2012 Asian Market Camry - full pictures

An anonymous reader sent us a tip that undisguised pictures of the 2012 Asian market Camry have been released on the net, first picked up by the folks at AutoBlog. This will be version that us in ASEAN trade bloc markets, including Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia will be receiving. Some details may differ though. All of the pics below refer to the flaghip 3.5 V6 version, which is not likely to reach our market. Even in Thailand, sales of the Camry 3.5Q have pretty much migrated to the Camry Hybrid. Aside from ASEAN markets, the same Camry will be sold in China, Taiwan, as well as UAE and Australia as the Aurion.

More info in an earlier post here.

To understand the background behind this story, go here.

Hyundai Does A Final Destination With Veloster

Final Destination 5 is currently showing in cinemas. Not sure if it was coincidental or intentionally timed, but the ad below sure reminds us of a Final Destination like theme. The ad was commissioned to a Dutch creative agency Fitzroy. However ad was deemed too controversial (death theme) for mainstream Dutch television and did not make the final cut. Fortunately however, the good folks at Hyundai decided that rather than to bin the ad and put all the time and money to waste, it gave permission for Fitzroy to air the ad over Youtube, with adaptations to suit English speaking audience.

Yes, we too have problems trying to wrap our heads around the odd 2+1 door layout. It's an elegant solution that nobody asked for, to a problem (rear seat entry / exit) that none thought to be serious for a 2-door coupe. Hyundai has confirmed that right hand drive variants of the Veloster will be produced, but unlike the MINI Clubman, which features a similar style layout, the rear doors will have their position swapped on right hand drive models, so they are always on the kerbside.

But the MINI Clubman's 2+1 layout was incidental rather than intentional. The Clubman is based on the Mini, whose existing fuel tank and fuel filler neck design is too costly to be modified to suit a low volume model like the Clubman.

Hyundai claims that the third +1 door at the rear eases entry / exit to / from the rear seats. It is a welcomed feature but from a manufacturing point of view, that has to be mighty expensive. Considering the added complexity to the assembly line, as well as reduced volume for the individual rear doors and body panels. I guess that's not really a big problem when your car company happens to also own a steel manufacturer. Hyundai Hysco is Korea's largest automotive steel supplier.

Rainbird Garage

I have always been a fan of classics. And I’ve been trying hard to contain my itch to get a W201 190E. Not that it’s going to be a reality soon, given that I have more pressing financial bills to settle, but it doesn’t hurt pouring over the classifieds. And then I came across Rainbird Garage, a new upstart based in Bandar Puteri, Port Klang Selangor. To my knowledge, it is the only classic car specialist importer in the country.

Check out their current stock – 3 Mercedes G-Wagens are available, and a Mk1 Ford Mustang in sedan hard top body type. Personal favourite is a 450 SEL 6.9 listed, the original Q-car / sleeper car, the grand daddy of all modern day AMG E-class, RS Audi and BMW M5. There is also a Jaguar XJC. This V12 big cat was once a contender in the European Touring Car Championship, swapping paint with BMW’s CSL. Of course, the lighter CSL dominated the race. Fancy a CSL? Rainbird does not have one in stock but there is 3.0CS. Not quite the same, but the CS has a conventional steel body which is much easier to work with than the CSL’s aluminum panels. Look out for rust though. E9 CS-series BMWs are known to be rust buckets.

Note : This is not a paid advertorial and we have no prior experience with Rainbird Garage so far. Just passing the word. It’s much easier dealing with a specialist importer who are well versed with your requirements for your classic, than a regular used car dealer.

2012 Honda CRV Spyshots Undisguised

Finally, some shots of the 2012 CR-V, minus the disguise materials have surfaced on the net. We have posted quite a bit on the 2012 CR-V, including its infamous validation prototype crash into a Toyota Highlander in California. Images via Sohu Auto.

Is that LED daytime running lights?

In an earlier post, we have given our comments regarding the possible reasons behind the CR-V's rear design.

