Hyundai Motor Company has recently expanded its “turbo” engine family with the introduction of a brand-new 1.6-Litre T-GDI turbo engine. Based on the existing 1.6-Litre GDI four-cylinder engine which is currently propels the Korean-market Hyundai Avante, the unit boasts a twin-scroll turbocharger which significantly improves the engine response and performance. It generates a maximum output of 204bhp and torque of 27.0kgf.m at 6,000 rpm and 1,750 rpm respectively.


Currently fitted only to the Hyundai Veloster, the motor will also appear in the upcoming 2013 Hyundai ix30 and next-generation Kia cee’d. Hmm….the Volvo S80, Peugeot 508 and Citroen C5 all have a 1.6L turbocharged variant. Did Hyundai miss out something here?

Lamborghini has been seeing great profits with popularity from models like the refreshed Gallardo and its many variants, its latest flagship the "A vent and a door" and increasing demand from upcoming markets like China, Russia, India.
Heck even in our 'puny' sunny tropics, all 60 units allocated to Lamborghini Singapore have already been taken up until the third quarter of 2012.
So what lies ahead for the raging bull? We look into the e-crystal ball and here's our findings.

Seat has finally pulled the wraps off the production version of the new generation Toledo. Like its twin sister, the newly launched Skoda Rapid compact sedan, the MK4 Toledo measures 4,480mm from head to tail. And just like the Rapid, the Toledo is a notchback saloon and comes equipped with a wide-opening rear hatch.

The styling differences between the two are concentrated in details such as the front end, the tail lights design, rear license plate fitment, wheel designs and interior trim. I prefer the front end of the Toledo as it looks sleeker and comes with more shapely head lights. However, when it comes to the rear, the typical “C”-shaped tail lights of the Skoda Rapid appears more contemporary as compared to the Toledo’s. But these are just personal preferences.

McLaren Automotive is probably the newest automotive company (In terms of road cars) but one with a long and rich history, that could even match the likes of Ferrari and its racing team.
Besides the legendary McLaren F1 and the Mercedes collaboration for the SLR, the British marque is synonymous for its racing programs and on track rivalry with the Italian Stallion in Formula One.

AnsarAli, the current CEO of the Caterham group is leaving the company. His position will be taken over by the current CFO of Caterham Cars.
Graham Macdonald, the current CFO of Caterham Cars will take over the current CEO Ansar Ali, whom is leaving the company. Graham has played an active role with Ansar to help establish Caterham Cars into today’s modern-day Caterham Group and will now take the lead Caterham Cars as CEO.

GM has issued a recall for the 2011 and 2012 model year Chevrolet Cruze sedans due to a potential fire hazard that could occur underneath the hood. The recall covers 475,000 vehicles made in the U.S between September 2010 and May 2012. This is the car's fifth recall since it arrived in the showrooms nearly two years ago, raising questions about the sedan's reliability.

The company said that fires can ignite when fluids, mainly from improper engine oil change procedures, spill onto a plastic shield below the engine. Cruzes with worn-out manual transmissions also can leak fluid onto the shield in rare cases. GM will notify owners to bring their vehicle to local dealers for a 30-minute free rectification. The repair work involves cutting the plastic shield to let the fluids drain to the pavement, GM said.

What are driving shoes? Some of us may think that driving shoes are those Puma Speedcats that one can purchase at those shopping mall sports stores. However, driving shoes in actual footwear terms mainly refer to soft moccasins that have little buttons of rubber or pebbled nubs on the soles and heel of the shoe instead of a single flat piece sole that we get on our shoes.

Recently British car company Aston Martin previewed their latest and greatest production car, the 2012 Aston Martin AM310 Vanquish. This car brings back the Vanquish moniker after an absence of about five years or so. One little bit of trivia is that the AM310 Vanquish will replace the Aston Martin DBS, the car that replaced the first Vanquish in 2007.

So what can you tell from looking at the pictures? What I can tell is that it still looks like a DBS with a different bodykit (from a Japanese tuning house like Wald or Veilside) or it looks like a Virage or a V8 Vantage with a little more grunt and padding here and there. It may be said to have 75% new parts throughout the car but I doubt it that most buyers (or collectors) would actually bother.

According to Bernhard Maier, Porsche's head of sales and marketing, the brand has no plans to sell a car costing less than the Boxster although it has set sights on reaching an annual sales target of 200,000 units by 2018.

"To build a Porsche for 30,000 euros currently doesn't fit our brand," Bernhard Maier told the Automotive News Europe Congress in Monaco. The extraordinary purchase experience is not for free and the entry price is currently covered with the Boxster and in the future by the Macan." The Macan is Porsche's second SUV, positioned below the Cayenne.

The Renault Zoe was recently showcased at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show and even before the official launch, later this year, the Zoe has set a new world record for distance traveled in an electric car in 24 hours. It really looks like Renault wants to prove that an electric car can travel sensible distances in a sensible period of time.