Best Automobile Review: March 2010

New Megane Coupe Cabriolet With Elegant

New Mégane Coupé-Cabriolet completes the renewal style of the New Mégane family which is built on the strengths that forged the success of its predecessor. Its new appearance is supported by the large folding glass roof, high-gloss finish, black glass roof contrasts with the satin-effect chrome windscreen frame exterior, and the dark red taillights featuring a linear lighting pattern and LED brake lights to provide a distinctive rear lighting character.
With it’s new style, New Mégane Coupé-Cabriolet goes further by offering customers with unruffled open-top motoring supported by the forward position of the windscreen and a fixed glass, outstanding handling performance with a stiffer chassis and a new electric power steering system, and a broad choice of efficient and eco-friendly powertrains including the all-new automatic EDC (Efficient Dual Clutch) transmission.

The Best Cars modification

Toyota Vios Modified

Toyota Motor By three Japan- automotive suppliers searched by FBI

In connection with an international anti-trust investigation, FBI agents searched the US headquarters of three Japan-based automotive suppliers that have ties to Toyota Motor Corp.

Special agent Sandra Burchtold said that last Tuesday, the searches were conducted on Denso Corp. in Southfield, Yazaki North America Inc. in Canton, and Tokai Rika Group North America in Plymouth. Gina Talamona, deputy director of public affairs for the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., said that the anti-trust division is conducting a probe over alleged anti-competitive cartel conduct of automotive electronic components suppliers.

Talamona added that this probe is being done in coordination with the European Commission and other foreign competition authorities. Talamona declined to give more details.

The Wall Street Journal had a talk with Toyota spokeswoman Cindy Knight, who said that the company is trying to determine why the FBI is probing the three suppliers.

She said that the Toyota has “limited information about the scope of the investigation.” She clarified that the authorities have not contacted Toyota.

Meanwhile, Bridgette LaRose-Gollinger, senior public relations specialist at Denso, announced that the search was related to alleged violations of US anti-trust law and that Denso is fully cooperating with the investigation.

New 2010 BMW Z4 GT3 - six-speed sequential gearbox

These are the first photos of the BMW Z4 GT3. Priced at about 298,000 euros, the car will be available starting the second quarter of the year. The GT3 version of the German roadster will be made available to private teams who will enter the FIA GT3 European Championship, International GT Open and the ADAC GT Masters.

The GT version of the Z4 is equipped with a 4.0l V8 engine found on the M3, which makes it produce 480 bhp. Reining in the power is a six-speed sequential gearbox. Other features include Type-408 racing ECU and a Power400 Control Unit, Racing ABS and air conditioning. Sources say that Schubert Motorsport is the first team to have tested it at the Paul Ricard test track in France. The Z4 GT will make its first entry in the Silverstone FIA GT3 series on May 2. The car can enter a wide array of GT3 championships, but it’s probable that it will be seen more often in the FIA European GT3 championship.

Fiat 500 Abarth Wallpaper

Fiat 500 Abarth

Fiat 500 Abarth Wallpapers

Fiat 500 Abarth Photos

Fiat 500 Abarth Images

BMW 325i with full BMW Performance kit!

Now this is a sight that you seriously won’t see often – an E90 Sedan with almost the full range of BMW Performance add-ons installed. And I say this because the total cost of the full kit clocks in at RM103,300, which is what you’ll have to pay over what it costs to buy a 325i in the first place, which is over RM300k.

So that’s over RM400k, which is actually still not enough for a 335i since that twin-turbo baby in BMW Individual trim goes for over half a million bucks.

Here’s what went into this car, all from BMW Performance:

Carbon fiber mirror caps

Carbon fiber diffuser for M Aerodynamic kit

Carbon fiber front splitter for M Aerodynamic kit

Carbon fiber rear spoiler

Carbon fiber suspension cross-brace

Double spoke style 269 alloy wheels

BMW Performance brakes (with the yellow calipers)

BMW Performance air intake

Carbon finer interior trim

Illuminated door entry strips

Sports steering wheel with shift indicator

BMW Performance 3-Series When I say almost the full range – it’s because it looks like the BMW Performance front bumper is installed but not the BMW Performance rear bumper which has a different design. However both M Aerodynamic rear bumper and BMW Performance rear bumper have carbon fiber diffusers available. You have a new intake but the BMW Performance exhaust system also seems to be missing.

