Escalating fuel prices had people literally rushing for smaller displacement vehicles around the world.

As emission standards draw closer to their enforcement dates, automakers are forced to look to the future and try to achieve lower emissions for their vehicles in order to allow their vehicles to remain in contention for a longer period of time and are, thus in a frenzy to offer better fuel-economy through technological-innovations for the numerous variations of the internal combustion engine.

With many manufacturers opting to bolt on turbos, superchargers and electric motors to supplement and/or increase the performance capabilities of the internal combustion engine, Mazda will be launching their new breed of four-cylinder NATURALLY ASPIRATED engines, which practically powers all their vehicles within their stable, sans the Rx-7 and 8 of course.

These new engines known as the Sky-G (gasoline) and Sky-D (diesel) can be paired to with the latest version of Mazda’s six-speed manual. These engines will be considerably lighter (estimated 60kg lighter) through meticulous optimization of material thickness and mounting points within the engine bay and of course, there are future plans of variate and offer displacements as low as 1.3L to 2.5L engines.

In addition to this, Mazda has an agreement to take supply of Toyota’s hybrid tech in order to help produce Mazda’s future Sky-based hybrids. For starters, Mazda was able to optimize their current Sky-equipped Mazda 3 to attain a fuel economy rating of 8L per 100km for city and 6L per 100km for high-way use.

Sky-G Engine Variant
In order to achieve such figures, Mazda upped the 2.0L’s compression ratio from 11:1 to 14:1 (higher than Kawasaki’s 13.9:1 compression ratio found in a 2008 ZX-6R sportbike). A longer than usual 4-2-1 exhaust was implemented in order to minimize the excess heat build-up in the cylinders, which could cause engine-knocking to occur, in order to also prevent exhaust gases from re-entering the combustion chambers during the engine’s intake-stroke. Even the exhaust headers have a rather “bulbous” look to it, which also means that the Sky engine could miss out on small-car applications, such as Mazda’s Miata, with the engine mounted longitudinally. It’d be jutting out of the bumper if it did, if only it had Peugeeot’s 308 hood, then perhaps it’d fit.

The use of direct injection (Thank you VW) has been included with a reduction in heat loss from the engine, because if too much heat gets dissipated by the engine, burning fuel becomes problematic making the engine inefficient. It can be said, that heat is the engine’s ally as well as the enemy, so maintaining it at a certain level becomes difficult and tricky for engineers. Such heat-loss reduction is obtained through the use of a smaller bore and a more complex piston shape that looks more like a cavity in the piston’s centre, which travels directly up towards where the engine’s spark plug ignites the fuel – much like BMW’s precision-injection engine technology.

So with heat becoming a major factor for the engine, the  friction levels from the piston, rods, and crankshaft (which is now forged steel instead of cast iron), and roller finger followers have been reduced in the valvetrain.

The engine uses 0W20 oil as standard, and that’s going to be a tad difficult for us here in Malaysia, since not many people sell these particular lubricants that look like water with some colour in them.

The new Sky engines will also have dual variable-valve-timing, electronically varied (as opposed to using oil pressure) on the intake side, so that rapid adjustments can be made even during cold starts. Overall weight has been reduced by about 7kg, including 4.5kg saved by thinning out the block where additional strength wasn’t needed.

The Sky engine is capable of receiving a Research Octane Number (RON)as low as 91, which shouldn’t be a problem since we’ve got RON95 as a minimum here, so we should be able to attain the figures rated by Mazda of 163bhp at 6,000rpm and 210Nm of torque at 4,000rpm. However, Mazda does pride itself over its exceptionally wide torque band or pulling power that exists predominantly in the mid RPM range, much like it was found in our test drive for the Mazda 2 recently, which displayed a rather gentle acceleration where power delivery begins to be felt around 3,000 rpm onwards.

Though Mazda isn’t getting on the band-wagon of down-sizing engine capacities and adding a turbo charger, much like VW’s 1.2L turbocharged Polo, they were adamant in sticking to a higher 2.0L naturally-aspirated engines when employing HCCI (Homogenous Charge Compression Ignition), which combusts petrol much like how its done in a diesel-based engine (without spark plugs). Mazda claims that it will erode the benefits of down-sized engines, where smaller engines reduce pumping losses by opening the throttle more than usual. Similarly, HCCI engines will have to flow more air to realize better fuel-economy, by burning lean. Due to the way the Sky engines have been engineered, it would require greater than usual amounts of air to enter the combustion chamber, which it isn’t capable of doing unless the engine got up-sized and in doing so, you’ll get more fries and a larger cup of your favourite soft-drink. But on a more serious note, Mazda did indicate that by adding a turbo and an intercooler would make them loose their price-competitiveness.

