Thursday, January 6, 2011

Fifth generation Chevrolet Camaro Convertible

2011 Chevrolet Camaro Convertible

When the Chevrolet Camaro returned in the North American market for 2009 as a 2010 model, we believed that Bumblebee is more iconic than Eleanor thanks to Camaro sales higher than the Ford Mustang. Thanks to the Camaro's sales reached to the higher point, General Motors is now ready to give Bumblebee a haircut and call it the Camaro Convertible. The new Chevrolet Camaro Convertible is Bumblebee's new hot haircut, which means this is the soft-top version of the hit American muscle car.

Upon its launch, customers are ready to place orders on the new Camaro Convertible, with initial delivery starts at Spring 2011, the same season that Bumblebee's new haircut will hit showrooms soon. Despite Bumblebee's new soft-top haircut, Bumblebee can still experience the same goodness from its coupe counterpart.

The new Camaro Convertible is offered with two engine types; a 3.6L 312-hp V6 engine and the legendary 6.2L 426-hp V8 engine. Most variants are offered with a Six-Speed Manual Transmission but an optional Six-Speed Automatic Transmission with TAPshift controls is available for those who are not hungry over manual transmissions but whatever, most Bumblebee fans would go over the six-speed manual variant for sure.

Other main features include Four-Piston Brembo Brakes, StabiliTrak Electronic Stability Control System with Traction Control, Tire Pressure Monitor, and OnStar for reliable service offered throughout North America and it's free for six months. If you got bored over the normal Camaro look, don't worry, an RS Appearance Package made optional for those looking for style.

My thoughts about the Camaro Convertible:
With Bumblebee's new soft-top haircut, the new Chevrolet Camaro Convertible has the same Camaro goodness now in a soft-top convertible. This car is now available for pre-orders and to be delivered in the 1st or 2nd quarter of 2011. I just hope that The Covenant Car Company, Inc. (the official Chevrolet distributor from the Philippines) will bring the Camaro Convertible soon and if it does, what would Ryan Agoncillo think? If our favorite celebrity (since Ryan Agoncillo's the brand ambassador of Chevrolet in the Philippines) gets behind the wheel of the new Camaro Convertible, I am sure his hair will blown from the open air goodness of the Camaro Convertible.

Photo: General Motors

The Morning/Picanto's full model change

Kia Picanto/Morning '12


Ahead for Geneva debut this March, this must be how the full model change of the Kia Picanto (Morning) looks like.

In the tradition of the Peter Schreyer design language, the new Picanto or Morning now made even more aggressive. This looks like the Euro-only Kia Venga and it looks much better than the 2011 Toyota Vitz/Yaris!

Kia Venga 

Toyota Vitz RS '11

Expect more details about the Picanto/Morning's full model change soon!

Scoop:

Nissan Fuga Y51 will be the Malaysian government officials' choice, replacing the Proton Perdana

2010 Nissan Fuga


Check out the article by Paul Tan:

According to that article, the Nissan Fuga Y51 (launched in 4th quarter, 2009, following with the Fuga Hybrid since 4th quarter, 2010) will be in Malaysia, only for use with the Malaysian politicians. It would replace the aging Proton Perdana (based on the Mitsubishi Eterna) and it will be equipped with the VQ25HR (2.5L V6) engine.

The Nissan Fuga, when it arrives in Malaysia soon, will be used only for Malaysian politicians. No word on private ownership yet, but I just pray to the Philippine automotive Gods that either NMPI or Universal Motors Corporation will bring the Nissan Fuga Y51 as the Infiniti M37, but in my product of fantasy, this will be used by Philippine politicians.

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

What Banana Split went wrong since 2010?

On the January 4, 2011 episode of Banana Split, there was a portion titled "Nobody's Perfect", the portion where the outtakes of Banana Split occurred in 2010 (about last year). Some bloopers include from NNNN, Brod Bro Bru, the jokes, Sosyal Pasosyal Wasosyal, Melai Mo Magwork, and other outtakes occurred last year.

In case someone forgot about The Amazing Microwave Pandesal Rangers, Banana Split takes them back to the beginning with the recap of this Banana Split mini-series and it goes all the way this week. It recaps how Noli (Jayson Gainza), Ted (Jason Francisco), Julius (Badji Mortiz), and Kuring (Nina Jose) (these four were named after famous ABS-CBN News anchors), the four ordinary siblings became Pandesal Rangers.

Team Stressed vs. Team Relaxed once again on Show It, where the category is "segments of Banana Split from the past and present".

CTS-V Coupe Commercial...

2011 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe


Just before the Holy Grail of American Football, Super Bowl, hits this February 2011 (and yes, the Super Bowl has lots of unique commercials), Cadillac debuted a Super Bowl commercial for the new Cadillac CTS-V Coupe starring Laurence Fishburne.




An amazing approach that the CTS-V Coupe has an inspiration of an archer drawing his bone.

Pretty good to debut this good commercial before Super Bowl XLV!

