Paul Tan's Raves and Rants on the Automotive Industry

First official images of new Volvo S60

Paul Tan — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:18:13 +0000

Click the images above for larger hi-res view

These are the first few product photos of the new Volvo S60 officially released by the Volvo PR team as a preview to a full-fledged unveiling soon. The car will make its public debut at the Geneva Motor Show 2010 in early March next year, and production will begin early summer 2010 at Volvo’s Belgian plant.

No other details or specifications have been revealed other than the fact that you can specify an optional feature called Pedestrian Detection that can detect pedestrians in front of the car and brake automatically if the driver doesn’t react in time.

Looking pretty good I must say, though I would prefer if the front end were to be a little sharper. It’s a little soft now, especially with the big soft ‘eyes’ (headlamps) and all. What do you think, do you like it?

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Wed, 11 Nov 09 15:44:49 +0800.

BMW Motorrad Concept 6 motorcycle features 1.6 liter straight-six engine

Paul Tan — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:47:57 +0000

Six-cylinder engines are pretty rare in the world of bikes, obviously due to packaging issues. If installed inline, it would either be too wide or too long to fit a bike frame properly. So we see V6 and boxer formats for 6 cylinders in bikes more often than an inline installation. Honda has made both boxer-6 and inline-6 bike engines before, installed in the Goldwing and the CBX respectively.

Though the very popular 320i here has a four-pot, BMW cars are very much well-known for their silky smooth inline-6 engines. BMW is now trying to bring inline-6 into bikes in a big way, as according to them it is the packaging issues that have prevented the cylinder format from really going anywhere when installed in a bike, whether in a production model or in motorcycle racing.

BMW claims that the BMW Motorrad Concept 6’s inline-6 engine is approximately 10cm slimmer than any production inline-6 engine coming before it, and it is only a bit wider than a large-capacity inline-4 engine with conventional technology. BMW has used a slightly over-square bore to stroke ratio measurement with a relatively long stroke and small gaps between cylinders. Electrical ancillaries and drive components are situated behind the crank in the open space above the transmission in order to minimize width.

The engine’s construction uses lightweight materials in as many areas as possible in order to keep the engine relatively light. Some weight-reduction techniques include hollow-drilled camshafts and light conrods. The engine’s inline-6 configuration does not require the use of a balance shaft. The block uses dry sump lubrication, helping lower the engine installation position. Like inline-4 installed in the BMW K 1300 series, the engine is tilted forward by 55 degrees for a lower center of gravity and better weight balance. The tilt angle also allows extra space for the aerodynamically-positioned intake manifold.

And now for some numbers. The inline-6 has 1.6 liters of displacement and can produce 130Nm of torque from just 2,000rpm. It revs up to nearly 9,000rpm. Look after the jump for photos of the Concept 6.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Wed, 11 Nov 09 15:44:49 +0800.

Update on Team Lotus: Issues with Force India, Kobayashi’s interest in the team, Fauzy’s reserve driver role

Harvinder Sidhu — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:37:19 +0000

The 2009 Formula 1 season ended at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and it was Jenson Button who managed to clinch the Driver’s Championship two weeks earlier at the Brazilian Grand Prix. His team Brawn GP also made headlines as it also went home with the Constructor’s title.

The entire Formula 1 fraternity is now focusing on the 2010 season. Some familiar faces won’t be around next year like BMW and Toyota and possibly Renault, but there will be new faces. These include teams like USGPE, Manor, Campos as well as Malaysia’s Team Lotus. We have more interesting news to share with you regarding the new team. The term “spygate” may just stick around but instead of McLaren and Ferrari, the term is being associated with Team Lotus and Force India.

According to Force India, its former wind tunnel operator Aerolab which is owned by Fondtech (an aerodynamics specialist) has leaked vital aerodynamic data that belongs to the team to the newly established Team Lotus. Force India revealed that the front wing assembly on Team Lotus’ wind tunnel model looks similar to the one featured on Force India’s Formula 1 car.

The team also claims that the wind-tunnel tires on Team Lotus’ wind tunnel car have hand-writing that belongs to Force India’s staff. Team Lotus’ technical chief Mike Gascoyne who also served for Force India in the past denied the allegations. At the same time, Aerolab is taking legal actions against Force India but its not regarding the matter above. Instead, its because Force India did not fulfill its “obligations” over a previous three-year deal with Aerolab.

