Chinese auto giant set to enter UAE

Haima, one of the largest Chinese automobile manufacturers, is set to enter UAE and has tied up with Abu Dhabi based - First Motors a subsidiary of Bin Omeir Holding Group (BOHG).

Haima will be introducing 6 new models during the Dubai International Motor Show being held from December 16 to 20.

BOHG has diversified business interests in the UAE, Middle East and Africa, across many sectors including automobiles, commercial and military vehicles, car rental and leasing, logistics, banking, insurance, real estate developments and construction among other industry segments.

“We believe that UAE has a lot of potential and are looking at the mid income segment. With 21 years’ of development, Haima Automobiles has established complete supply chain and sales and services framework in line with international standards,” said Fred Huang, general manager, Haima Automobiles.

“As per published reports it is increasingly apparent that the UAE automotive market is mature, with vehicle ownership rates of over 540 per 1,000 inhabitants, a rate that exceeds most of the developing world. We are positioning our vehicles in a particular segment and we are confident that we will further boost the automobile sector in the UAE,” he added.

FAW Haima Automobile Company, one of the vehicle production bases, is located in Haikou city in South China covering an area of 2 million sqm and achieves an annual production capacity of 150,000 units of passenger vehicles. FAW Haima has two factories and one engine factory with complete manufacturing facilities and process of stamping, welding, painting and final assembling, and the third factory is under construction now, after completion, the total annual production volume will be 300,000 units.

Having started its strategic cooperation with Mazda in 1992, Haima has built its own R&D technical system and quality control system benefiting from the cooperation with Mazda for 15 years. With the newly developed engine and mature under body components, Haima collaborates with professional R&D institutions worldwide for joint design and development of complete vehicles.

Haima started exporting its cars in 2007 and now the sales network covers Middle East, North Africa, East Europe, South America and Southeast Asia. The countries the company covers currently include Egypt, Algeria, UAE, Syria, Jordan, Libya, Venezuela, Peru, Moldova, Philippines and so on.

Till now, nearly 10,000 units Haima cars and matched spare parts have been exported to the overseas markets

Esemka Ingin Seperti Kijang

Banyak orang menganggap, mobil buatan anak bangsa kurang mumpuni, baik secara kualitas maupun penampilan. Tapi, coba lihat mobil buatan anak-anak SMK yang satu ini. Dari segi tampilan, dan kualitasnya tidak meragukan.

Tidak seperti produsen mobil China yang kebanyakan mentah-mentah mencaplok desain produk lain untuk membuat mobil nasional mereka. Tapi Esemka benar-benar mendesain Digdaya sendiri, dengan kreasi sendiri.

Begitu juga untuk dapur pacunya. Esemka mengerjakannya sendiri, mengambil basis dari mesin KIA yang sebelumnya sempat dikembangkan Mazda yang mengambil basis dari GM dan Chrysler, sehingga jadilah mesin tipe Esemka 1.5i.

"Semua kita kerjakan sendiri," ujar konsultan Departemen Pendidikan Nasional Ari Setiawan, ketika dikunjungi detikOto, di pameran Indonesian Manufacturing, di JI Expo, Kemayoran, Jakarta, Rabu, (2/12/2009)

Ari pun mengakui memang masih banyak kemiripan dengan produk lain, tapi itu wajar, karena setiap permulaan pasti meniru, mencontoh, tapi pada akhirnya bisa berkembang sendiri.

Sehingga, sampai saat ini, mereka sedang mengembangkan ECU (Electronic Control Unit) agar bisa dilokalisasi juga, karena untuk mobil Esemka, hanya tinggal ECU yang masih mengambil dari Siemens.

Harapannya, tambah Ari, semua pihak bisa memberikan apresiasi, karena biar bagaimanapun, produk anak-anak SMK ini akan terus berkembang, terus menyempurnakan diri, karena tidak ada yang instan.

"Seperti juga Toyota Kijang, dari mulai Kijang buaya yang tanpa jendela kaca, sampai sekarang ada Kijang Innova, nah, kita juga bakal seperti itu perkembangan kedepannya, tunggu saja," pungkas Ari.

India electric car pioneer plans biggest plug-in car plant

Chetan Maini, the engineer who pioneered India’s first electric car, had his eureka moment two decades ago when he drove a vehicle fuelled by solar power across the blazing Australian outback.

Now Maini, the man behind Reva Electric Car Co., is building in southern India what he says will be the world’s biggest factory making battery-powered city commuter cars.

“It’s the first attempt at mass production of a green car,” said Maini, who studied hybrid electric technology at California’s Stanford University and developed the no-clutch, no-gears Reva as head of a 75-member engineering team.

“With growing climate change awareness, I think we’re at the tipping point for electric cars,” Maini told AFP in an interview.

The drive in 1990 which set Maini on his career track was a General Motors-sponsored solar-powered race in which his car finished third, beating many of the global car companies.

“Driving across the continent on the sun’s energy made me think how we could use alternative energy to power cars in the Indian context,” he said.

“When I saw how our cities were getting polluted, I realised employing clean, alternative energy could make a lot of sense — we needed to develop this kind of technology,” he said.

Maini has put some 3,000 of the zero-polluting three-door Revas on the roads in India and Britain — where it is known as the G-Wiz — in the eight years since the company started selling the cars.

Reva was formed in 1994 as a joint venture between the family-owned Maini Group and AEV of the United States to manufacture environment-friendly vehicles.

But it took seven years for the first Reva to go on sale as Maini and his team worked on the design.

Afterward, “we were in a test marketing phase, trying to see how people used electric cars, what were their needs. But that’s now over and we’re ready to move to the mass-market stage,” Maini said.

