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The next Mazda 3 expected to debut 2014 is spied while doing some road test in Europe. The Mazda 3 prototype were wearing pattern camouflage but the Mazda’s Kodo design language can all been seen with the shapes and curves of the car.

The next generation of Mazda 3 front is expected to look very much like its siblings (Mazda 6, Mazda CX-5). As we can see there will be a prominent black grille and angled headlights to replace the current model’s smiley face look with a more serious look.

The above photo is a render impression of the how the next generation of Mazda 3 would look like based on the spied shots gathered.

The interior of the Mazda 3 share some design of the Mazda 6,CX5. However we also notice some similarity from  Mercedes-Benz A-Class and the BMW 2-series. The top of the dashboard is fitted with fairly large screen likely for entertainment and navigation system. The center console with hand brake area also features 2 dials ( one bigger and one smaller) likely to use to control the in car entertainment / navigation system. Overall, the new interior looks more premium than its competition in the segment (Example, Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla Altis and etc).

The next generation of Mazda 3 will feature all the Skyactiv technology from Mazda as well as we do expect i-Stop and i-Eloop system to be fitted into certain models. 

Gallery : Mazda 3 2015 Spy Shots

Last weekend Lotus Malaysia has unveiled a special Chrome Lotus Evora which it’s also feature in the upcoming movie “The Host” which is from a novel written by Stephanie Meyer ( the author who wrote “The Twilight Saga”).

Lotus Owners Club Malaysia also participated in the event. 75 cars from various Lotus models gather at the  Lotus Flagship Showroom & Center in Sg. Penchala, Damansara for a convoy to Kuala Lumpur. The chrome Lotus Evora, as seen in the movie driven driven by Natasha Seatter – a Malaysian racing sensation led the all the Lotus cars convoy to Pavillion KL for a special movie screening of  “The Host” as well as some photo session.

Lotus has a strong cinematic history; with appearances in two ‘Bond’ films – in ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’ out-racing a motorbike and helicopter before taking to the sea as the iconic submersible Esprit, and in a cool role in ‘For Your Eyes Only’; “cornering like it’s on rails” with Julia Roberts at the wheel in ‘Pretty Woman’; and taking part in an adrenaline fuelled chase sequence along the San Francisco coastline with Sharon Stone in ‘Basic Instinct’.

‘The Host’ follows the plight of ‘Melanie’ played by Irish actress Saoirse Ronan as she battles an unforeseen enemy lead by the ‘Seeker’ played by Hollywood favourite Diane Kruger. A romantic action-adventure which sees Melanie join resistance fighters as they battle for the survival of the human race, ‘The Host’ is a tale of spirit, individuality and determination – traits that echo Lotus’ own character.

Negotiations for a “hero car” for the movie started in early October 2011 and by the end of the month Lotus had agreed to provide a number of Evoras to the project directed by its screenwriter Andrew Niccol who was looking for an extraordinary car for the role. The Lotus Evora was chosen for its stunning and futuristic aesthetic, which when juxtaposed with contemporary locations, gives a truly alien element to the Sci-Fi movie.

In conjunction of this Hollywood block buster movie, public will have a chance to view the Chrome Lotus Evora up-close. The Chrome Lotus Evora currently on display at Level 3, Couture Pavilion from 1st April 2013 until 10th April 2013, and later the car will be displayed at IPC (Ikano Power Centre) Shopping Centre, Mutiara Damansara from 11th April 2013 until 28th April 2013. 

The Chrome Vinyl Wrap Lotus Evora with special-effect lighting is driven by the “baddies” in the movie to get rid of human race from earth by overtaking the human physical body and erasing the memories of human mind.Check out the movie trailer “The Host” below and get a glimpse of the chromed Lotus Evora in action before you head to the cinema.

