Innovation Technology

The Satria Neo is the latest small car addition to the Proton range.

Proton Cars UK Managing Director, Brian Collier said: "The Satria Neo will give new and existing customers trusted Proton reliability combined with sleek Lotus design and smooth ride and handling, all accompanied by our reputable customer service."

The exterior of the 3-door hatch is low, sporty and road-hugging. When combined with the sleek aerodynamic profile, Proton say the Satria Neo delivers low wind resistance, good high speed manoeuvrability, vehicle stability and control.

Simon Wood, Engineering Director at Group Lotus Plc said: "I am proud of the Satria Neo, it embodies those aspects held as important by Lotus; striking design, dynamic performance and driver enjoyment."

Launched in February, the new 3-door supermini is available with a choice of 1.3 or 1.6 litre engine, with prices starting from just £ 7,995 On The Road

Malaysian national carmaker Proton has formed an alliance with Japan's Mitsubishi Motors Corp. to jointly build a new car as part of efforts to modernize its vehicle lineup and improve component quality.

Mitsubishi will provide technical and engineering services under a product collaboration agreement, Proton said Friday in a statement.

The Malaysian carmaker has also been given a non-exclusive license to modify a Mitsubishi vehicle for sale under the Proton trademark. The alliance doesn't include any equity shareholding, officials said.

"The understanding encompasses initiatives to be taken by both companies to improve both build and component quality for Proton vehicles," a Proton statement said.

Proton didn't give further details and company officials couldn't be immediately reached for comment.

The Star newspaper said the two companies plan to build a small hatchback car that will be introduced after 2010. Under the pact, Proton's new seven-seat multipurpose vehicle to be launched in March will also be marketed under the Mitsubishi brand in certain markets, the report said.

Both companies would explore possibilities on export and contract assembly for their vehicles, it said.

Mitsubishi helped set up Proton over two decades ago, but sold its stake in 2004 because of its own financial problems. The Japanese carmaker still supplies automobile components, including engines and transmission, to Proton.

Pressured by dwindling sales and growing competition as Malaysia liberalizes its auto market, state-owned Proton has been on the hunt for a new foreign partner to boost its fortunes after Mitsubishi left.

But its insistence on maintaining control has made it difficult for Proton to seal any meaningful partnership. It ended alliance talks with Germany's Volkswagen AG and General Motors Corp. last year, partly due to government's refusal to let foreigners take control of Proton, seen as a national icon.

Proton has improved its domestic market share to 33 percent so far this year, from 24 percent last year, after introducing several cheap models but its exports remained weak. The carmaker is pinning hope on the new multipurpose vehicle to prop up sales next year.

Proton has traditionally made only five-seat passenger cars.

With an increasingly competitive market, some analysts have warned it will be tough for Proton to penetrate global markets or gain new technology without a strong foreign partner.

The first official photographs have been published of the Ferrari California, the latest addition to the new generation of Ferrari launched in 2004 with the 612 Scaglietti and added to more recently with the 430 Scuderia.

The Audi R8, into which Audi has incorporated the name and the genes of the five-time Le Mans winner, is a spectacular sports car. Three years after the unveiling of the Audi Le Mans Quattro concept car, the production version will be making its debut at the Paris Motor Show in the guise of the new Audi R8 mid-engine sports model. It is a fascinating driving machine and the sporty pinnacle of the Audi brand. The mid-mounted 420 bhp V8 FSI engine, Quattro permanent four-wheel drive and Audi Space Frame aluminum body form the basis for truly outstanding driving dynamics. The Audi R8 will be available to order from 28 September 2006; first deliveries will be made in the first half of 2007.

As the first Audi mid-engine sports car, the Audi R8 combines Audi's experience gained from numerous motorsport triumphs with groundbreaking design and the acknowledged technological expertise of the brand. This expertise has led to the slogan 'Vorsprung durch Technik' becoming a byword for leading-edge technology both on the race track and on the road.

Audi R8's Exterior

Even at first glance, the caliber of the Audi R8 is plain to see. The car sits broad and squat on the road, the strongly accentuated rear end appearing to flex its muscles like a sprinter ready for the off.

