The two passes to this year’s KLIMS motorshow (3rd to 12th December 2010) may indicate that this is a model that’ll be launched this year – are we looking at the new Waja replacement which is rumoured to be based on a Mitsubishi Lancer, or something else? The contest will run from the 10th and ends on the 25th this month. You can click the thumbnail image on the left to view the full contest poster.

A little bird has indicated that Proton will probably take a small media group to the Geneva show (end February to March) this year, so there could be something of importance being unveiled there.

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Post tags: GPS, News, Proton, Sedan

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These moments of vehicular astonishment have thinned out in the last two decades. Just look around at the automotive landscape. Even more modest conveyances are kitted out like luxury cars of yore, packing tons of tech and safety features that were once the exclusive purview of the world’s well-to-do. Can anything be impressive anymore? As a matter of fact, yes. The E350, as it strafed along the pavement, solid as granite and ready for anything, made us feel like true kaisers of the strasse. Horsepower-addicted auto reviewers have complained that the 3.5-liter V6 needs more spinach. Fine. You want speed, spring for the AMG E63 and shut up. But for the above-average family man, the E350 manages to transcend its asthmatic lungs, soft-spoken tiller and supple feet to foment serious respect, if not outright desire.

The new E-Class styling is crisp and classic, making the outgoing sedan look as dated as a cassette Walkman. Clapping eyes on the first pictures of the 2010 models showed a rear quarter panel distinctly reminiscent of a Chevrolet Impala – an obvious cause for alarm. Thankfully, the design translates more handsomely in person. No, that isn’t the same milksop capitulation surrounding the Honda Crosstour. Scout’s honor, the E350 is a great looking car. With its larger dimensions, the sedan resolves the styling in a classier way than the C-Class sedan and its two-door platform sibling, the E coupe.

Conservatively styled for traditional tastes, there’s more surface work in the new body. Ovoid headlamps are now squared-up (one could almost use Ford’s non-word “squircles”) and the rear lamps swash across the tail more expressively than before. Mercedes-Benz hasn’t gone off the Bangled deep-end with its latest E. No, this new idiom is sharper and more modern, with finely-tailored looks that have a certain amount of speed drawn in. There’s motion in them thar lines and the details exude an air of automotive finery. Simply put, the E-Class will age well.

And classic styling is what’s going on inside, too. The quintessential Mercedes cabin is a swell place to spend time, with the shape of the dashboard reminiscent of the panel in old W124s. But the interior design isn’t as dated as that comparison might suggest, as the new E features a large LCD and spiffy gauges in the panel. Drawing a clear line back to its predecessors and packing the kind of high-tech firepower buyers in this class demand, the new E masterfully balances old and new. Although our tester’s black ash trim brought the gloom and ash leather upholstery was already showing signs of being doomed to a life of clean-ishness, the pleating on the seats says “1987 300E” and what’s wrong with invoking such a modern legend?

The materials, along with fit and finish, seem appropriately rich. There are touches of S-Class here and a dash of C-Class there, but the Mercedes parts bin is populated with good stock, so it feels familial instead of frugal. Lexus may be most recently identified with such fastidiousness, but the E350 displays an obsession with perfection. Even the headlight switch toggles with precision-machined feel, lending an air of importance to even the simplest task. There’s virtually no slop in any of the ancillary controls, reiterating that the E-Class is one impeccably crafted automobile.

Around the interior, the expected high points are realized in good form. The optional Drive Dynamic seats act counter to cornering forces and offer a massage feature for those seeking a more intimate relationship with their chariot. The seats are all-day comfortable, but one of the first things we did was disable the groping functionality (we’re fine with keeping this liaison platonic). Going with the standard power seats will keep $650 in your pocket, though the massagers are a boon to alertness on long slogs. If bladder-busting drives are your thing, perhaps the only thing better than groping seats and mechanical rollers would be integrated restrooms.

