Victory's vision

AMERICAN motorcycle company Victory has been racking up good sales figures for the second quarter of this year - 48 per cent up from the previous year. Owned by jet ski master Polaris, Victory focuses on naked cruisers and dresser bikes, like the Vision Tour pictured here. The Vision Tour is the brand's most progressive luxury touring bike and runs on a 1.7L V-twin air/oil-cooled engine. Its out-of-this-world look is a bonus - owners just love the curvy plastic panels on the bike. Click here to read more.

VW shuts down South African plant due to strike

For those people who are waiting in line for the new Volkswagen Polo 1.2, you might have to hold your horses as Volkswagen AG has shut its South African plant due to a worker strike. According to a report from Bloomberg, the shutdown will result in a “substantial loss of volume” in Polo models destined for export markets, such as ours. The strike, which is the second time in a month, is not only affecting Volkswagen, but Toyota Motor Corp as well who was forced to shut down their plant for eight days in August after 31,000 workers went on strike and ended on August 20. Click here to read more.

Ferrari recalls 458 over spontaneous combustion

The Ferrari 458 Italia is not only the most talked about supercar currently, it is also the hottest, and when they mean hot they do mean hot. The Telegraph has reported that five of these RM2million prancing horses in countries ranging from America, France, China and Switzerland, have burst into flames.Ferrari says that the source of the fire involves glue used in securing the wheel arch lining to the car’s chassis. Click here to read more.

Mazda styling heads new direction with Shinari

With former styling boss Laurens van den Acker now at Renault, Mazda has dumped the complex and intricate Nagare design language of their concept cars and will be displaying the first of their new design language at the upcoming Paris Motor Show. Called the Kodo or “Soul of Motion in Japanese, the new design language will be making its debut with a new concept car known as the Shinari. The four-door coupe looks more shapely and less radical than Mazda’s previous concept cars. Click here to read more.

Citroen unveils DS4 before Paris

Citroen is adding one more model to its revived DS range with the DS4. Rather than saying that their new creation is an egg shaped five-door hatchback, Citroen boasts about the DS4’s coupe styling with 2+2 doors where the rear door handles are neatly hidden away like those on the Alfa Romeo 147 and Giulietta. Open the DS4’s rear doors and there are three full sized seats with a practical 370-litre boot behind it. Inside the DS4 has a panoramic windscreen which extends backwards into the car’s roofline. Click here to read more.

USF1 fined and banned

ESPN has reported that the stillborn USF1 Formula One team has been slapped with a $382,000 (RM1.2million) fine and permanent ban on the team from participating in “any competition” by the World Motor Sport Council (WMSC).WMSC says that the American F1 entree had infringed the FIA international sporting code and the sporting regulations of the 2010 FIA Formula One world championship. Click here to read more.

Eco-friendly diesel bike

If you’re looking for a motorcycle that can be used to tow a trailer across a field, take a look at the EcoRider. This strange, fat-tired motorcycle, the EcoRider, which was made in Scotland, and was available with three different engine types – regular unleaded gasoline, diesel, and biodiesel. The diesel model features a 230cc Hatz diesel engine and was marketed to farmers. It is equipped with a tow hitch and is rated to tow more than 500 pounds! Click here to read more.

Ford facelifts Mondeo with more safety tech

While Malaysia is still warming up the “new” Mondeo, Ford has introduced a mid-life facelift for their European flagship. The headlining feature has to be the introduction of a higher powered 237hp version of the 2-litre turbocharged direct-injection EcoBoost engine which was introduced earlier this year.Also its Duratorq TDCi diesel engine has been revised to produce 197hp, making it Ford’s most powerful Duratorq engine so far.  Click here to read more.

It's true, males won’t ask for direction.

If you think that the stereotype of males refusing to ask for directions gives all males a bad reputation, then you shouldn’t read a report from Britain's Telegraph which states that males drive an average of 444km a year while being lost. The report believes that a quarter of men, at least in Britain, won’t ask directions from people on the street for at least 30 minutes, while one in ten will refuse help.If that statistic sounds egotistical, it is said that 40 per cent of men won’t trust the directions given by the stranger! Click here to read more.

Majestic Orlando

WE all know that it is difficult for auto makers to please Europe's picky car buying populace. However, American car maker Chevrolet is confident that its new Orlando multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) will make an impact in the European market. With its bold lines and pronounced wheel arches, the Orlando bears more resemblance to urban crossovers rather than an MPV. Click here to read more.