These parts are all seriously expensive for stuff that don’t really add any performance to your car, except for those brakes. The wheels alone cost RM15,888 for the style 269 19 inchers while the style 313 costs more at RM16,888. They come with staggered run-flat tyres – 225/35R19 in front and 255/30R19 at the rear.

The interior trim package costs RM7,888, the carbon fiber exterior bits package costs RM10,888 and the BMW Performance front and rear bumper and skirts cost RM8,888. And these are just the parts that come with ‘package prices’ . I don’t have the prices for stuff like the upgraded brakes and sports steering wheel with shift lights. But BMW says everything that’s on the car you see in this post cost RM103,300!

Audi A8 Hybrid – the limo that won’t cost the earth

TheAudi A8 is the newest limo on the block and this is the A8 hybrid which aims to be the greenest in the segment. Shown at the Geneva show for the first time, the A8 hybrid’s drivetrain consists of two propulsion units – a 2.0 TFSI internal combustion engine and an electric motor – that develop a total output of 245 bhp and 480 Nm of torque. This enables a 7.6-second 0-100 km/h time and a top speed of 235 km/h, done in Transporter style coolness.

A hydraulically operated wet clutch links the TFSI with the electric motor (with 45 bhp and 211 Nm), which makes available its grunt from standstill. In the boot lies the Audi’s lithium-ion battery pack, which still leaves 400 litres of luggage space. Subsystems that operate on engine power in a regular car have been modified to run entirely on electric power in the A8 hybrid, such as the air-con compressor, electromechanical steering system and brake booster, all managed by a “pulse control inverter” system. All these will appear in the Audi Q5 hybrid, to be introduced later this year.

This A8 is capable of fully electric-powered driving up to 65 km/h and for a distance “exceeding 2 km”. Normally, both work in tandem but above 65 km/h, the combustion engine propels the car alone, while the electric motor supplies ancillaries and recharges the battery. The TFSI is disconnected from the drivetrain when the driver chooses to coast. The e-motor also functions as a generator to recoup energy from braking and replenish the battery.

Green credentials? The A8 hybrid’s average fuel consumption is 16.1 km/l while CO2 emissions is 144 grams per km. These figures compare very well with the Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid, which does 12.7 km/l and 186 g/km. Launched last year, the car from Stuttgart pairs a V6 with electric motors for a combined 299 bhp/385 Nm, and was the first production hybrid to use lithium ion batteries

Mitsubishi sells 100,000 i-MiEVs to a single buyer?

Yes, that’s true, and the buyer in question is PSA Peugeot Citroën. Mitsubishi has announced the signing of a “Final Cooperative Agreement” that will see the French giant purchase 100,000 units of the i-MiEV electric car. PSA will market the rebadged i-MiEV as the Peugeot iOn and Citroen C-Zero. Both French badged cars will go on sale in Europe by the end of this year, starting with their domestic market.

This sealed deal comes just after both parties failed to agree terms for a capital alliance in the style of Renault and Nissan. Mitsubishi Motors CEO Osamu Masuko and PSA chief Philippe Varin met at Geneva and jointly released a statement that a capital tie-up would not be realistic although both companies would continue to expand business ties.

Besides this latest deal, which would help Mitsubishi achieve better economies of scale for an expensive project, PSA also bases its Peugeot 4007 and Citroen C-Crosser on the Japanese maker’s Outlander SUV.

Pagani Zonda cinque roadster

Pagani Zonda cinque roadster photo

Pagani Zonda cinque roadster

Pagani Zonda cinque roadster wallpapers

Pagani Zonda cinque roadster

Mercedes Benz F1 Wallpaper

Mercedes Benz F1 Photos

Mercedes Benz F1 Cars

Mercedes Benz F1 Images

Hear the Aston Martin One-77’s V12 howl!

