Latest updates on movement and travel restrictions, beginning August 10th

The big man has finally spoken and for those of you who have been fully vaccinated, here are the new updates and changes on travel and movement restrictions
beginning the 10th of August 2021
.
For more info on the number of passengers, travel radius, public transportation hours, read this article!
For starters here’s a look at which state is in which phase of the National Recovery Plan (NRP):
Now that we’re clear on the above, these are
new rules for travel and movement restrictions
 for those who have been fully vaccinated. One is fully vaccinated when he/she receives:
Two (2) doses of the Pfizer, Astra Zeneca, and Sinovac vaccine with 14-day gap after the 2nd dose
One (1) dose of the Johnson & Johnson and Cansino vaccine and 28-day gap after the 2nd dose
For those who live in the states under Phase 2 and Phase 3,
interdistrict travel is now allowed
. At the roadblocks, you will need to show your Covid-19 Vaccination Digital Certificate
via the MySejahtera app
.
Hotels and homestays
are also allowed to open for “same state tourism” – you can travel within your state.
Interstate travel is still not allowed. Langkawi will have to wait. Upon arrival at these hotels and homestays, visitors will have to show their Covid-19 Vaccination Digital Certificate before entering the premises.
Hotel and homestay operators must check and ensure that each visitor shows their respective Covid-19 Vaccination Digital Certificate.
Cross district and interstate travel
 are only allowed for long-distance couples and parents to their children aged 18 and under. This applies to every state, regardless of which phase they are in.
However, a
travel permit
 is still required from the Polis Diraja Malaysia (PDRM). Those applying will have to bring along a copy of:
Identification Card (IC) (both parents)
Child’s birth certificate
Covid-19 Vaccination Digital Certificate
Malaysian citizens and permanent residents with a place of residence in this country and is returning from overseas
may perform their mandatory quarantine at home
.
Before returning home, travelers will need to have the following:
(Negative) Covid-19 PCR test report taken three days before departure
Certificate of Vaccination (depending on vaccine)
A suitable premise to perform the quarantine
The
duration of the quarantine
 will be determined based on the “risk factor” of each individual traveler.
No new announcements were made for the number of passengers allowed in a car or even travel radius so it should be the same. For information on that, click
here
.
According to the last update, the
number of passengers per car as of August 10th
 should be as follow:
Phase 1 and 2: Only
two
per household are allowed in one vehicle to purchase food, medicine, and other necessities, within 10 kilometre radius
Phase 3: Up to
three
 per household may now travel in one vehicle to purchase food, medicine, and other necessities, with no distance limit
More details on new rules will be announced later on.
For now, these are the other remaining new rules for movement and travel restrictions from the announcement today.
Sports activities indoors and outdoors are allow,
without physical contact and large crowds
, from 6 am to 10 pm.
Dine-ins are now allowed and eateries must check each customer for the Covid-19 Vaccination Digital Certificate
Offices are now allowed to have 60% of the the work force
The big man also expects the enforcement of SOPs to be stricter or they will not hesitate to shut down the premises and revoke these new privileges if SOPs are not adhered to.
To recap, these new rules will come into effect
from the 10th of August 2021
.
For more info on the number of passengers, travel radius, public transportation hours, read this article!
Source:
Majlis Keselamatan Negara (MKN) Facebook page
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MAA: New car sales under 2,000 units in June, TIV revised to 500,000

The Malaysian Automotive Association (MAA) has just announced the monthly sales of new vehicles and for the month of June, the association only recorded sales of
1,921 units
 from its members.
With June the beginning of the nationwide “Full lockdown MCO 3.0” (FMCO), it is still a surprise to see close to 2,000 units being handed over to customers. The lowly figure represents a 96% reduction compared to May, and as well as June last year.
As such, the MAA has decided to revise its Total Industry Volume (TIV) 2021 from 570,000 units to
500,000 units
. Based on the available data, the estimated TIV for the first six months in 2021 is just under 250,000 units.
JPJ extends the validity of expired licences, inspections and number plates until end of September.

MAA President, Datuk Aishah Ahmad said, “The MAA has decided to revise our forecast for the TIV 2021 after considering many factors especially concerning an assumption on the government’s directive that automotive plants, distribution centres and sales showrooms would not be allowed to operate during Phase 1 and 2 and will only re-open in Phase 3 of the National Recovery Plan (NRP),”
Apart from the ongoing movement restriction, automakers are also likely to be impacted by the shortage of semiconductor chips that are now found in niceties such as digital display instrument clusters,
ADAS suites
 as well as high-performance touchscreen infotainment systems.
The closure of assembly plants also meant production is minimal, where less than 300 units were produced in June 2021.
Here is a list of dos and don’ts during the EMCO period.
Last year, the association declared the TIV at 529,434, in a year severely impacted by three months of economic closure (March to May 2020). The last time the TIV was at a low 500,000-unit level was in 2009, suffering the after-effects of the global financial crisis.
Let’s hope the
proposed ease of restrictions for vaccinated citizens
 can move forward, as many businesses are already in very bad economic shape. As of yesterday, the Special Committee on Ensuring Access to Vaccine Supply (JKJAV) announced that the Klang Valley has achieved
50% of vaccination
 (one dose), with one-in-six of the population been injected with the second dose.


Rent a car with GoCar at 100 selected Shell stations in Malaysia!

A quick stop at Shell will not only offer you delicious pastries, aromatic coffee but now, even cars for rent!
That’s cause a total of 100 Shell stations across Klang Valley, Johor Bahru and Penang will now offer vehicles like the Nissan Almera and the Renault Captur for rent – the former for only RM 99 a day!
GoCar’s fleet also consists of a wide range of sedans, SUVs, MPVs and even pick-up trucks to cater to your every (short term) needs.
In celebration of GoCar’s collaboration with Shell, customers can enjoy up to 50% off on their GoCar booking, with discounts capped at RM 30 when they spend a minimum of RM 5 on all items excluding Touch ‘n’ Go reloads, mobile reloads and tobacco. The promotion is from 16 October to 15 December 2018 at 30 selected Shell stations.
Customers can also redeem a can of Coca-Cola at RM 1.50 when picking up their GoCar at the participating Shell stations. The GoCar app can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play Store.
IMAGE GALLERY


Mercedes-AMG One teased on Nürburgring – to dethrone 911 GT2 RS?

Starting its life as “Project One”, the production version of
the Mercedes AMG-One was unveiled in June this year

with only 275 units available, and all of them already spoken for. Just yesterday,
Mercedes-AMG
 posted pictures of the Mercedes-AMG One hitting the Nürburgring Nordschleife, hinting at a new record by the single-engine, quad-motor hypercar from Stuttgart.
In a
Facebook post
, Mercedes-AMG penned, “It‘s time to witness something big. Something that we all have been waiting for. Are you ready for a new milestone? Stay tuned for a challenge of the monumental kind — powered by one combustion engine and four electric motors, the hardest teamwork, and the greatest trust.”
Prior to the social media post, the Mercedes-AMG One has been seen on the Green Hell, presumably setting a new lap record. The Facebook post affirms the assumption to be true. Did it set the fastest time for a production car? Did it set the fastest time for a hybrid production car? With the social media post, we don’t take it will be long until Mercedes unveils what really happened at the Nürburgring Nordschleife.
Powering the car is a 1.6-litre V6 engine that makes 574 hp (metric). While that may sound puny for a German hypercar, the engine is assisted by 4 electric motors that together make 611 hp (metric). Combined, the hybrid system makes an astronomical
1,063 hp
 (metric). The torque figure has not been specified by Mercedes as it is “not possible due to complex drive train”.
RELATED:
The F1-based Mercedes-AMG One hypercar is finally here, but you can’t buy one anyway
Together with a 7-speed automated manual gearbox and AMG Performance 4MATIC+ AWD, the Mercedes-AMG One goes
0-100 km/
h in
2.9 seconds
,
0-200 km/h
 in
7 seconds
, and
0-300 km/h
 in just
15.6 seconds
. The top speed of the AMG One is listed at
352 km/h
. Just in case you were wondering, the 4 electric motors get power from an 800-V
8.4 kWh
 battery that provides 18.1 km of pure electric driving range.
If the Mercedes-AMG One sets a new record, the brand will reclaim its title from its fellow Stuttgart rival. Currently leading the chart for production vehicles fastest times on the 20,832 m lap of Nürburgring Nordschleife is the
991.2 Porsche 911 GT2 RS with 6:43.300 minutes
. This is followed by the
Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series with 6:48.047 minutes
 and the 992 Porsche 911 GT3 RS with 6:49.328 minutes. We’re excited to see what Mercedes means by its “new milestone”.
RELATED:
The Mercedes-AMG Project One is a road car that sounds like an F1 racer!
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Lamborghini took its Urus customers on a month-long expedition across Iceland

The
Urus
 might not be the most “Lamborghini” model in the Italian supercar maker’s line-up, but it’s undoubtedly the most successful one – with
20,000 units already delivered
 in just four years of production. Lamborghini isn’t stopping there just yet, however, as they’ve just organised a month-long expedition across Iceland for its Urus customers to (further) prove to the naysayers that, yes – they can build proper, functional SUVs too.
Dubbed Esperienza Avventura, or Adventure Experience in English, the Iceland expedition is just one of the series of events Lamborghini is planning to organise for its customers “who are most eager to enjoy unexpected and remarkable experiences”.
RELATED: Lamborghini Urus makes history as the company’s best-selling model of all time
This trip focused specifically on the Urus, with fifty customers from across Europe and the Middle East joining in on the fun, driving over 300 km daily over an entire month across Iceland – not only on paved roads, but over tricky terrains as well, visiting some of the most iconic locations on the southern Icelandic coast including lava flows, the Jokursarlon Glacier Lagoon, and the Kvernufoss waterfall.
Obviously, the trip was also designed to show off the Urus’ capabilities, specifically off the beaten path. Lamborghini was quick to point out that the versatility of the super SUV allows its buyers to do much more than they could with the other models in its line-up, with the added ride height, sophisticated adaptive suspension and driving modes, plus the
650 hp/850 Nm
 twin-turbo V8 engine underneath the hood helping things along both on- and off-road.
ALSO READ: Lamborghini Urus sets high-speed record on ice!
“It was extraordinary to see so many Urus all together in a setting like Iceland, with so many different routes and road surfaces in which to put them to the test,” commented Lamborghini Chairman and CEO, Stephan Winkelmann, who also took part in one of the stages.
“Unlock Any Road, the positioning concept that customers recognize in the Urus, was expressed here more than ever: not only because of the different landscapes the cars drove across and the decidedly adventurous feel of the event, but also because of the multiple Ad Personam configurations offered on board the car, where the almost unlimited offering of colors and customizations become a reflection of the Urus owner’s personality,” he added.
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Honda issues extended warranty for 1 million VTEC Turbos in the U.S.

