Malaysia Feat UK :Perodua Joins Forces with Wolfrace to Create Limited Run Special for the UK

Malaysia's second largest automobile manufacturer after Proton, the PERusahaan Otomobil KeDUA Sendirian Berhad company, which is more widely know by its abbreviation Perodua, has joinced forces with UK tuning house Wolfrace for the development of the Myvi Wolfrace Design Concept that will soon enter a limited production run.

The standard Myvi is a supermini based on the second generation of the Daihatsu Sirion/Boon and Toyota Passo, and it's the result of Perodua's collaboration with Toyota and Daihatsu.

Wolfrace's involvement in the project resulted in a revised exterior look with black polished 16-inch alloy wheels wrapped in low profile Falken tires, new graphics on the body, contrasting red tailgate spoiler and mirrors, tinted windows and a twin chrome exhaust. The lowered suspension with Eibach springs promises to improve the car's stance as well as its handling.

As for the interior, the UK-based tuning firm opted for a combination of leather and alcantara for the seats, and the addition of a high-end Vibe audio upgrade including bass enclosure.

Perodua said the Myvi Wolfrace Design Concept is scheduled to go on sale in the UK in the beginning of October 2011.

Nissan Introduces 2012 Juke with Improved Fuel Economy in Europe

Nissan continues to fine-tune its Juke small crossover, which has received some mechanical tweaks in Europe that promise to further reduce emissions and lift fuel economy.

The Japanese company says both the 1.6-litre petrol and 1.5-litre dCi diesel drivetrains have undergone an optimisation programme that includes revised gear ratios for the manual transmission models.

As a result of these changes, the 1.6-litre petrol variant now returns 47.1mpg UK (equal to 39.2mpg US or 6.0 lt/100km) on the combined cycle, an improvement of 2.3mpg, while emitting 139g/km of CO2, a reduction of 8g/km over the previous model.

Those that opt for the revised 1.5-litre dCi diesel, will see fuel economy jump from 55.4mpg UK to 57.6mpg UK (47.9mpg US or 4.9 lt/100km) onhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif the combined cycle, and emissions drop from 134g/km to just 129g/km.

At least for the United Kingdom, where the company has sold some 22,000 Jukes since it launched exactly a year ago, Nissan says prices remain unchanged.

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Aston Martin Says it Can't Satisfy Demand for $49K Cygnet

Aston Martin’s chairman Ulrich Bez has admitted that sales of the subcompact Cygnet are “not as high as we hoped”. He claimed though that the reason is not the lack of customers, but of supply.

“I’m not satisfied with sales of the Cygnet” Bez told British magazine, Autocar. “We can’t deliver as many as customers want, as we don’t have enough stock. It is the sort of product a customer wants and decides they want on the spot –they don’t want to wait for their car to be built, but to drive it away there and then,” he added.

This and the lack of advertising, which Bez cites as another reason, are to blame. Apparently, right now there are hundreds of impatient Aston Martin customers who would pay £31,000 (US$48,700) for a rebadged Toyota iQ swathed in leather if only it was available…

The British firm's head honcho also revealed that Aston Martin is getting ready to launch its first new electric car in 2012. It won’t be a Karma rival, though, as you might expect, but the all-electric version of Toyota’s iQ the Cygnet.

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Healey Sports Cars to Revive Jensen with New Interceptor GT in 2012

Brand revivals are not very common, but they are not a novelty either. For example, BMW did it with the Mini with considerable success, while Mercedes-Benz was also able to resurrect Maybach with… err…let's just say unsatisfactory results.

Now Healey Sports Cars Switzerland [HSCS], which owns the brand rights to Jensen Motors will re-launch the company with a spanking new car next year.

This model will be a modern version of the Interceptor, a four-seat GT that was produced from 1966 until 1976. Like its namesake from the 1960s, the 21st century Interceptor will have an aluminium chassis and bodywork.

Founder and co-owner of CPP, Brendan O’Toole, said: “The Jensen design team has respected and honoured the great heritage and attributes of the original Interceptor, while injecting a contemporary edge and advanced technologies that will ensure it appeals to the passionate, discerning motoring enthusiast of today."

The new Interceptor GT will revealed at the end of 2012 with deliveries to customers beginning in 2014. The company said it has already began work on the car.

"This work is at an advanced stage, and married to CPP’s expert coachbuilding, craftsmanship and engineering skills, the new Interceptor will be an exceptional example of British automotive excellence,” O'Toole added.

Annual production numbers and pricing have yet to be confirmed.

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Flying False News: Would Jaguar-Land Rover to open new Engine Plant in UK ?

Jaguar

When Tata Motors acquired Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford in 2008, it had to buy powertrains for the models that were already in production by the British group's former owner.

Now, as part for their expansion plan, Tata Motors is considering the opening of a new engine plant, according to British newspaper Sunday Telegraph. If the report is indeed accurate (the company wasn’t available for comment) it will be built in Wholverhampton in central England and employ around 2,000 workers.

The cost of the plant, which will be the Jaguar-Land Rover group's fourth factory in England, is estimated to be around 400 million (US$632 million), with the newspaper reporting that the British government will contribute £10 million (US$15.7 million) to the project.

Story source: Reuters

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Office of Fair Trading to Begin Fact Finding Probe into UK Insurers

The UK Office of Fair Trading has launched a preliminary investigation – known as a call for evidence – into the nation’s insurance companies after car insurance premiums rose 40% over the last twelve months.

The consumer watchdog is probing whether there is genuine competition between the major insurers – and if there is, why it isn’t offering adequate protection for consumers against massive rate rises.

In the past, the industry has been blaming fraud, the so-called “compensation culture” (which must share a room with the “nanny state” and the “me generation” at the Hoary Old Cliché Hotel) and the activities of accident management companies like RTR.

The OFT, on the other hand, will be investigating the impact of price comparison websites like Gocompare.com (some of which are even owned by the insurance companies), the impact of additional products such as legal protection on premiums, how claims are dealt with, approved repairers and the provision of replacement cars.

The results are to be announced in December. Otto Thoresen, Director General of the Association of British Insurers, has welcomed the probe:

“This will give the industry another opportunity to highlight the cost pressures motor insurers are facing, what action is needed to reduce them, and steps the industry is taking to ensure customers get the best deal when buying motor insurance. Rising claims costs from personal injury claims and excessive legal costs, insurance fraud and uninsured driving, coupled with lower investment returns in recent years, have unfortunately led to rising motor insurance bills for many customers. In fact the motor insurance industry has not been profitable for the last sixteen years.”

It’s a sentiment echoed by Louise Ellman, chairman of the all-party Transport Select Committee in Britain’s parliament:

“It shows that this issue is of national importance, where action is needed. I hope that their investigation will shed more light on competition within the insurance industry.”

It will be interesting to see what the Office of Fair Trading’s probe turns up.

By Tristan Hankins

Story source: The Telegraph