Archive Archives

First public appearance of New Toyota GR Yaris at TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Festival in Japan today!

The new Toyota new GR Yaris made its first public appearance at the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Festival held at the Fuji Speedway in Japan. This is the second model that will be added to the GR family – TOYOTA GAZOO Racing’s sportscar line-up – following the return of the legendary GR Supra.

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing (TGR) has been involved in Toyota’s global motorsports activities, developing machines that claimed 5 wins in the 2018 season and took the Manufacturer’s title and Driver’s and Co-driver’s title this year.

The new GR Yaris is said to incorporate all the technologies, knowledge, and experience learned from participation in the World Rally Championship. Akio Toyoda, Toyota’s President, using his TGR Master Driver nickname of ‘Morizo’ (which he uses when he enters races) was also involved in the car’s development – not just approving the budget as most presidents usually do but personally testing it and giving feedback to the engineers.

He recently performed the final test of the car, pushing it to its furthermost limits, and has pronounced it ready to be introduced to the world on January 10 at the Tokyo Auto Salon 2020.

WTCR: Guerrieri keeps title fight alive with Race 2 victory

Race 2 of the 2019 FIA World Touring Car Cup (WTCR) final round in Sepang was a wet one filled with drama, including a fiery crash. The results showcased a final race showdown on the championship title between Race 2 winner, Esteban Guerrieri (ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport) and Norbert Michelisz (BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse). (more…)

WTCR: Michelisz extends championship lead with Race 1 win

The final round of the 2019 FIA World Touring Car Cup (WTCR) kicked off to a wonderful start for Norbert Michelisz (BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse) here in Sepang where he emerged victorious in Race 1. Driving the Hyundai i30 N TCR, Michelisz now extends his lead in the driver’s championship with 351 points. (more…)

Porsche’s Tri-Wing S-91x Pegasus Starfighter completed and ready for debut tomorrow (w/VIDEO)

In October, we revealed that Porsche has very long-term plans for its business, not just on Earth but in galaxies far, far away. To prepare for this, the sportscar maker got together with LucasFilm, the creators of Star Wars, to develop a starship as a first step. Over a period of 2 months, a project team consisting of designers from Porsche and LucasFilm worked together at their respective design studios in Weissach (Germany) and San Francisco to create initial ideas and drafts before finally coming up with a concrete concept.

The fantasy starship, named Tri-Wing S-91x Pegasus Starfighter, is presently in concept form so it is small – just 1.5 metres. While legal requirements impose certain restrictions on creativity in the classic design process for a series-production vehicle, this project opens up a whole new dimension of freedom.

At the same time, the Style Porsche team faced fresh challenges, since creating a purely virtual design is demanding, too. On the screen, the starship is only seen in two dimensions, while classic series-production vehicles appear physically in three dimensions. In addition, starships usually only appear dynamically in the film and are only visible for a brief moment – so the design has to create an impression and be recognisable within a matter of seconds.

Porsche details in the starship
A glance at the details reveals a number of features familiar from the Porsche design style. The front is reminiscent of the so-called ‘air curtains’ (air inlets) that go together with the headlights to create a single formal entity in the all-electric Taycan sportscar. In addition to the 4-point daytime running light typical of Porsche, the so-called ‘blasters’ – long gun barrels at the front – are located at the tip. The rear grid with the louvres and integrated third brake light was inspired by the current 911 generation, and the rear section of the starship bears the brand’s hallmark light bar.

Porsche design criteria have been applied to the interior, too: the instruments in the cockpit are clearly aligned with the driver’s axis, while the low seating position is reminiscent of the sporty ergonomics in the 918 Spyder. All in all, the design follows a basic principle that is characteristic of the brand. All the elements on the exterior have a clear function, and purely visual features have largely been dispensed with.

“The design of the spaceship is harmoniously integrated into the Star Wars film world while at the same time demonstrating clear analogies with the characteristic Porsche styling and proportions,” said Michael Mauer, Vice-President Style Porsche at Porsche AG. “The basic shape of the cabin, which tapers towards the rear, and a highly distinctive topography from the cockpit flyline to the turbines establish visual parallels with the iconic design of the 911 and the Taycan. The very compact layout conveys dynamism and agility, lending emphasis to the Porsche design features mentioned.”

