Cars Original Design: 2010-07-11

Peugeot and Naza to build C-segment sedan together

Source from: Anthony Lim
Credits To: Star Motoring

Peugeot and Naza have signed an agreement which will see both parties building a sedan model together, as part of the French carmaker's plans towards expanding its presence in the region as well as cementing its partnership with the Malaysian company.

The sedan will be a C-segment offering, with assembly due to begin in the second half of 2011 at the Naza plant in Gurun. Sales will begin in early 2012, and the projected volume for the model is 70,000 units.

This follows on the current plan for the local assembly of the B-segment 207 sedan, which is slated to be launched in the last quarter of 2010.

US government to push EV battery development

Source from: Anthony Lim
Credits to: Star Motoring

The White House plans to promote its work to develop electric cars in the US this week, dispatching administration officials across the nation to discuss advanced batteries and new vehicles powered by electricity.

President Barack Obama will travel to Holland, Michigan, on Thursday for the groundbreaking of a Compact Power factory, which received US$151mil from a federal stimulus program to open the US$303mil plant. The factory is expected to manufacture lithium ion cells and employ about 450 people by 2013.

Pushing clean energy, Obama has vowed to bring a million plug-in hybrid vehicles to US highways by 2015 and his administration has set aside billions of stimulus dollars to bolster US battery manufacturers. The funding is aimed at creating a battery industry in the US that can compete with Asian manufacturers and help the US reduce its dependence on imported oil.

Soon, there will be rivals to Japanese EV battery manufacturers.

The administration will hold several events this week to emphasise new high-tech jobs spurred by electric vehicles, said a White House official. The official was not authorised to speak publicly before an official announcement. Other events are planned this week in Vermont, Pennsylvania and Maryland.

The Obama administration has provided US$2.4bil in federal grants to develop next-generation electric vehicles and batteries. The government has estimated the stimulus funds could spur the production of 500,000 advanced batteries a year by late 2014.

A report to be released on Thurs by the Energy Department will estimate that stimulus funding could bring down battery costs from US$33,000 for a battery with a 100-mile range to US$16,000 by the end of 2013 and to US$10,000 by the end of 2015. More than 20,000 electric vehicle charging stations will be available by 2012, compared with less than 500 before the stimulus program began, the report will say. - AP

The Experience Honda 3S Campaign Returns !!

Source from: Star Motoring
Credits to: Anthony Lim

Honda Malaysia has begun a three-month long customer reward campaign for 2010, aimed at rewarding existing Honda owners and potential customers, be it for routine maintenance, test-drive or sales and after-sales services.

The Experience Honda 3S Campaign began at the start of July and runs until Sept 30. During the campaign period, buyers of the Accord 2.0 VTi and 2.4 VTi-L will be offered one of the two package options - free extended service and maintenance (for the first 30,000km or 18 months, whichever comes first), or a free Garmin GPS navigation system.

On top of that, existing customers will also enjoy 25% savings on spare parts. Those who spend more than RM300 and above in a single bill at the service centre will be given service vouchers.

Meanwhile, those into car accessories will be glad to hear that the purchase of the optional Connex SVR (Stolen Vehicle Recovery System), which is compatible with the City, Civic, CR-V and Accord, gets you a waiver on the first year subscription fee, which is worth RM360.

To boot, throughout the three-month campaign, exclusive Honda merchandise will be given away to those who test drive or service their vehicles at any authorised Honda dealers.

Continental Launches ContiComfortContact CC5 Tyre

Source from: Star Motoring
Credits To: Anthony Lim

Continental Sime Tyre yesterday introduced its latest passenger car tyre, the ContiComfortContact CC5, into the Malaysian market. The new offering replaces the ContiComfortContact CC1.

Engineered in Germany, and made at the CST plant in Alor Star, the tyre, which will be available in 31 sizes from 13-inch to 16-inch in Asean markets and in four and five-block patterns, is the first ever tyre Continental has engineered specifically to cater for Asian motorists.

Apparently, here in Asia, consumers, while looking for performance, tend to value ride comfort and low noise levels as well, arguably ahead of performance. According to Conti, features expected by customers of a tyre made by a premium brand for the compact segment places comfort ride at the top of the key preference heap at 45%, followed by economy at 25%.

So, the result is the CCC5, which of course offers a substantially quieter, more comfortable ride than its predecessor, the CCC1. Other improvements over the latter include shorter braking distance and improved handling performance.

Technical elements that help the CCC achieve low noise levels include a ‘noise breaker’ utilised from Continental’s Silent Tread Pattern Groove Technology, which helps break air-waves in the longitudinal grooves, thus reducing noise, but without a compromise in performance.

Elsewhere, the CCC5 incorporates V-shaped sipe inner ribs on the tread blocks to enable smoother rolling aspects throughout the tyre's circumferential, thus having an optimum driving comfort, and the tyre also features advanced silica compound technology, which helps minimize rolling resistance for better fuel efficiency.

At launch, 12 sizes are available, with the rest of the model range slated for gradual introduction into the market as the year progresses. Sizes start from 175/70 R13 right up to 235/60 R16.

The ContiComfortContact CC5 range is made up of:

70 series

175/70 R13 82 H
185/70 R14 88H

65 series

175/65 R14 82 H
175/65 R15 84 H
185/65 R14 86 H
185/65 R15 88 H
195/65 R15 91 V
195/65 R15 91 H
205/65 R15 94 V
205/65 R16 95 H
215/65 R15 96 H

60 series

185/60 R14 82 H
185/60 R15 84 H
195/60 R15 88 V
205/60 R15 91 V
205/60 R16 92 H FR
215/60 R15 98 H
215/60 R16 95 V FR
225/60 R15 96 H
225/60 R16 98 V FR
235/60 R16 100 V FR

55 series

165/55 R14 72 H FR
185/55 R15 82 V FR
185/55 R16 83 V FR
195/55 R15 85 V FR
205/55 R15 88 V FR
205/55 R16 91 V FR
215/55 R16 93 V FR
225/55 R16 95 V FR

50 series

195/50 R15 82 V FR
205/50 R15 86 V FR