Honda USA has just
issued an extended powertrain warranty for its turbocharged VTEC engine. More
than 1 million Honda CR-V and Civics manufactured between 2016 to 2018 will now
receive a 6-Years (one extra year) Unlimited Mileage coverage for the 1.5-litre
VTEC turbo engine.
According to
Consumer Reports
, this move comes after consumers in colder parts of U.S. complained that gasoline can seep into the engine oil causing the engine to potentially stall as well as affect the longevity and durability of the vehicle.
Honda said that the problem
on its turbo engine were mainly in extreme cold and only a small percentage of
its vehicles faces this problem. Besides the extended warranty, Honda US has
also conducted a product recall to perform software update to rectify the issue.
Honda spokesman, Chris
Martin said: “Abnormal oil dilution remains extremely rare, especially outside
of extremely cold weather. In extreme and rare cases in the cold-weather
states, where abnormal oil dilution has occurred prior to a vehicle receiving
the software updates, this extension will provide extra time for any undetected
engine damage to become apparent and be covered by the warranty.”
The VTEC Turbo engine
is available in the Malaysian market but consumers should have nothing to worry
about since we only deal with the other end of the spectrum – extreme heat.


The Mercedes-Benz SL Grand Edition looks real slick!

Mercedes-Benz has revealed the Grand Edition SL400 and SL500 models which will be officially available come next month.
Not much of the car has been revealed in detail but like the brand’s Edition 1 models, it all just seems to be cosmetic upgrades to freshen up a car that’s been around for around seven years now.
The SL400 makes
367 hp
 with
500 Nm
 while the SL500 packs
455 hp
with
700 Nm
. 0 to 100 km/h in the latter only takes 4.3 seconds with the former being 0.6 seconds slower.
The new Grand Edition models features some notable differences and special colour combinations on the interior and exterior.
Colour wise, customers can choose between four metallic tones – standard black, brilliant white, various tones of grey and obsidian black. High-gloss chrome and matte silver ensures a special look for the front bumper.
The Grand Edition models sit on 19-inch AMG 10-spoke forged wheels at the front and a 20-inch pair at the back.
Inside, designo tundra brown pearl leather upholstery takes centre stage, extending even to the upper and lower section of the steering wheel.
Mercedes-Benz also revealed that the SL Grand Edition models will feature the AIRSCARF neck-level heating system, the sports suspension lowered by 10 mm and firmer tuning and active multicontour seats with massage and dynamic handling function.
IMAGE GALLERY


Ford says Malaysians spend more time in traffic gridlocks in 2015

Ever feel like you’ve been spending too much time idling on the road, waiting for the traffic light to turn green or for the cars in front to move faster? Apparently, a survey conducted by GlobalWebIndex for Ford revealed Malaysians are spending too much time in traffic jams in 2015 than in 2014.
Out of the 1,050 respondents,
55 percent of them said they spent more time stuck in traffic jams
 and complained
their commute to work was the worst part of the day
. That is not surprising, seeing as how our roads can’t cope with the constantly increasing number of private vehicles, no thanks to the lack of an efficient public transport system.
The
floating fuel prices
 and the
increase of toll fares
 last year has added to the pressure, with 75 percent of Malaysian respondents complaining about the
increasing cost of commuting
. Malaysia was ranked second behind Hong Kong on that matter, though.
Vehicle ownership in Malaysia is among the highest in the world
A total of 12,619 consumers were surveyed across 12 markets, namely Australia, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Philippines, South Korea, India, Indonesia, New Zealand, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.
While the above results seem depressing, the soon-to-be-completed MRT and LRT infrastructure should alleviate some of these burdens. However, Malaysians have long been accustomed to relying on private transportation for decades, so it will take some time before we see a shift in the preference for using public transportation system, just like our neighbours down south.
[Source: Bernama]


Audi R8 Sport Edition and Audi R8 LMS GT4 introduced, costs RM849k!

The meanest four rings model, the
Audi R8
 has been around for a decade and is still going strong, especially on track. As a tribute to its successful motorsports program, Audi launched two special edition variants: the Audi Sport Edition and LMS GT4.
The 2017 Audi R8 Audi Sport Edition is a standard R8 that’s cosmetically enhanced with Audi Sport’s official colours of
silver, red
 and
black
. The R8 now looks even more striking with its side mirrors and side blades finished in red. The front spoiler, singleframe grille and diffuser receive a titanium black finishing, while the trapezoidal tailpipes are given a gloss black treatment. A menacing set of 20-inch forged alloys top off the exterior package.

On the inside, drivers are greeted with door sill inlays with illuminated Audi Sport logos. Other nifty touches include black and red nappa leather sport seats and a red stripe at the 12 o’clock position of the wheel.
Mechanically, it retains the same
 5.2 litre naturally aspirated V10
, but buyers may opt for the V10 or V10 plus that push out
540hp/540Nm
 and
 610hp/560Nm
 respectively. Only
200 Audi R8 Audi Sport Editions
 will be produced, with prices starting from
EUR 181,900 (approximately RM849k)
.

If it’s too late for you to start a racing career, then the Audi R8 LMS GT4 is right up your alley. Derived from the successful LMS GT3 race car that competes in the GT4 category, it is a good start for most gentlemen drivers.
To keep costs down, about 60 percent of the parts are carried over from the stock R8. The same V10 engine powers the R8 LMS GT4, however it is slightly detuned to
495 hp
 and
550 Nm
. Power is sent to the rear (no quattro here) via a seven-speed dual clutch automatic.
IMAGE GALLERY
Audi R8 Audi Sport Edition

Audi R8 LMS GT4


Mitsubishi opens new 3S Centre in Kluang – 7th showroom in Johor

Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia (MMM)

has opened a new 3S Centre (Sales, Service, & Spare Parts) in Kluang together with authorized dealer K.M. Lin Auto Sdn Bhd. With this new showroom, MMM’s dealer network in Johor now comprises seven showrooms.
The Kluang 3S Centre is specifically located at No. 39, Jalan Tasik Indah 1/1, Taman Tasik Indah, 86000 Kluang, Johor. Those in Kluang can easily access it from the main road of Sierra Heights frontage.
Plaque signing ceremony between CEO of MMM, Shinya Ikeda, and Dealer Principal of K.M. Lim Auto, Albert Lim.
Spanning 10,000 square feet and standing two storeys tall, MMM’s 3S Centre in Kluang comes with a fully equipped service centre with service bays ready to serve every Mitsubishi car. There is also a customer lounge with WiFi connection and a kid’s corner to keep the little ones happy while customers wait for their cars.
MMM Chief Executive Officer, Shinya Ikeda said, “In line with Mitsubishi Motors’ business plan, we are continuing to advance our dealer’s network expansion to better enhance our customers’ touch points. Through this strategic move, our aim is to cover untapped locations and extend our sales and services to meet the growing demands of the Mitsubishi brand, we want to ensure our customers have greater coverage and accessibility of showrooms and service centres in an area that is convenient to them.”
RELATED:
Mitsubishi Motors donates Triton to National Cancer Society Malaysia
Handing over a brand new Mitsubishi Triton to a proud owner during the showroom launch event.
He added, “K.M. Lim Auto has been in the automotive business since 1986, and is very experienced in the business. We welcome them to the family and we are confident that the new showroom will improve the visibility of Mitsubishi Motors in Kluang to deliver a pleasant ownership experience that goes beyond expectations.”
The new Mitsubishi 3S Centre in Kluang is open from Monday to Friday, from 8.30 am to 7.00 pm. It is also open on Saturdays from 9.00 am to 6.00 pm, and on Sundays from 10.00 am to 5.00 pm.
RELATED:
Mitsubishi rewards 100,000th Triton customer in Malaysia with 100,000 km worth of diesel


Honda Malaysia to launch 3 new models, 1 facelift update in 2023 – what could they be?

Honda Malaysia
 has announced that it will be unveiling three all-new models, alongside one facelift update for 2023, in its efforts to achieve its sales target of 80,000 units this year. The company has already confirmed that the all-new Honda WR-V will be
launched here in Malaysia in the third quarter
, so what are the other three models? Here are our guesses, based on a little digging and guesswork!

By the way, if you’re looking to renew your insurance, you can get a 10% rebate and cash back at the end of your policy if you renew with MotorTakaful by Etiqa. Just log on to
www.motortakaful.com
.
For the all-new model launches, the most likely model to be introduced here in Malaysia this year will be the
sixth-generation Honda CR-V
. The model will be making its
 ASEAN debut in Thailand
 in just two days’ time, so it’s likely that the model will also be making its debut in Malaysia soon – especially when test mules have already been spotted doing their rounds on our local roads.
In Thailand, the all-new 2023 Honda CR-V will be offered with a 2.0-litre e:HEV hybrid mill in its range-topping RS variant, with alongside the familiar 1.5-litre VTEC turbocharged engine for the other variants. The Honda Sensing advanced driver assist systems will also be standard across all variants.
The third all-new model launch will sound a little surprising, but we have good reason to believe that the
FL5 Honda Civic Type R
is indeed making its way into Malaysia this year too. Firstly, it’s a single slide during Honda Malaysia’s presentation that shows off the Type R’s six-speed manual shifter, alongside the caption “2023 Exciting Year”. Sounds pretty self-explanatory, don’t you think?
Besides, the model has also already made their debut in both
Vietnam
 and Thailand – albeit in severely limited quantities – so it’s only fair to assume it’s our turn soon. We promise this isn’t just wishful thinking.
As for the facelift update, we’re really torn between two models. The most likely model here is probably the Honda City, as it’s the best-selling model for the marque here on our shores. The Honda City only just received a slight makeover update in India, which introduces a reworked grille up front, alongside new bumpers.
With that being said, the 10th-generation Honda Accord, which
made its debut here back in 2021
, is also due for an update – especially if you consider that the
11th-generation model has already been unveiled for the US
. A powertrain upgrade to the e:HEV hybrid mill (as seen on the
Accord in Thailand
) could be possible here, although we won’t hold our breath for that.
Which of these launches do you think are the most likely? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!


Is this our first look at the next-gen Mazda MX-5?

