Toyota teaching youth to appreciate the environment

There is only one Earth, so if we want to keep living on this planet, we will have to take care of it and Toyota is doing their part by organising the annual Toyota Eco Youth programme.

This year 200 students and teachers went through the programme and they learnt about simple methods for preserving the environment and our resources by putting together a working Green project.

Under the programme students identified a particular environmental issue at they school and come up with a practical solution for it  and they are taught to use Toyota’s 8-Step Problem Solving Methodology, the programme is now extended to community level since 2011.


“Some of the projects we have seen this year have been nothing short of extraordinary. Even the community residents and municipal council leaders who had worked with these students were amazed and impressed with the students’ dedication and commitment,” he remarks.

“The main idea was to give the participating teams an opportunity to work with their immediate communities and local council to see how they could be agents of change for environmental woes,” explains Datuk Ismet Suki, President of UMW Toyota Motor.

Datuk Ir. Dr Wee Ka Siong, Deputy Education Minister 1 commended the TEY programme as an excellent out-of-classroom lesson that teaches students more about the environment, team work and working life than any textbook can.

“I hope that these valuable lessons and life values will be cherished and continue to be practised in your future endeavours to benefit even more people in expounding the green message,” Wee said.

He added the country needs a workforce who is not just skilled and dedicated but can also utilise green technology to minimise the carbon footprint of their business and prevent over-exploitation of the earth’s precious resources.








TOWARDS A GREENER FUTURE WITH TOYOTA ECO YOUTH 2012

SHAH ALAM, 13 September 2012...The annual Toyota Eco Youth (TEY) programme that is organised by UMW Toyota Motor came to a close today with a TEY Closing Ceremony at the Concorde Hotel in Shah Alam.

Held for the 12th year, the TEY is one of UMW Toyota Motor’s CSR programmes targeted at environmental issues as part of the company’s global goal towards a greener, more sustainable world.

Attended by over 200 students and teachers as well as officials from the Ministry of Education, the event was officiated by Yang Berhormat Datuk Ir. Dr Wee Ka Siong, Deputy Education Minister 1, Ministry Education of Malaysia and Yang Berbahagia Datuk Ismet Suki, President of UMW Toyota Motor.

Since its inception in 2001 as an environmental project among students in secondary schools, the TEY has evolved into a much-anticipated and popular programme that every school wants to be part of. Starting with only 8 schools, the programme today is participated by 16 schools nationwide.

From finding environmental problems around their schools and coming up with innovative ways to resolve them using Toyota’s 8-Step Problem Solving Methodology, the programme is now extended to community level since 2011.

In his welcome speech, Datuk Ismet thanked the Ministry Of Education for their continued support and cooperation, while congratulating the participating students for their hard work and creativity in coming up with interesting projects.

“Some of the projects we have seen this year have been nothing short of extraordinary. Even the community residents and municipal council leaders who had worked with these students were amazed and impressed with the students’ dedication and commitment,” he remarks.

“The main idea was to give the participating teams an opportunity to work with their immediate communities and local council to see how they could be agents of change for environmental woes,” explains Datuk Ismet.

He adds that the TEY had helped the students see that there is no problem too big that cannot be solved if they take a proactive stand to do something instead of leaving environmental problems such as trash and clogged drains to ‘someone else’, usually the authorities. The efforts of the students also managed to draw the interest and participation of close to 5,000 communities nationwide.

The implementation of the project formed only one aspect of their overall performance. TEY participants also put in many hours creating a presentation for the award ceremony, getting publicity for their projects from the local or national media, posting their project progress on the TEY blog and planning side projects.

Yang Berhormat Datuk Ir. Dr Wee Ka Siong, Deputy Education Minister 1 commended the TEY programme as an excellent out-of-classroom lesson that teaches students more about the environment, team work and working life than any textbook can.

“I hope that these valuable lessons and life values will be cherished and continue to be practised in your future endeavours to benefit even more people in expounding the green message,” Datuk Wee said.

Datuk Wee added the country needs a workforce who is not just skilled and dedicated but can also utilise green technology to minimise the carbon footprint of their business and prevent over-exploitation of the earth’s precious resources.

The Toyota Eco Youth environment programme is part of the three social pillars of UMW Toyota’s CSR initiatives.  The other two pillars are the Toyota Traffic Tots Road Safety programme and the highly anticipated Toyota Classics concert for philanthropy.

-ends-

MOTORSPORT: One weekend, three podiums for Proton - but does it mean anything to sales?

 Proton Motorsport had a fantastic weekend, getting on three different podiums on a single weekend,
clinching second in the Super 2000 WRC round of Great Britain, taking all three top spots in the 2WD category of the APRC, Japan round and winning the Malaysian Super Series championship with one round to go.

While Proton won all three events they took part in, critics at home are saying that this may not be any great shakes if the victories do not result in extra sales. After all you race and win on Sunday for the purpose of selling cars on Monday.

Leading automotive blogger Paul Tan tweeted this and it was later picked up by Hezeri Samsuri, the editor of Top Gear Malaysia and a discussion ensued on Facebook.

Proton's motorsports victories should be put to better use by the company's marketing team to give a much needed halo to their product line-up otherwise all that money and effort would simply go to waste.

Motorsport is not cheap but it can be justified if it leads to better brand positioning and improved sales.

For example Toyota and Hyundai-Kia are hardly known for their motorsport victories but they are selling more cars than anybody and Hyundai Kia continues to grow at a fast pace.

Citroen on the other hand is dominating WRC and parent company PSA is doing so badly that they plan to or will lay off more than 16,000 employees and the company's stock has been taken out of the CAC40 index calculation because it was dragging down the French market.

DRB-Hicom, which paid RM3 billion for Proton is under a lot of pressure both from the board as well as the public.

The board wants to see Proton turned around and start pumping profit into the group's coffers while the public wants to see a more dynamic company producing better and more exciting products.

The reality is that the doctor thinks the patient needs to rest and recuperate and reorganise itself and during this period we will probably see minimal activity, other than those actions which would result in immediate improvement in the companys' health will be put on hold.