Sky-D Engine Variant
As for the diesel side, their 2.2L Sky-D engine variant, more displacement variants will also follow, was able to achieve a whopping 20% increase in fuel-economy over the current engine and will meet Euro 6 emission standards as well as US Tier 2 Bin 5 emission standards without the use of any NOx (Nitrogen Oxide) after-treatment such as urea injection. You follow?

Instead of upping the compression ratio as was done in the Sky-G engine, they’ve instead lowered in from 16.3:1 to 14:1, which is now the same as the Sky-G engine, effectively making the Sky-D engine having the lowest compression ratio amongst other diesel running engines in the world. Mazda claims that by reducing cylinder pressures, reduces NOx production and would also allow the denser diesel to mix better with the air, thereby reducing soot production after combustion.

With the reduction in friction thanks to lower compression ratios, Mazda was able to gain a 4-5% increase in fuel economy, couple that with reduced internal forces also allow components such as the rods and pistons to be substantially lighter. Similarly enough, the cast-iron crankshaft was also replaced with one that’s made of steel.

However, by reducing the compression ratio for a diesel engine, it may not be able to combust properly due to lower temperatures, especially during start-ups, resulting in mis-fires. In order to rectify this, Mazda added a two-stage variable valve-lift system, catered for the exhaust-stroke in order to be able to create additional valve overlap, allowing the hot exhaust gases to be drawn back into the combustion chambers, thereby helping the engine attain a higher temperature during during start-ups.

Other new features for the Sky-D engine are a pair of sequential turbos — one small and one large — which outperforms the old single, variable-geometry unit; 12-hole piezo injectors that disperse fuel into the cylinder in exacting quantities during two to eight separate injections per cycle at pressures up to 2900 psi; and an exhaust manifold that’s completely integrated into the block. Here, too, fuel-economy claims are impressive: 7-7.5L per 100km for city and 5.5L per 100km for highway use. Talk about savings! Assuming the tank holds about 60L worth of diesel, you’d be filling up after doing about 1,000km! Travel from KUL-PEN-KUL…then fill up = Under RM100 at current diesel prices.

The Sky-D engine is capable of producing an extra 10bhp and 210Nm over the Sky-G engine, standing at 173bhp at 4,500rpm and 420Nm of torque at 2,000. Currently, Mazda’s diesel engines will stop screaming at 4,500rpm, but this time round, its been pushed to scream till it hits 5,200rpm. The torque levels will make this car exceptionally responsive, and thankfully, Mazda has made the Sky-D engine more more quieter with very little clatter, even when accelerating from engine speeds below 1,500rpm.

To sum things up, it looks like the internal combustion engine still has a lot more levels of evolution that it can reach. Let us hope and pray that one day engineers will somehow find a way to turn petrol / diesel into water! Can I get an A-Men?

Bosch Malaysia returns to growth and strengthens investment in 2010

In fiscal year 2009, the Bosch Group’s sales were at 38.2 billion euros worldwide, a 15% drop from 2008. With the economic recovery in 2010, the company is now making up for much of the loss of sales in 2009 and returning to positive results in 2010. In the first quarter of this year, sales were up about 25%. All in all, sales in the current fiscal year are expected to grow by more than 10%, to 42 billion euros.

For the first time, Asia Pacific contributed 20 % of the Group’s revenue in 2009, making it the second most important region for sales after Europe. Asia Pacific’s share is expected to climb to 30% by 2015.

Bosch Malaysia contributed sales revenues of RM 396 million (95 million euro) in 2009, down by 21% compared to 2008, but currently enjoying a strong 40% sales growth in the first half of this year. Including internal sales, the revenue is RM 1,118 million (268 million euro) in 2009.

“2009 was undoubtedly a very difficult year in the region and especially in Malaysia. Sales dropped in 2009, but the recovery has been fast so far. In Malaysia, Bosch is employing some 2,500 associates, which comprises more than 60% of all associates in Southeast Asia, demonstrating our strong commitment to Malaysia,” said Mr Cem Peksaglam, President and Managing Director of Robert Bosch (SEA) Pte Ltd, who is also Managing Director of Robert Bosch Sdn Bhd in Petaling Jaya.

Mr Peksaglam added, “We are looking to strengthen our presence further through expanding our production base, especially for future oriented innovative products, the establishment of a R&D company, as well as an increase of our market shares in our business fields in Malaysia.”

Ramp up of production, setup of new R&D company and investment into energy-efficient facilities in Penang
With the increased demand for vehicles, especially in Asia Pacific, automotive technology continues to make the greatest contribution to the Bosch Group’s growth.

In Malaysia and the region, Bosch is aiming to establish a strong presence in the car infotainment segment with a wide range of next generation multimedia systems customized for different car segments, ranging from compact and mid-size vehicles, to the luxury class.

