Honda Malaysia launches the Stream RSZ

Honda Stream RSZ

Honda Malaysia today introduced the Stream RSZ, and the vehicle replaces the current bog-standard version that was launched in Nov 2007.

Mechanically, everything's all but the same in the 1.8 i-VTEC-powered seven-seater, but the updated variant - which has been selling in Singapore for a good bit now - features more in the way of bling, with a full bodykit, a redesigned RSZ front grille and new 17-inch alloys wheels leading the way.

Elsewhere, the front end lights get a reworking too, and the new lamps are auto HID (high intensity discharge) units with smoke-finish covers. Also new, the fog lamps, and let's not forget the inclusion of a sunroof on this one.

Inside, you now have a more refined interior in the way of material, paddle shifters, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, a seat-side armrest for the driver and for added convenience, a passenger seat under-seat storage tray as new items on the list.

Atsushi Fujimoto, managing director and chief executive officer of Honda Malaysia said that ''the refinements accomplished in the Stream RSZ show that we are on the pulse of the current lifestyle trend, where style and practicality in an automobile are expected to come hand in hand.''

The Stream RSZ comes in four colours - besides the Premium White Pearl, Honda Malaysia is introducing three new colours with the vehicle, and they are Crystal Black Pearl, Polished Metal Metallic and New Red Pearl.

The outgoing standard Stream managed to sell just over 1,600 units up until Jan from the time it was launched, but Honda Malaysia is being a little more conservative with this one, given the market conditions - the company has targeted a modest sales figure of 350 units for the vehicle this year.

The Stream RSZ is priced at RM155,980, on-the-road, with insurance. Oh, and before you rush out to the showrooms, you might want to know that the Stream RSZ will be available at all authorised Honda showrooms nationwide only from Feb 26 onwards.

Honda Stream RSZ [Read more!]

Proton Packs More Performance in the New Satria Neo CPS

PROTON today unveiled an improved and sportier Satria Neo hatchback fitted with a Campro CPS (Cam Profile Switching) engine, which promises enhanced performance and style. This new variant (2nd Generation Satria) is now powered by a Campro CPS DOHC 16V engine which packs more power and offers better responsiveness for drivers desiring performance.

The Satria Neo, introduced in 2006, has won many hearts both locally and internationally and has been given accolades such as the “coolest” car to be produced by PROTON.

“The Satria Neo is known as a performance-driven car. What we have done is to enhance the Neo by making it more powerful, responsive and attractive by giving it an improved engine and a sportier look," said PROTON Holdings Berhad Managing Director, Dato' Haji Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir during the launch held today at the Asian Pacific Auction Centre in Subang.

This new Satria Neo CPS will run the latest engine in the Proton line-up, the 1.6 litre Campro CPS. This engine utilizes two ingenious technologies, CPS (Cam Profile Switching) and VIM (Variable Intake Manifold technology), to give higher power outputs and rapid response, whilst maintaining a fuel efficient delivery. These two technologies give the best of both worlds by combining the characteristics of two different engines in one compact package. The usual reduction in torque caused by high-lift cams is offset by the long intake runner, whilst the short runner works by helping the engine generate more power at higher speeds. All this technology translates to 120PS at 6,500 rpm, and 150Nm at 4500 rpm, giving the Satria Neo CPS, one of the most powerful engines in its segment. This power increase doesn’t come at the expense of the environment as this new engine meets the latest European emission regulations.

On the inside, the Satria Neo CPS features a Lotus Motorsport inspired minimalist Interior Design now enhanced with a sporty red and black leather upholstery and door inserts. The interior finishing is further enhanced by a new leather wrapped steering wheel and gear knob.

The built-in dash mounted Blaupunkt CD Radio player can also handle MP3 music, which is perfect for entertaining the driver and passengers played through a 4 speaker stereo system.

The high performance nature of this vehicle continues on the outside with a newly designed front bumper that gives the Neo a lower and more aggressive stance. Inside those Gti inspired flared arches sit low profile continental tyres on new 16” rims specially designed for the Satria
Neo CPS.

Like its famous predecessor, the Satria Gti, the Satria Neo CPS proudly features that now familiar Lotus tuned ride and handling package that makes for an exciting yet safe drive for the driving enthusiast. All round disc brakes with ABS(Anti-lock Braking System) and EBD(Electronic Brake Distribution) ensure all that performance can be reined in safely when the need arises. Twin airbags and front seat belt pre-tensioners are also standard with a 3 way collapsible steering column providing greater occupant safety. Everything is packaged within a sturdy body with liberal use of high-tensile steel for increase body rigidity and structural
crashworthiness. The Satria Neo CPS meets all European Safety standards.

