Many, including us, have wondered what format Wilayah Persekutuan vehicle registration plates will take after the inevitable WYY 9999? We’re now at WYK and WYY 9999 (the letter Z is reseved for the army) is expected to roll out in July.

Why are we at the end? The Star points out that some 1.3 million new vehicles were registered last year, with Kuala Lumpur recording the highest number of new vehicles (359,239), followed by Johor (172,608) and Penang (113,340). On average, some 1,100 new vehicle numbers are recorded in KL daily, compared to about 500 in Johor and 300 in Selangor.

Well, we now have an answer. After WYY 9999, the next number will be W 1 A, followed by W 2 A, W 3 A till W 9999 A. This was revealed today by acting Transport Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein. From what we understand, the number that follows W 9999 A is W 1 B. After W 9999 B, it will be W 1 C.

Eventually when the plates reach W 9999 Y, the next plate will be WA 1 A – WA 9999 A up to WY 1 Y – WY 9999 Y. Once the two alphabet series are over, we’ll go to WAA 1 A – WAA 9999 A up to WAY 1 – WAY 9999 Y. I that should give you a clear idea of the new pattern. This means the last number in this new series will eventually be WYY 9999 Y.

Now that the new format is released, will we see a bidding frenzy for the opening W1A to W9999A sequence ala WWW? Plenty of new possibilities with an alphabet at the end – what is your dream number plate?

The post After WYY 9999, Wilayah plates to restart with W 1 A appeared first on Paul Tan's Automotive News.

The Audi Q7 turns eight this year. Yup, it has been that long since it debuted in 2005, and it last got an update in 2009. That’s a long time for a car to survive without major modernisation, making it a bit of a dinosaur among its peers. Apart from the Volvo XC90 that is, which is even older. No surprise then, that the next-gen Audi Q7 is already in the works.

Don’t be fooled by the familiar looks, the car above is a test mule for Audi’s new flagship SUV. Notice how the wheels don’t quite fit within the makeshift bulging arches, and the nose looks to have been tampered with too. Both are telltale signs of fitting an old existing bodyshell onto a brand new platform for test purposes before the final design is finalised.

It looks pedestrian enough to drive around in public without attracting attention, until it encountered our sharp European spy photographers. Rumours are the Q7 will be put on an extreme diet to shave 300 kg off its weight. It’s still unclear if it’ll use a modified VW Touareg/Porsche Cayenne platform as before or a new all-aluminium chassis to match the latest Range Rover.

Regardless of that decision, expect the next-gen Audi Q7 to go through the usual engine downsizing regime. Choices should include the force-fed 3.0 V6 diesel and 4.0 V8 petrol engines we’ve seen on recent Audis, along with hybrid variants too. Either way, it looks set to maintain its size advantage over other premium alternatives, leaving Audi’s planned smaller SUVs to take them head on.

The post SPYSHOTS: Next-gen Audi Q7 caught in an old dress appeared first on Paul Tan's Automotive News.

The Lotus Exige S Roadster, first shown in pre-production form at the Geneva Motor Show last year, has now gone into production and is on sale in Europe and Malaysia (but not North America). As the name suggests it’s an open-top version of the hardcore Exige S coupe, with little change elsewhere.

It’s the first time an Exige is available with a removable roof, and it completes the Exige range that includes the S coupe and Cup track special. Power comes from the same supercharged Toyota-sourced 3.5 litre V6 engine in the other Exige models and Evora S, tuned to 345 hp at 7,000 rpm and 400 Nm of torque at 4,500 rpm.

Remarkably it weighs 10 kg less than the coupe at 1166 kg; its bonded aluminium chassis proving strong enough to not need extra braces without a roof. As such performance remains eye-wateringly quick: 0-100 km/h in four seconds dead and 160 km/h in a little more than double that. Top speed is limited to 233 km/h, down from the coupe’s 272 km/h, to protect the soft-top roof.

A six-speed manual or Serial Precision Shift (SPS) paddle-operated automated manual transmissions are offered, with a choice of two suspension and interior configurations. In Malaysia you can buy one officially at Lotus’ new flagship showroom in Petaling Jaya. Price starts from RM452,030 – not bad really, considering it’s far more costly than the RM550,000 Porsche Boxster S in the UK.

The post Lotus Exige S Roadster – Hethel’s fastest open-top yet appeared first on Paul Tan's Automotive News.

Here are more spyshots of the upcoming Mercedes-Benz S-Class Coupe, seen testing at the Nurburgring for the first time. The two-door S-Class will be called S-Class Coupe this time around, just like the two-door C- and E-Class, which means the CL name has been retired.

Although much of it is under camouflage, we can see that the Coupe’s front end styling is slightly different from the recently launched W222 S-Class limo. The headlights look like slimmer versions of the ones found on the SL, and as a coupe, it will have a smaller grille with a big central star, of course. Compared to the previous set of S-Class Coupe spyshots, this mule wears a different set of multi-spoke alloys.

