The Malaysian Insider :: Drive

Toyota plans 8 compacts for emerging markets

Fri, 25 May 2012 05:16:47 GMT

TOKYO, May 25 — Toyota Motor Corp said today it would roll out eight compact car models tailored for emerging markets by 2015 in an attempt to catch up to front-runners such as Volkswagen AG and General Motors Co. Toyota, which lost the crown as the world’s top automaker last year, is looking to reduce its dependence on the mature North American, ...

Volvo presents first pedestrian airbag

Fri, 25 May 2012 01:01:44 GMT

STOCKHOLM, May 25 — Swedish brand Volvo is the first carmaker to offer an airbag aimed at protecting pedestrians. The feature is available on its 2013 V40 model. The device, which is located under the hood, automatically inflates in a few hundredths of a second to cover about a third of the windshield when activated. It can only be launched at the ...

Nissan announces electric van production from 2013

Wed, 23 May 2012 23:30:08 GMT

BARCELONA, May 24 — Nissan Motor Co announced yesterday it will launch global production of an all-electric van, the e-NV200, as early as next year in the Spanish city of Barcelona, creating 700 jobs. The Japanese carmaker said it would invest €100 million (RM400 million) in Spain to start production in its 2013 financial year at its Barcelona ...

Tesla to launch electric sedan in US on June 22

Wed, 23 May 2012 13:00:55 GMT

FREMONT (California), May 23 — Tesla Motors said yesterday it would begin deliveries of “the world’s first premium electric sedan” on June 22, slightly ahead of schedule. Several customers will receive their cars that day at an invitation-only event at the Tesla Factory in Fremont, California, said the company created in 2003 by Elon Musk, a ...

Fiat’s Elkann gets behind the wheel for Mille Miglia

Fri, 18 May 2012 08:25:32 GMT

BRESCIA, May 18 — John Elkann, the media-shy chairman of one of the world’s biggest car companies, got behind the wheel and demonstrated his driving skills yesterday in Italy’s legendary four-day Mille Miglia rally race. The 36-year-old head of Fiat, which now control Chrysler and was founded by his great-great grandfather Giovanni Agnelli in ...

The bell tolls for the in-car CD player

Wed, 16 May 2012 13:31:23 GMT

DETROIT, May 16 — CD players could become the next victim of the struggle to shed pounds from cars in the name of fuel efficiency. In an interview with the Detroit Free Press, senior Ford designer Michael Arbaugh revealed recently that he was “looking forward to the day” when designers ditch CD players on dashboards forever. The reason is simple — ...

Zero Motorcycles takes electric biking award

Wed, 16 May 2012 02:19:42 GMT

BRUSSELS, May 16 — The Zero S electric motorbike has been named eMotorbike of the year. In another piece of good news for its manufacturer, Zero Motorcycles, the Zero S was named the electric motorbike of the year by a panel of judges at Europe’s Clean Week 2020, an electric vehicle event being held in Belgium this week. Iti s the second year in ...

Honda low-cost bike for India steps up emerging market drive

Tue, 15 May 2012 12:56:36 GMT

NEW DELHI, May 15 — Honda Motor Co launched the lowest-cost motorbike in its line-up today for sale in the India market, aiming to double India’s share of its motorcycle revenue by the end of the decade while racing to catch up with rivals in fast-growing emerging markets. Honda, the world’s largest motorcycle manufacturer and Japan’s ...

Chevrolet to show new SUV at Paris auto show

Tue, 15 May 2012 03:17:01 GMT

NEW YORK, May 15 — Chevrolet announced yesterday that the world would get a first peek at its new Trax SUV at Paris’ 2012 Motor Show (September 29-October 14). The carmaker promised that in addition to offering space for five, the small SUV would offer “flexibility” as well as “car-like handling” for the driver and low fuel consumption. The ...

New navigation system turns driver’s seat into cockpit

Tue, 15 May 2012 03:02:17 GMT

TOKYO, May 15 — Japan’s Pioneer Corp has unveiled a state-of-the-art car navigation system that is the first in the world to project augmented reality information on the windscreen in front of the driver’s eyes. The technology has been introduced into the head-up display units incorporated into the cockpits of the most modern fighter aircraft, but ...

Fender-inspired Beetle ‘coming this year’

Tue, 15 May 2012 00:02:43 GMT

NEW YORK, May 15 — The iconic Beetle is to be produced as a limited-edition model with guitar maker Fender, according to reports. Based on the concept Beetle launched at last year’s Frankfurt Motor Show, the vehicle looks set to be produced as a limited edition for music fans, says Car and Driver magazine. The model presented in Frankfurt looked ...

Tesla-Toyota relationship bears electric fruit

Sun, 13 May 2012 14:09:50 GMT

TOKYO, May 13 — The first fruits of the strategic alliance between California-based electric sports car manufacturer Tesla Motors Inc. and Japanese auto giant Toyota Motor Corp. have been unveiled in California. The all-electric RAV4 EV sports utility vehicle got its first public outing at the 26th International Electric Vehicle Symposium in Los ...