The rest of the technology in the E350 is surprisingly benign. COMAND isn’t the epic agita-fest we expected, though the system needs fewer sub-menu steps and can be an outright distraction when delving deep into the structure. It’s a good thing the Distronic Plus radar-based speed control is so amazingly good. Intervention is finely modulated, and the car even slowed itself to a momentary stop and accelerated again through a traffic circle with more aplomb than your average driver. The $3,950 Premium 1 package adds features many buyers will want, including hard-drive navigation, voice control, satellite radio, a rear view camera, heated seats and a dandy-good Harman Kardon Logic 7 audio system, while the $2,900 Driver Aid package installs the Distronic system, along with blind spot and lane monitoring. The sheer distraction of trying to use an iPod with the audio system means your eyes will be off the road for long stretches, so it’s almost a necessity that the E can mostly drive itself. And while COMAND has lots of functionality built in, it’s more clunky than iDrive or MMI, and stands a chance at flummoxing drivers just looking for directions to Bar Americain.

Thankfully, most of the functions have dedicated controls on the center stack. Switches for the ventilation system seem particularly well-considered and Mercedes employs little flippers that make setting temperature, fan speed and mode easy, with a clear bar graph displaying your settings. A column shifter for the seven-speed automatic transmission isn’t exactly a sporting touch, but there are steering-wheel mounted shift buttons if you want to pose. Visibility out of the cabin was reminiscent of the low-cowl days of yesteryear, coupled with an airy atmosphere thanks to the glass roof. The biggest ergonomic gaffe is just Mercedes being Mercedes. To wit, the position of the cruise control stalk is exactly where the uninitiated driver expects to find the turn signals. You’ll eventually adapt, but there’s a period of unintentionally changing lanes without signaling, and not for lack of trying.

Though the E you see in the photos is a rear-drive example, our tester was equipped with Mercedes’ all-wheel drive 4Matic system. Without trying the car in ultra-low traction situations (it was a downpour, not a blizzard), the AWD hardware didn’t come into serious play as we formed our impressions of the driving experience. The ride proved just short of amazing, with a massively rigid bodyshell allowing the suspension to be topped up with whipped cream without shuddering and flopping about. Despite the plush ride, the E350 isn’t all marshmallow – it’s just more cushioned than a BMW 5 Series. And while there’s a good amount of bodyroll, the E still feels reassuring as it heels over and takes a set. As you’d expect, this is not the sedan for hooliganism, though it won’t make a total fool of itself if you force it to play along.

The helm is much sharper than Benzes of yore and even offers some feedback. Watching the tri-star hood ornament rotate through a turn like a gunsight makes up for having to correct mid-corner – something we experienced on more than one occasion. And for a 90-degree V6, the 268-horsepower 3.5-liter is impressively serene. Silent at idle, the engine is smooth and makes the most of its modest pride of horses when wound hard. It even snarls when caned, but it’s nothing to set your heart aflutter. The buttery-smooth seven-speed automatic is best left to its own devices, so just ignore the silly, useless paddles and let the trans slides through its ratios without so much as a head bob. Despite having a cogtacular ratio spread, there’s only so much power deficit the gearing can counter for, and the E350 is comparatively down on snort. Fuel economy also suffers a bit from the whipping you’ll do to keep up.

The E350’s stock in trade is being the seriously solid benchmark that we’ve come to expect. The extra-strong structure feels unbreakable, and there’s a seemingly endless well of tricks to keep vibrations and harshness from entering the cabin. The brakes, too, proved unflappable – no surprise considering the myriad of electronics employed to keep the rotors dry and primed for action. Yet despite all the active and passive safety features (nine airbags, active headlamps and the Pre-Safe system which rolls up the windows, closes the sunroof, adjusts the seats and pre-tensions the belts if it senses an impending crash), the E350 doesn’t drive like an autonomous space capsule – even when it suggests you stop for coffee when it detects drowsiness.

In the new E’s most recent TV spots, Mercedes touts the decades of experience and innovation it brought to bear on the all-new E-Class. Strangely, this is one of those rare instances when marketing speaks truth. While the excellence does cost (the E350 starts at $49,000 and our tester rang in at around $60k), you won’t feel ripped off, even if you opt for the V6. If past E-Class Benzes have lost the marque’s storied status, the E350 is finally the vehicle to win it back, come hell, highwater or Nor’Easter.

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Post tags: benz, e350, mercedes, review

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Naturally, Audi and NVIDIA are touting both systems’ ability to enable a rich user experience while minimizing driver distractions. That’s great in and of itself, but we were more interested in how the upgraded system performed. The 3G MMI experience is buttery smooth, whether scrolling around the Strip from above or zooming out to get a satellite view of the nation. The default view is an isometric perspective that, up-close, includes 3D representations of buildings. Back it up a bit and the buildings go flat and the terrain and coloring take center stage.

