Yet another yet to be launched car has popped up for pre-orders on our classifieds site oto.my, and this time it’s a car that we’ve seen prowling Malaysian roads before . It’s the Nissan Serena S-Hybrid, which reader Richard managed to snap near Sungai Besi back in January 2013. The Nissan Serena S-Hybrid ad on oto.my lists the Nissan Serena S-Hybrid as having a July 2013 launch date, and a tentative price of RM 14x,xxx. Accompanying the ad text are photos of a white Nissan Serena S-Hybrid similiar to the one captured with trade plates earlier, this time with a proper WUY370 plate. The 2.0 litre engine under the hood is the MR20DD, which is equipped with direct injection and twin valve timing control, mated to an Xtronic CVT gearbox tuned specifically for the new MR20DD. It produces 147 P
No we’re not talking about a Mitsubishi-style rally-special S-Class Evo here, rather simply the evolution of Mercedes-Benz’s flagship model over the years. This cool pictorial Mercedes posted on its Facebook page chronicles the entire S-Class lineage, starting from the 1903 Mercedes-Simplex HP 60 to the just-unveiled W222 S-Class. Each model features something truly ground-breaking, and much of the car technologies we know today owe their existence to an S-Class. In fact, most new cars are still catching up on the previous many models’ innovations. Go figure. You can also check out our special gallery on the S-Class family from a while back, plus of course Paul’s in-depth report on the all-new W222 S-Class and all its glorious tech. The post Mercedes S-Class evolution – past, present and
Like with the previous-gen Ford Ranger , the current T6 pickup is set to spawn a Ford Everest SUV version. Over in Australia, a number of Ranger test mules with a Ford Territory tail-end slapped on them have recently been spied testing out on public roads around Melbourne. Reports indicate that development on the SUV is being ramped up, with production targeted to begin next year, and the suggestions are that a seven-seater larger than the Territory is on the cards. While the latter should continue to be produced until 2016 , going the Ranger-based SUV route will provide good cover for the Blue Oval in the short term, and there’s always the export market in any case. When it does go into production, the T6-based Everest will be built at the Ford plant in Rayong, Thailand, where the Rang
These spy photographs of the Kia K3 finally show it in Malaysian trim fully undisguised. We’ve seen the test units running around here twice before, the first time as early as November last year, mere months after the model’s global reveal . Removing the black coveralls reveals a big surprise: Kia’s C-segment contender will be badged as a Cerato over here. We may be unfamiliar with the name but Kia has used it for a long time, tracing back to the old pre-Forte Spectra sedan and hatchback. Australia, South Africa and Brazil only ever knew the original Forte as a Cerato, and our neighbour Singapore used both nameplates and called it the Kia Cerato Forte. Why would Naza decide to rename it now? Let the speculation begin. The white car pictured here has a ‘2.0’ badge on it, confirming that
We know that the next generation Toyota Corolla will be based on the Toyota Corolla Furia Concept from the 2013 Detroit Auto Show. A car that looked very much like the Corolla Furia with updated styling was also showcased at Auto Shanghai 2013 – the Toyota Yundong Shuangqing II hybrid concept , which led us to believe there will be a hybrid version of the new Corolla. Now Toyota has released a first teaser photo of the new 2013 Toyota Corolla (or 2014 Toyota Corolla, depending on the country). The teaser is a fancy angled shot of a blue Toyota Corolla that reveals that the rear lamp shape will be pretty much similar to the two concept cars we mentioned, though appropriately ‘productionised’ – it does’t look like it has any of the Furia’s fancy LED light bars. There’s a red S badge on the
Yet another sighting of the upcoming Proton Preve Hatchback. This time around, two units of the P3-22A were snapped in a jam in front of the Masjid Jamek LRT station in downtown KL. Nothing new we haven’t seen before, though – click the pic above to enlarge. The most recent sighting was of the Preve hatchback doing some high speed runs on the NKVE, plus a bonus video of it in action . Before that, our colleague William saw a group test with multiple units racking up urban miles together. One of the mules wore smaller steel wheels instead of the big alloys on today’s car – a hint that there will be multiple specs on offer. You’ve seen the test mules before – in January, on the 6th 10th 16th and 28th – so this sighting reveals nothing new, just another sign that the P3-22A is coming soon.
The Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak is raring to race to the clouds, as it is unveiled in its full racing livery for the first time. As expected it uses the French carmaker’s traditional competition stripes, with influences of key partners Red Bull, Total and Michelin. Sebastien Loeb’s new machine may have lost its Darth Vader-like menacing black/naked carbonfibre skin, but it gains plenty of new details to bring it closer to the road-going 208 . It’s still a silhouette racer, no doubt, but the chrome grille and headlight stickers do add a healthy dose of realism. The main objective is to win the Pikes Peak International Hillclimb, as they’ve done before with the Peugeot 405 T16 Pikes Peak driven by Ari Vatanen. The pair’s earlier attempt with the shorter-bodied 205 T16 Pikes Peak lost out t
Suzuki Malaysia Automobile has officially announced the arrival of CKD versions of its Swift hatchback . Now locally assembled in Pekan, Pahang, the CKD Suzuki Swift 1.4 A/T is available in two variants – GL for RM65,888 and GLX at RM73,788 (OTR prices without insurance). On the options list are a bodykit package – the same one offered on the top-spec CBU GLX-S model – for RM5,300 and metallic paint for RM500. The move from CBU to CKD has brought in some savings (Swift GL costs nearly RM10,000 less than the imported model ), though the cheaper variant is more sparsely equipped compared to the GLX-only CBU models. Identical to the imported units in specs, the CKD GLX is just a shade under RM2,000 cheaper than before. There’s quite a gap between the two variants’ equipment lists. The GL lo
It looks like it’s going to be a double Subaru blast from Motor Image in the not-too-distant future. The Subaru BRZ and new fourth-gen Forester have been spotted undergoing evaluation at JPJ Putrajaya – reader Harfizi Abu Hassan sent in this snap of the twinkly twosome together. Ads for both the BRZ and Forester have of course popped up on oto.my , with that for the BRZ listing a RM239,800 price tag, and that for the Forester touting an indicative retail price of RM198,800, as well as pre-owned price of RM178,800 and a pre-launch price of RM189,800. As always with ads, the actual pricing might be different than that stated early on. The arrival of the Forester comes not too long after its regional launch in Taiwan , back in December. Meanwhile, the introduction of the BRZ is more than
Good news for hot hatch lovers! Volkswagen Malaysia has just issued an updated price list that pegs the three-door Polo GTI at RM151,888 and the five-door variant at RM154,888. The changes are effective as of April 2013, so no, this is not a post-GE13 price cut. Here’s a quick recap of the mini GTI’s price fluctuations: the Volkswagen Polo GTI was first launched in August 2011 , priced at RM132,888 for the three-door and RM135,888 for the five-door variant before a “ re-evaluation of pricing by the authorities ” forced Volkswagen Malaysia to issue massive price hikes to RM166,888 and RM169,888 respectively. The latest price revision will wreak further havoc on the Polo GTI’s used prices (check out the current listings on oto.my ). Most second-hand examples are already valued far more than
Judging by “the configuration of the intake and exhaust systems,” the Wörthersee-debuting Volkswagen Design Vision GTI concept appears to use a VR6 instead of a V6 as announced, says Autocar UK The British publication points out that the twin-blown 3.0 litre six-pot powerplant’s two cylinder banks share one cylinder head, with a narrow 15° angle between the banks, as opposed to conventional V engines which usually have two cylinder heads (one for each cylinder bank) and 45°, 60°, or 90° angles between the banks. A Porsche engineer has confirmed to Autocar UK that the new VW engine is a narrow-angle VR6 and that it isn’t related to the new powerplants being developed for the upcoming Porsche Macan SUV. The publication adds that the engine could power future models such as high-performanc
Something Vulcan for a change, and it’s definitely a hoot, with the help of the two Mr Spocks. Audi of America has come up with a video pitting the Audi S7 against the Mercedes-Benz CLS , injecting an element of Star Trek into the mix. It’s a battle of wits between Leonard Nimoy and Zachary Quinto, both old and new Spock, all to showcase the updated Audi Typ 4G. Trek fans will undoubtedly find this one quite the gem. The post appeared first on Paul Tan's Automotive News Related posts: SPIED: Mercedes-Benz GLA 45 AMG on the ‘Ring Teaser video previews the upcoming Audi A3 Sedan VIDEO: Audi R8 plus stripped down for aural pleasure VIDEO: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Coupe Electric Drive VIDEO: Audi RS Q3 promo clip sees some snow action VIDEO: Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class Short Film featuring America
The 2013 Wörthersee Tour GTI Treffen has sure kept the Volkswagen Group busy. SEAT will be showing off its wild Leon Cup Racer concept , Skoda has its Rapid Sport Concept and Volkswagen, traditionally the main attraction of the show, will have the Design Vision GTI and this, the Volkswagen Amarok R-Style concept to keep the crowd entertained. This sports truck concept based on a single cab Volkswagen Amarok looks fit enough to be a Mopar show star with its 22-inch wheels, custom bodykit, slammed looks and blinged-out lights. If Volkswagen ever releases an Amarok R, the design sketches released earlier this week is not a bad start. There’s some go to match the show, as there’s a tuned turbocharged 3.0 litre TDI engine with 272 hp and 600 Nm under the hood, connected to an eight-speed aut