In another development, Kamui Kobayashi, who stunned the motoring fraternity with his excellent drives in Brazil and in Abu Dhabi for Toyota is rumored to join Team Lotus. He recently revealed to the press that if there are still options for a race seat and that he had to choose a team, he would choose Team Lotus. Kobayashi was the third driver for Toyota’s Formula 1 outfit and replaced injured Timo Glock for the final two races of the season.

He showed some ballsy driving moves in both races and even made a sensational pass on World Champion Jenson Button in Abu Dhabi. With Toyota’s withdrawal from the sport, the Japanese driver is now looking for a 2010 race seat. Talking about drivers, Fairuz Fauzy who has been linked with Team Lotus ever since it was given the green light to join Formula 1 is very likely to become the team’s third or reserve driver. “Fairuz will be in the team probably as a reserve driver or a test driver. He has the talent but we don’t want him to ‘crash and burn’ in the race because of his inexperience,” revealed Mike Gascoyne.

Gascoyne told The Star, “Take (Fernando) Alonso for example. He was signed as a test driver and didn’t get a race seat until after three years with Renault and he went on to win trophies. This is exactly what we want with Fairuz, for him to have enough experience because racing in the Formula One is at a much higher level than he used to.”

Taking that into account, Kobayashi’s move to Team Lotus as the team’s second driver makes more sense. It is also also a good move to retain Fauzy as a reserve driver until he has more experience under his belt. Lets learn from what happened to Alex Yoong’s drive for Minardi when he raced for the team in 2002. There is no indication who will take the remaining seat but fingers are pointing towards Jarno Trulli, who drove for Toyota along side Kobayashi.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Wed, 11 Nov 09 15:44:49 +0800.

VW Cars no longer Volkswagen dealer

Paul Tan — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 03:53:43 +0000

Volkswagen Malaysia announced yesterday that VW Cars Sdn Bhd was no longer an authorised dealer of Volkswagen cars in Malaysia. This is some interesting news as VW Cars is one of the more prominent Volkswagen dealers in Malaysia, with showrooms in PJ and The Curve. A sister company of VW Cars is also the official dealer for Abt in Malaysia. They are part of the Cartrade group who used to be BMW dealers. I wonder what will happen to the bookings for the new Volkswagens (Scirocco, Passat CC, Golf GTI) made through their showrooms as they are sure to have a decent amount in hand. Hopefully if there is any kind of transition etc it will be smooth for customers.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Wed, 11 Nov 09 15:44:49 +0800.

New BMW 5-Series set for November 23rd debut

Paul Tan — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:29:43 +0000

It’s finally going to be here – the new F10 BMW 5-Series Sedan! BMW has released a teaser video of the new F10 and they say the F10’s debut is ‘about to take place’. A November 23rd (at 8pm CET timezone) unveiling date and time has been set, pretty timely for buyers looking at a mid-size luxury sedan in Malaysia as the W212 E-Class is about to be launched in Malaysia. So if you look at the F10 and decide you like what you see maybe you want to wait until it’s launched in Malaysia to compare the two.

The teaser video uses the kinetic sculpture (metal balls hanging from fine threads) at the BMW Museum to show us the silhouette of the car. Most people are expecting a scaled down version of the F10 5-Series with sportier rectangular kidney grilles rather than the large ones on the F01/F02 7-Series or even the 5-Series Gran Turismo.

Personally this is one of the more exciting car launches for me, as an old 5-Series owner I’m very interested to see how my E39’s ‘grandchild’ will look like, as personally I didn’t like the E60’s design very much though it drove like a dream. And of course after the F10 unveiling is over and done with we can look forward to the next generation F10 M5.

Look after the jump for a video of the kinetic sculpture teaser. You can also view some past posts on the F10 5-Series GT.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Wed, 11 Nov 09 15:44:49 +0800.

Production Nissan Micra compact car spied in China – the sketch was better!

Paul Tan — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:05:17 +0000

What’s happened here is actually quite common in the auto industry – a decent looking sketch ends up translated into a not very appealing production model.

These leaked set of next generation Nissan Micra/March photos were leaked from Dongfeng Nissan production lines as the Chinese JV prepares to assemble it in China. It’s expected to run a HR16DE and a 4-speed auto/5-speed manual combo in China, but there’s probably also the HR15DE and a CVT transmission to choose from for other market needs.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Wed, 11 Nov 09 15:44:49 +0800.

VIDEO: BMW M Power says goodbye to F1

Paul Tan — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 05:29:21 +0000

This video is BMW’s ‘last kopek’ at leveraging its F1 involvement, as the BMW Sauber F1 Team is no more. The team has now been purchased by Qadbak Investments, a buyout that has actually caused some of the other F1 teams to have reservations because of apparent dodginess of the new owners. Anyway enjoy the video after the jump, as you probably won’t much BMW F1 videos after this one.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Wed, 11 Nov 09 15:44:49 +0800.

