Volkswagen Golf Mk 7 due in 2012?

If at all that is true, then the current Mk 6 model cycle would be the shortest among all Golf generations. The Mk 5 was after all running from 2003 to 2009 while the preceding Mk 4 Golf production has equal longevity from 1997 to 2003.

Could it be that the current generation of Golf Mk 6 uses a slightly modified platform of the Golf Mk 5? And that the overall dimensions and silhouette shadows much of its predecessor? Perhaps in German automotive application just a major facelift of the Mk 5?

As such, the Golf Mk 7 will be a completely new model. To be built on a new platform known as MQB - which will have a longer wheelbase yet lighter - the all-new 2012 Golf will allow the introduction of hybrid powertrains which include petrol-electric and diesel-electric combos. The Mk 7 Golf will probably sport a full-EV variant rumoured to debut a year later in 2013.

Expect the following pure internal combustion range of 1.2-litre TSI engine (86 and 105 hp), 1.4-litre TSI engine (122 hp and 160 hp), 1.6-litre TDI engine (90 hp and 105 hp), 2.0-litre TDI engine (140 hp, 170 hp and 220 hp). The Mk 7 Golf GTI and Golf R versions are likely still powered by top-range 2.0-litre TSI engine (220 hp and 300 hp).

The all-new Mk 7 Golf is expected to be unveiled by end 2012, with production target for the Mk 6 to be around 1.6 millions units. In contrast, the Mk 5 with its good-and-ripe 6-years production run had clocked up some 2.3 million units.

2010 Hyundai Sonata (YF) previewed before actual launch date of 2nd July 2010 in Malaysia

Hyundai-Sime Darby Motors (HSDM) has given the media a preview of its latest Sonata YF 2.0 and 2.4. Plans are afoot to launch it officially on 2nd July 2010. The 2.0-litre version is available in two trims level i.e. Standard Spec and High Spec while the 2.4 is only available in top spec, with prices ranging from RM135,888 to RM163,888 (OTR).

Please click on the chart below for more info on the 2.0 and 2.4 variants to be available soon:




Powered by Hyundai's indigenous new Theta II family of engines, the 2.0 churns out a respectable 164 bhp and maximum torque of 197 Nm. The 2.4 meanwhile, has a combo of 175 bhp/227 Nm. Rather class-leading figures for naturally aspirated powerplants in the Japanese-Korean class of cars. Claimed fuel consumption (combined cycle) are 13.2 km/l for the 2.0L and 12.5 km/l for the 2.4L Sonatas.




Available in White, Silver, Black, Blue and Red, the sleek 4-door coupe is fully imported (CBU) from South Korea. The all-new Sonata is available for pre-viewing now - daily from 2pm to 7pm - until next Tuesday (29th June) at Hyundai�s showroom at Glenmarie, Shah Alam.

Lotus Evora now available in Malaysia

Lotus Malaysia today officially launched an all-new Lotus sports car ever since the Elise - spawning the many sporty variants - which debuted in 1995. Being a 2+2 mid-engined coupe, the Evora is unique in that it is one-of-its-kind with a rear bench that fits two, albeit only small kids. Prices range from RM443,480 to RM490,210, excluding insurance - for a 3.5L VVT-i V6 (Toyota's 2GR-FE) powered sports coupe, available with only standard 6-speed manual transmission.

Claimed performance figures are 5.1 seconds to the century dash and a top whack of 261 km/h with a claimed fuel consumption of 11.5 kms/litre.

Hyundai Tucson prices hiked in Malaysia

Prices of the new Hyundai Tucson have been hiked by 1% to 2% effective 7th June 2010.
This is the first price increase after its introduction to the Malaysian market sometime April 2010.

The new prices are:
Standard 2.0 - RM129,888
High-Spec 2.0- RM139,888
Top-of-the-line 2.4 - RM154,888.

Those who have placed their bookings before 7th June will not be subjected to this price increase.

Peugeot 107 Also Receives the 'Millesim 200' Treatment

The 107 city car is the third Peugeot model in the UK after the 207 and 308 to be offered with in a 'Millesim 200' edition as part of the company's 200 year celebrations. The special edition version of the 107 is based on the current Urban Plus model but benefits from a range of extra standard equipment including 14-inch alloy wheels, air-conditioning, rev counter, special code blue seat trim, blue air vent surrounds, blue instrument binnacle and unique Millesim 200 badging.
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New Suzuki Swift Breaks Cover: No Really, It's a Completely New Model

We know many of you will have a hard time believing us just by looking at these photos, but this is not a facelift of any sort; it's actually the all-new generation of the Suzuki Swift and it was unveiled today at the firm's Magyar Suzuki Corporation production facility at Esztergom, in Hungary.

