Malaysian Camry to get more bling?

The US Camry has traditionally been a very sober car with hardly any chrome outside or shiny wood in the cabin but Asians like their wood glossy and seem to enjoy rubbing chrome trim on weekends and that is why we get a slightly different variant of the cars offered to the US market.

These pictures come from Toyota Ukraine and on the surface of it, it may look  like a completely different Camry but a closer inspection of the roofline and glasshouse (two things that are way too expensive to change willy nilly) will show that they are actually the same car launched in the US recently but with a very different nose and tail.

For the rest of the difference and to view the full gallery, follow the jump

CAUGHT: Chevy Colorado sans camo

From these photos it seems that someone responsible for testing the Chevrolet Colorado took it to a shopping complex and figured it's safe to leave unattended.

Well, it was not stolen but pictures of it are now here...

So after a few teases with various finish, garnish and trim, we finally see teh COlorado as its maker intended it...

See the full gallery after the jump

Hybrid News: Audi A8 hybrid gets 2.0 turbo engine

Rumours of two-litre engines finding home in a E-segment limousine have been making its round over the last four or five years and now it is reality with the 2.0-turbo Audi A8 hybrid.

The blown engine drives the wheels together with an electric motor that is sandwiched between the engine and transmission.

In concept the parallel hybrid drive system is similar to Honda's Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) but how it actually works may not be the same.

The specifications and details are after the jump

Frankfurt Preview: VW to unveil super-frugal fuel sipper

 The VAG has developed a fearsome reputation for cutting edge engineering and their TSI range of engine families is setting fuel economy benchmark globally.

It should come as no surprise that they plan to show off a ground breaking single-seater fuel economy record breaker.

The aim is to break the performance parameters set by the XL1 concept that achieved three litres per 100 kilometre.

My bet is on VW producing this new concept car or something based on it within five years

For more Photos of the XL1 and the VW Press Release, follow the jump

VIDEO: On board at 400+ km/h

KIA records 150 orders during Penang Test Drive roadshow

The Kia Forte took the lead in terms of bookings and it is followed by the stunning all-new Kia-Sportage, as customers put their money down on this well-specified compact SUV.

During the week, 855 potential customers took part in the test drive and with 150 orders, they achieved an impressive conversion rate of 16.6 per cent.

Bear in mind that online conversion rate is a tiny fraction of one per cent while brick and mortar showrooms would be lucky to get five per cent conversion rate.

follow the jump for the rest of the detail in the Press Release

New Subaru Coupe is BRZ-eey

Finally we have some sort of confirmation about the details of the new Subaru coupe that will share it's DNA with the Toyota FT86.

Just in case you guys are wondering what BRZ stands for, its Boxer, Rear-wheel drive and Zenith.

I guess Subaru says this is the pinnacle of rear wheel drive boxer development, that is a pretty bold claim.

I hope they haven't set us up for expectations that are too high.

To see more photos of the concept's architecture and the Press release, please follow the jump

Camry is official Daytona 500 pace car

Keen to pull itself away from the unkermobile image, Toyota has turned the 2012 Camry into the pace car for one of the most iconic motorsports event, the Daytona 500.

No detail on the specs and such but they did give us three nice hi-res pictures, follow the jump to see the photos and read the Press Release

GALLERY: New Camry and Camry Hybrid revealed

These are the first pictures of the Camry in nature, It is a conventional looking car that will appeal to its traditional buyers but how would it fare with younger buyers?

Does the Camry want to remain as Unkermobile?

Follow the jump to see the whole gallery and read the full specs after the photos and commentaries

REVEALED: Production version of VW Up bares all before Frankfurt

Production car retains most of the concept's look and feel

The production version of VW Up, Wolfburg's interpretation of the K-car is  looking very good with clean lines, nice proportions and the usual neat detailing that the VAG group is well known for

This is the concept version and in my opinion the production car is more pleasing to look at.

For more photos and our thoughts on the Up, please follow the jump

FIRST PICS: Interior of the next-gen B-Class shows its gone upmarket

The Mercedes-Benz B-Class has given many people the chance to get into the habit of buying brand new Mercs and the company is keen to give this baby MPV more exclusivity and this is evident from these photos of the interior.

The round air-cond vents and curves on the dashboard brings it in line with the next generation of Mercedes-Benz interiors.

See the full gallery after the jump

Lexus GS in full glory at Pebble Beach

Edgier styling and more masculine and sporty image indicate Lexus's seriousness to move into Mercedes-Benz E-Class and BMW 5-series.

 Finally the GS has lost its soft curves and are now taking on a more edgy look, and I mean that literally. Just look at the sharp creases and pointy parts on the car.