Engine and tech wise, this car should get all the goodies given to the new S-Class. We have already detailed and explained the long list of stuff, which you can read about here. A late-2013 or 2014 debut for the S-Class Coupe is expected.

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Yesterday saw the first official image of the Mitsubishi Attrage surface – today, what looks like Thai brochure scans reveals the rest of the car, including elements of the interior, albeit in smaller chunk form.

Based on it, Thailand is set to get four variants of the Attrage over two trim levels, the GLS and GLX. The GLS Ltd and GLS, along with one GLX model, are CVT models, while the remaining GLX should be the base form of the range, equipped with a five-speed manual.

The Attrage shares the same 1.2 litre 3A92 three-cylinder MIVEC unit as its Mirage hatchback sibling, with 78 PS at 6,000 rpm and 100 Nm at 4,000 rpm for output numbers. Mitsubishi is touting a 22 km per litre fuel consumption for the car, nudging it ahead of its Nissan Almera and Honda Brio Amaze competitors.

Both standard and range-topping GLS versions will have dual airbags, while the GLX models will only feature a single airbag for the driver. Six exterior shades are listed for the Attrage in the brochure, these being the signature Cerulean Blue Mica, as well as Red Metallic, White Pearl, Eisen Gray Mica, Cool Silver and Pyreness (might be a mispelt Pyrenees) Black Mica.

The Attrage will be produced at Mitsubishi Motors Thailand’s Factory Three at the Laem Chabang plant located in Chonburi, and is set to make its market debut in Thailand in July, with the Phillipines due to get the sedan shortly after. Click below to see the brochure pages in full.

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We were all overjoyed when the Subaru WRX Concept was unveiled in New York earlier this March, with the original PlayStation-generation in particular dreaming of the rebirth of super fast and stylish Scooby STIs. It all came crashing down shortly after when early spyshots of the production car showed none of the Concept’s verve and visual tenacity.

Now let’s see if a video of the next Subaru WRX in action with accompanying soundtrack could get your hopes back up again. Here we see a full-bodied prototype (which sadly means the design has probably been finalised) testing out on the roads, apparently being evaluated against a Mazda3 MPS.

To me, that brings the Subaru WRX down to a new low as the MPS, as quick as it is, is hardly a worthy benchmark to judge the future WRX against. A WRX should set its own standards, like it did in its heydays in the past. With no new Mitsubishi Evo on the horizon, it better set it really high too. Anybody with me on this?

The Subaru WRX is expected to offer anywhere between 265 to over 300 hp in its most potent STI form, using the 2.0 litre engine in the BRZ as a base. It should get its own direct-injection unit and hopefully a big fat turbocharger to go along with Subaru’s traditional symmetrical all-wheel drive system. Let’s just hope it can wow us with its looks too.

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Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia has introduced the facelifted Mitsubishi ASX. It’s basically a minor cosmetic job, with changes led by a new front grille design and the inclusion of a panoramic glass roof. Additionally, the vehicle now incorporates auto rain and light sensors, GPS navigation with Bluetooth/iPod connectivity as standard features.

The ASX – which debuted in 2010 – was last upgraded for the 2012 model year, adding new 17-inch alloy wheels, a smart key/push-start ignition system, auto-retractable side mirrors and revised leather seats when it came about in January 2012.

Still no changes to the running gear, with the 4B11 2.0 litre MIVEC four-banger still turning out the same output numbers, these being 150 PS at 6,000 rpm and 197 Nm at 4,200 rpm. Also present, the INVECS-III CVT transmission with six-step sports mode.

A range of three optional accessories packages has been made available for the car, each individually specifiable. The first package adds in a front corner extension with DRLs, front and rear under covers, a side wind deflector and a large rear spoiler, and goes for RM4,599.

The second package consists of a rear bumper plate, chrome-plated door mirror covers, a tailgate protector and scuff plates, and is priced at RM1,799. As for the third package, a new shift knob, side tray lid, rear cargo luggage mat and luggage net will set you back RM899.

Four exterior colours – White Pearl, Titanium Grey, Black Mica and Red Metallic – are available for the facelifted ASX, which is priced at RM139,981 (on-the-road, without insurance).

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Our European spy photographers, permanent residents of the Nurburgring, have spotted the upcoming BMW 2-Series testing on the world’s favourite proving ground and stitched together the video you see here.

The 2-Series coupe will be based on the 1-Series hatchback, much like how the upcoming 4-Series is a coupe version of the F30 3er. The 2 is expected to carryover the technology and engine lineup seen on the One, but unlike the outgoing 1-Series Coupe, it appears to have sportier proportions.

Turbocharged four-cylinder engines are expected, such as a 2.0 litre petrol with 150, 177 or 218 hp, and a 214 hp 2.0 diesel engine. All of the engines will be paired to either a six-speed manual transmission or an optional eight-speed automatic, with xDrive available as an option. The 2-Series is set to be unveiled late this year, with a drop top following suit.

Last week’s post featuring the BMW M235i Coupe (caught almost 100% undisguised) gives a better view of the car, and you can click here to see the coupe’s interior.