Evidently there's not much to say about the 2010 Swift's exterior styling. We can understand Suzuki's "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" mentality to a certain extent - the current Swift is one of best-looking cars in the segment in our opinion- but a fresher approach would have been welcome.

There are no official photos of the interior, but some leaked cell phone pics on the net suggest that the dashboard and center console design of the car are heavily inspired by the Suzuki Kizashi sedan.

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Bugatti Veyron vs Nissan GT-R Take 2: This Time, Godzilla Beats the 1,001HP Beast

A couple of weeks ago we showed a video (see it here) with a Bugatti Veyron crushing a pair 730HP Nissan GT-R Switzer models in a straight-line duel in Moscow, Russia. Now a second video has appeared on the web with some Russian guys pitting the 1,001HP Veyron model once again against the Nissan GT-R at a drag strip.

We don't know if it's the same cars or not, but this time, the Veyron gets its bulbous buttocks whipped by the GT-R. Don't ask us how Godzilla managed to pull that out - maybe it was hooked up to up to a nitrous bottle or something, maybe the Veyron had some sort of problem, we have no idea- but it did. Watch the second round after the jump.

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Mama Mia: Ferrari 612 GTO Design Concept by Sasha Selipanov

We acknowledge that a fair number of independent design concepts found on the web are of mediocre quality, but every once in a while we stumble upon an study that has us really sitting up and taking notice. The Ferrari 612 GTO concept by Sasha Selipanov of Berlin, Germany is one of them.

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VIDEO: MINI Diesel gets V8 Roar Thanks to Active Sound Design System

Diesel engines have a lot of advantages over their petrol counterparts, the most significant being their impressive fuel economy and monstrous torque. But there's one thing they don't have and that's the right sound. However, the BMW Group appears to have a solution for the problem - albeit in prototype form for now.

It's called Active Sound Design or ASD for short and it has been applied on two prototype diesel-powered models, a MINI Clubman and a BMW 635d Coupe.

ASD is an electro-acoustic system that makes use of microphones and the vehicle's sound system to change the engine's sound characteristics. The further enhance the acoustic experience, BMW's engineers also used different sound and vibration deadening materials in the engine bay and under the body of the car.

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Fisker Latigo CS V10: Coachbuilt BMW M6 Found for Sale on eBay

For those that find the current generation BMW M6 aesthetically displeasing and/or a far too common sight on the roads, you may want to take a look at this second-hand Fisker Latigo CS V10 that's offered for sale on eBay.

Designed by CEO of Fisker Automotive, Henrik Fisker, who worked in the past for Ford, BMW and Aston Martin, the Latigo CS is a coachbuilt version of the BMW 6-Series that was first introduced in 2006 having received a minor redesigned in 2007.

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VIDEO: Saab Tester Takes New 9-5 for a Spin on the Track

Saab continues to publish new promotional material on its freshly revealed 9-5 sedan. This time the Trollhattan-based automaker has released a video with Stefan Runquist, Vehicle Dynamics manager for the new 9-5, behind the steering wheel. Runquist took the executive saloon for a spin on a Swedish test track and offered an overview of the 9-5's ride and handling characteristics. Watch the clip after the break.

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Ferrari Boss Announces 599 GTB Roadster Special

The next new model to come out of the Maranello shop will be a roadster version of the 599 GTB supercar. Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo dropped the news himself yesterday morning during a special press gathering in Central London.

"This is a very unusual car and it will certainly surprise you," said Montezemelo. "It's only going to be available to a very select number of clients who've been asking us for an open-top version of the 12-cylinder for quite some time now. We won't be unveiling it at a show though. Instead we'll be organizing private presentations," Ferrari's boss added.

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GM Recalling Over 1.5 Million Vehicles Worldwide for Fire Danger

A massive recall is underway for numerous General Motors cars and trucks sold globally over a glitch in the wind shield wiper fluid heating system that could ignite a fire. The recall concerns a total of 1.53 million Buick, Hummer, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC and Saturn models, with 1.36 million of those sold in the U.S.

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2011 VW Jetta Teaser Site Launched, Reveal Coming on June 15

[Updated] Ford isn't the only company teasing the online reveal of a new model -the 2011 Explorer- today. So is Volkswagen that has just launched a dedicated countdown page on its U.S. website for the all-new 2011 Jetta saloon. According to the German company, the sixth-generation of its bread-and-butter sedan will be revealed to the world live on June 15 at 11:25 a.m. EST / 8:25 a.m. PST.

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2011 Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG Receives Minor Cosmetic Updates

Mercedes-Benz's 510-horsepower-strong ML63 AMG SUV has received some rather minor upgrades for the 2011 model year. The subtle changes to the exterior include a newly styled bonnet with power domes, darkened bi-xenon headlamps with active light function and smoked tail lamps incorporating a clear-lens design and LED technology. And that about covers the updates to the 2011 ML63 AMG model.

