VW Goes "UP" up and Away!

Ladies and Gents,i give you the Volkswagen Up, a model poised to become the company’s biggest seller and a key component in its plans to assume worldwide market leadership by 2018.

Holding true to the look of the original concept, the production Up has a simple two-box silhouette. VW design boss Klaus Bischoff says the layout provides optimal space utilisation within a compact footprint, making the car highly suitable for city driving.

The Up replaces the Lupo and should go on sale by early next year.

Among the more distinctive design flourishes is a large front bumper featuring a low-set, rectangular grille. This, together with round foglights and large, angular headlights, helps to give the Up a more expressive face than other recent new Volkswagens.

Cadillac's breathtaking Ciel Concept

Cadillac has unveiled the awe inspiring Cadillac Ciel concept car at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in California.

The Cadillac Ciel – which means Sky in French - is an “open-air grand-touring car inspired by the natural beauty of the California coast,” according to the firm.

It is approximately 300mm longer than the Cadillac CTS saloon, the four-seat convertible concept is powered by a 3.6-litre twin-turbocharged V6 petrol engine, mated to a hybrid system.

The concept’s long and low proportions “evoke the spirit of the classics”, while the pillarless rear-hinged doors reveal a sweeping view of the “dramatic interior”.

Other features include 22-inch alloys, striking vertical LED headlamps front and back, a large shield grille and chrome accents.

Inside, the Ciel gets a floating centre console, transparent gauges and a “power-assisted transmission shifter”.

The heated and cooled seats offer a drawer for sun cream, sun-glasses and towels as well as “aromatherapy that is controlled from the rear armrest”.

Pull-out blankets are also available for all three passengers and retract automatically.

Cadillac global design director Clay Dean said: "Large, expressive luxury is innate to Cadillac and the Ciel recalls that heritage, while suggesting where the brand can go in the future.”

The SsangYong XUV 1

SsangYong are planing to unveil a new crossover concept at the Frankfurt motor show in September.

The SSangYong Concept XUV 1 is described as a 'premium crossover utility vehicle'. The B-segment design will combine supermini dimensions with a high-seating position.


SsangYong issued three darkened images of Concept XUV 1 to hint at the machine's styling, but by lightening these images it is possible to see a more clearly defined shape.

The Concept XUV 1 (the name is derived from ‘Excellent User Interface Vehicle 1’) will also feature a full glass roof and a wide, wraparound windscreen.Judging by the pictures,SsangYong are destined for a comeback!If the car remains the same as picturized.

Volvo's Shining Star,The S60.

The S60 is well on its way to become Volvos best seller,it certainly looks the part,i'll give it that!This is the all-new replacement for the first S60, which was launched back in 2000 and sold 600,000 units over its nine-year life span. Volvo says the new S60 ‘is the most dynamic Volvo ever …the emphasis is on emotional stance, sporty design and dynamic driving properties.’,and i couldnt agree more(except for the dynamic driving part,yet to get my hand on one)
The car is based on the Ford Group EUCD platform (Mondeo, V70 and S80), but,Volvo engineers were quick to point out that the changes made to the S60’s chassis were extensive.

Other highlights include a stiffer front subframe, stiffer strut top mounts, stiffer bushes, 10 percent quicker steering rack and a new steering column that’s twice as rigid as the unit used on other current models. The rods in the front dampers have been upsized from 22mm to 25mm for greater rigidity and the front end is lower than is the case for its existing sister models.

In the flesh, the S60 looks much better than it does in PR photos,trust me! It does inherit lines from the older model, which is no bad thing. The interior is, again, tilted towards the driver and the TV screen is now embedded in the dash. Chunks of the cockpit, though, such as the centre console layout and door trim and switchgear design seemed not to have changed.
Under the swooping roofline, rear legroom is said to have improved. The boot is a decent size, but there’s no spare wheel under the floor. Indeed, the car doesn’t even have a wheel well.now that is an utter disappointment!Minor cons aside,this car,along with the Xc60,will have no problem(in my mind) to help Volvo to not only boost sales,but to shine!

The Ferrari FF

With its official launch in Malaysia just days ago,The Ferrari FF certainly has been making waves in the Malaysian autoblog scene,so let me take a crack at it!Its a four-seat Ferrari, which replaces the 612 Scaglietti and the first production Ferrari to feature four-wheel drive. And if that wasn’t enough to be contending with, the FF is also an "shooting brake"/Estate.

While the FF retains an aluminium spaceframe, the wheelbase is 40mm longer than the 612, to help increase cabin space. Power is provided by a 651bhp 6.3-litre V12 engine;which gives it an impressive 0-200km/h time of 11 sec!


 What is particularly interesting about the FF is the absence of a direct rival and how it delivers drive to the road, because unlike a conventional all-wheel drive system, there is no centre differential. Instead, for the majority of the time, the FF is effectively a regular rear-wheel-drive Ferrari, with the power directed to the back wheels via a seven-speed, dual clutch transaxle gearbox.