The Cadillac CTS-V Coupe is a work of art and most enthusiasts love the way the CTS-V Coupe behaves from real-life to video games (thanks to Forza Motorsport 3).

CTS-V Coupe in Forza Motorsport 3

Guess that the luxury brand of General Motors is evolved from ordinary to EXTRAORDINARY


BOO! Cadillac ends production of the turbocharged SRX!

Cadillac SRX '10


Sad news! It seems that the turbocharged V6 engine variant for the Cadillac SRX crossover will be gone for good, leaving only the 3.0-litre V6 engine available for the 2012 model!


This is somewhat a bad news since the turbocharged version of the 2nd generation Cadillac SRX crossover suffered from bad sales (the 3.0-litrre V6 variant sales were good).

This is surely leave a tear for Caddy fans...

X-(

Monday, January 3, 2011

A Very Special "ONE" for the Honda CR-Z

Honda CR-Z Car of the Year Japan
Special Model


In late December 2010, Honda launched a very special edition of the sport hybrid car, the CR-Z, in celebration of its victory at the 2010-2011 Japan Car of the Year.

Dubbed as the "Car of the Year Japan Special Model", this very special CR-Z comes with a very special color; Deep Sapphire Blue Pearl. Not only this car is painted with a special color, the rims are colored in dark Pewter Gray Metallic. A special Premium Pedal is equipped on the inside to give the CR-Z's interior some winning touches. To top it all, there was a sticker on it to commemorate the CR-Z's crowning victory as the 2010-2011 Japan Car of the Year.


Blue CR-Z
CR-Z in Gion, Kyoto

CR-Z in Gion, Kyoto

CR-Z in Gion, Kyoto

Honda CR-Z in Special Stage Route 5

On the scale of 1 to 10, the Godfather of Gran Turismo gave the Honda CR-Z a perfect 10!

Because of such appearance of the COTY special model of the CR-Z, I could go buy another CR-Z on Gran Turismo 5, and painted it with a blue color familiar to that special model.

This Special "ONE" will be on sale this January 14 to March 31, 2011 all over Honda Cars dealerships in Japan. Price for this special model is 2,794,000 Yen (3.5 million Philippine Pesos).

Sunday, January 2, 2011

About this Railgun Extra Figure Volume 2 courtesy of SEGA PRIZE







Surely, the volume 2 of the To Aru Kagaku no Railgun Extra Figure courtesy of SEGA PRIZE is just one thing only Railgun fans would love to enjoy since Extra Figure Volume One (Consists of Biribiri and Kuroko).

Me and my little sister, Cecille, have these from Christmas and geez, this looks fit not just in my desk, but also in the bedroom.

Japanese otakus looking for these second wave figures are acquirable by winning these as prizes from the famous UFO Catcher at the Sega Game Center.

My figure of choice was Mii Konori, the brains of Judgment 177 branch, and my sister's choice was Kazari Uiharu, Kuroko's ally from the Judgment 177 branch who was voiced by the voiceover behind K-ON's Yui Hirasawa, if you know what I mean...

That figure of Uiharu-san looks simple but the figure of Konori-senpai looks somewhat attractive. Looking over Konori-senpai holding some kind of shield is just one thing but anyway it still looks fine.

Never thought this is the first time having a single figure, especially my little sis...

Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class 2nd-Generation

Since the Mercedes-Benz CLS debuted worldwide on 2004, the term "4-door coupe" was born and this term states a fusion between a sports coupe and a sedan. Providing as Mercedes-Benz's luxury 4-door coupe, the CLS truly shined the crowd with its attractive design good enough to fit in to the world of luxury sedans.

For the year 2011, the Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class made its first full model change and still retains its 4-door coupe status.




2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class


In terms of design, the new Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class became even more attractive than the previous-generation model, and I'm surprised that the enlarged MB grille as seen on the SLS AMG really made a point for this king of 4-door coupes. On the rear view, the new CLS seems to be a bit harsh but this is much more attractive than the Porsche Panamera.




2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class interior


The new interior for the new CLS combines exquisite hospitality and a charismatic convenience provided for both the driver and the passenger alike. The THERMOTRONIC climate control with three individual climate modes is a good feature if you want to maintain the CLS's room temperature by cooling or warming inside this 4-door coupe. The AM/FM radio, CD Player, and Bluetooth connectivity made it standard for the new CLS just so you know that entertainment can be surely handy, but if you want to make it even more hardcore, there are some optional features for the new CLS such as Logic7 surround sound system provided by Mercedes-Benz and harman/kardon, USB connectivity so you can listen to some music stored from USB, MP3, or iPod everywhere, and Digital Audio Broadcasting tuner. Consider this a welcome treat on the new CLS.