Mazda put out a press briefing yesterday, which detailed its
electrification and investment plans
for the next 10 years or so. It was a pretty dry speech as usual, with a rough outline on Mazda’s strategy in the near future, but hidden right at the very end of the video was something a little more special – a rendering of a two-door sports car, dubbed the Vision Study Model.
To make matters even more interesting, the concept was shown off after a short ad spot featuring multiple generations of the Miata, a lot of happy people, and also many happy people in Miatas. Could this really be our first look at the next-gen
Mazda MX-5
? There’s certainly ground to believe so…
Mazda didn’t provide any other details aside from just showing off the render, nothing about its purpose, nothing about its market segmentation, and nothing about what’s powering it. Just by looking at it, though, we’re pretty certain it’s roughly the same size as the current
 fourth-generation ND Mazda MX-5
.
The video also includes a short segment on its chassis… which we’re guessing is probably just an “artist’s interpretation” model. But there are a few interesting things to note here, such as what appears to be a T-shaped battery instead of a skateboard-style packaging, and the lack of an internal combustion engine.
The next-gen Mazda MX-5 has been previously
 rumoured to be electrified
, although
later reports
claim that it’ll still have a petrol engine, with mild-hybrid technology tacked on.
And that’s pretty much all that’s shown, but it sure is pretty, though. It looks somewhat like a mix between the Mazda RX-7 and the ND MX-5, with smooth curves that remind us of recent Mazda cars, plus massive haunches that gives it proper sports car sex appeal. The rear end also has a slight hint of the
Lotus Elise
, although the front is unmistakeably Mazda.
It’s not a convertible, yes, but this also wouldn’t be the first time Mazda has made a coupe-style MX-5 model. It’s just a concept (or a mere design study) for now, but we know we’ll be praying every night from now on, wishing that they’ll build it. Please, Mazda.
RELATED:
Mazda to kill pure ICE – Hybrid and EV only by 2030


Suzuki to bring the Jimny to Malaysia this August

Following the launch of the
140 hp Suzuki Swift Sport
 early last month by
 Naza Eastern Motors
, the company said it would be introducing the iconic Jimny to the local market come August this year.
According to a report by
BHarian
, it was also mentioned that the variants which will be introduced are the most premium and high-end available.
Jimny “Defender”
Jimny “G Wagon”
In fact, the company has received close to 20 bookings despite no announcements being made – an indicator of the vehicle’s charisma.
Interestingly, the BHarian report also shared that the booking ratio between the Jimny and the Swift Sport was 3:1. Both models are fully imported from Japan.

When asked if non performance variants of Suzuki Swift will be introduced, the company responded by saying that it is in the pipeline and could take place as early as next year. They will be
 imported from Thailand
.
For now, the company’s immediate plan is to expand the Suzuki dealer network to include states like Johor, Penang, Malacca, and more outlets in the Klang Valley. Such efforts will take place in the 3rd and 4th quarter of this year.


2023 BYD Dolphin EV to launch in Malaysia on July 28, ROI now open

BYD
 Cars Malaysia has announced on its
social media page
 that the
2023 BYD Dolphin
 all-electric (EV) hatchback will finally be making its launch in Malaysia on
July 28
,
2023
. The carmaker has also created a
registration of interest page
 on its official site, so all of you who are interested may register your interest over there.
When launched in Malaysia, the 2023 BYD Dolphin will be BYD’s second model in our market and will be slotted under the larger
Atto 3
 EV SUV. It will also be the first of its kind, as B-segment hatchbacks in our market thus far have all been powered by either internal combustion engines (ICEs) or petrol hybrid powertrains.
If you are wondering how big (or small) the Dolphin EV hatchback is, it measures 4,290 mm long, 1,570 mm tall, and 1,770 mm wide, and is underpinned by a 2,700 mm long wheelbase. This makes it just a hair larger than ICE B-segment hatchbacks in the Malaysian market such as the
Perodua Myvi
,
Proton Iriz
, and
Toyota Yaris
, and is about the same size as the
Honda City Hatchback
.
Powering the Dolphin EV hatchback is a single-motor setup that pushes out
94 hp
 and
180 Nm
. Paired with BYD’s Cell to Body (CTB) battery with a
44.9 kWh
 capacity, enabling the EV hatchback to travel up to
490 km
 (NEDC).
Charging the BYD Dolphin from 20% to 80% takes
33 minutes
 using a
60 kW
 DC charger. As for AC charging, it can support up to
7 kW
, which will take around
7.5 hours
 to juice up from flat to full.
RELATED:
BYD Dolphin launched in Singapore & Thailand – EV hatchback coming to Malaysian soon
We don’t know what is the BYD Dolphin’s Malaysian retail price just yet, but we are presuming it to be around the RM100,00 and RM120,000 ballpark. This presumption is based on the BYD Atto 3’s local retail prices of
RM149,800
 and
RM167,800
, and also the fact that the Dolphin will be positioned under it when launched.
How much do you think the BYD Dolphin will be priced at? Are you anticipating its Malaysian launch? Let us know in the comments section!
RELATED:
Sime Darby Motors appoints 14 new BYD dealers across Malaysia


2016 BAIC D20 previewed in Malaysia, B-Segment hatchback to be CKD

Unveiled alongside Malaysia’s first ever locally assembled full electric vehicle, the BAIC EV200, is the BAIC D20 compact hatchback model. It’s currently on display at the 2016 Malaysian Autoshow, which is also the venue for which the D20 made its global debut for the right-hand drive version.
The D20 is the main subcompact offering from BAIC and it will be locally assembled at the company’s production plant in Gurun, Kedah. Thanks to its Energy Efficient Vehicle (EEV) status, the D20 will be competitively priced against established players in the increasingly crowded subcompact segment.
QUICK FACTS
Name
BAIC D20 1.3L Comfort
BAIC D20 1.5L Comfort Manual
BAIC D20 1.5L Comfort Automatic
BAIC D20 1.5L Fashion Manual
BAIC D20 1.5L Fashion Automatic
Engine
1,332cc; 4 cylinder DOHC
1,499; 4 cylinder DOHC
Transmission
5-Speed Manual
5-Speed Manual
4-Speed Automatic
5-Speed Manual
4-Speed Automatic
Max Power
101 hp
114 hp
Max Torque
128 Nm
148 Nm
Price (OTR with Insurance)
TBA
BAIC actually has a stake in Mercedes-Benz, so it benefits from some of the brand’s past products. At first glance, the silhouette of the D20 resembles that of the B-Class. It sits on the same platform underpinning the original Smart ForFour, and the sedan variant is reportedly scheduled to be introduced next year.
The D20 lineup begins with the 1.3-litre Comfort trim as its base model, followed by four 1.5-litre variants which can be had either Comfort or Fashion trims. Regardless, all variants receive 14-inch wheels (the 1.3-litre variant gets steel wheel with covers) and daytime running lights. The sunroof, door visors and foldable door mirrors are exclusive to the Fashion trims. Six colours are being offered for the D20, including our favourite Madrid Red.

Inside, it isn’t shabby as many would perceive it to be. All variants receive the same fabric seats, dark dashboard setting and digital air conditioning. The single slot CD player with USB and auxiliary support is standard as well, but a 6.5-inch touchscreen infotainment system can be optioned.
Two petrol mills are offered for the D20 – a
1.3-engine
 that makes
101 hp
 and
128 Nm
 of torque that can only be had with a
 five-speed manual
 transmission. The
1.5-litre engine
 meanwhile develops
 114 hp
 and
 148 Nm
 and is mated to a
four-speed automatic
. All powertrains are Euro 5 emissions compliant.

Just like the EV200, the safety kit for the D20 is limited to two frontal airbags, Isofix anchoring points and ABS with EBD. Also, BAIC has yet to reveal the pricing of the cars, but expect the figures to be disclosed soon. Apparently, the highest-specced D20 will cost lesser than RM55k. If that’s the case, it may be bad news for Proton and Perodua but to Malaysians, an extra choice isn’t a bad thing after all.
IMAGE GALLERY
2016 BAIC D20

Media Image


Pak, your new ride is here – all-new Mercedes-Benz S-Class launched in Indonesia

The
all-new Mercedes-Benz S-Class
 has just been officially introduced in Indonesia, making it the second market to receive the new model in our region after Singapore. The all-new luxury sedan is only available in one variant in the archipelago, in the form of the
V223 (long-wheelbase) S 450 4Matic Luxury
.
Being the flagship model in the Mercedes-Benz line-up, the all-new S-Class comes with pretty much all of the bells and whistles you can find. On the outside, these include the fancy Digital Light headlight system, which uses 1.3-million micro-mirrors to direct light – and even project images – onto the ground ahead, as well as the LED tail lights.
Other exterior features include the pop-up door handles, ginormous panoramic sunroof, as well as 20-inch ten-spoke alloy wheels, wrapped in run-flat tyres that even come with foam absorbers inside to reduce rolling noise!
Inside, the all-new model sticks true to its S-Class reputation by offering a boatload of new features and tech as standard. Most importantly of all though, is the new second-generation MBUX infotainment system in the centre, which controls almost every single aspect of the car.
The central screen is now in a vertical orientation, measuring 12.8-inches in diameter; the driver gets another screen behind the wheel that acts as the digital instrument cluster. Even the rear passengers – which the car can fit two – each gets a screen for themselves, plus a centre control tablet, totalling up to five discrete screens in the interior.
We’ve gone into a lot more detail about the new spaceship-esque MBUX system before, so be sure to check out the full rundown
here
.
Being a Mercedes-Benz S-Class, and even more so on this LWB variant, the main focus here is of course the rear passengers. As mentioned above, there’s only space for two passengers here, each getting an electrically-adjustable executive seat, separated by a centre console akin to first-class aeroplane seats which houses the aforementioned control tablet.
And to make sure that the rear passengers get the most luxurious, lounge-like experience, the all-new S-Class also comes with the fancy
active ambient lighting system
, designer belt buckles, and electric sunblinds on all rear windows. Even the doors can be closed by themselves – yes, just like a Rolls-Royce!
For extra safety, the all-new Mercedes-Benz S-Class in Indonesia also comes with the
world’s first rear-passenger frontal airbags
.
Fancy lighting, all the way to the back.
Powering the massive luxobarge is the M256 turbocharged 3.0-litre straight-six engine, which outputs
367 hp
 and
500 Nm
 of torque, with power sent to all four wheels via the 9G-Tronic automatic transmission. As an added trick up its sleeve, the S 450 in Indonesia also comes with the EQ Boost 48V mild-hybrid system, providing an extra 22 hp and 250 Nm of motivation when needed.
As a result, the century sprint can (
but probably shouldn’t
) be completed in just 5.1 seconds, onward to an electronically-limited top speed of 250 km/h. Airmatic air suspension are standard-fit item, allowing the all-new S-Class to float on the roads in ultimate comfort.
Looooong wheelbase.
The all-new Mercedes-Benz S-Class in the sole S 450 Luxury form is priced at IDR3 Billion (~RM883k) in Indonesia, with deliveries slated to begin next month.
With our neighbours all getting their hands on the all-new S-Class, we’d wager that the new luxury sedan will soon also make its way onto our shores – so do keep an eye out on
AutoBuzz.my
 as we bring you the latest developments!
GALLERY


Hyundai pre-owned vehicles up for grabs, with up to 5 years warranty

Hyundai Sime Darby Motors (HSDM) will be offering special deals this weekend from the 17th to 19th of September through the ‘Hyundai Promise’ approved used car programme.
There are limited units of the Elantra, Santa Fe, Grand Starex, Sonata, and the latest Kona crossover available for viewing and test drives at the Sime Darby Auto Hyundai showroom in Ara Damansara. The showroom will be opened from 9 am to 6 pm this weekend.
“Approved Used Car vehicles, though pre-owned, is ensured to be in tip top condition and refurbished to be as good as new. Purchasing a Hyundai model through Hyundai Promise will be like driving a top-quality vehicle for the price of a used vehicle,” said HSDM Managing Director, Mr. Low Yuan Lung.
Mr. Low also added that the companty aims to make car ownership affordable regardless of whether it’s a brand new or used car.
Through Hyundai Promise, the pre-owned Hyundai vehicles sold are fitted only with original parts. They’ve undergone stringent and rigorous inspections by trained technicians. This is to ensure that the vehicles are in optimum condition before they are certified and approved for sale.
It goes without saying these vehicles are also accident-free and come with extended warranties; between two to five years depending on the age of the vehicle and its mileage. All pre-owned cars are covered by manufacturer’s and dealer’s warranty as well as a 24-hour road assistance service.