The Satria Neo CPS is yet another product that underscores PROTON’s commitment to continuously deliver the right car at the right time and at the right price. The car is suitable for customers who are trendy and yearn to be different as well as those who lead an active lifestyle.
“This philosophy requires PROTON to listen closely to what customers want and continuously make every effort to change and improve our current line-up. This effort is now manifested in the new Satria Neo CPS,” continued Dato’ Syed Zainal. [Read more!]

New Proton SATRIA NEO - Review and Photos

The Campro CPS engine is finally in the Proton Satria Neo, something that many have been eagerly waiting for. The CPS is essentially a Campro engine with a few updates and a variable valve lift system called CPS as well as a variable intake manifold (VIM) system. These additions help push up power to 125 PS at 6,500rpm and 150Nm of torque at 4,500rpm, figures which are up from the standard Campro’s 110hp and 148Nm.

The car’s front and rear track has also been updated. While the Proton Satria Neo had a front and rear track of 1,470mm for both, the Satria Neo CPS H-Line has a narrower front track at 1,467mm and a wider rear track 1,483mm.
We didn’t managed to get hold of a Proton engineer to ask this question but we did manage to ask a member of Proton’s Race Rally Research (R3) team who said the change was made because Proton found the standard Neo suffered from slight oversteer, so this change was made to induce a slight understeer to improve handling. Anyway either way as a result of the large wheel arches, the wheels looks kind of lost inside them at certain angles.

As for aesthetics, as you can see there’s a new bodykit and more prominent flared wheel arches that are inspired from the old Satria GTI’s design. The alloy wheels are of the same 16 inch size as the M-Line but feature a different design that looks like a carbon copy of Advanti Racing’s MEDUSA design but without the two-tone design - perhaps it’s licensed or “inspired”. On the interior, the dashboard is now of a darker shade with red lighting on the various air conditioning controls and auto gear position indicators, has a different door trim design, some new trim around the gear shifter area, and leather seats in a black and red combination similiar to the GEN2 CPS.

The following are the prices for the new Proton Satria Neo CPS, available in only two colours which are unique to the CPS - solid white and tranquility black.

CPS is only available for the high line model, so the lite and M-line models retain the regular Campro. Unfortunately this is the old original Campro engine, without the new IAFM systems in the Saga, Persona and GEN2. The CPS system has also been tweaked with this version of the Campro engine, so the high lift cam profile activation point has been revised. However I’m not sure what is the purpose of activating it later.

VIM switches between a long intake manifold at low RPMs and a short intake manifold at higher RPMs. According to Proton, a longer intake manifold is used at low RPMs to achieve slower air flow; this promotes better mixing with fuel. The short intake manifold allows more air in faster. This is beneficial at high RPMs. The CPS system uses a switching tappet and a trilobe camshaft to switch between two different cam profiles, one with low valve lift and another with high valve lift.

[Read more!]

Honda Insight Gas-Electric Hybrid Car

TOKYO, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- Honda Motor Co. announced Thursday that it will launch new gas-electric hybrid car "Insight" Friday.

The Insight is priced between 1.89 million yen (21,000 U.S. dollars) and 2.21 million yen (24,500 U.S. dollars), cheaper than its bigger rival Toyota's Prius, which is sold at the minimum price of 2.33 million yen (25,800 U.S. dollars).

The new hybrid, however, covers 30 km per liter of gasoline, against 35.5 kilometers for Toyota's Prius.

The second largest automaker in Japan aims to sell 5,000 Insight cars per month. [Read more!]

Aston Martin V12 Vantage for Geneva

Aston Martin will premiere the V12 Vantage coupe at the Geneva motor show next month. Based on the hugely successful V8 Vantage, the car follows on the V12 Vantage concept unveiled at the opening of the Aston Martin Design Studio in Dec 2007.

It will be powered by a normally-aspirated 6.0l V12, which features a number of enhancements over the standard 6.0l V12 found in the DB9. These include a ‘by-pass’ engine air intake port that opens up at 5,500rpm, a revised induction system and re-profiled air inlet ports that further improve airflow into the combustion chamber to improve performance.

The block offers 510bhp and 570Nm of torque, and performance figures include a 305kmh top speed and 0-100kmh time of 4.2secs. The car will be available with a six-speed manual transmission, with the gearbox utilising a transaxle configuration to aid weight distribution, which is 51:49, in case you'd like to know.
Externally, the care features body revisions to enhance the vehicle’s dynamics, with knowledge gleaned from the N24 race car programme. Among these, a revised front splitter, bonnet louvres and new side sills derived from the N24 race car; this channels air towards the rear of the car rather than under it, reducing rear-end lift.

Elsewhere, there's a more pronounced boot ‘flip’ and a new rear carbon fibre diffuser works in tandem with a redesigned rear underfloor tochannel air through the new high-capacity oil cooler and also maintain an area of low pressure under the rear of the car, helping to increase down force and aiding grip.

