Cheap Car Rentals arrives in Auckland and Queenstown

Crown Automotive launched another exciting addition to its business line up today with the launch of www.cheapcarrentals.co.nz
A site dedicated to providing amazingly cheap late model rental cars for travellers to Auckland and Queenstown.
As part of the Crown Rentals group - cheap car rentals was launched to showcase the Econo-rent and budget orientated rental cars it provides. One of the major points of difference between www.cheapcarrentals.co.nz and some of its competitors is the quality of vehicles they provide for what are super discounted rates.
You are far more likely to end up with a late model car with less than 20,000kms on the clock which makes for super comfy motoring and great mechanical piece of mind !
Check out the site today or call them on 0800 55 44321 to book.
Book and pay before 30th September 2010 and beat the GST increase!

James reviews a 2006 Ssangyong Korando

The boss said, James.... write me a review on that Korando... it seems like a lot of car for the money and people won’t quite get that from a simple ad on trade me...
So here’s my first ever car review!

I’m certainly not an experienced car critic and can’t claim the same level of expertise as say Jeremy Clarkson or Richard Hammond when it comes to writing about cars... but if I was paid the amount they get paid for driving supercars all day.... I’d probably learn pretty quick and I do know a piece of junk when I see it.
So here’s my take on a 2006 SsangYong Korando that we’re selling on behalf of one of our customers.

Starting with the exterior: It’s a 3 door 4x4 that's been styled by British designers.... never a good start in my books but it does have a very cool retro but modern Jeep-like look to it. What is obvious is that it’s been built tough by the Korean car manufacturer SsangYong. A lot of people like this look and I must say it’s grown on me as automotive individuality in this day and age is hard to come by.

Poke your head inside and there are little touches of luxury such as leather trim around the door handles and a serious looking grip handle right in front of the passenger seat which kind of indicates the serious nature of this 4WD. It’s a two hander so Ssangyong seem to think this thing might go close to vertical one day! Overall it has a fairly roomy interior with two separate fold-away rear seats.

The almost flat windscreen reminds you more of the jeep era design cues and amazingly from a visibility point of view there are almost no blind spots.

The Mercedes engineered 2.9 litre turbo diesel engine is not the most powerful diesel out there, but for a car this size, 256Nm of torque feels like more than enough to get you out of trouble. Unlike a lot of diesels, this one doesn’t sound like a tractor with a minimum of that diesel ‘clatter’. These Mercedes engines are not state-of-the-art or even current but they are good solid units that deliver good power to the wheels. But more importantly, they are really reliable (probably more reliable than the current Mercs!)

Considering the Korando’s standard equipment, all-terrain ability, proven reliability and the ability to tow, it’s worth every penny. The boss was right... this does seem like a lot of car for the money.
Line this car up against other vehicles of a similar year, kms and type and it starts to look like a bargain.

Personally, what I like about it is its quirky design setting it apart from all the day to day sedans, hatch backs or even other SUV’s.
I had fun reviewing it.
Drop me a line if you want to find out more
j.ji@crownautomotive.co.nz

The New 2011 Ssangyong Korando (C200)

We were sent some early shots of new Ssangyong Korando C crossover. Codenamed C200, the Korando C was first previewed as a futuristic concept car at the 2008 Pars Auto Show. The hot-looking crossover model previewed the upcoming production model, which was announced to compete against established compact nameplates, such as Toyota Rav4, Hyundai Tucson and VW Tiguan.

Called the Korando C, the model will be the first Ssangyong vehicle to feature a monocoque body. It is said to be available with a brand-new 2.0L diesel engine that generates 181 horsepower. According to the company, the all-new four-cyl. diesel engine is environment-friendly and satisfies EURO V environmental regulations. Two six-speed transmissions (manual and automatic) will also be offered across the range along with a plethora of safety and luxury features.