In September, Reva got a big endorsement when GM announced it would team up with the tiny car company to develop a plug-in version of the best-selling GM Spark mini-car as the US giant embraces electrically powered driving.

“We think their technology is the best,” said GM India president Karl Slym.

The Reva — named after Maini’s mother — can seat two adults and two children and cover 50 miles (80 kilometres) on a single charge of electricity. New models feature sleeker looks than the Reva, which resembles a modified golf-cart, and will offer greater distance.

The company’s next generation three-door, four-seater hatchback NXR is intended to be a family car and will go into production in 2010. It will have a top speed of 65 miles per hour and travel 100 miles on a single charge.

The car will go on sale for around 10,000 euros (15,000 dollars) and can be charged in 90 minutes.

The higher-end NXG will have a 125-mile range and an 80 mile per hour top speed and sell for 23,000 euros in Europe.

The price of the new vehicles is not fixed for India but the cars are expected to sell for “much less,” said Maini.

The Reva currently retails for around 350,000 rupees (7,500 dollars) and is built at a small factory outside the southern city of Bangalore.

Maini is targeting people who want a vehicle for city jaunts or as a second automobile.

The cost of running an electric car in India is a tenth of a petrol-fuelled car, Maini said. The car has no oil filters, spark plugs or radiators so maintenance costs are also low.

“Since we started, there’s been quite a big change in consumer mind-sets,” said Maini, whose love affair with cars began when he was a child assembling remote-controlled toy vehicles.

“We are also seeing a large policy shift by governments to environmentally friendly vehicles,” he added.

Maini is eyeing annual sales of “5,000 plus” for the next three years and then 30,000 annually from cars produced at his new Bangalore factory, which is being built with venture funding.

There is a large market as the infrastructure for electricity is widespread — even in India, he said.

“All you need is the installation of a standard plug point — 15 amps — that is used for an air conditioner or an iron. Most people only need a larger car if they are going out of town.”

The tie-up with GM is part of a three-pronged strategy for Reva which wants to make its own cars under the Reva brand, franchise production in countries such as the United States and license the company’s technology for use by global companies.

GM and Reva have promised the new electrically powered Spark mini-car will be on Indian roads in a year and they see a market later abroad.

Cambodia: ‘Telepathic’ Car Symbolises Auto Industry

The gold-coloured convertible turns heads on impoverished Cambodia’s roads — not least because of creator Nhean Phaloek’s outlandish claim that it can be operated telepathically.

“I just snap my fingers and the car’s door will open. Or I just think of opening the car’s door, and the door opens immediately,” says the 51-year-old as he proudly shows off the homemade car, named the Angkor 333-2010.

Onlookers gasp as he demonstrates the trick, and with the fibre-glass vehicle having cost him $5,000 and 19 months of labour he is in no mood to reveal the remote control system behind it.

But as with a handful of other Cambodians who make their own curious cars, he dreams the two-seater will help foster an automobile industry in the country, still poor after decades of conflict.

“I am very excited and proud of this car because many people admire me and keep asking me about how I can make it,” he says, adding that it reaches speeds of up to 100 kilometres (62 miles) 
per hour. Kong Pharith, a 48-year-old former maths and physics teacher who has also produced his own car, says an auto industry is about to blossom in Cambodia.

“Our works will be part of a motivating force for the next generation to access new inventions and show the world that Cambodia has an ability to do what you think we cannot,” he says.

The inventor, who first came to national attention in 2005 for building a solar-powered bicycle, thinks he has now hit on a truly unique product with his orange, jeep-like vehicle with solar panels on its roof. Kong Pharith says it took him four months to design and put the final polish on his “tribrid” car which operates on solar energy, electricity and gasoline, hitting speeds of up to 40 kilometres per hour with its 2,000 watt motor.

“I’m really happy about my achievement but not very satisfied with it yet,” he says, adding that Cambodia’s lack of modern technology and materials are a minor obstacle to efficient manufacturing. The dream of building cars in Cambodia may not be far-fetched. Officials have announced plans for South Korean automaker Hyundai to open a plant in southwestern Cambodia, assembling some 3,000 vehicles per year.

Cambodia did actually assemble cars in a factory during the 1960s, before the country was caught in the maelstrom of the Vietnam War.

The Angkor 333-2010 is the third he has built, and his first to talk. When Phaloek slams the door a voice out of the dashboard moans: “Why do you close me too strongly?”

“Dozens of local and foreign guests have come and seen my car,” Nhean Phaloek says with a smile. “One British man told me that it is the Cambodian James Bond car.”

Pof. Dr. Bambang Sudibyo: Bapak Mobnas SMK Indonesia

Di masa Bapak Prof. Dr. Bambang Sudibyo, SMK Indonesia bangkit menjadi pionir pembangunan dan penciptaan mobnas SMK yang diproduksi SMK-SMK terbaik di Indonesia

50 Cara anda bisa ikut bantu pembangunan mobnas

Apakah yang bisa dilakukan oleh rakyat seperti kita untuk bisa ikut serta membantu terwujudnya mobnas. Berikut ada beberapa saran:

1. Berusahalah untuk menjadi pembeli pertama mobnas
2. Selalu dorong dan ingatkan pemerintah untuk mewujudkan mobnas dengan tujuan menyediakan lapangan kerja bagi rakyat

