Suzuki assembles Swift in Malaysia

Suzuki Malaysia Automobile Sdn Bhd launched its locally-assembled Suzuki Swift 1.5L on the 4th of July (Wednesday). The
DRB-Hicom Bhd's subsidiary will produce the car (the first) at the company's RM20 million plant in Pekan, Pahang.

picture from the Edge Daily showing DRB-Hicom Group MD Datuk Hj Mohd Khamil Jamil giving the thumbs-up at the launch. Photo by Mohd Izwan Mohd Nazam

According to Suzuki Malaysia Automobile's chief executive officer Bastamam Hamzah, the company aims to produce an initial 300 units the Swift monthly.
The model will be available in four colours, namely, bayside blue, silver grey, supreme red and tranquillity black. It is priced at RM69,888 on the road without insurance and will be available in the market from August.

Related Link: Bername report.

More about the Fiat 500

As promised in my last post, here is more info about the new Fiat 500.

It is based on a shortened Panda and will come out in two versions - the 500 Cabriolet and the hatchback.

The Fiat 500 is a two-seater, with room at the back for the folding roof and luggage.

There will be three engine options, namely a 1.1-litre petrol, a 1.2-litre petrol and a 1.3-litre Multijet diesel.

The new Fiat will be built at their factory in Poland.

The Fiat 500

Fiat today launched the Cinquecento, which means "500" in Italian in Turin today.

This is a new version of the original three-door Cinquecento on it's 50th birthday. It is expected to be priced around €10,000 (approx. $13,600).

They will have a live press conference 9.00 a.m. to 10.30 a.m live online from the PalaIsozaki in Turin at the Fiat 500 site.

Hope to get pictures and more information tomorrow.

New Honda Accord versions coming soon

Two new versions of the Honda Accord will be launched on the 1st of September here in the UK.

First is the new Sport GT 2.2 i-CTDi and the other is the diesel-engined Accord SE 2.2-litre i-CTDi.




The Sport GT as an accord with a sports suspension and comes in Saloon and Tourer models. Not really sure how different they are apart from the fact that the Saloon has 17 inch alloy wheels whereas the later has 16 inch wheels.

One new colour option will be exclusive to this version - Premium White Pearl (shown here).

I don't have much information other than

The Sport GT is on sale from 1 September, expected to be priced from £20,767 (OTR).

On the other hand the Accord SE is a entry-level diesel engine car. It has a 6 speed gear box with stability assist. It is expected to be priced around £18,600 (OTR).

Enhanced Jaguar XKs revealed

Jaguar revealed enhanced XK and the X-TYPE ranges, which will be released in 2008, at the Canary Wharf Motorexpo.

For your information, Jaguar's XK is available in 3 versions - Coupé, Convertible or the Supercharged R version. All of the cars were made from constructed from aluminium for lightness, strength and rigidity, feature a new Sequential Shift 6-speed automatic transmission and offer 2+2 seating.

Check out the pics and you will agree with me when I say that they are look STUNNING.

The XK coupé in Liquid Silver.

The XK coupé comes with Jaguar Sequential Shift 6-speed automatic transmission, steering wheel-mounted paddles. Advanced features include Computer Active Technology Suspension, Dynamic Stability Control, an intelligent lighting system, Adaptive Cruise Control and the Jaguar Smart Key System.

According to Jaguar, the coupe accelerates from 0-60 mph (0-100 km/h) in 5.9 [6.2] seconds and has a maximum speed of 155 miles/hr (250 km/hr). It is priced at £60,097 (OTR).

The enhancements on the XK were mostly cosmetic. They now have 20-inch double five-spoke Senta alloy wheels, Jaguar Premium Surround Sound, heated front windscreen and bright finish alloy pedals as standard.

The XK convertible in Frost Blue.

The XK Convertible has a folding roof that can be lowered or raised automatically in less than 18 seconds.

Prices start from £66,097 (OTR)

According to Jaguar, the convertible goes from 0-60 mph (0-100 km/h) in 6 [6.2] seconds and has the same maximum speed as the coupe', i.e., 155 miles/hr (250 km/hr).

Both cars come with the option of a normally aspirated 4.2 litre V8 engine which delivers 300bhp.

On the other hand, you can have the award winning XKR sports car powered by Jaguar´s latest generation, supercharged 4.2 litre V8 420bhp engine.