Opel confirms ‘Adam’ going into production

Sun, 13 May 2012 13:28:22 GMT

BERLIN, May 13 — Opel will call its new city car the “Adam”, it confirmed this week. Releasing a comic strip that reveals the vehicle’s name, Opel ended months of speculation over the name of its new small vehicle, codenamed “Junior” thanks to its petite size. With three doors, four seats and a length of just 3.7m, the Adam will rival the likes of ...

Toyota world No.1 again

Sun, 13 May 2012 05:18:35 GMT

TOKYO, May 13 — Japanese automaker Toyota has retaken the crown as the world’s largest automaker. Initial sales reports for 2012 so far suggest that the Japanese brand, which was badly hit by natural disasters last year, is now outselling American rival General Motors (GM). Toyota was the world’s largest automaker between 2008 and 2010, but lost ...

Overhead lines could power trucks

Sun, 13 May 2012 03:32:51 GMT

LOS ANGELES, May 13 — The motorways of the future could feature vehicles powered like trains, a leading electronics firm has suggested. Siemens launched its vision of the ‘eHighway of the future’ in Los Angeles this week, highlighting a new method which would see some trucks powered by wires running above lanes on the road. The concept was ...

Smart e-bike goes on sale

Sat, 12 May 2012 08:21:39 GMT

LONDON, May 12 — Smart’s new e-bike has gone on sale in Europe for deliveries later this month. The electrically-assisted bike, which uses a battery as well as traditional pedal power for propulsion, is available to order for £2,495 (RM12,225) in the UK and €2,849 in Germany, with the first deliveries expected within weeks in the UK and underway ...

Father of Cobra sports car dies at 89

Sat, 12 May 2012 02:24:57 GMT

DETROIT, May 12 — Carroll Shelby, designer of the Shelby Cobra and other sports cars that placed him in the pantheon of auto industry legends, has died at age 89, his company said yesterday. He died on Thursday at Baylor Hospital in Dallas, according to the company, Carroll Shelby Licensing. The firm did not disclose the cause of death. A post on ...

India auto sales up 3.4pc in April

Fri, 11 May 2012 04:28:58 GMT

MUMBAI, May 11 — Car sales in India rose just 3.4 per cent year on year in April, data from an industry body showed yesterday, after the government hiked taxes on vehicles and car makers raised prices. Firms sold 168,351 cars in the domestic market in April, up from 162,813 in the same month last year, its sixth monthly increase, according to the ...

Porsche said to target Mercedes with sixth model

Thu, 10 May 2012 23:33:23 GMT

LONDON, May 11 — Porsche will go head-to-head with Mercedes-Benz by introducing a new sedan model, according to reports. The project, codenamed Pajun, will see Porsche tackle the Mercedes-Benz E-Class luxury sedan and will be the latest step for the automaker in its quest to become a more wide-ranging lifestyle brand. The Pajun will be a smaller ...

Mainstream’ electric motorbike launches

Thu, 10 May 2012 16:21:23 GMT

LOS ANGELES, May 10 — Electric drive, with its bulky batteries and near-silent operation, isn't a natural fit for the motorcycle world. Bikers, on the whole, are more used to lean machines capable of high speeds, high ranges and plenty of noise, so creating a battery-powered bike that can win them over is something of a tall order. At the Electric ...

Fisker Karma becomes a best-seller… in Holland

Thu, 10 May 2012 07:55:58 GMT

LONDON, May 10 — As it battles the fallout from yet another slew of negative headlines in the US this week, luxury eco-car maker Fisker had some good news from the other side of the Atlantic — it has become one of Holland’s best-selling vehicles. The Fisker Karma had what seems like an exceptionally strong quarter in the Netherlands, Fisker said ...

China auto sales up 5.2pc in April

Thu, 10 May 2012 02:53:16 GMT

SHANGHAI, May 10 — Vehicle sales in China rose 5.2 per cent year on year in April, an industry group said yesterday, indicating a recovery in the world’s biggest auto market. Total vehicle sales for the month stood at 1.62 million units, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers said in a statement. The growth rate improved from a 1.0 per ...

US drivers see texting risks but still do it, says survey

Wed, 09 May 2012 23:05:27 GMT

WASHINGTON, May 10 — Most young US drivers believe that texting and phone use at the wheel is dangerous, but many do it anyway, a recent survey showed. The Consumer Reports survey of 16- to 21-year-olds found eight of 10 believed the use of smartphones at the wheel is a risk, 29 per cent admitted doing it in the past month. And 47 per cent ...

Audi tops BMW sales in April

Wed, 09 May 2012 14:17:47 GMT

BERLIN, May 9 — Volkswagen’s luxury car brand Audi outsold market leader BMW for the first time in more than a year in April as continued high demand from China, the United States and Russia boosted vehicle sales. Deliveries of Audi cars and sport-utility vehicles increased 14.4 per cent in April to 125,200, the company said today. Sales of BMW ...

Toyota unveils ‘first all-electric SUV’

Wed, 09 May 2012 00:05:37 GMT

LOS ANGELES, May 9 — Toyota unveiled Monday what it says is the first all-electric sports utility vehicle (SUV) on the market, a version of its popular RAV4 with a top range of 100 miles (160km) and minimum six-hour charge time. The car will be sold initially only in California with a base price of US$49,800 (RM150,000), and the Japanese car ...