Insiders say this process can take between one and half year to two years.

Anyway, read the Press Release to enjoy the full result of Proton's motorsport victories this weekend.






POST-EVENT RELEASE: PROTON CELEBRATES A SUCCESSFUL WEEKEND OF MOTORSPORTS

September 17, 2012
PROTON R3 Motorsports celebrated podium finishes across three countries in an epic motorsports weekend which saw the Proton Satria Neo participate in the World Rally Championship (SWRC) in Great Britain, the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) in Hokkaido, Japan, and Malaysian Super Series (MSS) at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia.



Rally Great Britain (SWRC)

Young Welshman, Tom Cave clinched the second-place spot for Proton R3 Motorsports Rally Team in the Super 2000 World Rally Championship round of Great Britain, driving a Proton Satria Neo S2000 rally car. He drove a well-measured drive in what is only his second outing this year for the PROTON team. It was a far tougher weekend for Super World Rally Championship leader PG Andersson after retiring from the first leg of the rally. Despite this, he managed to put in some impressive stage times after restarting and taking two-stage wins to finish sixth. This result meant PG Andersson extended his lead in the SWRC Championship by eight points with Hayden Paddon from New Zealand sharing joint second-place with Irishman, Craig Breen. The rally was won by Ford Fiesta S2000 driver, Craig Breen with Yazeed Al-Rajhi finishing third in another Ford.



Asia-Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) Rally Hokkaido

It was a great outing for the Proton R3 CUSCO Rally Team in the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) round of Rally Hokkaido 2012 as the team finished first, second and third in the 2WD category.  Malaysian Rally legend and three-time previous overall winner of the APRC, Karamjit Singh continued his dominance in the 2WD category by winning it outright despite a puncture which lost him almost one and a half minutes. Pushing hard in his 2WD Proton Satria Neo Group N rally car, Karamjit clawed his way back into the lead to take victory and maximum points to extend his 2WD Championship lead.

Karamjit’s Japanese teammate Akira Bamba had much to celebrate also, clinching his second consecutive APRC Junior Championship title after finishing first in the APRC Junior Category and second in 2WD after his closest rival Michael Young from New Zealand crashed out in Leg 1.  Malaysian Junior driver Kenneth Koh rounded of the perfect weekend for the team by finishing second in the Junior category and 3rd 2WD competitor.  Overall, it turned out to be a fantastic weekend for PROTON despite the retirement of both Proton Satria Neo S2000 cars driven by Alister McRae and Juha Salo.

Malaysia Super Series (MSS)

Closer to home, the Proton R3 Race Team pair of Syafiq Ali and James Veerapen clinched the Malaysian Super Series (MSS) at the Sepang International Circuit with one round to go in their Proton R3 Satria race cars.  The team started out strong and was aiming for its fourth successive Malaysian Touring Car Class 2 category win.  By lap 12 of the one-hour race and leading the MTC 2 class, James Veerapen was knocked off the track into the gravel by another competitor at turn 12 but got underway again thanks to the quick action of the track marshals. Despite having lost plenty of time in that incident, the team made a strong comeback to finish in fourth and clinching the Championship with an unassailable 70 point lead.

Be Seen Stay Safe - Yamaha launches motorcycle safety campaign

During the festive season, our roads are packed with cars and motorcycles and as a result, road accident statistics usually shoot up during this period. The Government through the police usually launch their road safety and enforcement campaign called 'Ops Sikap' but they always welcome additional efforts to encourage motorists to stay safe.

Motorcyclists tend to be over represented in road accident statistics so Yamaha is making special effort to get riders to stay safe and one of the easiest way for a motorcyclist to stay safe is to be seen.

Jointly organised with the Malaysian Motorcycle and Scooter Dealers Association, they have broken down the message to six simple to understand points, which are;

1. Avoid blind spot of other vehicles, 
2. Stay visible -Motorcyclist has to be always visible to other road users. 
3. Make sure the head and tail lights are functioning to help motorcyclist stay visible at night and day plus in adverse weather condition. 
4. Wear bright and reflective riding wear - this will definitely help riders stay visible. Bright clothing and use reflective material is particularly useful at night.
5. Keep a good distance from other vehicles. This is to avoid the risk for the motorcyclist not stopping in time due to emergency braking.

The campaign also offers free 15-point safety check of motorcycles at the following time and location

Date / Day	Location		Venue
31 Jul. Tuesday	Selangor		Sungai Besi, Toll Plaza (South Bound)
01 Aug.  Wednesday	Melaka		Kompleks Duyung, Semabok
02 Aug. Thursday	Johor		Padang Kampung Abdullah, Segamat
08 Aug. Wednesday	Perak		Menara Condong, Teluk Intan
09 Aug. Thursday	Penang		Komplek Sukan SONY, Seberang Jaya
10 Aug. Friday	Kedah		Tapak Gerai Makan, Stadium Darul Aman

Press release after the jump

Preve Preve Preve Preve

CFE under the bonnet

BREAKING NEWS: Genii Capital terminates Group Lotus sponsorship deal

Owner of team Lotus Formula One, Genii Capital has terminated their sponsorship deal with Group Lotus in light of the financial uncertainty surrounding the company and the sale of parent company Proton to Malaysian conglomerate DRB-Hicom Berhad, according to authoritative British motorsports magazine, Autosport.

Strangely, the team is committed to keeping the name Lotus on the side of their cars.

Apparently, the name has opened a lot of new sponsorship doors for the team, including those at Unilever and Microsoft.

Genii owner, Gerard Lopez said that they have also terminated Proton's option to purchase up to 50% of equity in the team.

The deal was patched together in 2010 after Lotus boss, Dani Bahar announced their ambitious turnaround plan with five new high-end sports cars and grand tourers.

Of late the financial situation at Lotus has been less than healthy and reports of possible massive reduction in staff numbers and pay cuts have become more regular.

