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2012 Bangkok Motor Show: Rolls-Royce Ghost and Phantom Drophead Coupe

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At the 2012 Bangkok Motor Show, British luxury car manufacturer Rolls-Royce is also taking part to show off four amazing high quality cars. Three standard wheelbase Ghost and one Phantom Drophead Coupe were sitting at the booth calmly. According to a local newspaper from Bangkok, the British luxury brand has already received a booking for Rolls-Royce Ghost during the VIP Day on 26th March. The Ghost is priced at more than 23 million (~US$750,000) in the country. It shows that there is a market for Rolls-Royce in the Kingdom and the British carmaker made a wise decision to show off at the show.

The Ghost is powered by a 6.6-liter V12 twin turbo engine generating 563 bhp (420 kW/570 PS) and a maximum torque of 780 Nm (575 lb ft) from 1,500 rpm. The car is capable to propel from 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 4.9 seconds. What is even amazing is the eight-speed automatic ZF gearbox that gives an infinite first gear. This is what separate Rolls-Royce from other performance cars.

For those who missed the show, you can virtually tour around the Rolls-Royce booth with the video above and images below here.

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April 7, 2012
Lady Gaga’s new car – The Audi R8 GT

What do you think Lady Gaga will drive? What kind of cars that Lady Gaga will own? This week, the hottest topic in Beverly Hills is nothing but Lady Gaga’s Audi R8 GT. Gaga isn’t caught in a bad romance but caught in an Audi R8. The pop star might have equivocal taste in fashion but she seems to have good taste in cars by choosing one of the 333 Audi R8 GTs that Audi ever produced. Among the 333 units, there are only 90 units made available in the US.

The limited production Audi R8 GT is powered by a 5.2-liter V8 engine that pumps 560 bhp. While the curb weight is 100 kg (220 lb) lighter, this power is capable of bringing the car from standstill to 100 km/h in 3.6 seconds and has a top speed of 320 km/h (199 mph). The R8 GT features several noticeable changes compared to the ordinary R8 V10, these being red brake caliper covers at four wheels, bespoke wheels with carbon fiber sideblades, red GT badge, a fixed rear spoiler, fins on the front bumper trimmed in matt carbon fiber, and two larger round exhausts. If you spotted an R8 with these features, that’s probably Gaga’s new ride. (more…)

April 6, 2012
Hyundai Veloster – Best new cars of 2012 under $20000
The Hyundai Veloster is young, powerful, and definitely a unique car for 2012. It is unique because it looks like a coupe but it cannot be considered as a coupe; it is reliable like a sedan but it’s not really a sedan because it does not have four passenger doors. The car has two smaller doors on the passenger side but only one longer coupe-like door on the driver side. The rear door on the passenger side is kind of hidden if you do not look at it carefully because the door handle is camouflaged with the side rear window. Most Alfa Romeo owners may have familiar with it. This new comer to automobile world is simply innovative and like nothing else!

If you just look at the front, the car looks like an ordinary Hyundai. But the whole view shows something different. The design looks sporty and cool with many sleek lines from the front to back. Other than a sweet panoramic sunroof on top, the rest of it is glass and it runs all the way down to the tailgate. At the back, the Veloster is given a trapezoidal exhaust fitted to the center. Down to the bottom, the Veloster comes with 18-inch alloy wheels where the inner part is filled with body-color stripes to make it look outstanding. Several famous body colors are Vitamin C, Sapphire Blue, Century White, Ultra Black, Boston Red, and Ironman Silver.

2012 Hyundai Veloster

Performance

Although there are three types of engine available for the Veloster, Hyundai make things easier to target young drivers by making most production models use a 1.6-liter Gamma GDI inline four-cylinder engine with Dual Continuously Variable Valve Timing (D-CVVT) that produces 138 hp and 167 Nm of torque at 4,850 rpm. That’s a decent amount of power for a small car and it is able to push the car up to the top speed of 125mph (201 km/h). A 6-speed manual transmission is standard and a 6-speed EcoShift dual-clutch transmission (DCT) is available as an option with the extra +$1,250. The DCT also includes shift paddles mounted at the steering wheel to give the driver the feeling of driving a Formula One race car. Six airbags and 4-wheel disc brakes are standard safety features for the Veloster.