While there is significant difference in the exterior design, the same cannot be said about the 2012 CR-V's interior. Owners the current generation CR-V will feel quite at home. Apart from a redesigned instrument cluster, the layout and design of the dash is pretty much similar to the existing model. Nothing wrong with that, given that the CR-V has pretty good ergonomics and there is little need to change the well liked layout.

Audi Urban Concept Spyshots - City e-tron

By now, you should've seen sketches of Audi's Urban Concept, ahead of its unveiling at September's Frankfurt Motor Show. Forget about the sketches for now. Below are spyshots of the actual Urban Concept vehicle. Seems that some kind of video shooting was going on. Images via WorldCarFans.

The Urban Concept reminds me of this.

Below are the sketches released by Audi.

Update : This is the video that the video crew was shooting when the spyshot specialists from KGP chanced upon it.


The urban concept is a 1+1 seater (passenger seats in a slightly off-seat position) electric urban vehicle. Audi is touting this as its solution for future urban mobility, where chronic traffic jams and tightening emission regulations would make many of today's typical cars impractical.

Consider the numbers. Megacities are defined as cities with population of over 10 million. In 1950, there were only two mega-cities (New York and Tokyo) with 10 million or more inhabitants. By 2005, their number had increased to 20 and it is projected that there will be 22 mega-cities in 2015. Developing countries will have 17 of these 22 mega-cities in 2015. Existing modes of transportation and infrastructure will not be able to cope with future growth and thus sustainable mobility solutions is a very important area of focus for city planners.

Insiders suggest that the Urban Concept will be released as the City E-tron, using the e-tron monicker that Audi is gradually introducing to its range of cars, the most recent being the demonstrator prototypes A1 e-tron and R8 e-tron. The car may look more like a jumped up radio controlled toy car than a proper car. But the highly detailed features of the vehicle captured in the set of spyshots suggests that Audi is dead serious about pushing this for production. Audi rarely introduces radical concept cars with no intention of volume production. You would need to think hard to recall any recent Audi concept car that did not materialized as a series production model. Notice that the car has no unrealistically huge wheels that so many concept cars spot, it has proper side mirrors rather than some fancy side-mounted cameras or razor blade thin cool looking mirrors. It even comes with a wiper! And noticed the number plate holder spot in the rear?

During last year's Beijing Motor Show, Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn, chairman of the board at Audi's parent company VW AG, have mentioned that Audi intends to make the e-tron name synonymous with Audi in the same way quattro is to Audi. BMW have already announced its equally radical i-series electric models. How successful will the car be, that will be an interesting case study for business schools and the industry in years to come. Audi have a history of sometimes launching cars that are a bit too far ahead of its time. The all aluminium A2, the first mass produced aluminium bodied car, was a good example. It was a brilliant car, lightweight with ridiculously low fuel consumption. But launched at a time when economy was booming and oil was cheap, so nobody was interested and it quickly became just an interesting piece of rolling engineering expo than a sales champion. Likewise with the VW Lupo. Daimler dabbled a bit with the Smart microcars brand, but the product appeal was mismatched with consumer's expectations and Daimler's unjustified pseudo-premium intentions for the Smart brand, coupled with high cost structure sealed its fate.

But the new Audi, under the current management and leadership of Dr. Winterkorn, is extremely market driven. So we will not pass any judgement too soon.

Porsche Boxster Taxi in Thailand

Saw the viral video of a Porsche Boxster taxi in Thailand already? Don't know what we are on about? Read on. Samsung is introducing its Galaxy S II smartphone in Thailand. And it didn't want to do a conventional product launch. After all, if you are going against someone like Apple, you can't just be good or good enough. You have to be awesome. So the advertising folks engaged by Samsung (I don't know who, but they ought to be given credit) proposed a rather radical idea of pimping up a Porsche Boxster as a taxi. Inside the cab is a Galaxy S II smartphone for the passenger to try out. As the Porsche Boxster taxi cruises pass or wait in queue in a taxi stand, no doubt confused folks around the car will whip out their phones, snap a pic, tweet about it or post on Facebook, creating more conversations. Exactly what we are doing now.

