Malaysia plant for new Automative Technology Group joint venture

MALAGA-BASED Automative Technology Group will downsize its Australian operations and open a new plant in Malaysia.

Managing director Steven Apedaile said the company was refocusing its work in Malaga using the "brains trust" of engineers to lead research and development.

This week, ATG made a deal with automotive component manufacturer and supplier, Proreka, to establish the Malaysian facility.

The facility will manufacture ATG's Sprintex superchargers with an order of 5000 systems, worth about $600,000, already received from Malaysian car company Proton.

Mr Apedaile said ATG would also benefit from Proreka's distribution channels. "They have a low-cost manufacturing environment and we have the brains trust in Perth," he said.

In the first year, Mr Apedaile said the company hoped to produce 20,000 units, with about 35 staff.

"We see that growing rapidly over the next three to five years," he said.

Mr Apedaile said it was too costly to have a manufacturing base in Australia and the move was essential to ensuring the company could achieve the volume of sales to keep prices competitive.-perthnow.com.au

The NEW iPhone 5 - Coming October 2011 (video)

The iPhone 5 built for 4G is COMING in 2011!!! The all new iphone 5 release date of October 2011! NEW iPhone 5 or as some call it iPhone 4S review. Lots of speculation is going around on the new iPhone 5... in HD!! Verizon Wireless has released a CDMA version of the iPhone 4 and is hoping to land the iphone 5! Also speculated as iphone 4S. Verizon confirms they are making network changes to bring the new iphone to their network. The new iPhone 5 is going to be loaded with awesome new features like video chat on 3g and 4g (no longer restricted to WiFi only), face recognition and extreme downloading. (List of possible features below). Just when you think there is nothing else to come up with, more and more and more technology comes out. And it is on the rise, and not just at Apple, Inc! This iPhone 5 will be equipped with a speedy dual core A5 chip processor and higher more powerful graphic chips that can deliver higher video resolutions (5-9 times better) and amazing "still" images when taking pictures, AND it will make multi-tasking a lot faster. There are a few networks attempting to get their 4G network off the ground. T-mobile would be a likely carrier since they are GSM already and have the largest 4g network. Sprint has a 4G network already but is suffering from customer service. They will definitely have the 3G version of iPhone, but with the new iPhone 5 (4g speeds) coming out, will they compete?! Regardless, there is much anticipation on how many.-video.ezinemark.com

Bicycle-sharing system incorporates app and GPS

Some readers may be familiar with the car2go car-sharing system, which is now in use in several cities around the world. Users locate the closest available car via the internet or a telephone call, go to it, unlock it with a chip card, enter their PIN on its keypad, then drive it wherever they want (within its range). When done, they just leave it at the closest designated car2go parking spot, where the next user will pick it up. It's a pretty neat idea, so if it works for cars, why not bicycles? That's where the fledgling sobi (Social Bicycles) project comes in.

Although there would be no actual home base, the fleets of bikes would have "hub" areas that would be their domain. If a bike were left out of its hub, the rider who left it there would have to pay a fee. If a subsequent rider were to take it back into the hub, however, they would receive a credit. Prices for using the service could vary from city to city, although Rzepecki likes the idea of a membership plus use model - perhaps a US$10 monthly fee including one free hour a day, with $5 for each additional hour after that.

The bikes themselves would be custom-built city cruisers, with integrated lighting powered by an onboard solar panel, which would likewise power the electronics. In order to keep dirty pant cuffs and maintenance to a minimum, they would also use shaft drives instead of chains. An initial fleet of bikes to be used in a New York City pilot project has already been ordered.

People interested in making contributions towards development of the system can visit the sobi website to find out how.-gizmag.com

Kia to unveil a V8 coupe concept in Frankfurt

When you have a designer as talented as Peter Schreyer on board, you might as well exploit his creativity and not limit him to penning compact sedans and crossovers. Destined as a halo car, a rear-wheel drive, V8-powered concept coupe is set to be presented at the Frankfurt Auto Show in September.


Based on Kia’s upcoming large luxury sedan called the K9, the V8 coupe would be followed by another concept, using the same architecture, and should be presented during the Detroit Auto Show in January. In addition, a smaller car such as a roadster to rival the Mazda MX-5 could also be developed at some point.
Looking to improve its brand image, the Korean manufacturer is also contemplating the establishment of its own in-house performance division, à la Ford SVT and Chrysler SRT.-auto123.com

Feature Flick: Infiniti Previews 2013 JX Crossover Concept and Touts Contributions to Society

Infiniti continues to tease information surrounding its new JX Concept — along with the actual production JX crossover model — by issuing yet another teaser. This time, however, we’re seeing some actual sheetmetalinstead of an artistic interpretation.

Another Infiniti crossover/ SUV? You bet. The company sees a gap the JX can potentially fill, as both the EX and FX are arguably too small to be used as large family haulers, while the QX may be too big and brash for some customers looking for a seven-seat utility vehicle.

The FX and EX are too small to be real family haulers and both are far from versatile enough as well. Infiniti today released its first image of the upcoming seven-seater JX Concept, for those whom a QX is too brash and big, yet a FX is too…brash and small.

The latest photo —a shot of the driver said headlight and ensuing profile—doesn’t tell us much, and neither does Infiniti’s rhetoric. According to Infiniti Vice President Ben Poore, the 2013 JX will fill a very important niche in the marketplace.

“Families don’t have many luxury vehicle options today,” said Poore. “The new Infiniti JX will be the seven-passenger antidote to the ho-hum luxury crossovers that are out there right now.” Right.
In celebration of the JX’s seven-passenger capacity, Infiniti is also launching the “Power of 7” social media campaign—cleverly on the seventh day of the seventh month of the year. The Power of 7 campaign will release seven images of the JX through Infiniti’s Facebook and Twitter accounts every Thursday for the next seven weeks, leading up to the concept’s debut at the 2011 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance on August 18. The production version of the 2013 JX will debut at November’s Los Angeles Auto Show.

In somewhat related Infiniti news, Infiniti is also launching a new series of TV ads today, touting Infiniti’s record of bucking “the status quo.” According to Infiniti, it will do just that with the ad itself, as it will first release the minute-long spot to its Facebook fans and Twitter followers first, before the commercial — titled “Challenger” — hits the airwaves during the MLB All-Star game next week.-rumors.automobilemag.com