Interior

The interior of the car has something that is hardly find in most other cars within the same range. The sporty throttle pedal that has the racing car look and feel is one thing to be mentioned. Besides, the steering wheel is designed with ventral finger indents. Drivers can access several functions within their fingers. Another great thing for the car is the 7-inch multimedia touchscreen infotainment system. You can’t get a larger screen in this segment. Navigation system, SOS emergency assistance, and CD/MP3 player are all packed in this 7-inch screen. Dashboard, gear knob, and gauges appear elegant and instinctive to use. Unlike many coupes or 2+2 compact coupe, the Veloster has a wider legroom (31.7 in) and taller headroom (35.3 in) for rear passengers which can fit two adults comfortably. There is also a cup holder at the center of the rear seat.

What is good about the car?
- Just like the other Hyundai, the Veloster comes with five-year free roadside assistance.
- The design has allowed the car to have a nice deep trunk.
- The top speed is impressive.
- It starts with a competitive price from MSRP $17,300.
- The basic warranty is five years or 60,000 miles. The warranty for the drivetrain is 10 years or 100,000 miles.
What could be better?
- It takes 9.7 seconds from zero to 62mph (100 km/h). It is a little bit disappointing because the sporty outlook let us feel it is supposed to be faster. For those who are satisfied with the top speed but desire a better performance for pickup, you may wait for the Hyundai Veloster Turbo which is planned for the 2013 model year. It will be powered by a 1.6 Gamma Turbo GDI inline four-cylinder engine which introduced at the 2011 Seoul Motor Show. The turbo engine produces 201 hp and 264 Nm of torque from 1,750 to 4,500 rpm.
- The Veloster gets a MacPherson strut front suspension and a torsion beam semi-independent rear suspension instead of an independent set up.
Fuel Economy

28 city/40 highway mpg; 11.9 city/17.0 highway mpg.

Hyundai Veloster’s competitors or similar cars: Honda CR-Z, Volkswagen Scirocco, Scion tC, Mini Cooper, Volkswagen Beetle, Mazda 3, Ford Fiesta, and Ford Focus.

For those who always dream to get a sporty coupe car but need the convenience of a sedan car, this is it! The Hyundai Veloster is one great car to go for.

Hyundai Veloster pictures from 2012 Bangkok Motor Show

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April 6, 2012
2012 All-new Honda Civic finally sees the sunlight

The all-new 2012 Honda Civic finally sees the sunlight after the factory in Thailand was forced to close several months due to severe flooding last year. At the 2012 Bangkok Motor Show, Honda gives a preview of the all-new 2012 Honda Civic. It appears to be more attractive but still has the characteristics of fuel-efficient, good handling, and sporty.

There will be some significant improvements every time a new generation of the Civic is introduced. The ninth generation Civic (FB) embraces a few things that we have never seen before in the eighth generation Civic. While the E85 fuel is increasingly common in the country, the 1.8-liter and 2.0-liter i-VTEC engine feature the latest technology from Honda that can use E85 fuel. This feature will make the Civic highly attractive because E85 fuel is cheaper than ordinary gasoline and it often acclaimed as a way to reduce air pollution.

The ninth generation Civic in the US market has six completely redesigned models, these being the Civic Sedan, Civic Coupe, Civic Si Coupe, and the highly fuel-efficient Civic HF, Civic Hybrid, and Civic Natural Gas. According to Honda’s blog in Thailand, there will be five Civic models officially launched in early May but the models are remaining unknown. A rumor flying around mentioning that the Type R version of the ninth generation Honda Civic will employ a turbocharged engine. However, the only model that is being displayed at the Motor Show is the 1.8 i-VTEC Sedan model.

