Pages

28 January 2013

Proton P3-22A Preve Hatchback Spied En-Route Genting

A video of black Proton P3-22A Preve Hatchback was uploaded into youtube by user Ernest Kok. It is a short video and it reveals no new things, but it is the upcoming Proton nevertheless. Enjoy the video below:

On a different note, have any of you take a look at the Proton Preve forum in lowyat.net? It is surprising to see that this new national car carries a lot of problem, even an absurd things like a smelly aircond. Check it out HERE. Is this all true? 
-->

24 January 2013

Aston Martin Rapide S - Facelift, 550HP



Aston Martin has introduced a mid-life update to the Rapide model which was originally introduced to the world market in 2010. The 2013 update consist of an exterior makeover, redeveloped powertrain, retuned suspension, re-trimmed interior and received a new moniker too, now called Rapide S.
Up front, the car received a new front fascia design, prominently differentiated from the old by the new, larger grille. The new grille is as large as the older car upper and lower grille combined, and the lower sill follows the same design trend as the new DB9.

The change was not purely aesthetic; instead it has achieved compliance with the latest European pedestrian protection regulations. The patent-pending design – which features a unique ‘keystone’ construction – enables the grille to move rearwards on impact, whilst the central and outboard chin stiffeners give rigidity to the lower structure and support achievement of the leg impact regulations. Cut-outs on the front wing catwalks contribute to the achievement of the headform regulation.
The solution means Aston Martin can remain true to its design ethos, and avoid the use of plastic grilles and nose cone bumpers that stretch up in front of the bonnet.

The redesigned front end is matched at the back by a striking new rear deck profile which includes a more pronounced boot lid ‘flip’. The aerodynamic and aesthetic upgrades both reinforce the sporting nature of new Rapide S and work to counteract lift at higher speeds.

The interior is enhanced with the new piano black interior pack that adds a deep, rich, mirror-like shine to the facia, transmission tunnel centre plate and door handles of the Rapide S. A darker surround in the instrument binnacle and steering wheel with black horn-push surround round off the pack’s sumptuous additions. Luxurious blend headlinings in either tan or grey emphasise the luxury still further inside. More details and photos can be found after the jump.

McLaren P1 Underbody - Full Blast Aero-Effect


McLaren showcased its forthcoming P1 hypercar to a bunch of potential client at an event nearby McLaren Beverly Hills. The car was air-lifted from the truck into the SLS Hotel, raising a rare chance to see the underbody of the acclaimed hypercar.

Thanks to the photographer Dirk A at Supercarfocus, we can really see the F1-inspired flat underbody, finished off with an intricately designer rear diffuser. The diffuser is not the sole aerodynamic feature on the car, as various other passive and active devices are expected to make an appearance too. One of them is the rumoured active front flaps and the some compressors to push the air towards certain areas of the body.

McLaren will officially debut in March at Geneva Motorshow, where its interior and gasoline engine with KERS assistance will be fully revealed. Read our previous article on McLaren P1 HERE.

-->

22 January 2013

Development of Children-Friendly Vehicle

How many of us get pissed off when our kids stained the interior of our "reasonably-priced" car, thanks to the beige interior for some pseudo-luxury ambiance? Or you can see the vomit just disappear into the seat fabric? Or the toy's sharp edge tear out the stitching and scratch the plastic trim part?

Luckily car maker nowadays are a bit clever. The seat fabric are now water repellent, and it is rare to find to an RM50k (read family-bound car) to be trimmed in light hue. The plastic trim too can be made sturdier, more resistant to scratch by cleverer texturing.

Ford too is up for the game. After being an innovative player by totally eliminating the B-pillar for an ease of entry (read HERE), it is apparent the Ford B-MAX has been designed with kids in mind too. Ford has now tried to make that job easier for mums and dads by “child-proofing” the new B-MAX.

Engineers subjected the new B-MAX to laboratory tests that simulate the toughest treatment that children and pets can dish out, including soaking materials in milk and fizzy drinks; testing fabrics with a “mace”; and pounding plastics with a heavy rubber ball.

Samples of all leathers and fabrics used in the Ford B-MAX’s interior were tested for stain resistance and ease of cleaning after being soaked for 24 hours in the liquids and being smeared with soil and grease.

