Home - Piston.my

Honda celebrates 25th anniversary of the Type-R

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Type R nameplate. Introduced in 1992 to signal a vehicle’s performance oriented heritage, it went to become a set of letters that is revered all over the world.

The first Honda vehicle that received the R in its model name was the NSX-R, which was fitted with Motorsport-inspired upgrades that improved the base car’s characteristics. The R version had a powerful and high revving engine and finely tuned suspension.

Within Honda, the NSX-R was known as the R-Type, which eventually reversed to form Type-R. It’s a name that went on to adorn a number of high performance Hondas that include the Integra DC2, Civic and Accord.

Honda’s Type-R vehicles were in high demand up until 2011 when the global financial recession hit markets around the world. But things eventually picked again as economies around the world began to recover.

Fans of the brand are commemorating this milestone with a celebration event in Rockingham this week. Apart from that, Honda UK also gave a select group of people the opportunity to experience the best that Type-R vehicles have to offer including the Civic, Accord and Integra models.

TVR Griffith finally revealed to general public

TVR has finally launched the Griffith, its first ever vehicle in more than a decade, at the Goodwood Revival. Staying true to its heritage, the new car’s design seems to be inspired by a number of its predecessors, which is made evident by the long and sleek silhouette, angular contours and ostentatious front fascia.

It largely stays true to the TVR formula safe for the large gaping hole at the front and faux side vents integrated with the headlights. There seems to be a hint of McLaren 570s in the entire look, which isn’t a bad thing but dilutes the TVR representation of the car.

The rather elegant design was a culmination of work by Gordon Murray’s Design house and incredible manufacturing efforts of iStream who were responsible for the car’s carbon composite structure and body panels.

In fact, the car is so highly engineered, that it happens to be the second front-engine production car to feature a flat floor, which equates to better cabin space. Buyers can also opt for a full ground-effect aerodynamic package, that will improve stabilty and handling at higher speeds.

Inside, the car is more driver focused than most of its rivals, featuring minimalist switchgear that flank the LCD based instrument cluster. The short but chunky gear knob leads us to believe that the Griffith will be offered with a short-shifting manual transmission, a nod to the purist in all of us.

Weighing just 1250kg, the Griffith boasts exceptional torsional rigidity and a perfect 50:50 weight distribution. Powering the new TVR Griffith is a naturally aspirated 5.0-litre Cosworth-enhanced V8, that is mated to a six-speed manual gearbox.

As such, the car is able to achieve a top speed of more than 322km/h, and accelerates from 0-100km/h in less than four seconds. This puts it in the same league as top guns from the likes of Porsche, BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

Though not ground breaking, these specs are nothing to scoff at because it could point to the idea of the Griffith being marketed as a more sensible and less expensive supercar. In the UK, the car is priced at £90,000 (RM 499,064) and production of the new TVR Griffith Launch Edition will begin in late 2018.

Speaking of the new car, TVR Chairman, Les Edgar said, “Today’s unveiling is the culmination of nearly three years of tireless work by the team, and we’re all proud to be able to show the new TVR Griffith to the world.”

He then added, ” This is unmistakably a TVR, a British muscle car that’s as awesome and brutal as it is charismatic and refined. Importantly, the new TVR offers levels of technical sophistication, comfort, reliability and practicality never seen by the brand before.”

The new Griffith is being previewed in a pace car livery, which the automaker says signals its seriousness of returning to racetracks of the world in the very near future.

Aston Martin appoints new president for its Europe division

There’s been a bit of a shake up at Aston Martin Europe’s leadership. Mark Kenworthy has vacated his position as President and taken on a new role as Head of Global Dealer Network at the Aston Martin headquarters in Gaydon.

Ulrich Schäfer, the former Managing Director at Polaris, will take over from Kensworthy as President of Aston Martin Europe. Born in Trier, Germany, Schäfer has been in the automotive and motorcycle industry for brands like BMW, Indian Motorcycles, Renault and KIA for more than 20 years.

Speaking of his appointment, Schäfer said, “I am delighted to be joining Aston Martin at what is an exciting time for the brand. I’m looking forward to working with the team and our partners in developing the brand for the future.”

He held various senior management positions in marketing and brand management, dealer development and sales while at the aforementioned companies. A learned man with an MBA from Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, Germany and a degree in International Economics from the University of Sorbonne in Paris, France, Schäfer has his work cut out for him.

Regarding the new appointment, President and Chief Executive Officer Dr Andy Palmer said, “I want to personally thank Mark Kenworthy for his support job in the region, under his direction, Aston Martin in Europe has doubled the total sales on a year-to-year basis, significantly extending our market share.”

He later added, “We are delighted to welcome Ulrich Schäfer to the Aston Martin team. He brings profound knowledge and a wealth of experience by serving more than 20 years in the automotive industry. We are looking forward to working with Ulrich in delivering the Second Century plan.”

Aston Martin has been making several big changes lately, which include a partnership with AMG that will see the former use the latter’s engines to power its cars. Let’s hope these big decisions will help the Gaydon based automaker, get back it’s winning ways.

Kia will unveil impressive Procee’d concept at Frankfurt

Kia has released more images of a concept vehicle that is meant as a precursor to the new Procee’d, and it will be unveiled at the Frankfurt Motorshow. Coincidentally, the new car was designed in Frankfurt, which is home to the Korean automaker’s European design centre.