3. Ingatkan selalu teman anda bahwa mobnas bukanlah hanya soal prestise tapi penguatan industri otomotif.
4. Beritahu semua orang bahwa dengan mengekspor mobnas bisa membantu menambah devisa negara.
5. Dorong pemda anda untuk ikut aktif mendukung mobnas dengan menajdi konsumen tetap.
6. Jadikan mobnas sebagai "the pride" di daerah anda.
7. Rangsang pemda-pemda anda untuk ikut memproduksi paling tidak satu bagian dari spare part mobnas
8. Ingatkan selalu pemda anda bahwa dengan ikut memproduksi bagian dari mobnas juga ikut mengurangkan pengangguran di daerah anda.
9. Bentuk klub pecinta mobnas di daerah anda
10.Katakan bahwa cinta kepada mobnas bukan berarti harus benci mobil asing, tapi saling melengkapi.
11.Ikutlah dalam lomba-lomba dsain mobnas
12. Selalu ikut aktif memberi sarang pembangunan mobnas
13. Kalau bisa ajak pemda anda untuk kreatif menciptakan mobil daerah (mobda) yang menjadi cikal bakal mobnas.
14. Support pendidikan (universitas, SMK) di daerah anda untuk aktif berpartisipasi dalam riset dan pengembangan mobnas
15. Buka bengkel-bengkel mobnas di sudut-sudut lingkungan anda
16. Dorong perusahaan "finance" untuk ikut memasarkan mobas
17. Bila anda pemilik atau bekerja di bank, dorong bank anda untuk ikut membiayai permodalan pabrik mobnas.
18. Bila anda ahli dibidang "perencanaan" bantu pihak terkait untuk membuat "road map" pabrikasi dan pemasaran mobnas yang menguntungkan dan efisein.
19. Dorong pemerintah agar memberi insentif bagi pengembangan mobas khususnya yang hybrid dan ramah lingkungan.
20. Bantu dalam perancangan teknologi agar mobnas bisa menjadi lebih murah dari mobil sekelasnya.
21. Bila anda pemilik toko onderdil, sediakan stan untuk memasarkan onderdil mobnas.
22. Buatlah brosur-brosur tentang keuntungan-keuntungan mempunyai proyek mobnas dan bagikan ke siapapun yang anda jumpa
23. Bila anda produsen mesin, rancanglah mesin yang paling efisien untuk mobnas, khas Indonesia
24. Bila anda mahasiswa teknik, tak salah untuk selalu berkreasi untuk mendesain mobnas untuk berbagai versi, SUV, sedan, truk dll
25. Bila anda tinggal di luar negeri, pakailah mobnas di sana
26. Cari tahu cara bagaimana menjadi dealer mobil nasional Indonesia di luar negeri.
27. Anjurkan warga Indonesia di luar negeri untuk menggunakan mobnas
28. Dorong perusahaan tempat anda kerja untuk menggunakan mobnas
29. Bila anda pengusaha jasa penyewaan mobil, sediakan mobnas sebagai salah satu pilihan
30. Katakan kepada anak-anak bahwa mengendarai mobnas itu merupakan sebuah kebanggaan bangsa
31. Jadikan mobnas bisa berkeliaran di desa-desa, mendukung pertanian dan angkutan massal
32. Berlomba-lombalah untuk menjadi dealer di daerah atau kecamatan anda.
33. Anjurkan instansi-instansi pemerintah biar berkenan menggunakan mobnas sebagai mobil operasional
34. Bantu desain mobnas untuk tipe luxury, jadi ada mobnas untuk rakyat ada juga untuk kalangan lux, atau bahkan mobil untuk lomba.
35. Bangun rally atau lomba kecepatan yang menggunakan mobnas.
36. Dorong pemerintah agar meniru cara Amerika, dimana GM yang bangkrut saja masih ditalangi milyaran dollar demi menyelamatkan lapangan kerja. Jangan hanya menalangi bank-bank bangkrut yang dirampok sendiri oleh pemilik banknya seperti "bank century" dan duitnya dibawa ke Singapura.
37. Jadikan keluarga anda sebagai pengguna salah satu tipe mobnas
38. Dorong organisasi, asosiasi anda untuk membeli mobnas
39. Ikut sertakan ATPM untuk ikut mendukung mobnas dan tidak perlu merasa tersaingi, kerjasama itu bahkan akan membentuk sisbiosis yang pro Indonesia.
40. Dorong perusahaan baja agar aktif menyediakan produk baja yang efisien.
41. Dorong perusahaan komputer made in Indonesia agar ikut mengembangkan software mobans, bisa diperlukan
42. Bila anda produsen film, jadikan mobnas dalam kendaraan-kendaran di film yang anda produksi.
43. Ikut sertalah merancang desain-desain futuristik mobnas
44. Jadikan mobnas menjadi kendaraan resmi kepresidenan, para pejabat lain pasti terketuk hatinya untuk menjadi konsumen mobnas.
45. Jadikan mobnas menjadi titik awal kebangkitan era industrialisasi di Indonesia yang nantinya merangsang terciptanya, kapal selam nasional, korvet nasional, pesawat angkutan nasional, pesawat tempur nasional yang semuanya buatan dalam negeri.
46. Bantu negara-negara tetangga yang membutuhkan untuk menciptakan mobnas sendiri dengan menalihkan teknologi kita ke mereka dengan privilege bagi bangsa Indonesia.
47. Setelah industri mobas dalam negeri mapan, segera ajak negara-negara di Afrika, Latin, Eropa, Amerika, Timur tengah untuk membat basis-basis produksi di sana.
48. Usahakan mempekerjakan tenaga kerja lokal di sana plus TKI sehingga mendorong mobilitas warga Indonesia di seluruh dunia.
49. Jangan bernah bosan-bosan untuk mengetuk hati pemerintah agar berkenan dan tak perlu takut membuat Indonesia menjadi sebuah negara yang maju dan makmur.
50. Berdoalah selalu agar tidak banyak aral melintang.
51. Anda bisa ikut membahkan cara-caranya...

Chinese cities offering incentives to buy locally-made hybrid cars

Maunya pemda-pemda di Indonesia juga harus aktif merangsang pembangunan mobnas dengan menawarkan diri jadi konsumen tetap. Alangkahnya indahnya Indonesia seperti ini, meniru gaya China.