The post VIDEO: BMW 2-Series Coupe roaming the Nurburgring appeared first on Paul Tan's Automotive News.

The pump price of RON 97 was last revised on March 6 this year, when it was increased by 20 sen from the RM2.70 per litre previously. Rumours abounded about a potential increase a few days after GE13, but a check at the pump in the wee hours of the morning revealed that everything was status quo.

No change whatsoever to RON 95 petrol and diesel prices, which is subsidised by a government allowance. Unlike the regulated and subsidised RM1.90 per litre RON 95, the pricing of RON 97 works on a managed float, with pricing determined according to market forces.

The post RON 97 petrol down by 20 sen to RM2.70 per litre appeared first on Paul Tan's Automotive News.

It’s the second in a set of videos touting the Nissan Almera – the Almera Affair, as the series is known as, has comedian Kavin Jay hamming it up, with the sedan providing the topic.

The first video showcased the car’s spaciousness with plenty of bodies, and this one also uses a body, but in far more eye-catching fashion. Special? Indeed. But no greater love hath a man than his car in many cases, and special can take a hike if it goes too far. Well, depends on how much value you put on something…

Special car wash, anyone?

The post VIDEO: A ‘special’ wash for the Nissan Almera appeared first on Paul Tan's Automotive News.

It’s no secret that the Mercedes-Benz A-Class will be launching soon in Malaysia, thanks to ads by eager salesmen and spyshots of the car. Here’s the first official teaser from Mercedes-Benz Malaysia, as posted on the company’s Facebook page. The ‘coming soon’ banner is also a call for prospects to register their interest.

The most recent sighting of the A-Class was earlier this month, where a reader spotted the baby Merc being transported on the Kesas highway. Two different variants were visible, likely to be the A200 (nicer wheels than those on the red A200 from JPJ Putrajaya) and the A250 Sport. The latter, which looks fetching, has a more powerful 2.0 litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine compared to the 1.6 litre in the A200.

Other than the sportier-looking bodykit, it also has a different alloy wheel design, which is identical to the sole A250 that we saw on a transporter earlier. Click here for indicative pricing based on classifieds ads that have been published so far, but keep in mind that actual launch pricing may differ.

We’ve driven the new A-Class, and you can read the test drive report here.

The post Mercedes-Benz Malaysia teases A-Class on Facebook appeared first on Paul Tan's Automotive News.

Hot on the heels of Polyphony Digital and Sony’s Gran Turismo 6 comes Forza Motorsport 5, which has just been revealed as a launch title for Microsoft’s next-generation console, the Xbox One. The handful of screenshots and trailer below has left me giddy with excitement; too bad the launch is still a few months away.

Set to debut on the brand new state of the art platform (unlike GT6 that will launch on the eight-year old PlayStation 3), developer Turn 10 Studios’ Forza 5 will most definitely take the crown of the most graphically intense console racing game yet. The detail seen in the screenshots of the McLaren P1 rivals that of real-life photos!

The game is set to take advantage of the Xbox One’s ergonomically-improved controller with its new “impulse trigger” feature. Small rumble motors placed inside the rear triggers will feed real-time sensations of the engine revving or even bumps on the road straight to your fingertips, increasing the sense of player emersion.

Watch the teaser trailer below featuring a P1 racing its forefather the McLaren F1 through the streets of Prague, all rendered in stunning detail and clarity. So what will it be boys, stick to Gran Turismo 6 on the PS3 or jump on the next-gen bandwagon and enjoy Forza Motorsport 5?

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These spy photographs of the Kia K3 finally show it in Malaysian trim fully undisguised. We’ve seen the test units running around here twice before, the first time as early as November last year, mere months after the model’s global reveal. Removing the black coveralls reveals a big surprise: Kia’s C-segment contender will be badged as a Cerato over here.

We may be unfamiliar with the name but Kia has used it for a long time, tracing back to the old pre-Forte Spectra sedan and hatchback. Australia, South Africa and Brazil only ever knew the original Forte as a Cerato, and our neighbour Singapore used both nameplates and called it the Kia Cerato Forte. Why would Naza decide to rename it now? Let the speculation begin.

The white car pictured here has a ‘2.0’ badge on it, confirming that there will be two engine options on the new car. It appears to have a sunroof fitted, leading us to believe the red unit sans the black cutaway to be a base 1.6 litre model. In other markets, the direct-injected smaller motor makes 138 hp and 167 Nm while the 2.0 litre bumps it up to 173 hp and 209 Nm.

Both cars appear identical otherwise with shiny 17-inch alloys (the largest design available), LED DRLs and projector (possibly xenon) headlamps. Early looks say the Cerato will retain the Forte’s class-leading specs legacy with even more style. The local launch should be just around the corner now, and more details are sure to be revealed real soon. Just remember, it’s the Kia Cerato, not Forte.

The post SPYSHOTS: Kia K3 to be named Cerato in Malaysia? appeared first on Paul Tan's Automotive News.

