The fastest Lamborghini ever !!!!!

US tuner, Underground had making business by putting twin turbochargers for Lamborghini Gallardo owners in US. All the Gallardo's produce over 1,000bhp. Their latest experiment  is upfitting the latest Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera that is enough to crack 250 mph or in our language, 400 km/h. The Bugatti Veyron is only faster by 3 mph or 7 km/h. The test run were done at the Texas mile event.

This Gallardo is also the fastest Lamborghini ever!!!. Click the link below to watch the 400 km/h Gallardo test run video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Afh9gsV9tV4&feature=player_embedded

Updated Toyota Corolla Altis

Toyota has just release a picture of the new midlife facelift Toyota Corolla Altis. The facelift include a minor change on the exterior, featuring a new headlamps unit as well as the rear unit. The front and rear bumper is redesigned to further give the elegant and stylish look of this C-segment sedan. The grill is now almost split into half, a bit of BMW-ish then. The interior is also redesigned to be more dynamic and user friendly. 

The technology is also updated. The Corolla now features 'Toyota Optimal Drive' technology that will reduce fuel consumption. No news yet about the powerterrain as they are 5 different engines available in Europe, 1.33 Dual vvt-i, 1.4 D4-D, 2.0 D4-D, 1.6 Valvematic, and 1.8 petrol to be name respectively. Sadly, in our market there are only 2 engines available the 1.6 and 1.8 petrol. No diesel engines available due to lack of demand. This is pity though, as diesel engines boasts better fuel consumption and higher power than petrol engines in terms of torque.

Toyota also claims that fitted with Optimal Drive technology, the Corolla will have best-in class fuel consumption. The Corolla is also the best-selling C-segment sedan in the world. As for our market, UMW Toyota Motors has not informed yet when is this facelifted version of the Corolla will arrived.

BYD S6 , a Toyota Harrier clone??

BYD, the chinese automaker is currently enlarging it range of models. One of the models to be launched is the S6, BYD's first SUV. It is set to be previewed at the 2010 Beijing motor show in few days time. In my opinion, it is quite a stunning car. And this Chinese automaker has taken a bold move by.....copying Lexus. Before we go on any further, let us play a game called Spot-The-Design-Influence. First, look at that very tempting headlights unit which features HID technology. Suprisingly though, the headlights is very similar to those of Santa Fe and Captiva.

What more suprising is the body design which is very similar to that of the Lexus RX or better known as Toyota Harrier in our local market. From side view, they look almost the same as the doors and the rear section of the S6 is almost the same as the Harier. The rear bumper is also similar indeed.

Measuring 4740mm long, 1845mm wide and 1635mm tall, the S6 is only 30mm shorter in overall length and loses 40mm in width compared to the Harrier. It also stands 85mm shorter and rides on a 2715mm-long wheelbase; 25mm shorter than that of the Harrier. This isn't the first time we've seen a Chinese automaker copy an existing design and it surely won't be the last. But if copying is the greatest form of flattery, then Lexus designers should indeed feel privileged... Now you know that it isn't hard to spot the S6 design as BYD had copy Lexus design up to the smallest details.

When it hit the market, the S6 will go head to head  with Haima S3 and Chery X5 domestic SUV. But with such styled body, I'm certain that the S6 will win the battle, simply because the design is copied from a car that reached global success, and in the Chinese local market, it's a piece of cake for BYD then. Perhaps, but we'll see....

All new Kia Optima (Premiers at the New York Auto Show)

The last 2 Kia Optima was a total disaster. Even in our country, these cars remain a rarity. All these happens due to weird design language. The first model is like a cross-breed between jaguar and merc perhaps. The second model features a fresher look than the first one and the design is a bit boxy. Lately, Kia has featured a new design language across the entire range. One of the reason is the  Kia's new Chief Designer. Did you know that Kia's new chief designer is Peter Schreyer. Previously, Peter used to serve for the automotive giant  Audi, and he also penned the beatiful Audi A4 sedan.

As for Kia, Peter Schreyer penned the Cee'd, Venga, New Sportage, New Sorento and upcoming models. His latest creations is the new Kia Optima. Perhaps Kia had heard enough and decided to make this new Optima more exclusive and elegant than it's predecessor. This new Kia is larger and longer than the old one. It now features a sleeker body lines, and an elegant boxy theme shape. This time, Kia features a futuristic design and also European styling.


It also features a luxuriously equipped interior and it create a sense that this is a proper driver's car.Leather interior and seats is standard across the range.What more suprising is this car features 6-speed automatic transmission that can be operated manually via the paddle shifters behind the steering wheel. This automatic transmission is also the first mantainance-free automatic transmission in the world. There also a 6-way adjustable driver seat, Auto Cruise control, High quality 'Dimension' audio system, air conditioned glove box ( to avoid your chocolate from melting,and Kia's 'Active Eco System' to help the economy.