The characteristic proportions of the vehicle are dictated by the location of the engine behind the cockpit. This layout is a typical feature of race cars. One of the most striking examples of this design - and as such one of the legitimate antecedents of the Audi R8 - was, and still is, the Auto Union Type C Grand Prix car. The central position of the engine is above all a boon to driving dynamics, as it allows for a weight distribution, as on the R8, of 44 percent to the front and 56 percent to the rear.

The car's body is highly compact in appearance. The front end and the gently curved roof arc are drawn in a sweeping line; a line which immediately marks the two-seater out as an Audi.

The side view also reveals familiar contours. The dynamic line above the wheel arches and the shoulder line interlink the front end, side and rear, imbue the doors and the transition to the side air vent with a strong presence, and even more emphatically highlight the typical Audi rounded wheel housings accommodating the big wheels.

The cabin of the Audi R8 is pushed far forward - a typical feature of a mid-engined sports car, and as such a visual cue linking it to the race car of the same name. Behind the cabin, positioned in front of the rear axle, is the V8 FSI engine, a sculptured piece of engineering visible both through the large, shield-shaped rear window and from inside the car.

The full aluminum body is constructed in the Audi Space Frame (ASF) design. Its perfect synthesis of minimal weight and maximum rigidity provides the ideal foundation for optimum driving dynamics, as well as delivering an outstanding power-to-weight ratio of just 8.18 pounds per bhp.

The Interior

The sporty interior is dominated by a totally driver-oriented cockpit architecture, integrating the driver between the dashboard and the high centre console. The instrument panel above the console is angled slightly towards the driver. The flat-bottomed steering wheel is a typical feature of the sportiest Audi models, and also enables comfortable sports car entry and exit.

Form follows function: this design principle is implemented throughout the R8. Alongside the driver-oriented architecture, also reflected in the styling of the side window sills, the choice of materials also makes for a highly functional look and feel. Looking around when in the driving seat makes one thing clear: just like in the R8 race car, the styling and placement of all the elements in the cockpit of this driving machine is focused on the essentials. The center point of everything is the driver.

The Drivetrain

Turbine-like power up to the highest rev ranges, a high maximum torque, all combined with a fascinating sound, are the characteristics of a perfect sports car engine. An engine that is fascinating both in terms of its enormous power potential and its suitability for everyday use.

In the high-revving 420 bhp eight-cylinder engine, the evolution of FSI petrol direct injection technology has reached a new high. This technology has also enjoyed many triumphs in the Audi R8 race car.

The figures illustrate the outstanding potential of the eight-cylinder unit. At 7,800 rpm the 4.2-liter engine delivers 420 bhp of power output. Peak torque is 317 lb-ft from 4,500 to 6,000 rpm. And no less than 90 per cent of this maximum torque is maintained consistently throughout a wide engine speed range from 3,500 all the way to 7,600 rpm. As a result of these qualities, the eight-cylinder power unit provides maximum thrust in virtually any driving situation.

The performance figures are equally impressive: the R8 accelerates from a standstill to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds and reaches a top speed of 187 mph.

Two transmissions are available: a manual 6-speed gearbox or optionally the Audi R tronic sequential-shift gearbox. Here, too, the influence of the motorsport world is clearly evident, with a joystick gear-shift on the centre console and, most especially, the paddles mounted on the steering wheel, which are a long-established ergonomic feature in motorsport. The best illustration of this is once again the Le Mans winning Audi R8, which also enables the driver to change gear on the steering wheel.

BMW Malaysia lunch new and fresh ambition, query formally proven recipes for success, and focus on new records and outstanding achievements. And precisely this also applies to the debut of the new BMW M3. Having completed its test cycle with flying colors, the new high-performance sports car from BMW M GmbH is ready and waiting to take over pole position. Indeed, with its superior power, performance and dynamism, the new BMW M3 ensures truly unique sheer driving pleasure of the highest caliber.

The new, 414 bhp V8 power unit offers enormous muscle and performance at all times. And the aesthetic design of the new car typical once again of BMW M spells out supremacy of the highest standard.