Inside, the instrument cluster has been revised, with clearer dials, and there's plenty of lightweight material on call - the door pulls are made from carbon fibre, and there's heavy use of Alcantara throughout the cabin to help save valuable weight.

If you want to whop off a massive 17kg, then the specially-made - and optional, of course - carbon fibre and Kevlar composite seats are it.

Kit-wise, the rear suspension has been modified, with a more compact dual-rate spring design, in order to accommodate a wider wheel and tyre combination, improving grip and traction. The ride height is lowered by 15mm, while the spring rates have been stiffened by 45% and the anti-roll bars are 15% (front) and 75% (rear) stiffer than the standard car.

Among the parts inventory are diamond-turned forged 19-inch, 10-spoke alloy wheels, with Pirelli P Zero Corsa tyres specifically designed for the car, as well as Carbon Ceramic Matrix (CCM) brakes, featuring 398mm front and 360mm discs and six-piston front and four-piston rear callipers, as standard fitment.

The car also features a revised Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) system offering three modes of operation - switched on, a ‘track mode’ which raises the manner and threshold at which the system intervenes, and switched off completely.

The V12 Vantage will be built at AM’s global headquarters in Gaydon in the UK alongside the DBS, DB9 and V8 Vantage model lines. Production will be limited to between just 300-500 examples per year, and deliveries of the car are expected to commence during the third quarter this year, with prices to be confirmed in Geneva. [Read more!]

New Ford FOCUS Launched in Malaysia

Auto ConneXion has launched the facelifted Ford Focus, and the C307 gets a revised exterior and an upgraded interior, along with some new features thrown in for good measure. Both the Focus Sport hatchback and Focus Ghia sedan are now powered by the 143bhp and 185Nm 2.0l Duratec engine, which continues unrevised, as is the four-speed automatic tranny with the Sport Sequential Shift. Previously, the Ghia sedan came in 1.8l form. Externally, the revised Focus gets a complete new front end - there's a new bumper, bonnet, upper grille (replete with a larger blue oval badge) and headlamps, as well as front fenders with meatier, bolder arch bulges.

At the back on the hatch, a revised, larger windscreen translates into a more pronounced horizontal contour line, and the Ford badge is now positioned lower and is incorporated into a liftgate moulding. Also new, a body coloured roof spoiler, rear bumper and long, clear tail lamps.

Elsewhere, the exterior door mirrors have been enlarged, and the side mirror housings now feature integrated side indicators.

Mechanically, the rear track is now slightly wider, the result of a new range of alloy wheels with additional offset developed specifically for the facelift. Here, both sedan and hatch run 16-inch wheels, with 205/55 R16 rubbers.

Inside, the emphasis on revisions have been on improving the quality of materials and enhancing comfort levels. The evidence is clear to see and feel. Either in black or dark dusk grey, the soft-touch dash pad as well as soft-touch upper door trims contrast beautifully against a tan-coloured inner roof lining to lighten the interior visually.

The driver now sees large-face tachometer and speedometer set deeply into individual binnacles, and positioned above are small-face water temperature and fuel gauges, each surrounded by a silver bezel.

A revised centre stack and redesigned window and mirror switches accompany new intuitive controls for air-conditioning, heater and ventilation system. At night, the centre stack controls are illuminated in soft red light, which is more soothing compared to the stark white of the first generation C307.

A new premium centre console has been designed with an emphasis on improved comfort and function. It features a moveable soft armrest which slides forward 80mm, two cup holders with butterfly lids, a coin holder and a card holder.

Dual-zone air conditioning, six-way power adjustable driver's seat, a two-DIN MP3/six-disc CD changer/six speaker audio system (with an auxiliary input) and a leather interior on the Ghia sedan (fabric on the Sport hatch) round off the mod con list.
Colours common to both variants are Diamond White, Panther Black and Moondust Silver, with unique shades being Racing Blue for the hatch and Infra Red and Ocean for the sedan.

The fully-imported Focus models are available at all 26 Ford showrooms nationwide, priced at RM113,897 for the five-door Sport hatchback and RM112,897 for the four-door Ghia sedan (on-the-road without insurance, Peninsular Malaysia).

[Read more!]

Proton first MPV 2009 - Spy Photos

2009 Proton MPV
It’s the new year for 2009, and seems like local car manufacturer, Proton has started their development for a new market, the MPV segment.

The photos below reveal what seems like the upcoming new MPV car from Proton, which share almost the same exterior with Taiwanese Luxgen MPV.

The new Proton MPV are rumored to be equiped with a 1.6 CamPro engine, with the price range of not exceding RM75,000, excluding road tax and insurance. This will be fitted with 15″ rim as standard, with either manual and auto transmission.