The tweaks to the interface are minor compared to the earlier versions, with the same iDrive-style dial flanked by four buttons, along with a “Return” button below and rows of buttons on either side to toggle through functions. A small joystick built into the top of the knob is new and allows the user to scroll through the navigation system and other screens. Although the MMI stands in good stead compared to other luxo-wart operated systems, we’re not so sure about the new joystick. The position on top of the dial is less than optimal and not particularly intuitive; we’d prefer the dial to move side-to-side rather than fumbling with a little thumbstick.

Thankfully, Audi seems to realize this, ditching the joystick for the 2011 A8 and replacing it with a small touchpad. You can use this to type in numbers, scroll across maps and even write letters using character recognition. The rest of the physical interface is much the same, with the major change being Google Earth integration, providing a satellite view and a much nicer looking interface. The system pulls data through an integrated modem, either using a SIM card inserted into the dash or by cloning the owners’ phone (in the European market). Exactly what Audi will do in the U.S. remains to be seen, but the hope is something similarly straightforward will be available to avoid additional monthly data fees.

Overall, the experience on either system is impressive. The screens load and display quickly, and scrolling around the 3D map shows off the NVIDIA Tegra chipset’s added oomph. Unfortunately the truly good stuff is only hitting the flagship A8 and not until later this year, but it’s sure to filter throughout the range in due time.

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Post tags: a8, Audi, dashboard, google earth, Nvidia

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To get the car ready for the track, the Toyota V6 has been punched out to a full 4.0 liters and fitted with a dry sump oiling system. In race trim the engine is rated at 395 horsepower, with power is routed through a six-speed Cima sequential race gearbox. Upgraded six-pot calipers help the binders hold up to track use and adjustable dampers allow the handling to be adapted to the prevailing conditions and the driver’s style. At about 2,600 pounds, Lotus has shaved 440 pounds off the road car.

In addition to competing against other makes, Lotus is also launching a single make Evora Cup series with events around Europe. A €100,000 prize fund will be offered for the series this year. The Evora Cup car will run £120,000 plus taxes. Make the jump for all the details.

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Post tags: autosport, cars, gt series, Lotus, Racing

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Don’t ask us why Mercedes chose to preview the car with a sculpture, but we can only assume it owed the company money and this will all culminate in a hover battle over a big sand worm. The CLS was the car that started the whole nonsensical, yet good-looking four-door coupe thing, so expect the production vehicle to again make Jaguar look bad by offering a lithe four-door that puts looks first and practicality last. Expect to see that A-class-sized Merc badge on more Benzes too.

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Post tags: benz, cars, cls, mercedes, sports

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We can absolutely understand where Playboy is coming from here. You just have to imagine yourself as Hugh Hefner: Porsches are both cool and fast, but a Porsche that can accommodate me, my smoking jacket and three bunnies is worthy of a place in the Playboy Mansion garage and perhaps an X-rated car wash in the driveway.

Playboy gave out eight other awards in such categories as Best Horsepower Value (Nissan 370Z), Best Mean and Green (Ford Fusion Hybrid) and Best Reborn Beauty (Ford Taurus SHO) among others. You can check them all out in the press release after the jump, and while we’re not sure how many automakers will place their new Playboy awards front and center in the corporate trophy case, we’re sure behind close doors they’re… well, let’s not talk about what they’re doing behind closed doors.

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Post tags: 2010, car of the year, panamera, playboy, Porsche, sexy girl

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The company has been diving headlong into connective technology lately, introducing everything from in-car wi-fi to iTunes song tagging in recent weeks. But Ford rolled out its coolest trick yet today at CES with MyFord. It essentially replaces most of the conventional dashboard buttons, knobs and gauges with configurable touchscreens and voice-activated commands. The idea is to make everything about the car easier to control while minimizing driver distraction.

MyFord allows drivers to control the heating and air conditioning system, entertainment system, navigation system and phone by voice from the steering wheel and by touch from the center console. And they can choose exactly what information is presented on the touch-screens with the click of a button, a voice command or a tap on the screen.

And that’s only the start.

Ford says MyFord draws on popular cellphones and MP3 players to make the driver-dashboard interface more intuitive. It includes two 4.2-inch LCD screens on either side of the speedometer and corresponding five-way button steering wheel controls. There’s also an 8-inch touch screen in the dash. All of them can be controlled with Sync voice commands.