Nissan Serena S-Hybrid now open for booking, 7 seater 2.0L hybrid, CKD

Edaran Tan Chong Motor (ETCM) has announced that the fifth-generation Nissan Serena S-Hybrid is now open for booking with its official launch slated for May 2018.
Under the hood you’ll find the same MR20DD 2.0-litre Twin CVTC (Continuously Variable-valve Timing Control) four-cylinder hybrid system paired to an XTRONIC CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) to develop
148 hp
 and
200 Nm
 of torque, the latter peaking at 4,400 rpm. Like the outgoing model, the new car is front-wheel driven.
Nissan has made some improvements to the hybrid powertrain in the form of a new Dual Arm Tensioner (DAT) that gives a lower tension on the arm belt to reduce power loss and contribute to better fuel economy. The ECO motor that controls the Idling Stop system has been improved to provide more torque during start-up acceleration as well as act as an alternator to facilitate energy recuperation during deceleration and braking.
The improved hybrid system earns the new MPV best-in-class fuel economy of 14.2 km/L, based on the New European Driving Cycle. The Serena S-Hybrid also qualifies for the Energy Efficient Vehicle (EEV) status.
As for specs, our local Serena S-Hybrid will now feature a seven-seater configuration (previously eight) with two captain seats for the middle passengers. Nissan has also thrown in seven USB charging ports for each passenger, a convenient touch. Practicality has also been improved significantly thanks to the, sliding third-row seats, bi-level boot space and dual opening tailgate (rear glass opens independently of tailgate).
Our Serena S-Hybrid will come with the
Nissan Intelligent Mobility
 suite that includes Intelligent Around View Monitor (I-AVM) 360-degree camera, Hands-Free Dual Power Sliding Doors that can open or close the sliding doors by a kicking motion, Intelligent Moving Object Detection (I-MOD) that detects moving objects surrounding the vehicle and Driver Attention Alert. It remains to be seen whether Nissan’s ProPilot semi-autonomous driving technology will make its debut.
Other standard safety equipment reads six airbags, Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC), Traction Control System (TCS), Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Brake Assist (BA), Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD), Hill Start Assist (HSA), and two ISOFIX mounting points.
ETCM did not reveal pricing details of the new Nissan Serena S-Hybrid nor the number of variants available at launch. The new MPV is available for viewing at selected shopping malls and roadshows nationwide:
Date
Region
Venue
3 – 8 April
Eastern
AEON KB, Kota Bahru
3 – 8 April
Central
IPC Shopping Mall, Petaling Jaya
5 – 8 April
Central
Tropicana City Mall, Petaling Jaya
6 – 8 April
Sarawak
Vivacity Megamall, Kuching
7 – 8 April
Sabah
Imago Times Square, Kota Kinabalu
11 -15 April
Central
Alamanda Mall, Putrajaya
12 – 15 April
Southern
AEON Seremban 2, Seremban
17 – 22 April
Central
AEON Shah Alam, Selangor
20 – 22 April
Southern
Sutera Mall, Johor Bahru
23 – 29 April
Central
Sunway Pyramid, Sunway
25 – 29 April
Central
One Utama, Petaling Jaya
26 – 29 April
Northern
Queensbay Mall, Penang
26 – 29 April
Southern
MYDIN MITC, Melaka
27 – 29 April
Central
Melawati Mall, Kuala Lumpur
27 – 29 April
Central
1 Mont Kiara, Kuala Lumpur
27 April – 1 May
Central
IOI City Mall, Putrajaya
3 – 6 May
Central
Starling Mall, Petaling Jaya
3 – 6 May
Northern
Ipoh Parade, Ipoh
3 – 6 May
Northern
Gurney Plaza, Penang
Roadshow Schedule
Date
Region
Venue
3 – 8 April
Southern
AEON Bukit Indah, Johor Bahru
6 – 8 April
Central
Leisure Mall Cheras, Kuala Lumpur
26 – 29 April
Central
MAI Autoshow @ MAEPS, Serdang
26 – 29 April
Eastern
Kuantan City Mall, Kuantan
2 – 6 May
Central
Mid Valley Megamall, Kuala Lumpur
3 – 6 May
Central
Empire Shopping Gallery, Subang
4 – 6 May
Central
iCar Asia Test & Buy @ Setia City Convention Centre
IMAGE GALLERY
Nissan Serena S-Hybrid Open for Booking in Malaysia

Nissan Serena Japan Spec

Nissan Serena Nismo


Perodua committed to continue supplying parts for previous Myvi models

Perodua has pledged to continue the supply of replacement parts for the previous-generation Myvi by opening a new parts production line dedicated to the cause.
With
over a million of them running around the country
, without a hint of them being retired soon, the new production line will be manufacturing parts like the hood, doors, fenders, quarter panels and roofs – operated by IQM Sdn Bhd, a vendor for Perodua since 2002, at Proton City, Tanjung Malim.
Most first-generation Perodua Myvis, dating back to 2006, are still running strong to this day.
Aside from the second-generation Myvi (519,000 produced from May 2011 to Oct 2017) and the Viva, original parts for the first-generation Myvi, the Kelisa and even the Kancil are still being produced to this day.
“We elected to outsource parts production for the second-generation Myvi because our manufacturing plants are already at peak capacity. Being already a manufacturer of Viva parts since production of the model ended in 2014, IQM was a natural choice for this project,” said P
erodua Auto Corporation Sdn. Bhd., President Mr Takahashi Masanori.


Mini to become BMW Group’s first fully-electric brand, by early 2030s

In response to the
 tightening emissions regulations
 worldwide, the Iconic “British” brand Mini has now become the latest brand to commit to a fully-electric future.
The announcement was made by BMW’s chairman of the board, Oliver Zipse at the carmaker’s annual conference, who said: “Mini is perfect for the city – and for e-mobility. We will be releasing the last model with a combustion-engine variant in 2025. By early 2030s, Mini will be exclusively fully-electric.”
The only electric Mini currently, launched here in
August of last year
.
BMW also said that Mini will play a “pioneering role” in the group’s electrification efforts, with Zipse confirming that the brand will “be the first BMW Group brand to go fully-electric”. Mini has reportedly already started working on a new EV architecture.
In reference to the said final combustion-engine model due 2025, current rumours suggest that it will be the next-generation Mini Cooper hatch. The company expects at least half of its total global sales to be contributed by EVs by 2027.
Mini even
took their electric Cooper rallying
!
Mini currently only makes one fully-electric model, in the form of the
Mini Cooper SE
, with an electric single motor on the front axle paired to a 28.9 kWh battery pack. Power output is rated at
184 hp
 and
 270 Nm
of torque, with the battery able to provide 234 km of pure-electric range.
According to a report by Autocar UK, the company will also begin production of the next-generation Mini Countryman in 2023, which will be offered in both ICE and fully-electric variants. Meanwhile, a new Mini-branded electric crossover will be built in China starting 2023 too, via a joint venture with Great Wall Motors.
Zipse ended the press conference by saying that “there will be an electric Rolls-Royce in this decade”, adding that it probably won’t be in the latter half. As for which model, that’s anyone’s guess.


Jaguar Land Rover has devised a method to cure motion sickness

Motion sickness affects over 70% of people and little has been known about the causes and how to mitigate them, according to the wellness technology research department of Jaguar Land Rover.
As such, Jaguar Land Rover has created a method to generate the wellness score of each passenger where the data collected can be used to personalise a vehicle’s driving data and cabin setting to reduce the effects of car sickness by up to 60%.
Over 15,000 miles of motion sickness data have been collected to create a specific driving style for self-driving vehicles, minimising the need for steering corrections thus reducing the risk of motion sickness while passengers work or relax.
The ‘wellness score’ calculates how prone drivers and passengers are to car sickness, using biometric sensors that record physiological signals. Combining this with motion and dynamics data, the vehicle can tell when a passenger or driver is becoming car sick even before they do.
Motion sickness is often caused when the eyes observe information that is different from what is sensed by the inner ear, skin or body forces – commonly when reading.
The Jaguar E-Pace for example, is one of Jaguar Land Rover’s vehicles today that’s designed to help reduce feelings of nausea.
It has 26 different seat configurations for passengers to find the optimal, eye-level position in accordance with the infotainment display, as well as turn on the cooling seat function. Both have been proven to significantly reduced motion sickness.
The E-PACE’s Adaptive Dynamics also remove low frequency motion from the road, which can lead to nausea, by altering the ride settings every 10-milliseconds to ensure passengers always experience high levels of comfort.


The upcoming Mercedes-Benz S-Class apparently has a very Tesla-esque interior

The updated Mercedes-Benz S-Class is slated to make its introduction later this year, but a couple of images of what appears to be a prototype vehicle have sneaked onto
social media
, giving us a good look at the forthcoming S-Class, almost completely undisguised.
The top-of-the-range luxury sedan seems to have borrowed quite a few elements from the
recently-updated E-Class
, although general dimensions and curvy shape seems to remain identical to the current car. Up front, the new S-Class seems to have adopted an enlarged grille, flanked by new slimmer headlights.
The new larger grille gets a new interpretation of the classic Mercedes-Benz grille design, featuring a more angular shape, and triple solid horizontal slats. Lower down, the large and aggressively-styled air inlets suggests that the sample shown in the images is most probably the AMG Line variant.
At the back, the new taillights are reminiscent of the ones on the
latest CLS
 – a new design language that will most likely be adopted across the entire Mercedes-Benz line-up in the near future. The taillights are joined together by a chrome strip across the entire width of the car.
While the
current S-Class
‘s interior evokes a sense of class and elegance utilising lacquered wood and smooth lines, the designers seem to be aiming for a more minimalist approach with the interior of the forthcoming luxury sedan, using plain glossy black surfaces and straight lines – almost making the interior look a little sterile, and
 a little like a Tesla.
The stylish round air vents have been replaced by twin vertical vents on each end, along with four horizontal rectangles up top. Behind the new triple-twin-spoke steering wheel as introduced in the
new E-Class
 is the now familiar digital instrument cluster, installed in a free-standing manner à la the
A-Class
.
The images also show a large gaping hole behind the instrument cluster display, presumably to be used for an advanced head-up display system, possibly utilising augmented-reality technology – something the German carmaker has been experimenting with in the MBUX system on the
A-Class
.
The images also suggest the adoption of a portrait-oriented infotainment display system, as opposed to landscape in all of its current models. According to the images, the touchscreen will also be taking over most physical controls, with only a single row of buttons, possibly capacitive, as shortcuts to the commonly-accessed controls such as volume, and emergency signal lights.
The current
Mercedes-Benz S 560 e
.
Being at the forefront of the Mercedes-Benz model line-up, the forthcoming S-Class will most likely feature the brand’s latest electrified powertrains, including mild-hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and possibly even a fully-electric option through the carmaker’s EQ sub-brand.
Autocar UK
 reports that the new S-Class powertrains will be built around the 3.0-litre and 2.9-litre inline-six petrol and diesel engines, along with the AMG-developed 4.0-litre V8, all of which will feature the Integrated Starter Generator (ISG) technology sandwiched between the engine and the automatic gearbox, as well as a lithium-ion battery housed in the boot floor.
Image Source:
Ray Chen/Twitter


Facts & Figures: 2022 Peugeot 2008 launched in Malaysia from RM126,753

Two years after its global reveal, Bermaz Auto Alliance, the new sole distributors of Peugeot vehicles in Malaysia has launched the all-new Peugeot 2008. It’s locally assembled at the Stellantis manufacturing plant in Gurun, Kedah and is available in a single variant only, from RM126,753.
The Peugeot 2008 will also be exported from Malaysia to neighbouring countries like Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, the Philippines, and Indonesia.