The History Of Malaysia's Proton.

The History of Malaysia's National Automaker Proton.Videos share Protons Past,Present and whats in store for the Future.

Naza to Launch new Sedan.

Naza Group,is set to launch a sedan based on the Peugeot 308.

will a sedan version of the 308 sell?

Codenamed the T73,the car will be assembled in Naza's Gurun Plant.

Production is said to begin in the third quarter of 2011,with the name 408 being the most likely 'launch name' of the sedan.

Bentley Suv in the pipelines?

Bentley is strongly considering to launch a super-luxury SUV by 2014, according to new boss Wolfgang Durheimer.

"I have great faith in the SUV market and it’s here to stay" says Durheimer, who counts the launch of the Porsche Cayenne during his tenure at Weissach as "one of my proudest achievements".

The SUV will have hallmark Bentley styling and a luxury wood and leather interior that will place it above the Range Rover in terms of perceived quality.

The platform of Bentley’s new SUV is yet to be decided, although there are strong indications that it will be a version of VW Group’s new MLB modular underpinning for in-line mounted engines and probably share componentry with the next-gen Audi Q7.

Significantly Durheimer was a key figure in the early platform engineering of the MLB while at Porsche.

The final go-ahead for Bentley’s SUV is still awaited from the VW Board, although the company is confident that the project will get the green light.

Hyundai i30 Gets "Fluidic" treatment!

An all-new Hyundai i30 is set to be unveiled at the Frankfurt show,prior to going on sale early next year.

The outgoing model was extremely popular in Europe,the same can't be said about it in Malaysia.
The new i30 echoes the dimensions and major mechanical features of its predecessor which was launched back in 2008.

European design chief Thomas Burkle describes the new style as “fluidic sculpture”. The recently launched i40 also adopts this design style, introduced with the ix-onic concept car at Geneva in 2009. The new i30 also has “jewel-like lights” and a distinctive hexagonal grille, both of which are also becoming part of Hyundai’s family look.

New Kancil/Viva Coming Soon?

The 19th Indonesia International Motor Show which took place in Jakarta saw the world debut of the Daihatsu A-Concept.

The A-Concept is thought to preview one of up to three cars – from a low cost, highly frugal city car set to be launched soon, a revised version of the JDM Mira and Sirion model,could this be the all new Perodua Kancil/Viva??The car certainly has "borrowed"many design elements from competitors.(front end vw polo,back Cygnet)

Skoda Rated Best In Owners Survey.

Skoda owners are the happiest with their car, according to a new survey conducted by Which? Car.

The Skoda Yeti, Superb Estate and both the previous- and current-generations of the Superb Hatch have made the top 10 of the survey which asked more than 50,000 owners to rate how satisfied they are with their car, and also how likely they are to recommend it to a friend. The responses were then combined to create a Customer Score out of 100%.

The Toyota Yaris Verso was awarded first place, with owners giving it a score of 97.7 per cent. The Volkswagen Passat CC and Land Rover Discovery 4 were next in second and third place respectively.

The Renault LagunaSport Tourer scored the lowest rating. Owners are concerned by its poor handling, performance, build quality and reliability, with non-engine electrics the main cause of breakdowns and faults.

Which? Car editor, Richard Headland, says: “If you really want to know about cars, ask the experts – the people who drive them every day. Motorists have told Which? Car that they love practical, good value cars, exemplified by Skoda. However, many British drivers aren’t terrible enamoured with French cars from Peugeot and Renault which can be unreliable and prone to faults.”

Second Teaser for New Camry

Toyota has released a second teaser for its up coming Camry,The latest closely cropped photograph found its way to the Internet via Twitter. The Latest installment of the Camry spots a more aggressive headlamp.The foglight and grill can be seen(partially) and the rest of the sedan will soon wind up in full view as the car gets closer to its launch date.

Mayor Rams "wrong doers"!

Aren't all of us just sick and tired of those annoying people who park or use the emergency lanes when they are most certainly not in any sort of emergency, Lithuania apparently has had enough of such antics.Mayor of Vilnius,Arturas Zuokas,armed with a armored personnel carrier sent a strong message too all of them.Enjoy the video!

Mazda's Cx-5 Ready to Rumble!

Mazda’s all new CX-5 SUV will be the firms first production car to come equipped with both its radical range of SkyActiv chassis, engine and transmission technologies and its new Kodo design language.The new CX-5 is based on Mazda’s new modular platform and suspension set-ups that can be used as a base on any Mazda between the 3 and CX-7 in size.

Mazda first unveiled its new design direction the Kodo on last year’s Shinari concept and again on the Minagi concept at Geneva in March, which inspired the CX-5. The handsome CX-5 retains the concept’s looks, including its bold front end, sculpted sides and sloping roofline.