These all-in-one car multimedia devices will be complete with applications such as dual view touch screen display, Bluetooth connectivity interfaces to iPhone and iPOD, as well as MP3, DVD, CD player support, TV, GPS navigation and an “eco mode” that offers fuel-efficient route guidance.

Bosch Car Multimedia division’s plant in Penang will be producing these next generation devices. By 2013, 70% of the plant’s production will primarily be car infotainment systems. Bosch is the first to manufacture these devices in Malaysia.

Mr Peksaglam, who said that the infotainment systems are targeted at carmakers, elaborated, “With the thriving global car market, Malaysia will be our manufacturing base in the region to produce our latest car multimedia systems for customers worldwide”.

To meet the growing demand for car infotainment systems in tandem with the recovery of the international automotive market, Bosch is setting up a new research and development company in Penang. Established in August this year, the new R&D company will focus on the development of navigation, radio and electronic components. The company will initially deploy 63 of its research engineers into this new setup. A progressive increase is expected to support growth.

As part of Bosch’s commitment to environmental protection in Malaysia, Bosch is the first to have a 101 kilowatt-peak Photovoltaic (PV) installation on the rooftop of its manufacturing facilities in Penang. A total of 130 megawatt-hours of renewable energy can be generated yearly. The panels will also be used to study the sensitivity and performance level of solar cells in tropical climate. Mr Peksaglam said that this project aligns with Bosch’s business philosophy in demonstrating social and environmental responsibility in its business operations.

He added that Bosch is also moving towards attaining green building status for its main administration building in Penang, along with the deployment of other forms of environmentally-friendly and energy-efficient measures throughout its entire manufacturing facilities, such as the use of modern LED lightings.

These projects contribute to a smaller carbon footprint of Bosch in Malaysia with a total reduction of 450 tonnes of carbon dioxide emission per year.

Growth and focus in 2010
All business divisions in Malaysia have shown promising performance for the first six months of 2010. Bosch’s Drive and Control technology division, Bosch Rexroth, registered a 29% growth, compared to the same period of the previous year. Bosch Rexroth is currently focusing on progressive growth in hydraulics through end user strategies.

The Automotive Aftermarket business division saw a double digit spike for the first half of 2010, compared to the same period the year before. 2010 sees Bosch Automotive Aftermarket taking on a quality upgrade of its network of Bosch Car Service and Bosch Diesel Network service centers to even better attend to customers in the future.

Security Systems similarly achieved a double digit growth for the first half of 2010, versus the previous year. Bosch Security Systems benefitted from the finalizing of projects from the 9^th Malaysian Plan. It also saw an increase in its market share of public address systems, due to a combination of innovative product features and competitive pricing. In 2010, Bosch Security Systems will focus on replacement markets in the oil and gas sector, as well as on small and medium enterprises to offer competitive product pricing.

The Power Tools division is targeting double digit sales increase in 2010. This year, Bosch Power Tools maintains focus on users and will continue to introduce innovative products, especially for cordless and measuring tools.

Drive a car and you’re one of those who are colour blind? Glory-be to the Uni-Signal then, because this new innovation as a traffic-light will help those who suffer from the condition to readily identify whether to STOP or GO?

The sole purpose for its creation is to help those that are red-green colour blind. The red light is designed with a triangular shape while the yellow in its circular shape and the green in the form of a square. This enables them to have better comprehension dealing with traffic lights allowing them to have better adjustment to their cars thus decreasing the chances for them to get involved in an accident

Ferrari’s getting a total makeover. All this while, Ferrari has been producing new models on an ad-hoc basis, but recently, they have come up with a new product life-cycle scheme allowing Ferrari to reveal a new model every year.

This plan requires each model to have a lifespan of only eight years with regular updates of new versions every four years after being introduced. Seeing four models in a range, Ferrari might be able to debut an all-new and updated core model on a yearly basis. This system doesn’t include introductions of the Scuderia-styled variants together with the limited-production Enzo-class supercars, which has an introduction time-span of every decade.

This system was introduced a few months ago and while the price of the cars will remain the same, replacements for the 612 and 599 will be significantly differentiated from each other. Hybrid Ferrari versions have their own few applications of HY-KERS systems in the pipeline, but it may take at least another 5 years before it comes to fruition.

Why do Beemers cost us big bucks? Because they invest in a lot of hi-tech finds itself populating their cars and recently they have brought a better edge in navigating by developing a ‘microNavigation’ system.Known as Pathfinder, it supplements the data stored in the in-dash navigation system by allowing us to download more detailed information regarding your destination in the form of a MicroMap into a memory card, which can also be inserted into the car enabling the newly downloaded data to update the built-in navigation system.