BMW Malaysia has introduced the MINI Paceman in the country – the three-door coupé interpretation of the Countryman arrives in a single variant guise, that of the Cooper S.

The Paceman, which was announced in early 2011, is the seventh model in the MINI family, joining the Hatch, Clubman, Convertible, Countryman, Coupé and Roadster in the current lineup. It shares the same platform as the Countryman, measuring in at 4,115mm long in the case of the Cooper S Paceman.

The Cooper S Paceman is powered by a 1.6 litre twin-scroll turbo mill offering 184 hp at 5,500 rpm and 240 Nm between 1,600 and 5,000 rpm, mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. The box on the ALL4 system hasn’t been marked, so the variant we’re getting is two-wheel drive.

The four-seater – which is the only member of the family to be identified by a rear nameplate – features an interior that has been designed specifically for it, with the highlight being an innovative rear seat, styled around a lounge concept and featuring two individual chairs offering generous levels of head, shoulder and knee room as well as outstanding comfort and support.

No leather interior, unlike that seen in the vehicles during the international media test drive for the car; the seats in the Malaysian cars are clad in patterned fabric. Cargo space is 330 litres, expanding to a maximum 1,080 litres with the rear seats folded. As for wheels, the local Paceman is clad with 19-inch units (wrapped with 225/40 series rubbers), upsized from the standard 16- and 17-inch wheels in Europe.

The ubiquitous MINI interior features some new design cues – fresh deco trim goes on, as are redesigned air vent surrounds and a new placement on the door trim panel for the window toggle switch buttons.

The car exclusively features a full range of MINI Connected features, with Radio MINI Visual Boost and a 6.5-inch LCD display as standard fitment. Functions in MINI Connected include Mission Control, which provides information gained from the vehicle sensors.

There’s also Dynamic Music, which offers the driver a suitable soundtrack (from up to 10 music tracks) in relation to the driving style, raunchier when pushed and more laidback when ambling along, that sort of thing.

For Malaysia, five exterior paint shades are available, including the new Brilliant Copper and a striking Starlight Blue, previously unseen and unique to the Paceman. The roof and exterior mirror caps can be specified in body colour, black or white – a glass roof package is available as an option.

The MINI Cooper S Paceman is priced at RM288,888 (on-the-road, without insurance), with a MINI Tender Loving Care service package included. The optional electrically-operated glass roof package adds RM7,888 to that.

Read our test drive report on the MINI Paceman, and click here for a view of how the Paceman shapes up against the Countryman.

The post MINI Paceman launched – Cooper S only, RM289k appeared first on Paul Tan's Automotive News.

Here are the first pictures of the Volkswagen Polo facelift. Don’t worry if you don’t see many or any changes at all, as there really isn’t that much to notice here. The modified lower front intakes are the only visible difference to the current model, with a slimmer but wider black portion cut into the bumper.

More changes may be abound come the full reveal as the front bumper looks like a makeshift unit with the new intake grafted onto it. Expect the headlights and grille to be revised to mirror those of the newer Golf Mk7 in detail, but major work on the sheetmetal is unlikely.

Looking at the car’s condition however, it does look like the mule is undergoing some form of a long distance durability test programme. There may be more significant changes that we can’t yet see, probably in the drivetrain department.

The rest of the car is identical to the Polo that we’re very familiar with. Volkswagen seems to be giving its little hatchback a very mild update, though that’s not unheard of before. It’s lucky to be given a mid-life update at all, as the Golf Mk5 and Mk6 lived through their life cycles without receiving a single facelift.

The post SPIED: New air intake for the Volkswagen Polo facelift appeared first on Paul Tan's Automotive News.

This is the follow up to last year’s Megane RB7, the (take a deep breath) Renault Megane RS 265 Red Bull Racing RB8. It’s a little celebratory special to mark Renault and Red Bull Racing’s third consecutive Formula 1 world championship wins, with the Megane RS taking the name of the team’s 2012 RB8 racecar.

Last year the Megane BR7 was part of a trio of special editions; the Clio RS and Twingo RS also receiving the Red Bull treatment. Only the Megane RB8 has been unveiled in Monaco in time for the GP race this weekend, so perhaps the Clio IV is deemed too new and the Twingo too old to get special make-overs this time round.

The hot hatch is painted in an RB8-inspired Crépuscule Blue finish. Before you get all excited about the fancy French name, it translates to ‘twilight’ in English. Way to burst your bubble huh? The front winglets, rear spoiler, door handles and side mirror covers are all painted in contrasting Platinum Grey colour. Customary Red Bull Racing decals complete the special dress-up.

Moving inside, Red Bull Racing branding now adorn the aluminium sill guards, carpets and the new leather/fabric Recaro seats. The gear knob and red trim are new too. Bigger news is the standard-fit of new R-Link and RS Monitor 2.0 systems in the special edition Megane RS, features that are now available as cost options on the standard range.

A seven-inch touchscreen colour display replaces the old monochrome unit, and the RS Monitor 2.0 now has a much-improved user interface. A Red Bull Racing home screen is on board, and certain information can now be displayed in 3D form. At long last the recorded lap times, GG diagramme and power output data can be saved into a USB dongle.