This uncertainty has not gone down well with Proton's new owners and this latest development will likely make Lotus's position within the DRB-Hicom group even less tenable.

Lopez, who was earlier linked to a buyout of Lotus said that he has no idea what the new owners of Proton has in plan for the British sportscar maker.

Shocking Video of policeman killed by Singapore Bus in JB

So you think you know offroading?

Some people don't do half measures

VIDEO: The mystery of hot press forming unveiled

You know how Proton keeps talking about hot forming press, well this video shows us is what it looks like, the die-cut steel are heated to about 900 degrees Celsius before it is placed in a stamping machine. The die are water cooled to about five degrees celsius and this allows the metal to be quenched or rapidly cooled and in the process, the molecules bond more tightly and adhere to the new shape. This makes the stamped part three times stronger.....

We may get to see Proton's own automated hot press forming line in Tanjung Malim soon....we are working on it... but for now watch this video

Special Reg Captivas on discount

Malaysia’s Official Chevrolet Distributor, NAZA Quest Sdn Bhd (under the NAZA Group of Companies) is having the carnival to put up for sale the pre-registered Captiva with irresistible prices.

Those Captiva are bearing the special G1M (Gagasan 1 Malaysia) number plates, were the official course cars for several international events such as the 2011 F1 Malaysian GP and is in pristine condition. The low mileage cars, will be retailing at low prices start from RM 30,000 different from the retail price and it also comes complete with manufacturer’s warranty.

Each of the pre-registered Captiva is thoroughly inspected via a 40-points check system to ensure that safety is not compromised.

The Captiva Carnival is located at the Kontena National Berhad, Batu 9 Jalan Klang Lama in Petaling Jaya 9 (next to GAB), from 16th to 18th March. Opening hours are from 10am to 6pm. For more information, please call 1-800-22-4389.

VIDEO: Proton chief stylist Azlan Othman on the P3-21A

The best way to design a car is by peering into a crystal ball because a car is a long term product. For example, the P3-21A that will be launched soon was designed in 2009 because it takes about two years and millions of engineering, development and testing hours to bring the design from sketches and models to mass production.

Once launched, the P3-21A will have to stay interesting, attractive and sellable for the next five years, that is until 2017.

Proton Chief Stylist, Azlan Othman has no crystal ball but relies on a lot of marketing research, customer feedback and his own inspiration to guide the design team towards the new car and he says the aim is to come up with a timeless design.

In the first video we see him sketch the key design features of the P3-21A adn how they may be developed into the future Proton style.



In the second video the designer described the different stages of the design process and how they arrived at the current car.

Proton releases four videos of P3-21A

a

a

a

a

a

a

LIVE CHANNEL: Motorspy ( We discuss Proton-DRB and Proton Power of One

Our Channel is relatively new, we have less than one hour of programming on it right now and we are focusing on the Proton-Drb story for this whole month, drop by regularly to see updates on the issue

Watch live streaming video from motorspy at livestream.com

VIDEO: VW reveals ASEAN plans and their global goal of being number one

Being number one is tough, staying number one is even tougher, this was why Toyota was never keenb to claim the top spot because it meant everyone would be gunning after them.

However VW does want to be the world's biggest carmaker in the next three to four years. IN order to achieve that goal they are going to have to find at least a million extra sales in a year.

In order to do that , VW has to grow in all markets, especially fast growing, developing and emerging markets like South East Asia.

According to Weiming Soh, VW Board Member and head of China and Asean operations they are looking at 200,000 units annually and Malaysia is contributing 50,000 to the equation.

It seems that some of that volume will come from the Pekan plant.

VIDEO: IS the Pekan assemble VW Passat of the same quality as cars coming from Germany?

According to VW and DRB-Hicom, the answer is yes, because the first batch of cars arrived in Pekan partially assembled and workers here only put together the different completed modules, this is defined as CKD1.

In the meantime they are evaluating some local vendors for basic parts to be sourced locally and at this stage, called CKD2, the cars will arrive in kit form and parts like tyres, rubber mats and simple components are sourced locally.

CKD 3 is when the kits comprise 60 per cent of the car while the remaining 40 per cent of components are sourced locally or in Asean, this is to comply with the requirements of free movement of goods under the Asean Free Trade Agreement.

VIDEO: What exactly did DRB-Hicom say about rebadging for Proton

Well, here is a video of DRB-Hicom boss, Datuk Seri Khamil Jamil answering the question of rebadging cars for Proton. We even have VW AG Board Member and head of China and Asean operations, Weiming Soh talking about VW sharing technology with Proton adn DRB...


BTW, Soh was the person named in the story about a meeting between DRB-Hicom Chief Operating Officer, Datuk Lokman Ibrahim in Hing Kong recently

VIDEO: What's so special the new Proton P3-21A

What we have here is a series of short videos with Dr Wolfgang Eppel, Senior Director (Quality) at Proton,  He was BMW's quality man and overlooked the development of the E39 5-series and E-90 3-series so he knows a bit or two about car quality.

VIDEO: Launch of the VW Passat CKD in Pekan

• Launch variant of the locally assembled VW Passat is priced at RM170,888 and available immediately through 18 Volkswagen dealerships nationwide today.
• The Passat family would eventually range in price between RM169,888 and RM184,888 once the whole line is available in the Malaysian market.

The locally assembled variant of the Volkswagen Passat has been highly publicised in the automotive blogs and online news sites and on Sunday it was launched by Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak at the  Hicom Automotive Manufacturing Malaysia (HAMM) facilitiy in Pekan.

At the rollout, DRB had accumulated a stock of just over 300 units and this represented the first batch of cars that are assembled under what is termed as CKD1 programme.

CKD1 means that the cars arrive as a partially assembled kits and the local partner completes the process without any local components.

Even as the car was being launched, DRB-Hicom Managing Director, Datuk Seri Mohd Khamil Jamil announced that the company is expanding their production facility to accommodate future needs of Volkswagen.

According to Mohd Khamil they will add a further assembly and paint line to accommodate the German marque, which will eventually be their biggest customer in Pekan and one of their core partners.

