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New Land Rover Defender to star in next James Bond movie (w/VIDEO)

James Bond, undeniably the world’s best-known secret agent, has driven a great variety of cars in the past 57 years since he first appeared in Dr. No. Many were sportscars and thanks to Q branch, some of them had fancy accessories like rocket launchers, ejection seats, machine guns and tyre-shredders. Being an agent of the British government, Bond often drove the latest British models with Aston Martins featuring prominently in the last few adventures.

James Bond Cars — *A display of the cars used in ‘Die Another Day’, the 2002 James Bond movie.*

In April 2020, No Time To Die, the 25th official James Bond film (and the fifth one starring Daniel Craig as Agent 007), will premiere and as with the previous films, there will be exciting car action. Seeming to reflect trends in the market, there will be more SUVs and in fact, the New Defender from Land Rover will appear prominently on the big screen. This will be the first movie to feature the New Defender which was launched in September this year.

Other Land Rover models you will see at different points in the movie will be the Range Rover Sport SVR, Land Rover Series III and Range Rover Classic. The British 4×4 manufacturer has had a long-standing partnership with EON Productions on the Bond films which goes back to 1983 when a Range Rover Convertible appeared in Octopussy.

Land Rover’s design team worked closely with Special Effects and Action Vehicles Supervisor Chris Corbould on the specification of the Defenders in the film. Based on the Defender X model in Santorini Black, with darkened skidpans, 20-inch dark finish wheels and professional off-road tyres, they were the first Defenders to be built at Jaguar Land Rover’s new production facility in Slovakia.

Stunt coordinator Lee Morrison (shown below) and stunt driver Jess Hawkins pushed the vehicle to extremes, making maximum use of pioneering off-road tech, 900 mm wading ability and 291 mm ground clearance for No Time To Die’s spectacular car chase action.

“Designing and co-ordinating the action sequences for the Bond franchise requires a non-compromising mindset. We needed an unstoppable vehicle to help us battle against the elements, steep descents and river crossings so we chose the new Defender. I’m beyond impressed that the Defender is not only back but much, much better!” said Morrison.

All-new Land Rover Defender makes global debut in Frankfurt

Bentley and Naim sound architecture sets global benchmark for in-car audio systems

Just as Lexus and Mark Levinson have had a long relationship (almost 20 years) in the area of audio systems, Bentley has collaborated with Naim for the past 10 years, in the development of the most powerful, best-in-class in-car audio systems. The latest ‘Naim for Bentley’ is said to set a global benchmark for interactive sound technology offering occupants concert hall quality sound.

Naim for Bentley delivers the world’s most advanced music systems, both inside the world’s most prestigious road cars and also for listeners at home. Bentley’s new Flying Spur has Naim’s superlative audio system seamlessly integrated into state-of-the-art British craftsmanship.

21 speakers and 2,200-watt amplification
The sound system features 21 speakers with 2,200-watt amplification and Active Bass Transducers. Eight DSP sounds modes are available and the car exhibits illuminated speaker grilles. Sound settings can be accessed via an elegant 12.3-inch HD touchscreen interface at the centre of the dashboard. Customers can configure this in a variety of ways: as a single display, split 2:1 or showing different functions at the same time. The overall designs highlights simplicity of use with a contemporary and elevated aesthetic.

Aiming to break sonic boundaries
Bentley Motors and Naim Audio are now working together to create new products for 2020 which continue to break sonic boundaries. The close confines of a car cabin capable of travelling at speeds of over 320 km/h, combined with engine, road and wind noise, provide a challenge for Naim’s engineers, quite unlike the demands of achieving best replay performance in the home or studio.

To bring true Naim sound quality into this unique space, engineers of the two companies have flatly rejected traditional approaches, in the process rewriting the rulebook of in-car audio systems. The result? New worldwide benchmarks for in-cabin sound technology and incredible depth of music quality that has to be heard to be believed.

Naim is a Queen’s Award winner for its innovation and having recently come out with a trailblazing Digital Signal Processing (DSP) system, it realised it could apply an all-new approach to the in-car implementation. The DSP system would find itself at the very heart of the Naim for Bentley audio system, enabling a degree of tuning previously not possible, ensuring optimal sound performance whatever the speed or road conditions.

Each new generation of Bentley has seen a refinement and an update from the original Naim for Bentley audio system. Beginning as a 15 speaker – 1,100-watt system in 2008, the system has evolved into a 2,200-watt amplifier feeding 21 speakers as featured in the new Flying Spur.