The city of Shenzhen, China, where automaker BYD is located, has decided to give its citizens a boost to purchase the locally-made cars.

In addition to the nation-wide grants, which can be worth up to 50,000 yuan ($7,320) when buying a hybrid vehicle (60,000 yuan if the vehicle is all-electric), Shenzen is offering discounts up to 60 percent of the car's value. For a 149,800 yuan BYD F3 Dual Mode hybrids (when it becomes available to everybody next June), citizens will be able to get discounts of nearly 90,000 yuan.

A second city in China, Chongqing, is also offering incentives: 36,000 yuan in subsidies and an exemption in bridge tolls of 7,000 yuan when buying a locally-made Junjie (or Jiexun) hybrid MPV, which costs 140,000 yuan.

IRAN: AUTOMAKER TO MAKE A NEW CAR MODEL CALLED "AZERBAIJAN"

An Iranian automaker plans to produce a car named after Iran’s northern neighbor, Azerbaijan.

The Azerbaijan model is slated to hit roads next year, the Mehr news agency reported on November 18. An adviser to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the name is a nod to Iran’s northern neighbor, the Trend news agency reported on November 19.

The car will be produced by Iran Khodro, the Middle East’s largest passenger car manufacturer. The automaker produced Iran’s first domestic-made car, Samand.

Mobil Listrik ITS Tak Masalah Saat Hujan

Meski mengaku belum tampil sempurna, namun tim Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS) Surabaya menjamin mobil listrik yang mereka ciptakan tidak akan mengalami banyak gangguan.

"Mobil ini dijamin tidak akan mengalami banyak gangguan. Bahkan saat hujan juga tidak masalah," kata Prof Ir Soebagio, MSEE, PhD, ketua tim penelitian EV-ITS G1 (Elektronic Vehicle Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember Surabaya Generasi 1).

Namun ia mengakui masih banyak perubahan yang harus disempurnakan pada mobil listrik kerasi anak bangsa tersebut. "Kita masih tetap memakai gearbox seperti di mobil biasa sehingga membuat kerja motor tidak maksimal," tuturnya.

Pengembangan akan dilakukan pada inverter dan motor listrik yang akan mengurangi pemakaian jumlah baterai hingga menjadi tiga buah dan berat mobil menjadi berkurang.

Saat ini, dengan 40 buah baterai, mobil tersebut bobotnya mencapai 600 kg dan hanya bisa memuat dua orang. Untuk itu sedang dilakukan upaya meringkas baterai sampai tiga buah agar bisa memuat empat hingga enam penumpang.

Urusan waktu pengisian baterai juga jadi perhatian ITS. Untuk pengisian baterai diperlukan waktu sekitar enam jam. "Kita masih memakai cairan aki biasa sehingga waktu yang diperlukan lebih lama," ungkap Ir Dedid Cahya, MT, salah satu anggota tim yang bertanggung jawab untuk urusan sistem kontrol. Namun dia mengungkapkan, pada tahap akhir saat menjadi smart car mobil ini akan mampu mengisi energi sendiri.

Selain itu, sasis mobil yang dikeluarkan adalah produksi tahun 1972. "Kita nanti ingin menggunakan sasis mobil seperti Avanza agar ruang mesin bisa lebih luas. Ke depan saat motor sudah sempurna, produksi massal sasisnya bisa didesain sendiri," tegas Dedid.

Malaysian luxury car manufacturer BUFORI Motor Car Company (BMCC)

Malaysian luxury car manufacturer BUFORI Motor Car Company (BMCC) is extending its model range and will soon be launching a new generation of modern sportscars.

The BUFORI CS, which stands for “Compact Sports”, is a purist and powerful 2 door coupé. Unlike previous generations of BUFORI motorcars, the BUFORI CS is intentionally modern-styled. Powered by a 2.0L turbo-charged engine, the sportscar will feature a lightweight composite body and offer the typical BUFORI craftsmanship, attention to detail and quality. The BUFORI CS is expected to be launched in Malaysia at the beginning of 2010 and more details will be revealed towards the end of the year.

The BUFORI CS is fully designed and developed by BMCC in Malaysia. It was recently decided that BUFORI wanted to have a race version of the car, in order to prove the vehicles capabilities and performance under extreme conditions and directly apply proven racing technology to the on going development of the road car.

This lead to the creation of the newly established BMS (BUFORI MOTOR SPORTS), which is the motorsport division of BUFORI. Through the collaboration with AXLE MOTORSPORT, a company dealing in high-tech motor racing development, BMS and AXLE MOTORSPORT jointly developed the BUFORI BMS R1 using a team of Formula One engineers, employing only the highest quality components and materials.

The BMS AXLE RACING team will take part in the upcoming 56th Macau Grand Prix (weekend of 19th November 2009) with the BUFORI BMS R1, the race edition of the all new BUFORI CS.

“After two years of hard work in designing and developing our new sports car, the BUFORI CS, we are very proud that a racing version of our car has been developed and will have its first public appearance at such a prestigious event as the Macau Grand Prix. We could not have wished for a better occasion. Our intention is to transfer the racing technology to the road version of the BUFORI CS and bring in all the qualities for which BUFORI is renowned” says Felix Haller, General Manager Marketing & Operations of BMCC.

“BMS AXLE have followed a very tight working schedule, in under 10 weeks, to create this race car, and we are looking forward to being a part of this racing event and making history with BUFORI, the first Malaysian sportscar to run at the Macau GT Cup” says Joe Lim, the BMS Team Principal and Managing Director of Bufori Sales & Marketing (BSM), the global Distributor of Bufori vehicles. “This race marks the beginning of a new era for BUFORI. With the BUFORI CS, the company is expanding its portfolio to purist, modern styled sports cars, with the usual uncompromised BUFORI quality.” he adds.