When in full swing by 2014, DRB believes that Volkswagen will make up most of the 50,000 vehicles that will be assembled by HAMM in Pekan and that number could rise significantly if DRB proves that they can assemble car to comparable quality levels of VW's German plants.

VW Board Member and head of China-Asean operations, Weiming Soh said that the marque is looking for sales figures aroudn 200,000 units in South East Asia in the next few years as part of the VAG group's global aim of becoming the world's largest carmaker in five years' time.

He said there is every possibility that DRB-Hicom could be their source of regional vehicles, especially for right-hand drive markets.

Mohd Khamil said DRB-Hicom will make all efforts to ensure that VW vehicles leaving the Pekan facility will meet the German carmaker's exacting standards so they can be exported.

VW Senior Vice President, Overseas manufacturing, Dr Christof Spathelf said they had began the venture with DRB with a clear goal in terms of quality and this meant sending a team from Germany to train and supervise the assembly of cars.

This approach also meant that the targeted 40 per cent local content will only be possible by around 2014 as they carefully pick local vendors that are capable of producing components to VW standards.

The final stage of the local assembly programme is known as CKD3 where 40 per cent of Asean contents is used and the cars can then be sold within Sout East Asia without being taxed as an import.
According to DRB-Hicom Chief Operating Officer, Datuk Lokman Ibrahim, they have evaluated many local vendors and so far 27 have passed VW's requirements.

During his speech at the launch, Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said that the Jetta and Polo may follow the Passat out of HAMM facilities in the near future.

The Polo and Jetta are popular family cars in Europe, offering value for money and reputable VW engineering and quality fit and finish in a reliable and proven package and it is expected to find strong following in Malaysia.

Below is a video of the launch in Pekan on Sunday.

VIDEO: Spectacular almost win, but ultimately a fail...

A Skoda defies probablities by spinning out of control and missing two oncoming cars but...

VIDEO: How to remove an engine without any tools

It's quite amazing to see the relationship between cars and trees and this time it is very intentional - nice viral video BTW

Fantastic Porsche Collection going under the hammer in a week's time

Some people have the good fortune to collect rare and beautiful works of art and the late Matthew Drendel is one of them and he spent his time gathering gorgeous racing Porsches.

The best thing about a collection of rare cars is that you get to enjoy them when you are alive and your family can sell them off at a hefty premium after you have no more need for it.

Among the cars in this collection, which will go under the hammer of Gooding & Co in Florida next Tuesday.

The collection contains million-dollar rarities such as the 917 Can-Am monsters, a 962 Group C racer, factory 911 racers and even a 944 S2 Cabriolet.

Press Release after the jump

VIDEOS: Kia K9 scooped in Korea

A fast actign Korean fan of Kia spotted this large sedan on the highway and now we know how it looks like in the wild.

I maintain that this looks like a better looking cousin of the |BMW 7-series, and I never thought I would ever say something like that...

VIDEO: Drag bike flips, photographer trips

Just a funny video of people failing, no one got hurt badly in the making of this video but two egos were badly bruised

Lamborghini test driver crash Aventador in the snow

Upset about the incident being caught on camera, he starts to get on the photographer's case, anyway here is a short gif of what happened, stills taken from Autoblog

gif maker

Video: Michael Schumacher visits Petronas Scholars

Petronas scholars at Imperial College, London and interns AMG facility meet Schumi and Jazeman Jaafar.

Classic Chatter: 1960s Mercedes-Benz 300SE

It has been some time since I wrote about classic cars but now I am resurrecting the Classic Chatter column that used to appear in the New Sunday Times, Cars Bikes and Trucks motoring pullout and we are going to start off by cheating a bit, I am going to just put a Press Release from Mercedes Benz about the car. Next week I will upload my own piece on an interesting classic car



Zenith of Mercedes-Benz’s coupé and cabriolet tradition in the 1960s

A combination of the cutting-edge technology of the 300 SE with exclusive bodywork variants
The 300 SE was produced as a coupé and as a cabriolet almost three years longer than the tailfin saloon

Stuttgart – The premiere that was celebrated for two luxurious premium-class cars from 15 to 25 March 1962 at the 32nd Geneva Motor Show was a brilliant one: Mercedes-Benz presented the 300 SE Coupé and the 300 SE Cabriolet of the W 112 series.

Because both these two-door four-seater cars were the result of the consistent combination of technical brilliance, impressive performance and very high standards of style and elegance.

In terms of their style, both coupé and cabriolet were based on the respective variants of the 220 SE (W 111). The full-length floor unit was adopted from the tailfin saloon, underscoring the stately presence of both two-door vehicles with their 2.75-metre wheelbase and overall length of 4.88 metres.

Studebaker to be revived with hybrid car

Studebaker is known for cutting edge engineering and really quirky design, and by that I think they are all ugly.

Well, this time they are at it again with a car that is worthy of the latest and newest car company from China.

According to a report from FoxNews, Ric Reed, who bought the rights to the Studebaker brand in 2001, has revealed new plans to resurrect the famous nameplate.

Reed, who runs the Denver, Colorado-based Big Kahuna apparel company, told the news site that he wants to revive Studebaker's classic monikers such as the Lark, President and Hawk for the new model series, adding, however, that the cars themselves will be 21st-century hybrids.

Studebaker Lark...Ugh

"As the entrepreneur at the helm of Studebaker Motor Company, it is my earnest goal to create vehicles that are in some way reminiscent of classic Studebakers, or in other words, definitively Studebaker, yet brought into the 21st Century, and again to see Studebaker Motor Company the American Icon it once was," says Reed on the company's website.

"It is also my dream to develop or reopen factories, employ Americans in those manufacturing and assembly plants, which shall be on American soil. I desire to make vehicles that not only compete, but have a significant cutting edge in a highly competitive world market," he adds.