Engineers also tested resistance to damage that can be caused by abrasive zips and fasteners found on children’s clothing and bags. The “mace test” used a metal ball with needle-sharp spikes to brush fabrics 600 times and replicate the effect of snagging zips and studs. Engineers also carried out a special test to repeatedly rub the seat material with Velcro.

Impact tests – conducted at temperatures as low as -30 degrees Centigrade when plastic is more brittle – used a rubber ball 10 times heavier than a regulation football to ensure that plastic parts could withstand bumps and knocks. Fabrics were also rubbed 60,000 times in a 17-hour non-stop wear test; metal spikes were scraped across plastic parts to test scratch resistance; and carpets were checked for durability on a special test rig fitted with rough abrasion wheels.

Is the car in our market up to this standard yet? Let's make something simpler first, like ensuring there is sufficient cupholder for the rear passenger, not by hiding them inside the rear armrest which eliminate the cupholder itself when there is a third occupant in the rear seat.


-->

20 January 2013

Proton Past Patents - MSX, Sepang & NEF

It's Sunday night, and instead of chilling to perfection, yours truly was surfing the patent website in pursuit of several patent for work purposes. Lifeless isn't it? Anyway, in the middle of boredom I remembered of several Proton patent that rocked the internet back in 2004-2005. There are many more, including the main and component of Proton Satria Neo (SRM back then), Savvy (TRM during its inception), as well Exora. Some are patented in Korean patent website too. Anyway, instead of looking at what you can find on the road, lets look at something you either can't see, or worst still, seen as something else.

First up is the NEF engine, a V6 engine family that is listed USD597104, showcasing the aesthetic of the engine. Paultan did some coverage on this engine HERE, the range comprises of a modular 2.2L and 3.0L Supercharged V6 mill kicking some 300bhp@6,250rpm and 360Nm@4,500rpm for the latter. It was tested in Waja prototype sometimes back. It was fitted to the Proton MSX concept (world knew it as Lotus APX). Do you that Proton MSX, thanks to its all aluminium construction (VVA platform, an advanced hybrid of cast, extrusion and stamped aluminium hold together with a combination of rivet and adhesive) weights mere 1.5 tonne and projected to reach 270 km/h top speed? Porsche Cayenne surely can't run too far from this car if it is ever made.

RFOB View of Proton's V6 engine
This patent covers only the outlook. The technical innovations were not included. We can see from here the engine RFOB with its transmission fixing, FFOB with all the front end auxillary and side view exposing the placement of cylinder block, front cover, bedplate and oil sump, including the accessories too such as the oil cooler and things.
Side view, you can see the arrangement from oil sump upwards

Next up is the car that was fitted with the NEF engine. It is none other than Proton MSX, published in USD566619. To prove that this car is meant to be Proton instead of Lotus APX (oh well, as if the Waja side-mirror was not obvious of a clue), the aesthetic patented here bears the Proton logo elongated outline instead of Lotus circular item. After these years, it still look stunning. There was MMN old article about Proton MSX HERE, but as I worked a bit on this car so I don't dare to say much. More after the jump.

14 January 2013

Chevrolet Corvette C7 Stingray Revealed


There's new Chevrolet in town, and it is not the new Cruze or Orlando. It is the legendary Corvette, the seventh iteration of the iconic American sportscar. Styled to impress the newer generation of performance car buyer who has been spoilt by the edgy design paired to explosive performance, C7 Corvette wears a well-cut suit.

The front end of the the new Chevrolet Corvette Stingray wears an familar traditional face, but has been made crisper with a strong characterline. The bodyline continues to rise towards the back, where the traditional wrap-around rear glass has been ditched, and in comes a normal C-pillar that also housed the rear quarter glass, previously unfound on any Corvette except the earliest coupe model. The rear end too is controversially new, where the quad-rounded rear light has been replaced with a squarer, recessed unit. Quad tail pipes complete the dramatic rear end styling.

The new Corvette retain the familiar chassis architecture of removable targa roof, but it is also packed with innovative construction. The hood and the removable roof are made of carbon fibre, while the fender, doors, rear quarter panel and some underbody panel are manufactured from composites. The body structure is aluminium and the weight distribution has been optimized for perfect 50:50 balance front to rear. 

The chassis main frame is composed of five aluminium segments including and extrusion panel at each end and centre main rail jointed by cast nodes at suspension interface points. Each segment thickness is tuned to meet their respective strength requirement, thus thickness vary from 2mm to 11mm. These results in 45kg weight saving, plus it is also 57% stiffer. More photos and details after the jump.