While it’s not a limited production car per se, it’s only open for booking until the end of September so exclusivity is virtually guaranteed. The UK market for instance, will only receive a single batch of 30 units. Local Renault representative TC Euro Cars has a knack for bringing in special Megane models, most recently the RB7 and Trophy Edition so this may well appear here in the near future.

The post Renault Megane RS 265 Red Bull Racing RB8 unveiled appeared first on Paul Tan's Automotive News.

This story originally ran in Issue #2 of Driven+ Magazine. Download Driven+ Magazine from the iTunes App Store or Google Play Store.

Have you ever been to Coventry? If the answer is no, don’t fret – you’re not missing out on much.

If you have, you’d surprise me if you didn’t think it was mostly a sea of grey brutalist blandness. You’d surprise me even more if you told me you would visit again, and you’d actually frighten me if you said you wanted to live there.

Lest I bore you to sleep, I will not go into the history of the place and why it isn’t one of England’s prettier features. But what remains a great irony is the fact that this uninspiring city is still home to one of the most evocative and desirable names in the world of cars – Jaguar.

Like an E-Type on Coventry’s streets (okay, not quite), these big saloons stand out on our roads, their charisma shining through the dense forest of familiar Teutonic contemporaries. Because you simply don’t see as many of the former as you do the latter.

You know mainly why, but just put pricing and maintenance aside for a moment, and we’re left with the issue of engine size to consider. Jaguars, being traditionally big-engined (save perhaps for the X-Type, which was comparatively a-Ford-able), naturally command quite a sum in annual road tax, not to mention fuel bills.

Those in the money for one wouldn’t be too concerned about that, you say, but how about reaching out to more buyers? Add to that the global downsizing trend and the relentless quest for improved fuel economy and emissions, and so it happens that the XF and XJ now come with 2.0 Ti petrol units in Malaysia, the smallest engine to ever power both models.

And if you want something bigger (don’t we all?) but find the 5.0 supercharged V8 a bit of a stretch, both saloons can now be had with the new 3.0 supercharged V6. The XF gets the 2.2 Td diesel unit added to its range, and at the other end of the scale, the XKR-S enters the local scene in Coupe and Convertible forms.

What’s more, an eight-speed ZF auto gearbox is now standard across all models except for the XK, which carries on with the familiar six-speeder. As model range renewals go, then, you would agree that Sisma Auto’s is rather extensive.

To trumpet the new arrivals, the Jaguar distributor held a track day at Sepang a while back, which was attended by customers and members of the media alike. Available to try that day were the two new petrol powerplants, in the XF as well as the XJ – the oil burners unfortunately weren’t present.

Kicking the day off were the 3.0-litre engined saloons. With 335 hp and 450 Nm of torque at its disposal, the supercharged V6 delivers more go than you’ll need on the public roads, propelling both XF and XJ to 100 km/h in under six seconds and onwards to a limited top speed of 250 km/h.

Yes, believe it or not, the two weigh about the same at 1.66 tonnes or so, thanks to the bigger car’s lightweight all-aluminium architecture.

What’s impressive is the manner in which both cars gather speed. Make pedal meet metal and the needles climb rapidly in their dials, but you are not violently pushed back in your seat; rather, you are whooshed forward progressively but purposefully. But yes, they are pretty fast.

The powerplant is smooth, free-revving and provides a great soundtrack. The bass is taken care of by a contained, satisfying growl and the lead by the characteristic supercharger whine, encouraging you to push harder.

And when you do, both saloons oblige with crisp, sharp turn-in and good body control, even through the more steeply-cambered parts of Sepang’s North Circuit. Both are easy to drive quickly and hustle around corners, but the XJ deserves a special mention for hiding its bulk well, which is more than can be said for the rest of us. Gearchanges remain swift and hardly perceptible for most of the time.

Admittedly, I could detect little difference in performance between the XF and XJ where this engine is concerned, at least from the five short laps or so I spent with each. But now we come to their 2.0 Ti-engined brethren – there is more discrepancy here.

We didn’t get to take the XF 2.0 Ti out on the track; instead we chucked it round a makeshift slalom course in the car park grounds to assess its throttle response and handling. While the XF has always done well in the latter department, the experience was marred by rather significant bottom-end turbo lag.

It shouldn’t be as evident in day-to-day driving, especially when you’ve already got the revs up, but flooring it from rest results in up to a full second’s delay before push comes to shove, which gives you a reasonably good idea of how single-carriageway overtaking would be like.

Curiously, the problem isn’t as pronounced on the XJ 2.0 Ti – we’re told a different engine mapping contributes to this. And it shows – the luxury saloon has no qualms with sprinting off the line and throttle response is generally good, but its urgency recedes near the top end.

Unsurprisingly, it’s a quieter engine than the 3.0 SC V6, and manages to return a respectable quoted 8.9 litres of fuel per 100 km in the XF, and 9.3 in the XJ – not particularly far off, in fact, from the bigger engine’s 9.6 in both cars.