Reed said he wants to employ hybrid technology because he thinks that electric cars still have a long way to go. He intends to use the Hydristor, a device invented by Tom Kasner for a sports car that John DeLorean wanted to make before his demise. The Hydristor is a hydraulic transistor, which Kasmer claims, is akin to a highly efficient CVT gearbox.

Before rolling out his brand-new models, Reed says he may cooperate with another, yet unnamed company, to build a US$70,000 limited run of a retro-themed modern iteration of the Chump pickup truck in order to raise some cash and mainly attract investors.

Honda Civic gets full marks against EuroNCAP wall

The EuroNCAP is regarded as on of the most respected crash test protocol and the 2012 Honda Civic scored full marks this time around.

Fiat heir show off his car collection..all from the family firm

Lapo Elkann has  a camouflaged Ferrari 458 Italia and seems to like denim upholstered cabin.

To see what else he has, watch the video

Volvo and Polestar show off all-new touring car racer

Volvo is moving of the racing league, this year they will compete in the TTA - the Swedish Racing Elite League and this is what they are campaigning this year.

The S60 has been prepared by Polestar and they will race four cars using two teams, Polestar Racing and Polestar Performance.

Three of four drivers are confirmed, Robert Dahlgren, Fredrik Ekblom and Thed Björk. The fourth driver has not yet been named.

"We have had a big pressure on us from many curious Volvo enthusiasts as it is a new championship and a new racing car. That is why we chosen to reveal the car now. Our final team colors are going to be shown later, but this is our S60 in TTA racing specification," said Alexander Murdzevski, Commercial Director of Volvo Motorsport Sweden.

PRESS RELEASE


First picture of the new Volvo S60 TTA

Volvo announced in August last year that they are going to switch to TTA – the Swedish Racing Elite League ahead of 2012 and today the first picture is released of the new racing car.
"We have had a big pressure on us from many curious Volvo enthusiasts as it is a new championship and a new racing car. That is why we chosen to reveal the car now. Our final team colors are going to be shown later, but this is our S60 in TTA racing specification," said Alexander Murdzevski, Commercial Director of Volvo Motorsport Sweden.

Volvo is going to compete with four cars in the Racing Elite League with Polestar in two different teams, Volvo Polestar Racing and Volvo Polestar Performance. Three of four drivers are confirmed, Robert Dahlgren, Fredrik Ekblom and Thed Björk. The fourth driver has not yet been named.

"We can't go in to that today. We are negotiating with three drivers, but we have other things that are more time pressing. Polestar and TTA are conducting the final tests at the same time as we are working on the hybrid system, producing the carbon fibre body shells and calibrating the aerodynamics for all cars in our wind tunnel," said Derek Crabb, Director of Volvo Motorsport.

With three months remaining to the TTA premiere on the 12th of May at Karlskoga, a new future awaits Swedish motorsport with sporting values, tight races and completely new regulations with new and exciting technology. Volvo has supported the idea from the start and has contracted their participation in the championship until 2015 at least.

"Motorsport must be cool, exciting and fair. We must fight our meanest competitors in our best selling models. We must be able to win by doing the best job and it should be easy for importers in the country to change racing car when changing model without the need of a heavy factory programme. We are really looking forward to the TTA – Racing Elite League 2012," said Anders Gustafsson, Managing Director of Volvo Cars Sweden.

Calendar – TTA Racing Elite League

12/05 – Karlskoga
02/06 – Anderstorp
16/06 – Gothenburg
07/07 – Falkenberg
18/08 – Karlskoga
01/09 – Anderstorp
15/09 – Tierp Arena
29/09 – Gothenburg

Technical specification – Volvo S60 TTA

Length: 470 mm
Width: 1970 mm
Height: 1205 mm
Wheelbase: 2750 mm
Track width: 1660 mm front/1630 mm rear
Suspension: Double wishbone, three-way dampers, etc.
Body: Carbon fibre
Engine: V6 with hybrid system
Drive: RWD
Power: 420 BHP
Gearbox: 6-speed sequential with paddles on steering wheel
Hybrid system: Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS)
Rear wing: 1600 mm width/300 mm depth
Brakes: Front: 4-piston calipers, 370 mm ventilated discs
Rear: 4-piston calipers, 360 mm ventilated discs
Rims: 18″ with centre wheel nut
Tyres: Front: 260/660-18 Rear: 280/660-18

Mitsubishi Fuso Canter arrives in Europe

The arrival of a completely revised Fuso Canter marked the launch of the new generation of the truck series in October 2011. And now, for the first time, its all-wheel-drive variant is also coming to the European market. Production at the Tramagal plant in Portugal is in the end of February 2012.

The Canter 4x4 model in question is the 6C18 with a permissible gross vehicle weight of 6.5 tonnes, a 2-metre width Comfort cab and an output of 129 kW (175 hp). The all-wheel drive can be engaged and disengaged on the move and therefore offers good fuel efficiency.

A rear-axle differential lock is fitted as standard. The transmission is a 5-speed manual unit and the rear-axle ratio is 1:5.285.Customers have the choice of a comfortable single cab and crewcab (with 3 and 7 seats respectively) with wheelbases of 3415 mm and 3865 mm.

The chassis load capacity ranges from 3500 kg to 3735 kg. Thanks to the geometry of the all-wheel-drive system, the angle of attack is 35 degrees, as opposed to 18 degrees for the Canter 4x2 – while the angle of departure is 24 degrees as opposed to 11 degrees. Ground clearance is increased from 219 mm to as much as 320 mm.

Healthystuff.org rates Honda Civic interior least toxic, Mitsubihsi Outlander most toxic

With cancer rates shooting out of the roof, many people are now looking at factors that cause the disease to be spiraling out of control and Healthystuff decided to rank car interiors according to the amount of toxic fumes that it lets out into the cabin.

According to their tests, the Honda Civic tops the list, followed by the Toyota Prius and Honda CRZ.
Picking up the tail are the Mitsubishi Outlander, Chrysler 200 and Kia Soul.

