Otomobil Tutkunu: Feb 15, 2010

Ferrari California Sports Car

The new 2010 Ferrari California is the first hard-top convertible ever produced by Ferrari and the first to feature a mid-front positioned engine.

Ferrari California features a new 4.3 liter V8 with direct injection and a flat crankshaft that will put out 460HP. The result is a 0-60mph of under 4 seconds.

The 2010 Ferrari California is a true super sports car!

Ferrari California Sports Car

Corvette ZR1 Sports Car

The new 2009 Corvette ZR1 is a fast and powerful sports car. It has a 6.2-liter surpercharged engine with 638hp. The acceleration of 0-60mph time of just 3.4 seconds will make it reach reach 100mph from standstill in 7 seconds flat.

The final MSRP of the new Corvette is $103,300 including the destination charge, but it will have a $1700 gas guzzler tax added on top of this.

The 2009 Corvette ZR1 is super sports car indeed.

Corvette ZR1 Sports Car

New Volvo S60 revealed ahead of Geneva

February 10, 2010 at 3:12 am by Danny Tan · 2010 Geneva Motor Show, Cars, Volvo

Used to seeing concepts watered down for production, we’re happy to see Volvo sticking to their guns for the new S60. The production version of Volvo’s mid-sized exec, revealed here ahead of its Geneva debut, looks remarkably similar to the S60 Concept the Swedish brand wheeled out at the 2009 Detroit show.

Among the distinctive cues carried over is the XC60 style front end, the wavy signature line on its profile and those inverted L-shaped taillamps, but the basic shape is recognisable as an S60. Volvo says that “the sculpted hood and the short overhangs front and rear also emphasize the sports-car feel.” We’re not sure about the “sports-car feel” but this S60 does have presence. It has grown is size too; longer, wider and with a longer wheelbase, but is less than 45kg heavier than the current car.

Engine choices include a twin-scroll turbo 3.0-litre inline-six with 300 bhp and 440 Nm. Paired to a new six-speed auto (faster shifts) and Haldex AWD, this S60 T6 does 0-60 mph (96 km/h) in 6.5 seconds. Of course following the common trend of ‘engine downsizing’, there will be a new 2.0-litre GDTi engine, which is good for 203 bhp and 300 Nm of torque from 1,750 to 4,000 rpm.

Three suspension setups will be available: Base, Dynamic and Four-C Adaptive. The optional Dynamic uses stiffer springs and bushings, retuned dampers and thicker piston rods, while Four-C adaptive damping aims to provide the best of all worlds.

On the safety front, Advanced Stability Control employs a new roll angle sensor to identify any skidding tendency at a very early stage. Also debuting is Pedestrian Detection with Full Auto Brake, which can detect pedestrians who walk into the road in front of the S60, warn the driver, before automatically apply full braking power if he/she does not respond in time. This system works at speeds up to 35 km/h. This is a development of City Safety, which works the same way, but for vehicles.

Hyundai i-flow Concept to debut at Geneva 2010

The sketch above previews the Hyundai i-flow concept, which will make its world debut at the Geneva show at the end of this month. Hyundai says this concept will preview a future D-segment competitor – but really, is it time for a new D-segment competitor so soon when the Sonata has just been revealed? The Sonata already has a coupe-like roofline so it would be quite overkill for them to do a “Passat CC CC” with another take on a D-segment car.

This is just a hunch but it could be possible that what Hyundai meant in its press release as D-segment is different from what we normally consider as D-segment cars. In the US, what we call D-segment cars are CD-segment cars. The Camry is a CD car, while Toyota’s D car is the Avalon. Hyundai had a model like that – the Azera, and it was even sold here in Malaysia. The Azera was first launched in 2005 and it’s about time for a 5-year lifecycle full replacement model to arrive!

This new concept car could be slotted in between the Sonata and the Genesis as Hyundai’s most expensive front wheel drive executive car (taking the place of the Azera) before we start to enter Genesis rear wheel drive territory. But then again I could be wrong and this is really a “double CC” version of the Sonata.

The same press release also says this new i-flow concept will be used by chemical company BASF (there’s a good chance you use BASF products in your car everyday – they make petrol additives too) as a platform to showcase some technology such as lightweight materials, and solar cells.

Second-generation Volkswagen Touareg premieres with Hybrid model

This is the second generation VW Touareg, which is lighter, more fuel efficient and cleaner than the original SUV to bear the name launched in 2003. The big news is that the Touareg range includes a hybrid model, Volkswagen’s first production hybrid.