13 January 2013

First Sighting of 3rd-Gen Honda Stream


It is the 7th year of service now for the sleek Honda Stream since its 2006 introduction, and the first sight of its replacement has been caught, in China. Set to be inspired by the Concept S previewed in Beijing Motor Show,  the next Honda Stream will be introduced in China market in the middle of the 2013, with the debut scheduled for April's Shanghai Auto Show.

The recipe for the new Stream will be very much similar to its predecessors, i.e a low-floor 7 seater concept. Traditionally, Honda Stream is based on the Honda Civic, so the Civic FB will be the donor vehicle, albeit with a lengthened wheelbase as it has always been for the last two Streams.

The sole photo here shows that the new Stream will get a swoopy glass house, similar in trend with the Concept S, as well as a nod the the first generation. This rear shot also indicate a possibility of the switch from the vertical rear light to a horizontal one. The squarer rear end too bears some resemblance to the current Odyssey.

Malaysia typically gets a CBU Stream, with launches way later than any other market. Expect at least a year delay compared to other essential market, so that will take us into 2014.
-->

11 January 2013

Mazda6 Malaysian Spec Revealed - 2 Engines & 2 Bodystyles

The 3rd generation Mazda6 is a hot stuff in Japan whereby 7,300 units has been booked after a month of sales opening date. Could that make Malaysian introduction later than expected due to overwhelming demand? Perhaps, but the specification for the Malaysian car has been revealed, thanks to the early advertisement from the local dealer on oto.my.


Malaysian car will come with both 2.0L and 2.5L engines, where the latter will be available with wagon bodystyle too in addition to the typical sedan. Specification-wise, all version gets 6 airbags, starter button, auto air-cond, auto wipers, cruise control, TFT touch screen audio system, reverse camera and start stop system. Opting for a higher grade 2.5L will get you 11-speaker BOSE system, i-ELOOP regenerative braking system, sunroof, paddle shift, Bi-Xenon headlight and a host of adaptive driving monitoring systems. Indicative price is RM154,000 for the 2.0L Sedan, RM181,000 for 2.5L Sedan and RM185,000 for 2.5L Grand Touring. All these are CBU, unlike most of its similarly priced, less-equipped and locally-assembled fellow Japanese rivals.

To recap,there are two gasoline engine on offer, namely the fame 2.0L Skyactiv-G and 2.5L Skyactiv-G, both are high-compression ratio direct-injection engine. The former produced 155PS@6,000rpm and 196Nm@4,000rpm while the latter kicked out 188PS@5,700rpm and 250Nm@3,250rpm.Both are paired with 6 speed automatic transmission. The sedan is 4,860mm long, 1,840mm wide and 1,450mm tall. The wheelbase is 2,830mm long. The Grand Touring has a shorter wheelbase of 2,750mm. It is also shorter at  4,800mm and taller at 1,480mm. The 2.0L car rides on 225/55R17 while the 2.5L car rides on 225/45 R19.

The full gallery and details of the 3rd generation Mazda6 can be found in our previous posting HERE.
The detail about the i-ELOOP regenerative braking can be found HERE

The specification details from the brochure can be found after the jump.

10 January 2013

3rd Generation Suzuki Swift Launched - RM77,888



Suzuki Malaysia Automobile has officially launched the third generation Suzuki Swift to our market. Coming in CBU from imported from Thailand, it is priced at RM77,888 and you can add up the bodykit for RM5,300. The CKD model will be available soon, as SMA only imported handy unit of the CBU car.

The new Suzuki Swift measures 3,850mm long, 1,695mm wide and 1,510mm tall while riding on a 2,430mm wheelbase. Compared to the current car, the new Suzuki Swift is 90mm longer in total while the wheelbase is up by 50mm. It is also 5mm wider while the height is retained. While the extended wheelbase has lend a greater interior volume, Autocar UK quoted a better legroom and the rear occupants can tuck their feet underneath the front seat. While headroom is at the premium, the seats offer a good thigh support. The boot space is slightly smaller than before at 210L.

The new Swift is powered by K14B 1,372cc offering 94bhp@6,000rpm of power while torque is 130Nm@4,000rpm. The engine is 100cc smaller than before, and the output is good deal less compared to the 101hp and 133Nm available previously. The transmission is a 4-speed automatic. Suzuki said the reduction in engine power is accompanied by weight reduction and thus results in no performance lost.

