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The Lotus Exige S Roadster is about to be ready for bookings
RchLuvSlly posted a blog entry in MyAutoBlog
Back in the Geneva Motor Show last year, British automaker, Lotus, introduced the world to its potentially fastest handmade convertible ever, the Exige S Roadster. Based on the company's new Exige S coupe, this roadster looks mostly identical to its coupe counterpart. However, the rear spoiler has been disposed of and there's now soft top roof available. Weighing no more than 1,166kg, this roadster will let you feel the wind blowing your hair at a speed of 233km/h, thanks to its supercharged 3.5-litre V6 engine. Mated to either a six-speed manual transmission or the automaker's Serial Precision Shift (SPS) transmission system, the engine can provide the power of 345 horses in addition to 400Nm of torque. The Lotus Exige S Roadster will get you going to 100km/h in no longer than 3.8 seconds, from a complete standstill. And, to complete your comfort, you can choose a sporty or a comfortable enhanced plush interior. As Lotus is readying the 2013 Lotus Exige S Roadster for order, the automaker has also announced the prices of its latest roadster for 3 regions - UK, European Union, and Japan. With Japan being closer to us here in Singapore than the other two, I think we can assume that the price tag of the roadster there won -
Well, I won't argue that there are plenty of sports cars out there with retractable roofs. However, among all those convertibles, the MX-5 (Miata) from Japanese automaker Mazda may be one in particular that you should put your eyes on. Not only does it offer hair winding fun, but there's actually more to it than you might possibly imagine. Well, here's some proof. Recently, Mazda U.K., in collaboration with some Frisbee freaks and pro stunt drivers, just made this video which I would say is pretty cool. Watch the video and I believe you will think playing Frisbee on a car is something you should try too. At a glance, what these people did in the video may seem impossible. However, they managed to pull it off - and with a huge success in my opinion. Although the Mazda MX-5 isn't the type of car you can really count on when it comes to speed, it does offer you a fun steering, braking, gear shifting, and suspension. As a result, it makes something as fun as throwing the Frisbee disk from the car in front such that it lands in the car behind possible and it's unimaginably fun. To top it off, it can all be done while drifting, too! Hehe, I think you may even get addicted to it over times. However, don't swallow my words for it in an instance. Go check out the action and the fun yourself in the video.
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15th May 2013 was the world premiere of the 2014 Mercedes-Benz S-Class. Mercedes unveiled its new luxury sedan at the Airbus A380 Delivery Centre located in Hamburg, Germany. However, what attracts me besides the debut of the luxury German sedan itself is the odds that the German automaker is set to launch the coupe version soon. On its official Facebook page, Mercedes Germany has released a sketch of its new model. To me, the sketch looks like the 2014 S-Class coupe, well, although Mercedes-Benz didn't necessarily mention the term 'coupe', and the new model seems kind of wider than the previous generation Mercedes-Benz S-Class coupe. Furthermore, it's known that the 2014 S-Class will also come in a convertible and coupe version. In addition to that, no matter how I look at it, the styling cues portrayed in the sketch don't seem to match those of the actual sedan being launched at the home country of Mercedes-Benz today. So, in short, I think it's safe to say that we should be getting ready to behold the launch of the 2014 Mercedes-Benz S-Class Coupe which will seemingly take place in the near future. Otherwise, I don't think the German automaker will be revealing the design of its new model in such detail.
