When the Japanese and Germans joined forces in World War II some 70 years ago, they created a lot of hardship for mankind. Now, they have come together again but this time, for a good cause. Toyota and BMW announced that they have reached an agreement to jointly research and develop the next generation lithium-ion batteries for hybrid and electric vehicles.
Such tie-ups are not new though. In 2010, Renault-Nissan-Daimler signed a three-way alliance to boost economies of scale and share high upfront development costs in new areas such as hybrid electric engines.
The triplet siblings of the Toyota 86, Subaru BRZ and Scion FR-S are the most anticipated Japanese sports cars in recent years. Why would I say that? Basically, Toyota has not offered a sports coupe model ever since the early 2000s and this has made JDM lovers more excited over it. Toyota has built desirable sport coupes since the 1960s, from the 2000GT to the Supra, and these cars are sought after by many enthusiasts all around the world.
These enthusiasts love them not because of their performance but more on its simplicity and some would swear that these cars handle so sweetly. Enough talk about cars of the past and let us continue on what Toyota and Subaru has in store for the 86 and BRZ.
The Subaru Legacy and the Legacy on stilts, the Outback has been revised for the 2013 model year. Subaru has slightly 'improved' the looks of the quirky looking large sedan and wagon by changing the front end of the cars.
Both cars feature new headlights, grille and bumper. The new look seems to suit the Legacy better with its Audi-esque bumper (but still slightly awkward) but the Subaru Outback still looks dumpy and awkward to me.
Recently, I chanced upon a Youtube video where Autocar UK pits the all-new 2012 BMW M5 against the MY2012 Nissan GT-R. The history of the M5 is legendary, dating back to 1984 where the first generation was then the fastest production sedan in the world.
Sometimes, a product is so good that it is destined to make it to production. An example is Bengawan Solo cake shop, which started off in a little home kitchen in a HDB flat and the pastries are now mass produced in a factory at Woodlands.
Coming back to the world of automobile, the Lexus LF-LC concept, like Bengawan Solo pastries, might eventually make it to a production line. This is due to the overwhelming popularity that the dramatic concept received. It was honored with the ‘EyesOn Design award’ from a jury of leading designers at the North American International Auto Show a few months ago.
The Subaru Legacy and the Legacy on stilts, the Outback has been revised for the 2013 model year. Subaru has slightly 'improved' the looks of the quirky looking large sedan and wagon by changing the front end of the cars. Both cars feature new headlights, grille and bumper. The new look seems to suit the Legacy better with its Audi-esque bumper (but still slightly awkward) but the Subaru Outback still looks dumpy and awkward to me.
Other styling changes are limited to the interior – the cars will feature new upholstery, a different audio system and a different wood grain option. Some mid-range variants also gain rear air vents and a nicer looking instrument cluster with a 3.5inch display screen. Subaru has also improved the Legacy and Outback on the engine front too.
In December 2007, Fiat sold its share in its money-losing joint venture with Nanjing Automotive to China's Shanghai Automotive. Not discouraged by the event, Fiat is again trying to gain a foothold in the world’s largest car market with the launch of the Viaggio compact sedan at the Beijing auto show in Apr 2012. The Viaggio is basically a re-badged Dodge Dart.
The Viaggio will be the first model to be made from Fiat’s joint venture with Guangzhou Automobile Group. This model is crucial to the Fiat’s plan to expand beyond Europe, where car sales are expected to go south for the fifth consecutive year.
After ABT Sportsline opened its first showroom in Singapore last year, our neighbours up North showed that they too, have a taste for fast, tuned cars. Reputed German supercar tuner, DMC, has just opened a new outlet in Selangor, Malaysia.
As part of its expansion in South East Asia, DMC has appointed ATP Motorsports in Malaysia as its exclusive dealer. The grand opening of the showroom was graced by the presence of Aston Martins, Lamborghinis, Ferraris, Porsches and four Malaysian babes. And in a Chinese community, no grand opening is complete without lion dance for an added dose of good luck.
At the recent 2012 Geneva Motor Show, Ferrari launched its most powerful model ever, the F12 Berlinetta. The F12 heralds a new generation of V12 engines from Maranello. However, impending stricter CO2 emission standard has cast doubts over the future of these engines.
But fear not, Ferrari has confirmed that the future of its V12 engine is safe, thanks to the usage of F1-derived kinetic energy recovery system (KERS) to help them in achieving the CO2 targets. KERS is a form of regenerative breaking system used in Formula 1.
Roughly A decade ago, technologies like adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning and pedestrian detection are normally found on high-end/luxury models but things have changed nowadays as more automakers have equipped their lower-end or entry level models with such features. And Subaru is one of them as the company has introduced their new EyeSight driver assistance system which will appear on the 2013 Legacy and Outback.
Subaru recently announced their EyeSight system which the company will officially debut at the 2012 New York Auto Show. The Eyesight system integrates adaptive cruise control, pre-collision braking and vehicle lane departure warning. The system can also detect obstacles in front of a parked car and limit potential damage in an impact.