The GS is also looking more planted and confident, thanks to those full-fitting wheels and the 10-spoke cart-wheel design gives the GS added visual strength.

To read the rest of our design review and see the complete album, please follow the jump

VIDEO: Ken Block Gymkhana four - need I say more?

High quality, Hollywood-grade production of big boys having fun...what better way to spend your sponsorship money...

Chana Era Star pick-up truck coming to Malaysia on Monday

Apparently there is strong demand for low-end pick-up and work trucks and Changan-BErjaya doesn't want to be left out in the cold so they are offering the Chana Era Star pick-up truck for Malaysians.

There are single and double cab variants available but we are not sure which will be made available here. From the photo above you can see that it can also be converted into a box truck or pasar malam mobile vending truck.

The launch is scheduled for Monday, we will keep you updated then

get a pre-registered Captiva at massive discount

RM20,000 slashed for Chevrolet SUV

Teh Chevy Captiva SUV is quite a handsome looking vehicle and those who have driven it, enjoy the space, refinement and equipment level, well now is your chance to get one that has been pre-registered at RM20,000 less than list price.

As an added bonus many of the cars will come with unique G1M registration numbers.

The Captiva will be made available at the Captiva Carnival which will be held from today until Sunday at the Kontena Nasional yard in Bandar SUnway (Next to Guiness Anchor).

For more details please read the Press release after the jump

Lotus sponsors home team Norwich City FC

Lotus is a well known name in the Automotive world while Norwich City is, well, a name in English football.

To a petrolhead like me, this decision by Group Lotus to sponsor Norwich City looks a bit like giving back to the community because, let's face it, Lotus is probably more famous than Norwich City..

Congratulations are still in order for Lotus and their committment to the community.

Press release after the jump

SCOOP: LExus GS350 unveiled ahead of Frankfurt

This picture set of bare Lexus GS350 came on the web courtesy of some guy in China...

The change is certainly dramatic, the GS is now more aggressively styled and promises sharper driving dynamics... But I think the rear end is boring...I bet many people who see it on the road would think it's a Camry..

Oh well...
more pictures after the jump

Richard Hammond blows up a Hummer

This is why Top Gear is the BEST car show in the world...they blow stuff up.... I also like Mythbusters by the way

In this episode the Hamster tries out the South African Marauder, which is not a civilian vehicle but a proper armoured personnel transport.

He then pits the Hummer H3, Marauder and seven pounds of plastic explosives...


oooh what a lovely BANG

The video is after the jump

Test Drive a Kia in Penang and win a Forte

NAZA KIA MALAYSIA TAKES TEST DRIVE KIA ON TOUR 2011 TO PENANG

Naza Kia Malaysia Sdn Bhd, the official distributor of Kia Motors vehicles in Malaysia, will take its hugely popular Test Drive Kia on Tour 2011 roadshow to Penang this week.

The five-day roadshow will be held from Aug 17 to Aug 21 at the Queensbay Mall in Penang.

The roadshow in Penang is the second leg of Naza Kia Malaysia’s Test Drive Kia on Tour 2011 which began in May at the One Utama Shopping Centre in Kuala Lumpur. Following Penang, Naza Kia Malaysia will take the test drive campaign to Johor Bahru before ending with another roadshow in the Klang Valley in October.

Customers who test drive any of the vehicles at the any of these roadshows will be in the running to win a Forte 1.6EX.

At Penang, customers will be given a chance to test drive the multiple-award winning and all-new Sportage as well as the highly popular Forte and Sorento SUV. The all-new Sportage was recently launched by Naza Kia Malaysia to the market in June.

BMW dealership abandoned in 1988 with cars still inside

The spooky thing is that the owner of this BMW dealership in Oaksville, Ontario has taken the trouble to make sure the cars and showroom are kept clean so that it looks like it was left in a time machine.

The 5-series is till wearing Pirelli P700 tyres with air still in it, which means someone has been filling it up with air...

In case you are wondering, BMW fans there have been pestering him for the cars and he ain't sellin'.

Full gallery after the jump

News From PowerShift

Video: Audi Urban concept teaser

It seems that even audi believes we will all drive tiny cars with tiny engines in the future but unlike Japanese K-Cars, the small cars of the future would be fun to drive...I think that is the message we are supposed to receive here

VIDEO: Mad Max Mayback Landaulette, courtesy of Jay Z and Kanye

Nothing to say but a couple of boys chopping up a Maybach and turning it into a home-made Laundaulette... but with a twist, Mad Max style

These boys love their Benzes so this is a sort of tribute to the brand...I wonder what Stuttgart thinks of this?

It felt like a five foot long, five-inch thick snake

Do Boas go with Minis? Maybe Gok Wan can help us here

And so it was.

