Tuesday, 13 April 2010

Tips for a Buying a Used Vauxhall Corsa

When the Vauxhall Corsa hit the British market in 1993 replacing the popular Nova, people who were looking for style, class and power bought it. However, the subsequent years that followed saw heightened competition from other car models and they had to improve on the previous model in 2000. Sales of the car are still high and up to date, the Vauxhall Corsa has the ability to hold attraction and deliver power on the wheel. If you are looking forward to buying a used Vauxhall Corsa , then there are certain things that you have to take into consideration to make an informed choice.

The first thing that you'll have to look for is the petrol engine mainly because they come in different versions and while there are those that run effectively, some are prone to producing unnecessary noise. Engine capacity of 1.4 would be suitable for any level of speed while those with 1.0 to 1.2 are weak and when driving at high speed susceptible to emitting noise. Some of the best used Vauxhall Corsa models include the SRi and the VXR which have a high capacity petrol engine.

The second thing that you have to check when buying a used Vauxhall Corsa is the petrol costs you are going to incur in the long run. While the 1.4 and above petrol engines are the best at ensuring that the car is powerful and not noisy, it’s the 1.3 petrol engines which use less diesel averaging to 63 mpg and fall in VED band B, on the other hand, others like the 1.0 to 1.2 use 50.4 and 45.6mpg and fall in the VED band C category. This is why you have to weigh your options carefully before buying a Vauxhall Corsa to establish if a specific model’s cons outweigh the pros or not.

You'll also have to consider the source you intend to buy the used Vauxhall Corsa from. While most people tend to settle for individual sellers, the truth is that if you are able to get franchised sellers, then the price will be cheaper. To ensure that you are not paying too much for your Corsa, check the model of the car. For instance, it is important to note that 5 door models are more expensive than 3 doors and this roughly amounts to £350.

Thursday, 1 April 2010

Lotus inspired Proton car


Proton, the Malaysian car company recently launched the Satria Neo R3 Lotus Racing edition. Meant to commemorate the Lotus Formula One racing team, the car wears the traditional Lotus green and yellow racing colours.


The car is powered by a retuned version of Proton's 1.6-litre CamPro CPS engine. Special features include the R3 Tuned Öhlins Coil-Overs Dampers and Öhlins DFV (Dual Flow Valve) technology. This 5 speed manual car has a maximum power of 145bhp at 7000 rpm and can go from 0-100Km/hour in 9.2 seconds.

The car is currently available at RM115,000 which is approximately around £23K. So far, there is no news of it being exported to the UK.

Monday, 29 March 2010

Technology that powers the Lotus Racing team

Mia Sharizman Bin Ismail, Head of Operations (Asia) of Lotus Racing talks about the growth and opportunities for Malaysians in the ICT sector and in developing a k-economy. I have taken part of the interview that relate to the F1 races.

(From L-R) Mia Sharizman Ismail,Head of Operations (Asia), Riad Asmat, Chief Executive Officer of Lotus Racing, and Alex Yoong (former F1 driver).

How important is the role of Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) solutions in Formula 1?

Mia: ICT is definitely crucial in F1. Firstly, as a communication tool. The entire team must be in constant communication, whether it be in the factory, on the circuit, in the pit walk, on the track and even between the driver and the team during the actual race.

Secondly, ICT is fundamental in the engineering of the F1 car. This covers a range of processes, from the design to the manufacturing of the F1 car. At Lotus Racing, we have to meet all the state of the art requirements needed in F1, and this includes having a team of trained specialist in F1 technology. We also need huge storage capacity, high speed communications, and complex ICT network solutions and infrastructure.

Another crucial area for ICT is in F1 simulation. The Data Acquisition system collects data from the F1 car which is equipped with multi-functional sensory. The data then is transferred back to track side, while the car is moving around the circuit. This data can be used to simulate any F1 track in the world!

What are the programmes available in the Lotus Racing team for Malaysians; aimed at building Malaysia’s expertise and knowledge of building an F1 team and its facilities?

Mia: We are at early stages in hiring Malaysians onto the team, be it in the ICT field or in other fields. Our goal is to ensure that Malaysians acquire the expertise needed to be a contributing member of the F1 team by providing them with first hand experience.

We’ve also started to implement our internship programs with students. Given that we are a young F1 team, we can only accommodate a group of 5-6 students at any given time. The internship programme is held every quarter of the year and Malaysian students who are in their final year of education in universities here in the UK are shortlisted from a pool of write-in applications.

This is an extraordinary opportunity for young Malaysians to gain valuable experience and soak in the excitement of being a part of one the automotive world’s most prestigious racing platform.

How much has Malaysians progressed in the Automotive/Racing sector from our partnerships to bring the 1Malaysia F1 Racing Team to where it is today in the F1 arena?

