hybrids and sportiness

When Toyota and Honda introduced the first hybrid cars, it was deemed boring with a capital "B". The cars were not fast, were not particularly fun to drive, too quiet and didn't look good at all. In fact the original hybrids looked ugly and designed too much around saving fuel and eco-ness.

Fast forward 12 years and now you can see a different breed of hybrids on the streets. The original hybrid still remains intact for Toyota and Honda for their Prius, Insight and other small capacity hybrids. Seeing that many consumers were looking for more exciting when driving a hybrid, Honda developed the CRZ which brought the Sports Hybrid concept to life. However, the CRZ is in reality a slightly spiced up version of a Honda Insight. It has a more sporty feel, more power than the Insight but is not particularly fast. It is not even in the warm hatch territory in terms of performance. In terms of looks wise, the CRZ did look a lot better than the traditional Insight or Prius.

Since the CRZ was not fast enough to many car enthusiasts, Japanese tuning companies such as HKS and Top Secret have developed the first Super charger and Turbo charger kits for a hybrid car. These power upgrades make significant improvements to performance. With the Top Secret turbo kit, the power jumps to 210hp! Very respectable number for a small hybrid. This also means that fuel economy benefits will be down the drain!

Companies such as BMW, Porsche and now Ferrari being late to the hybrid scene have come out with their own version of Sports Hybrids which combines the best of both worlds to improve performance, driving fun as well as promote better fuel efficiency. These systems incorporate the instant torque and extra power boost from the electric motor to boost performance and save fuel rather than just being an outright fuel saving system. Having a sports car does not mean that it has to miss out on the hybrid technology.

In the case of the Porsche hybrid system it significantly improves the fuel consumption. For the Cayenne hybrid the electric motors enable Porsche designers to use a smaller 3.0 litre engine with a supercharger and the electric motor to boost performance and fuel economy. Using a smaller 3.0 litre engine, it is already consuming less fuel than the basic 3.6 litre model. The hybrid model's performance is also better than the 3.6 litre model. For such a car, the hybrid concept makes a lot of sense.

Porsche's next hybrid super car, the 918 is touted to be a real monster with over 550hp and 800Nm. This new model is due for release in 2013 and promises to be a spectacular car with awesome performance.
Now, who says you cannot have fun with a hybrid?

importance of car design

These days a lot of emphasis has been put on the car's safety, performance and fuel economy. The one thing that many take for granted is the way it looks. Having a aesthetically well designed car pays dividends when it comes to sales. To many non car enthusiasts, a beautiful car strikes at the emotional aspect that will spur the impulse buy or aspire to buy  feeling. When you are "wowed!" by the car when you see it, the chances of you wanting to own it is that much greater. This is the same for any product. Form over functionality leads the way.

Some car companies that have been getting this eye pleasing design point right have enjoyed good sales around the world. The engineering points have somehow taken the back seat. When a car buyer walks into the car showroom, the way the car looks, the colour, styling and presentation will have an impact on how well it will sell. On the other hand, ugly cars have always been more difficult to sell and it depends more on it engineering achievements to sell.

Car companies such Mazda have consistently designed good looking cars that help the company achieve decent sales figures. Mazda cars are not known for their engineering feats nor are they at the cutting edge of automotive technology. In comparison, car companies such as Subaru who are known for ugly cars have relied heavily on its performance and racing heritage to sell its cars. Both brands strike at different emotional cords, one for beauty and the other for driving experience.

A good example of boosting sales with good aesthetic design is the new range Kias and Hyundais. Pinching top European designers to help pen new models have tremendously boosted the image and sales for Kia worldwide. The best example is the new Kia Sportage and Kia Optima K5. Both these models have created a big impact on the brand image of Kia. Likewise for the Hyundai Elantra MD which has gone on to win many international car awards.

No car manufacturer have been spared the odd ugly design. Even companies like Ferrari who have traditionally been known for their cutting edge design have had the odd ugly duckling, for example the F360 Modena and the new California.

Formula 1

Formula One has been regarded as the pinnacle of motorsports and motorsports technology development. It has been around since the 1960s and the constant rule changes meant that teams enter and leave year after year. Those who have succeeded to win World Championships have stayed on, while others who have failed to achieve anything significant has gotten into financial difficulty and left the sport or sold the team to new investors.
With the current global economic climate the governing body FIA have imposed strict rules on engine development, testing and reliability. Being the pinnacle of motorsport Formula One is always looked at for technological innovations however not all the innovations are brought down to normal passenger vehicles so quickly. In the attempt to reduce spending and to keep the sport alive, the FIA has down sized engines and restricted testing and forced the teams to make their cars reliable so that they spend less on replacement engines and gearboxes. The question now is, do these so called restrictions really save money?

Teams now spend millions of dollars on simulators and computer designs to improve their cars. The development of new parts and on track testing still cost a lot of money. Having a restricted testing schedule means that the teams have no way to know the effects of their newly designed parts until the race weekend when the parts are installed during the Thursday and Friday practice sessions. The improvement attempts are guess work and winning and losing now has a lot to do with the element of luck. It is quite often that we see a team suddenly have a break through and develop a special part that enables the car to be 0.5 secs faster per lap than other cars and this means winning and losing.