Porsche adds Spyder variant to Boxster range

Paul Tan — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 04:59:00 +0000

The Boxster Spyder is Porsche’s lightest car, at just 1,275kg. That’s probably just around 75kg heavier than my BMW E30 3-Series.

It is a tribute to the Spyder nameplate that’s been used on various cars in Porsche history such as the 550 Spyder and the RS Spyder. It will be the third variant in the Boxster range, joining the existing Boxster and Boxster S models.

The Porsche Boxster Spyder has two bulges on the single piece rear lid, something that the regular Boxster does not have. The bulges make it look rather Carrera GT-ish. It’s got the same engine as the Boxster S, a 3.4 liter boxer yet is lighter than the Boxster.

Power is up 10 horses from the Boxster S engine at 320hp, and when mated to the PDK double clutch transmission and equipped with the Sports Chrono Package, 0 to 100km/h takes 4.8 seconds.

What I’m curious about though is what makes the Boxster Spyder lighter than the Boxster and the Boxster S. They probably removed the folding mechanism for the soft top roof, which means it’s manual now. Porsche’s press kit does not mention what else is gone.

Look after the jump for a hi-res photo gallery and a video.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Wed, 11 Nov 09 15:44:49 +0800.

Italdesign-Giugiaro hired for Persona Replacement

Paul Tan — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 04:26:56 +0000

Proton MD Datuk Syed Zainal Abidin has revealed in an interview with Business Times that the Italian design company contracted to develop Proton’s next C-segment sedan is in fact Italdesign-Giugiaro SpA.

Giugiaro (founded 1968) has designed a lot of vehicles in the past, including the Mk1 Volkswagen Scirocco (not the modern one that’s just launched in Malaysia). It even had a big part in the development of the R56 MINI. Here are some of Giugiaro’s recent work:

Ssangyong C200 Concept and Suzuki SX4

The Business Times report revealed that a clay model of the car already exists at the design house’s headquarters in Turin, Italy. It definitely has to be, considering the new Persona replacement car was previously mentioned to be out by 2012, after the Waja replacement in 2010 and the Perdana replacement in 2011.

The car will be engineered to meet tougher European and North American standards. Proton’s North American entry is still a hazy area at the moment but there was talk earlier this year that Detroit Electric would be helping with getting the cars registered with whatever authorities there are there. Not sure what happened with that whole project.

The Exora introduced new technologies in Protons that were not used before – more sensors for the airbag system and a Body Control Module. Datuk Syed Zainal says the new C-segment Persona replacement will implement these new features and add even more features to bring the new Proton up to international standards. Proton is currently in talks with various vendors on what can be implemented.

It is also in exploratory talks with some parties including a Chinese company (Europestar, SAIC-Roewe?) on collaborating on an SUV, and in talks via Lotus with a South Korean battery company and an electric motor supplier regarding EVs (what happened to Detroit Electric?).

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Wed, 11 Nov 09 15:44:49 +0800.

VIDEO: Satria Neo S2000 and Alister McRae

Paul Tan — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 18:38:38 +0000

If you’ve been following the updates on the MEM Proton Team that currently runs a Proton Satria Neo Super 2000, you’d probably know by now that Alister McRae is currently piloting the car for both the IRC and the APRC. McRae is off to China for the APRC this morning to prepare for the race coming this weekend (14 to 15 November). There’s some new promo footage of the Proton Satria Neo Super 2000 that I managed to source from the guys at Proton R3 and in the video Alister McRae puts in a few words on what he thinks of the car. Watch the video after the jump, enjoy!

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Wed, 11 Nov 09 15:44:49 +0800.

GM flip-flops its Opel-Magna deal

Paul Tan — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 18:23:33 +0000

Vauxhall/Opel Insignia, voted 2009 Car of the Year (Europe)

GM must have caught the flip flop disease from somewhere as it has at the last minute turned back on its decision to sell Opel to a Russian-backed group led by auto parts supplier Magna International, which took months and months of negotiation so far.

The deal was looking to be pretty much set in stone and Magna’s existing clientele had expressed unhappiness over a supplier suddenly becoming a competitor as well. Magna’s client list includes Volkswagen, GM, Ford, Chrysler, Daimler and BMW amongst others. Volkswagen had threatened to pull the plug on Magna’s VW group supply contracts if the Opel deal went through but it looks like now there would not be such a conflict.