The Touareg Hybrid combines a 3.3-litre supercharged V6 petrol engine producing 328 bhp and 360 Nm of torque and an electric motor generating 46 bhp, resulting in a total output of 374 bhp and 580 Nm. The electric motor can operate independently of the combustion engine, making the Touareg a full hybrid. On electric power alone the new Touareg is capable of travelling at speeds of up to 50 km/h, but most of the time it supplements the V6 to provide more grunt -the Touareg Hybrid does 0-100 km/h in 6.5 seconds before reaching a top speed of 240 km/h. On the combined cycle, fuel consumption is 12 km/l.

The entry-level engine and the likely volume seller is a 3.0-litre V6 TDI engine generating 237 bhp and 550 Nm while returning 13.5 km/l and emitting 195 g/km of CO2. A new 4.2-litre TDI V8 engine producing 335 bhp and a massive 800 Nm of torque sits at the top of the range.

VW says that the new models are up to 20 per cent more fuel efficient than the cars they replace, also thanks to a weight reduction of 200 kg, a new eight-speed automatic and Start/Stop technology. The new body also has a lower drag coefficient. Overall length and wheelbase of the Touareg have each grown by 40 mm to measure 4,758 mm and 2,900 mm respectively. Width remains at 1,928 mm while overall height drops by 20 mm to 1,724 mm.

The new car is easily recognisable as a Touareg from the outside, even though it features VW’s new family face. The all-new cabin looks good too, and while it remains a five-seater, rear room is claimed to have grown significantly due to the new sliding rear bench and reclining backrests. More pictures after the jump.

Qazana-based Nissan Juke crossover revealed

What you see above is the 5-seater Nissan Juke crossover. It looks familiar because it is based on the Nissan Qazana concept that was previewed in Geneva last year. This crossover is underpinned by Renault-Nissan’s B-Platform and measures 4 meters long, 1,765mm wide and 1,570 meters tall. Its wheelbase measures 2,500mm. This makes it a size smaller than the Rogue/Qashqai/Dualis.

The crossover (which looks a little weird if you ask me) will be sold in Europe, Japan and in the United States. There are several engine options including a 1.6 liter normally-aspirated engine with 117hp and a turbocharged version of the engine that can output 190hp and 240Nm of torque. Diesel fans don’t worry as Nissan also has a 110hp 1.5 liter dCi unit for the Juke. This unit also produces 240Nm of torque.

Transmission wise potential buyers can choose between a 5-speed manual cog box or a continuously variable transmission. Apart from a standard front wheel drive setup buyers can also opt for an ALL-MODE 4×4-i system. The Juke will premier at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show, till then you can feast on some images after the jump.

2nd gen Toyota Passo launched in Japan!

Toyota Passo

Toyota has launched the 2nd generation Toyota Passo in Japan, and it now comes in two ‘body styles’ called the regular Passo and the Passo + Hana which is supposed to be the more stylish and upmarket model with features such as projector headlamps. They seem to be taking an “Alphard and Vellfire” or “Noah and Voxy” two styling for one model approach to alot of their JDM models now.

The car has alot more curves to it now, compared to the first generation Passo which was cute but had alot of straight lines in its design language such as in the headlamps and the way the front hood met the bumper. But most of us were just never familiar with that as Perodua had softened those lines in the Myvi, for example the Myvi’s headlamps are more rounded and the front hood became more shapely.

Toyota Passo + Hana

In Japan, the new Passo will be available with either a 1.0 liter or a 1.3 liter engine. The 4-speed auto has been phased out – now all models including 4WD versions come with a CVT transmission. The 1.0 liter uses the 1KR-FE that produces 69 PS (51kW) at 6,000rpm and 92Nm of torque at 3,600rpm.

The 1.3 liter engine is the new 1NR-FE which replaces the K3-VE in the previous generation car. The 1NR-FE now has dual variable valve timing on both the intake and exhaust valves. Power output is 95 PS (70kW) at 6,000rpm and 121Nm of torque at 4,000rpm, which is up from the K3-VE’s 86hp (64kW) and 116Nm.

As with the previous Passo, it is a shared model with Daihatsu. A wheelbase of 2,440mm which is the same as the current Passo/Boon/Myvi models hints that most of the platform has been carried over, probably with some refinements here and there.

Will we see this new Passo coming to Malaysia as a new Myvi? The other question is how much of the Japanese model will get transferred over in the process – will we get the new Dual VVT-i engine, the CVT transmission and the column-mounted shifter?

In any case, look after the jump for a full gallery showing you front, rear, side and interior views of the new car.