BUFORI is the first Malaysian manufacturer to participate at the Macau GT Grand Prix. The Guia Circuit of Macau is a street circuit with a combination of fast straights and tight corners. It is recognised as one of the most challenging and demanding circuits in the world.

EV-ITS Mobil Listrik dari Surabaya

Isu pemanasan global membuat berbagai pihak berlomba untuk menciptakan apapun yang ramah terhadap lingkungan. Seperti yang dilakukan 5 mahasiswa Fakultas Teknik Elekto ITS membuat mobil ramah lingkungan. Mobil itu bernama EV-ITS I.

Cara kerjanya mobil berbahan bakar 40 baterai basah (accu) ini mampu menciptakan 500 kilovolt (KV) yang mampu mengubah arus bolak-balik menjadi arus listrik ini mampu menggerakkan motor listrik yang berkekuatan 5 kilo watt (KW) dan menggerakkan roda.

Kelima mahasiswa yang tergabung dalam tim laboratorium konversi energi jutusan Teknik Elektro yakni Bambang SK, Dedied CH, Era Purwanto, Arman Jaya, dan Purwadi AD.

Mobil yang mengandalkan tenaga dari baterai basah ini mempunyai banyak kendala dalam pengoperasiannya, diantaranya mesin yang cepat panas serta sempitnya ruang mengemudi.

"Seharusnya mobil ini mampu melaju hingga 60 km per jam. Tapi karena kita masih menggunakan gearbox mobil biasa menambah beban mobil sehingga hanya mampu melaju 20 km per jam," kata Prof Ir Soebagijo MSEE PhD salah satu dosen pembimbing kepada wartawan di Kampus ITS, Sukolilo.

Mobil yang menghabiskan dana hingga Rp 80 juta ini mempunyai keunggulan yaitu suara mesin yang halus. Rencana kedepan kata Soebagijo, pihaknya akan mengembangkan hasil penemuannya ini. Yakni dengan memperkecil 40 baterai menjadi 3 baterai.

"Kita nantinya juga akan mengganti sasis mobil serta mencari cara untuk memperluas ruang kemudi," tandasnya.

Iran to assemble 16,000 cars in Venezuela

The Iranian minister of industries and mines says Iran plans to produce 16,000 vehicles at its Venezuelan car plant in the coming year.

Ali-Akbar Mehrabian made the remarks after a meeting with Venezuelan Foreign Minister Nicholas Maduro, and Science Minister Jesse Chacon, in Tehran.

The two allies opened a joint car plant in central Venezuela in 2006.

The Iran Khodro Company already exports the country's first all domestic vehicle, Samand, to several countries such as Venezuela, Turkey, Belarus, Russia, Syria and Tajikistan.

The Venezuelan delegation arrived in Tehran on Monday to work on the details in preparation for Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's upcoming visit to Venezuela.

Mehrabian also said that his talks with the Venezuelan officials focused on cooperation in the fields of food industry, gas and oil sectors, agriculture, science and technology, as well as generating electricity.

Iran Khodro unveils national diesel engine

The Middle East's largest automaker, Iran Khodro Company (IKCO), has unveiled a new national diesel engine on Tuesday.

Iran Khodro unveiled the national diesel engine in a ceremony attended by the Minister of Industries and Mines Ali-Akbar Mehrabian.

The new lightweight 1.5-liter turbo-diesel uses advanced technology to deliver strong power and torque of 256Nm while improving on fuel economy.

Fuel consumption on the engine will be 5 liters per 100 kilometers in combined cycle.

“Iran has successfully produced light duty diesel engines to complete its fuel basket,” Mehrabian said.

“Iranian designer had previously designed and manufactured diesel engine for power plants with 1,000 steam horsepower and today they successfully made it for cars,” he added.

Iran spent 20 million dollars for the design and manufacturing of the engine and it's estimated to cost less than 1,000 dollars in mass production.

The striking engine has achieved emission standard of Euro 5, featuring a Diesel Particulate Filters (DPF) as well as a new Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR).

Diesel Particulate Filters (DPF) eliminates the diesel particulate matter or soot from the exhaust gas of a diesel engine. The Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) is a nitrogen oxide emissions reduction technique to lower exhaust emissions.

IKCO unveils nanotech car

Iran’s first car equipped with nano technology built by Iran Khodro Industrial Group (IKCO) was showcased at nano festival from November 4 to 8.

Moj news agency quoted Hamidreza Taqavi Deputy Director of Strategy and Planning at IKCO stating that the new Samand Soren is equipped with nano technology, adding that nano composites are used in the dash board, engine parts, filters and lubrications.

He said that this improvement was made with the aim of enhancing domestic production, decreasing dependency on importing raw material, reducing the price of finished products, improving product quality, increasing customer satisfaction, pride and national self-realization in industry.

Taqavi noted that nano technology usage is increasing day by day in the automotive industry, pontig out that 60 percent of designing and production of light and heavy vehicles in the next 10 years will be influenced by nano technology.

Iran Khodro was founded 1962 and has become the largest vehicle manufacturer in the Middle East, Central Asia and North Africa.

In Iran it has an average share of 65 percent of domestic vehicle production.

By 2006 Iran Khodro was producing 550,000 vehicles (for the Iranian year 1384, starting on 21 March 2006)

Hydrogen vehicle

A hydrogen vehicle is a vehicle that uses hydrogen as its onboard fuel for motive power. The term may refer to a personal transportation vehicle, such as an automobile, or any other vehicle that uses hydrogen in a similar fashion, such as an aircraft. The power plants of such vehicles convert the chemical energy of hydrogen to mechanical energy (torque) in one of two methods: combustion, or electrochemical conversion in a fuel-cell:

* In hydrogen internal combustion engine vehicles, the hydrogen is combusted in engines in fundamentally the same method as traditional internal combustion engine vehicles.
* In fuel-cell conversion, the hydrogen is reacted with oxygen to produce water and electricity, the latter being used to power an electric traction motor.