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Most of us probably think - at least I do - that luxury cars are perfect. Their brands alone have often reflected how top notch they are. Brands like Ferrari, Porsche, and Maserati (among others) are few good examples. However, believe it or not, that will be so true if, and only if, we are living in a perfect world. Speaking of which, unfortunately, this world is not perfect. This recent event in China just proved it even more so. A pretty rich Chinese man decided to destroy his Maserati Quattroporte on 14th May 2013. Mind you, the car costs 2.6 million Chinese Yuan which is equivalent to approximately S$526,000. The Chinese guy hammered his car in front of the crowd witnessing the Qingdao International Auto Show which started on the aforementioned date. According to the man, he destroyed his car to protest against the Maserati dealer he bought the car from. However, I would say that the event was actually the peak of a problem which started back in 2011, as reported by Car News China. At that time, the owner encountered a problem with his Maserati and so he contacted Maserati China. There was a fault with one of the car parts and, considering the car was still under warranty, the owner should have received a replacement for free. Surprisingly, though, Maserati China decided to charge him for a refurbished used part. Well, I guess the dealer must have thought that it was worth it for the 'repair' although I can say it's actually not worth it. Now, seeing that the owner decided to finally destroy his really expensive car, I believe that the guy is really fed up with the dealer. I, for one, can understand the guy. You see, even for a car priced far below the price of the Maserati Quattroporte, we can get engine swaps free of charge as long as the car is still under warranty. Now that I've witnessed a luxury car with quite a few faults, I guess I'll have to think over several times before deciding to buy one of my own in the future (that's assuming I can afford one, though, haha
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When you have what it takes (and by that, I mean the money), there's no need to worry whether or not you will get what you want, even from such a world class automaker as Koenigsegg. At least, this is what happens in China. The Swedish automaker has built a stunning gold-plated Koenigsegg Agera R, and gives it the name Zijin, most likely specifically by request. The car seems to suit its name really well. It's painted with brilliant purple on the outside - a one-off finish which will really catch your eyes - and features gold on the inside. Just for your information, 'Zijin' is a Chinese word meaning 'purple gold'. However, don't be mistaken as not the entire interior is made of gold. The interior components that are gold plated include the centre console, air vent surrounds, steering wheel trim, and also a wide array of knobs and buttons. Well, to be honest with you, even if I had the money, there's no way I would have decorated my hypercar with the precious metal, although the metal did make the car look nice somehow. One problem I would be worried about is the added weight of the vehicle. Nevertheless, this doesn't seem to be a problem whatsoever in this case. To overcome the weight problem of this particularly made-for-Chinese car, Koenigsegg has decided to make use of its 5.0-litre twin-turbo V8 engine which is capable of delivering 1040bhp. Check out the images to witness the Koenigsegg Agera R Zijin.
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It's a commonly known fact that London often becomes the destination of choice for millionaires all over the world, especially during summer time. It seems that the millionaires just love the ambient summer temperature in the city. Well, that's besides the fact that most of them seem to love showing off their expensive collection of cars. This seems even more true for millionaires coming from countries with a climate hotter than that in London, just like this fellow millionaire from Dubai. Just like any other person in London, this fellow seemed to be enjoying his time in the capital city of England. However, it was only so true until he tried to get his Ferrari F12 Berlinetta out of a parking lot. Unfortunately for him, he bumped the right rear quarter of his quarter-of-a-million pound vehicle into the wall. But perhaps he didn't think of it as unfortunate, heck, he probably didn't even care - he's a millionaire after all. The Italian prancing horse didn't seem to be visibly damaged in the video (below), though. Watching the video till the end, the guy finally seemed to care about the scratch he might have caused on his car. Near a red light, he decided to get out to check the right rear quarter, the part he bumped into the wall. Honestly, I can say he seemed pissed afterwards. Well, I wonder what was actually on this guy's mind. Not enough with bumping his car - which some of us (including me) may never be able to buy, he went further to run a red light. Did he think he could do just as he wished whenever he got pissed? Alas, he got trapped in the yellow box marked around the junction as a result. Well, watching the video makes me wonder that it may not be suitable to drive a Ferrari F12 Berlinetta around the twisty narrow London streets. The car seems to better suit the rolling landscape and twisting hills in the country where it comes from. For those who still don't know, the Ferrari F12 Berlinetta carries a 6.3-litre V12 engine under its hood. It can produce a total output of 730bhp. That said, this particular model is also one of the most powerful monsters the Maranello-based automaker currently has in store.
