The Lexus IS range has been updated with exterior and interior changes, new equipments and revised engines. Scheduled for debut at the Paris Motor Show later this month, the IS’s latest updates, said to be the most significant since it was launched in 2005, should enable it to better compete with German opposition, in particular BMW 3-Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class.
Styling tweaks …
Lotus has revealed the details of the two new Evora variants, Evora S and Evora automatic, ahead of their official unveiling in the metal at the Paris Motor Show, the venue where Lotus would likely launch the Esprit successor and other new Lotus models and concepts.
While untouched on the outside except for a larger rear …
Lotus Racing had an eventful weekend at the Belgian Grand Prix, which saw Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso and McLaren’s world champion Jenson Button failing to cross the finishing line. Heikki Kovalainen took 16th place after recovering from a slow start, while Jarno Trulli finished in 19th no thanks to a spin in the latter stages which robbed him …
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Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia is going to be busy these couple of months, scheduling not only the launch of the original Pajero, now in its fourth generation, in September, but also the introduction of the all-new ASX (Active Smart X-over) compact crossover, Mitsubishi’s latest global model, in the fourth quarter of 2010. Both models will be fully imported from Japan.
Launched in Japan in February and showcased at the Geneva Motor Show in March earlier this year, the ASX supposedly is a cross between a typical SUV and a compact sedan—designed to be smaller than a typical SUV, while offering the ride-and-handling of an agile sedan and commanding driving position of a tall SUV. Powering the new compact crossover is a 2.0-litre petrol engine with 148 bhp and 197 Nm. A CVT transmission and two-wheel-drive configuration are expected as standard.
The Pajero that will be launched later this month is not related to the Triton-based Pajero Sport but the real deal. The first two generations of Pajero were legendary in Malaysia, but for some reason, the third-generation Pajero was not offered here. Still, we should be glad the fourth-generation Pajero is coming back, this time driven by a 247 bhp, 329 Nm 3.8-litre V6 petrol engine, which is paired to a five-speed automatic transmission and a four-wheel-drive system.
Isuzu has done it again, topping the chart of the J.D. Power Asia Pacific 2010 Malaysia Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) Study for the second year running. The leader Isuzu (844 points) is followed by Suzuki (790), Toyota (789) and Honda (788). Based on survey responses from 2445 new-car owners who bought their vehicles between September 2009 and April 2010, the study ranked nine brands and computed the industry average at 781 points out of a maximum 1000.
In its eighth year, the study measures customer satisfaction by considering the seven following factors in order of importance: delivery process, delivery timing, paperwork, dealer facility, salesperson, deal and sales initiation—all of which cover the entire sales and delivery process. Many brands other than the nine were included in the study but not ranked due to their relatively small sales volume.
Nissan (784) is barely above the industry average, while Mitsubishi (769) is some way below the average. Among the local national brands, Perodua (785) actually outperforms Nissan and the average, Naza (781) equals the average, but Proton (765), as some might expect, ranks the last.
UMW Toyota Motor has quietly let it be known, via an update of its website one week ago, that the new mid-life facelift version of Toyota Corolla Altis will be arriving in Malaysia soon. Toyota revealed the estimated pricing and specification of the four upcoming variants, but left out the date of arrival, except to say that it will be soon. However, an advertisement in today’s thestar newspaper has at least narrowed the launch date to sometime in September.
The big news is of course the impending introduction of a 2.0V variant, while the existing 1.6E, 1.8E and 1.8G variants will be more expensive. For the bigger price tags, both 1.6-litre and 1.8-litre engines have been equipped with dual VVT-i and are more powerful than before, and a new seven-speed Super CVT-i gearbox is paired to the 1.8-litre, although the 1.6-litre still makes do with a four-speed automatic gearbox with Super ECT. Read more on the new Corolla Altis’ revised pricing and engine upgrades…
The Lexus IS range has been updated with exterior and interior changes, new equipments and revised engines. Scheduled for debut at the Paris Motor Show later this month, the IS’s latest updates, said to be the most significant since it was launched in 2005, should enable it to better compete with German opposition, in particular BMW 3-Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class.
