Thứ Tư, 15 tháng 10, 2014

The Proton Iriz - pictures

Had the chance to try out the new Proton Iriz a few days after it was launched. There were three variants at the showroom at  Taman Megah, PJ, near my house in Malaysia.

Quite impressed - Proton has indeed come a long way.

The green one is the manual variant.












There was an automatic white car outside (for test drive). Loved the sound of the exhaust. They have tuned it to sound like a much more powerful sports car.







The grey one is the premium variant with six air bags, rear cameras, touch screen GPS, turbo engine and loads of other extras.





Thứ Tư, 8 tháng 10, 2014

The Strati -World's first 3 D printed car

Welcome to the age of printed cars. Arizona based car manufacturer Local Motors has come out with the World's first 3 D printed car - the Strati. It won the 2014 Popular Mechanics Breakthrough Award in New York yesterday.


The car chassis/frame, exterior body, and interior features are made from ABS plastic reinforced with carbon fibres. The electric engine, wheels and other parts were sourced from Renault’s Twizy. It takes the company around 44 hours to print out.

It only has a top speed of about 40mph (60km/h) but I am sure the speeds will improve as time goes by. I am just thinking at the possibilities. In the future, you can probably print out spare parts at home.

Thứ Năm, 2 tháng 10, 2014

The second generation Proton Perdana

The second generation Proton Perdana was unveiled last year and is only available exclusively to Malaysian Government officials. The car is available in 2.0 and 2.4 litre models and according to reports, is based on the 8th generation Honda Accord.

Saw one a few days back in PJ and it really looks nice.
Stuck at traffic lights when I took this picture.


2014 Proton Perdana Front Three Quarter CC BY-SA 3.0
Paul Tan paultan.org's contribution to Wikimedia

Thứ Ba, 30 tháng 9, 2014

Proton Iriz Active concept car

Proton has come out with a concept called the Iriz Active. It was unveiled on the 28th of this month by Chairman Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad at Alami Proton.


Supposed to be a crossover model.

End of the traditional paper tax disc in the UK

Moving into the digital era, the DVSA has done away with the need for traditional paper tax discs in the UK. The first paper tax disc was issued in the UK over 90 years ago.

No paper dics means less trees cut to make them.

Chủ Nhật, 28 tháng 9, 2014

Subaru launch Japan only car based on the WRX STI


Subaru recently launched the Japan only WRX S4 in Japan. The model is based on the WRX STI model which was launched in Europe earlier.

It is powered by a direct injection 2.0 litre turbo engine which is tuned to produce 300hp. The engine is combined with Subaru's Lineartronic 7-speed gearbox.

Subaru Global vehicle production was up 17% on last year while total number of exports also increased by 15%.

Thứ Tư, 24 tháng 9, 2014

Launch of the Proton's compact car - Proton Iriz in Malaysia

Malaysian car company is launching their new compact car the Proton Iriz today. Blogger Paul Tan is streaming the launch live.

Even before the launch of the car, it has received five-star rating in Adult Occupant Protection and four-star rating in Child Occupant Protection by the New Car Assessment Programme for Southeast Asian Countries (Asean NCAP).

The car will come in 3 Trim lines and 8 variants and in 7 colours.

Prices of the car (on-the-road) will be between RM42,438 and RM62,888.


Thứ Ba, 9 tháng 9, 2014

Jaguar XE S Sports Saloon launch

The new Jaguar XE S sports saloon was launched in a big way all over London last night.



Powered by a supercharged 3.0 litre V6 with 8-speed automatic transmission, this sports saloon accelerates from 0-60mph in just 4.9 seconds.

Prices of the XE range start from £27,000.

Chủ Nhật, 17 tháng 8, 2014

Drive Me: Volvo's groundbreaking autonomous driving project

Volvo's project called "Drive Me" plans to have 100 self-driving Volvos to public roads in everyday conditions by 2017.

Watch the video:

Thứ Sáu, 15 tháng 8, 2014

Volvo Car Malaysia expands into Sarawak

Volvo owners will now be able to service their cars at the two authorised service centres in Sarawak, located in Sibu and Kuching with more locations planned in the future

Greatwall Group of Companies has been appointed as the new 2S representative.