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Volkswagen Group to Build New Factory in Foshan, China

The Volkswagen Group announced on Wednesday plans to expand its production capacities in China with the construction of a new automotive plant in at Foshan, in the Southern Chinese region of Guangdong. The new production facility will have the capacity to assemble 300,000 vehicles annually and will begin operations in mid-2013.

"China has become the Volkswagen Group's largest and most important sales market. We intend to continue above-average growth side by side with our partners. With our unprecedented investment program, we intend to double our capacities in China to three million vehicles per year by 2013/14," said VW boss, Martin Winterkorn.

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2011 Ford Explorer SUV: First Official Teaser Photos, More to Come

Hidden somewhere in these cryptic photos is the all-new 2011 Ford Explorer SUV. The pictures were just released a few minutes ago on FoMoCo's dedicated Facebook page.

They don't show much of the new SUV model but the plan is to slowly undress the 2011 Explorer through a series of pictures that will be uploaded on the much-criticized lately, yet massively powerful, social network site in the same way Honda did with the Accord CrossTour last year.

So, when will we see the new Explorer? There's no specific date, but Scott Monty, Ford's head of social media, told the New York Times today that the company's new SUV model will be fully revealed sometime in July.

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VIDEO: 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STI Test Car Laps the Nurburgring in 7:55.00, Faster than Panamera and CTS-V

Subaru has just released test footage of its soon-to-be-launched 2011 Impreza WRX STI sedan from the Nurburgring race track. Described by the Japanese automaker as the firm's "fastest WRX STI ever", the 2011MY turned the Nurburgring race track in an impressive 7 minutes and 55 seconds in the hands of four-time World Rally Champion, Tommi M�kinen.

For those keeping track, rally legend and Porsche test driver, Walter R�hrl, lapped the 'Ring with the 500HP Panamera Turbo in an unofficial time of 7 minutes and 56 seconds, while Cadillac's 556HP CTS-V clocked a 7:59.32 lap in 2008.

But there's a catch; the 2011 STI that lapped the 'Ring was in Subaru's own words, a prototype model. According to the company, the test car combined a series of production performance upgrades from the JDM-only R205 and C-Spec STIs including a larger turbocharger with some additional mods such as under body aero parts and aluminum fenders.

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Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 with R35 Fascia: Stud or Dud?

Found over at our JDM-loving friends at 'Farm of Mind', is this cosmetically modified Nissan Skyline GT-R R34. As you can see in the pictures above and below, the owner of the Japanese sports coupe kitted out the R34 with the new GT-R R35's fascia.

Even though we don't have many photos to go by, at a first glance the conversion looks fairly decent from a technical point of view. However, we'll let you decide if it's a 'stud' or a 'dud'. Have your say in the comments section after the jump.

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Ferrari 308 GTSi Owner Swaps Maranello's V8 for Pontiac Fierro's V6! [with Video]

We never cease to be amazed by the things some people do to their cars. But while we may turn a blind eye to creations such this Acura/Honda NSX turned into a Ferrari 360-lookalike or this Mazda RX-7-powered BMW E30, there's something fundamentally wrong with swapping the original 214HP 3.0-liter V8 powerhouse of a Ferrari 308 GTSi with the... Pontiac Fiero's, Chevrolet-sourced 140HP 2.8-liter V6 unit.

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VIDEO: Frustrated BMW Driver Takes a Fit on Mazda3 Owner for Challenging Him

This Mazdaspeed3 owner was driving on a scenic road with a few soft twists somewhere in Northern California when at some point a BMW 335i saloon pulled out in front him and started lifting the pace. The Mazda driver decided to follow along keeping, however, a relatively safe distance from the bimmer.

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2011 Mercedes-Benz SLK Roadster Reader Spy Shots

Carscoop reader Benjamin L. has grabbed some new spy shots of the next generation Mercedes-Benz SLK. Apparently, the German automaker is still conducting real-world testing for the new hardtop roadster as Benjamin snapped this prototype earlier today wondering around the outskirts of Paris in a black plastic suit of armor.

Like the current version of the SLK, Stuttgart's BMW Z4 rival will feature a two-piece folding metal roof, but it will also receive all of Mercedes' newest gadgets and accessories.

While the heavy camouflage doesn't allow us to get a clear view of the new SLK's looks, it is expected that Mercedes will drop the current model's F1-inspired nose in favor of a much bolder grille and more geometrically shaped headlamps, all themed after the SLS AMG Gullwing model.

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Panoz Unleashes New Abruzzi "Spirit of Le Mans" Supercar

Following on from a series of cropped teaser images, Panoz lifted the covers off its new Abruzzi "Spirit of Le Mans" sports coupe today at the home of the 24 Hours of Le Mans race, the Circuit de La Sarthe in France.

