After the world premiere of the Mercedes-Benz A-Class at Geneva Motor Show 2012, the new A-Class is set to be on its way to European dealers in September 2012. To further pitching the market of new Audi A3, BMW 1-series and Volkswagen Golf GTI. It is confirmed that Mercedes-Benz will be introducing the A-Class with AMG variant.

According to speculation, Mercedes-Benz is going to make the A45 AMG with combination of powerful turbo engine, all-wheel drive system, and a more luxury finishing. Likely, this model will be marketed as the cheapest AMG you could get your hands on.

Below are the photo send by virtuel-car based on their visual illustration (modified from photo of the standard new A-Class model) from the spy shot.

Today, Honda Malaysia announced the CR-Z is now available with Continuous Variable Transmission (CVT) with 7-Speed Paddle Shift in Malaysia. The CR-Z CVT with 7-Speed Paddle Shift extends the offering option of the sleek hybrid vehicle to a wider audience of car enthusiasts.

The CR-Z CVT is available in 4 stylish colours of Premium White Pearl, Storm Silver Metallic, Milano Red, and Crystal Black Pearl. The on-the-road price tag of the latest CR-Z CVT with 7-Speed Paddle Shift is RM 119,000.

Honda Malaysia Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Yoichiro Ueno said, “Being the pioneer of hybrid technology in Malaysia, we are constantly studying the market to fulfil their demands. As the feedback to bring in the automatic version is overwhelming, we are now proud to introduce this CVT version to the Malaysian market. We will continue to bring in more hybrid options for Malaysians in the future. The introduction of the CR-Z CVT adds another variant to the Honda Hybrid Family in Malaysia which has Insight, Jazz Hybrid and the 6-Speed manual CR-Z.

“The market acceptance of hybrid vehicles in Malaysia is growing, largely due to the government’s support and effort to promote green technology especially in the automotive sector. As the response to the CR-Z since its launch in November 2011 has been overwhelming, we are confident that this CVT version of the CR-Z will not only reflects as a stylish hybrid but will also appeal to a wider audience and exceed their expectations,” said Mr. Ueno.

The Honda CR-Z CVT is powered with the same 1.5-litre i-VTEC engine coupled with Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) Hybrid System that gives a combined power of 123 PS. This efficient combination enables drivers to have a responsive and exciting driving experience. The overall engine performance provides exceptional fuel economy and a fun-to-drive performance. The CR-Z CVT retains the versatile 3-Mode Drive System, which allows the driver to switch the mode to SPORT, NORMAL and ECO depending their driving style and road conditions.

Though the Electric Vehicles are still under evaluation and pilot run in Malaysia by a few automakers like Nissan and Mitsubishi. Hence, the drivers might not feel the same challenges like others in North America.

Currently, EV owners in the North America have been caught unplugging other cars to charge their own before they are properly recharged.  Likely, once you see many EVs on the road, I foresee you shall probably see a lot of drama in the car park.

According to one of the journalist in US, which recently highlighted this problem in a recent article. Basically, he was sitting in a cafe while his Ford Focus plug-in hybrid was recharging in a public car park, and received a text message on his phone alerting him that the car had been unplugged mid-charge.

When he went to investigate, the recharging plug had been removed from his vehicle and was now charging another EV.

This occurrence triggered my concern what if there is many EVs are running in Malaysia. Will fellow Malaysians fight for a recharging plug at the recharging station?

Anyone felt earthquake in Melbourne or from the surrounding suburbs just now?

The coffee of the day is rather expensive, which cost RM 8.90 for a small cup. With a Melburnian taste buds, the black coffee serve here is something tastes different than many local cafe in Kuala Lumpur!

The Caffe Gino is owned by Kiyohisa Fugino, who is a Japanese master roaster. You can find this cafe at Isetan Food Market, Suria KLCC, Kuala Lumpur.

Since two days ago, the air quality in Klang Valley has been heavily affected with polluted haze. The worst affected area was reported on yesterday 5pm with unhealthy levels are like Shah Alam, Port Klang and Cheras.

Due to the bad air quality now, please mask on and stay indoor with air purifier running to prevent breathing difficulty. The below photos taken at 7.00am.

Toyota returns to the Le Mans 24-hour race next week with a two-car team that draws on years of hybrid development and extensive World Rally and Formula One experience. The TS030 hybrids are set to write a new page in the history of the legendary twice-around-the-clock enduro through the use of Toyota’s hybrid technology.

The start for the 80th running of the Le Mans classic will be in the hands of Toyota’s global vice chairman-elect Takeshi Uchiyamada, honouring the company’s return to the Circuit de la Sarthe for the first time since 1999. Mr Uchiyamada was the driving force behind development of the first-generation Prius, the success of which has enabled Toyota to sell more than four million hybrid vehicles.