MOT technician, Wayne Hunt put his hand under thebonnet to fidn the catch release and felt "something that was rather out of place", something soft but muscular to the touch.

When he opened the bonnet, a Boa Constrictor was happily snoozing in the warm, dark bits of the Mini.
It happened at the Bosch Car Service garage in Carringtons of Oxford, UK.

“We immediately called the RSPCA to collect the snake, since it didn’t belong to the customer and we had no idea who owned it," said Wayne.

“The snake was dealt with properly and luckily it had done no damage to the car. The RSPCA told us that it looked thinner than it normally would, which could meant it had been living under the bonnet for a while. In all the years I have worked as a vehicle technician, I’ve never seen anything like it” the Bosch technician added.

VIDEO: Extreme road rage caught on video NSFW

Corvette driver slams onto the side of a Chrysler SRT...and high decibel profanities ensue

Samsung OK SM7 for August

Sure you know Samsung for their super HD TV and the nice OLED screens on iPads and Galaxy smartphones and Tab but do you know that they partnered with Nissan in the 1990s to clone the Japanese brand for Korean consumption?

Yes they did and with the marriage of Renault Nissan, Samsung has continued to build cars under the group for Korean consumption and also for export, under different names of course. There is one crossover/SUV that started life as a Samsung engineering project but now wears Renault and Nissan badges....

This is the the Samsung flagship car, the SM7, a Nissan Maxima based sedan that has been given a thorough Samsung makeover.

It is ready for the market this month and from the pictures it looks quite luxurious and definitely spacious.

More photos and full PRESS RELEASE after the jump

RUMOUR: V-dub close to signing off Bulli as 21-st century campervan

Expect modern day hippies (read university kids) to follow the trail of the campervan.

The concept was called Bulli but we don't know what badge they will use for the new production version.

Some rumours say it will sit on top of the current Golf platform, which means it can be powered by anything from a 1.4TSI for tree huggers and 3.2 VR6 for those who want to annoy tree huggers.

2012 BMW 3-series caught naked

The F30 BMW 3-series caught completely without disguise

Zulfahmi finish 9th at Brno

This quite a bit of news, a Malaysian rider finishing in the top 10 of the 125cc class of  the MotorGP at the Czech Republic.

Muhammad Zulfahmi Khairuddin who rides for Air Asia-SIC-Ajo Motorsports had suffered a two-race drought and this performance in Brno certainly restores his reputation as a credible MotoGP racer.

I certainly hope that he will go from strength to strength, maybe get into the top 5 by next year and finish the season in the top 10.


For this year you just keep scoring points Zul, you are doing great!!

For this year he targets 15th place in the championship table, not too shabby for a newbie and with the Brno result he now has 20 points and is in 16th place. 

Full Press Release after the jump

Mercedes confirms another shooting brake

I love shooting brakes, they are the automotive world's equivalent to two fingers to the world, so you think station wagons are for soccer moms? Well not these.

Shooting brakes used to be a British thing, the Reliant Scimitar and various bespoke versions from Aston Martin, Bristol, Bentley and there is even a couple of  Ferrari 456 shooting brakes, allegedly belonging to the Brunei royal family.

Mercedes Benz has caught the bug and after approving the CLS shooting brake late last year (it may show up at Frankfurt as the real McCoy) they have now approved the production of a baby shooting brake, presumably from the CLC model family.

Bravo to Mercedes-Benz.

After the jump is a collection of a few shooting brakes.

Photo Album: K4GP raced in Fuji over the weekend

For those who are unfamiliar with K4 GP, this is an event that caters for K-car or Japanese compact cars, which means tiny cars with tiny engines.

While a race is a race, the atmosphere is more club event than gladitorial so everyone has fun preserving their cars and enjoying track time.

I took part in the race in Sepang last year and it was a hoot and a half.

After the jump are some of the photos from  Fuji Speedway over the weekend, enjoy.

KTM kids conquer FIM Junior MX World Championship

Young motocross riders from Spain, Latvia, Italy, Brazil and France were on the podium in Cingoli Italy this weekend after clean sweeping the 65 cm category and taking 1-3 result in the 85 cc class of the FIM Junior Motocross World Championships.

Garcia in action

The action kicked off with the 65 cc class for boys 10-12 year-old and it was a clear decision for 10-year-old Jorge Prado Garcia of Spain who won both motos for the maximum of 50 points and is a worthy world champion. Jorge also laid down the fastest lap time on Saturday and went into the races as one of the favorites. 

Enzo Lopes of Brazil was second with a 4-2 result while Italian rider Riccardo Lauretti was on the podium in third who finished with a 3-4 result. All three were riding KTM bikes.