2012 Honda Civic Front

Compared to the previous generation, the headlamps for ninth generation Civic appeared to be slimmer. The iconic “devil eye” found in the previous generation is no longer available. The front grille is completely redesigned and the logo has been shrunk.

2012 Honda Civic Rear

The rear of the car received a significant change. Everyone was “vowed” when they first saw this car at the Motor Show. The rear lights appeared to be smaller and more “polite” compared to the previous model. Having received the reputation for being reliable (100,000 miles on the engine does no harm), cheap-to-maintain, sporty, powerful, and highly fuel efficient. We believe the Civic will once again hit the market as one of the most popular compact cars.

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April 5, 2012
2012 Toyota Camry – Cheaper and Better
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The most exciting part of the newly launched 2012 Toyota Camry wasn’t the advanced features. Instead, it was the cheaper price tag and better performance that has been reinvented. At the 33rd Bangkok Motor Show, Toyota unveiled the seventh generation Camry that will go on sales in the Kingdom.

There are two models available for the non-hybrid engine – the 2.0G and the 2.5G. The 2.0G is powered by a 2.0-liter 1AZ-FE VVT-i engine and a sequential four-speed automatic transmission generating a maximum output of 148PS at 6,000rpm. The 2.5G is fitted with a 2.5-liter 2AR-FE dual VVT-i engine. Partnered with a six-speed automatic transmission, the car pumps a maximum output of 181PS at 6,000rpm.

On the other hand, three hybrid models were made available to serve the market that demand for eco cars, these being the 2.5 HV CD, 2.5 HV DVD, and 2.5 HV Navigator. All of them are uses the same engine and same Hybrid ECVT transmission which is the 2.5-liter 2AR-FXE VVT-i engine partnered with a 650V permanent magnet synchronous motor. The petrol-powered engine itself produces 160PS at 5,700rpm and 213Nm of torque at 4,500rpm while the electric motor creates a maximum of 105Nm of torque. When both of them combined, the total maximum out put is 205kW.

There is no difference for all the trim levels when it comes to suspensions and brakes. All of them assembled with an independent MacPherson strut front suspension with stabilizer bar and dual-link strut rear suspension. There are also a list of active and passive safety features found on the car including ABS, rear window defogger, crash body safetyGOA, and front SRS Airbag. For hybrid models, the car received extra side airbags, vehicle assist control, and hill-start assist control. Special features that only found in the top-ranging 2.5 HV Navigator model are switch-controlled rear armrest, memory seat, rear view camera function, and a multimedia touch screen audio system with ten JBL speakers fitted inside the car. Due to safety purpose, the DVD function will not available when the hand brake is off.

The 2012 all-new Camry Hybrid models come with both Eco and EV Mode. Driver can choose either one according to their preference. In Eco Mode, the car will optimize throttle response to prioritize the maximum fuel economy. In EV Mode, the car runs quietly and gently because it is solely powered by the electric motor as long as it stays at low speeds. However, the maximum battery-only range is depends on the battery power and it is said to be less than 3 km (2 miles).

Compared to the sixth generation Camry, the front and the rear lights are redesigned but the class of the car is still remained. The interior feels roomier and the legroom for rear passengers is slightly wider too.

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Fuel Economy
- 2012 Toyota Camry Sedan: 25 city/35 highway mpg; 10.63 city/14.88 highway km/l.
- 2012 Toyota Camry Hybrid Sedan: 43 city/39 highway mpg; 18.28 city/16.58 km/l.
2012 Toyota Camry’s competitors or similar cars: Honda Accord, Hyundai Sonata, Nissan Altima, and Ford Fusion.

Hybrids are now in an even more dominant position in the automobile market. Majority people are expecting a car with stylish design, low selling price, and super high fuel economy. The Toyota Camry may not be the best but it definitely delivers these expectations to its buyer.
April 3, 2012