The new Peugeot 2008 retains the same 1.2-litre turbocharged 3-cylinder engine from before but now produces 20 hp and 25 Nm more.
PERFORMANCE
Engine: 1.2-litre 3-cylinder PureTech turbocharged engine
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Drivetrain: Front-wheel drive
Max Power: 131 hp
Max Torque: 230 Nm
It’s worth noting that the new Peugeot 2008 has endured 200,000 kilometres of testing in Malaysia’s climate and landscape.
EXTERIOR
Compared to the previous generation model, the all-new model comes with a longer body and wheelbase. As a result, boot space is now larger by 74 litres, at 434 litres.
Full LED lighting
LED daytime running light
Keyless entry with walk-away autolock
17-inch Black Onyx Diamond-cut wheels
Colour options include Amazonite Grey, Pearl White, Nera Black and the 2008’s flagship colour the Orange Fusion.
INTERIOR
The highlight of the 2008’s interior, aside from the funky choice of trims and upholstery, is the world-first Peugeot i-Cockpit 3D instrument cluster that projects vehicle information such as speed, like a hologram.
The 3D instrument cluster projects animated displays and varies according to importance or urgency, and according to Peugeot this helps improve reaction time by half a second.
Single zone air conditioning
Peugeot i-Cockpit
7-inch infotainment display with reverse camera
Apple CarPlay & Android Auto
Electric Parking brake
Drive Mode Selector – Normal, Eco, Sport
Ambient lighting
Thanks to the extended wheelbase, Peugeot claims that the 2008 now offers the most rear legroom of any car built on their CMP platform.
SAFETY
Driver aids fitted into the Peugeot 2008 includes autonomous emergency braking, lane-keeping assist along with the following features:
Six airbags
Hill-start assist
Front & rear parking sensors
Blind spot monitor
The all-new Peugeot 2008 comes with 3-years Free Service or 60,000 km whichever comes first. It will also be accompanied with a 5-year Manufacturers Warranty or 100,000 km, whichever comes first.
GALLERY


This is the fastest pick-up in the world, the 1,012 hp Hennessey Mammoth!

Texas-based high-performance car manufacturer Hennessey has revealed that production of the world’s fastest and most powerful pick-up, the Mammoth 1000 TRX, is set to begin production.
Based on the Dodge Ram 1500 TRX pick-up, Hennessey has taken its 6.2-litre supercharged V8 and squeezed out
1,012 hp
 and
1,314 Nm
. Standard output was only 702 hp and 881 Nm. As such, 0 to 100 km/h only takes 3.2 seconds, a full 1.3 seconds faster than the standard truck, and is
almost as quick as the most powerful BMW in production
.
The Hennessey Venom F5 is expected to reach a 500 km/h top speed…read about it here!
Achieving this has been no easy feat. The engine compartment in particular had undergone significant upgrades to now include a high flow supercharger system, high flow injectors, upgraded spark plugs and thermostat, to name a few.
Founder and CEO, John Hennessey said, “The new Mammoth 1000 TRX is the most powerful pickup truck that Hennessey Performance has ever offered. We’ve already sold more than 100 trucks, with each answering one big question – why have a 1,000-horsepower pickup truck? Because we can!”
Find out what Hennessey has done to the fully electric Porsche Taycan!
Aside from providing the standard truck,
customers are expected to spend up to USD$150,000
 for the standard truck to turn into a Mammoth 1000. The package includes custom front and rear bumpers, an LED light bar, a front levelling kit, exterior badges and 20-inch Hennessey wheels, with tyres. Customers can also upgrade to larger 37-inch tyres.
Following the modifications, each unit will endure 300 km of road testing and comes with serial number plaques. The Hennessey Mammoth 1000 will be limited to just 200 units.
Move aside Mercedes-Benz, check out Hennessey’s 6-wheeler Velociraptor!
GALLERY


2023 Mazda 2 sedan facelift makes global debut in Thailand – 83 design combos to choose from!

First revealed
earlier this year
, the 2023 Mazda 2 facelift has now been launched in Thailand in both
hatchback
 and sedan forms – the latter making its global debut in the Land of Smiles.
Like its hatchback counterpart, the new 2023 Mazda 2 Sedan will offer customers two distinct front ends to choose from – the first “New Wave Design” option features an EV-like closed off panel for its grille, while the “Sport Design” variant gets a sporty race car inspired mesh grille.
2023 Mazda 2 Sedan with Sport Design front fascia
For a bit of fun, Mazda has also added a small colour accent trim on the grille (plus rear bumper for the hatchback) for both variants, with a variety of hue options available for customers to personalise.
Together with the different colour options for the wheels, roof, wing mirrors, and interior upholstery, Mazda Thailand says that there’ll be a total of 83 different possible combinations for customers to choose from. And if that’s not enough, Mazda Thailand is also offering two special editions, dubbed Rookie Drive and Clap Pop, each with their own colour themes and decals to further spice up the exterior styling.
Inside, the dashboard of the new 2023 Mazda 2 is largely unchanged from before, although it now gets colour-matched panels and on certain variants, unique textiles, to match the extravagant exterior colours.
The free-standing touchscreen infotainment display atop the dashboard has also increased in size to now an eight-inch panel, although it’s still powered by the same old Mazda Connect software – fortunately still with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity.
READ MORE:
New Mazda 2 facelift debuts with EV-like grille, 198 colour combinations
The Mazda 2 continues to be offered with two unchanged powertrain options in Thailand, the first being a 1.3-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine, making
93 hp
 and
123 Nm
 of torque.
On the other end of the spectrum is a 1.5-litre turbo diesel mill that serves up
105 hp
and
 250 Nm
. Both engines are paired exclusively to a six-speed automatic transmission.
Pricing for the Mazda 2 in Thailand ranges from THB599,000 (approx. RM80k) to THB830,000 (approx. RM111k) for both the sedan and hatchback models.
Closer to home, the
outgoing pre-facelift 2020
 model is priced from RM103,670, although we do get a different 1.5-litre SkyActiv-G naturally-aspirated mill compared to our neighbours up North.


Autonomous emergency braking can help reduce rear-end accidents by nearly 50%, study says

Advanced driver assist systems are becoming more and more commonplace, and the basic ones – such as
autonomous emergency braking (AEB)
 – are now even becoming standard equipment on even entry-level vehicles. That’s good news, because according to a recent study conducted by Partnership for Analytics Research in Traffic Safety (PARTS), an entity consisting of the United States Department of Transport and a wide range of carmakers, the safety system can actually help reduce rear-end accidents by nearly 50%.
Compared to cars without these systems, forward collision warning and autonomous emergency braking together can also help reduce front-to-rear crash injuries by 53%, according to data provided by the participating carmakers for 93 separate vehicle models from 2015-2020 model years, cross-referencing the US’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) data for car crashes in 13 states from January 2016 through August 2021.
The study also shows that vehicles equipped with active lane intervention technologies, such as lane-keep assist and lane-centring assist, can also help reduce single-vehicle crashes that lead to serious injuries by up to 9%.
Commenting on the study, PARTS Governance Board industry co-chair, and senior manager at Stellantis, Tim Czapp said, “These emerging technologies can substantially reduce the number of crashes and improve safety outcomes”, adding that “AEB is approaching standard deployment and with real-world effectiveness, is helping mitigate injuries and lives lost.”
RELATED:
 What is Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB)?
One of the main reason that systems such as AEB can provide “substantial safety benefits” was due to their ability to operate in almost all situations, even when the roads, weather, and lighting conditions are not ideal, the study added.
Further studies will need to be conducted in order to ascertain the effectiveness of other systems, including pedestrian detection in AEB. To that end, PARTS announced that Ford have now joined the coalition, and will also be participating in future iterations of ADAS studies.
The full study is available to the public via MITRE’s website, linked
here
.
ALSO READ:
First Perodua Alza accident shows that ADAS can’t protect you in all situations


The ID.4 is Volkswagen’s first global electric car

Volkswagen has unveiled the ID.4, a fully-electric compact SUV that will lead the charge for the brand’s electric future in the global market, especially in in China and the United States. Dubbed as the brand’s “first global electric car”, The

ID.4
is the second model – along with the
ID.3
 – to be built on the modular electric drive matrix (MEB) platform.
While we’ve pretty much seen the car in full –
both inside and out
 – since the model was first
teased back in November last year
. Volkswagen has now finally shed off its wild purple camouflage, giving us a closer look at the details and specifications of the
Tiguan
-sized fully-electric SUV.
Sharing a majority of the styling cues with the ID.3, the ID.4 bears a grille-less face up front, with an LED lightstrip across the entire bonnet lip joining the two headlights together. The VW logo can even be optioned with LED backlighting to give it a coherent look.
If you haven’t noticed, LED is a key element in the ID.4’s design; the company says that even the entry-level model is “almost completely equipped” with LED in the headlights. Stepping up to the optional IQ.Light gives you adaptive LED Matrix headlights with the ability to swivel and direct the beam independently. The LED theme continues at the back with the 3D LED taillight clusters.
Further down on the front bumper is an interesting mesh-like air intake that spans the entire width of the car, with the black chunky plastic look wrapping around the entirety of the Volkswagen ID.4 in the form of a cladding, giving it a more rugged SUV-like appearance while reducing visual mass.
The curvaceous body shape and sloping roofline was designed specifically with efficiency in mind, helping the ID.4 achieve a aerodynamic drag coefficient of 0.28 Cd. The Volkswagen ID.4 rides on large wheels of up to 21 inches in diameter.
Inside, the ID.4 once again follows the ID.3 in its minimalist philosophy. Physical buttons have mostly been replaced by touch buttons and sliders, and similarly, analogue dials have been replaced by two digital screens in the cockpit – one approximately the size of a mobile phone for the digital instrument cluster, while the main centre infotainment display measures up to 12 inches in size.
Volkswagen likened the interior design of the ID.4 to a “feel-good lounge”, with material choices and colours selected specifically to be “contemporary while also being homely”. Thanks to the new MEB architecture, Volkswagen says that the passenger space in the ID.4 can even be compared to a conventional SUV one segment higher. As for cargo space, the ID.4 offers 543 litres of space with the rear seats up, which expands to 1,575 litres with the rear seats folded down.
Other interior equipment highlights include an electronically-operated boot, 30-colour ambient lighting, optional augmented-reality head-up display, and ID.Light, a thin light strip underneath the front windscreen to support drivers in a various situations – such as navigation or when the car is unlocked – with intuitive lighting effects in different colours.
At launch, the ID.4 will be offered in a sole 1st Edition variant, which packs a
83 kWh battery
 (77 kWh net charge) to power a single electric motor at the rear axle. Power output is rated at
201 hp
 and
309 Nm
 of torque, which translate a 0-100 km/h acceleration time of
8.5 seconds
, onward to a electronically-limited top speed of
160 km/h
. Range is rated at
 520 km
 based on the WLTP cycle.
The 11 kW onboard charger is capable of delivering a 53 km range in about one hour of charging time, while topping-off the battery takes approximately seven and a half hours at a home or public Level 2 charger. With a public 125 kW DC charger, the ID.4 can go from five to 80 percent charge in about 38 minutes, or enough to cover the next 320 km with just 30 minutes of charging time.
Volkswagen says that an all-wheel drive model will be offered in the following months, featuring an additional electric motor on the front axle to deliver 306 hp. But for now, the Volkswagen ID.4 starts at USD40,000 (~RM166k), while the 1st Edition variant is available for first customers, priced at USD43,995 (~RM183k).
GALLERY