The development process of the starship can be viewed online at www.thedesigneralliance.com. The Tri-Wing S-91x Pegasus Starfighter will make its first public appearance at the film’s special premiere of ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’ tomorrow in Los Angeles. The global release is set for Thursday, December 19, 2019.

Electric vehicles are far from boring these days and you can even drift with them (w/VIDEO)

Although Formula E has shown that electric power can be used for racing cars and the appearance of fully electric vehicles (EVs) in some motorsports events has also proven that all-electric powertrains can be very powerful, there are still people who imagine EVs are slow and boring.

Such vehicles were first promoted for their clean technology as they generated no exhaust gases while in use, meaning zero emissions into the environment. They are ideal for personal mobility as well as various forms of transport within cities or even for inter-city travel.

With the current state of EV technology, the range on a fully-charged battery pack has been steadily increasing and so has performance. As it is, the characteristic of an electric motor is that it generates maximum torque virtually from standstill, zipping off the line like a radio-control models car when the accelerator pedal is depressed.

Drifting and electric mobility
And believe it or not, you can also drift an EV, as a professional stunt driver shows with the latest Nissan LEAF. Drifting is usually performed by sportscars with powerful internal combustion engines, but Nissan wanted to try something different. In an unlikely pairing of adrenaline-inducing drifts and electric mobility, the LEAF was shown to produce both maximum torque and force, while delivering virtually silent donuts and burnouts.

The world’s best-selling EV therefore debunked outdated perceptions that electric vehicles are nothing but large golf carts. Throughout the test, the LEAF’s emissions naturally remained at zero – a number symbolized by the vehicle’s donut tread marks.

Try the LEAF yourself
You don’t have to buy a LEAF just to go drifting. Buy it for the driving pleasure that comes from much quieter and smoother motoring, and the satisfaction of doing your part to protect the environment for future generations. And you no longer have petrol costs to worry about too!

The LEAF is available in Malaysia and to locate a showroom where you can learn more about it and take a test-drive, visit www.nissan.com.my.

Race-ready Civic Type R TC from Honda Performance Development

Honda Performance Development (HPD), a wholly owned subsidiary of American Honda Motor which acts as the technical operations centre for the brand’s high-performance racing programs, has revealed its latest development of the Civic Type R – the race-ready Civic Type R TC racing car.

Priced at US$89,900 (about RM372,000), The Type R TC is designed as a turn-key solution for professional racers, and for skilled Type R enthusiasts who wish to transition from track time in a stock Type R to a fully-built racing car. The specially outfitted Type R joins the TCA-class Civic Si and TCR-class Type R in HPD’s portfolio of Civic-based, turn-key racing machines.

“The successes of Honda Racing Development’s TCA Civic Si and TCR Type R in North American touring car championship series have generated a strong interest in more ready-to-race Honda Touring Cars for North America,” said Ted Klaus, President of Honda Performance Development. “With the introduction of the new Type R TC-class race car, we now offer a complete lineup of turn-key, Civic-based race cars for registered racing customers in North America.”

Specifically for TC-class competition
Designed specifically for TC-class competition, the Civic Type R TC was developed and tested in-house by HPD engineers as a modified version of the production Civic Type R designed exclusively for track use. HPD engineers drew on experience gained from production car and race vehicle engineering, including development of the HPD Civic Si TCA racing car.

Major modifications to the production Type R include a high-flow front grille, a J’s Racing FRP vented bonnet, CSF-designed radiator and oil cooler; an HPD/Borla downpipe and turbo back exhaust; a 6-speed manual transmission with high-strength 3rd and 4th gears; an HPD/Cusco limited slip differential; HPD Girodisk 2-piece front brake rotors and HPD brake inlet ducts; an HPD/Pyrotect bolt-in FIA 16-gallon fuel cell; a welded multi-point racing cage; and an OMP racing seat with 6-point harness.