When your car’s GPS navigation system is hooked up to an online database, it opens up many possibilities because for one, your navigation information always stays up to date and two, if there’s an app ecosystem built in, it opens up possibilities of all kinds of new features. Audi’s Google-powered Audi connect system for the A3 and A3 Sportback is one such system and they’ve just added a pretty useful app. Malaysians might be alien to the concept of comparing fuel prices between stations as our fuel prices are fixed, but in many countries fuel stations offer different prices depending on brand and location and how aggressive they want to be, so it literally pays to know which station is offering a better deal. Because of this, Audi has added a Fuel Prices service to their Audi connect sy
After a quick search with the MyIPO trademark database revealed Proton had registered the name Proton Suprima earlier this year, we dug a bit further back to see what else Proton had registered, in hopes that it would perhaps reveal some interesting names that were contemplated internally but never ended up being used. We did see some variations as well as concept car names that have already been announced before being trademarked – Exora Bold , Preve Sapphire and Proton Artiga had all been trademarked. But we also found some interesting names that we’ve never heard of before – Proton Idaman, Proton Persada, Proton Exia and Proton Esfora. The only trademark result which included a stylized logo was the name Proton Esfora, which seems to use the exact same font style as the Exora. We also
We’ve already seen the BMW 2-Series Coupe a couple of times, but with the weather in Munich warming up now it’s time to bring out the convertibles! Here’s the new BMW 2-Series Convertible on test, a new model in the 2-Series family which will replace the old 1-Series Convertible. Unlike the new 4-Series Convertible which uses a hard top, the 2-Series continues with the soft top design of its predecessor. It looks like there will be greater design differentiation between the new 1-Series and 2-Series now – the headlamps on the 2-Series look much slimmer and sleeker than the big eyed look of the new 1-Series. The post appeared first on Paul Tan's Automotive News Related posts: SPIED: BMW F33 4 Series Cabriolet shows some skin SPYSHOTS: BMW 2 Series Coupe, including interior SPYSHOTS: BMW
Click the image above for a larger view. More on the Proton Perdana Replacement Model, this time a rendering by Theophilus Chin offering a front-half view of what the new sedan might shape up like. With the word being that Proton will be using the Honda Accord chassis as a base to develop the new Perdana Replacement Model, Theo has come up with a reskin based on the outgoing Accord Yesterday, it was reported that the automaker filed for a trademark for the name ‘Proton Suprima’ with the Intellectual Property Corporation of Malaysia (MyIPO) back in January this year, leading to suggest that this might be the name for the new Perdana replacement model? As we mentioned yesterday, the name certainly sounds apt – the name Suprima is derived from the word supreme, befitting for a flagship car
Following the launch of Shell Rimula R5 LE and R6 LM oils last year, Shell Lubricants recently introduced the new Shell Rimula R4 X heavy-duty diesel engine oil in Malaysia. “Shell Rimula R4 X’s optimised detergent additive system uses detergents to reduce piston deposits, and soot dispersants to reduce sludge deposits in various parts of heavy-duty diesel engines more effectively and efficiently than ever,” said Shell Lubricants SEA-South cluster GM Chia Uen-Li. She added that the oil can help fleet owners and operators to control maintenance and operating costs by providing a one-oil solution for modern commercial and construction vehicles, specifically those whose engines are equipped with EGR, or exhaust gas recirculation. Also launched was the ‘Win the Ride of Your Life’ global conte
Chery already has a Fulwin 2 sedan and a Fulwin 2 hatchback, but the latest to join the family is the Chery Fulwin 2 Cross, which adds psuedo-offroader looks to the Fulwin 2. The formula is simple, take a normal hatchback and add black plastic bits to simulate a more rugged crossover look, similiar to the formula Volkswagen uses with cars like the Cross Polo and Cross Touran. The post appeared first on Paul Tan's Automotive News Related posts: Chery Alpha 7 shows Chery is still learning fast! Chery Beta 5 concept for Auto Shanghai debut Kia Cross GT Concept – live images from Seoul 2013 cross up! joins VW’s lifestyle-oriented Cross family Kia Cross GT – towards the premium, and larger, path Suzuki S-Cross: production model for Geneva debut Kia Cross GT – crossover concept set for Chicago
Not to be confused with the Concept M cars that Honda Malaysia introduced in 2010 , the Honda Concept M which debuts at Auto Shanghai 2013 is aimed at the Chinese-market MPV segment, which Honda says are currently dominated by commerical-type vehicles. Designed by the Honda R&D Co., Ltd. Japan, the Honda Concept M is supposed to offer the attributes of a passenger car with a comfortable and spacious cabin that is also fun to drive. The post appeared first on Paul Tan's Automotive News Related posts: MG CS Concept SUV unveiled at Auto Shanghai 2013 Shanghai 2013: Honda Jade, an MPV for China Shanghai 2013: Honda Crider production car debuts VIDEO: BMW Concept X4 at Auto Shanghai 2013 Chery Beta 5 concept for Auto Shanghai debut MG CS SUV concept to surface at Auto Shanghai? Honda and Acura