McLaren is selling its iconic Woking headquarters

In an effort to strengthen its balance sheets against the impact of the ongoing
Covid-19 pandemic
, McLaren has decided to put its iconic Bruce Wayne Batcave-esque McLaren Technology Centre headquarters in Woking up for sale.
The property has been in the ownership of the McLaren Group since its completion in 2004. However, the firm has instructed property agent Colliers to begin marketing a sale-and-leaseback offer for the headquarters to the tune of around 200 million British Pounds, as reported by
Sky News
.
The sale will include all three buildings at the headquarters, including the main Stirling Prize-shortlisted McLaren Technology Centre, the McLaren Production Centre where the McLaren road-going cars are built, as well as the McLaren Thought Leadership Centre.
In the event of a sale, McLaren will lose ownership of the prestigious site. However, day-to-day operations will still remain in place as part of the leaseback deal.
“The potential sale and leaseback of our global headquarters and the appointment of banks to advise us on a debt restructuring and equity raise are part of the comprehensive refinancing strategy that we announced earlier this year,” a McLaren spokesperson said statement.
“Building on the shorter-term measures that we put in place over the summer, these initiatives will deliver a stronger balance sheet and ensure that McLaren Group has a sustainable platform for long-term growth and investment. The proposed sale and leaseback mirrors best practice among leading companies and will have no impact on our day-to-day operations.”
The sale of its headquarters is part of a larger cost-cutting plan across the entire McLaren Group due to the impact of the global health pandemic. Earlier this year, the company announced that it is cutting 1,200 jobs – more than a quarter of its entire workforce – across the entire group.
The British firm also recently sought for a loan of up to GBP275 million against its classic cars collection and the Woking HQ, securing a lone of GBP150 million from the National Bank of Bahrain. Recent reports also suggest that the company is looking to sell a minority stake to its illustrious Formula 1 team.
McLaren Group executive chairman Paul Walsh said, “This is undoubtedly a challenging time for our company and particularly our people, but we plan to emerge as an efficient, sustainable business with a clear course for returning to growth.”


2019 Perodua Axia STYLE unveiled with crossover inspired styling

At the official unveiling of the 2019 Perodua Axia, Perodua has given us an exciting surprise — a new STYLE variant.
While technically not an SUV, the Perodua Axia STYLE is taller by 15mm than the regular, and dressed up with rugged-looking front and rear bumpers with skid plate elements, all-round body cladding, clear-lens tail lamps, roof mouldings, a rear spoiler and 15-inch five-spoke alloy wheels.
The crossover-inspired variant will be offered with a variant-exclusive Sunrise Orange body colour.
Perodua’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Dato’ Zainal Abidin Ahmad said, “the new Perodua Axia STYLE embodies the desire to be different; to unleash the fun and active side that exists in all of us. It is upbeat and trendy, and at the same time retains all the hallmark Axia qualities of practicality, spaciousness, clever design and ease to drive.”
The Perodua Axia STYLE will be offered with the same
1.0-litre VVT-i engine
, mated to a
4-speed automatic transmission
. With all the additional weight from the added accessories, the Axia Style has unfortunately lowered its fuel consumption values to 20.8 km/l. However, the Style variant is still qualified under the Energy-Efficient Vehicle (EEV) programme.
Safety wise, the Perodua Axia Style variant includes vehicle stability control (VSC), traction control, anti brake-lock system (ABS), and electric brake-force distribution (EBD). The new Advanced Safety Assist (ASA) 2.0 system that includes auto emergency braking funtionalities is only reserved for the range-topping AV variant.
On the inside, the Axia STYLE is comparable to the SE variant, with the only difference being the door card trim. the Axia STYLE has a regular full trim door card, whereas the SE gets an additional fabric finish. However, the STYLE variant gets it’s own fabric design on the semi-bucket seats. The Axia STYLE also chose to omit the Bluetooth connectivity on the head unit, leaving the audio system with just a USB connection for music playback.
While it certainly looks the part as a rugged offroader, the Perodua Axia STYLE will only be driving with its front wheels, and equipped with regular road tyres and suspension. If you are looking to do some offroading in sand or mud, you might want to look elsewhere!
The Perodua Axia Style is priced at
RM38,890
 for Peninsula Malaysia, and RM40,890 in the East Malaysia region. You can check out our coverage on the other 2019 Perodua Axia variants
here
.
IMAGE GALLERY


2016 Ferrari GTC4 Lusso T arrives in Malaysia, priced from RM1.09 mil before taxes!

While the world anxiously waited to catch a glimpse of the all-new
Ferrari GTC4 Lusso T
, Naza Italia, the official distributor of Ferrari in Malaysia took us by surprise by having a simultaneous global debut – a first for the Ferrari brand in Malaysia and an honour for all of us Malaysians.
Naza Italia had the Ferrari FF on sale previously, hence it is only a matter of time before they introduce its successor, the new GTC4 Lusso. However, no one was expecting that they would introduce the rear-wheel drive turbocharged variant. Ferrari explains that this variant complements their line-up to satisfy their younger owners who crave an exciting Ferrari for their daily usage.
QUICK FACTS
Name
Ferrari GTC4 Lusso T
Engine
3,855cc; Twin-Turbo V8
Transmission
7-speed F1 dual clutch
Max Power
602 hp @ 7,500 rpm
Max Torque
760 Nm @ 3,000 – 5,250 rpm
0-100 km/h; Top Speed
3.5 seconds; >320 km/h
Price (without taxes)
RM1,088,000
EXTERIOR
Visually, the T wears the same body as the V12 GTC4 Lusso. As such, you get the same redesigned front bumper, side air-vents that are inspired from the 330GTC, blacked out roof, rear spoiler, tail lamps with revised graphics, bumper integrated third brake light and quad exhaust pipes.

Similar to the V12, the T rides on 20-inch multi-spoke alloys wrapped in sticky Michelin Pilot Super Sport rubbers as standard (245/35 at the front and 295/35 at the rear).
INTERIOR
Inside, the car is as per the naturally aspirated twin; a slimmer steering wheel, 10.5-inch high-res touch screen display, passenger side dashboard touchscreen display and a redesigned panoramic roof.

As per Ferrari’s personalisation programme, clients are able to customise the interior to their own personal liking.
PERFORMANCE
The biggest distinction of this T variant is the engine and drivetrain. Firstly, the large 6.3-litre naturally aspirated V12 is dropped in favour of a smaller yet equally powerful
3.9-litre twin-turbo charged V8
 that churns out
602 hp
 and a maximum torque of
760 Nm
 from a low 3,000 rpm. The century sprint is crushed in
 3.5 seconds
 all the way to an acclaimed top speed of over
 320 km/h
. Certainly quick enough for sending the kids to school.
Power is sent exclusively to the rear-wheels instead of four via a seven-speed F1 dual clutch automatic. Fortunately, Ferrari’s innovative technology such as 4WS or rear-wheel steering and Side Slip Control (SSC3) comes as standard.
As compared to the standard GTC4 Lusso, the T’s weight distribution is more rear biased (46:54 front to rear) than the V12 (47:53 front to rear). The T is also 50kg lighter (1,740 kg vs 1,790kg). Steering activity is reduced by some 2.5 percent while responsiveness is up by 6.5 percent. These collectively provide the T a more engaging Ferrari driving experience.
The biggest merits of adopting a small displacement engine over a huge V12 are improved emissions and fuel consumption, as the T is expected to consume 11.6 litres of fuel per 100km compared to the V12’s 15L/100km rating.
WHAT ELSE?
The GTC4 Lusso T certainly provides a valuable proposition to Malaysians especially when our road tax structure is in favour of smaller displacement engines. However, if you require Ferrari’s screaming V12, Naza Italia will be bringing in the GTC4 Lusso V12 sometime next month, so stay tuned for that. Otherwise, the GTC4 Lusso T starts from RM1,088,000 before duties, taxes and options.
IMAGE GALLERY

Ferrari GTC4 Lusso V12


2014 Volvo XC90 to have Twin Engine technology, with 400hp & 640Nm

Volvo released another nugget of information about their new
XC90
, and this time it’s regarding the powertrain. Volvo said that the
 T8
 range-topper promises to deliver up to
400 hp
 and
640 Nm
 of torque and no, it’s not from an 8-cylinder turbocharged engine.
Their new T8 is actually powered by a
turbocharged and supercharged
 2-litre 4-cylinder
Drive-E
 powerplant driving the front wheels. The Drive-E powerplant is also paired with a
60 kW
 electric motor that drives the rear wheels, hence what Volvo calls it as the
Twin Engine Technology
. The T8 is a plug-in hybrid vehicle with full-electric mode range of
40 km
, and its CO2 emission is just
60 g/km
.
The entire XC90 range will be powered by
4-cylinder
 engines. Slotting beneath the T8 petrol hybrid are the
 T6
 and
T5
. The former is also turbocharged and supercharged producing
320 hp
 and
400 Nm
 of torque, while the latter generates
254 hp
 and
350 Nm
 of torque.
On the diesel side there’s the
D5 twin-turbo
 churning out
225 hp
 and
470 Nm
 of torque with fuel consumption of around
6l/100km
, and a
190 hp
,
400 Nm D4 turbo
 with fuel consumption of around
5l/100km
.
Riding on Volvo’s all-new
Scalable Product Architecture
 (SPA) chassis, the new XC90 promises the combination of space, power, and efficiency. Stay tuned with Autobuzz.my for more details to be released by Volvo on their all-new XC90! For now, do check out the interior
here
!
[divider]
IMAGE GALLERY


First ever Vietnamese-made sedan and SUV to be designed by Pininfarina

Vietnamese carmaker, Vinfast, possibly the country’s first car brand, is set to engage Pininfarina, an Italian car designer, for the development of its new SUV and a sedan – set to be unveiled at the 2018 Paris Motor Show.
The decision was made through a voting contest in which Vietnamese consumers were asked to choose from 20 concept designs including Pininfarina’s. The designs had to be “in line with global trends and suited to the Vietnamese taste”. Two of Pininfarina’s designs were the most voted in a contest comprising of nearly 62,000 participants.
“The direct involvement of Pininfarina, one of the world’s biggest design brand, is expected to bring modern beauty while retaining Vietnamese identity in the first two VinFast car models”, said Vice President of Vingroup, Mr. Quang Viet Nguyen.
VinFast is targeting to produce over 500,000 vehicles in the country by 2025 and will launch its first car in September 2019. They are initially expecting to produce between 100,000 to 200,000 VinFast vehicles per year, which will include sedans, SUVs and electric motorcycles.