Aston Martin One-77

I don’t know about you but an Aston Martin has always seemed to be like the more refined and gentlemanly alternative to more hot blooded cars like a Ferrari. I found that appealing. But now Aston Martin has developed a limited edition car with aggressive looks. Under its hood is a monstrous 7.3 litre V12 engine with over 750 bhp. Good thing is thanks to that V12 it has the soundtrack to accompany its looks – check out the video after the jump, which shows the One-77 undergoing some tests ahead of first customer deliveries. Let us know in the comments – are you liking the One-77?

Sexy Alfa Romeo Giulietta says ciao to Selespeed!

The 147 replacement Alfa Romeo Giulietta will be without doubt the most sensational looking five-door hatchback in the market when it goes on sale in Italy later this month. Making its world debut in Geneva, the first right-hand drive models will go to the UK in June. Sime Darby Auto ConneXion, how about this for a 2010 Christmas present for the Malaysian market?

The Giulietta takes on Alfa’s current long headamps as seen on the Mito supermini, but with a strip of four LED driving lamps residing within them. Alfa’s famous shield grille sits inside a larger triangle while the lower bumper is very sculpted. The profile features a strong shoulder line that “disappears” in the middle before emerging again on the rear doors, which handles are hidden like the 147’s (there won’t be a three-door variant). The Giulietta’s rear end sports a distinctive LED pattern in the taillamps and a diffuser-style rear bumper with two exhaust tips. To sum it all up in one word – sexy.

Four turbo engines are available at launch, all Euro5 compliant and with Start/Stop tech: two petrols (120 bhp 1.4TB and 170 bhp 1.4TB MultiAir) and two second-gen MultiJet diesels (105 bhp 1.6 JTDM and 170 bhp 2.0 JTDM). All these powerplants come with a 6-speed manual gearbox, but a dual-clutch transmission will be coming soon as the automatic option – with this, we can bid farewell to Alfa’s frustrating Selespeed ‘box. Ciao!

Also coming soon is a hot 235 bhp 1750 TBi Cloverleaf version. This engine is said to have “performance comparable to – or better than – that of many 3.0-litre engines while still delivering fuel consumption typical of a compact four cylinder unit,” says Alfa Romeo. The Italian firm also pointed out that at 134 bhp/litre, specific output is the highest ever achieved by an Alfa Romeo engine. Max torque of 340 Nm (at 1,900 rpm) is much more than what the VW Golf GTI produces, so performance should be superb, and we’re guaranteed a good soundtrack from Alfa too. We’re salivating already thinking of it!

RUF RGT-8: a 911 without a boxer engine?

I don’t know about you but RUF is the first name that comes to my mind when I think of a souped up Porsche. They have a few cars in their line-up, even one based on the Cayenne, but while other Porsche models like the Cayenne gets taglines like ‘an SUV lover’s Porsche’, or the ‘poor man’s Porsche’ for the Boxster (not here in Malaysia of course), it is the 911 that is considered THE Porsche. And the first RUF RGT was based on a 911 – the type 996 to be exact. But those first incarnations of the RGT used engines based on what was originally found in the car – 6-pot boxers, souped up to produce more power than Porsche originally intended. The first RGT used the 996 GT3’s 3.6 liter engine as a base, but used the crankcase from the air-cooled version of the 3.6 liter engine.

The new RUF RGT-8 is the third generation RGT. And it no longer runs a Porsche 6-pot. RUF has junked the 6-pot (to be donated to Volkswagen Beetle dragsters somewhere across the globe?) in favor for a RUF-designed V8. It’s not the same engine as the Porsche V8s found in the Panamera and the Cayenne. Those are ‘conventional’ cross-plane crank V8s, but this RUF V8 has a 180 degree ‘flatcrank’ similiar to Ferraris. They sound much different compared to the cross-plane ‘American-ish’ rumbly sound that we typically associate with V8s. Ever hear a Ferrari ‘rumble’? No, they have high pitched superbike-like howls, sounding more like two Civic Type R engines screaming in unison rather than an American V8.