Styling tweaks across the range include a new grille, LED daytime running lights, reworked headlamps and tail lights as well as new exterior colours and alloy wheel designs to choose from. New optional equipments include rain-sensing auto wipers, an auto-dimming rear view mirror, heated front seats and new leather upholstery.
The 2.5-litre V6 petrol engine powering the IS 250 and IS 250C has been made Euro V-compliant; power and torque levels remain unchanged but fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions have been reduced. A revised 2.2-litre diesel engine powering the new entry-level IS 200d has been detuned to improve economy and emissions.
The F-Sport variant, which sits one rung below the range-topping IS F, receives redesigned 18-inch alloy wheels, a restyled grille, a deep front spoiler and a brake light-integrated rear spoiler on the outside. Inside, the leather steering wheel, gear lever and sports pedals are unique to F-Sport, along with front seats covered in leather and Alcantara and touches of titanium-effect trim.
Lotus has revealed the details of the two new Evora variants, Evora S and Evora automatic, ahead of their official unveiling in the metal at the Paris Motor Show, the venue where Lotus would likely launch the Esprit successor and other new Lotus models and concepts.
While untouched on the outside except for a larger rear diffuser, the Evora S has its 3.5-litre Toyota-sourced V6 engine fitted with a supercharger, boosting the power output from 276 bhp to 345 bhp and torque level from 350 Nm to 400 Nm.
A Sport Pack is also standard, including retuned Bilstein dampers and Eibach springs, cross-drilled disc brakes and a Sport button, which, when pressed, sharpens the throttle response, ups the exhaust noise, increases the rev limit and reduces the degree of stability control.
All these changes, some of which will trickle down to the standard Evora, cut the Evora S’s 0-100 km/h time by 0.3 seconds to 4.6 seconds, and increase the top speed by 16 km/h to 277 km/h.
The standard Evora receives the new Intelligent Precision Shift (IPS) automatic transmission as an option. The new six-speed conventional torque converter transmission can be operated via steering-mounted paddle shifters, with a Sport mode available to fasten the gear shifts if the need arises.
Favoured by markets such as the U.S., Middle East and Asia, the use of the automatic gearbox slows the Evora’s 0-100 km/h time to 5.3 seconds and the top speed to 249 km/h. Live photos of the new Evora variants will be coming your way in a month’s time!
UMW Toyota Motor, the official distributor for the Toyota brand, has issued an official statement reassuring Toyota Corolla Altis owners in Malaysia that their cars are safe for use and remain unaffected by the voluntary safety recall in the U.S., which had been announced over the weekend.
Toyota U.S. plans to recall around 1.13 million vehicle units of 2005–2008 Toyota Corolla and Corolla Matrix models for a problem stemming from faulty Engine Control Modules (ECM), which cause spontaneous engine stalling or the engine failing to start up. To date, there have been at least three accidents and one injury in the U.S. blamed on this engine defect.
Hyundai has unveiled the Hyundai RB Concept at the Moscow Motor Show alongside the all-new Hyundai Sonata YF. The Russian market equivalent of the Hyundai Accent/Verna which debuted at the Beijing Motor Show back in April, the RB Concept wears the familiar “fluidic sculpture” styling just like the Accent/Verna, but with a modified front end inclusive of a new grille, headlamps, bonnet and bumper.
The RB Concept is powered by two new-generation Gamma petrol engines: a 106 bhp, 135 Nm 1.4-litre and a 121 bhp, 155 Nm 1.6-litre. A five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic transmissions are available options. The almost production-ready RB Concept will be built at Hyundai’s new plant in Saint Petersburg, Russia, from January 2011, before the start of sales in the second quarter of 2011.