In 2014 there is talk of further rule changes and with every change of rules, the teams invest even more money to develop a car that can win races. I seriously wonder how effective the so called rule changes will be when it comes to cost savings. Down sizing an engine further may consume less racing fuel but the cost of engine development and reliability surely cost a lot more than just merely saving fuel. Down sizing engines also may lead to the numbing down of the sport where the speeds are reduced and the entertainment value may also be reduced.
In comparison to the US Indy car race series where the level of competition is more even and the rules are more consistent, the entertainment value may be better as the competition is focused more on the drivers and car setup rather than the outright budget of the teams to develop cutting edge technology.

Formula One owners are now planning to float the corporation on the Singapore Stock Exchange in the very near future. This may determine the fate of the sport and its longevity.

boosting power for your car

Boosting performance for your car is not reserved only for boy racers any more. In countries such as Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia where 80% of the cars on the road have engine capacities 2,000cc and below. The reason for this is import taxes, domestic sales taxes, excise duties and registration fees (each country is different with their approach). Countries like Singapore and Malaysia, the car buyers who buy cars with engine capacities exceeding 2,000cc will have to pay much high road tax or registration fees annually as the fees are exponential in nature. Having said this, there are numerous large cars with small 2,000cc engines which are usually underpowered. The road transport authorities in countries like Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia do not enforce very strict rules about engine modifications. It may be gazetted by there enforcement is not strong and there are no mandatory annual car inspections so the modifications go unnoticed.
In Malaysia you will find innovative power upgrades such as bolt-on turbo Toyota Alphards, supercharger kits for Proton Perdana, supercharger kits for Mercedes E Class and S Class, turbo kits for BMW 5 and 7 series, engine swaps using Toyota 2JZ for older BMWs, and Nissan RB26 engine swaps for older Mercedes S Class. These modifications are more hardcore compared to the simple ECU remaps which are usually unnoticeable. These modifications are more suited for older models or cars that are not sold via the official dealerships.

The car manufacturers have become very strict with warranty claims resulting from performance modifications and some go so far as to restrict modifications via the ECU. Companies like VW, Audi and Mercedes has started to block ECU remaps to prevent tuners from boosting power. Tuners have resorted to directly programming the ECU outside the car however this is not fool proof as the diagnostic systems used by the service centres are able to detect the changes made. The best choice is then left to the direct tuning kits which plug straight to the engine's sensors to alter the settings for performance boost.

This battle of the car manufacturers and tuners will go on and on as each side have their agenda to consider. Car manufacturers will continue to protect their cars from tuning and the tuners will keep finding ways to break the protection or alternative solutions to boost performance.

back to basics car design

Over the years cars have progressively gotten bigger, heavier, longer and taller. This enlargement is caused by the need to create more interior space, better head room, and better safety features. However the negative side is this affects the fuel economy and the engineers work hard to improve engine performance to overcome the added weight. More weight also affects the car's handling which in turn affects the driving pleasure.
Lotus was the first car company that went back to basics with the Lotus Elise by keeping it simple and light. Using just a small 1.8 litre Rover engine with only 118hp and weighing only 700+kg, the car was very nimble, quick to accelerate and had great handling. this simple back to basics concept gradually caught on with other car manufacturers when nearly everyone of them were making bigger and heavier cars.

Even the highly respected Mazda MX-5 was not spared the enlargement exercise as each new model that was launched was heavier than the previous model. The original Mk 1 Mazda Mx-5 was light, simple and had great handling. The latest model is significantly heavier and despite having a more powerful engine the new model is barely faster than the original. All the new safety features added a lot more weight and dampened the extra performance from the newer and more powerful engine.

BMW's original 3 series in the 1980s were light and nimble compared to the current models which were 400kg heavier. The size also grew by more than 25% compared new model vs the E30 model in the 1980s. With the 3 series growing so much in size from model to model, BMW had to introduce the 1 series to fill the void where the 3 series left off.

Many driving enthusiasts now are looking for more back to basics designed cars that offer direct driver involvement, light weight and mechanical based cars. Too many electronic aids and too much weight have altered the driving experience of the cars. Toyota is one company that took this step and introduced the much awaited GT-86 which promises a pure driving experience with a light 1200kg body and front engine rear drive platform. Toyota previously had the highly sought after AE-86 (which has cult status in Japan because of drifting and Initial D anime) and many enthusiasts were hoping that Toyota would make another car just like that, simple, light weight, good handling and mechanical in nature.
Many journalists who have driven this car has given it the thumbs up as it is a good step in the right direction for enthusiasts.

We hope to see  many more such back to basics cars be introduced in the next few years.