Now because of “an improving business environment and the importance of its GM Europe divisions to its global strategy”, it has decided to turn back on its offer to sell. It would instead restructure its Opel division on its own, at a cost of 3 billion Euros. Where this money will come from is a big question now, as it most likely will not be able to rely on promises of financing that European governments had promised earlier.

European governments had granted financing from state banks in view that Opel would be in Magna’s ’safer’ hands, and are now pretty pissed off that GM had pulled the old classic bait and switch tactic on them. Obviously the financing were granted assuming Opel would be in Magna’s hands soon. Germany’s government said it wanted GM to repay 1.5 billion Euro in bridge financing by the end of this month. Germany had offered a total of 4.5 billion euros in financial aid for the Magna deal. Opel workers are also pissed off as in their view now their jobs are less secure and held a protest, carrying black coffins with GM and Opel logos on them.

GM Europe president and ex-BMW man Carl-Peter Forster immediately left the company Friday last week after the announcement of the sale flip-flop. “A sudden shift like this is scarcely comprehensible. I do not find the process in any way okay. I would have wished for a completely different result,” said Forster. He clearly did not want to be any part of an Opel that remained under GM rule, and apparently he has already been offered a job with Tata-owned Jaguar Land Rover.

Magna had nothing else to say but this – “We will continue to support Opel and GM in the challenges ahead and wish to thank everyone who supported the Opel restructuring process for their tireless efforts and dedication over the past several months.”

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Wed, 11 Nov 09 15:44:49 +0800.

Some new BMW M3 GTS promo footage shot where it belongs… on the race track!

Paul Tan — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 16:51:05 +0000

I don’t care much for the techno music in the second video, but the burning rubber and the dramatic effect in the first video is probably one of the better ways to sell a person a car such as the BMW M3 GTS. From the press release its implied that you can only have it with a 7-speed M DCT so that may turn off some people who absolutely must have a stick shift, but the thought of an extra 0.4 liters in that monster of an engine makes me drool. Watch the videos after the jump.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Wed, 11 Nov 09 15:44:49 +0800.

Nissan Navara 6-speed manual now available

Paul Tan — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 16:35:59 +0000

400Nm of torque and a 6-speed manual transmission. I could be referring to the new BMW M3. Or the new manual Nissan Navara which has just been introduced in Malaysia, joining its 5-speed auto ‘Mother Trucker’ sibling which was launched first. The new cars are CBU imports from Nissan in Thailand.

Two versions of the 6-speeder is on sale. One is the basic Navara 2.5L 6M/T and another is the Navara 2.5L 6M/T SE. Nissan’s press release refers to the SE as the Safety Edition (what, is the non-SE unsafe? heh just kidding). This new “Safety Edition” also gets the necessary airbag software updates that resolves the bad crash test results in early 2008. The base 6M/T does not have the dual SRS front airbags, ABS brakes and EBD and the 6M/T SE model has.

The engine is the same powerful YD25DDTi 2.5 liter engine producing 174 PS and 403Nm of torque to be exact. So that’s actually 3Nm of rated peak torque more than the M3. Of course you can’t expect the same kind of shove as the powerband is narrow in a diesel and super wide in a high revving petrol BMW V8. The Navara M/T also gets the Shift-on-the-Fly 4WD system as the 5A/T, which allows 2WD/4WD shifting using a dial at speeds of less than 100km/h.

The list of equipment is a downgrade from the 5A/T LE. The xenon headlamps are replaced by halogens, the seats are fabric, the rearview mirrors lose their auto-dimming function, the CD changer is replaced with a single-CD, and the 6 speaker system has been downgraded to 4 speakers (they probably removed the 2 tweeters).

Some plastic bits in the interior which used to have a silver finish have been replaced by the same beige interior colour. On the outside, the door mirrors have their chrome finish replaced by body colour.

Nissan Navara 2.5L 6M/T – RM89,800.00
Nissan Navara 2.5L 6M/T SE – RM94,800.00
Nissan Navara 2.5L 5A/T LE – RM105,800.00

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Wed, 11 Nov 09 15:44:49 +0800.

Honda Stream RSZ Facelift now in Malaysia

Paul Tan — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 15:46:54 +0000

Honda has brought in the new facelifted version of the Honda Stream RSZ. Of course being facelifted there are changes with the vehicle’s looks.

The front end has a new honeycomb design with a chrome bar going through the middle of it, similiar to the Accord Modulo grille. The bumper design is also new, and there are side skirts for the side profile. Thankfully 17 inch alloys have been provided as when the Stream first came out, the alloys were rather small compared to the rest of the car’s sporty demeanor which looked a little odd.