The HPD-developed Civic Type R race car begins life as a body-in-white from Honda’s UK plant and uses the proven 2.0-litre VTEC Turbo engine which produces between 270 and 330 bhp, depending on the series application.

The Type R TC retains the standard model’s exterior sheet metal, but adds racing components developed in-house and in partnership with select suppliers to build a ready-to-race machine that saves racers the time and money of doing it themselves.

Proton to explore e-commerce platforms to expand reach

As consumer purchase patterns change and shopping online becomes more popular, some car companies have strived to meet these new developments by offering their products online. Their initial efforts have not been in a big way nor long-term as they want to see the effectiveness first. Proton is among those companies and recently collaborated with Shopee to explore new avenues to connect with its customers.

“Commerce today has changed drastically from what it was even as recently as just 5 to 10 years ago. Proton has to keep up with these changes to remain relevant and while we are pursuing our strategy to increase customer touchpoints via the growth of 3S/4S outlets, we must also utilise technology to drive mobility for the business. Our campaign with Shopee is a good example as it offers ease and convenience for consumers but also puts them in contact with our network of outlets for aftersales services,” said Dr Li Chunrong, CEO of Proton.

Over 200 units booked online
Over 200 units of the X70 SUV were booked in the first few days of the ecommerce platform’s 12.12 Birthday Sale, and as a special incentive, customers using Shopee are able to place a booking for just RM99 instead of the usual RM1,000 booking fee.

The first 50 Proton X70 customers who successfully register their vehicle before December 31, 2019 will also receive RM2,000 of Shopee vouchers and enjoy additional ongoing promotions for the month by Proton.

This isn’t the first time Proton is using the internet to allow customers to book its cars. Prior to its launch on December 12, 2018, the X70 SUV could be booked online from October, contributing to the pre-launch booking of over 10,000 units.

An alternative sales platform in future
A similar campaign was also utilised for the launch of other models in 2019 with the success experienced pointing to the increased importance of the channel. “We started to enable online bookings of our cars since late 2018 and over the next few years, we could expand the use of this as a sales platform. With improved online security and transaction platforms becoming widely accepted, there could be a time when financing could be applied for and approved online so Proton aims to be at the forefront of adopting these new technologies,” added Dr Li Chunrong.

Click here for other news and articles on Proton.

MirrorCam brings digital imaging to Mercedes-Benz trucks

Since the middle of this year, an increasing number of large Mercedes-Benz trucks in Europe have been seen on the roads without the typical large exterior mirrors. Instead, small streamlined camera arms are mounted on the roof frame. They are a new standard feature called MirrorCam which Mercedes-Benz Trucks has fitted to the new Actros.

At this time, Mercedes-Benz is the only manufacturer in the industry to commercialise the MirrorCam concept. The digital rear-view mirror not only looks futuristic but the system can also do much more than conventional main and wide-angle mirrors and its performance far exceeds the legal requirements.

“After a short familiarisation period, drivers experience the advantages of the MirrorCam in many different situations for themselves. Overtaking, manoeuvring, driving in poor visibility and darkness, cornering and bottleneck situations – the MirrorCam makes all this safer and less stressful,” said Patrick Hirth, a cab development mechanic at Mercedes-Benz Trucks who has already driven more than 200,000 kms with the new MirrorCam.

Two cameras, two screens and more
The MirrorCam consists of two cameras mounted on the left and right of the roof frame, two upright monitors mounted on the A-pillars in the driver’s cab and control elements in the door module and in the secondary display. There are also buttons on the passenger side and by the bed to switch on the MirrorCam when the engine is switched off.

The images transmitted by the cameras are transferred to the two 15.2-inch monitors with a resolution of 720 x 1920 pixels. Like the conventional mirror system, the monitor image is divided into a main and wide-angle field of vision. As the MirrorCam cameras are attached to the roof frame and the monitors are located inside the cab, the driver has a much better direct view through the side windows.