Gallery : Lotus Evora in Chrome

The New Toyota Vios 2013 is finally here, not available in Malaysia yet but the Vios will look pretty much same if not identical to the one just revealed in Thailand. Designed to be more appealing to the younger generation, the new Toyota Vios certainly looks much better compare to the last generation that we Malaysian call it the “dugong Vios”.  Aligned with the New Toyota vehicles design theme, the New Vios certainly looks sportier, at some angle it reminds of the Ford Fiesta.

Disappointingly it is still powered by the same 4 speed gearbox mated with 1.5L engine that produces 109 HP (80 kW) and 141 Nm of torque that is more than 10 years (since 2002). There will be a few variants of specs as we can expect here. In Thailand, the higher end model will have projector headlight, bigger wheels, all round disc brakes and some interior, exterior differences.

The swift body lines helps the new Vios looks sporty, it makes us feel like the designer had took more effort when designing this Vios. The interior in 2013 Toyota Vios looks much better than generation as well. We see some resembles of the current Honda City. Toyota has got rid of the center speedometer design of the previous generation. Again, more swift lines continues of the design of the interior which makes the new Vios 2013 feels like it has upgraded itself to a different segment.

The current Toyota Vios is sold around RM70,000+ to RM90,000 . We expect the new Vios 2013 will be priced at this range to keep the competition with the vast variety of competition in this segment ( Honda City, Nissan Almera, Mazda 2, Ford Fiesta & etc). By looks, we are quite confident it will do a good sale once it reaches our shore. However, we look forward for Toyota to bring in some new engine at our shores.

Gallery : 2013 Toyota Vios

Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia (MMM), has launched it’s first 100% full electric Vehicle. After about  17 months of testing since October 2011, the i-MiEV is finally ready for sale to the Malaysia Market. The full electric Mitsubishi i-MiEV has zero emission because it is powered by an electric motor and battery.

 The small electric car is able to produce a humble 49kW but a 180Nm torque which equivalent  to a 2.0L petrol engine’s torque. This electric motor is tuned to give the i-MiEV a smooth power delivery yet quiet ride. It’s top speed it’s 130km/h. The a complete total package of the i-MiEV is offered with accessories of 2-DIN touch Screen Entertain with GPS Navigation System, Solar Tint film, Auto Climate Control for Air Conditioner. For the front headlights there’s a double LED lamp and for the rear, there’s also LED combination lamp. The lights are also automatically controlled. A pair of aero wiper blade is also included for better visibility during the rain. Also given it’s the charging cable with a control box. The little Mitsubishi i-MiEV is easy to handle and park. It is also capable to do a 4.5m turning radius.

Safety is not compromised in the small car, it has a 6 air bags ready deploy should things go wrong and the car is design with Mitsubishi RISE( Reinforced Impact Safety Evolution) body construction which absorbs impact and protecting passenger within the cell during collision.  Even the 330V lithium-ion battery is located under the luggage compartment it’s a waterproof and enclosed with a well-crib frame to protect against impact. The Mitsubishi i-MiEV can be recharged from a regular home socket. A per 8 hour charge can run up to 150km. Customer can also drop by to the Mitsubishi Malaysia’s first official EV Center in (Chan Sow Lin) for a free charging facility.

The Mitsubishi i-MiEV is priced at OTR without insurance price of RM136,118.50. There will be 2 colours to choose for now, which is Frost White and a 2-tone Red Frost White. Buyers that consider this range of vehicles can look into the Mitsubishi i-MiEV because it comes with a free 5 years maintenance package and a 5 years warranty or 100,000 km that also covers labour cost for periodical vehicle check, air con filter and brake fluid.

If you are one of the petrol head that wind down your car window when a sports car cruise by to feed your eyes with some V10,V12 or boxer engine orchestra, this is for you. Audi just release a video of a stripped down Audi R8 V10 Plus strapped to the dyno machine to record the purest and clearest engine and exhaust sound of the vehicle. The sound, or rather engine,exhaust orchestra in our term is produces by a 5.2L V10 engine tuned to push 550hp with 398 ft of torque in the latest Audi R8 V10 revision. So put on your headset for better Audi audio experience and hit play on the video below.