Have you ever seen the new Toyota 86 drifting in action?

Check out the YouTube video (by Asahi) of the D1 Grand Prix Cars demo runs at Tokyo Auto Salon. You will find not only the 86, but also the new Lexus LFA in the video. It is wonderful to watch the drift cars loosing traction with white smokes! Enjoy!

What is Porsche identity? Do you think it is the Cayenne or Panemera? The answer is no! The Porsche identity is truly the 911 regardless on the racetrack or the usual road.

It is a car that seriously offers tears of joy and plenty of emotion. Check out the YouTube video about the development of Porsche identity since 1963.

Perodua sold some 180,000 vehicles, consisting of 30% of the total industry volume in 2011 and maintained as the most preferred automotive brand for 6 years in a row in Malaysia. The new Myvi models sold nearly 78,000 units last year follow by its 2 other models – the Viva and Alza.

Perodua Managing Director, Datuk Aminar Rashid Salleh said Perodua has set a sales target of 188,000 this year or a 4% increase from 2011 on the back of better standard operating procedures from Perodua as well as aggressive promotions throughout the year.

“We are confident that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, we can meet this target,” he said at a media briefing here today.

Aminar added that Perodua is also doing well in terms of after sales as the national car company recorded its highest ever service intake of 1.67 million vehicles in 2011; this translates into a market share of 51% of Perodua vehicles currently in operation. He also revealed that Perodua has doubled its exports to 8,000 vehicles in 2011 from 4,000 vehicles in 2010.

“We aim to further boost our exports this year to 10,000 units by further increasing the export volume to the countries that we are currently in as well as exploring new markets,” he said.

Aminar said that under the Perodua’s 5-year road map, the company aims to quantum leap its exports to some 20,000 vehicles by 2015.  Currently, Perodua export its cars to 7 countries – Singapore, Brunei, Mauritius, Fiji, Sri Lanka, the UK and Nepal. It also exports its Myvi model to Indonesia under the Daihatsu Sirion badge.

In addition, Perodua also aims to further boost its customer satisfaction by improving the quality of its service on both sales and after sales. Aside from better training its human capital resources to be more efficient and knowledgeable, Perodua will also build its new flagship 3S centre in Section 19, Petaling Jaya as a model of its future sales and service centres nationwide.

The new 2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid recently premiered at 2012 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

It’s the first hybrid model with a 1.4-litre TSI turbocharged four-cylinder engine paired with a 27hp electric motor and 7-speed DSG transmission. The new Jetta hybrid can be switched into pure electric mode at the simple push of just one button. The Jetta Hybrid produces 110kW (150hp) and 184 lb-ft (249Nm) of torque between 1400 rpm and 3500 rpm. The Jetta Hybrid will become available in North America in 2012.

According to Volkswagen, the new Jetta hybrid will be “competitively priced with other compact hybrids”. The Jetta Hybrid may be the first hybrid to use a 7-speed dual-clutch (DSG) transmission, but the way the clutch decouples the engine from the drivetrain when the car is using just the battery for power or coasting is similar to how the Porsche hybrids do it.

Photo Gallery: 2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid

[Show as slideshow]

Porsche Asia Pacific recorded positive sales in the region with 3,930 vehicles sold in 2011. Precisely, the recorded 2011 total sales is 3,930 vehicles (from 1 January to 31 December, 2011). The new all-time sales record in 2011 is an increase of 74% comparing to the same period in 2010. The ascending trend in terms of sales is mainly due to the success of Cayenne and Panamera models.

Christer Ekberg, Managing Director of Porsche Asia Pacific, claimed that the current attractive line-up is boosting the growth of Porsche in Asia. Other than the fact that the Cayenne and the Panamera are always in high demand, the new 911 and the new Boxster will further strengthen Porsche’s position in the sports car segment in Asia Pacific.

The rising sales trend in 2011 was largely affected by the strong performance of markets such as South Korea with total sales of 1,301 vehicles (+86%) and comparably strong performer, Taiwan, with 1,213 vehicles (+123%, more than doubled from 2010). Sales in Singapore was an all-time high with 472 vehicles. Other important markets within the region, including Thailand, Philippines, and Vietnam continue to grow, contributing to 116, 108 and 88 respectively to the regional sales. Brunei, French Polynesia, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Caledonia and Sri Lanka comprised more than 18% of the total regional sales.

Regarding the sales per model line, the popular Cayenne SUV continued to be the strongest performer with sales of 2,300 vehicles, a 215% increase compared to the previous year. The sales of Porsche’s four-door Gran Turismo Panamera models were up by 43% with 990 vehicles. The 911 and Boxster, phasing-out in 2011, contributed 337 and 303 vehicles respectively to the total sales of 3,930 vehicles.

We found a short movie by Mercedes-Benz TV that uploaded to YouTube on last year. The scene was shot in Kuala Lumpur & Putra Jaya, Malaysia. To us, the exciting part in the movie features PDRM’s Proton Waja and the new C-Class Coupe chase scenes.

Briefly, the story of the movie is about bank robbers, gangsters and fast cars. Check out the new C-Class Coupé being chased by PDRM Proton Waja in the “Drive & Seek” movie on the below.

Suzuki Kizashi has been launched in other countries way back in 2009. While rumors has it Suzuki Malaysia will launch the car somewhere in January 2012, here in Malaysia. We send our troops to go scouting. The picture was taken in outside one of the Eon Berhad complex. As EonMobil distributes Suzuki vehicles as well, it make sense that the black Suzuki Kizashi  with trade plate spotted near their complex. The Suzuki Kizashi was not camouflaged in anyways.

We posted an article back in August 2009 on the Suzuki Kizashi concepts and some of the actual launch details. The car is believe to be powered with a 2.4L engine.

Suzuki Kizashi features MacPherson struts up front and a multi-link setup in the rear it. It will be likely a 6-speed cvt gearbox. Do remember to check out the stunning concept version of Suzuki Kizashi here.