New limited edition Ford Mustang Mach1 pays tribute to past icons

After more than 50 years since the name was introduced and 17 years after the last Mustang Mach 1, Ford has revealed the latest iteration of the iconic model that sits between the standard
Mustang GT
 and the
 more powerful Shelby models
.
The most track-capable 5.0-litre Mustang ever, according to Ford, comes with a newly designed front end with a front splitter and Magnetic swing rear spoiler with a Gurney flap taken from the
Shelby GT500
 for better aerodynamic efficiency.
New 19-inch five-spoke Tarnished Dark-painted aluminum wheels are a modern version of the classic Magnum 500 style wheels seen in the old Mach 1s. A new underbelly pan, the vehicle’s most aerodynamically important upgrade, extends 20-inches further back to increase and ensure smoother airflow under the front of the car.
Under the hood is a V8 engine that makes
480 hp
and
 569 Nm
. The new Mustang Mach 1 adopts the intake manifold, oil filter adapter and engine oil cooler from the Shelby GT350, increasing engine oil cooling by 50%. It also comes with a Tremec
6-speed manual gearbox
 from the GT350 with rev-matching functions as standard although there is a 10-speed automatic available.
To improve ride and handling, the Mach 1 features the latest MagneRide calibration, a stiffer steering I-shaft, new EPAS calibration, stiffer sway bars and front springs, a brake booster, a rear subframe with stiffer bushings and a rear toe-link from Shelby GT500.
To enhance track endurance, the Mach 1 has been added with two heat exchangers – one to cool engine oil, the other transmission oil – as well as a rear axle cooling system and a lower diffuser from Shelby GT500.
The interior features a unique Dark Spindrift instrument panel with aluminum accents. Other interior upgrades include new door sill plates, an updated splash screen on the 12.3-inch LCD instrument cluster, a white cue ball shift knob, and engraved badging that displays the vehicle’s unique chassis number.
GALLERY
After a 17-year hiatus, the all-new Mustang Mach 1 fastback coupe makes its world premiere – becoming the modern pinnacle of style, handling and 5.0-liter V-8 pony car performance.


Mercedes-Benz CLS 400 now in Malaysia, twin-turbo 4-door coupe priced at RM599k

The facelifted CLS has finally arrived here. Officially brought in by
Mercedes-Benz Malaysia
(MBM), the sleek four-door coupe comes in a single variant, the
CLS 400
. This replaces the CLS 350 in MBM’s range of vehicles sold here in Malaysia.
QUICK FACTS
Name
Mercedes-Benz CLS 400
Engine
2,996cc twin-turbo V6
Transmission
7G-TRONIC PLUS
Max Power
333 hp
Max Torque
480 Nm
Price (OTR
without
 insurance)
RM 598,888.00

Costing just shy of RM 600k, the gorgeous CLS 400 comes fully loaded with
AMG Line
 kit and
 MULTIBEAM LED

headlamps
 as standard. This represents a better value than the outgoing CLS 350 which was previously sold at RM 760,888.
EXTERIOR
The W218 CLS is not new but it has
recently been given a refresh
 that consists of a pair of smoked taillamps and a new face complete with
diamond grille
 flanked by a pair of MULTIBEAM LED headlamps.
Apart from using less energy and better illumination compared to xenon, the
MULTIBEAM LED headlamps
 is smart enough to adjust the light pattern automatically according to the traffic condition. It works with the sensors and GPS to read the road ahead and it will even turn the beam to illuminate any upcoming corners way before the steering is turned.
As mentioned, the Malaysian-spec CLS 400 comes with the
AMG Line
, which adds on aggressive looking bumpers as well as a set of polished
 19-inch wheels
.
INTERIOR
The interior gains a new steering wheel and a redesigned dashboard with a
free-standing 8-inch screen
.
COMAND Online
 is standard, allowing internet surfing as well as incorporating the
 navigation system
 with
3D map
.
Mobile connectivity is possible with Bluetooth, and you can even connect your iPod or iPhone via the integrated
 Media Interface
. Meanwhile, sound is provided by the
Harman Kardon
 sound system with
14 speakers
 for a “360-degree listening experience”.
PERFORMANCE
To match its sporty looks, the CLS 400 is powered by a
 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6
, delivering
333 hp
 and
480 Nm
 to the rear wheels via the
7G-TRONIC PLUS
 transmission. It can accelerate from
0 to 100
 in
5.3 seconds
 and maxes out at
250 km/h
. And still, the
fuel consumption
 is rated at
 7.2 l/100 km
.
WHAT ELSE?
Numerous driving assistance systems are fitted to the CLS 400. It includes Active Parking Assist with PARKTRONIC, DISTRONIC PLUS with Steering Assist and Stop&Go Pilot, COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST PLUS, and PRE-SAFE® Brake with pedestrian detection.
[divider]
IMAGE GALLERY


Here are the Top 4 car videos you missed from January!

The Internet is a vast horizon of automotive content and car videos. With over 500 hours worth of videos uploaded on YouTube every minute, there’s simply not enough time in a day, even if you’re now unemployed, to go through everything the world wide web has to offer.
Lucky for you, that’s what we do; trawl the Internet, filter out the crap, and share only the best, time-worthy content for your viewing pleasure. Here are some from January 2021 that you may have missed out on!
Toyota Yaris goes balls out on B-roads
!

If you’ve been social distancing in a cave throughout the whole of last year due to Covid-19, 2020 saw the arrival of the
GR Yaris in Malaysia
, to the tune of RM299,000. Its price was later revised to
RM286,896
 due to the
extension of the SST exemptions
.
Its little 1.6-litre turbocharged 3-cylinder engine makes 261 hp and 360 Nm of torque. Row through it’s 6-speed manual transmission quick enough and 0 to 100 km/h will be done in just 5.5 seconds.
In Malaysia, the GR Yaris is equipped with the
Performance Pack
 which includes lightweight 18-inch BBS forged rims, Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres, red calipers, limited-slip differential on both axles, and circuit-oriented suspension tuning. By the way, they’re
nearly sold out
!
Read about it
here
.
Kia unveils new logo in the sky through fireworks!

Aside from unveiling a new logo, which resembles a handwritten signature according to Kia, the company also unveiled a new slogan –
Movement that Inspires
 – that replaces the previous “Power to Suprise” and they couldn’t have done it in a more elaborate way.
The new logo was unveiled in the skies of Incheon, in South Korea, using
303 pyrodrones
 that launched hundreds of synchronised fireworks. The display set a new Guinness World Record for ‘Most Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) launching fireworks simultaneously’.
Read about it
here
.
Nine Toyota GR Supras perform precision driving stunts simultaneously!

Having spent some time with the Toyota GR Supra during our review of the car, agile and maneuverable is probably how we can best describe the car and this video will demonstrate exactly that!
They called themselves the Road Arrows, in reference to the UK Royal Air Force’s
Red Arrows
, and only had a week to practise before filming. What’s more, the maneuvers were choreographed using only toy car models on a kitchen counter!
If those stunts don’t wow you, the shots from the FPV drone certainly will!
Read about it
here
, or watch our review
here
!
Porsche 911 driven hard off road!

Sightings of old, air-cooled Porsche 911 are rarer than full moons these days, so to see one being driven this hard (and well), in a tastefully produced video, is a rare find. Imagine our excitement when something of such high quality by
Type 7
 popped up on our feed!
Whether, it’s the music, the videography, or the driving, it’s all just spot on! The countless, non-stop sideways action and countersteer in this one will surely keep you at the edge of your seat!
Learn more about Type 7
here
.


Need another high-performance SUV? The new Audi RS Q3 got your back

It’s a weird world we live in today. Consumers are constantly looking for more versatility with an SUV, yet still crave for the performance akin to a proper sports car.
Fear not though, Audi has got you covered with the latest addition to their performance SUV range, the new Audi RS Q3. Available in two forms (regular and sportback), the RS Q3 aims to scratch your performance itch in a SUV-dominated market.
Powered by the award-winning 2.5-litre TFSI 5-cylinder turbocharged engine, the RS Q3 outputs
400 hp
 and
480 Nm
 to all four wheels via 7-speed S tronic gearbox.
The 2.5-litre engine from the TT RS and RS3 has also gone through a weight-loss regime – shredding a whole
26 kg
. Combining with the 17% higher output, the RS Q3 sprints from 0 to 100 km/h in just
4.5 seconds
! Mind you, the
recently launched Toyota Supra, which is a full-blown sports car, does it only 0.2 seconds quicker
.
The new RS Q3 twins pushes up to an electronically-limited 250 km/h top speed, but if you spec it right, you can push the envelope to
280 km/h
.
To complement its raw performance, Audi has also replaced the suspensions with something a little sportier. The new suspension lowers the car by 10 mm, and its track widened by approximately 10 mm as well.
Additionally, the RS Q3 can be now equipped with optional 21-inch wheels, with 20-inch alloys as standard. Behind those wheels are the 6-pot RS brake system, available in both steel or the optional ceramic disks. Perhaps buyers should consider purchasing the optional red painted calipers to show that you’ve got the performance model.
If you are looking for more performance, the RS Q3 twins can also now be fitted with the RS sport suspension plus along with the optional Dynamic Chassis Control (DCC) system.
Styling wise, the performance-oriented twins get RS-specific design cues, including a new front bumper with glossblack honeycomb grille, RS-specific boomerang shaped side-inlet blades, and gloss-black spoiler lip. The wheel arches has also been flared out by 10 mm to give the SUV a sportier stance.
The difference between the two sister cars can be seen from the side profile – the sloping roofline of the RS Q3 Sportback results in a 45 mm lower height. The shoulder line also extends further back, giving the Sportback a slightly more muscular look than the twin.
At the rear, the Audi Sport SUVs comes for the first time with dual-branch RS exhaust system, with chrome-coloured oval exhaust tips on both sides. Both variants will be fitted with Matrix LED headlights and LED rear combination lights as standard.
Inside the RS Q3 lies the familiar driver-focused interior. However, the RS models gets several sporty upgrades, such as Nappa leather or alcantara-wrapped bucket seats, and a flat-bottom steering wheel. Optional RS packages can also be had to add red or blue accents to several parts in the cabin, such as alcantara door lining, steering wheel, belt straps, floor mats and gear lever.
The brilliant Audi virtual cockpit instrument panel makes a return on the RS variants, with an optional larger Audi virtual cockpit plus which adds shift lights, and performance-oriented displays on the centre touchscreen.
Being a sports car requires outlandish paint jobs, and Audi Sport graciously made available two RS-specific colours – Nardo Grey and in our opinion the magnificent Kalyami Green.
There’s no word from Audi Malaysia if the RS Q3 twins will be making their way to our shores, but the performance SUVs will be available in European dealerships by the end of the year.
We will take one RS Q3 Sportback in Kalyami green, please.