The view diagonally ahead, which was previously obstructed by the large exterior mirrors of a conventional mirror system in many situations, is now clear. This is particularly advantageous when approaching junctions and roundabouts, when manoeuvring and in tight bends.

The MirrorCam also assists the driver when reversing and the display then changes to a special manoeuvring view. In particular, reversing around corners is made easier as areas further away from the vehicle are also displayed in the usual size. This view is automatically activated when reverse gear is engaged and is still displayed when driving forwards up to a speed of 10 km/h or until it is deactivated with a button.

Better assessment of traffic behind
The distance lines in the display of the MirrorCam are also useful: they help the driver to better gauge the distance to objects behind the vehicle according to the driving situation. In addition, before moving off, the driver can use the door control panel to position one of the lines to symbolise the end of the vehicle in the display.

To this end, the driver places an object that is well visible, such as a fluorescent jacket, on the ground next to the end of the trailer and aligns the line accordingly. If the system detects a change in the towed unit such as a trailer or semi-trailer, the driver is alerted by a flashing line that the length of the truck may have changed. However, the system only needs to be realigned if this is actually the case. Later on, when overtaking, MirrorCam displays red, orange and yellow markings to show the driver if they can safely move back to the right lane or if a few metres are still needed for the necessary safe distance.

Swivelling camera image for safer cornering
A special highlight of the MirrorCam is demonstrated when cornering with a semitrailer truck. The image on the display on the inside of the corner also swivels, so the driver always has a perfect view of the end of the trailer when cornering. In contrast, with a conventional mirror system, the mirror on the inside of the corner often only shows the side wall of the trailer due to the articulation angle of the semitrailer/tractor combination. Here the driver has a much higher risk of cutting the corner and colliding with an obstacle than when using the MirrorCam – a situation which was captured on video recently when it happened on Malaysian roads.

Works well in rain and darkness
The high mounting position of the camera arms not only ensures excellent visibility, it also gets much less dirty in this position than the lower glass mirror. The water-repellent coating of the camera lenses also means less dirt. Furthermore, the view of the screens is free of reflections and dirt on the side windows of the cab.

At dawn, dusk and at night, the cameras with their powerful light have advantages over a conventional rearview mirror as the system continuously adjusts to the changing light conditions. The same applies to areas with artificial lighting such as a tunnel.

Perfect interaction with Sideguard Assist
MirrorCam and Sideguard Assist work hand-in-hand in the new Actros and the new Arocs. Sideguard Assist is a warning system that helps the driver prevent dangerous accidents during turns (right turns for lefthand drive vehicles). The system gives a visual and an acoustic warning in good time if there is a risk of collision with a stationary or moving object in the warning area on the side of the truck. The driver can then usually brake in time if they have overlooked something on the passenger’s side when turning.

This is particularly important in busy city traffic with lots of cyclists, pedestrians and parked cars. What’s more, Sideguard Assist also functions as a Lane Change Assist for the right side and warns the driver with a yellow or red triangle in the MirrorCam monitor if another road-user is next to the truck in the adjacent lane.

Minimal damage likely
It should also be mentioned that the camera arms of the MirrorCam can be folded in the direction of travel and against the direction of travel. This minimises damage in the event of a collision. Due to the smaller size and the high mounting of the MirrorCam system alone, there is much less risk of it catching on something.

WTCR: Cyan Racing Lynk & Co confident to win in Sepang

The final round of the 2019 FIA World Touring Car Cup (WTCR) right here in Sepang, Malaysia (dubbed the WTCR Races of Malaysia 2019) is set to be a massive showdown between the greats in the touring car championship. Team Cyan Racing Lynk & Co together with the Cyan Performance Lynk & Co squad are ready to bring home the overall team championship as well as an uphill battle for the driver’s championship titles. (more…)

First Made-in-Malaysia Proton X70 officially rolls out at Tg. Malim factory

At long last, locally-made versions of the Proton X70 are now being released, one year and one day after it was launched in Malaysia as the first joint product of the DRB-HICOM partnership in the Malaysian carmaker.