Hydrogen fuel does not occur naturally on Earth and thus is not an energy source, but is an energy carrier. It can be made from a number of sources, currently it is most frequently made from methane or other fossil fuels. Hydrogen production via electrolysis of water is inefficient and expensive and is rarely used.



Many companies are working to develop technologies that can efficiently exploit the potential of hydrogen energy.

boatcar.net: Industri mobil amfibi China

BY5020TSL Amphibious Vehicle is a new product built on the chassis of Beijing2020S Jeep. It adds water travel function to the original jeep's land travel function so as to become a new means of communication that can not only climb mountains but also cross rivers, filling a gap in the country's auto industry.

Indonesia butuh mobil amfibi bukan jembatan selat sunda??

Indonesia sebenarnya sangat butuh mobil-mobil amfibi seperti ini. Untuk menyeberang ke ribuan pulau-pulau di Indonesia

Bali International Classic Cars Show

A foreign tourist takes a closer look at an old Spiker car, which was made in 1895, during the Bali International Classic Cars Show in Bali on Thursday.

Mobil Siamco "Sham" Mulai Berkeliaran di Damaskus

Mobil "Sham" buatan Siamco, perusahaan produsen mobil nasional di Syria mulai berkeliaran di jalan-jalan ibukota negeri tersebut. Mobil nasional ini menjadi kebanggaan tersendiri bagi penduduk di sana karena semuanya diproduksi dalam negeri dengan alih teknologi dari Iran.

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Dubai firm to launch super/hyper cars in India

Three brands of Super Hyper Cars (SHCs), including the world's fastest car, Ultimate Aero, are all set to storm Indian roads by the end of this year, said a report.

Dubai-based Ultimate Motors, one of the leading distibutors of exotic and luxury sports cars in the world, will be launching the three brands of commercial SHCs - Shelby, Zenvo and Arash, by December, according to a report in The Economic Times.

'The demand for luxury cars in India is increasing of late and people are now keen to have customised cars. We are in touch with four leading dealers in India and expect to launch the commercial SHCs by the end of this year,' Ultimate Motors' president, Nasser Al-Hai, said, on the sidelines of a luxury lifestyle event here.

US-based Shelby SuperCars' Utimate Aero has been recorded as the world's fastest car with a speed of 413 kilometres per hour (257 mph) and produces 1,183 horsepower thus making it the world's most powerful production car. It can reach from 0-to-60 mph in 2.78 seconds.

Similarly, Denmark's Zenvo and UK-based Arash are also in the race to introduce their SHCs into the Indian market.

Arash has a unique road car aerodynamics whereas the Zenvo comes with full carbon body and steel chassis.

World's First Proper Flying Car Makes Debut Flight

The Terrafugia Transition "roadable aircraft" - the nearest thing to a flying car yet built - has made its first test flight.

Terrafugia says that the flight took place on March 5, and will hold a media briefing at 1430 UK time. Meanwhile pictures of the flight are available on the company's website.

Company test pilot Phil Meteer, a retired air force colonel, is quoted by AVWeb as saying: "The first flight was remarkably unremarkable. I've flown several thousand hours in everything from Piper Cubs to F-16s, and the Transition flew like a really nice airplane."

In aircraft terms, the Transition is a light two-seater aircraft intended to fit within the new US "light sport" category. A light-sport pilot's licence is easier and cheaper to acquire than a normal private pilot's ticket, and medical red tape is reduced. Cruise airspeed of 115 knots is expected, range of 450 miles and "highway speed" on the ground.

The Transition has most of the weaknesses of light aircraft, in that it can't easily be flown through poor weather, bad visibility, or restricted airspace (as found above cities, for instance). Users needing to get through such obstacles will need to land at a suitable strip nearby, just as a normal private pilot in a Piper Tomahawk might.

‘Circuit of the Year’ award for Losail

The Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) is proud to announce that it has been nominated as the best organised round of the 2009 MotoGP series’ by a panel that included officials, riders, manufacturers and team representatives.

The award for MotoGP ‘Circuit of the Year’ will be presented today at a dinner after the final race of the season in Valencia.

“This is a huge moment for Qatar and for the QMMF and something for which we are understandably proud,” said Nasser Khalifa Al-Attiyah, President of the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation.

“To compete on an organisational level with the best circuits in the world after just seven years is special for us. We are really only beginners in terms of experience and that makes it extra special for myself and everyone who has worked so hard at the Losail circuit in Qatar.”

The Losail Circuit hosted a round of MotoGP for the first time in 2004 – the race was won by Sete Gibernau on a Honda- and kick-started this year’s series with a thrilling floodlit race in April, which was won by Casey Stoner on a Ducati.

Italy’s Valentino Rossi clinched the premier title in Sepang recently to add to his previous eight Grand Prix World Championship titles and the 18-race series reaches its conclusion in Valencia today.

Al-Attiyah also announced in Valencia that the Losail circuit will undergo improvements during the close season in readiness for pre-season testing and the opening round of the MotoGP season in Qatar on April 11th.

“We are already working on getting everything in order for the 2010 season and track improvements will begin after next weekend’s Endurance races at Losail,” said Al-Attiyah.

“We are working on asphalting the run off areas on the corners of the track and preparing the track set-up for the official tests in February and March.”

The QMMF is keen for the Losail track to conform to a high standard of both FIA and FIM licensing regulations.

