VW USA - Fender Collaboration (There's a Mio or Azu-nyan in your 2012MY V-Dub!)

Hmm, it seems that Volkswagen USA teams up with the legendary brand behind the famous Jazz Bass and Mustang, Fender, for their premium sound system for MY2012 models, including the next generation Beetle, New Midsize Sedan, and the latest Jetta.

Scoop:

http://www.insideline.com/volkswagen/jetta/2012/vw-and-fender-hook-up-on-premium-audio-system-for-2012-models.html

In other words, um, how can I put this, when you remember the Fender brand, you will always remember two famous products from this brand; the Fender Jazz Bass and the Fender Mustang. Not only these two are a guitarists' favorites, they're also an otakus' favorite because both of these Fenders were appeared in K-On (Jazz Bass for Mio, and Mustang for Azusa Nakano). To put it simply because VW USA teams up with Fender for their exclusive sound system the result would be this:

There will be

Inside your

The Fender name will come to North American Volkswagen cars, meaning there's a Mio or Azu-nyan in your 2012MY V-Dub! Ah, the heart of the Jazz Bass and the Mustang coming to VW as an audio system. If that happened, could we listen to some K-On songs while driving a Volkswagen or better yet make an itasha out of these?

New Regal vs. New Mark X

Buick's Regal

Toyota's Mark X

They have no chance for them to encounter, but both of these were executive medium sedans built for the executive class. Both of these executive medium sedans were my favorites but I wonder which one is my pick?

CASE ONE:

The Regal name on the Buick lineup returned after years of absence and its now an OEM of the Opel Insignia. Although based on the Opel Insignia, the Buick Regal has a striking design that makes other executive medium sedans such as the Honda Accord Euro (Acura TSX), Volkswagen Passat CC, and the Volvo S60 to shame. Although the front face seems to have more pogi points than others, the lineup of the Buick Regal consists of two available engines; one is the 2.4L Ecotec engine and the second is the high-performance 2.0L Turbo engine. Most are fitted with the 6-speed automatic but the turbo variant comes with the 6-speed manual. I guess my favorite Regal is the Regal CXL Turbo because not only it has a turbo engine on it, it also has a manual transmission on it. Turbo and MT combined to make this a fun to drive Regal for the American Autobahn.

CASE TWO:

The Mark X is the replacement of the legendary Toyota Mark II since its debut in November 2004. In October 2009, the Mark X gained its massive model change from inside and out. The design of the new Mark X is razor sharp. That's why this was called "Samurai X" thanks to the commercial with Koichi Sato and the Samurai Code mini drama aired in TV Tokyo from January to March 2010. The Toyota Mark X comes with two engines; a 4GR-FSE (2.5 V6) engine and a 2GR-FSE (3.5 V6) engine. It comes with three styles to choose from; the Standard Type, the Premium Type (loaded with safety features), and the Sports Type (armed with paddle shifters).

For styling, the Toyota Mark X is my pick, but for the performance side, I would go for the Buick Regal because of the turbo+MT variant. Both of these executive medium sedans aren't made for passion, they are made for performance.

BS at Enchanted!

What just happened at the December 11 episode of Banana Split?

- Fresh batch of Showbiz news at Balitang Siksik Showbiz Edition

- Jokes at Enchanted Kingdom!

- Meet your new superhero that has a letter to solve your problem, Alpha Beth! LOL, that's Melai... If there's ubo, there's ube!

- Kuya Keem (John Prats) and Igor Stojokovic Krystic (Ryan Bang) set to the extreme when they ride something extreme at Enchanted Kingdom!

- Rizza Masahista (RR Enriquez) massages the wrong client

- Aha! Banana Split spoofs SOCO (Scene of the Crime Operatives)

A German star is born...

2011 Audi R18 Race Car

WOWIES! Audi made a new Le Mans Prototype! This new Audi Le Mans Prototype is called the R18.

Wow! This Audi LMP has a meaner look. This meaner look will scare the opponents out of the 24 Hour Le Mans Race for good, but is this greater than other Audi Le Mans Prototypes?

Scoop:

http://www.autoblog.com/2010/12/10/audi-r18-le-mans-prototype-unveiled-with-full-roof-epic-leds/

Final three K-On!! Character CDs debut! Commercialization starts at January!

Who've enjoyed five K-On!! Character Image CDs, from Yui to Azusa? You know, CD number 1 to number 5?

Don't think it's done because Pony Canyon unveiled the last three of the K-On!! Character Image CDs, based on the second season of K-On!!

Character Image 6: Ui Hirasawa (CV: Madoka Yonezawa)

Character Image 7: Nodoka Manabe (CV: Chika Fujito)

NEW! Character Image 8: Jun Suzuki (CV: Yoriko Nagata)

I'm serious because this was confirmed from the official site.

Commercialization starts at January 19, 2011. Hurry up and pre-order it.

Citroen C-ZERO

2011 Citroen C-ZERO

Zero, meaning none or a blank, which also means no value. In hybrid car terms, the number "zero" refers to zero emissions, a huge step for the clean future of the automotive industry. At the center of the number zero, the Citroen C-ZERO is born to be a zero, zero emissions for Europe.

Under the partnership between PSA Peugeot Citroen and Mitsubishi Motors, the Citroen C-ZERO is based on the Mitsubishi i-MiEV electric hybrid compact. Aside from that, Peugeot also uses the i-MiEV platform for its European OEM, the Peugeot i0n.

As a 100% Electric Vehicle, the Citroen C-ZERO is powered with the magnet synchronous motor, capable of releasing a power output of 64 bhp EEC/3,000-6,000 rpm and the torque output of 180 Nm/2,000 rpm. This motor is powered with the 330-volt lithium-ion battery system, which was sourced from Mitsubishi Motors in Japan.

Recharging the C-ZERO is simple as charging your portable devices. The C-ZERO comes with the 220-volt plug that can be charged to about 30 minutes to six hours.

My thoughts about the C-ZERO:
Since both the Citroen C-ZERO and the Peugeot i0n were made by Mitsubishi Motors, responsible for the i-MiEV, both of these eco cars were equipped with the YF41 electric motor and a lithium-ion battery. Both of these were offered exclusively for the European markets. Consider these a European-Japanese agreement when it comes for the future of the automotive industry going green.

Photo: PSA Peugeot Citroen

An automotive recall like a Korean drama... [UPDATE]

Check this scoop:

http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2010/12/2011-hyundai-santa-fe-and-2011-kia.html

Hyundai's Santa Fe:

and Kia's Sorento

Both of these Korean SUVs are a favorite among Philippine car enthusiasts because of the CRDi R eVGT diesel engine. It seems both of the Philippines' favorite crossovers are suffered from a major recall due to defective brakes!

Only the latest versions (built from September to November 2010) were affected by this said recall. Seems sad but this recall is much more of a Korean drama...

Hurry up and better get these two fixed! Owners, get these fixed at your dealers. I'm not sure if both the Philippine distributors of Hyundai (HARI) and Kia (Columbian) made an announcement about this recall...

Well, back to watch some Korean dramas...

Update: Turns out only those made in North America were affected by the recall. The ones we had were made from South Korea, so in other words, we're safe.