Subaru Forester S-Edition Concept Unveiled at Australian International Motor Show

Subaru has introduced a Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive Forester concept at the 2010 Australian International Motor Show. The vehicle comes with a list of new elements, which are strong clues pointing to a new variant of the vehicle, which will be released next year.Using the Forester S-Edition concept, the vehicle is built starting from the current turbocharged Forester XT. The concept’s 2.5 liter engine comes with a power premium of 32 hp and 27 Nm, offering a total of 262 hp and 347 Nm of torque.

The list of important novelties includes:

• Paddleshift five-speed automatic gearbox
• Revised sports suspension
• Variable Torque Distribution (VTD) All-Wheel Drive
• Exclusive styling accents
• STI 17-inch high lustre alloy wheels
• Alcantara seat trim with S-Edition logos
• Drilled alloy pedals
• Luminescent instruments with centre design unique to the model
• Forester S-Edition badging

“We’re delighted and honoured that Fuji Heavy Industries (FHI) have chosen Sydney for the worldwide unveil of this Forester concept.It points towards an exciting development in our Forester range early next year,” said Nick Senior, Managing Director, Subaru Australia.

“Forester is firmly established as Australia’s best selling compact sports utility vehicle, with the most recent addition to the range being the diesel variants that are proving a sales winner for our All-Wheel Drive brand. There’s no denying Forester’s appeal to Australians in both urban and rural environments, so we think this concept will only add to the huge interest,” the executive added.

The unveiling follows the company's recent announcement of its first all-new engine in 21 years, which will make its debut on naturally aspirated Foresters in Australia in early 2011. We are talking about the third generation four cylinder horizontally opposed 2.5 liter Boxer engine. This comes with a longer stroke, compact combustion chamber and lighter moving parts.-autoevolution.com 

Proton unveils Inspira priced from RM79,888

 
Proton Holdings Bhd has unveiled an all new mid-sized four door Sedan, "Inspira", with a starting price of RM79,888 and it is not a replacement model for Waja.

"Waja is being discontinued. This is not a replacement," Group Managing Director Datuk Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir said at the soft launch of the latest edition of Proton's family here.

He said the new model clearly demonstrated the many ways to come out with a good car and a result of Proton's long-term relationship with Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC).

The collaboration with MMC to come up with the Inspira enabled Proton to save a lot of funds and time, he said.

"It's cheaper from the company's point of view," he said, adding that it would cost up to RM700 million to develop a completely new car.

"It's a win-win collaboration of Proton and MMC," he said.

Booking starts today with a minimum fee of RM1,000. Those who book the car from today until Nov 15 will get a free two-year service or first 50,000km.

The service package includes free labour charges and service parts worth RM1,658 in total for the car that will be launched on Nov 10.

Proton offers continuously variable transmission (CVT) with intelligent and innovation vehicle electronic control system (INVECS-III) in a variant of the Inspira.

Among practical features customers stand to gain from include auto cruise, automatic light and rain sensors, welcome and coming home light system, fully automatic air conditioning system with climate control system for both front and rear occupants, and all round airbags for passengers' safety.

Proton aims to sell 1,600 units of the Inspira a month.

"The market for the C-Segment cars is about 5,000-6,000 units a month. So, we are looking at 1,600 a month as it is value for money," Syed Zainal said.

He said the company also aimed to export the Inspira, "but we will first ensure the stability of production first."

Inspira comes in four colours -- White, Black, Silver and Red.-Bernama,

2011 Suzuki Swift R Concept to debut at Beijing Motor Show

The current Suzuki Swift is starting to get a little old now since it was launched in 2004. This concept is a way of Suzuki reminding us that it knows a thing or two when it comes to the hot hatch segment. The Swift has always been one of the, if not the most driver-oriented hatches in the segment, too, this looks like it’ll have no trouble reinforcing that.

The new concept features all the right enhancements, enough to whet appetites far and wide in the world of driving enthusiasts. Lowered and hunkered-down sports suspension, as well as a fatter track and sprouted camber settings compared to the Sport variant, the car looks like it’d be a hoot around any track or strip of road.

Under the bonnet is said to exhibit considerable upgrades although Suzuki hasn’t confirmed any definite details. Speculators say the car will get a 1.4-litre turbocharged engine, outputting up to 134kW. But it’s not outright power that is the key here, it’s light weight agility that will make this R Concept excellent fun.
The exterior features a number of enhancements over the current lineup too, including a bespoke ‘R’ bodykit said to mimic fairing designs seen on the GSX-R1000 motorbike.
Pricing and production details are yet to be confirmed. Suzuki has said it will unveil the car at the Beijing Motor Show in April 2011 though. We’ll keep you updated.-caradvice.com.au

Renault fluence ZE

For singles and newly-wed couples, a car with just two doors would be enough, but if you have a wife and three kids and want to be as green as possible, you may as well buy an electric car, but a 4-doors one… just like the Renault Fluence ZE, whose concept has been presented at this year’s Paris Motor Show.

The Fluence ZE is designed as a nice family car and it’s electric, too. Its range is not something you will brag about (160 km, or 100 miles), but with the perspective of batterytechnology that gets more efficient every year, it may be a wise investment.

It’s only a concept right now, but when it will come to the market, the specs will probably be better. The Renault Fluence ZE also features a solar panel for those times when every drop of energy matters and you’re stranded in the middle of nowhere with nothing more than sunlight as a power source (still, you wouldn’t like that, because the car would probably need a day of full sunshine to go for another mile). Anyway, the solar panel helps for the car’s air conditioning systems, like it does in the Prius. Let’s hope its weight won’t increase the energy usage like it does in Toyota’s hybrid, from 4.8 to 4.9 L/100km.

Renault has sacrifived trunk space for the battery, so you won’t be able to carry much in the space left, maybe some handbags and what you bought from the local “boulangerie” on your way home.

Anyway, it’s a nice car. Let’s hope it will be as affordable as it is nice. Renault already has plans to implement abattery swap program, so you will probably be able to swap the battery in just three minutes, practically on the go, throughout the entire France and Europe, later on.-greenoptimistic.com

Scion To Sell Toyota FT-86 in 2012

Just the Facts:

• Toyota plans to sell the FT-86 as a Scion.
• U.S. dealers have been told the entry-level sports car will be priced from around $25,000.
• It may be marketed in 2012 under the name Scion FR-S.

Scion dealers were told this week that they will sell the Toyota FT-86 in the U.S., according to media reports quoting dealer sources. The production version of the car reportedly will be unveiled next April at the 2011 New York Auto Show and will be priced in the U.S. from around $25,000. It may be marketed in 2012 under the name Scion FR-S.

The FT-86, jointly developed with Subaru, was introduced in concept form a year ago at the Tokyo auto show. Widely known, somewhat pejoratively, as the "Toyobaru," the FT-86 will share its basic architecture with a Subaru companion, known internally as 216a, according to the Web site Toyobaru.net.-insideline.com