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Toyota officially appoints Indonesia as Yaris production base
RchLuvSlly posted a blog entry in MyAutoBlog
After the on-and-off rumours circulating around the web for some time about the latest Yaris being produced in Indonesia, I now know for sure what will actually happen. The world renowned Japanese automaker, Toyota, is finally about to officially appoint Indonesia as the production base for the latest Yaris. Toyota's headquarters, the Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC), will announce its decision to make use of the second plant of PT Toyota Motors Manufacturing Indonesia (TMMIN) which is situated in Karawang, West Java, to manufacture the aforementioned hatchback variant within the next two months. As of today, the plant is only manufacturing the automaker's Etios Valco, which is an economical car, up to 70-80 thousand units per month. The production capacity of the plant itself is actually higher than that and totals up to 140 thousand units per month. As such, it seems wise for Toyota to choose this plant to produce its next model. Judging from the Japanese car manufacturer's decision to switch the production of the Yaris to Indonesia, it seems that the company doesn't want to depend too much on a single country anymore, especially after having to suffer from considerable losses due to the recent flood disaster in Thailand. For your information, Toyota also switched the production of the Fortuner to Indonesia from another country last year. Toyota's decision to manufacture the Yaris in Indonesia also further emphasises its commitment to invest in this developing country. As of the end of the fiscal year 2012, President, Director and CEO of TMC, Akio Toyoda, announced that the Toyota Group was well prepared to spend a total investment value of Rp 26 billion(S$3.3 million) in Indonesia until 2020. For starters, the company had already spent up to Rp 13 billion (S$1.6 million) for the next five years and the investment was spread across six companies, the Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) itself, Toyota Auto Body Co., Ltd. (TAB), Denso Corp., Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (AS), Toyota Tsusho Corporation (TT), and the Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd. (DMC). To support its long term plan in Karawang, West Java, Toyota has also prepared a site measuring 150 hectares. Plan is, the site will be used to establish a new engine plant and the third Toyota plant in Indonesia, provided the company's car sales keep on showing a positive trend. Well, it seems that Indonesia may finally be developing for real, indeed. -
The all new Toyota Vios has finally been launched in Indonesia. The launch took place at the Ballroom of the Djakarta Theatre on Tuesday, 7th May 2013. Speaking of this latest generation Toyota Vios, do you remember I once said it's not likely to become a taxi? Well, it seems that I may be wrong as Toyota seems to be thinking differently. I once said the latest Toyota Vios wasn't likely to become a taxi not without a reason. This third generation sedan from Toyota comes with various high end features and modern, if not futuristic, styling cues. Projector headlamps and combination taillights are just a few to name. Not to mention that Toyota is also sticking quite a high price tag for the model, around Rp 242,500,000 (S$30,555) for the manual transmission in Indonesia. That's about Rp 20-25 million (S$2,500-S$3,000) more expensive than its predecessor. Toyota offers two trims - E and G - for its latest generation small sedan. As usual, E is the base trim. However, this time, customers can opt for an automatic transmission while purchasing the base trim. This automatic transmission variant will cost them Rp 252,000,000 (S$31,750). As for the G trim, it comes with either manual or automatic transmission, priced at Rp 259,900,000 (S$32,747) and Rp 272,500,000 (S$34,335) each, respectively. As you can see from the prices alone, it doesn't really make sense for Toyota to convert the All New Vios into a taxi. However, according to Toyota, there will be some adjustments to the features and the exterior design for the taxi version of the model. What's been revealed so far is that the rims and front grille will be different from those of the non-taxi version. Power windows - which are available on the non-taxi version - will also be disposed of. The adjustments have been confirmed by Johnny Darmawan, President and Director, PT Toyota Astra Motor (authorised Toyota distributor in Indonesia). "Yes, we'll keep on using the all new Vios as the development base for the Toyota Limo taxi, but it'll be different with a few adjustments, considering the latest generation has been equipped with classy features and the price is already high, too high to be converted directly into a taxi," said Johnny. He also added that there are already three huge taxi operators in Indonesia which are interested in using the Toyota Limo as their taxi fleets. According to him, the taxi operators are interested in the Toyota Limo thanks to the comfort, efficiency, reliability, and the roomy cabin the model has to offer. Now I understand why Toyota persists in converting its latest sedan model into a taxi. Without the adjustments, it will certainly ruin the image of the all new Toyota Vios as a small size premium sedan. As a result, there will be less people interested in spending their dime on the newly released sedan model.
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Just to refresh your memory, at the 2009 Detroit Motor Show, the German automaker Volkswagen (VW) displayed its BlueSport roadster concept. Unfortunately, not long afterwards, VW postponed the project. Some early reports mentioned that the reason production of the roadster was postponed was because the German automaker didn't see a business opportunity for the model while I would say otherwise. The car looks attractive and that, alone, should be able to attract quite a few customers already. Add that with quite an affordable price tag for a roadster, you may be surprised by the number of people interested in spending their cash on the model. Yet, rumours have been swirling on the internet with some still believing that the roadster will finally come to life. I, for one, would like to see the open-top model comes into production. Despite the various rumours on the World Wide Web, there's now a bigger chance that the VW BlueSport will actually hit our showrooms within the near future. At least, this seems to be what Walter de Silva is trying to tell us, although not so explicitly. The VW Design Chief told AMS, "I'm not the only one in our company who is convinced that a small roadster wouldn't be the worst thing for Volkswagen. This is a vehicle that we particularly like, and we always have in mind." Well, I agree with you, de Silva, I like the open-top very much, too. Therefore, it's nice to know that there're still some insiders in VW that would like to move on with this particular project. Moreover, it was confirmed by one of the German automaker's spokesperson. Just in case you can't really recall, the VW BlueSport roadster concept carried a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged diesel engine when it debuted at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show. The engine is good enough to spit out 177bhp in addition to 349Nm of torque. Volkswagen claimed that the fuel consumption of the roadster could reach 23.2km/L, which is quite efficient in my opinion. The company also mentioned that the car would need only 6.6 seconds to reach 100km/h from a complete standstill. Also, expect no less than 225km/h when it comes to the top speed of the car. Given its model and engine specifications, I'd say the BlueSport concept may well be slotted under such brands as Porsche and Audi. Yet again, perhaps it doesn't really matter as both the brands belong to VW as well. Now that the VW BlueSport roadster may finally come to life, here's hoping that VW won't forget to ship the model to the showrooms here in Singapore as well. By the way, the roadster is estimated to cost around USD$30,000 (around S$37,000). As I said earlier, it's quite affordable for a roadster, isn't it? The only drawback so far that I can think of about this roadster is probably its roof. I think it would have been better if VW applied a hardtop, but perhaps, the softtop is a better solution for the current estimated price tag of the roadster.