The big question is: does the 2.0 Ti feel underpowered? While it obviously doesn’t pack as much punch as the V6, you’d be nitpicking to deem it lacking – 237 hp and 340 Nm of twist get this big cat to 100 km/h in 7.5 seconds. In comparison, the XF takes 7.9 seconds to do the century sprint – although both max out at about 240 km/h.

Still, a short stint around the race track cannot make for a full assessment of the cars. That will have to wait till Sisma Auto releases the big cats for testing on public roads. But one thing’s for sure: in our market, Coventry is finally a few steps closer to its German rivals.

The post Jaguar Track Day Experience – big cats at Sepang appeared first on Paul Tan's Automotive News.

We know that the next generation Toyota Corolla will be based on the Toyota Corolla Furia Concept from the 2013 Detroit Auto Show. A car that looked very much like the Corolla Furia with updated styling was also showcased at Auto Shanghai 2013 – the Toyota Yundong Shuangqing II hybrid concept, which led us to believe there will be a hybrid version of the new Corolla.

Now Toyota has released a first teaser photo of the new 2013 Toyota Corolla (or 2014 Toyota Corolla, depending on the country). The teaser is a fancy angled shot of a blue Toyota Corolla that reveals that the rear lamp shape will be pretty much similar to the two concept cars we mentioned, though appropriately ‘productionised’ – it does’t look like it has any of the Furia’s fancy LED light bars. There’s a red S badge on the rear of the teaser car, which probably means this particular car is a top of the range sporty model.

The new Toyota Corolla will be unveiled on 6th June 2013, but in the meanwhile we’ve already seen leaked 3/4 angle views of the front and rear, and production car renderings by Theophilus Chin.

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It can be very impressive for a car’s driver to be able to give it commands using his voice ala Siri, like you can do with certain cars in Malaysia like those from Ford, BMW and Mercedes-Benz. Giving commands using your voice instead of fiddling away with a control knob or a touch screen is certainly safer for the driver as his vision would not be taken away from the road.

But of course, one would have to splurge for one of these cars, and of course it would be hard to retrofit such a system to a last generation car. But soon, you might be able to enjoy voice commands in a car if you have a Clarion head unit with Smart Access, as Clarion and Google have announced an agreement to incorporate Google services such as voice recognition and search into Clarion’s Smart Access automotive cloud service.

At the announcement ceremony in Japan, Japanese publication Responsejp noted that an example voice search query to look for “good ramen restaurants”, yielded pretty usable search results even though the request was ambiguous and did not refer to a specified location. Check out a demo video above by another Japanese publication Car Watch. Very cool!

Other Google services that will be available for use through Clarion Smart Access is Google Places for point of interests, as well as Send-to-Car, which will allow you to plot a route or a destination on your computer using Google Maps prior to your journey, and have the same info ready to be used in your car when you begin your journey.

Send-to-Car is currently available for various car makes that use Google Maps in certain versions of their in-car navigation systems such as Audi, BMW, Infiniti, Kia, MINI, Mercedes-Benz and Toyota. Now it can possibly be available for any car that has a Clarion head unit with Smart Access installed as well.

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One day on and we have a better view of the “MPV” that BMW is developing. Yesterday, our European spy pixmen – for the first time – saw a longer version of the BMW 1 Series GT hatchback that has been previously caught testing at the Nurburgring. It had an MPV-like shape, leading us to believe that BMW could be coming out with its first MPV.

Today’s set of pics feature a mule without camo on the rear glass, giving us a tiny glimpse of the car’s cabin. Are those shadowy things head rests for a third row of seats? If they are, we could be looking at a three-row, seven-seat BMW MPV. Yes, an ultimate driving multi-purpose vehicle! Will such a car be a runaway success or a niche too far for Munich? Only time will tell.

Click here to see a video and pics of the shorter BMW 1 Series GT hatchback, which should be making its debut this September in Frankfurt. The front-wheel drive Mercedes-Benz B-Class rival is based on the BMW Concept Active Tourer from last year.

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Last week, a Subaru BRZ was spotted at JPJ Putrajaya undergoing type approval evaluation, suggesting that the car was on its way to showrooms soon. Well, it definitely looks very close now, actually.

Earlier today, Paul was driving on the NKVE and saw a transporter carrying four examples, all uncovered, like a sampling of sorts. The lot even offers a complete set of exterior shades – blue, red, white and black. Ads for the BRZ have been popping up on oto.my, all listing the car at RM239,800.

The introduction of the BRZ in Malaysia is more than well due already; we were originally told back in 2011 that the car was coming in sometime in Q2/Q3 2012, and during the first impressions drive in Singapore in April last year the arrival was pushed back to Q4.

The BRZ’s sibling, the Toyota 86, has of course been around for nearly a year now, having been introduced in June last year.

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The facelifted Nissan Grand Livina has been introduced to journalists in Indonesia, ahead of an official launch next week. Readers of this website would have already seen the revised Livina range, via spyshots and a live gallery from Auto Shanghai 2013.