On the rear, the bumper now has a diffuser insert design, and there is a tailgate spoiler. The tailgate has a black garnish around the individual rear lamps. The wing mirrors now have turn signals.

Personally I feel the best change in the facelift is the addition of VSA stability control to the Stream, which is a definite plus point in raising the safety level of the Stream. A typical Stream driver who only carries full loads of 7 people during the weekends may not be used to the different vehicle dynamics and VSA may be able to catch him out of a tight spot, touch wood. Other than VSA, suspension settings have also been improved for better comfort.

On the interior you get a leather gear knob, and a leather steering wheel, both of which come with leather stitching. The rest of the interior is done up with black and red upholstery. The instrumentation panel, speedometer, air conditioning controls, and cupholders have red illumination instead of the ’standard’ Stream’s blue illumination. The styling seems extremely skewed to a certain type of young 30s buyer who has to get an MPV but still wants to stay true to his ’sporty’ heart. You know, the kind that probably wishes the turbocharged grey import Toyota Caldina GT4 comes with 7 seats instead of 5.

But performance will not match its sporty looks. Under the hood is the R18 engine similiar to the one used in the Civic 1.8 making 140 PS and 174 Nm of torque, mated to Honda’s dual-overdrive 5-speed automatic transmission.

Look after the jump for hi-res photos of the new Stream facelift.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Wed, 11 Nov 09 15:44:49 +0800.

New batch of Honda Civic Type R on a trailer

Paul Tan — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 10:18:50 +0000

The last unit of the last batch of Honda Civic Type R was sold by Honda Global Amity Sdn Bhd to a 8GCC club member, so if you were in the market for one in the past month at least, you’d probably receive a “no stock” answer from Honda dealerships nationwide. But probably not any more, as reader Kent spotted this trailerload of facelifted Honda Civic Type R being transported. But don’t expect the Type R to maintain its current pricetag due to Ringgit-Yen differences from the last time it was brought in. It could go up to just over RM200k.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Wed, 11 Nov 09 15:44:49 +0800.

Vehicle scrap policy scrapped… for now

Paul Tan — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 05:25:05 +0000

MITI has gone back on its decision to implement a Vehicle End-of-Life Policy for now. An intention to implement such a policy had been announced when the ministry released its NAP Review 2009 earlier this month. The Ministry of Transport was to come up with a road map of the policy’s implementation, but the first step was to introduce a mandatory vehicle inspection for your road tax to be renewed annually.

So we don’t have to worry about them taking away our old vehicles after a certain amount of years, or being hassled with an inspection every year. Personally I feel that we are not ready financially for a scrap policy, but vehicle inspection could have been a good idea, if implemented with spaced out intervals such as every 3 years instead of every year. It’s good news but not all good news, as the ban on used part imports from June 2011 still stays.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Wed, 11 Nov 09 15:44:49 +0800.

New BMW M3 GTS with larger 4.4L V8

Paul Tan — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 06:55:55 +0000

After launching a twin pair of turbocharge M SUVs with automatic transmissions, BMW M has gone back to its roots with a new car called the BMW M3 GTS, which it says has pure M genes. The specs list certain looks pretty drool-worthy, the kind that gets you excited even thinking about it.

See, the M3 is a fast car. It’s a really, really fast car, especially once the high-revving V8 gets up to its prime revolutions, you get kicked back into your seat quite violently and the engine screams along to extract a peak of 414hp from its 4.0 liters of capacity. But that’s not enough for the GTS – BMW has upped the displacement from 4.0 liters to 4.4 liters, so the engine makes 450 horses now, mated to a 7-speed M DCT twin clutch transmission with remapped transmission logic.

BMW has dropped some weight here and there from various parts of the car, including the use of lighter seats, a titanium rear silencer, removal of the air conditioning system (like the E46 M3 CSL), etc. BMW has also added rollover protection mounts at the B-column, a fire extinguisher, and a battery master emergency shut-off switch which shows the car’s true race intentions, as if the large rear wing wasn’t enough.

The large wing is functional, as is the adjustable front splitter. While the car is moving, the pressure which builds up in front of the vehicle above the panel of the front splitter which is parallel to the ground is much greater than in the free stream of air below it. This creates downforce.

No doubt many were disappointed when BMW announced they were not going to make a new CSL but they certainly made up for it with this new GTS. The price of the M3 GTS is expected to be 115,000 Euros in Germany, including 19% VAT. The cars will be built to order and the first will roll out in May 2010. It will initially only be available in Germany but other countries will be possible from summer 2010 onwards.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Wed, 11 Nov 09 15:44:49 +0800.