Looking at a Toyota Avanza 1.5 (A) selling at RM 75,600, Proton needs to set a competitive pricing to compete with existing MPV manufacturers.

The speed cluster looks futuristic and sporty with its red colour background.

Center console looks pretty standard with minimum buttons. Radio player comes with red/orange theme which complements the speed cluster very well.

Steering has a strong Honda Civic design in it, and volume up/down, track fwd/rwd button are well within reach. A phone button were spotted also, this might suggest the car comes with bluetooth support?

Overall this car comes with a sporty look in terms of exterior and interior, until we have more pictures and the specs, we will be able to give you a better coverage on this.

Source : MaxSpeed.us
2009 Proton MPV [Read more!]

Nissan announces new GT-R SpecV in Japan

Nissan GT-R Spec V

Nissan has announced a new limited-production GT-R SpecV model, which goes on sale at seven specially selected Nissan dealers throughout Japan on Feb 2. The GT-R SpecV is targeted specifically at enthusiast drivers who desire race car-level performance in a street-legal vehicle - the new SpecV model includes unique body, interior and performance equipment and modifications.

These include new exterior features include a carbon fibre rear spoiler, a carbon fibre grille, and carbon fibre brake ducts. The SpecV is available exclusively in an Ultimate Black Opal (RP) body colour.

Inside, the SpecV's unique two-seat interior (non-SpecV GT-R models also include a two-place rear seat) offers special Recaro carbon fibre bucket seats, while carbon fibre insets embellish the rear center storage box, instrument panel and other trim areas.

Performance is enhanced with a new high gear boost control device, which momentarily increases boost of the engine's twin turbochargers for greater torque in the intermediate-to-high speed ranges. Other modifications include a titanium-coated exhaust system and carbon-ceramic brakes.

The GT-R SpecV is also equipped with lightweight, racing-style forged aluminium wheels that were developed for this model and have been sold by Nissan Motorsports International (NISMO) since Sept last year.

Nissan GT-R Spec V

[Read more!]

Nissan GRAND LIVINA Get Tuned By IMPUL

Impul Grand Livina Nissan is spicing up the popular Nissan Grand Livina 7-seater MPV with this new edition that features accessories from Impul. Called the Nissan Grand Livina Tuned by Impul, it is fitted with a bodykit comprising of a new front grille, lips for the front and rear, side skirts, and an Impul rear wing spoiler.

The Impul Blast II exhaust muffler system is also available and this is made of high-quality stainless steel with a polished finish. It is said to improve engine response and emits a sporty note which should delight the driver.

Like the Impul Latio, the Impul Grand Livina can also be ordered with Impul alloy wheels (Aura SX-10) with locally-sourced Dunlop Formula D1 205/45R17 tyres. Mr Khoo, Operations Manager for the Impul business at ETCM, said that quite a number of Impul Latio buyers opt to take the wheels as the design is quite exclusive and appealing.

As with the Impul Latio, the accessories for the Impul Grand Livina can be ordered at the time of purchase of a new vehicle. This means that the entire cost – RM10,500 more than a standard Grand Livina – can be included in the H-P loan. That adds a bit more to the instalment each month, of course, but would be a lot easier than having to come out with that much money as a lump sum, which is what you would have to do if you bought from an accessories shop.

IMPUL GRAND LIVINA Photos

[Read more!]

2008 Honda Civic MUGEN Si - Review and Photos

2008 Honda Civic MUGEN Si

The Mugen is powered by the same 2.0 liter inline four-cylinder engine that propels the stock Si. The 16-valve double-overhead cam unit produces 197 hp and 139 lb-ft of torque -- not all that impressive until you look further into the figures. Horsepower doesn't peak until 7800 rpm; torque until 6100 rpm. That means that in order to get the most out of the Mugen, you have to really rev it up and use that big tach to make sure that you're running in the powerband. The engine isn't shy about letting you know when it's happy. There's a spike in power as you approach the peak. It almost feels like a turbocharger kicks in, the spike is so strong. If you shift the six-speed manual gearbox later than you would on most cars, you get great rushes of acceleration from the Mugen. A freer flowing exhaust system rewards you with incredible music from the engine, and a happy feeling follows.

Getting the power to the ground is accomplished with front-wheel drive. There's just a hint of torque steer (the tendency of front-wheel drive cars to pull to one side under heavy acceleration), but nothing scary. The Mugen suspension is stiffer and tighter than a stock Si's, which makes for a slightly less comfortable ride on a day-to-day basis. The tradeoff is definitely worth it -- the Mugen handles like a razor, responding beautifully to every steering input with great feedback and road feel.

Intellectually, I know that the Mugen is the same car as the Civic Si, but when you add up the whole package -- the look, the feel, the sound -- the Mugen feels a whole lot faster and cooler.

2008 Honda Civic MUGEN Si

[Read more!]