Bugatti Galibier Concept Gets Green Signal for Entering Production

Reports suggest that Bugatti has received approval from parent company Volkswagen AG to build the Galibier four-door sedan. Shown as a concept at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show in March, theBugatti Galibier will be equipped with a 16-cylinder 8.0-liter bi-turbo flex-fuel engine expected to churn out a whopping 1000 hp.

In fact, the engine can run on both biofuel and gasoline. Top speed of the Bugatti Galibier is expected to be 217 mph. To improve torque characteristics, the Galibier will incorporate two turbos instead of the four that are found in the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport. Further, the Bugatti Galibier will be afour-wheel drive and likely share its basic architecture with the Audi A8.

Meanwhile, the official name for the production version is yet to be finalized. Incidentally, the Galibier is named for one of the most difficult mountain passes used in the annual Tour de France, the Col du Galibier.

Looking back, there was a four-door sedan Bugatti Type 57 Galibier that was first built in 1934. Also, an earlier version of the concept revealed this March was initially introduced in Molshiem just before the2009 Frankfurt Motor Show.

In the meantime, production of the new Bugatti Galibier can be expected to start in 2013 at Molsheim, France where the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 is currently made. This will require refitting of the facilities at the unit that will ultimately lead to the discontinuation of the Veyron 16.4.

Pricing is anticipated to be more than $1.4 million.

Production approval of the Bugatti Galibier comes at a time when the super-luxury market is in an upswing as is clearly seen in the strong sales of the Porsche Panamera, the forthcoming Ferrari FFthat is sold out for a full year and a Lamborghini Estoque four-door saloon apparently confirmed for production.-nitrobahn.com

APRC: Malaysian Rally 2011 (VIDEO)

This result has been coming for a while. Last year, we saw just how quick the car was in the APRC and now we’ve delivered the score which everybody in PROTON deserves. It was a shame Alister had his trouble on the first day, it would have been a great battle with him. In the end, we had to drive sensibly. We’d got a good lead from the first day and we could only lose it today [Sunday]. We weren’t willing to risk anything, so we just settled down and counted the stages off, especially after we dropped some time with a puncture on the first stage this morning. As a driver, you always want to be on the limit and racing, but this was a result for PROTON and the people of Malaysia. They have made us so welcome over the past week, to be able to take two places on the podium is a fantastic result for Chris [Mellors], the MEM team and all of PROTON. It’s the best possible way to start the season. As soon as we got into the car to drive it with the new suspension and engine, we knew it was going to be special. It was. Very special.”-.rallybuzz.com

Next-gen iPod Touch leaks with capacitive home button

The next generation Apple iPod Touch is to land with a new capacitive home button and storage increased to 128GB, new leaked information has suggested.

Appearing thanks to a flurry of leaked spyshots the claimed iPod Touch revamp can be seen to have done away with the physical home button, a feature previously rumoured for Apple’s next iPhone handset, instead opting for a capacitive touch option.

 Seemingly confirming previous speculation and patent filings the inclusion of a capacitive home button on future iPod Touch and even iPhone devices could see Apple introduce a feast of new gesture controls to the devices’ below screen bezel.

Joining the leaked Touch’s nifty bag of tricks the device’s ‘About’ screen clearly displays its 128GB capacity, doubling the current top end storage options of the latest range of iPod Touch devices that top out at just 64GB.-.t3.com

The latest Papago map dated 3rd Apr 2011

The latest Papago map dated 3rd Apr 2011 is now available for downloading. Click HERE to download. 

2012 Nissan Versa To Debut at 2011 New York Auto Show

Just the Facts:

• A successor to the Nissan Versa is expected to be introduced at the upcoming New York auto show.
• The 2012 Versa is based on the redesigned Nissan Sunny that was unveiled late last year at the Guangzhou auto show and went on sale earlier this year in China.
• The new compact sedan in the U.S. will shift to a newer, smaller platform and will continue to be slotted in size and price below the Nissan Sentra.

Nissan is planning to introduce a successor to the compact Versa sedan at the upcoming2011 New York Auto Show.