The official launch date for the Ssangyong Korando C crossover has not been finalized yet, but our sources state that the automaker will put the new model into production in July and commence its sales in South Korea in the third quarter of the year.

Meanwhile, Ssangyong Motor Company announced today that its May 2010 sales ( domestic sales and exports ) jumped by 145 percent from a year ago to come in at 7,028 units. This was the second consecutive month when the troubled automaker sold more than 7,000 new cars.

Much of Ssangyong's rise was fueled by overseas sales which increased by more than 600 percent to about 4,300 units last month. Hyundai's domestic sales, on the other hand, fell more than 20 percent in May 2010.

Luxury Evora pulls on its track suit

Well, if it's a Lotus you might as well race it.

You're a boutique carmaker and you've just introduced your most luxurious vehicle, so what's next?

If you're Lotus, strip it of all the good stuff and turn it into a racing car.

The Lotus Evora may be meant for the sporting luxury market, but it still has the breeding to make a good track car and the company is now proving it with the Type 124 Evora endurance racer.

According to Lotus, few major changes were necessary to create the endurance racer. It uses the standard Evora chassis and retains the suspension, apart from shock absorbers and anti-roll bars.

Brakes were changed to AP Racing six-piston calipers at both ends and the car rides on Pirelli racing tyres.

In order to make it FIA compliant, Lotus added a full roll cage, a fire extinguisher system and six-point restraint harness.

After stripping the interior and using some carbon-fibre body panels, the Type 124 weighs 200kg less than the stock car, at 1200kg.

The engine is still a Toyota-sourced 3.5-litre V6 but power is now more than 300kW.

A normal six-speed manual has replaced the standard six-speed sequential gearbox.

It is competing at various endurance races until 2011 in a factory-supported programme.

Proton Satria Neo proving a hit on Top Gear Australia

Proton Satria Neo proving a hit on Top Gear Australia

Proton's stylish, sure footed and economical Satria Neo hatch has become a TV star thanks to its role in SBS' headline show Top Gear Australia.

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Proton to be in for the long haul

Proton will explore all avenues to grow the business, including tapping more export markets and developing new models via partnerships with foreign carmakers.

Carmaker Proton Holdings Bhd is keen to develop long-term strategic partnerships with foreign carmakers, but essentially on matters concerning sharing of platform to produce a car.
Chairman Datuk Nadzmi Mohd Salleh said Proton aspires to be in the carmaking business for the long haul.
It will explore all avenues to grow the business, including tapping more export markets and developing new models via collaboration with key partners in foreign countries.
"For overseas markets, we are looking at collaborating with manufacturers, assemblers or big auto players to make the cars in the respective markets, such as in Asean, China, India, the Middle East and Africa.
"We do not want to invest in assembly plants as this will increase our operation costs," Nadzmi told Business Times in an interview in Jakarta, Indonesia.
"But the costs involved in producing a car on foreign platform must be competitive for Proton to make its profits. The costs must be carefully planned to meet our clear objectives," he said.
Nadzmi said that Proton will focus on high-growth regional markets like Asean, China, India, the Middle East and North Africa for its exports to benefit from the economies of scale.

Proton has already formed a strategic partnership with Detroit Electric Holdings Ltd to produce and market a full line of innovative Pure Electric vehicles in the US, the UK and Europe from next year.
Detroit Electric will integrate its patented electric-drive system into the vehicles.
Under the agreement, it will license two Proton vehicle platforms and contract the company to assemble the electric vehicles, which will be marketed under the Detroit Electric brand.

Proton managing director Datuk Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir said the company needs to develop more viable products, such as the Exora multi-purpose vehicle (MPV), to be profitable.
The cost to make the MPV is lower than for its other car models, he said.
Syed Zainal Abidin said the profit margin from the Exora was 15-20 per cent higher than for the rest of the current models.
"Proton has to be innovative in its approaches, not just in one area but in all aspects of operation," Syed Zainal Abidin said. - By Sharen Kaur