The new BMW M3 sets the foundation for continuing an exceptional career in motorsport. So every enthusiast sharing the passion for supreme performance may be sure that this model is able to master even the greatest challenge on and off the race track. And last but certainly not least, the new BMW M3 offers the supreme standard of reliability and everyday driving qualities so typical of all high-performance cars from BMW M GmbH.

The First-ever Eight-cylinder to Power a BMW M3

After 15 glorious years in the world of motoring, the straight-six power unit lauded time and again as the Engine-of-the-Year in the two former model generations of the BMW M3 is now giving way to a truly worthy successor. The new BMW M3 comes for the first time with an eight-cylinder power unit. And the specifications of this all-new high-performance engine clearly
prove the competence and skill of the engine development specialists at BMW M GmbH gained in a long history of racing success: Displacing 3,999 cc, the new V8 develops maximum output of 414 bhp, together with peak torque of 295 lb-ft at 3, 900 rpm. Perhaps an even more outstanding fact is that some 85 per cent of the engine's peak torque remains available throughout the enormous speed range of 6, 500 rpm.

The eight-cylinder nevertheless owes its most striking and distinctive forte to the high-speed engine concept so typical of BMW M: Revving all the way to 8,400 rpm, the new power unit offers supreme muscle and performance at all times. Power is transmitted to the rear wheels by a six-speed manual gearbox interacting with brand-new final drive. This combination alone provides an acceleration and power potential reminiscent in its spontaneity and endurance to the dynamic potential of a thoroughbred racing car.

Athletic body design as a visible expression of superior power

The exterior of the new BMW M3 was designed and developed from the start to give the car a truly unique and sporting look. So applying the principle of "form follows function", the designers at BMW M GmbH, in giving the body of the car its particular look and appearance, have succeeded in finding a perfect match of supreme technology, on the one hand, and authentic sporting design, on the other.

Reflecting this clear-cut principle, the engine compartment lid made of aluminum features an impressive power dome right in the middle. Together with the recesses right next to the powerdome providing space for additional air intake openings, this special design feature clearly hints to the supreme potential of the eight-cylinder power unit within the engine compartment. The contours of the powerdome and air intakes follow the forward-pointing arrow shape of the engine compartment lid, blending harmoniously into the overall design of the front end even longer than on the "regular" BMW 3 Series Coupe.

The Interior: Tailor-made for Optimum Driving Pleasure

In designing the interior, the specialists at BMW M GmbH have succeeded in offering the occupants maximum driving pleasure in an ambience tailored to their specific needs and wishes. This applies particularly to the driver, with all controls and instruments relating directly to the active driving experience in the car adapted to the supreme performance of the BMW M3 and re-designed from the ground up wherever appropriate.

Double circular instruments with white illumination and red needles, the M leather steering wheel and the newly designed centre console all characterize the cockpit of the new BMW M3. The door cutout trim embellished by the characteristic M logo, the support for the driver's left foot made of brushed metal, the special design and color of the inner door panels, as well as the trim strip made of high-quality, sophisticated materials exclusive to BMW M such as leather in carbon design or aluminum, all serve to underline the supreme and truly unique position of the new BMW M3.

MDrive Button for the Ambitious Driving Enthusiast

Enjoying the qualities of the new BMW M3, the driver is able to configure several driving parameters individually according to his particular requirements, thus adjusting the car's behavior and performance to his personal preferences. One option, for example, is to completely deactivate the Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) via the car's set-up. Electronic Damper Control (EDC), in turn, which optimizes both vertical vibration behavior as well as the car's dive and roll in bends and when applying the brakes and accelerating by adjusting damper forces, comes with three different settings - Normal, Comfort, and Sports - the driver is able to pre-select at the touch of a button.

Three control maps are also available for precise, on-demand management of the engine. These management functions operate not only on the position of the throttle butterflies in the intake manifold, but also on further factors and parameters significantly changing the behavior and response of the engine.

The optionally available MDrive configuration enables the driver to pre-select the response of the Servotronic power steering. In the process, MDrive is able to follow two control maps varying steering forces between the Normal and Sports setting as a function of road speed.