Toyota Racing made a successful Le Mans debut with its two hybrid cars by participating in the traditional test day last Sunday (June 3). Both TS030 Hybrids displayed their new Toyota hybrid-blue livery – the first time the two new cars had been in action and the first chance to see the cars on track against the opposition in Le Mans.

The driver line-up for car #7 – Alex Wurz, Nicolas Lapierre and Kazuki Nakajima – took part in the test while car #8 featured Anthony Davidson and Sébastien Buemi. The third driver in car #8, Stéphane Sarrazin, will return to driving duties at Le Mans after recovering from cuts and bruises due to a cycling accident.

On Tuesday (June 5), the team completed a final shakedown at the short Le Mans Bugatti circuit, bedding down the parts that will be used during the 24-hour race that starts on Saturday, June 16, at 3 p.m. The team is now working on the final details before technical scrutineering next Monday in Le Mans city centre.

The TS030 Hybrid is Toyota’s successor to the iconic TS010 and TS020 cars which participated at Le Mans with podium success in the 1990s. The 2012 THS-R (Toyota Hybrid System – Racing) powertrain is designed to deliver maximum performance and features an all-new V8 3.4-litre normally-aspirated petrol engine and hybrid system with capacitor storage.

Like Toyota’s full hybrid road cars, energy is regenerated under braking and the TS030 Hybrid can operate in electric-only mode, achieving zero emissions and zero fuel consumption. Regulations limit hybrid systems to recovering a maximum of 500kJ between braking zones while restricting deployment to only two wheels.

Hybrid Project Leader Hisatake Murata – an engine engineer for the #33 TS010 which finished second in 1992 – said Toyota’s goal has been focused on generating additional performance through the hybrid system. “It can be used in two ways: either it delivers faster lap times through improving speed on the exit of corners, or you choose to save fuel by using the internal combustion engine less on corner exit and allowing the hybrid system to compensate. We are aiming for faster lap times; that is our clear priority.”

Team technical director Pascal Vasselon said modern endurance racing demanded cars that were capable of pushing to the limit for 24 hours. “One of the challenges facing us in designing and engineering the car was how to manage the additional weight of the hybrid system, so we have worked on packaging and weight distribution to find the optimum solution, our target is to show the TS030 Hybrid is the fastest hybrid car on the grid and experience some enjoyable moments along the way.”

In October last year, Toyota became the first manufacturer to confirm its participation in the FIA World Endurance Championship using a hybrid system, emphasising its pioneering approach to this technology. Toyota aims to learn from the experience of competing in such a challenging motorsport environment to enhance its production car technology.

Technical Specifications

Designation: TS030 HYBRID
Type: Le Mans Prototype (LMP1)
Bodywork: Carbon fibre composite
Windscreen: Polycarbonate
Gearbox: Transversal with 6 gears sequential
Gearbox casing: Aluminium
Driveshafts: Constant velocity tripod plunge-joint driveshafts
Clutch: Multidisc
Differential: Viscous mechanical locking differential
Suspension: Independent front and rear double wishbone, pushrod-system
Springs: Torsion bars
Anti roll bars: Front and rear
Steering: Hydraulically assisted
Brakes: Dual circuit hydraulic braking system, mono-block light-alloy brake callipers front and rear
Discs: Ventilated front and rear in carbon
Rims: Magnesium forged wheels
Front rims: 14.5 x 18 inch
Rear rims: 14.5 x 18 inch
Tyres: Michelin radial
Front tyres: 36/71-18
Rear tyres: 37/71-18
Length: 4650mm
Width: 2000mm
Height: 1030mm
Fuel capacity: 73 litres
Powertrain: Toyota Hybrid System – Racing (THS-R)
Engine: 90° V8 normally aspirated engine
Fuel: Petrol
Engine Capacity: 3.4l
Valves: 4
Air restrictors: 1 x 43.3mm
Capacitor:  Nisshinbo
Front Hybrid Motor: Aisin AW
Rear Hybrid Motor: Denso

Toyota Le Mans 24-hour Enduro

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Only just, I have received these email attachments from virtuel-car about the new 2012 Audi RS5 Cabriolet. If you possibly heard about them before, virtuel-car is popular on illustrating the upcoming European car models and the result usually is pretty close. So enjoy the photos here.

The Rounds 3 & 4 of Porsche Carrera Cup Asia, Audi R8 LMS Cup and VW Scirocco R Cup were held last weekend at Zhuhai International Circuit. I was there mainly for the Audi R8 LMS Cup. However, I have captured many photos throughout the race events for my publication use and your viewing pleasure here.

Anyway, check out the unedited photos and comment about the race if you like it!

2012 Porsche Carrera Cup Asia Rounds 3 & 4

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2012 Audi R8 LMS Cup - Rounds 3 & 4

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2012 VW Scirocco R Cup - Rounds 3 & 4

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China Touring Car Championship

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