Watch the video below.

Samsung Galaxy S II

The idea of using a sports car as a taxi for marketing promotion is not new. Last year in the UK, Virgin Media converted 3 supercars; a Porsche 911 Turbo, a Ferrari F430 and an Aston Martin DBS as London taxis. The cars were available for hire for free, but only during off-peak hours from 10am to 4pm and for travels within Central London only. The cars were used to promote Virgin Media's new 100MB broadband service. Members of the public were encouraged to snap a picture of these supercar taxis and submit them to Virgin for a chance to win £50 in Amazon vouchers.

2012 Isuzu D-Max Leaked Patent Sketch

The Isuzu D-Max is one of the best selling trucks in Thailand, where it vies for the sales crown title with arch-rival Toyota Hilux. The D-Max was first unveiled in Thailand, back in 2002. Now in its 9th year, the D-Max is already at the last legs of its model life, as if the numerous limited edition / special edition / marketing campaign models are not obvious enough. A new model, codenamed RT-50, is due to appear sometime next year. Keep an eye out for the concept / teasers of the new D-Max in next year's edition of Bangkok Motor Show. Below is a leaked patent registration document, courtesy of Chinese motoring portal auto.sohu.com.

The current generation D-Max was jointly developed with GM, with the Chevrolet Colorado being its sister car. Though GM have since divested its ownership of Isuzu, GM and Isuzu still maintain ties via a joint venture company LCV Platform Engineering Corporation (LPEC), to develop light duty pick-up trucks.

Current generation D-Max

America's Best Car TV Commercials of 2011

What's the best car commercial of 2011? This year's 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards will take place on September 2011. The award honors excellence in American television primetime programming. One of the awards category is Commercials. TV commercials that from June 1, 2010 - May 31, 2011 on American TVs are eligible. This year, three car commercials have been nominated for entry. It's quite a high count because last year, only one car commercial was nominated (Audi), and it didn't win the final title. This year, TV commercials from Subaru, Nissan and Chrysler have been nominated. Watch the ads below.

Subaru Baby Driver

Nissan Leaf Polar Bear

Chrysler Born of Fire with Eminem

Last year's sole automotive brand candidate for the Emmy Awards Commercial category was for Audi's Green Police ad, that was shown during last year's Superbowl.

2012 North American Market Camry Undisguised

Forget about the teaser images. This is the 2012 model year North American market Camry, and for the first time, seen with its normally heavy camo materials stripped. The series of shots were obtained by professional crew of automotive spyshot photographers KGP Photography. The minimal camo material suggests that the vehicle was in the middle of a TV commercial shooting. Note that the model shown here is the hybrid model (small Hybrid Synergy Drive badge can be spotted at the rear). Expect standard models to feature a slightly different tail lamp cluster and front radiator grille.

Can't help but LOLZ at the guy here.

The 2012 American market Camry is expected to be launched later this month.

For information regarding the Asian market Camry, go here.

Personally, I find the American market Camry far more appealing. The lines are cleaner, more tout, have less gaudy chrome than the Asian market Camry, who masquerades as a pseudo-luxury car slotting just below entry level German luxury nameplates. But then again, I am not the Camry's target market, so my opinions don't count. And unless you are over 40, neither do yours.

In our local market, this segment puts a premium on a tried and tested name, especially one that projects onto its owners an affable and reliable character, more than any fancy toys and shouty designs. It is by no accident that the "low tech" Camry with "only" a 4-speeder automatic and a humble intake valve side only VVT-i engine, consistently outsells the more fancy and higher specs Honda Accord every month, let alone the new contenders to the crown Hyundai Sonata. Toyota knew exactly what Camry buyers want and prioritized the car's development areas accordingly. Until Toyota's forte in the mid-size / D-segment sedan is under seige, there is no reason to change the existing formula that has worked so well. So its a yawn from this author, but at the same time I can appreciate why it continues to sell so well.