Chemicals of primary concern include: bromine (associated with brominated flame retardants); chlorine (indicating the presence of polyvinyl chloride, or PVC and plasticizers); lead; and heavy metals. Such chemicals have been linked to a wide range of health problems such as allergies, birth defects, impaired learning, liver toxicity, and cancer. Automobiles are particularly harsh environments for plastics, as extreme air temperatures of 192 F and dash temperatures up to 248 F can increase the concentration of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC's) and break other chemicals down into more toxic substances.



Ten Best Picks
2012 Honda Civic 0.46
2011 Toyota Prius 0.55
2011 Honda CR-Z 0.63
2011 Nissan cube 0.65
2012 Acura RDX 0.74
2012 Acura ZDX 0.74
2012 Audi S5 0.74
2011 Smart Coupe 0.74
2011 Toyota Venza 0.77
2011 Smart Passion 0.79

Ten Worst Picks
2012 Mini Cooper S Clubman 2.84
2012 VW Eos 2.85
2011 Kia Sportage 2.87
2011 Chevy Aveo5 2.89
2012 Hyundai Accent 2.98
2011 Mazda CX-7 3.08
2011 Nissan Versa 3.08
2011 Kia Soul 3.11
2011 Chrysler 200 SC 3.17
2011 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport 3.17

VIDEO: Evo takes Boxter and R8 Spyder to track

Many people believe that the Boxster is the ultimate driver's convertible but Audi wants to challenge that with the R8 Spyder. British magazine Evo had the opportunity to pit these two deliciosu convertible and find out which is more capable of pleasing the driver.

When it comes to pleasing pedestrians or as poser's car, the Audi wins...thanks to Iron Man

Modded Macca gets 666 horses

• German tuner Wheelsandmore wave their wand at the McLaren MP4-12C
• Reprogrammed ECO and custom exhaust bump up horsepower and torque
• Retuned electronic suspension lower car by 25mm
• More aggressive mod with 800hp on the way
• 20-inch front 21-inc rear lightweight alloys 

German tuning firm Wheelasandmore has also presented a new package for the McLaren MP4-12C, which includes both styling and performance products.

In factory guise, the MP4-12C's mid-mounted 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine is rated at 600PS (592HP) and 600Nm (442.5 lb-ft). A reprogrammed ECU along with a custom sports exhaust system push those numbers to 666-horsepower and 640Nm (472 lb-ft) respectively.

Wheelsandmore noted that it's currently working on a more aggressive tune with modified turbochargers and intercooler upgrades that will lift output to around 800-ponies.

For now, the company's tune also includes an electronic hydraulic suspension system that lowers the ride height by another 25mm and is said to improve handling and steering.

The package is complemented by a new set of lightweight forged alloy wheels finished in black with an orange rim (20-inches with 245/30 Continental Sport Contact 5P tires up front and 21-inches shod in 325/25 rubber at the back), with matching color racing stripes.

More photos after the jump

Foton inks Joint Venture agreement with Daimler commercial vehicles

• Beijing Foton Daimler will sell medium and heavy duty trucks in China
• China accounts for 40% worldwide medium and heavy truck sale
• Daimler will set up the production facility for the OM 457 engine (Euro IV)
• First truck roll out Q3 2012
• Last year Beijing Foton sold over 100,000 medium- and heavy-duty trucks
• Foton trucks are distributed by the Tan Chong group in Malaysia

The joint venture Beijing Foton Daimler Automotive Co., Ltd. (BFDA) will enable Daimler’s commercial vehicle division to participate extensively in the Chinese market for medium- and heavy-duty trucks
In its first full meeting, the Board of Directors (BOD) appoints the Board of Management and sets the course for future development
Joint venture is an integral part of Daimler Trucks’ growth strategy: Daimler holds 50 percent stake in the medium- and heavy-duty truck business of Auman brand
On February 18, Daimler and its Chinese partner Beiqi Foton Motor Co., Ltd. held a festive ceremony to celebrate the reception of the business license for the joint venture Beijing Foton Daimler Automotive Co., Ltd. To commemorate this event, the partners unveiled a plaque in Beijing bearing the official name of the joint venture, which will operate from the Foton Auman facility in Beijing’s Huairou district.
BFDA will enable Daimler’s commercial vehicle division to participate extensively in the Chinese market for medium- and heavy-duty trucks. The market’s volume has doubled over the last five years, and more than one million trucks are now being sold in this segment in China. Last year, China accounted for around 40 percent of total sales of medium- and heavy-duty trucks worldwide.
“By founding BFDA, we have taken another step forward in the global growth strategy of Daimler Trucks, as well as the local expansion of our product portfolio in China: Our 50 percent stake in Beijing Foton Daimler Automotive will enable us to play a major role in the Chinese truck market and give us access to the attractive volume segment,” stated Andreas Renschler, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Head of Daimler Trucks and Daimler Buses. “With this joint venture now fully operational, we’re sending out a clear signal that we deliver on what we promise in developing Daimler Trucks’ worldwide strategy.”

“The establishment of the joint venture between Daimler Trucks and Beiqi Foton lifts the longstanding association between Daimler and BAIC here in China to a new level, and will greatly strengthen our strategic and operational cooperation,” said Xu Heyi, Chairman of Beijing Automotive Group Co., Ltd. (BAIC), Foton’s biggest shareholder.
The ceremony was followed by the constituent meeting of BFDA’s Board of Directors, chaired by Andreas Renschler and Wang Jinyu, President of Beiqi Foton. The BOD appointed BFDA’s Board of Management, with Wu Yuejun from Foton as President and Stefan Albrecht from Daimler as Executive Vice President.
During the first BOD meeting, the two sides finalized the agreed-upon contracts with BFDA and established the organizational structure of the joint venture, the company guidelines, and the next steps for future development. It is the clear aim of both partners to make use of the “best of both worlds.” Besides making a financial investment, Daimler will share responsibility for the joint venture’s Finance, IT, Quality Management, and Development departments. In addition, Daimler will set up the production facility for the OM 457 engine at BFDA’s headquarters. The OM 457 engine, which is being successfully used in Mercedes-Benz commercial vehicles in Europe and Latin America, will meet the future China IV emissions standard (corresponds to Euro IV).
Foton contributes its existing Auman medium- and heavy-duty truck business, including the production sites and the sales and service network. The joint venture will also be able to draw on Foton’s market know-how in China and the rest of Asia to facilitate faster business development across the entire region.
BFDA’s first jointly developed truck is scheduled to roll off the production line in the third quarter of this year.
“The great progress made during the past few months has now cleared the way for both partners to jointly start the day-to-day work and forge ahead with this exciting endeavor,” said Ulrich Walker, Chairman and CEO of Daimler Northeast Asia. “With its 50 percent stake in the joint venture, Daimler has increased its commitment to the Chinese market and strengthened our position to succeed in all segments of the market in China: passenger cars, trucks, vans, and financial services.”
Foton has experienced rapid growth since entering the truck business in 1998. Last year it sold over 100,000 medium- and heavy-duty trucks, making it a key player in China’s truck market. A second truck plant is currently being ramped up in Beijing’s Huairou district to give the BFDA joint venture a total production capacity of 160,000 trucks.