Al-Attiyah also announced plans to send a young Qatari rider into the new Moto2 category of next year’s MotoGP series. “We are currently negotiating with several teams through Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of Dorna, to make this happen and hope to announce further details of the project as soon as possible.”

Moto2 is set to replace the 250cc category from 2010. This new category is intended to be a prestigious yet cost-effective accompaniment to MotoGP. Honda has been appointed as the single engine supplier and teams will also use a control tyre supplied by a single company.

Korean e-Zone electric car to be manufactured in Southeast U.S.?

CT&T Company, Ltd., a global leader in Electric Vehicle (EV) technology, announced plans today for e-Zone and c-Zone electric vehicle production in the United States with plans to employ 2,600, including production workers and managers, over the next five years.

CT&T United, the U.S. subsidiary of CT&T Korea, Ltd. is investing significantly to maintain its global position in the move towards consumer use of electric vehicles by establishing its North American headquarters, a research and development center and several manufacturing facilities to produce and market an entire product line of EVs and batteries. Company officials are considering potential sites in South Carolina, Georgia, North Carolina, Alabama and California.

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12 Strangest Buses

Created by car artist Tom Kennedy, the Topsy-Turvy Bus (Topsy) is a bus made of two school buses welded together, one upside down on top of the other. The bus is currently touring the country to "dramatically depict America’s upside down budget priorities."

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New job, new car: Mana mobnas buatan anak SMK Indonesia itu???

An official from the Malang Financial Management, Assets and Income Agency inspects dozens of cars allocated to Malang regency legislators on Tuesday. The cars will not be handed over to the newly appointed legislators until former councilors hand in their official cars. JP/Wahyoe Boediwardhana

Soal Mobil Hybrid, RI Ketinggalan dari Malaysia

Bila pemerintah Indonesia meramalkan mobil-mobil Hybrid baru akan berseliweran di jalanan pada tahun 2020, justru pemerintah Malaysia baru-baru ini mengeluarkan kebijakan terkait dengan eksistensi mobil hybrid di negeri jiran tersebut.

Pemerintah Malaysia akan memberikan potongan pajak bagi produsen otomotif yang mengembangkan mobil hybrid ataupun listrik, agar industri otomotif Malaysia lebih kompetitif bila mengacu pada keberhasilan Thailand.

"Memang Thailand telah mengembangkan otomotifnya dengan lebih baik, tapi mereka terlambat dalam mengembangkan mobil hybrid," ujar Menteri Perdagangan dan Industri Malaysia Mustapa Mohamad, seperti dilansir The New York Times, Senin (2/11/2009).

Di bawah peraturan baru, produsen asing diizinkan untuk memiliki 100 persen produksi pembuatan mobil hybrid dan listrik.

Thailand, yang memikat produsen mobil asing seperti Toyota, Honda, General Motors dan Ford Motor untuk membangun pabrik-pabrik di zona industri sebelah timur Bangkok, kini menjadi negara eksportir ketiga di Asia setelah Jepang dan Korea Selatan.

Asosiasi Otomotif Malaysia, yang menaungi produsen mobil domestik, memuji langkah pemerintah untuk memberikan insentif bagi produsen otomotif untuk mengembangkan mobil hybrid dan listrik.

"Ini adalah langkah yang benar, dan kita dapat bergerak maju untuk berusaha mengejar ketinggalan dengan Thailand," kata presiden asosiasi tersebut, Aishah Ahmad.

Analis di Kuala Lumpur mengatakan, kebijakan baru Malaysia ini mungkin akan menarik produsen mobil Eropa seperti Volkswagen, Peugeot dan Volvo, bahwa di bawah aturan baru ini, mereka akan mampu menghasilkan mobil hybrid dan listrik.

GYM concept car makes you exercise for your ride

We’re nuts about the open-wheel design of this GYM electric car, but might be too lazy to get it to go anywhere. That’s because inside this far-fetched design concept of a rowdy-looking roadster is also a gym full of exercise equipment, urging you to use your own elbow grease to get this show on the road.

Sure, you can plug it into the wall for easy charging, but that wouldn’t be as much fun as hopping on the car’s stepping machine, grunting through a few reps on its bench press, rowing for a while and then doing a set of pull-ups.

Only thing missing is pushups, but wait, that might be possible by strapping the car’s arm weights onto your back. So Corporal, you want to go Oscar Mike? Hit the deck and give me twenty!

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Air Hogs Zero Gravity Micro R/C cars will drive you up the wall (or ceiling)

Radio controlled toy cars have always been fun to play with, even back when I was a kid, but you need to find a big open area where you can drive without running into stuff. Now with these gravity defying Air Hogs Micro R/C cars, you can actually drive right on any flat wall, or even up on the ceiling.

A powerful fan built into the top of the car creates a venturi effect between the bottom of the car and the wall, effectively sucking it onto the surface. Just keep your fingers crossed that the batteries don't happen die at an inopportune moment.

'2030' future car: a solar-powered van good for you or the Pope

I guess we'll have scrunching or modular cars in the year 2030. It wasn't too long ago that we showed you this French car concept for the year 2030, and now here's Mihai Stamati of Chisinau, Moldova with a design simply titled 2030.

Stamati's vision of 2030 has us driving in solar-powered, four-seater, door-slidin' boxy cars with green windows and plenty of visibility. A cylindrical add-on can be fixed to the rear of the vehicle for extra seating (complete with a bar-style desk), and, also located at the rear, there are two electric engines. Both engines must be a bit on the weak side as the 2030 future car tops out at 20 miles per hour. That means it's probably only good for short-range urban driving or for use in special situations, such as at large amusement parks. Come to think of it looking at the 2030 you could also slap some bulletproof windows on there and you got the Pope's next glass-cage-on-wheels. And this one actually looks good to boot.