2019 Bentley Flying Spur — *Bentley Flying Spur*

The Naim for Bentley system has been designed to maintain performance even when the roof of the Continental GT Convertible is down, and as Bentley evolves its hybrid car line, beginning with the Bentayga Hybrid, the even quieter engines offer a different audio environment to design for altogether.

Unique Digital Signal Processor solution
Naim has engineered a unique Digital Signal Processor (DSP) solution for the Naim for Bentley audio system. This innovative technology offers a range of modes to optimise the in-car soundstage, depending on seating position and listening preferences. It ensures ultimate audio performance is maintained whatever the speed or road conditions.

While class-leading, with an extremely powerful amplifier, the Naim for Bentley system is more than just a sound system. It has been engineered to deliver a true high-fidelity experience matched to the refinement of the Bentley experience.

Naim for Bentley’s audio system is compatible with Spotify, Apple Music, TIDAL, Deezer and allows customers to enjoy their own choice of music, digital radio or spoken word media such as audio books and podcasts.

Bentley Flying Spur First Edition to be auctioned for Elton John AIDS Foundation

Original Jaguar E-Type toolkit now available from Jaguar Classic

Until about 25 years ago, many cars came with ‘tool kits’, a collection of tools which the manufacturer felt would be useful to the owner in the event of a breakdown or for those who wanted to do a bit of maintenance themselves. That was in the days when the engineering was simpler, and engine bays were still quite open.

As engines became more sophisticated with more electronics and DIY maintenance diminished, the toolkit slowly began to have a reduced number of items. Things like spark plug wrenches, pliers and spanners were no longer included and eventually, only the tools for removing the wheel to replace a flat tyre were provided. In time, these too may be gone if runflat tyres and emergency puncture repair kits are considered adequate.

So the tool kit will be just a memory for the older generation and for some models like the Jaguar E-Type, a complete original toolkit can be worth as much as £5,000 (about RM27,000). The toolkit was originally offered with Series 1 and Series 2 E-types and hasn’t been available since the final Series 2 was produced in 1971.

Now, thanks to their unique access to engineering records, Jaguar Classic’s Genuine Parts experts have reproduced the toolkit to authentic specifications. The Jaguar-branded tools come in a period-correct leatherette-covered canvas roll, and feature all items needed to carry out routine maintenance on the iconic sportscar. The reproduction toolkit is priced from £732 (about RM4,000) in the UK.

“The original E-Type toolkit has become a collector’s item due to its rarity and historic appeal. We’ve had customers across the world contact us about obtaining one, which is why we decided to manufacture the toolkits again to their original specification. It’s the perfect finishing touch for E-Type aficionados,” said Dan Pink, Director of Jaguar Classic.

There are 20 items in the Jaguar Classic E-Type Toolkit and include a valve timing gauge, grease gun, handbrake-adjusting wrench, brake bleed tin and tube, and a tyre valve key.

The toolkit is also offered as an option for E-Type Reborn restoration customers. E-Type Reborn is a complete service from Jaguar Classic, offering the unique opportunity to buy a fully restored and highly collectible E-type direct from the original manufacturer.

Every E-Type Reborn, which starts with a base vehicle sourced by Jaguar Classic’s E-Type experts, is restored according to the company’s original 1960s factory specification. Unique access to build records, original drawings, and the team’s decades of experience ensures absolute authenticity, which has resulted in E-Type Reborn restorations winning concours awards in Europe and North America in 2019. Jaguar Classic Parts are used to maximise the vehicle’s quality, longevity and collectability.

Is this the most beautiful Jaguar in the world?

Fuel Prices For November 30 – December 6, 2019

RON95 petrol price to be increased gradually by 1 sen a week in 2020

Nissan wants you to connect with nature @ BodyMindSoul Festival

The BodyMindSoul Festival which is currently taking place all weekend long (29 November 2019 – 1 December 2019) at the Setia City Convention Centre (SCCC) in Setia Alam and Edaran Tan Chong Motor Sdn Bhd (Nissan Malaysia) is conducting the Nissan Nurtures Nature (NNN) campaign as part of their efforts to ‘reconnect’ back with nature. (more…)

Mercedes-Benz EQC campaigns with The Weeknd – “Enjoy Electric”

There’s a new marketing campaign for the all-electric Mercedes-Benz EQC and what a way to kick things off than by doing a collaboration with one of the hottest music acts today, The Weeknd. The teaser video was released a few days back gives us a taste of their full campaign which will start today on their website, www.mercedes-benz.com. (more…)

FOMCA and Child Passenger Safety Malaysia Seek Clarification on Childseat Guidelines & Approvals

The Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (FOMCA) and Child Passenger Safety Malaysia (CPSM) have raised several issues pertaining to the recently launched child restraint system (CRS) guidelines by the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS).