The Japanese automaker released a teaser sketch last October of the 2012 Versa, saying only that it would be "sold in the Americas."

Since then, the sketch has been posted to Nissan's consumer Web site, where it is described as the 2012 Nissan Versa and the "next-generation Versa." The Nissan Web site adds that the car will be "available soon."

More recently, the company said it plans to "unveil an all-new small car" at the New York show, but declined to divulge any further details.

The next Versa is expected to arrive at U.S. dealers later this year as a 2012 model. Like the current car, the new Versa will be assembled at Nissan's plant in Aguascalientes, Mexico.

But while the current Versa is a version of the home-market Nissan Tiida, built on Renault-Nissan's global B platform, the 2012 Versa is expected to shift to the newer, smaller V platform that underpins the recently redesigned Nissan March/Micra and the new Sunny.

The same global platform was to provide the base for the new Smart five-door hatchback that Nissan planned to build in Mexico for Daimler, beginning in late 2011, until that deal went south earlier this year.

In December, prior to the launch of the new Sunny in China, Nissan said the car eventually would be sold in 170 countries and confirmed a version of the car would come to the U.S. as a successor to the current Versa.-insideline.com

Volkswagen Plans Global, MTV-Based Unveil for 2012 Beetle

Volkswagen’s unveiling of the 2012 Beetle will be a decidedly unusual and international affair. Kicking off with an in-the-metal debut at the Shanghai Motor Show April 18, the debut will be celebrated at MTV concerts in New York and Berlin, Germany.

The concerts will take place on MTV’s World Stage in each city; The Black Eyed Peas will perform in New York, while Belgian duo 2maydjs will spin music in Berlin. The concerts-cum-car-debuts will be streamed online and will air on MTV channels around the around.

As for the car itself, Volkswagen hasn’t revealed anything more than what we already know. The 2012 [New] Beetle is to be an evolution of the previous New Beetle, which launched in 1998 on the fourth-generation Golf platform. The new car’s official profile sketch implies a similar overall shape to the old one, although spy shots reveal the new-Beetle to be longer and wider than its predecessor. The physical changes could help improve interior room.

Engine choices will likely include a 2.0-liter turbo-diesel and a 2.0-liter gasoline four-cylinder, though there’s no word yet on whether a 2.5-liter inline-five will join the mix. Buyers will have a choice between six-speed manual and seven-speed dual-clutch transmissions. The car’s overall platform will likely again be based on the Golf hatchback.

The 2012 Beetle should hit showrooms by the end of this year, and 275 lucky Oprah fans are already on the waiting list. The television host and New Beetle owner gave away 275 cars to audience members during a November 2010 taping of The Oprah Winfrey Show.-rumors.automobilemag.com

Leaked: 2012 BMW F10M M5 Ahead of Shanghai Debut

Thanks to a Russian carblog we have the ability to check out the all-new 2012 BMW F10 M5 ahead of its official debut at the Shanghai Motor Show.

Friday the 1st of April was all about M Power and BMW. During a media event in Munich a select group of journalists got the change to attend a day which showed them the BMW M3 Pickup, M3 Saloon Concept and a tour through the hidden garages at the BMW M facility in Garching showing them a 1990 BMW M8 Concept and V12-powered BMW X5.

The main event was all about the F10M M5 presented to the lucky journalists. One of them, took some pictures of the brand new M power saloon, and broke the embargo. Luckily he did because this is the brand new 2012 BMW F10 M5 or 2012 BMW F10M M5. It is the first M car which has been given a specific internal name, that is why they included the additional M.

Feel free to share your thoughts on the brand new M Power luxury saloon. For BMW lovers it must have been a wonderful day at the factory.-gtspirit.com

The latest Garmin map for Malaysia & Singapore dated 4th April 2011

The latest Garmin map for Malaysia & Singapore dated 4th April 2011 is now available for downloading. 

Click HERE to download.

Latest Lokatoo Map version 3.29 dated 4th Apr 2011

For your information, the latest map version 3.29 is now available for downloading from our website for Navigation Software version 2.07, 3.10, 3.20 and ‘4.0 and above’. Majority of the road or POI updates in this version covers Klang Valley and Pahang, covering areas such as Ampang, Bangsar, Kelana Jaya, Bukit Tinggi, Jerantut and Kuantan.