Based on first impressions, the new concept features sleeker lines and a raked roof that add to its sporty character. A more subtle tiger nose grille adorns the front fascia, which is a nod to Kia’s current design language.

The curved projector headlights are able to blend in with the fluid nature of the vehicles contours, which add to the appeal. And unlike the car it will replace, the new Procee’d features a hatchback design, which should be more practical and provide more luggage space for customers.

That said, the actual production ready vehicle may not look identical to this. Admittedly, Kia have said that the concept is meant to provide the public with a glimpse into what the actual car could look like.

That said, it would be prudent to say that a number of the more ‘futuristic’ elements of the car will be retracted and replaced with more sensible and ‘production-ready’ ones. But as a whole, the silhouette including the racked roof, extended hatchback style rear and sleek side profiles should make it onto the actual Procee’d.

Speaking of the concept, Gregory Guillaume, Chief Designer Europe for Kia Motors, said, “With many European drivers now seeking performance alternatives to the three-door hot hatch, we began thinking about a different halo model for the cee’d family.”

He later added, “The Proceed Concept represents a bold new vision of how the vibrant soul of the pro_cee’d could be reincarnated and revitalized for a new generation of performance-oriented drivers.”

Information regarding the technology aspect still remains scarce, but we are sure Kia will divulge more when the covers come off teh actual car in just a few days time.

Ferrari to celebrate 70th anniversary in style

Celebrations for Ferrari’s 70th birthday will begin tomorrow at its home of Maranello. The event is estimated to draw thousands of customers and fans from around the world as their join in with the festivities.

International rallies of Ferraris will be touring major cities around Europe to commemorate the occasion. They will pass through places like Frankfurt, Geneva, London, Monte Carlo, Prague, Reims, Salzburg and Rome before converging in Milan.

On Saturday, a single grand parade of 500 Ferraris will drive to the Fiorano circuit, the main venue of the celebration. In Modena on the same day, rare Ferrari cars will be put on display for the general public. Then, these vehicles will be driven to the Museo Enzo Ferrari, to pay homage to the birthplace of the automaker’s founder, Enzo Ferrari.

In the evening, guests will be able to attend the show “Ferrari Settanta”, which recounts the company’s past and present while also taking a peek into the future. However, due to space constrains, only a limited number of people will get to witness it in person, the rest will have to settle for watching it on TV.

On Sunday the Concours d’Elegance will conclude the celebrations. A jury of international experts will be tasked with choosing the two “Best of Show” cars in the GT and Sportscar categories from among 120 precious vintage Ferraris.

Ferrari is one of the most celebrated automakers in history. Many consider loyalty to the brand, a religion, and one that is observed by the Tifosi. Stay tuned, and we will bring you more regarding the event as soon as it becomes available to us.

Nissan unveils the new Leaf for global markets

Nissan has unveiled the highly anticipated second generation EV, the Leaf. Building on the success of its predecessor that burst onto the scene in 2010, the new car aims to be the smartest electric vehicle on the market.

Though it features the same basic silhouette as its predecessor, the car has been given a completely new look. Gone is the fish eye-like front end and in its place, a more contemporary look with sharp projector headlights that meet the narrow yet prominent V motion chrome grille.

The new Leaf stills sports the swept back look of its predecessor but seems to feature a sportier side profile thanks to a pair of decent side skirts and a two-tone paint scheme. This theme is carried to the rear as well because part of the hatch has a gloss black finish.

It also features more angular but less prominent rear taillights that are smaller than its predecessor. The bottom section of the rear bumper resembles that of a diffuser, but we aren’t sure whether its fully-functional or just there for vanity purposes.

Fitted at the base of the car is a higher density battery pack that is about 40% more efficient than the one fitted to the 2010 car. As such it enables the new Leaf to cover a distance of 378km on a single charge.

Nissan is very proud of the car’s e-powertrain, which offers better efficiency and is able to deliver 148bhp and 320Nm of torque. The smart thing about the new car is that it is able to charge as and when necessary as well as when tariffs are lower.

The car can also feed power back into the power grid and power your home during the day to help reduce your electricity bill. Though these features won’t be beneficial in all global markets, it will help owners in places where sufficient infrastructure is in place to support EVs.

As expected, the new Leaf comes with all the latest tech which include ProPILOT, ProPILOT Park and e-Pedal. ProPILOT is an intelligent autonomous system that keeps the car in its respective lane as well as at a safe distance from the vehicle at the front. It uses mutiple ultrasound sensors to offer drivers extra security especially on long journeys.

ProPILOT Park, allow the Leaf to manouver into parking spots without the need for human intervention. Though this is nothing revolutionary, it still is impressive to witness. Lastly, there’s the e-Pedal. This system will enable the car to decelerate without the driver pressing the brake pedal.

When a driver lifts his/her foot off the accelerator pedal, the regenerative braking feature kicks allowing the car to gradually come to a complete stop. It works by applying regenerative and friction brakes automatically, which even works for steep inclinations.

This new Leaf will go on sale in Japan in October of this year with deliveries for other parts of the world slated for the beginning of 2017. Nissan aims to sell this car in more than 60 markets globally, which should include Malaysia.