The RUF V8 is 4.5 liters in size is a high revving monster weighing less than 200kg, producing 550 horsepower at 8,500rpm and 500Nm of torque at 5,400rpm. That’s more power than what the high-revving 3.8 liter boxer in the 911 GT3 RS makes by a good 100 horses. The engine is built on an aluminum crankcase with dry sump lubrication. Each V bank has its own throttle butterfly. Waterpump, alternator and the aircond compressor are all driven directly by the engine without any belts, and are located in the lowest position possible. The engine puts power to the rear wheels only, via 6-speed manual transmission.

Citroen DS3 Racing – anti retro Mini Cooper S rival!

The first ad I noticed once touching down at the Geneva airport was one for the Citroen DS3, which had the headline “anti-retro”. We all know that the DS3 is pitched as a rival to BMW’s Mini, and the ad is clearly a jibe in the direction of the bug-eyed car. I understand the DS3’s appeal for those who either don’t “get” the Mini’s retro looks or simply look at it as a fashion fad. With creative design typical of Citroen and a modern, classy cabin, we reckon that it will do very well in Europe.

At the Geneva show, Citroen Racing (Citroen’s STi/RalliArt) paraded the DS3 Racing that’s set to go on sale in the second half of 2010. Limited to 1,000 units, the DS3R comes with plenty of carbon trim – on the front bumper, lower body trim, wing extensions, door side mouldings and spoiler, to be exact. The grey showcar was nicely contrasted with orange on the roof, wing mirrors, grille and rims (18-inch, looks really wicked) and wore some funky decals. Orange and carbon are also repeated in the cabin, which has a high-quality feel to it.

Citroen took the 1.6 THP engine (as found in our Peugeot 308 Turbo) and boosted output to 200 bhp, while torque is up from 240 Nm to 275 Nm. The gains were achieved by “optimising powertrain components”, modifying the turbo, remapping the ECU and adding a sports exhaust system. With these figures, the DS3R will outpace a Mini Cooper S, but will it outpoint the Brit in the bends?

For starters, the standard front and rear tracks have been widened by 30 mm and the DS3R sits lower by 15 mm. Stiffer springs, retuned shock absorbers and “specific steering mapping” for a more precise helm have been added as well. To cope with the added grunt, Racing spec brakes have been installed – four-piston calipers up front and drilled discs for the back. Also, the switchable ESP system has been tuned for “extra vitality, sportiness and driving pleasure” – in other words, it’s less restrictive.

We’re bound to see more of the DS3 in the sports pages, as it will replace the C4 as Citroen’s WRC machine – the French brand is a five-time WRC champion and is defending both driver and constructor crowns with rally king Sebastien Loeb.

Production Hyundai i-flow planned for 2011; showcar previews diesel hybrid system and new eco ideas

The Hyundai i-flow is one of the significant concept cars at Geneva, not just because it looks dramatic, but because under that heavily sculpted skin is a range of latest tech that could appear in Hyundai’s next generation of cars. Powering the i-flow is the company’s first diesel-electric hybrid powertrain consisting of a U2 1.7-litre oil burner with two-stage turbocharging and Hyundai’s lithium ion-polymer battery. Coupled to a six-speed, dual-clutch transmission, the drivetrain is capable of 33.3 km/l and a low CO2 output of 85g/km.

The i-flow is also a test bed for new energy harvesting ideas, ranging from a flexible solar panel roofing to a thermo-electric generator developed in partnership with leading chemical company BASF. One such idea is thermal engine encapsulation, which ensures that the engine reaches optimum operating temperature more quickly by retaining heat when the car is idle. Hyundai says that this translates into fuel savings and emissions cuts of 5% during summer and up to 9% in winter. The thermo-electric generator meanwhile recaptures energy from hot exhaust gases and converts it to electrical energy to help power auxiliary systems.

Designed at Hyundai’s European studio in Russelsheim, the i-flow sports the firm’s “fluidic sculpture” design language. With an overall length of 4,780 mm and a 2,800 mm wheelbase, the i-flow is a Honda Accord sized D-segment contender that is set to hit the market in 2011. It remains to be seen how much of the i-flow’s styling is retained for production, but things look promising with the recent Korean realisation that advanced design is as important as making competent cars.

Live pictures from Geneva and official images are after the jump!