Perodua D46T MPV set for Nov 23rd launch

Paul Tan — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 07:30:32 +0000

Click for enlarged image

Perodua held a media test drive for the new Perodua D46T MPV this morning somewhere in Putrajaya. I’ve tried it out and will share my findings with you after the MPV’s launch (due to embargo reasons), which is expected to be on the 23rd of November 2009. Showrooms will officially start taking bookings earlier, from the 13th of November 2009 onwards. Stay tuned for an update on the new Perodua D46T MPV on the 23rd of November 2009 at 5.00pm sharp.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Wed, 11 Nov 09 15:44:49 +0800.

MV Agusta to be sold again!

Paul Tan — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:31:41 +0000

MV Agusta F4 Tamburini

It looks like MV Agusta is on the market again. The company has been exchanging hands for quite abit recently. It was first ‘resurrected’ by Cagiva after it purchased the rights to the name in 1991. The first ‘modern’ MV Agusta rolled off the factory in 1997. In 1999, the group was restructured and MV Agusta became the main brand replacing Cagiva.

It got into heavy debt and was purchased by Proton end-2004. Then came the famous 1 Euro sale to GEVI SpA. The company then sold its Husqvarna brand to BMW, leaving the group with only MV Agusta and Cagiva brands. In 2008, Harley Davidson bought the group for 70 million Euros.

And here we are today, with bike sales sluggish in the US (Harley Davidson worldwide net income declined 84.1% in Q3 this year compared to the last quarter), Harley Davidson has decided to leave the sports bike market to focus on the typical Harley kind of heavy and noise hog, in a ‘back to basics’ kind of move. Harley also announced that its Buell brandname will be discontinued. The company says the kind of profit it gets from a sale of an MV Agusta or a Buell is far less than that of a relatively low-tech Harley Davidson.

So who will be next in line to own MV Agusta?

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Wed, 11 Nov 09 15:44:49 +0800.

Cracked vase Ferrari auctioned for RM 6 million

Paul Tan — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:48:57 +0000

The cracked-glaze-vase look special one-off Ferrari 599 China was auctioned off for a final price of 1.2 million Euros, which translates to just over 6 million ringgit. The car was auctioned off at a gala dinner organised by Ferrari at the Red Gate Gallery in Beijing.

The cracked glaze paintwork by Chinese artist Lu Hao was inspired by Song Dynasty Ge Kiln pottery patterns. There are more Chinese-inspired features inside including a jade-encrusted start button and rev counter numbers written in Xiao Zhuan script. There is nothing technically special about the car except the fact that it comes standard with the HGTE package.

The buyer is a Chinese but was unnamed in Ferrari’s press release. The money will go to the Tsinghua University’s Department of Automotive Engineering. Top students from the department will be sent to study at Italy’s Politechnico di Milano University and then do an internship at Ferrari’s factory.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Wed, 11 Nov 09 15:44:49 +0800.

Perodua gets new MD from UMW Toyota

Paul Tan — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:15:44 +0000

Perodua’s Datuk Syed Hafiz will not be renewing his contract at the end of the year. Replacing him as the top man at Perodua will be another UMW man – Tuan Haji Aminar Rashid Salleh, who currently heads the Strategic Marketing Group at UMW Toyota.

49 year old Aminar is a familiar face for me as he is usually the one who gives product presentations at Toyota car launches. He has been in the UMW group since 1992. He holds a degree in Civil Engineering. I don’t have any kind of ‘insider’ details but I don’t expect anything much to change with the way Perodua is run.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Wed, 11 Nov 09 15:44:49 +0800.

BMW TV now available at the App Store

Paul Tan — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:24:41 +0000

BMW has released a new BMW TV app for the iPhone and the iPod Touch. It’s available free at the iPhone store. Basically you can view BMW TV videos from the app, but it’s not like you couldn’t do that already via the iPhone/iPod Touch’s YouTube app and the BMW YouTube Channel. Watch a video about the app after the jump.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Wed, 11 Nov 09 15:44:49 +0800.

Toyota officially announces F1 departure

Paul Tan — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:41:01 +0000

It’s finally done – after persistent and intense rumours over the past few days Toyota has officially released a statement saying they would be withdrawing from F1 at the end of the 2009 season, which is basically right now with immediate effect.