Mia: In terms of partnership, we are working with Italy for the wind tunnel system which is critical in developing the aerodynamics of our cars. In Germany, we are working with our Competent Fuel Design (CFD) house. Additionally, we are also in the midst of moving these infrastructures into our Higham, Norfolk centre here in the UK - a major step on our part. We have now grown from outsourcing to developing in-house capabilities or to be partners instead of bystanders. This provides us an avenue to gain as much knowledge and expertise as possible.

As, Dato’ Tony Fernandes mentioned, it is our 3 year plan to make this facility available in Sepang. In view of this, we are also in partnership with two Malaysian universities - University Technology Malaysia (UTM) and University Petronas Malaysia. Collectively, we are working on developing Lotus Racing facilities in Malaysia and my duty is to ensure that the transfer of knowledge happens.

What are the goals in ICT solutions (software and/or hardware) that 1Malaysia Lotus F1 team is aiming for in order to improve its standing in F1 racing?


Mia: In a nutshell, our goals are similar to that of a car developer. And that is to produce a vehicle with maximum performance and a system with great reliability. To achieve this, from an operations point of view is to be as efficient as we possibly can.

Ultimately, what we are all about is getting the extra seconds for both our cars. For us, it’s vital to leverage on existing technology whilst developing new ones, for that extra boost in performance. Our yardstick is to finish in a race, and everything we do moves towards achieving just that.

Give us an example, of one automotive/racing technology used in Lotus Racing which you feel best demonstrates ‘cutting edge’ technology?

Mia: At the moment, I would say that that is the CFD. This relates to the wind tunnel simulation, where we take the car models from the design office and we create a simulation in the virtual world. This is how we gain aerodynamic advantage with our cars and is cutting edge technology made possible with super computers. We are striving all the time to get even better accuracy which translates to a higher performance car design.

Tell us about some of the milestones in your career leading up to where you are today in the Lotus Racing team?

Mia: Well, I was in the Sepang circuit management for about 5 years. Then I moved on to promote and organize international races around the Asia Pacific region like in China, Japan and Korea. And though I’ve had great moments in my career, I must say that our cars finishing in Bahrain recently is truly a pivotal moment in my career. We were all in complete exhilaration and that feeling of gratification was immense for everyone. I remember Dato’ Tony saying that we’ve made history!

What are the benefits or perks that comes with your position in the 1Malaysia Lotus F1 team?

Mia: Malaysia is a developing country with a strong vision to progress towards the status of a developed country. When we made our way into F1 ten year ago, Malaysia joined the ranks of the small group of developed countries around the world. That makes me proud and I believe that every step we take to becoming a developed nation is vital. Being able to play a part in that process with the F1, is a great perk in my career.

What does a Malaysian have to do to make their way to the 1Malaysia F1 Racing team?

Mia: What we try to inspire here, is that Malaysians has the ability to make it big. So if you do have that special talent, work at it and don’t give up. When we put out our recruitment advertisement for just one day last year, we received 6,500 applications! Of that group, 16 Malaysians made it to be part of the team. So, never say never.

Wednesday, 24 March 2010

More good news for the British auto industry

Following the news of Jaguar Land Rover announcing a net profit and re-entry of Lotus into F1, there is more good news for the British auto industry.

The British Government recently announced £381 mil. support for Ford motor and Nissan and has extended a £20.7 mil. grant to Nissan. Nissan plans to manufacture their Leaf electric car for the European car market at it's plant in Sunderland here in the UK.

Nissan Leaf at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show: Tennen-Gas

For your info, the Leaf is a five-seater hatchback and said to have a range of 100 miles with top speed of more than 90 mph.

Tuesday, 23 March 2010

Saturday, 20 March 2010

Dr. Mahathir talks about Proton

Dr.Mahathir bin Mohamad is the former Prime Minister of Malaysia. He is an advisor to Proton, the Malaysian car company which was also his brainchild.

Anyway, he recently wrote about Proton's progress in his blog and how he was surprised that the Lotus racing team was able to get their car ready in such a short time. They just debuted this season.

In case you were not aware, Lotus is owned by Proton and Lotus Racing is run by 1Malaysia F1 Team Sdn. Bhd., a partnership between Government of Malaysia (through Proton) and a consortium of Malaysian entrepreneurs. The Team’s principal is Tony Fernandes , CEO of Malaysian budget airline Air Asia.

Wednesday, 10 March 2010

Play online Continental Tyres game and win PS3

Continental Tyres has just released a new online game called 'Test My Driving'. Test your driving skills and there are giveaways for the best scores, including a Sony Playstation 3 as the top prize.



Not related, but according to arecent survey conducted by Continental, people who pass their driving test on their second time are safer than those who pass first time. Going by this, I guess I am a safe driver because I passed my driving tests - both in Malaysia as well as in the UK, the second time round.