The two organisations say the guidelines are confusing to the consumers with regard to a MIROS QR Code being present on approved childseats sold in Malaysia. Upon checking by FOMCA with the Road Transport Department (JPJ), it was found that a component type approval (CTA) by the JPJ is enough to show that a child safety seat is approved as per safety standard. This leads to the question of the necessity of the QR code.

ECE LABELS and MIROS QR LABEL — Childseats permitted for use under the new law which comes into effect in 2020 must meet UN ECE regulations and have the labels shown on the left side. On the right is the MIROS QR code that is mentioned in the MIROS guidelines.

Parents hesitant about making purchases
There are currently no known child safety seats sold in Malaysia that come with the QR code and this is making parents hesitate about making purchases. “It is a counter-intuitive measure to introduce the QR code now when Malaysia is still at its early stage of introducing this new law and promoting the use of child safety seats,” a statement issued by CPSM said.

Nur Asyikin Aminuddin, a Senior Manager from FOMCA (above), deemed the guideline as misleading as it does not portray the views from stakeholders including independent bodies as well as the consumers. “MIROS, as a research body, is not a certification body. I hope that Standard Users will intervene with this issue as they are the national accreditation body,” she explained.

She added that JPJ and Ministry of Transport (MOT) should be the responsible bodies to endorse and make any guidelines and official announcement related to child safety seats. They should also publish the list of approved brands and models on their website that succeeded in getting the JPJ’s CTA and thus meet the required safety standards.

The MIROS collaboration with Lazada Malaysia
Another issue raised by FOMCA at a press conference yesterday was the collaboration of MIROS in the LAZADA Car Seat Assurance Program. FOMCA says that the collaboration is violating the Competition Act 2010 as it breached the rights of consumers, which is the right to choose. The program is restricting the market when it should be an open market. Crash-worthy child safety seats should be made available not only through one online platform.

The press conference was held after the graduation ceremony of 19 new certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians (CPST) yesterday. This number brings the total CPSTs to 66 in Malaysia, with the majority of them from retailers and distributors. The certification program, which started in 2018, is an annual training program with Safekids Worldwide as the certification body and CPSM as the co-organiser.

Creating greater awareness of CRS
The aim for the program is to increase the number of skilled and knowledgeable persons who will become the resource centres in their communities to relay updated and correct information with regards to selection and usage of child restraint systems.

Malaysia is in dire need of more personnel certified by a proper certifying body to cater for the growing awareness among the public. With that being laid out, competency of the agency in conducting any certification such as the Child Occupancy Safety Advisor (COSA) program was also being asked as the proper channel should be directed at utilising readily available resources such as Safekids Malaysia which is also in partnership with Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM).

CPSM, in agreement with FOMCA’s concerns, are both supportive of the new law. However, MOT was urged to provide clear direction and roles for its agencies in order to execute the law efficiently.

MIROS and Lazada Malaysia to work together on Child Restraint System Awareness

A Ford Ranger Raptor police car!

We’ve seen a lot of cool police cars from around the world (especially Dubai) but we never thought that someone will use a Ford Ranger Raptor for their country’s police-ing needs. That’s all about to change in the UK as police forces across the country are set to test out the Ford Ranger Raptor police car. (more…)

Ford Ranger wins International Pick-up Award 2020

Following a 3-day group test in Sweden against 4 other nominees, the Ford Ranger emerged victorious in the challenge for the International Pick-up Award 2020 (IPUA). The latest Ranger with its technical and safety advancements, was up against the Mitsubishi L200 (Triton in Malaysia), revised Nissan Navara and Renault Alaskan, and Toyota Hilux. The Ranger, manufactured in Thailand, previously won the IPUA in 2013.

The fifth running of the biennial International Award for 1-tonne Pick-up trucks ‘was a very close run competition’, according to Jarlath Sweeney, Chairman, International Van of the Year Jury. Voted by 18 members of the International Van of the Year jury, just 6 points separated the top two contenders in the final tally. The Ranger scored 78 points to the 72 received by the Mitsubishi L200, with the Toyota Hilux coming in third.