The Indonesian market, the first in the region to get the refreshed Grand Livina, will get an improved MPV. Besides the exterior updates, which we have detailed in full here, there’s an updated HR15DE 1.5 litre engine with dual injectors and twin CVTC for both intake and exhaust. This mill alone is said to be 4% more fuel efficient than the outgoing 1.5L engine in Indonesia.

More importantly, the seven-seater will come with Nissan’s X-Tronic CVT gearbox in Indonesia, replacing the torque converter four-speed automatic. This should further imporve economy, besides providing a smooth, silent ride. A five-speed manual will be the other transmission on offer.

The facelifted Livina range is sure to arrive in the near future, and Tan Chong has already been spotted testing the MPV ahead of local assembly. But what remains unknown is the chosen powertrain for Malaysia – carryover 1.6L or updated 1.5L, conventional automatic or CVT.

The pics below are of the facelifted Livina from Auto Shanghai 2013.

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France will be getting exclusive Nissan GT-R Gentleman Edition models, limited to just 10 units. We know what you’re thinking, but no, this is not an homage to Psy’s latest hit of the same name.

The Gentleman Edition GT-R boasts nothing more than simple badges on its wing fenders, a numbered titanium plaque on the dash, unique hand-stitched premium red leather upholstery and a bespoke leather sunglass case.

With some added luxury appendages, this limited-run special can be seen as a halfway house between the standard vehicle and the top of the range Egoist variant. Purists may even say that it’s the closest one can get to a modern day M-Spec GT-R.

It’s a bizarre move by Nissan’s French marketing team to say the least, as the GT-R is perhaps the most ungentlemanly sports car on sale today. Super fast and extremely capable yes, but refined and courteous? We think not.

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Here’s another budget MPV from Chevrolet, but unlike the ASEAN Chevrolet Spin, the Chevrolet Enjoy MPV we see here started life as the Wuling Hongguang, a product of GM’s Chinese joint venture SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile. The Enjoy, assembled in India with kits imported from China, was launched in the subcontinent earlier this month.

In India, the rear-wheel drive Chevy Enjoy is available with ‘Smartech’ engines – a 1.4 litre petrol unit (104 PS, 131 Nm, 13.7 km/l claimed) or a 1,248 cc commonrail turbodiesel with 78 PS and 188 Nm of torque from 1,750 rpm. The latter is claimed to achieve 18.2 km/l. Both engines are mated to a five-speed manual gearbox – no auto option available.

Size-wise, the van-like Enjoy is slightly shorter than the Chevy Spin, but has a 100 mm longer wheelbase at 2,720 mm. The seven seater has 195 litres of boot space, expandable to 630L with the rear bench folded away. Dual airbags, ABS with EBD, second row captain chairs and rear air con are among the features in the Enjoy.

The Maruti Suzuki Ertiga and Toyota Innova rival will be priced from 5.49 to 6.99 lakh (RM29,998 to RM38,195) for the petrol and 6.69 to 7.99 lakh (RM36,555 to RM43,658) for the diesel. Not likely to reach our shores, as we are more likely to get the Spin.

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It looks like the timing wasn’t quite stated correctly – the Nikkei initially reported that the new Mitsubishi Mirage sedan was set to arrive at the end of fiscal 2013, which would make it sometime early next year, a rather far away point.

Well, MMC has just announced that the car will be launched into the Thai market in July, and the official name for the series production version of the car previewed in Bangkok as the Concept G4 in March has also been released.

The car will be known as the Mitsubishi Attrage. No idea how they came out with that one, really, though a search reveals that the filing date for the name was made on October 29 last year. Hafriz ventures that it might be an amalgamation of the words ‘attractive’ and ‘Mirage’, which probably wouldn’t be too far from the truth.

Anyway, the Attrage is pretty much the booted form of the Mirage, and so will have most of the hatch’s mechanicals and equipment. It shares the same 1.2 litre 3A92 three-cylinder MIVEC unit, which offers 78 PS at 6,000 rpm and 100 Nm at 4,000 rpm, with CVT or five-speed manual transmission choices.

The Attrage, which like its Mirage sibling qualifies for the Thai government’s Eco-car Project, will be produced at Mitsubishi Motors Thailand’s Factory Three at the Laem Chabang plant located in Chonburi. No view of the rear as yet, but save the shiny chrome grill on the production model, the front doesn’t veer from Theophilus Chin’s rendering of the car.

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We’ve seen what the second-generation Peugeot 308, which is set to debut in Frankfurt in September, will shape up like, and there’s quite a bit to like about the new exterior lines and shape flow.

The hatch has been announced in its five-door form, and no word as yet as to a three-door. The current first-gen model has such a body style – the 175 PS 308 GT was sold here in limited numbers early on.

Theophilus Chin has come up with a couple of renderings imagining what a three-door variant of the new car would shape up like – he muses that the company can either give it a whole new sheet metal, or if cost-constrained, re-angle the C-pillar like in his renderings. What do you think – does a three-door catch the eye better than the five-door?