Thứ Năm, 17 tháng 7, 2014

BMW to recall cars over air bag fears

BMW is recalling about 1.6 million 3-Series vehicles produced between May 1999 and August 2006 worldwide. They will replace passenger-side front airbags made by Takata Corp because the inflators could break apart during deployment and injure passengers.

The recall is an extension of last year's recall of 240,000 cars globally for the same issue, he said.

The air bag supplied by Japan's Takata has also affected Honda Motor Co, Toyota Motor Corp, Nissan Motor Co, Mazda Motor Corp, Fuji Heavy Industries-owned Subaru, Mitsubishi, Ford and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles' Chrysler brand.

This latest recall will affect about 574,000 in the United States, about 450,000 in Germany and about 189,000 in the United Kingdom.

Thứ Hai, 30 tháng 6, 2014

The new BMW X4


A fusion of the power of the X model with the design of their classic coupe, the X4 is BMW's latest crossover vehicle.

3 different types of twin power turbo engines powering the X4: 

BMW X4 xDrive35d
  • 6 cylinder in-line diesel engine with 313hp and 630Nm of torque
  • Goes from 0-62mph in 5.2 seconds
  • It has a top speed of 153mph (247km/h)
  • Fuel consumption: 47.1mpg
  • CO2 emissions of 157g/km
BMW X4 xDrive30d


  • 6 cylinder in-line diesel engine with 258hp and 560Nm of torque
  • Goes from 0-62mph in 5.8 seconds
  • It has a top speed of 145mph (234km/h)
  • Fuel consumption: 46.3-49.6mpg
  • CO2 emissions of 149-159g/km

  • BMW X4 xDrive30d



  • 4 cylinder in-line diesel engine with 190hp and 400Nm of torque
  • Goes from 0-62mph in 8 seconds
  • It has a top speed of 132mph (212km/h)
  • Fuel consumption: 50.4-54.3mpg / Automatic: 52.3-56.5mpg
  • CO2 emissions of 136-146g/km

  • Others options include a full-colour Head-up display, surround-view which offers the driver a bird's eye view of the area around the vehicle as well as reversing assist camera which shows the area behind the vehicle.



    Thứ Ba, 17 tháng 6, 2014

    Safety risk of Heavy Quadricycles

    Quadricycles, which as the name suggest, were originally derived from motorcycles. They have emerged as a new class of sub-compact vehicles in Europe.

    They are small and fuel-efficient. I have recently noticed several Universities here in the UK using street-legal quadricycles. These include the Club Car Villager 2+2 LSV, the Renault Twizy 80, the Tazzari ZERO and the Ligier IXO J LINE 4 Places

    Their safety tests are different from other cars as they do not have to pass any of the rigorous crash tests to which cars are subjected. However,according to a recent report from the EURO NCAP, frontal and side impacts at 50km/h, revealed severe safety problems for all four cars.

    The vehicles were scored primarily on data from crash dummies but penalties were also given for poor performance of the structure or restraints. The Ligier and the Tazzari had major failings of their restraint systems in the frontal test. In the Ligier, the upper connection of the driver’s seatbelt pulled out of the structure, leaving the dummy unrestrained and leading to a high risk of injury.

    In the Tazzari, the driver seatbelt broke and the driver’s head hit the steering wheel with a force that indicated a high risk of serious or fatal injury. The structure of the Club Car virtually collapsed in the frontal impact. The Renault Twizy - the only vehicle of the four tested to have an airbag as standard - scored best but its stiff structure and restraint system resulted in some dangerously high dummy readings.







    Thứ Năm, 8 tháng 5, 2014

    Wanted - a small car for city driving in Malaysia

    Wanted a small, affordable second car for city driving in Malaysia.
    The maximum budget is RM 40K (approx £7298).

    If I had that budget here in the UK, I would probably go for a second hand car and would have several options.

    However, in Malaysia there are only 2 options available, namely the Perodua ViVA (Yes! That is how the name is written) with prices starting from RM 24,936.45 (for the ViVA 660 BX - Manual, solid white colour) and the Proton Saga with prices from RM 33,426 (for the Saga SV Manual, solid white colour). The SV stands for Super Value.

    Dimension wise, the Perodua ViVA (3575 x 1475 x 1530) is slightly smaller but taller than the Proton Saga (4278 x 1680 x 1520).