Suzuki Swift retained the architecture of the previous car with its McPherson strut up front and torsion beam rear suspension. Suzuki Swift is always known for its keen handling. The new one should be the same. Autocar UK quoted it as "handles tidily, strong grip, excellent body control and balance, strong brakes, unexpectedly pliant and relaxing rides" but slightly let down by the slightly disconnected steering and prone to cross-wind interruption.

Additional photos can be found after the jump.

09 January 2013

Proton Exora Turbo Now Cheaper at RM69,000


Fancy a turbocharged Proton Exora to haul those 6 passenger in hurry but can't quite afford the Exora Bold Premium? Your prayer has been answered quietly by Proton with the introduction of the Proton Exora Bold CFE Standard, effectively displacing the CPS-powered Exora Bold Executive. The new variant of the Proton Exora slipped quietly to the showroom, and it is priced from RM68,550. The Premium version is priced at RM79,562, while the Exora Bold Executive (CPS) was RM66,762.

Externally, the Exora Bold Standard wears the facelifted body like the rest of the range, but with the fog lamp, rear spoiler and alloy wheels eliminated. Meaning that it will look like the rest f the updated Exora with the bolder (no pun intended) front bumper, updated rear bumper and smoked rear light. Interior-wise, it is on par with the Exora Bold Executive, meaning that it is fabric upholstered, silver-lined centre console, no DVD player and the auto-cruise and reverse camera deleted. Steering wheel-mounted audio switch is gone too. No bid deal though.

Safety wise, the 4,592mm long Proton MPV is still protected by dual SRS, and the ABS and EBD is retained too. There are no mechanical change to the setup offered on the more expensive Bold Premium.

For a reminder, the turbocharged CFE engine produced a healthy 138hp@5,000rpm and 205Nm of torque from 2,000-4,000rpm. Read more about Proton CFE engine HERE.

The only drawback is the color choice. You must like the lighter hue to Proton Exora or else you have to pick up the other variant. For Proton Exora Bold CFE Standard, only Solid White and Genetic Silver are offered. However, at only RM68,550 do you think it is still smart to buy a RM69,503 Perodua Alza Advanced or RM64,203 Alza Premium? Think about it...Proton Exora deserves a bigger share of pie....

Malaysia Motoring News thinks Proton Exora Turbo drives like a dream for an MPV. Read about it HERE.

Photo source: BluePearlAuto
-->

Suzuki Swift Coming Soon - From RM77,888

The 3rd generation Suzuki Swift is coming to our shore, and really soon in fact as the advertisement has already start popping up in the mudah.my website. The car also has been spotted on the transporter so it is clear that launch is imminent.

Asthetically, the 3rd generation Suzuki Swift carries similar design trend as the current car. Overall silhouette, roof pillar and the lamp shapes are familiar, albeit they are elongated to offer a more dynamic look.

The new Suzuki Swift measures 3,850mm long, 1,695mm wide and 1,510mm tall while riding on a 2,430mm wheelbase. Compared to the current car, the new Suzuki Swift is 90mm longer in total while the wheelbase is up by 50mm. It is also 5mm wider while the height is retained. While the extended wheelbase has lend a greater interior volume, Autocar UK quoted a better legroom and the rear occupants can tuck their feet underneath the front seat. While headroom is at the premium, the seats offer a good thigh support. The boot space is slightly smaller than before at 210L.

The interior design is vastly different from the current Swift with a better designed dashboard which is less plain the 2nd generation car. The audio setup follows the same theme as the bigger brother Kizashi.

Malaysian car is bound to receive K14B 1,372cc offering 94bhp@6,000rpm of power while torque is 130Nm@4,000rpm. The engine is 100cc smaller than before, and the output is good deal less compared to the 101hp and 133Nm available previously. The transmission is likely to a 4-speed automatic like the one found in Singaporean market, unlike the Swift in other market which is available with CVT gearbox. More detail after the jump.

08 January 2013

2013 Toyota Corolla Sedan Spied - Sharp New Look

The previous spyshot of the forthcoming Toyota Corolla provided no clues whatsoever on the front and rear styling, and with just a glimpse of the dashboard. Things are a little clearer, sourced from the Portuguese website. The bare-bodied Corolla here revealed an Auris-derived front end styling with visibly shapelier fascia.The headlamp is set plunging down, creased back up to meet the wide radiator grille. Big Toyota emblem takes the centre stage, whereby beneath it lies an enlarged air intake.
The side profile shows the kinked up rear door trailing edge, much like how the Lexus IS looks like. The clearer interior shot shows that it is indeed Auris-inspired instead of Corolla Axio derived, which is far more conventional. 
The rear end is however still unknown. This series of photos still can't uncovered it. Two more photos can be found after the jump.