Malaysia Mitsubishi Motors is introducing the 2008 Lancer Evolution already arrive on Malaysia at Kuala Lumpur Convention Center, the newest and most sophisticated version of the legendary high-performance model series that began 16 years ago. While remaining true to the core values that have made the Lancer Evolution synonymous with thrilling performance, the next-generation model offers all-around capability and user technology that distinguish the world's best performance models.

The strikingly styled 2008 Lancer Evolution showcases new performance and handling technology, including an all-new 291-bhp 2.0-liter turbocharged/intercooled engine and the Super-All Wheel Control (S-AWC) dynamic handling system. S-AWC offers an extraordinary level of control at each wheel, going well beyond the capabilities of other all-wheel drive systems.

Two Lancer Evolution models will be offered in the U.S. market for 2008: the GSR with a new 5-speed manual transmission and the Lancer Evolution MR with a new 6-speed Twin-Clutch Sportronic Shift Transmission (TC-SST), a new-generation automated manual transmission. The MR model is also equipped exclusively with Bilstein shock absorbers and Eibach springs, two-piece brake rotors for better heat dissipation, BBS forged-alloy wheels, HID headlamps and additional interior features. Significantly, the newest Lancer Evolution will have less differentiation from market to market than the previous generations.

Design Evolution

The 2008 Lancer Evolution design makes a maximum performance statement, blending concept car themes and sound aerodynamic principles while conveying the brand's rally heritage. A shark-nosed front end inspired by jet fighter air intakes, a distinct wedge-like profile and crisp, taut lines highlight the basic new-generation Lancer design. Building on those themes, the 2008 Lancer Evolution looks the part of the street-wise sports machine with its a unique front end, aggressively sloping hood with integral air scoop and engine heat outlets, boxed fenders, and 18-inch alloy wheels with Brembo brakes.

Inside, the Lancer Evolution presents a "class up" approach and shows a new international flair. Available user technology, including high-end Rockford Fosgate® audio and navigation systems, reflects the tastes of a broadening customer base.

All-new 2.0-liter Turbo Engine

The 2008 Lancer Evolution's 4B11 engine is an intercooled-turbocharged 2.0-liter DOHC inline 4-cylinder. Beyond that description, it differs greatly from the legendary 4G63 it replaces. The 4B11 is built with a reinforced cast-aluminum cylinder block versus the cast-iron block used in the 4G63, and aluminum is also used for the cylinder head and cover and the timing chain case.

The new 4B11 T/C produces more power than its predecessor: 291 bhp at 6,500 rpm (vs. 286 bhp at 6,500 rpm) and 300 lb-ft of peak torque at 4,400 rpm (vs. 289 lb-ft at 3,500 rpm). The 4B11 T/C provides a broader torque curve, as well. A revised turbocharger yields up to 20-percent quicker response at lower engine speeds versus the 2006 engine's turbocharger.

New TC-SST Automated Manual Transmission

Exclusive to the Evolution MR model for 2008, the 6-speed Twin-Clutch Sportronic Shift Transmission (TC-SST) is an automated manual transmission capable of executing lightning-quick upshifts with no drop-off in engine power. The TC-SST features both a console-mounted shifter and magnesium steering wheel paddle shifters and offers manual and fully automatic modes.

Essentially, the TC-SST is a manual transmission that can select two gears at a time: one gear is engaged by one of the two wet multi-plate clutches, and the other is pre-selected, awaiting to be engaged by the second clutch. The gear change is made - either manually or automatically depending on mode selected - when the electro-hydraulically operated clutches are "swapped," which occurs simultaneously, with no perceptible lag time.

Super-All Wheel Control (S-AWC)

In the 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, Super All-Wheel Control (S-AWC) is not simply the name of a new all-wheel drive system. Rather, S-AWC regulates drive torque at each wheel by controlling a network of dynamic handling technologies, including: Active Center Differential (ACD) 4-wheel drive, Active Yaw Control (AYC) rear differential, Active Stability Control (ASC), and Sports ABS brakes. Integration of ASC is new for all markets and also provides a significant advance in both dynamic capability and safety.