The Optima also features a coupe like styling. It muscular look is the remenescent of Audi cars.
It is enhanced by the chrome arc that flow from the A-pillar to the C-pillar. The headlight features HID technology, while the rear is LED technology. It also has an 18 inch wheels, red brake caliper, auto levelling head light, and dual exhaust.


This car is also built in an all-new platform. This new platform is much better than the old one and surely can cope with enthuastic cornering. It bodyshell is made of lightweight material. It will have 6 engines including 2 turbodiesels and 4 petrol. And power is up 278ps. All engines features direct injection technology for an surpassed response and acceleration, as well as fuel effieciency. For the asian market, the engines are from Theta II engine family.

In line with Kia's safety engineering philosophy, the all-new Optima will have a high level of safety features as standard. Equipment includes six airbags (dual front airbags, front-seat mounted side airbags and full-length side curtain airbags), front active headrests, side-impact door beams, height-adjustable front seatbelts with pre-tensioners and force limiters, three-point seatbelts for all seating positions, Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) and, a Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS). Safety driving systems on the Kia Optima will include anti-lock brakes (ABS), Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Traction Control System (TCS), Brake Assist System (BAS) and Hill Assist Control (HAC) - depending on market. 


Malaysia sole Kia maker and importer, Naza also give a clue that the Optima is going to be available in here in few months period. If I was so eager to wait for this Optima arrival, I'm sure you are too.

2011 Audi RS5

The 2011 Audi RS5 has been debuted at the 2010 Geneva Auto Show. Featuring an elegant coupe styling, this 2011 Audi RS5 is surely going to pack more grunt than it's predecessor.

Power came from a high revving naturally aspirated 4.2 litre naturally aspirated engine, (the same as the Audi R8 supercar ) producing 450 bhp @ 8,250 rpm and 430 nm of torque between 4,000 - 6,000 rpm. Mated with a 7-speed S tronic gearbox, the RS5 goes from 0-100km/h in 4.6 seconds faster than the BMW M3 SMG by 0.1 seconds. And if you floor it, it will continue propels you up to 250km/h when the electronic nanny ends the fun, but Audi can increase that up to 280 km/h upon request. And Audi said that the fuel economy is around 10.8 litres per 100 km. 
 

 The 7 speed Audi S tronic gearbox is actually a dual clutch 7 speed gearbox. It can be operated in fully automatic mode, and a manual mode which is simply operated by the shifting paddles behind the steering wheel. Like all RS models, the RS5 gets the permanent all-wheel drive quattro. There's also a crown-gear differential which regulates power between the front and rear axle. Braking is system is marvellous as the front aliminium disc are fitted with 8-pot calipers each.

 The electronic stabilization program (ESP) integrates a sport mode which tighten the steerings and the throtle remap. Other than sport mode, there's also 3 other different mode- comfort, auto, dynamic. As expected from an Audi the interior is one of the beatifully proportioned in the world. There's also a carbon design package for that racing look. Sales will start at spring in europe and it is priced at 77,000 euros. No news yet about the availabality of RS5 in Malaysia.

 

Rm 115,000 for a Satria neo ???

Recently, Proton launched a special version of Satria Neo called Satria Neo R3 Lotus Racing.Priced at Rm 115,000, Proton is going to produce about 25 unit of this car. My first thought is that this is a marketing gimmick. But when I heard that they're going to produce a limited run of 25 units, I know that proton is now interested in producing high performance marques.

This car has a lot of equipment over the standard car. The normally aspirated Cps engine is now producing a healthy 145 bhp and 168 nm of torque, up from the standard cps 125bhp and 150nm torque.That explains of a 0-100km/h time of 9.2 seconds and a top speed of 200km/h.The standard car is slower from 0-100 by 1.3 seconds and 10km/h slower top speed. The power is par with a 2.0 litre car. So now that is one serious attempt.


The engine is tuned by R3 the AMG of proton. known for producing cars like the putra R3, Savvy R3, Gen2 R3, and Satria Neo Rs2000 rally car. The head of the R3 department is Malaysia's drift king, Tengku Djan Ley. The engine now max out at 7500rpm, 1000rpm more than the standard cps. The 5 speed 'box' is now has a revised ratios.


Buyers out there no need to worry about the handling as proton throws the fame tuner Lotus to work the R3 Neo's handling.The suspension is Ohlins Dual Flow valve fully adjustable coil over suspension with damper and spring rates tuned specifically for this car. To anyone who don't know, Ohlins suspension system is more popular to bikes rather than car. One of the reasons of the Neo R3's hefty price tag is this Ohlins suspension is worth Rm 30,000.

After all the tweaks, the car is now 62kg lighter than the standard cars at 1150 kg. They also fit in Advanti alloys wrapped with Bridgestone adrenaline rubber. The highlight is the disc brake's. First timer who look at it might regard it as a normal disc brakes. But did you know that this 4-pot AP Racing calipers is the same used in the famous Lotus Elise sportscar. So braking is a piece of cake.

Proton also give a hint that they might also produce the second batch of this cars if the demand is high. Hope fully that Proton will achieve their dream. If this project is a success, than we might have our own national high performance marques on the roads.