Mitsubishi Triton — *Only 6 points separated the Mitsubishi L200 (Triton) from the Ranger.*

“Jury members adjudged the Ranger to be the best all-rounder and noted that it’s a bestseller too, as the previous version together with this revised model dominate the European marketplace with almost 30% share of the IPUA 1-tonne segment. So the public recognize its merits also! Marks were allocated on each vehicle based on powertrain efficiencies, load volume and capability, driver and passenger comfort and safety aspects, as well as low total cost of operation from a business point of view,” added Jarlath.

Commenting on the ongoing success of the Ranger from both the press and public, Hans Schep, General Manager Commercial Vehicles, Ford of Europe said: “We are delighted that the Ford Ranger has been recognised by the IPUA jury for a second time, which is a testament to the enduring appeal of Europe’s favourite Pick-up. With its all-new powertrain and enhanced capability – not to mention the exciting new Raptor model – the Ranger is now moving the game on once again.”

VW Amarok — *The Volkswagen Amarok was the first winner of the International Pick-up Award when it began in 2011.*

Previous IPUA winners have been the Volkswagen Amarok V6 (2018), Nissan NP300 Navara (2016), Ford Ranger (2013, and Volkswagen Amarok (2011).

To test-drive or know more about the Ford Ranger that won the award, visit www.sdacford.com.my.

All 19 limited edition Ford Ranger Splash trucks booked!

The Story of N – Hyundai N (w/VIDEO)

Like Mercedes-Benz with AMG and BMW’s M, Hyundai Motor also has a high-performance sub-brand which it calls ‘Hyundai N’. The first association of ‘N’ with Hyundai was when the carmaker presented its N 2025 Vision Gran Turismo concept car for PlayStation’s Gran Turismo videogame series in 2015.

Hyundai N2025 Vision Gran Turismo — *Hyundai N 2025 Vision Gran Turismo concept*

In that same year, Hyundai brought in Albert Biermann, the former head of BMW’s M division, to spearhead the development of the N sub-brand and create a line of high-performance production cars.

Born in the WRC
To introduce the N brand as well as to give Hyundai engineers a development environment that was high pressured and extreme, Hyundai Motorsport, based in Germany, was tasked with participating in the World Rally Championship (WRC). In WRC events, rallycars compete on rough terrain and roads of gravel, tarmac, snow and ice, pushed to the limits by their drivers. Thus WRC is considered the ‘cradle of the N line-up’ where Hyundai’s high-performance concepts were first tested.

Besides the ‘WRC testing ground’ which is global, Hyundai engineers also used the Nordschliefe at the Nurburgring circuit for durability testing and tuning. In fact, since September 2014, the carmaker has had a permanent presence at the circuit, having established its European Test Centre there.

What does Hyundai N mean?
The ‘N’ in Hyundai N stands for Namyang, home to Hyundai Motor’s global R&D Centre in Korea since 1995, and also for Nurburgring, where N models are tested and developed further. The close connection between Namyang and the Nurburgring created the foundation for N, aiming to build on the company’s motorsport experience to bring winding road fun to customers who love cars. The ‘N’ logo itself embodies this idea, as it symbolises a chicane.

Measured in BPM, not RPM
The first mass production Hyundai N high-performance car, the i30 N, was launched earlier this year, Instead of focusing on pure numbers, Hyundai has chosen to emphasise driving pleasure and the emotional impact on the driver’s heartbeats per minute (BPM), rather than simply measuring revs per minute (RPM). When the driver hits the throttle and shifts through the gears, the Rev-matching function increases torque and acceleration.

Based on three cornerstones under the theme ‘Fun to Drive’, the i30 N is referred to as a ‘Corner Rascal’, and has proven its racetrack capability. It can be used for racing on weekends and driven to work on Monday.

The i30 N TCR
The i30 N TCR represents Hyundai Motorsport’s first steps into circuit racing (while continuing with the WRC), and entrance into one of the fastest growing categories in motorsport. The design phase of the i30 N TCR project began in September 2016, with the first completed test car running in April 2017. In 2019, Hyundai Motorsport increased its TCR offering with the launch of the Veloster N TCR.

HYUNDAI VELOSTER N TCR — *Hyundai Veloster N TCR*

The TCR project continues the expansion of Hyundai Motorsport, with both cars built and developed by the Customer Racing department at the team’s headquarters in Germany. Since its debut, the i30 N TCR (priced from €128,000, equivalent to RM588,000) has secured wins and championships around the world, including the inaugural WTCR titles in 2018.