05 January 2013

ADRIAN NEWEY - The Greatest F1 Car Designer Ever?

Reb Bull Racing has secured their third consecutive Formula One Constructor Championship for 2012 in the newly introduced Texas Grand Prix and subsequently Sebastian Vettel secured his third consecutive title one race later in Interlagos, Brazil. Red Bull Racing (RBR) car, the RB8 Formula One machine in the hands of Sebastian Vettel beat Fernando Alonso is his slower F2012 by mere 3 points, while RBR as a team won 60 points over Ferrari's 400 points, thanks to its consistently well performing second driver.

RBR did not has the best start for 2012, where the RB8 lacks the exhaust-blown diffuser from its predecessor due to the rule change, thus preventing RBR from continuing its 2011 momentum. It took 4 races for Sebastian Vettel to appear as a winner. He retains this strong big-points run along the season before suddenly surged for four-consecutive win from Singapore to India to fend off the diminishing Fernando Alonso who, prior to summer break enjoyed 40 points cushion.

Such resurgence is not possible if everything stays normal unless your opposition suddenly become disable, or the driver suddenly re-discovered a driving skill, quite unlikely. One answer, the improved car. As Fernando Alonso keep saying he was fighting Adrian Newey instead of directly mentioning Vettel, as Mark Webber is usually entangled too in this titanic 2012 season.

Who is Adrian Newey? Every F1 technical geek surely know who he is. Personally, I started reading about him in 1999, when Formula 1 came to Malaysia, thanks to a genius idea by the former Prime Minister to host a grand prix in Malaysia. Adrian Newey is one of the key figure in the technical aspect for F1 car, together with his counterpart in rivalling team such as Rory Byrne, Eghbal Hamidy and Mike Gascoyne. It was by reading his biodata that prompted me to choose Aeronautical Engineering as my field of study in the UK, and the desire to be like him was what inspired me to participate in Renault F1-Altran Engineering Academy back in the good old days.

Adrian Newey graduated in Aeronautical and Astronautic Engineering from University of Southampton in 1980, in First Class Degree no less. Over there, he conducted a research on ground-effect aerodynamics which won an interest from Fittipaldi Automotive where he landed his first job.

Newey then joined March racing team in 1981, initially as a race engineer before start designing racing car, March GTP which went on to win two consecutive IMSA titles. Within the same team, he then designed the Indycar for 1984 season which proved to be successful after taking 7 victories including Indy 500 and CART title in the following year.

In 1986, Newey decided to return to the formula one arena in Europe with FORCE F1 team, a short-lived job when the team withdrew at the end of that season. Newey then re-united with March team as Chief Designer for formula one project. As March team evolved into Leyton House team, Newey was promoted to be Technical Director. The partnership was not eternally smooth-sailing, he was fired in 1990 as the team performance declined.

Then the mega years began. Adrian Newey joined Williams F1 team as Chief Designer. In 1991, the team finished second in the constructor championship, and Nigel Mansell finished second in driver championship behind the legendary Ayrton Senna. The dominance happened in 1992, where the Newey-engineered Williams-Renault FW14B utterly dominated, as Nigel Mansell won 9 races in a season, record-breaking feat for the era.
Williams-Renault FW15C - the active F1 car

Adrian Newey talent continues to shine in the following year, where he, together with Patrick Head engineered an active-car, with continuously electronically adjustable suspension, anti-lock braking and traction controlled FW15C. His leading driver, Alain Prost won the championship that year, ahead of nemesis Ayrton Senna. Read more after the jump.

04 January 2013

MERCEDES E-CLASS COUPE & CABRIO FACELIFTED


Following the recent redesign of the Mercedes-Benz E-Class sedan and estate, Mercedes has extend the new design update to the coupe and cabriolet versions. The facelift mainly consist of the new headlamp design, which not unlike the sedan, ditched the quad light setup. The headlamp, despite similar in theme with the sedan, is far more elongated and sharply-edged. It also comes standard with anti-dazzle LED lights. The bumper has been revised too, with larger air intake.