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Who ever said the Germans can’t be funny? These two new video ads for the Mercedes-Benz A 45 AMG prove otherwise by being both original and hilarious at the same time.

The one above features the two current Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula 1 drivers Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg squabbling over who gets to drive the new 360 hp hot hatch with most powerful series production four-cylinder engine in the world. Their refusal to back down results in a humorous ending.

There are no F1 superstars in the second clip below and yet it comes out as the better of the two ads. Just goes to show that Lewis and Nico are better drivers than they are actors. Watch the videos for yourself and if the same situation happened to you, what would your three wishes be?

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Amidst the 5 Series facelift, M5 and M6 Competition Package announcements over the weekend, BMW also revealed a minor update for the 6 Series M Sport range. Repackaged BMW 6 Series M Sport Edition models with more kit and options thrown in play will be available in other major markets starting from July 2013.

The M Sport edition models of the 6 Series Coupe, Convertible and Gran Coupe include the usual model-specific M aerodynamics package, 19-inch M light alloy wheels, LED foglamps, High-gloss Shadow Line trim and black-painted brake callipers. New are the exhaust pipes in dark chrome and Adaptive LED Headlights that are now packaged in.

Also standard are new M steering wheel and badged door sills to complement the Alcantara/nappa leather sports seats and re-trimmed interior. The latter includes new fitment of Head-up Display, leather-wrapped dashboard and Professional sound system with extra speakers – 16 in the Coupe and Gran Coupe, 12 in the Convertible.

Previously exclusive to the M6 models, the Sakhir Orange metallic M paintwork is now an option on the M Sport editions. Meanwhile the white leather upholstery with contrast orange seams pictured here is new and unique to the 6 Series M Sport edition, together with optional Comfort Seats. Find the 6-er too plain and M6 too extreme? BMW has all based covered.

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BMW has long announced that they are developing a range of smaller front-wheel drive vehicles, citing vastly improved rear cabin space compared to its more traditional rear-wheel drive offerings. And what better way to maximise the space advantage than to offer a mini MPV variant with roomy rear quarters?

We are already waiting to see the Active Tourer Concept turn into reality this September in Frankfurt as the BMW 1 Series GT in production form and now we have this – a previously unheard of, longer version of the tall hatchback captured on camera for the first time by our resident European spy photographers CarPix.

This is a BMW as you’ve never seen before. It’s all change aft of the B-pillar with longer rear doors and overhang. The rear hatch is more upright too, a la traditional MPVs which begs the question: is this a seven seater people carrier? By BMW?

These pictures are all we have to speculate over for now so we can’t yet confirm if it will indeed seat seven or whether it’s just a longer Touring variant with a larger boot. Either way, it’s interesting times indeed for BMW. Colour us intrigued.

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Rules and legislations must move with the times, and Singapore’s Certificate of Entitlement (COE) system is on the table for a revamp. To spread car ownership more evenly, the island republic’s government is considering levying a surcharge on second and third cars owned by one individual. Also to be reviewed are how the COE categories are defined.

Like Malaysia’s road tax system, COE categories are based on engine capacity, and it worked fine until the European carmakers started the downsizing wave, putting more and more premium models into lower categories. It could be news to some that stalwarts like the Toyota Corolla and Mitsubishi Lancer no longer rule the SG car sales charts. In their place are VWs, Audis and BMWs.

Luxury cars took up about a third of Category A registrations last year, compared to just 7% in 2010. Cat A was the traditional home of the mass market family car with engine capacity of 1,600 cc and below.

“Models such as Mercedes C180 Kompressor and Audi A1 have an open market value and engine power that is significantly higher than those of more mass-market models such as Toyota Corolla Altis and Honda City. While this is a reflection of increasing affluence and consumer preferences, we also want to make sure that Category A, which is intended for buyers of smaller budget cars, retains its original purpose,” said Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew.

Categorising cars based on horsepower is one option. “Cars, for instance MPVs, Honda Stream, Toyota Wish, they are in Category B because of their cc. But in terms of their horse power and in terms of (buyers), it should be for those lower and middle income people. So if they are in Category B, it causes a stress to them, because they are challenging those big boys,” Honorary Secretary of the Singapore Vehicle Traders Association Raymond Tang commented, adding that sorting cars by hp will be fairer to middle income buyers.

The rich who want to own more than one car could soon be paying more for the privilege. “I am open to considering sensible options that could possibly take the form of, for example, levying a surcharge for the second, third or more cars owned by the same individual. The rationale would be that in exchange for the privilege of owning several cars, these owners should pay proportionately more by way of levies,” Lui added.

The public and industry players will be consulted on the proposed changes, before a decision is made later this year. Commercial vehicles and motorcycles will not be affected.

It’s not easy to own a car in land starved Singapore. Earlier this year, the Monetary Authority of Singapore placed a cap on motor vehicle loans, enforcing maximum loan at 50% and a maximum loan tenure of five years. MAS said the move was to encourage financial prudence. Read the full story here.

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