The following is their press statement:

UPDATE: Here’s Akio Toyoda’s speech:

It would be nice if Lotus F1 Racing picks up Kobayashi.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Wed, 11 Nov 09 15:44:49 +0800.

Kia Forte Koup goes racing in the US

Paul Tan — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 06:48:52 +0000

Kia has already started dabbling in motorsports in Europe but the car above is part of its US motorsports program which it unveiled at the 2009 SEMA tuner car show. Two Kia Forte Koups built together with the Kinetic Group will be racing in the 2010 GRAND-AM KONI Sports Car Challenge Series in the Street Tuner (ST) class.

The ST class uses race cars based on production vehicles and uses weight and intake restrictions to maintain a level playing field for all entrants. The two Kia cars will be piloted by Nic Jonsson, Andy Lally, Adam Burrows and Trevor Hopwood.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Wed, 11 Nov 09 15:44:49 +0800.

3 promo footages of the W212 E-Class Wagon

Paul Tan — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 06:15:32 +0000

We probably won’t see Mercedes-Benz Malaysia offering the E-Class Wagon here in Malaysia but for wagon lovers you’ll probably enjoy these videos.

VIDEO: W212 E-Class Wagon – Night Drive

VIDEO: W212 E-Class Wagon – (e)State of the Art

VIDEO: W212 E-Class Wagon – Sushi

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Wed, 11 Nov 09 15:44:49 +0800.

Toyota quitting Formula 1?

Paul Tan — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 05:28:36 +0000

Toyota F1’s race at the Abu Dhabi GP is apparently their last, as strong and intense rumours point to a Toyota board meeting to be held on the 15th of November to come to a conclusion that the company should leave the sport. We could actually know the outcome as early as 8th November 2009.

If Toyota really leaves the sport, this would open a grid position for then new Qadbak Sauber team, the team that used to be the BMW Sauber F1 Team. Toyota was supplying F1 engines to Williams this year but Williams will go with Cosworth engines next year.

Another Japanese company also announced it would be leaving F1 recently. Tyre supplier Bridgestone has announced it will leave at the end of next year’s season to focus its resources on other development. Bridgestone has been the sole supplier of F1 tyres for the past 2 years, and have been a supplier since 1997.

As for Kobayashi who was standing in for Timo Glock who has a back injury, the promising driver says he would most probably have to go back to Japan to work for his father’s sushi restaurant. Maybe he can build the business and then recruit all the chop shop owners here that will be out of a job soon.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Wed, 11 Nov 09 15:44:49 +0800.

VIDEO: 400 meter slot car track in a W212 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate

Paul Tan — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:43:10 +0000

Mercedes-Benz decided to showcase its new E-Class Estate’s interior capacity by building a 400 meter long slot car track inside it. A publicity stunt no doubt but still makes an interesting watch. Look for the video after the jump.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Wed, 11 Nov 09 15:44:49 +0800.

Annual vehicle inspection for road tax renewal implementation start date not set yet for now

Paul Tan — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:05:14 +0000

MITI has posted a statement on its new MITI blog clarifying a few points in the NAP Review, specifically the end-of-life policy and the annual inspection for road tax renewal. Hopefully this will clear some of your doubts on the exact timelines of certain things to be implemented.

Firstly, I think the most feared part of the review for all of us is the announcement of an impending vehicle end-of-life policy. There have been plenty of comments from readers on how this policy will negatively affect them and their qualify of life. I particularly like this story about the old atuk who drives a Pajero diesel to his surau.

MITI has revealed that the government has not set a Vehicle End-of-Life Policy in stone yet. It has merely announced intentions to develop one, and they (Ministry of Transport who are in charge of developing the policy) claim they will take into consideration views of all parties through consultations with consumer associations and NGOs. There is no mention which associations and NGOs these are, but I sure hope they fight for us. I hope we end up with a reasonable end of life policy with the option of extending your vehicle lifespan at a cost, similiar to the act of buying a new COE for your car in Singapore.

Though the NAP review document seemed to lead us to believe 2010 is the start point of our yearly Puspakom nightmares, MITI has clarified that a start date for the annual vehicle inspection for road tax renewal has not been fixed yet, so it will not be 1st January 2010. An effective date will be announced later.

In the statement, MITI Secretary General Tan Sri Abdul Rahman Mamat said the whole idea of the annual inspection was to ensure vehicles over 15 years of age are safe and roadworthy. He compared the inspection to the current rule where commercial vehicles have to go for an inspection every time their road tax is due for renewal. Commercial vans, pick-ups, 4X4s and etc are currently charged between RM50 to RM70 for inspections, and RM25 for reinspections.