Unlike the sedan which has got a smoothen rear flanks, the mascular rear hunch has been retained on the coupe and cabriolet. The rear light now features a horizontal lighting element, which together with the rear bumper has created a wider-look for the rear fascia.


In the interior department, the changes is more subtle but no less significant. Firstly, an analog clock makes an appearance in between the redesigned central air ducts, and there is now a two-piece decorative trim (single piece centre garnish for the sedan) available in both wood and aluminium. The floor-mounted gear lever is now gone, and in comes a Direct Select system which also accompanied by the paddle shifter.

Altogether, there are six petrol engine and three diesel engine for the new E-Class coupe and cabriolet. Among the new one is the BlueDIRECT spray-guided direct injection (SGDI) 4-cylinder engine which include a fast-acting piezo injectors, turbocharger and fully variable camshaft. There is also a new variant addition compared to the pre-facelift, called E400 bi-turbo which joined the rest of gasoline V6 and V8 which already equipped with BlueDIRECT technology. More details and photos after the jump.

02 January 2013

BENTLEY REVEALS NEW CONTINENTAL GT SPEED CONVERTIBLE



The Continental GT Speed Convertible, Bentley’s new open-top performance flagship - and the world’s fastest four-seat convertible is revealed ahead of its international debut on 14th January at the North American International Auto Show, Detroit. Taking its place at the pinnacle of the Bentley Continental range, the new GT Speed Convertible has a top speed 325 km/h.

In a nutshell, this the high performance open-roof version of the new Bentley Continental GT, thundered by 616 bhp twin-turbocharged 6.0 litre W12 delivering an earth pulling 800Nm of torque. Buttery-smooth driven via the close-ratio 8 speed automatic transmission, the all-wheel-drive Bentley Continental GT Speed Convertible is capable of pulling a mega 4.4s century sprint.

The Continental GT Speed convertible shares its powertrain specification with its Bentley stablemate the GT Speed coupé, meaning a 6.0L W12 twin-turbocharged, 48-valve. The aforementioned 800Nm of torque is on service from 2000rpm, and plateau all the way until 5000rpm to deliver the characteristic effortless high performance only a Bentley can offer.

The new GT Speed Convertible’s powertrain is even more tractable than its Speed predecessor, and just as fuel-efficient as the new W12 Continental GT. Switching the gear selector to ‘Sport’ mode however demonstrates the dual personality of the new GT Speed convertible, delivering a sharper throttle response, gear-shifting at higher engine speeds and faster ‘block shifting’ (eg 8th direct to 4th gear) for instantly accessible acceleration. The enhanced performance is accentuated by a glorious baritone snarl from the free-breathing exhaust, a thrilling soundtrack to the magnificent powerhouse under the bonnet.

For the exterior, Continental GT Speed convertible is distinguished by a matrix radiator grille and bumper air intakes in a dark-tint chrome finish. The 21” Speed alloy wheels are unique to this model, and are available in silver or an optional dark tint. Large, elliptical exhaust tailpipes feature a rifled interior, while a further, subtle design touch is revealed when the bonnet is opened – the black inlet manifold is unique to the Continental Speed models. As with the GT Speed coupĂ©, the winged ‘B’ badge which crowns the radiator shell is set upon a black enamel background. The front wings of the GT Speed Convertible are created in superformed aluminium, their seamless form and crisply-defined body creases creating an impression of tension and muscularity.

Inside, exclusive treadplates featuring the ‘Speed’ legend welcome you to a four-seat cabin that features the hand-craftsmanship of the Mulliner Driving Specification, with its distinctive diamond-quilted hide upholstery. For the Continental GT Speed models Bentley offers an exclusive Dark Tint Aluminium ‘engine spin’ finish, inspired by the dashboards of the Le Mans winning Bentleys of the 1920s. Its understated shade is the perfect complement to the exterior’s dark tint chrome radiator and bumper grilles. Other optional finishes include the full range of fine wood veneers and a satin-finish Carbon Fibre option for fascia and centre console.

The infotainment system features Bentley’s latest software upgrades, which vary from region to region but include refinements such as point of interest mapping, optional satellite landscape imagery, live traffic data and, where the infrastructure supports it, digital radio. The system features 15 Gigabytes of available music space, as well as the facility to play music via an iPod, MP3 player, the car’s own six-disc CD changer or SD card. More details and photos after the jump.