The hand-built Abruzzi "Spirit of Le Mans" comes with a front-engine, rear-wheel drive layout and is powered by an unspecified powerplant that is said to deliver more than 600HP and 590 ft.-lbs. of torque.

The swoopy and unique-looking, but far from beautiful, sports car features a composite body that is claimed to be dent-resistant, shatter-proof, recyclable and both stronger and lighter than carbon fiber.

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Dodge Creates 50 Special Edition Vipers for VIP Dealers

As if we haven't seen enough special painted edition versions of the Dodge Viper this year, which will be the last for the current generation model, the Detroit automaker is now giving the opportunity to dealers that sold the 8.4-liter V10 sports car in high volumes to create their own special-edition variants.

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Fantasia: Bugatti EB1.2 TSI and Bentley Continental Super Mini

While we sincerely hope that no other supercar maker will ever follow in the degrading footsteps of Aston Martin and it's luxed-up Toyota iQ, the Cygnet, we have no problem whatsoever with photoshop artists attempting to imagine the impossible.

In this case a pair of Bugatti and Bentley superminis, both of which would, in theory, be based on the VW Group's Polo, Ibiza or Fabia hatchbacks. The two designs were created by Autoblog.nl reader Jasper van der Heiden. Check them out after the jump.

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VW Passat CC Receives the 'Exclusive' Treatment

Always looking for a way to keep things interesting, Volkswagen has now introduced a new Exclusive edition for its European market Passat CC. Available for order now with all engine variants, the new Passat CC Exclusive comes with a handful of premium details and features.

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Vauxhall Combines 160HP 2.0L Diesel with 4x4 System on Insignia Range

GM's UK division Vauxhall is expanding the Insignia's range (yes, that's the new Buick Regal in the States) with its first-ever passenger car to combine all-wheel-drive and diesel, the new CDTi 4x4 model that will hit British showrooms in September in four-door saloon, five-door fastback and Sports Tourer versions.

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2011 Suzuki Swift Spied Uncovered on Car Hauler!

A keen-eyed driver in Hungary managed to spot the next-generation of the Suzuki Swift without a single trace of camouflage on a vehicle transporter. And if you're wondering how come in Hungary, that's because like today's model, the European market Swift will be manufactured at Suzuki's Hungarian plant in the town of Esztergom, about 60 km north of Budapest.

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Fail: Van Sinks While Backing Up to Pick up Jet Ski [with Video]

Put the drivers of this jet ski and white van together and you've probably got yourself a pair of perfect candidates for the real life duo of Dumb and Dumber. From what we can tell, Lloyd and Harry here wanted to submerge the rear end of the van in the water to drive the jet ski right into the cargo area. Follow the jump to see what happened...

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New Buick Excelle GT Debuts in China, U.S. Version to Follow

Shanghai GM, a joint venture between General Motors Corp and China's SAIC Motor Corp, has revealed the all-new 2011 Buick Excelle GT compact sedan that will go on sale in the country on June 23. It will be available in China with a choice of two petrol engines, a naturally-aspirated 1.8-liter with 108kW/145HP and a 1.6-liter turbocharged four-pot churning out 135kW/181HP.

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Living the High Life: Hyundai Makes it to Harrods

In a bit of a marketing stretch, Hyundai is trying to "sell" its new iX35 compact crossover (sold as the 2010 Tucson in North America) at the kind of crowd that shops at Harrods' luxury department store in Knightsbridge, London. The South Korean firm's new crossover model will be on show in Harrods' Brompton Road window displays for a week starting from Monday 7th June.

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Back to the Future: Lorinser Teases 2011 Mercedes-Benz CLS

No, Mercedes-Benz has yet to reveal the next-generation of its CLS sports sedan. The Germans may have [somewhat] previewed the new CLS through the Shooting BreakConcept, but the actual production model will most likely be unwrapped at this Fall's Paris Motor Show.

Nonetheless, Mercedes-Benz tuning specialists Lorinser has published a teaser drawing of the upcoming 2011 CLS all-dressed up in a sporty bodykit that includes a unique grille, hood scoops, modified bumper, chunky side skirts, fender vents and extended wheel arches that house 21-inch light-alloy wheels.

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New Renault Latitude Sedan Takes Flagship Spot in Range

Renault has lifted the covers off a new flagship sedan named Latitude that will in effect replace the discontinued (and rather controversial) Vel Satis.

Described by the French carmaker as "its latest international status-enhancing family saloon" [sic..], the Latitude will get its first public outing at the Moscow Motor Show at the end of August, while Europeans will get their first view of the car at this Fall's 2010 Paris Motor Show.

For those of you that keep a close eye on global automotive news, the new Latitude won't come as a surprise as it's based on the Renault Group's 2010 Samsung SM5 sedan that recently went on sale in South Korea. And by "based", we mean re-badged and VW- re-grilled... [see pictures of the SM5 below]

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