Volvo says manufacturing an EV generates 70% more emissions than its ICE counterpart

Electric vehicles (EVs) have always been championed as the best solution to save our polar bears, but according to a
new study
 published by Volvo, manufacturing an EV actually generates up to 70% more carbon emissions as compared to the good ol’ internal combustion engine (ICE) car.
But before you slate us for being clickbait-y in the title, here’s the kicker – that statistic above is specific only for the vehicle’s manufacturing process. Over the lifetime of the vehicle, an EV
can
 reach a breakeven point, achieving a lower
 total
 carbon footprint to that of the ICE vehicle’s.
The study utilises a like-for-like comparison between the EV and ICE variants of the same Volvo model – the
XC40
 compact SUV – which is available as either a pure EV, plug-in hybrid, or pure ICE vehicle.
Their findings also take into account the entire lifecycle carbon footprint of each vehicle, starting from the mining of raw materials for batteries and parts, production processes, and actual on-road usage for 200,000 km before final disposal.
RELATED: The Volvo XC40 Recharge T5 PHEV is now available in Malaysia! Check it out here.
Based on their findings, the petrol-powered Volvo XC40 produces around 58 tonnes of carbon dioxide, while the XC40 Recharge ICE ranges from 27 to 54 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions, depending on the electricity source.
Naturally, the total carbon emissions of an EV relies heavily on how clean its electricity source is. With the global’s average electricity grid, which doesn’t involve much renewable sources, an EV barely undercuts a regular ICE vehicle in carbon emissions (four tonnes or roughly 7%).
With a cleaner source of energy though, such as the “EU28” standard that mixes both renewable and non-renewable sources, an EV can be significantly cleaner than an ICE-powered vehicle (22% lesser). When a completely renewable electricity source such as wind energy is used, an EV barely even emits any carbon dioxide at all when driven on the road!
RELATED: The next-gen Volvo XC60 will be fully-electric, due in 2026. Learn more here!
So with the majority of an EV’s total lifetime carbon emissions being made up during the manufacturing process, how much do you have to drive to offset the on-road usage emissions on an ICE? According to Volvo, the breakeven point for an EV running on the global average electricity grid is at
109,918 km
 – more than half of a vehicle’s lifetime.
On the more balanced EU28 grid standard, the breakeven point happens at
77,248 km
. And if you’re able to recharge the Volvo XC40 Recharge using only pure renewable energy, the breakeven point is just
48,280 km
.
So if you’re confident that you’ll be driving your EVs past these mileages, then yes – an EV is the greener choice between the two options. However, if you foresee yourself mostly driving in the city, then good ol’ fossil fuel might still be the wiser choice for the time being, until we figure out how to make producing batteries less harmful to the earth!
[H/T:
Carscoops
]


Volvo EX30 to launch in Malaysia before EX90, but not so soon

Volvo
 is committed to a fully-electric future and its latest EVs introduced are the
Volvo EX30
 and the
Volvo EX90
. In a media session today,
Volvo Car Malaysia
 Managing Director, Charles Frump shared with us that the small Volvo EX30 will reach Malaysia first before the much bigger Volvo EX90.
The news doesn’t really come as a surprise as
production of the Volvo EX90 has been delayed till 2024
 as Volvo has mentioned that it needs more time for development. The Volvo EX30, on the other hand, has just made its world debut in June this year.
While some of us may feel a little excited about this news, the EX30 won’t be making an appearance in Malaysia in 2023. It can be expected in the following years, and this is perhaps due to the process of making the EX30 a locally assembled (CKD) model.
The Volvo EX90
The Volvo EX30 is a small electric SUV by Volvo which is even smaller than the XC40 and C40. Upon its world debut, the EX30 was introduced with three powertrain options, namely the “Single Motor”, “Single Motor Extended Range”, and “Twin Motor Performance”. In its hottest iteration, the EX30 Twin Motor Performance produces
428 hp
 and
543 Nm
. It does the century sprint in just
3.6 seconds
, onward to a limited top speed of
180 km/h
.
As for battery and range, the Volvo EX30 houses a
69-kWh
 lithium-ion battery for the Single Motor variant and a
69-kWh
 Nickel Manganese Cobalt (NMC) battery for the Single Motor Extended Range and the Twin Motor Performance. The electric range can go up to
480 km
 for the Single Motor Extended Range variant.
RELATED:
Volvo EX90 production delayed till 2024 – Needs more time for development
The EX30 looks very much like a shrunken EX90 but introduces some new ideas to the brand’s interior design. Part of it being a soundbar speaker system, a stowable armrest storage, and a simplified dashboard. The
Volvo XC40 Recharge Pure Electric

priced at RM278,888 in Malaysia and the smaller EX30 could be priced lower.
RELATED:
Volvo EX30 debuts – up to 480km range, 0-100km/h in 3.6 secs, brand’s smallest EV SUV


Review: 2015 Mazda3 CKD Sedan & Hatchback compared [+Video]

We took Mazda Malaysia’s latest locally-assembled cars, the high spec Mazda3 Sedan and the Mazda3 hatchback for a thorough side-by-side comparison.
When the third generation
Mazda3
 was
introduced in 2014
, the fully imported sedan was only offered in a single trim. We loved it because it drives so well but the confused specification of the
 CBU sedan
 that costs
nearly RM 140k
 left us yearning for more.
A year later, the introduction of the
locally-assembled Mazda3
 is almost like a relaunch for the car. The CKD sedan gets its specs sheet revamped while at the same time getting a substantial price reduction, and it is now joined by a
hatchback
 variant too.
Two grades are offered for the
sedan
:
GL
 and
High
, while the
 hatch
 is only available in
Mid
 specification. You can get one from as low as
RM 105,705.30
 for the
GL sedan
, but the
High spec sedan
 and the
Mid spec hatchback
 share the same price of
RM 120,705.30
. We’re going to check out the High spec sedan and the Mid spec hatchback to see what the similarities and the differences are between the two.
Apart from the identical price tag, both cars here are fitted with the same
 4-cylinder 2.0-litre SkyActiv-G
 mated to a
six-speed SkyActiv Drive
 automatic transmission. The normally-aspirated powerplant gives out
 162 hp
 and
210 Nm
 of torque to the front wheels. The front three-quarter of the two cars are similar in shape and they even wear the same
18-inch alloys
 wrapped in
214/45 R18
 Toyos, but the devil’s in the details.

The grille is finished in glossy black and the foglamps are framed by a chrome ring on each side for the sedan, but on the hatchback the grille and foglamps surrounds are left untouched in matte black. The
Bi-Xenon headlamps
 look the same on both cars with
LED DRLs
 and both feature
Adaptive Front Lighting System
 (AFS), but on the sedan it gains
High Beam Control System
 (HBC) that automatically dips the high beam upon sensing oncoming traffic.
The main difference outside is obviously the back end. The basic design theme is the same on both cars right down to the shape of the
 rear LED lights
 but they’re not interchangeable with one another. However, the main gripe for us is that only the hatchback have
exposed tailpipes
. It might not be an issue to most people but when the base Mazda6 2.0 have exposed tailpipes, we just couldn’t understand why the Mazda3 sedan can’t have them.

While the
 hatchback
 measures
4,460 mm long
, the
sedan
 is
120 mm longer
 and every millimeter goes to the rear overhang. Unlike the hatchback, the sedan’s trunk can be opened using the remote or by pressing a button near the driver’s footwell. Pop open the sedan’s boot lid and you’ll see
 408 litres
 worth of cargo space, which is about
50 litres more
 than in the hatchback.

A space saver spare wheel reside under the boot floor, while there’s a specific compartment for the jack inside a cavity on the right-hand side of the boot. The rear seat backrests split 60/40 and they fold flat for an extended cargo area.

Inside the cabin, the sedan is differentiated from the hatchback in trim specifications. The Mid spec hatchback gets you the
MZD Connect System
 that comes with a
 7-inch touch screen
 monitor. It supports
Bluetooth connectivity
 and
voice activated control
, while the screen will also display the live feed from the
reverse camera
. You will also get
keyless entry
 and
push start button
,
automatic climate control
, as well as a leather wrapped steering wheel with
paddle shifters
.

The High spec sedan retains everything the hatchback has but adds even more kit. Additional buttons on the steering wheel are for the
cruise control
, while both stalks on the steering column have an extra “Auto” function for the wipers and lights. The MZD Connect System gains
GPS navigation
 as well as extra menu for the driving assistance system, such as the
Lane Departure Warning System
 (LDWS) and the blind spot warning system called
Rear Vehicle Monitoring
 (RVM).

Furthermore, the High spec sedan’s interior receives
black leather upholstery
 with contrasting red stitching and the
driver’s seat
 gets upgraded with
electric controls
. It also swaps the piano black trim for a silver trim, and the
rear view mirror
 is thicker due to the
auto dimming
 mechanism inside.

The meter cluster on both cars sports the same housing but the innards are different. The hatchback is using the “
Type-B
” panel with a central speedometer but the sedan uses the “
Type-A
” panel where the rev counter takes center stage. On top of that, the High spec adds on a
pop-up Active Driving Display
 that whirs into position every time you turn the ignition on.
Other than the extra driving comforts the sedan has to offer, both comes with
six airbags
,
ISOFIX
 child seat anchors, and the usual
ABS
 with
EBD
,
BA
,
DSC
, and
TCS
. The driving impressions for both cars are admirable and you can read more about it
here
. So which one is your pick? The plusher sedan or the sexier hatchback?
VIDEO GALLERY

IMAGE GALLERY

Mazda3 2.0 SkyActiv Sedan CKD

Mazda3 2.0 SkyActiv Hatchback CKD

Mazda3 2.0 SkyActiv CKD


A French company has developed an EV that costs as low as RM35k

French automotive parts firm Valeo has revealed a low-voltage electric vehicle concept that could be sold for as little as £6600 (approx. RM 35k).
The EV is powered by a low-voltage 48V motor; making it more frugal than the 400V motors found in current electric cars and more importantly, cheaper to produce.
The concept is capable of offering around
a 100 km of driving range
 with a
top speed of 100 km/h
 which Valeo believes are all that’s needed for commuting around the city.
At the on-going Consumer Electric Show in Las Vegas, Valeo will be displaying a new system that adjusts a car’s interior temperature according to each passenger’s needs while also releasing soothing fragrances according to the driver’s mood and physical condition i.e. fatigue or stress.