Click HERE to download.

Malaysian Rally 2011 review: Proton takes dominant home win

PROTON Motorsport celebrated one of its greatest rally success ever this weekend as the Malaysian manufacturer dominated its home round of the FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship, with Chris Atkinson winning the Malaysian Rally.

Based in Johor Bahru, the Malaysian fans were treated to a stunning display of power and control from Atkinson and his team-mate Alister McRae as the pair powered their PROTON Satria Neo S2000s ahead of everybody else on what is regarded as one of the toughest rallies in the world.

As usual, the heat played its part on this event, with the in-car temperatures rocketing. Fortunately, Atkinson and McRae were more than ready for their personal battle with the elements – and the PROTON was equally up for the enduring challenge posed by the twisty and technical stages.

Atkinson made a blistering start to the event. Content to play second fiddle on the spectator-pleasing dash around the Angsana suuperspecial, as soon as the event hit the real roads of the Kota Tinggi forest complex the Australian was in his element.

Fastest on the first gravel stage, the PROTONs were demonstrating commanding early pace by posting the first and second quickest time; Atkinson’s team-mate McRae being the only driver able to get close to the Queenslander’s scratch time.

The next stage meant another fastest time for Atkinson, his lead now more than half a minute at the front of the field. Unfortunately, SS3 proved more of a challenge for McRae and his co-driver Bill Hayes. The front of their Satria Neo S2000 became blocked by long grass, restricting the air-flow into the engine. Starved of cool air going through the radiator, the engine began to overheat, limiting the power available to the Scot.

McRae remained in touch throughout day one and moved back onto a provisional podium position on the sixth test.

Atkinson’s searing pace through Saturday was matched only by the temperature outside the Satria. Despite the heat and humidity – which led to in-car temperatures running in excess of 60 degrees – the PROTONs didn’t miss a beat. The leader won five of the six gravel stages on Saturday to dominate proceedings and build a lead of close to two minutes. With McRae’s Satria Neo S2000 just two places further back in third, the local fans were loud and proud of the Malaysian machinery which was dominating the front of their most important rally of the year.

After their thrilling and dominating drives through Saturday, Atkinson and McRae set about protecting their podium places on Sunday. The heroic pace and performance of day one, gave way to consistency and durability on day two. Atkinson suffered a right-rear puncture on the opening test, which cost him half a minute, but that was the only issue on day two. The PROTONs ran faultlessly to allow the Australian and the Scotsman to end the event in first and third places.-rallybuzz.com

Ssangyong Motor Unveils 3rd Generation New Chairman H at 2011 Seoul Motor Show

Ssangyong Motors has launched the 3rd Generation Chairman H, the company's flagship sedan, at the Seoul Motor Show. The car is said to offer great performance and convenience and it might find its way to India thanks to Mahindra!

The New Chairman H is slated as a luxury sedan that boasts of a classic design philosophy. The luxury sedan boasts of strong character lines, a purposeful stately look and a subtle elegance that fits with customer demand in Korea.  The interiors have also been substantially enhanced to offer an elite touch and feel that is in sync with expectations from luxury sedans the world over.

The New Chairman H is offered with two engine options. The XGI2800 3200 engine is a six-cylinder series engine that churns out 222ps, maximum torque of 310Nm and the company has taken added efforts to ensure that NVH levels are kept to a minimum in order to appeal to the luxury segment buyer. The other engine option is the  XGI 2800 engine has a maximum output of 200ps, and maximum torque of 270Nm. Both engines are said to be state of the art units that offer a great driving experience while offering a rather decent fuel economy as well.  The engines are mated to an advanced 5 stage automatic gearbox that not only ‘learns’ from driver input but also tunes itself to respond to a particular driving style. This is just one amongst many gadgets fitted to the Chairman H Series.