Lotus Racing had an eventful weekend at the Belgian Grand Prix, which saw Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso and McLaren’s world champion Jenson Button failing to cross the finishing line. Heikki Kovalainen took 16th place after recovering from a slow start, while Jarno Trulli finished in 19th no thanks to a spin in the latter stages which robbed him of a few places.
“I had a bit of a problem at the start when the engine bogged down, and I activated the anti-stall, but I was already being passed by the time I could get up to speed. The rain had started and unfortunately I damaged my front wing in the last turn so I had to pit”, Kovalainen said, describing his race. “After that it was a question of doing the best job I could, and keeping us in with a chance of taking advantage of the rain at the end, and as it turned out we managed to pick up a few places at the end and finish 16th”.
“At the start I went wide to avoid Heikki and unfortunately was overtaken by a couple of other cars. After that I was struggling a bit in the early stages with my rear tyres overheating—fortunately they came back so I could start pushing and managed to pull away from the guys behind, so that was a good stint until the rain came”, Trulli said, offering his side of the story.
“I had quite a big margin over my nearest competitor so I was looking pretty good, but then the safety car came out. At the restart I was following the other cars but obviously the visibility was very poor and I made a bit of an error on a high speed corner, touched the white line with the rear end of the car and it just slipped away from me, which meant I lost places. I continued, but then the race was over from there”.
Chief Technical Officer Mike Gascoyne was glad that Lotus Racing once again finished ahead of its nearest rivals: “Heikki had a problem when the rain started. We changed him onto intermediates, but were then a little slow in changing him back, but he drove a great race, and was quick at the end in the wet conditions, and he again brought us home best of the new teams”.
The 2011 Ford Mondeo facelift has been officially unveiled at the Moscow Motor Show, an indication of the growing importance of the Russian car market to Ford. Like previously mentioned in the sneak peek, the mid-life updates involve minor exterior and interior tweaks, new features and revised engines.
Outside, the Mondeo gets a new front grille, a modified bonnet, LED daytime running lights, LED tail lights and chrome window surrounds for higher-end models. Inside, the cabin receives a redesigned centre console, improved material quality and LED ambient lighting. New features now available include Lane Departure Warning, Blind Spot Information System, Driver Alert, automatic high beam, speed limiter, power rear door child locks and rear view camera.
New to the engine range is a range-topping 197 bhp 2.2-litre Duratorq diesel engine and a more powerful 237 bhp turbocharged version of the 2.0-litre EcoBoost petrol engine. The existing engines include 118 bhp 1.6-litre Duratec, 143 bhp 2.0-litre Duratec and 200 bhp 2.0-litre EcoBoost petrol engines, as well as 2.0-litre Duratorq diesel engines with 113 bhp, 138 bhp or 161 bhp.
To enhance efficiency, Ford has installed features such as the Ford Eco Mode driver information system, Smart Regenerative Charging and the Active Grille Shutter system, which reduces aerodynamic drag by electronically regulating the airflow fed into the engine compartment through the radiator, while improving fuel economy and aiding the warming up of the engine in cold weather at the same time.
Mazda and Ford will invest a further USD 350 million in their Thai joint venture, AutoAlliance Thailand (AAT), to produce the next-generation Mazda/Ford compact trucks scheduled for production in mid-2011. The latest deal pushes the total investment amount in AAT to USD 1.85 billion since 1995, reinforcing Mazda and Ford’s long-term commitment to Thailand, whose government has introduced incentives to encourage the local production and sale of trucks over other vehicle types.
One of the most modern and advanced automotive manufacturing facilities located in Rayong province, Thailand, the AAT plant exports Mazda/Ford-branded trucks to more than 130 countries including ASEAN, reaching one million production units in July 2007 since manufacturing started in 1998. AAT has also just unveiled a new plant in July 2009 in charge of producing the Mazda2 and Ford Fiesta models which are exported to the rest of ASEAN including Malaysia.