BREAKING NEWS: Mercedes filed patents for 4-door SLS

This appears to be the case. Just take a look at these scanned documents that appeared on Autoblog a few hours ago and it seems fairly conclusive that Mercedes-Benz is looking at a stretched SLS.

In the patent filing the rear doors look like they are half-sized like the suicide door on the Mazda RX8 which allows for four proper seats to be fitted in the cabin while giving everyone decent access for ingress and egress.

However the drawing also shows the clear seats clearly through the rear door opening, which may either mean that the rear doors are full sized or the rear seats are not meant for adults.

Mercedes-Benz pushed the envelope with the CLS four-door coupe and the current trend for spacious supercars like the Ferrari FF, Aston Martin Rapide means that there are enough wealthy motorists to support family-oriented performance cars.

However we have to keep in mind that companies file patents all the time just to protect future business opportunities so this could be one of those filings.

Below are the rest of the scans showing the doors in various positions and the various features of the design.

VIDEO: Proton P3-21A caught testing on the NKVE

From the sound of the chase car's stressed engine note, it appears that the P3 was driving at quite a clip and could have easily dumped the chasing vehicle. After all it has a 1.6-litre turbo engine under the bonnet.

DashCam Special: Run a red light, get a surprise

Thanks to the prevalence of dash-cam in Russia and China, Youtube is now the best reality show for car fans and in this one we see how a scooter rider runs a red light and almost ends up under a small truck....amazingly he appeared to have escaped unhurt

VIDEO: How the Kia Tackster is made

New Volvo V40 is G-G-Gorgeous

March has come early and a Polish magazine has published this pair of Volvo photographs on their Facebook page a couple of weeks before the debut at the Geneva autosalon next month.

It is absolutely gorgeous....

FAHMI back with a bang as he posts 6th fastest time

• Fahmi recorded a time of 1 minute 48.4 seconds
• Friday crash did not affect confidence

MUHAMMAD Zulfahmi Khairuddin bounced back from an unfortunate crash on Friday to set sixth fastest time on the final day of the second pre-season tests in Jerez yesterday.


The AirAsia-SIC-Ajo rider was in blazing form as he posted his fifth top 10 position in 6 sessions, only missing out yesterday after being involved in a crash which saw him escape unhurt.

Fahmi recorded a time of 1 minute 48.4 seconds, following his impressive performance on day which saw him clock a time of  1’49.5.

The first three sessions in Valencia also saw him placed in the top 10, setting a best lap time of 1’42.4, 1’43.0 and ending with a 1’42.0 during the 3 day tests.

The 20 year old from Banting was obviously delighted with his performance and more importantly, showed that he was back to his best after the crash yesterday.

“I was a bit worried after the crash, but thankfully it didn’t affect me one bit today as I set out to record my fastest lap time.

“My lap times have given me confidence in facing the new season with my target being to finish regular in the top 10,” added Fahmi.

Sepang International Circuit Chief Executive, Datuk Razlan Razali was obviously delighted with Fahmi’s return to form but preached caution with a long way to go before the season starts on 8th April in Qatar.

“We should not be too over confident of the test results, the real test for Fahmi in when the season starts in April.

“No doubt that Fahmi has performed admirably during the tests, but it’s still a long way to go and I hope that Fahmi will keep focusing and pushing himself towards the goals we have set for him this season,” added Razlan.

The riders continued their adaptation to the new bikes for 2012 under the best weather conditions on the final day at the Circuito de Jerez with temperatures hovering around 20ºC air temperatures and track temperatures reaching 34°C.

Danny Kent returned to dominate the Moto3 field with a time of 1’47.1, four tenths ahead of Avintia Racing rider Maverick Viñales.

Alberto Moncayo (Bankia Aspar Team) was unaffected by yesterday’s crash that ended his day early and the rider from the nearby city of Cadiz returned to the circuit today to report the third quickest pace with a best time of 1’47.9. Team mate Hector Faubel finished fifth with a time of 1’48.4, four tenths behind Sandro Cortese who lapped fourth quickest.

Numerous crashes today included those of Japanese rider Kenta Fujii, Luis Salom, Niccolo Antonelli, Jakub Kornfeil, all without serious consequences, while the afternoon brought two red flags from crashes that resulted in a broken wrist for Giulian Pedone (Ambrogio Next Racing), and a fractured fibula for Alessandro Tonucci.

The 18 round MotoGP calendar starts on 8th April at Losail, Qatar with the Malaysian MotoGP scheduled on 23rd October at Sepang Circuit two races before the finale at Valencia, Spain at November.