Ssangyong has taken the liberty to kit the Chairman H out completely, From the usual ABS, EBD and ESP, the car also features HAS (hill start assist) and ESS (emergency stop signal) as well as 4 sensors that work in conjunction to offer a front and rear obstacle avoidance system in terms of safety systems.

As for accessories, the car comes with everything under the sun including ventilated front seating, heated steering wheel, a smart key entry security system, plush leather seats, maple wood finish on the dash and a host of other goodies that one would expect to find in a luxury sedan.

The New Chairman H will be manufactured at Ssangyong's factory in Korea and will reach domestic dealerships by May this year. Now that the company is part of the Mahindra Group, it remains to be seen if the Chairman series comes to India along with some of the SUV models from Ssangyong that are slated for an Indian debut early next year.-zigwheels.com

Seoul Motor Show 2011, Are you Out-Greening the Show Floor?

IA K5 Hybrid rolls on Seoul Motor Show 2011 stage with the choir singing, "Let's Build Green World Together".

Without green element, any auto show in this century is Juicy Fruit without juicy flavor. After Geneva March this year, Seoul Motor Show faced no exception in challenge. As much as 1 million visitors are interested in Korea Premiere- the newest car of each brand- they are paying the equal amount of attention on green factors here at auto show in Korea.

K5 Hybrid

A 33-year-old businessman, Tommy Choi (pen name) said, "I am currently driving K5 (KIA), so I basically attended the show to check on K5 Hybrid, but I ended up nosing through every green related parts and cars here, which took me 5 full hours." According to the other collected voices as well, the Seoul Motor Show 2011 succeeded to anchor the visitors' feet with its rich information on green. Yes, of course some of them are heard of before since six or eight years ago, but like dandelions, the GREEN on cars will never stop growing.

Environmentalist Jonathan Lee (left) and President of Hyundai Yang Seung-suk

Hybrid obviously will bring good business to automobile companies for the next ten years however, to choose hybrid is to set aside the driver's desire to speed. BMW Active Hybrid 7 turned the twin-turbo V-8 gas engine for an additional 40 hp and 30 lb-ft of torque as the first concept in the world. The approach is perhaps made to state that Hybrid cars, too, can run speedy. Hyundai stands out of many hybrid cars as well for its own unique hybrid system (rather than licensing technology from Toyota). Blue Drive- The heart of this hybrid system- is a 40-hp electric motor. Hyundai Blue Drive approach reduces its costs by avoiding the two large motors and planetary CVT used in other hybrids like Ford and Toyota. KIA K5, Benz S400, Subaru Tourer Concept, Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid, Porsche Cayenne S Hybrid, and Honda CR-Z each is showing off its own strength. Further details of each model is covered on Seoul Motor Show Hybrid Special.

 

Samsung New SM3 100% pure electric vehicle

Have you heard of 100% pure electric vehicles? Renault-Samsung showcases 3 of them: SM3 Z.E., Twizy Z.E., and SM7 Concept. SM3 Z.E., for an example, can be driven for more than 160 km at the maximum speed of 150 km/h on a single charge. Its QuickDrop battery switch system expends mileage. As you check the other electronic vehicles - Hyundai BlueOn, GM Volt, AD Motors e6, Power Plaza Yebbujana, SSangyong KEV2, Missan Leaf, and KIA POP, make sure to check on its peak motor power and maximum torque after checking expended mileage and maximum speed.

Benz B-Class, Honda FCX Clarity, U3-X, and AD Motors Change are caught on Seoul Motor Show 2011 as well. This May, the Mercedes-Benz B-class F-Cell will be delivered to consumers after Honda's FCX Clarity takes the first bullet. Mr. Kim one of the visitors said, "I'd consider buying fuel cell cars if Korea secures the hydrogen infrastructure all over the place!" That is right. Hydrogen infrastructure is indeed one of the most limiting factors to purchasing these cars. This car's three 10,153-psi carbon-fiber tanks require H2 flow of about 11,600 psi to top off in about three minutes. The FCX, on the other hand, stores H2 at 5000 psi, a pressure at which more hydrogen stations can operate, meaning there are more available refueling locations. Further details are found at Fuel Cell Special.-.koreaittimes.com