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Infiniti is the luxury car division under the Japanese automaker Nissan and as of Tuesday, 30th April 2013, Hong Kong citizens, especially those Infiniti fans out there, could be grateful as Infiniti has officially opened its first showroom in the country. Known as the Infinity Gallery, the showroom was officially opened by Johan de Nysschen, President, Infiniti Motor Company Ltd., and Donald Yip, CEO, Dah Chong Hong Limited. Dah Chong Hong Limited is a local dealership that Infiniti has partnered in Hong Kong. The opening of the showroom saw the Essence, the latest sleek concept car from Infiniti, receiving the spotlight. For your information, the Infiniti Essence was also introduced to the public for the very first time in China. Besides the concept car, the showroom opening also saw a famous local actress and model, Jennifer Tse in the spotlight, posing right next to the car. According to Nysschen, the opening of the Infinity Gallery marked Infiniti's latest milestone that with a total of 50 markets all over the world. This first ever Infiniti showroom in Hong Kong is situated at 10 Harcourt Road, G/F Hutchinson House, near Hong Kong's business centre. So, for those that live in Hong Kong, what are you waiting for? Start visiting the Infinity Gallery now.
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It is a known fact that Pagani doesn't build more than 40 units of the Pagani Zonda roadster in the whole world. Now, even if you have the money to buy it, you might not really get the chance to get your hands on one. However, this time, there's one unit of Pagani Zonda roadster up for grabs, provided that you're interested and quick enough to grab it. Well, you will have to splash at least around US$1.6 million (S$2 million) to get a brand new Pagani Zonda roadster. However, in this case, US$153,135 (around S$189,000) will do. Well, don't be surprised as the car isn't in a hundred percent good working condition. It experienced a crash some time ago. However, aside from its oil feeder and a portion of its front chassis, all the mechanical parts of the car are in good working condition. Nonetheless, you may have to replace each of the body panels, besides the windshield. Well, it isn't surprising to expect to spend a couple hundred thousands of dollars. Compared to the original price of the Pagani Zonda roadster, it
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The ever popular movie 'The Fast and the Furious' is about to come to its 6th installment. As a matter of fact, you'll be witnessing 'Fast and Furious 6' on the silver screen worldwide starting May 24th. As always, we've got used to sports, exotic, and tuned cars in the series. However, we've never got to see a BMW M5 in them in spite of what the car has to offer. With that being said, it's about time the model makes its debut. So, in this 6th installment, besides other very interesting cars, there'll be around a dozen of BMW M5s. Nonetheless, don't expect to see the current model as all those 12 cars will be the V10-revving E60 model. Personally, I think the model looks attractive even when it is in a complete standstill mode, not to mention when it is involved in a highly intense full throttle action thriller. The design cues are attractive, both on the front and rear fascias, so attractive that some people in Indonesia even nicknamed it 'the eagle eye'. Unfortunately, according to 'Fast and Furious 6' Car Coordinator, Dennis McCarthy, the person in charge of setting up the cars for you to see on the big screen, most of the 'eagle eyes' had to be destroyed while filming. What a pity
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Claimed to be the fastest street car Ferrari has ever produced so far, there's almost nothing to criticise regarding the LaFerrari. From its eye catching styling cues to its mild hybrid powertrain featuring 963bhp, I don't see anything this car is lacking of. Instead of sporting a single focal point, as in the case with most other cars, there isn't any on the LaFerrari. Well, the only one perhaps, is its canopy like roof that seems quite interesting to me. In short, this is one dream Italian prancing horse built in Maranello. Some other models such as the Ferrari 458 Spider and the Ferrari FF were also built in the aforementioned Italian city. The Ferrari LaFerrari has been detailed perfectly by means of carbon fibre material. As far as design is concerned, it seems to me that the only thing which can outdo the design is the car's stunning performance with a top speed of 350km/h and an ability to accelerate from 0-100km/h in just less than 3 seconds. As mentioned earlier, the LaFerrari is a hybrid model which means it carries a V12 petrol engine along with an electric motor. The Italian automaker is planning to sell no more than 499 units of its latest supercar - which happens to be the company's first hybrid prancing horse. Well, it seems quite a good idea to bring the model to China - through the 2013 Shanghai Motor Show - as the country may be able to 'swallow' all units of the model based on financial ability. That also leads to figuring out the actual number of units that will actually see the land of the Far East. That said, I believe that there'll be some for the Middle East to 'consume' as well. Regarding the price, as far as I know, Ferrari will stick a price tag ranging somewhere around