Wind-powered cars go where the breezes carry them

While using the wind to propel your vehicle works great out on the ocean when you're in a sailboat, it's less useful for vehicles on the road. You can't simply stick a sail on top of your Escalade and hope to get where you want to go.

That doesn't mean there aren't people working on wind-powered vehicles, however. InVentus has just won the Racing Aeolus 2008 competition, which pits wind powered vehicles against each other. The InVentus vehicle weighs in at a mere 286 pounds before the driver gets in, which allows it to pick up a good deal of momentum from its propeller on the back when it catches a breeze. Is it going to replace gas-powered cars anytime soon? No, but it's nice to see some alternatives out there being worked on.

Greased Lightning: 100MPG biodiesel hybrid blasts from 0 to 60 in 5.9 seconds

Tiny car company Lightning Hybrids showed it means business at the Denver Auto Show this week, rolling out the first prototype of the LH4, a 100MPG speedster with a hydraulic-biodiesel hybrid drivetrain that can zip the tight four-seater from 0 to 60 in 5.9 seconds.

The ambitious Colorado company with a staff of 12 says the car will be ready for production in 2011, with a three-wheeled version rolling out even sooner, in 2010. The 100MPG cars are expected to sell for between $39,000 and $59,000, and are candidates for the Automotive X-Prize, with $10 million going to the winner of a stage race of 100MPG vehicles.

This is one wild-looking ride, with its split rear window and lift-up door hatch for easy entry. Its three-cylinder turbo biodiesel is augmented by a hydraulic pump/motor, whooshing an additional 150hp into the wheels of this pocket rocket. Amazing. Click Continue to take a look at the video.

Crazy looking Honda Zeppelin features swiveling front seats

Figure out which direction this thing drives yet? In the image above, the Honda Zeppelin would zip off to the left. At glance, you might be tempted to say that designer Myung Jin Jung's creation's most interesting quality is its asymmetrical design, but the real weird stuff is actually going on inside.

The front seats of the Zeppelin swivel 180° (when the vehicle isn't in motion, or that's the plan), so that the occupants can interact with one another as if they were in a living room instead.

Supposedly the glamor of air travel inspired both the curvy, crazy exterior and the more personal interior thus the Zeppelin. I don't want to sound like a downer, but when I think of flying on a plane lately, I don't think of having space to stretch my legs or wanting to talk to the folks around me. Still, pretty car.

Cars and environment Green cars: Genuine or a marketing tool?

Are green cars in Indonesia really “green”, or just a label to get more sales? The latter seems to be the answer according to an NGO focusing on consumer protection, although car manufacturers beg to differ.

“The ‘green’ tag, particularly in Indonesia, is nothing more than an effort to gain more buyers. Global environmental consciousness is providing manufacturers new excuses to market their products,” Indah Sukmaningsih, a member of the Indonesian Consumer Protection Foundation (YLKI), told a seminar Thursday.

Some car manufacturers have promoted their “green” cars, which they say are less harmful to the environment than comparable conventional vehicles.

Toyota for example, has recently launched its hybrid car, the Toyota Prius, which runs on two power sources, a gasoline engine and electric batteries.

Johnny Darmawan, president director of PT Toyota Astra Motor, claimed the Toyota Prius produced very little CO2 emission and used recyclable materials.

“Prius’ Power Split Device [PSD] makes constant automatic adjustments to the power ratio from electric motor and gasoline engine according to the situation,” he said.

“On a flat road, for example, it uses only the electric motor to run the car at medium speeds. At an incline, it will automatically turn on the combustion engine to produce more power. So the car is also fuel-efficient,” Johnny added.

PT Honda Prospect Motor is also planning to sell cars under the Honda Civic brand that consume less fuel and are considered environment-friendly.

Indah, however, said that it was not enough to be called “green”.

She cited the issue of fuel quality in Indonesia, which has yet to meet environment-friendly criteria.
“No matter how ‘green’ your car is, as long as the fuel still has high sulfur content, it will produce noxious, harmful emissions,” Indah said.

“Becoming ‘green’ is supposed to be a comprehensive concept that requires everyone’s involvement, not just industry. So if the stakeholder institutions still work unilaterally, everything they call ‘green’ will be misleading.”

Indah also criticized the government which, she said, seemed to prioritize maximizing income from vehicle taxes while neglecting environmental issues.

In response, Panggah Susanto, the Industry Ministry’s director for land and military transportation industries, said the environment issue was not his responsibility.

“We focus only on the industrial sectors. The automotive industry is a major employer and contributes the most to the regional budget in all regions throughout the country, so we must be sensitive when designing policy that will affect this sector.”

Amphibious lamborghini takes to the high seas

At first glance, I thought this seafaring sports car was the underwater Lotus Esprit from The Spy Who Loved Me. Much to my amazement, it’s a real amphibious Lamborghini Countach built by Mike Ryan of SeaRoader.

World's first luxury amphibious motorcoach/yacht

Touted as the world's first luxury amphibious motorcoach/yacht, the C.A.M.I.L.C Terra Wind boasts revolutionary design and luxury features.

At a standard length of 42’6”, the Terra Wind RV is built with fiberglass reinforced plywood with a foam core, while the hull is constructed from 3/16" marine grade 5052 plate with 6061 grade structural members. Powered by a Caterpillar 3126E turbocharged engine, this C.A.M.I.L.C amphibious motorcoach also has two 19" bronze propellers with stainless rudders. The Terra Wind comes with all the bells and whistles you’d expect to find in a luxury RV, with features including a 42" plasma TV, an In Motion satellite with Direct TV, a trash compactor and a combination washer/dryer. Prices from the $850,000's. C.A.M.I.L.C.