Until today, Proton has been making the X70 in China and bringing the SUV in as a completely built-up (CBU) vehicle, just like some models of other makes from Europe and Japan. However, even though the vehicles were made in China, many parts were sent from Malaysian suppliers so even before today, Malaysian-made parts have been incorporated.

One of the reasons for using parts from Malaysia was that the X70 is a righthand drive model and the factory in China doesn’t make such a variant, so parts have not been made there. The other reason could be that the volume required was ‘small’ by the standards of vendors in China and as their supply would not be needed after a year, it was probably not worthwhile for them.

The plant in Tanjung Malim, Perak, has been in existence since 2004 but when Geely became involved, a major renovation was undertaken and a new RM1.2 billion extension was added. New manufacturing processes and equipment were also installed to raise efficiency and productivity along with quality.

Developing the vendor eco system
At the same time, Proton worked together with local and overseas vendors to establish a supply chain for parts required to build its first SUV, would be in place when production activities began. During the preparatory phase prior to start of production some months ago, Proton worked closely with its local vendors to match them with other companies who were already supplying components for the SUV.

These efforts resulted in 7 new joint-ventures being formed as both local and foreign companies started partnerships based in Malaysia to share competencies and production resources.

Other business relationships established include technical agreements and foreign direct investments, resulting in a total investment of RM263 million and the creation of 1,084 jobs as the vendor community gears up to create a pipeline of high technology components for the X70 and future models.

Production hub for RHD vehicles
“Today marks a historical milestone for Proton as we take another step towards being a global automotive brand. By producing the Proton X70 in Tanjung Malim, we have taken a quantum leap in our abilities as this is by far our most ambitious undertaking to date. This new plant will not only produce future products jointly developed with Geely but it will also be a centre for right-hand-drive production as we begin exports to countries all over world,” said Dato’ Sri Syed Faisal Albar, Proton’s Chairman, at the exclusive and private roll-out ceremony held earlier today,

An Conghui, President & CEO of Geely Auto Group, confirmed that Proton’s position within the Geely Auto Group is to be a valuable partner to grow sales in ASEAN markets.

“PROTON has undergone a tremendous transformation over the past 2 years. This experience has worked out very well for us at Geely Auto as we are happy to help Proton realize its global aspirations. We will continue to support Proton as it grows in the Malaysian market and in the wider ASEAN region and beyond,” he added.

Piston.my

Archive

First public appearance of New Toyota GR Yaris at TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Festival in Japan today!

WTCR: Guerrieri keeps title fight alive with Race 2 victory

WTCR: Michelisz extends championship lead with Race 1 win

Porsche’s Tri-Wing S-91x Pegasus Starfighter completed and ready for debut tomorrow (w/VIDEO)

Electric vehicles are far from boring these days and you can even drift with them (w/VIDEO)

Race-ready Civic Type R TC from Honda Performance Development

Proton to explore e-commerce platforms to expand reach

MirrorCam brings digital imaging to Mercedes-Benz trucks

WTCR: Cyan Racing Lynk & Co confident to win in Sepang

First Made-in-Malaysia Proton X70 officially rolls out at Tg. Malim factory

First public appearance of New Toyota GR Yaris at TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Festival in Japan today!

WTCR: Guerrieri keeps title fight alive with Race 2 victory

WTCR: Michelisz extends championship lead with Race 1 win

Porsche’s Tri-Wing S-91x Pegasus Starfighter completed and ready for debut tomorrow (w/VIDEO)

Electric vehicles are far from boring these days and you can even drift with them (w/VIDEO)

Race-ready Civic Type R TC from Honda Performance Development

Proton to explore e-commerce platforms to expand reach

MirrorCam brings digital imaging to Mercedes-Benz trucks

WTCR: Cyan Racing Lynk & Co confident to win in Sepang

First Made-in-Malaysia Proton X70 officially rolls out at Tg. Malim factory

Archive

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Review: New Porsche Macan – Porsche has done it, again!

Former F1 World Champion Stuck in Airport Toilet

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