“With MyFord driver connect technology, we realized we weren’t necessarily competing with other automakers, but we were really redefining how customers interacted with their cars,” said Jim Buczkowski, Ford director of electronics and electrical Systems Engineering. “We had to look very closely at the evolution of hand-held devices in terms of user interface, connectivity, productivity and entertainment applications.”

Look for it in the 2011 Edge and the 2012 Focus. Ford isn’t leaving corporate sibling Lincoln out in the cold either. For 2011 there will be the MyLincoln Touch, which will be standard equipment on the Lincoln MKX. Down the line, Ford hopes to bring wi-fi and apps like Twitter and Pandora to the MyTouch as well. It also is working with MapQuest to provide the ability to send directions from your computer or smartphone directly to Sync.

“What the mouse did for the PC, we need to create for the automobile,” Buczkowski said, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Ford also worked with developer Bsquare’s on the MyTouch touchscreen, which brings new technologies like Adobe Flash to the dashboard. Bsquare also incorporated other tricks, including speech recognition, navigation, media, climate controls and phone for a seamless user experience.

“The first version of Sync was impressive, but this blows the doors off,” said Carey Butler, v.p. of professional engineering services at Bsquare.

Nuance Communications is looking to bring more natural speech to Sync. Its tweaking of the next-gen Sync system makes it easier to search for music titles and artist, album, or playlist names. It also lets you choose among Sirius satellite programs by simply speaking the type of programming you’re after. Want to hear a little John Coltrane? Just say “jazz channel.”

It also will make navigation easier with what Nuance calls “one-shot desintation entry.” Got a hankering for osso buco? Just say, “Find me the closest Italian restaurant” and the system will generate local results. Pick one and get directions simply by saying “Take me there.”

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Post tags: cars, dashboard, Ford, iphone, New Technology, Wifi

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The German auto parts giant is working on an “active” gas pedal that pushes back when pushed too hard. It’s a variation on Conti’s Accelerator Force Feedback Pedal, which helps avoid rear-end collisions by applying back pressure or vibrating the pedal to alert the driver when a crash is imminent. Now it’s testing the gadget to see if it can be used to tell drivers they’re leadfoots. Conti says the technology could prove more effective than a warning light on the dash or an annoying buzzer.

“The first studies show that using it as a gear-shift indicator led to a reduction in CO2 and fuel use of 5 to 10 percent,” Peter Laier, executive v.p. of Continental’s chassis components business unit, told Automotive News. “Therefore we see 5 percent as realistic.”

Those figures jibe with what Nissan expects to see with its ECO Pedal, an option slated to appear in the next-gen Infiniti M sedan. The pedal, developed by Japanese supplier Mikuni, is wired into the car’s engine management system and provides some resistance when accelerating too hard for maximum fuel efficiency.

Of course, there are times — say, when getting on the freeway — when you want to stomp on it. Nothing about the systems designed by Mikuni or Continental will prevent you from doing that.

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Post tags: cars, Continental, Gas pedal, Safety

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The new Lamborghini will have the same LP560 gear box, a weight reduction of 70 Kg , and a power increase of 10HP, giving the LP570-4 Superleggera a 2.35 power to weight ratio. 0 to 60 is in 3.5 seconds.

The LP570-4 Superleggera will be offered in 6 colors.

* Orange
* Lime green
* Yellow
* Black
* White
* Grey

Exclusive white & Italian flag bordered “Superleggera” stripping on the side.

The green, orange, and yellow Superleggera’s will have extensive carbon fiber black interiors with the stitching matching the cars exterior while the grey, white, and black Superleggera’s will be the same but with grey stitching.

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Post tags: Gallardo, Horse Power, Lamborghini, luxury, sport car, Super car, Superleggera

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Investigations concluded that Briatore, driver Nelson Piquet and technical boss Pat Symonds conspired for Piquet to deliberately crash to help Renault’s lead driver Fernando Alonso, who went on to win the race.

An FIA enquiry then saw Briatore barred from FIA-sanctioned motorsport indefinitely. However, the Italian challenged the methods used in the FIA’s case, leading to this ruling by the Tribunal de Grand Instance in Paris, which also overturned the five-year ban given to Symonds. Piquet was granted immunity by the FIA for his cooperation.

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Post tags: F1, FIA, Flavio Briatore, News, Renault

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