So all in all, the NAP has given no allowance for a drop in car prices except at the higher end of the market, and that is only if the manufacturers decide to take up the carrots offered, but that looks a little unlikely at this point of time. Even the premium boys have set up shop in Thailand – did you know some CBU BMWs come from BMW’s Thailand plant in Rayong?

We will now lose the option to use good condition used parts for our cars, have to spend extra cash on annual car inspections, and finally the big bang is face the possibility of a reduced fuel subsidy once the Mykad subsidy system is implemented, together with high car prices. That wraps up what the NAP Review 2009 and Budget 2010 is all about for the common motorist.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Wed, 11 Nov 09 15:44:49 +0800.

NAP Review: 15 year old car annual inspection precursor to full Vehicle End of Life Policy

Paul Tan — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:51:31 +0000

Under Section E Part VI of the NAP Review, the government revealed that it would be implementing a full Vehicle End of Life policy which would come in stages. A roadmap will be formulated by the Ministry of Transport to lay out the steps towards the scrap policy implementation, but the first step is already here – a mandatory yearly inspection for cars older than 15 years in order to get their road tax renewed. Why 15 years? Could that be the vehicle age that they are looking at to enforce scrapping in the future?

According to the NAP review, Malaysia currently has 2.7 million cars on the road that are 10 years or older and the country has a very low vehicle scrap rate and a relatively high average vehicle age. With so many people having to go for 7 to 9 year loans to buy their vehicles, is this really a surprise that after suffering financial burden for so long, you would want to reap the benefit of your transportation longer?

There are currently a few situations where we go to Puspakom for their dreaded tests. It is an open secret what kind of environment that place is. A friend of mine had his tint test failed repeatedly even though his car windscreen was clear and had absolutely no tint. He argued that he should not be failed and somehow he ended up passing but with some rubber parts of his car damaged. When my E30 was sent for an ownership change inspection (B5 test), it came back with a broken glovebox latch and all the rubber trim around the door utterly raped.

If you are a straight shooter the only cash you will have to pay during these annual road tax inspections are the Puspakom fees itself. Right now there are two tests for private motorcars – the transfer of ownership test and a voluntary test which most of the time is not really voluntary – you may need certificates from these tests to renew your insurance these days. The ownership transfer test involves checking your vehicle identity (chassis and engine), chassis frame condition, and tinted glass. The voluntary inspection checks more stuff – identity, above carriage, emissions, brakes, suspension, side slip, speedometer, headlamps, undercarriage and tinted glass.

The voluntary test goes for RM50 (according to this Puspakom pricelist) and the transfer test costs RM30. So you can expect this annual inspection for road tax renewal to probably cost around these prices as well.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Wed, 11 Nov 09 15:44:49 +0800.

Juicy details about Proton’s future plans revealed

Paul Tan — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:54:20 +0000

The Edge as always has a very interesting and revealing interview with Proton’s managing director Datuk Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir. The ex-Perodua man has been at Proton’s helm for about 4 years now and I think most of us agree that under his leadership Proton has taken a turn for the better.

Here are some key points in the story:

Chinese automaker Youngman’s Europestar brand is building a new car, engineered by Lotus. It uses components carried over from the GEN2. Lotus is being paid about US$20 million for the work, and Proton also gets licensing for this new car’s platform once it rolls out. This could be the car we saw yesterday.
Proton’s new model investments will be in core models. Models with lower volumes such as a Perdana replacement will be through collaborations. There is no sense in spending half a million ringgit investing in a Perdana when it will not get the kind of sales the Saga (5.5k to 6k) and Persona (3.5k to 4k) currently gets.
The Campro’s lifecycle will end in 2014, after of which a new engine will replace it. Proton is currently looking at two different options, but are still looking at other OEMs. They hope to decide where the new engine will come from by next year.
Proton will be consolidating its plants to Tanjung Malim in 3 years time. The Shah Alam plant’s land can be utilised better than its current use as it is appreciating in price now. A sale to Sime Darby?
The Waja replacement model will be coming next year. The Perdana will come in 2011. We will get an all-new global model to replace the Persona in 2012. That would mean the Persona will be replaced after a 5 year lifecycle (well, it’s longer actually if you consider the Persona a GEN2). Proton plans to continue a typical Japanese 5 year lifecycle for all its products, but this could go to 7 years (like premium conti lifecycles) at most.
The new 2012 Persona replacement model will be styled by an Italian company instead of Proton’s design team led by Azlan Othman.

Read the full interview here.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Wed, 11 Nov 09 15:44:49 +0800.