    Looking at the websites of the two Malaysian car companies, I am quite impressed with the information provided from engine specs in detail to the various accessories available.

    Though there is nearly RM 8000 difference in prices between the two cars, the Viva seems quite underpowered even for a city car with an engine displacement of only 659 cc. If I choose the ViVA 850 - Manual (847cc), prices goes up to RM 32,756.45.

    I am not too concerned about the maximum speed but I am definitely interested in the fuel efficiency.

    The Perodua website does not tell us anything about the fuel efficiency, other than mentioning that the cars have been equipped with "Dynamic Variable Valve Timing (DVVT), Double Overhead Camshaft (DOHC) and Electronic Fuel Injection  (EFI)".

    The Proton Saga has a CamPro IAFM, 4-cylinder, DOHC 16V 1332cc engine and according to their website, the fuel consumption at @ 90km/h (approx. 56m/h) is 5.7 litres.

    So if you had RM 40000 to spend on a car, I would definitely recommend the Proton Saga.




    Thứ Tư, 7 tháng 5, 2014

    Subaru Forester & XV - for those who love the rural life

    Have you watched the recent Subaru ads?

    They show their two vehicles  from their all-wheel drive range, the Subaru Forester & XV in action. They are perfect for those who love life in rural areas.

    Forester Features:




    • Heated door mirrors
    • Remote control key system
    • Roof rails
    • Subaru Vehicle Dynamics Control
    • Multi-function display
    • Bluetooth, iPod and USB connectivity
    The XT model is turbo-charged.

    XV Features:

    • Reversing camera
    • Steering wheel audio controls
    • Cruise control
    • Hill Start Assist
    • Rain-sensing windshield wipers with de-icer
    • Leather gear lever & steering wheel


    Prices for the XV starts from £21,995 and £24,995 for the Forester.












    Thứ Tư, 2 tháng 4, 2014

    Can you power cars using AA batteries

    What did you think of the post "Clubbing together for an electric revolution!" yesterday?

    I am sure most of you must have realised that it was a spoof post.

    "LipraLoof" is an anagram of APRILFOOLS

    Unfortunately, you can't power cars using AA batteries yet.

    Happy April Fools Day

    Thứ Hai, 31 tháng 3, 2014

    Clubbing together for an electric revolution!

    The UK’s largest independent car club, City Car Club, is working with innovative start-up LipraLoof Technologies Ltd, to trial smart power technology, which could one day see cars powered by AA-style batteries. Who’d have thought it?

    James Finlayson, Managing Director of the hourly rental car club said: “When LipraLoof approached us we instantly realised how exciting this technology was – it has the potential to revolutionise the way we drive. However, like with any new technology, rigorous real-world testing is a must and with a 700+ fleet of cars which are used mainly for short journeys, we are in the perfect position to help.”




    LipraLoof’s batteries contain complex mix of four metal hydrates which creates a quad, or 4A battery, which produces far more power than a standard battery. When these batteries are combined with technology that harnesses, stores and reuses the energy usually wasted when driving, it creates a system capable of powering a car up to 88mph over a significant distances.


    LipraLoof’s founder and managing director Dr Ed Heaverben, explains: “We’ve combined our quad batteries with virtually 100% regenerative breaking which harnesses the energy normally lost when we brake. Another significant area where we’ve conserved energy is with the tyres – we’ve developed a specially designed tread that ‘grabs’ energy which normally escapes onto the road as heat. This saved energy is then stored in a French-Luxemburg engineered Flux Capacitor, ready for use when needed.”


    It’s expected the trial and development phase will last around two years, and hopefully the commercial version of the complex system will be ready for market in 2016-17, and we at Auto Lah can’t wait to test it!

    Car clubs are all about providing a realistic, flexible alternative to car ownership that benefits individuals, the wider community and are environmentally sustainable.
    For further information visit www.lipraloof.co.uk.


    Happy April Fools day

    Thứ Bảy, 29 tháng 3, 2014

    Subaru VIZIV 2 Concept

    According to Subaru, the new VIZIV 2 crossover concept is "introducing the future of All-Wheel Drive vehicles."

    VIZIV stands for Vision for Innovation and Subaru is using it to showcase how advanced hybrid technology can be used with "Subarus All-Wheel Drive (AWD) while also indicating at a future design direction for Subarus production vehicles."