Launched in 2006, the low frills car has a stunning top speed of 185mph with a 0-60 acceleration time of just 4.5 seconds.

The price for the Supercharged coupé was £67,585 (OTR) and £73,585 (OTR) for the XKR convertible.

Besides the above mentioned enhancements, the new XKRs now features a new high-performance braking system with 400mm front discs and 350mm rear discs.

With the new enhancements, the revised price of the XKR Coupé is now £70,097 while the convertible is now £76,097.

As for the interior, which one do you prefer:

1. Caramel with Burr Walnut Fascia


2. Ivory with Poplar Fascia
or

3. Warm Charcoal with Aluminum


As for the X-Type, the only "enhancement" is a new mesh grille and two new colors: Blue Prism and White Onyx.

Tags: jaguar xk xkr

Perodua Viva just a poor copy of Mira

Learned about the launch of the new Perodua Viva on the 10th of this month, from Xcarz who left a comment on my blog.

This new model is a replacement for the Kelisa and is based on the Daihatsu Mira (also known as the Cuore, Domino or Charade outside Japan). In fact it is almost identical to the Mira externally. Internally however, it is a different matter all together. Malaysians have been handed down the old tired design. Take a look at Paul Tan's blog post here to see what I mean.

Prices range from RM 28,400 (for the Solid color 660cc EX Manual) to RM 44,200 (for the 1000cc Metallic paint Automatic Premium) - these are on the road prices.

FYI, Perodua is short for Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua Sdn Bhd.

UPDATE: Learned from Azwan that the 660cc and 850cc versions of Viva don't have power steering.

Mitsubishi launches 2 new models

Mitsubishi Motors is going to release two models for the Japanese domestic market this fall, namely the GALANT FORTIS sedan and the LANCER EVOLUTION X high-performance 4WD sedan.


Galant Fortis is actually the US market Lancer. Features of the Galant Fortis 1 include a high-rigidity platform, a new 2-liter engine with aluminum cylinder block with sporty exterior styling .

The Lancer Evolution X2 features Mitsubishi's S-AWC3 traction and handling system, with the four-wheel drive system/. It is powered by a lightweight 2.0-liter turbocharged MIVEC4 engine with aluminum cylinder block and a 6-speed automated manual transmission.

Don't you think the Evo X looks deadly?

The new Mazda 2

This story is a bit old but I decided to put it up anyway.


Mazda Motor Corporation launched the World premiere of the new European spec Mazda2 (known as the Mazda Demio in Japan) at the 77th annual Geneva International Motor Show.

It is available in 1.3-litre and MZR 1.5-litre petrol engines. According to sources, there’ll also be a 1.4 litre diesel engine in the near future.


The safety features include driver and front passenger airbags, Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Emergency Brake-force Distribution and Emergency Brake Assist.

Mitsubishi unveils Outlander and Prototype-x

Mitsubishi finally unveils the Motors European market Outlander SUV and Prototype-X 77th Geneva International Motor Show. Read my previous post here.

The company is displaying a total of 10 exhibits (16 during the general public session) at the show which runs from March 6 through 18 at the Geneva Palexpo exhibition and conference complex. It opens to the general public on March 8.

So what's different about the European market Outlander?

For a start, the on-road SUV comes with a choice of three engines : 2.0-liter turbo-diesel, a 2.2-liter turbo-diesel and a 2.4-liter Mitsubishi Innovative Valve lift and timing Electronic Control (MIVEC). Mitsubishi Motors' own variable valve lift (VVL) system.

It has the split tailgate and auto-folding function for the second row seats and Hide&Seat™" retractable third row.

It also includes a new front grille with the 3-diamond logo mounted on a Mt Fuji-motif plinth (Mitsubishi brand design identity in the European market), as well as Euro-specific chassis tuning.

With the European launch, the Outlander is now on sale in all the world's major auto markets.

As for the Prototype-X concept. It is a design study for the new Lancer Evolution due to be launched during the 2007 fiscal year.

Mechanical features include, Mitsubishi's Super All-Wheel Control, the Vehicle dynamics system that integrates control of drive torque, braking, steering and suspension at all four wheels (S-AWC) built around a 4WD driveline; a new aluminum block MIVEC turbocharged engine mated to a high-performance six-speed automated manual transmission; and the use of aluminum in some body panels to reduce body weight.