New 3S dealer outlet in Puchong, Selangor

Petaling Jaya, 14 September 2018 – Atiara Johan Sdn Bhd has officially launched its new 3S dealer outlet here today. The event was officiated by Dr Li Chunrong, Chief Executive Officer of PROTON, in the presence of PROTON’s senior management members.
New 3S dealer outlet in Puchong, Selangor
The new outlet by Atiara Johan Sdn Bhd replaces a 1S showroom, previously operating in Pandan Indah, Kuala Lumpur, and performing sales activities only. In order to serve its customers better, the management of the company decided to upgrade its facilities to 3S centre at a new vicinity. Located in Puchong, the new outlet was developed on an empty plot of land and cost approximately RM 3.5 million to build, with a built up area of 1,700 square metres. Situated in a busy commercial area beside the town’s main road alongside other car marques, it’s estimated that sales will increase by 60% while servicing will be a new revenue stream for the outlet.
“We took the opportunity to upgrade to a 3S centre ..

Audi partners with Amazon and Electrify America to help kickstart its EV ecosystem

Audi is partnering with e-commerce giant Amazon and VW Group unit Electrify America as the automaker prepares to deliver its first all-electric SUV to U.S. dealerships next year. The Audi e-tron, which was unveiled Monday night in San Francisco, kicks off the German automaker’s electric vehicle ambitions. The e-tron is the first of three battery-electric… Continue reading Audi partners with Amazon and Electrify America to help kickstart its EV ecosystem

Tesla Model 3 Red Multi-Coat Paint Now Costs $2,500

Red Model 3 are now more costly than before.

As Tesla heads for what could very well be a turning point in its history and its journey towards becoming a mainstream American carmaker, the company opted to adjust the price of the Red Multi-coat color option for the Model 3. With the most recent price adjustment, the Model 3’s Red Multi-coat option now costs $2,500.

As noted in an Electrek report, Tesla appears to have adjusted the price for Red Multi-coat for all of its vehicles, which include the Model S sedan and the Model X SUV. The price changes come not long after the company announced that it would be removing two color choices — Obsidian Black and Silver Metallic — from the Model 3’s paint options. Tesla CEO Elon Musk explained the decision in a tweet, stating that it was done to optimize the paint processing, thereby further improving the company’s production rates for the electric car.

The price of the Red Multi-coat color option has steadily risen since the Model 3 started production. Initially starting at $1,000, the price was eventually hiked up to $1,500, before it was raised once more to $2,000. The most recent adjustment stands as a 25 percent increase in price from the paint option’s previous cost.

Elon Musk has been particularly fond of the Model 3’s Red Multi-coat option. In a tweet earlier this month, Musk noted that he “loves” the shade considering that the company worked incredibly hard to make the red “look 3D without floating a special red tint in primary gloss layer.” Musk, however, stated that the company has to stop the whole paint shop whenever they are about to paint red cars. In true Elon Musk fashion, the CEO noted that whenever Tesla paints Red Multi-coat Model 3s, the whole paint shop ends up looking like an episode of Dexter.

Tesla is currently attempting to produce and deliver as many Model 3 as it can to reservation holders before the end of September, which stands at the end of the third quarter. Earlier this year, Elon Musk issued a bold declaration on Twitter when he announced that Tesla would be profitable by the third or fourth quarter of the year. Since then, the company has been in overdrive in its attempt to manufacture the Model 3 at scale.

With this in mind, it appears that recent price adjustments, such as the AWD Dual Motor upgrade for the Model 3 being priced $6,000 and Red multi-coat paint now costing $2,500, are Tesla’s way of increasing its chances of ending Q3 2018 on a strong note.

British engineering firm brings lightweight race car design to production cars

Gordon Murray Design iStream construction
British race car design company Gordon Murray Design showed off its new lightweight race car body last week at the Low Carbon Vehicle Show in England.

The company calls its body-in-white—an industry term for a car body with no components attached—iStream, and it says it's the result of a new process it patented to make lightweight racing technology easier to manufacture.

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Cutting weight can make all kinds of cars more efficient, from pure electric, to hybrids, to conventional cars. Automakers have known how to make cars lighter for a long time, but the lightweight, affordable, and easy to manufacture trifecta has been a challenge.

Gordon Murray Design said that thanks to its patented manufacturing methods, the iStream is expected to be half the weight of a comparably-sized conventional steel body at the same cost. Like the BMW i3, the iStream uses a carbon fiber reinforced body structure paired to an aluminum pan that holds the vehicle's mechanical components.

READ MORE: Carbon fiber from plants close to carbon-neutral? Scientists hopeful

Gordon Murray also released concept specs for a sports car based on the body based on the body in white.

The company says it would weigh just 1,874 pounds. Using a 220-horsepower, 1.5-liter 4-cylinder engine would give an iStream race car a power-to-weight ratio of 8.5 pounds per horsepower. With a six-speed manual transmission geared for maximum acceleration, that could give it a 0-60 time of just over 4 seconds.

Gordon Murray Design iStream construction

Reducing the weight of the body reduces the need for even heavier batteries for an electrified version and would the use of smaller, lighter brakes and other components, too.

Along with the iStream body, Gordon Murray showed a lightweight seat that the company says weighs 30 percent less than conventional seats. The seats use a tubular frame and fiberglass or carbon composite structure, and can fold for access for cars that need it.

Gordon Murray didn't specify the cost of the race car body or the racing seat.

Volkswagen Group expands its activities for Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS)

The Volkswagen Group is presenting its activities in the intelligent transport of people and goods at the 25th ITS World Congress in Copenhagen (17 – 21 September 2018). As a member of ERTICO – ITS Europe, a network of more than 100 partners, the Group and its brands are partnering actively with cities to implement… Continue reading Volkswagen Group expands its activities for Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS)

BMW drives to cut battery costs, share costs on autonomous vehicles -exec

NEW YORK, Sept 15 (Reuters) – German luxury vehicle maker BMW AG plans more deals with mining companies to secure electric vehicle battery materials, and is open to forming alliances to share the costs of developing autonomous-vehicle systems, the automaker’s research and development chief told Reuters. BMW management board member Klaus Froehlich said automakers and… Continue reading BMW drives to cut battery costs, share costs on autonomous vehicles -exec

Volkswagen’s Puebla plant to focus on SUVs, final edition Beetle

MEXICO CITY, Sept 14 (Reuters) – Volkswagen’s Mexico unit said it would focus on producing SUVs and the final special-edition beetle at its plant in the central state of Puebla. The company on Thursday said it would stop producing its Beetle compact car in 2019, ending a model that looked backward to the 1960s counterculture… Continue reading Volkswagen’s Puebla plant to focus on SUVs, final edition Beetle

Farasis Energy Raises $1 Billion To Increase Lithium-Ion Battery Production

3 H BY MARK KANE Farasis Energy raises capital, builds 20 GWh battery factory and expands to Europe. Chinese lithium-ion battery manufacturer Farasis Energy (founded in 2002) announced that the C-round financing resulted in raising more than $1 billion for further global growth. The company already has two production sites in China (Ganzhou and Zhenjiang), employs more… Continue reading Farasis Energy Raises $1 Billion To Increase Lithium-Ion Battery Production