    The powertrain uses a new 1.6-litre turbo-diesel DIT (Direct-Injection Turbo) Boxer engine and three electric motors, one to power the front wheels and one on each of the rear wheels which operate independently.

    We are looking at a possible future generation of hybrid technology powered Subaru AWD vehicles.

    Thứ Bảy, 1 tháng 3, 2014

    BMW 4 Series Gran Coupé

    Roomy and sporty Coupés from BMW. Four frameless doors and a large boot.

    A great example is the BMW 435i, which is powered 6-cylinder TwinPower Turbo petrol 225 kW (306 hp) engine and accelerates from 0 to 62 mph in 5.5 seconds.
    Average fuel consumption is quite modest at 28.3 to 29.0 mpg (Steptronic transmission: 30.9 to 31.4 mpg), accompanied by CO2 emissions of just 193 to 189 g/km (Steptronic transmission: 178 to 174 g/km).

    Chủ Nhật, 16 tháng 2, 2014

    The hi tech new Peugeot 108

    PEUGEOT has just launched its new city car - the new PEUGEOT 108. It is clearly targeted at today's connected generation - it features a large touch screen and the Mirror Screen function, including the new MirrorLink and AppInCar connectivity protocols which will linkup with your smartphone seamlessly. The Mirror Screen function operates using MirrorLink technology for telephones running on Android, RIM and Windows, and by AppInCar for telephones running on iOs.

    The car is available in two body styles: the PEUGEOT 108 hatchback and the PEUGEOT 108 TOP! convertible which can be personalised in various ways.

    By opting for the PEUGEOT 108 TOP!, the customer has the freedom to choose the roof colour: Black, grey, Red Purple. They can decide to suit their taste, according to the body colour chosen. Among the eight colours available, two are exclusive to the model: Aïkinite, a golden copper, and Red Purple, an unusual violet. Reserved only for the 3-door hatchback, two versions of two-tone paint are available: Red Purple and Gallium Grey or Lipizan White and Aïkinite.

    The customer can then select from the seven personalisation themes and three interior ambiences. The personalisation themes comprise exterior stickers, shells for the door mirrors, interior stickers, floor carpets, key fob shells (mechanical, plip or Keyless Entry and Starting card) while the three interior ambiences determine the colours of the finishers on the dashboard and centre panel.

    Red Purple PEUGEOT 108 5-door hatchback, covered with diamond shaped motifs playing with the light.

    PEUGEOT 108, 3-door with two-tone paint, marrying Red Purple with Gallium Grey on the upper parts of the body.

    The PEUGEOT 108 offers a choice of six trims. Curitiba cloth is exclusive to the Access trim level. On Active and Allure trim levels, the PEUGEOT 108 hatchback is trimmed with Carolight cloth, a revisited tartan, the PEUGEOT 108 TOP! convertible with Rayura Aïkinite cloth. Leather, exclusive to the Allure trim level, is available on both body styles.

    At 3.47m long and 1.62m wide, the PEUGEOT 108 is has quite compact dimensions. According to their press release, its reduced overhangs and turning radius of just 4.80m allow it to avoid with obstacles with ease. The driving position also provides excellent forward vision.

    When loading the boot, the PEUGEOT 108 reveals one of its many strengths. The Keyless Entry and Starting card allows the doors to be unlocked, the tailgate to be unlocked and partially opened with just a press on the appropriate button. On opening the tailgate, the shelf automatically folds away against the rear screen and reveals a boot that is generous for the category: 196 litres with the puncture repair kit, 180 litres with the spare wheel. Loading is easy with the low sill, just 77 cm, and a wide 1 metre space between the wheel arches. The initial volume can be extended to 750 litres by folding the 50/50 rear seat backrests.

    As for safety, the car comes with a set of six airbags fitted as standard: two frontal airbags (the passenger airbag can be switched off), two lateral airbags at the front, and two curtain airbags covering the front and rear seats. Finally, for the safety of children in the car, the two rear seats are equipped with IsoFix mountings.

    As for the engines, there is a choice of four 3-cylinder power units:
    - 1.0 e-VTi68 5-speed manual, 88g/km CO2,
    - 1.0 VTi 68 5-speed manual, 95g/km de CO2,
    - 1.0 VTi68 5-speed electronic, 97g/km CO2,
    - New Puretech1.2 VTi 82 engine with 5-speed manual gearbox, 99g/km CO2.

