment when it was launched in 2006. Ford has taken a great vehicle and made it even better,” Amy Marentic, Ford’s Crossover Group Marketing Manager, said.

“The 2011 Ford Edge SEL and Limited, which account for about 80 percent of all Edge sales, have EPA-estimated fuel economy of 19 mpg city and 27 mpg highway (front-wheel drive), which is unsurpassed in each category among V6 competitors.

The new Edge is now 1 mpg better city and 2 mpg better highway – with even greater power. The standard 3.5-liter V6 engine produces 285 horsepower, best-in-class among V6 competitors and 20 more horsepower than the outgoing Edge.

MyFord Touch, standard on the 2011 Edge Limited, 2011 Edge Sport and available on the 2011 Edge SEL, defines an all-new in-car experience. It takes vehicle interior design into the realm of popular personal electronics devices such as laptop computers, mobile phones and MP3 player.” [Source: Ford Press Release]

Ford has introduced its fastest Mustang yet and gave it the “Boss 302″ badge, the legendary name it has not used since 1969. In the photographic world, it’s like Olympus bringing to life its classic Pen camera for its E-P1 M4/3 camera series.

The Boss 302 is based on the the 2011 Mustang GT, but nearly everything about the GT is upgraded for the Boss including the engine output, brakes, suspension, interior and exterior, with Ford aptly calling it “a race car with number plate.”

2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302... Photo Credit: Ford Mustang Facebook

Ford says the new Boss set to become the quickest, best-handling straight-production Mustang ever offered by the company. It is set for release in spring in the United States.

For mustang lovers in many parts of the world, no worries, it won’t be available in local showrooms so you’d be spared of the agony of love at first sight. There’s no stopping you from importing the car though.

Further information: Ford Mustang Boss 302 mini site, the Boss press release.

Malaysia’s DRB-Hicom has signed an agreement with Volkswagen to assemble and manufacture Volkswagen vehicles in Malaysia.

The agreement, signed yesterday in Singapore, was the culmination of “intense discussion” between the two companies, DRB-HICOM group managing director Mohd Khamil Jamil said in a media statement.

“Both parties anticipate the production of the CKD (completely-knocked down) models in Malaysia,” he added.

The Volkswagen vehicles will be assembled at DRB-HICOM’s largest automotive manufacturing facility in Malaysia in Pekan, in the state of Pahang.

It was a dramatic conclusion of the negotiations between the two companies. DRB-Hicom had, at one stage, been asked to step aside and give way to Malaysian automotive company Proton to negotiate possible collaboration with the German automaker. Both, however, failed to reach an agreement.

DRB-Hicom and Volkswagen resumed talks after the collapse of the Proton-VW negotiations.

The year 2012 is still a long time coming but if you don’t mind waiting, you can wait for the 2012 Ford Focus and enjoy the new feature called MyFord Touch — an in-car “coach” to help drivers safe their fuel in real-time.

For instance, you can monitor the fuel consumption, or what the company calls the fuel economy performance, of the car, say, during the past five, 10 or 30 minutes of driving.

MyFord Touch will be available in the United States on the 2011 Ford Edge and available globally on the 2012 Ford Focus. Below is a demo on the MyFord Touch.

And the good news is, actually, the wait is not that long. The 2012 Ford Focus will start showing in Ford showrooms worldwide from early next year, just a few months away.

Source: Springwise via Trendwatching.

Kia Sportage is the SUV I have had a soft spot with. Recently I bought a second-hand Sportage from the updated version of the first generation, and shipped it to Borneo as our holiday car.

It does its job well of taking us around through the pave as well as gravel roads of Borneo but you can only use a used car for a certain period before the thought of buying the brand new version comes mind.

The brand new version, the third in its series, is the Kia Sportage 2011, the sleek urban SUV some lucky soul had the chance to test-drive and review, like the guys at Australian-based Car Advise who got to test-drive and review the 2011 Kia Sportage.

We won’t reveal their findings, suffice to say it makes me even more determined to get hold of the SUV. Here is a video from the review.

In the meantime, you can also check a couple of other reviews and test-drives of the Kia Sportage 2011 at Autoblog, and The Car Connection.

Volvo’s new owner, Geely of China, has set its eyes on competing with high-end brand like Mercedes-Benz and BMW.

Geely closed its US$1.3-billion acquisition of Volvo from US giant Ford Motor Company on Monday, signalling a new direction for the brand.

Geely chairman and founder Li Shufu, speaking shortly after completing acquisition, said he wanted to see Volvo make more “high level cars that compete with the Mercedes S-Class and BMW 7-series”.

Li was quoted by UK automotive website Autocar.co.uk as telling a press conference in London that Volvo had the technology and research capabilities to compete at the top end of the market as well as demand higher retail prices.

Meanwhile, Li told China’s official Xinhua news agency that “after the takeover, Geely remains Geely and Volvo is still Volvo.”

“The relationship between the two companies is brotherhood,” he said, “not a parent-and-child relationship.”

Ford has released the Explorer 2011 for the United States market last week, and is already making waves with its sleek but muscular design.

With a recommended price of US$28,190, the car is getting the attention, with car-related sites, blogs and legacy media examining the SUV inside, outside and under the carriage.

Wall Street Journal digs deeper into the car design and interviewed the two women tasked with re-inventing the Ford Explorer.

Meanwhile, the USAToday blog speculates that the Ford Explorer 2011 might spell a death knell for the Ford Sport Trac. None of these are of any concern to consumers in my part of the world, though. No Sport Trac here; we’ve got only the “commoner” Ranger.

Meanwhile, FoxNews.com has an interview with Alan Mulally, CEO of Ford Motor Company where he talks about the new Explorer and company direction going forward.

In the meantime, here are a couple of videos of the Explorer 2011, to whet the appetite:

Ford Explorer 2011 galleries.