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If you happen to be quite well off or have some spare savings, it might be a good idea to consider staying at China. The economy in the country keeps growing positively that it has become a good place to live in. This has been proven even further with the recent huge investment by Volkswagen (VW) and the fact that the South Korean automaker KIA has now launched a new brand targeted specifically at the Chinese market. The brand is known as Horki and comes under parent company KIA. What we know is that, in Mandarin, 'Hor' or 'He' means together whereas 'Ki' or 'Qi' means air or atmosphere. And the word as a whole, means 'harmony'. Well, that makes sense to us as we think the first Horki concept vehicle looks dynamic indeed. For now, there's only one model that KIA is building for the brand Horki. Of course, we believe that there'll be more models later on. The model has yet to receive its official name but it is based on the platform also used by the KIA Forte. However, this doesn't necessarily mean that the first Horki model borrows design cues from the KIA Forte. As a matter of fact, from what we can see as far as design is concerned, this Horki concept vehicle doesn't have any similar design from any of KIA models. Slated for a 2015 release date in the Chinese automotive market, the first Horki model looks aggressive as well as sleek. This can be seen on the designs of the headlamps, front grille, air intakes, and rear taillights
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[extract] After dealing in the Chinese automotive market for 30 years, the German automaker Volkswagen (VW) is enjoying a sustainable growth. As a matter of fact, it has been determined to have invested an amazing figure, totaling
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[extract] In the Geneva Motor Show this year, the Chinese automaker Qoros had a debut that was quite successful to say. This time, the automaker is planning to make another bow and it
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If you own a Hyundai car, especially the Elantra, you might want to be more careful and try to avoid accidents as much as you can. Otherwise, you might risk ending up slicing your ear or probably even other body parts. No, we aren't making things up. This has happened to at least one Hyundai owner that we know of. It's a common thing for airbags to deploy in the event of a crash. However, for this sedan model from Hyundai, the Elantra, the deployment of the airbags just might prove not to be as smooth as expected. Thing is, when the airbags are deployed, a headliner support bracket will also be propelled. Unfortunately, in the case of the Hyundai Elantra, the bracket might become loose and even be completely dismounted. As a result, the bracket might end up flying across the car cabin, carrying a possible threat of causing laceration injuries to any of the passengers inside the car. The Elantra owner we talked about earlier had his ear sliced by this headliner support bracket and had reported it to Hyundai. According to Hyundai, this defect only applies to its aforementioned sedan model units that were built sometime between 2011 and 2013. To address this issue, the South Korean automaker is now recalling 186,254 units of the Elantra affected. For Elantra owners that have yet to receive notification from Hyundai or to find out more about this defect, it's advisable to contact Hyundai. Well, while we honestly think that it's possible to fix this issue simply by applying adhesive strips to the headliner, we do recommend that you contact your local Hyundai dealerships that will apply the fix in the upcoming May. Chances are, you will get the fix for free anyway.
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[extract] To tell you the truth, the American automaker Ford actually planned to market the Ford Fiesta facelift in December last year. However, as it turned out, it was but too much an ambition as the model actually made its debut one month after in the hometown of panda, China. Built by Ford in collaboration with the Chinese Chang
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http://money.cnn.com/2008/11/07/news/compa...sion=2008110716 GM, FORD & CHEVROLET, the 3 biggest automaker in US are in deep trouble. What about TOYOTA, HONDA & NISSAN in Japan ? What about BMW & MERC in Germany ? Are all automakers facing huge losses ? Will car going to be cheaper in 2009/2010