What’s more impressive with this technology is that it can actually link up with the embedded camera to actually tell the driver which lane allows them to catch the ramps to highways or parking structures.

Once the car’s parked, the data captured can be transferred to a Smartphone or any compatible mobile device. You can then use them to guide you to the destination even by foot. Parked cars can be saved and marked so as to allow us to track back to our cars.

There’s high possibility that the new maps can be downloaded directly from the car, but it need many and constant updates to the current map together with the compatibility of the software with the hardware that Google is currently working on by providing updated search index of maps.

Word has it that Google will soon be the default map-provider for many automakers in the near future. Lets wait and see.

We do not know about most of you, but we do know that reading the car manual without visual aids like videos might just not be helpful.

Chrysler understands that and has taken the initiative to actually embed all of the car’s manual of the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee into the virtual iPhone App.

This enables the owners or anybody to have a better look at the car and all its functions, as well as the ability to receive feedback from various social media users. Not good enough? How about us telling you that it’s free and you don’t need a new Grand Cherokee to actually access this data.

However, you surely do need your iPhone and iPod Touch and soon, possibly the Blackberry and Android platforms will be also be able to access the manual.

Though this might be a cost saving measurement, but we are not sure as to whether Chrysler will totally remove the paper-based manual, but we do know it’ll be quite troublesome once iPhones become ‘ancient’ in the years to come, making the next Grand Cherokee users to wonder what ‘FCW OFF light’ means once it happens.

Check out the video below for a short glance on this new piece of technology

At the end of the 2009 ALMS season, Honda scaled back its sports car racing effort, shutting down the LMP1 program after just one season and dropping the Acura badging. The partnerships with de Ferran Motorsports and Fernandez Racing were ended, leaving just Highcroft racing to run the updated Honda Performance Development (HPD) ARX-01c in North America.

In Europe, UK-based Strakka Racing is running an identical car in the Le Mans Series and these cars will remain eligible for the new P1 class with their 3.4L racing V8.

For teams who want to run in the new LMP2, HPD has announced a new twin-turbocharged 2.8L V6 based on the unit found in everything from the Accord to the Acura ZDX. The new engine will be available for use in any chassis, however ALMS has not yet announced its plans for implementing the 2011 rules package.

Rumours on the birth of diesel-powered Subaru WRX STIs began more than two years ago and now the rumours are back, thanks to Global Warming.

Subaru initially came up with the idea of high-performance diesel cars and an oil-burning STI that may probably generate 200bhp at least and over 405Nm of torque. Despite the issues of emissions and global warming, gasoline engines still remain prevalent in the market, but with lower displacements.

It seems a new engine based on the 1.5L boxer in the base Impreza may offer the right amount of power if it’s mixed properly with other technologies. Though there are possibilities that Subaru may develop a diesel STI, but it gives no guarantees that it will ever make it to the US.

Arch rivals Mitsubishi with their Lancer EVOs could easily make it to the US since they’re gravitating more towards a hybrid version. Their earlier plans for a hybrid were reportedly cancelled in favour of diesel. But, Mitsubishi now aims to retain a sophisticated all-wheel-drive with an acceleration of up to 100kmh in less than five seconds with CO2 emissions below 200 g/km.

A new guide booklet for market value of vehicles was launched today. The CarPrices Guidebook or “Green Book” contains independently researched market value of used cars sold in Malaysia.

The ISM-ABI service is the No.1 source of vehicle valuations, specification and automotive intelligence in Malaysia. The service is result of a partnership between ISM Insurance Services Malaysia Berhad, a leading financial services shared services provider and EurotaxGlass’s, the world’s leading provider of automotive business intelligence.

Speaking at the launch, ISM Chief Executive Officer Carl Rajendram said “The Carprices Booklet would be a useful reference for car dealers, insurers, adjusters as well as consumers. The comprehensive list of more than 8,000 unique makes and models is an easy reference guide for the man on the street and will complement our more specific valuation service which is available online”.

The booklet retains a ten year model history, and shows used prices which have been extensively researched. The prices published do not refer to any specific vehicle. They are a guide to the probable value of a vehicle that has travelled kilometers said to be average for its age, and in “Guide Condition”.

Rajendram added that “In the Malaysian market, the services of a reliable and trusted used car dealer is still the best source for determining the current market value of a particular car. The Carprices booklet will assist consumers to benchmark the price for their particular car verses our extensively researched average market value to assist in determining if they are getting a fair deal”.

The CarPrices booklet is available from ISM for RM20.00 however the initial printing of the January booklet of 3,000 copies would be distributed free to consumers.

“Our objective is to create more a more transparent process in the buying, selling and insuring of motor vehicles by putting relevant information in the hand of consumers” added Rajendrem.