2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class


When the new CLS hits the European market this month, two engines are offered following with other engine choices in the following months. First is the M276 (3.5 V6) engine that has the power output of 306PS and consumes for about 6.8 Liter/100 km while the OM642 (3.0 V6 CRDi) engine consumes diesel for about 6 Liter/100km because of its BlueEFFICIENCY label. However, the power output for this engine is a frugal 265 PS but its turbo diesel engine may catch up ahead from its 3.5L V6 grade. In the following months, there will be an entry-level grade CLS armed with the 2.1-litre CRDi engine (OM651) and a flagship model with the 5.0-litre V8 engine (M278) equipped to call it the king of CLS. A CLS63 AMG armed with the turbocharged M157 (5.5L V8 twin-turbo) engine may also follow in the following months. Most CLS grades are equipped with the 7G-TRONIC PLUS transmission while the upcoming CLS63 AMG comes with the AMG SPEEDSHIFT MCT 7-speed transmission.

MY THOUGHTS ABOUT THE CLS:
The king of 4-door coupes is now made even better since the CLS made its first full model change. With European sales start this late January, could CATS Motors be next to get this new look of the new CLS soon in the Philippines? With the CLS 350 priced to about 64,617 Euros (about 6.9 million pesos) while 63,427 Euros (6.895 million pesos) goes for the CRDi-powered CLS 350 BlueEFFICIENCY. I have a probability that only the gasoline-powered CLS 350 may come first while the diesel-powered CLS 350 BlueEFFICIENCY hasn't confirmed yet because the Philippines is under Euro 2 or Euro 3 and this new model is Euro 5 compliant. Which means, we can't get this diesel version of the new CLS yet.

Anyway, the styling of the new CLS might be the most attractive in the history of 4-door coupes. I really like the way how the CLS evolved from blah to wow. I really want to have my fingers crossed for the moment to come at the price that only the wealthy can afford.

Photo: Mercedes-Benz

How Banana Split celebrating its New Year

Ah, 2011. New Year, new laughs, and Banana Split done something on that New Year's Day Episode.

1) First off, some dances pull off by the boys

2) You know, Melai should have pull off her top 5 noisemaking ways on M3 during December 31, but anyway, here's Melai's top 5 noise-making ways

- At the strike of 12:00 AM of January 1, tell Mommy that your Daddy has a "number 2". Yelling starts now!

- At 12:00 AM, tell them that their house is burning (Sorry, no firemen because of Media Noche!)

- Trick them that you won a lotto

- Release the cat and dog to the kitchen

- Kick a vehicle and let the alarms do the noise

3) New Year jokes

4) Hilarious videos on Balitang Siksik includes; man yelling at some extreme ride, strong winds blown away the ducklings like bowling pins, and treadmill troubles.

5) What to forget about the things of 2010 according to Melai?

- Jejemon

- Jejemon Cap

- Kimerald (?)

- old Peso bills

- Angelica vs. Claudine

- Sharon vs. Aga

- Kristine vs. Sarah

- Major Major

- a game of Plants vs. Zombies

- a teleserye starting with the word "bata"

- a teleserye where the poor became rich

- the word "Meganon?"

6) A game of "Show It!"

Saturday, January 1, 2011

The Three Kings of Low Fuel Consumption




Once upon a time, in the Land of the Rising Sun, there were three kings of fuel economy. First there was the fourth-generation Nissan March (known in other markets as the Micra), second was the new third-generation Toyota Vitz (Yaris), and third is the fifth-generation Daihatsu Move.

I know. Three non-hybrid cars were reigned as the three kings of low fuel consumption thanks to its idling stop technology and CVT. These two gifts that powered the Three Kings. There were like Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, and King Kong. Come to think of it, the leader was none other than the new 5th-generation Daihatsu Move because of the fuel economy of 27.0km/L. The second best is the Toyota Vitz that has the fuel economy of 26.5km/L. Third place goes to the Nissan March because of the fuel economy of 26.0km/L.

I guess fuel economy is the main reason how these Three Kings behave normally in the eyes of Japanese customers. How about the target customers? The 4th-generation March is mostly targeted to someone who want a normal car and its normal behavior is the main priority. The 3rd-generation Vitz has four various styles offered for different customers. The Vitz F is made for those who want a simple vehicle, the Vitz U is rather an improved version of the Vitz F and made for advanced customers. The Vitz Jewela is made for the most fashionable people, especially the ladies. The Vitz RS is an enthusiasts' favorite because of the sporty characteristic and the manual transmission. The 5th-generation Move has two styles; the normal Move is made for simple and the Move Custom is made for those looking for style. The best variant for the Move is not always the Move Custom but its always the Move Custom RS because of the turbo engine fit for a kei car enthusiast.

Those Three Kings of low fuel consumption stand together as one for now, and always will be...

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!!!

Toyota FT-86 G Sports Concept

Suzuki Swift Sport

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X

Honda CR-Z

Lexus LFA

How do you guys think? These GT5 snapshots of cars in a Special Stage Route 7 where fireworks occur serves me a point for my first blog of 2011!

Isn't it great? Today is the first day of the year!

January 1, 2011!

1-11-11

Put 5 Pocky sticks and here we go!

Welcome to the new year!