    There are two tyre sizes used, 165/65 R14 or 165/60 R15. They are continuously monitored by the Indirect Tyre Under-Inflation Detection system.

    The braking system includes as standard, ABS, Electronic Brake Force Distribution, Emergency Collision Braking System and switchable ESP. The braking system is completed by 247mm ventilated discs at the front and 200mm drums at the rear.

    Thứ Sáu, 7 tháng 2, 2014

    Volvo Concept XC Coupe

    The Volvo Concept XC Coupé was unveiled in January at the 2014 Detroit Motor Show. It won the 'Best Concept Car' title as well as the award for 'Best use of Colour, Graphics and Materials'.

    The difference between the two-door, four-seater Volvo Concept XC Coupe and the Volvo Concept Coupe include the larger 21-inch wheels, accentuated wheel-arches and a taller roofline.




    Thứ Hai, 3 tháng 2, 2014

    Discovery Channel premieres new episode of RODS N WHEELS

    An all-new episode of RODS N WHEELS starts on the Discovery Channel. In the first episode, the guys visit George Barris. George’s hot rod creations have been featured in various movies and TV shows including the Batmobile in the original Batman television series.

    Thứ Ba, 14 tháng 1, 2014

    Dash Cams to the Rescue: HP Car Camcorder f200 review

    An increasing number of motorists in the UK are installing in-car dashboard cameras or dash cams, as they are more popularly known. The mini video cams are fixed discretely on the windscreen of your vehicle. The main reason is the rise of the so-called "crash-for-cash" scams.

    There are gangs who stage fake accidents in order to make fraudulent insurance claims. Their modus-operandi is to slam on their brakes suddenly and causing the vehicle behind to crash into them. The Insurance Fraud Bureau estimates that the annual cost of these fraud cases amount to around £392 million (1). This highlights the importance of this issue and it is no wonder that many van owners and operators have also started to install dash cams in their fleet of vehicles. In the event of an accident, the accurate recordings of the events can prove useful in legal proceedings and insurance claims.

    Another possible benefit of installing these cams is that the drivers would probably drive more responsibly as they are aware that the cams are running and recording their entire journey as well. Thus, they can encourage safer driving.

    On the other hand, you may want to just record the beautiful landscape on a trip. I wish I had one during our amazing driving trip to the Scottish highlands and the Isle of Skye last Easter.

    There are a range of dash cams out there with prices ranging from around £10 to over £100. Their quality and features vary widely as well. Anyway, I was delighted when I was given the opportunity to review the HP Car Camcorder f200. The camera is quite small and discreetly fits behind the mirror. However, the power cord dangling down was quite annoying and I may have to run it along the top of the windscreen.


    The camera supports micro SDHC cards up to 32GB. However, the spare card I had at home was only 8GBs. It has a 2.4" LCD Color TFT screen at the back which helps to position the camera and is surprisingly clear. I plugged the power cord in and started playing around with the menu which was quite easy to navigate.

    First of all I changed the dates and time and then formatted the memory card. I then realised that it had started recording. The camera allows for total hands free operation as you can set the camera to start recording as soon as it detects motion. It can also be set to start recording automatically when it detects a collision or sudden braking situation. You can select the sensitivity but I think that it defeats the whole purpose as you would want to see the events leading up to an accident as well - before the collision actually happens. Fortunately, I did not get the chance to test the automatic collision recording feature and I hope it remains that way.

    I recorded a recent trip to my son's school. The camera has a wide angle fixed focus lens F2.4 and records in full HD (1920 x 1080) including voice recording. It also has a built in 3-Axis gyro force sensor which keeps the images steady even on bumpy Coventry side roads.

    On playing back the video on our TV, we found that the quality of the video was really good. I could easily read the car number plates and the distant landmarks we passed on the road were really clear. Check out the short video which I uploaded on YouTube.



    I definitely recommend this camera. Prices of the cam varies widely depending on the online retailer, from £85.50 to £114.54.

    This review was sponsored by Tesco Compare van insurance

    Thứ Tư, 1 tháng 1, 2014

    Happy New Year 2014

    Wishing all visitors to Auto Lah 
    a very Happy and Prosperous New Year.

    Here's looking forward to more exciting Car news this year.