Bangkok motorshow

In South East Asia the best motorshow is held in Bangkok, Thailand. There are 2 motorshows each year in Thailand, one in end of March till early April and the second in early December. Each show promises interesting new concept cars and new models that will hit Thailand streets before Malaysia and other ASEAN countries.
Being the Detroit of Asia, Bangkok Motorshow displays upcoming models that will soon hit the streets in neighbouring countries and also host of many other accessories and parts. There are also the famous Bangkok Motorshow models which attracts photographers from all ages.
 
In the most recent show, which ended last Sunday showed several new models that we are likely to see in within the next 6 months. The models are: Toyota Camry, Chevrolet Trailblazer, Isuzu D-Max, Ford Ranger, Honda Civic, Mitsubishi Mirage, new Mercedes B Class and Ford Focus.
All these models are ASEAN bound and the variations will only be slight as 90%+ of the cars displayed will retain the same specifications.

In contrast to the motorshows in Malaysia and Singapore, both are nowhere near as interesting. Singapore motorshow is now considered a complete waste of time visiting because many car companies have boycott the event, plus the models on display can be seen for free in car showrooms. Why pay money to see cars you can see in the showroom for free? In Malaysia, similarly BMW and Mercedes Benz have boycott the KL Motorshow which only takes place once in 3 years. Without a strong draw card such as concept cars that are still in the middle stage of development or new technology showcases, no one really wants to pay money to see cars that you can see in showrooms for free.There is no point in having a motorshow to display cars that are displayed at car showrooms. Having such motorshows will eventually lead to the decline in popularity and the death of the event.

The Bangkok Motorshow may not be the biggest in Asia (the biggest in Asia is in Japan), but it has been consistently displaying new concepts which have a high probably of introduction in the near future. People want to see whats new and what is likely to hit the streets soon. People also want to see new technological showcases to understand the development of new technology that could benefit them one day.

women drivers

I often wonder who wrote that "women are better drivers than men", is it a woman or a man? Somehow I got a feeling that it is a woman. I would probably get flamed by women who disagree about what I am about to write but I do not agree with the statement that women are better drivers than men.

Here are my reasons after the following observations:-
- many women drivers are oblivious to their surroundings or surrounding vehicles or objects
- cannot park their cars properly in designated parking spaces (with boxes or painted lines)
- they can suddenly stop in the middle of the street just because she is confused about where she is suppose to go
- indicate the wrong way
- drift from lane to lane without indicating (lazy men do this too!)
- only looks one car ahead instead of looking further ahead
- does not slow down when entering an intersection in anticipation of on coming traffic from the side
- drive really slowly on the fast lane
- don't know the concept of fast lane and slow lane
- freak out when they are lost and do silly things
- poor judgement of space and dimensions

Men are considered bad drivers because of the following:
- drive too fast
- like to race on the streets
- too aggressive on the road
- inconsiderate on the road
- cause more accidents because of aggressive and fast driving and reckless driving

I am not a sexist but based on my personal observations over the years and sitting as a passenger in cars driven by men and women, I can conclude that men are better drivers overall than women. Men are only slightly better drivers then women. Women are usually involved is a lot of small accidents such as fender benders and many bumps and scrapes, however men are involved in more major accidents that could result in death because of the speed of which they were driving.

swapping engines - cheap source of power?

In the late 1990s and early 2000s it was very popular for young guys to buy a cheap used Proton and swap out the engine for a much more powerful used Mitsubishi Evo engine or a 1.8 Mitsubishi turbo engine. Doing all this will cost less than RM50,000, however this cheap thrill has deadly consequences as many of the young hot blooded boy racers don't do all the way with their modifications. What I mean about this is that they often forget to upgrade the brakes, suspension and strengthen the chassis to handle the extra power. This naturally has resulted in numerous accidents.

Swapping in a much more powerful turbo charged engine is very easy and it definitely the most bang for your buck power upgrade you can do on your car. The simple Proton Wira & Satria does not have a strong chassis and being designed to only handle up to 140hp, swapping in a 260hp engine is literally stretching the limits of the car's structural integrity. The extra torque and power takes a heavy toll on the car's engine mounts, transmission and chassis. The amount of flex and twist that goes through the chassis is almost double what the car is originally designed for. One would argue that the same model was used in rallies around the world however they fail to realize that street cars are very different from tuned up cars that come out of the factory and also very different from race cars. Race cars only share up to 15% of the same components as a street car and maybe up to 30% of the same components of the tuned up cars that come out of the factory.

I have personally witnessed how several street racers with modified Protons race around KL streets at night. They may be able to go very fast on a straight road but when it comes to turning, the extra power and weight of the Evo engine takes a toll on the car's chassis and suspension. The car no longer handles as one would expect it to and the power delivery is sent to the 2 front wheels instead of the original 4 wheels like on the Evo. Naturally, having less traction also meant that the car will suffer tremendously from torque steer making the car difficult to drive. This is lack of control makes the car very dangerous especially in the rain.

I am not against modifications in the search for more performance but doing it right and doing it safely is the right way to go. Doing it half way and forgetting the safety aspects of it will result in dangerous consequences. Watching how the American's modify their cars, all cars modified with big power gains will be accompanied by suspension, brakes and chassis upgrades. Having big power is one thing but being able to control it means a lot more.