Unofficial Moto3 lap times for Satruday (recorded by teams):
1. Danny Kent (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1'47.1
2. Maverick Viñales (Avintia Racing) 1'47.5
3. A. Moncayo (Bankia Aspar Team) 1'47.9
4. Sandro Cortese (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1'48.0
5. Héctor Faubel (Bankia Aspar Team) 1'48.4
6. Z.Khairuddin (AirAsia SIC Ajo) 1'48.4
7. Luís Salom (RW Racing GP) 1'48.5
8. Efrén Vázquez (Team Laglisse) 1'48.7
9. M. Oliveira (Monlau Competición) 1'48.9
10. Arthur Sissis (Red Bull KYM Ajo) 1'50.1
11. Louis Rossi (Racing Team Germ) 1'49.2
12. Niccoló Antonelli (San Carlo Gresi ni) 1'49.3
13. Niklas Ajo (TT Motion Events Racing) 1'49.4
14. A.Márquez (Monlau Competición) 1'49.6
15. Danny Webb (Mahindra Racing) 1.49.7

VIDEO: Birth of a beauty: Stancework's Vintage Series alloys

A nice set of alloy wheels can make a huge difference to a car's character, it's the one item you can bolt on to a car to alter it's stance and attitude to suit the owner's character.

The 501 Vintage series is a nice wire- spoke replica that would make any car look elegant.

The video (after the break) shows how the wheel is manufactured, from CNC machining to polishing and finishing. 

HRE Wheels: The Birth of the Vintage Series from StanceWorks on Vimeo.

Ferrari 250 GTO sold for USD30million ++

• Speculation: Jon Hunt bought the car from former Samsung chariman in 2008 for USD20.8 million

For most of us USD30 million is too big a number to imagine in our bank account, let alone as the pruchase price of a car, to put it into perspectivce, the same amount of money will get you one of these, a Gulfstream G350.

The car was sold through private treaty and the details of the transaction is kept secret, thsi is why it is a private treaty.


The speculation is, however, that the car with a serial number 5095, may have been bought by British businessman Jon Hunt and the seller is said to be former Samsung chairman Lee Kun-hee in 2008 for £15.7 million (about $20.8M), and that it is now bound for Spain.


It is one of the most expensive car ever sold, the record is still held by a Bugatti Atlantique which was sold for between USD30 and USD40 million.

Abdu Dhabi motors opens largest BMW Showroom, it's 8.6 acres huge

- Local importer Abu Dhabi Motors invests AED 300 million
- 2011 BMW Group's most successful year in the Middle East

Munich / Abu Dhabi. The BMW Group has opened the world's largest showroom for BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars and BMW motorcycles in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. Abu Dhabi Motors, the BMW Group's long-standing importer for the region, has invested around AED 300 million (approx. 62 million euros) in the new 35,000-square-metre showroom over its three-year construction.

The new showroom was formally inaugurated by Ian Robertson, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, responsible for Sales and Marketing, His Highness Sheikh Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan, National Security Advisor and Vice-Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, and Arno Husselmann, General Manager of Abu Dhabi Motors, at an exclusive event on Tuesday evening attended by over 1,000 guests. The invited guests also included Graeme Grieve, Vice-President for Importer Markets of BMW AG, Adrian Van Hooydonk, Director of BMW Group Design, and a large number of VIPs and celebrities from the region, including fashion designer Walid Atallah.

At the opening of the BMW Group's largest showroom worldwide, Ian Robertson thanked the investors and owners Sheikh Mohammed Bin Butti Al Hamid and Sheikh Saif Bin Mohammed Bin Butti Al-Hamid for their strong commitment to completing the new building. Robertson continued:

Wood heater in a car...and it is perfectly legal

The Swiss is s stickler for rules so when Paskal Prokop decided to fit a wood-burning stove in place of the front passenger seat of his Volvo 240 wagon he had to get the authorities to approve it for road use and apparently he has done such a good job to warrant the approval.

He says the wood stove keeps the car warm even when he turns off the engine. What it does for the Volvo 240's carbon footprint doesn't bear thinking.

P3 TV Commercial shoot...another leak

Yet another leak of the P3-21A photo, complete with a balck plate identifying the model. Apparently the car was out for a television commercial shoot and was snapped by a passing motorist.

Meet Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies at PWTC this Sunday

Hong Leong Yamaha Motor Sdn Bhd is pleased to inform that motorbike enthusiasts can feast their eyes on an impressive display of the latest Yamaha models and technology with the start of the MotoXpo at PWTC from the 22nd until the 26th February 2012, 10am-10pm.

In conjunction with this, Yamaha Factory Racing riders, Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies will make their special appearance at MotoXpo, PWTC for an autograph signing session on 26th February 2012.

We wish to extend our invitation to you to celebrate this event together with us, details are as below:




Date: Sunday, 26th February 2012

Programme:
5.00pm           Arrival of Guest.
6.00pm           Arrival of Ben Spies and Jorge Lorenzo.
                                 Short interview (4-5 questions).
                                 Photography session with Yamaha Cub Prix Teams
6.30pm           Autograph Signing Session
7.00pm          End

Venue: Putra World Trade Centre, KL

Nissan launches all-new Vanette NV200 and Navara single-cab 4x2

• NV200 designed as passenger vehicle and load carrier
• Power from a 1.6-litre engine with 5-speed transmission
• leaf-spring rear allows excellent load carrying ability
• Navara 4x2 designed to be non-nonsense workhorse

The Nissan Vanette C22 has been the workhorse of Malaysian small businesses for the better part of 20 years and it is very much due for a replacement, and it has come in the form of an all-new NV200.

This vehicle first appeared as a concept two years ago and promises to be a good compromise between comfort and load carrying ability.

The NV200 is a clean sheet design and Nissan wanted it to be capable of being a decent passenger van as well as a load carrier and this has resulted in a cabin that is spacious and boxy and these characteristics means it can carry a lot of stuff and they are easy to load.

With the legendary reputation of the C22 Vanette firmly entrenched in the minds of buyers, the all-new NV200 should find a willing and receptive market.

Edaran Tan Chong is introducing the panel van first but expect the window van to start making impact in the near future.

The Nissan Navara single cab 4x2 is being offered with wooden, steel or luton bodywork, depending on what is needed by the business.

More pictures of the NV200 and the Press Release after the jump