Interview: A Sit-Down With the Man Behind the All-New Honda Civic

Carlist.my caught a rare opportunity to sit down with a pivotal figure involved in the design, development and final sign-off of the all-new Honda Civic. We had some burning questions for Assistant-Large Project Leader (A-LPL) of the All-New Honda Civic Mr Osamu Takezawa, and this is what he had to say…
Does the all-new Honda Civic’s CVT transmission system come with a dedicated transmission fluid cooler?
Honda Civics retailed for the Malaysian market are not fitted with a dedicated transmission fluid cooler. As the CVTs fitted into the all-new Civic is of a newer, more durable design, a separate cooler is not needed unless the car is being used in racing conditions. In some markets, there are higher performance variants where a dedicated oil cooler is fitted.
Some years back, when CVT gearboxes became more popular and more widely applied in passengers cars, there were also commonplace reports of transmission overheating, given our climate conditions.
With recent innovations and developments achieved with the CVT gearbox, we are confident that the CVT system fitted in the Honda Civic will be able to cope with the driving styles and climate conditions in Malaysia.  We have learnt from past mistakes, and believe the Civic’s system is up to the task.
We’ve seen Honda move from CVT gearboxes to conventional automatic gearboxes and then back again to CVT, such as in the Honda City, can you elaborate further, the rationale behind this?
Well, in the case of the Civic, this is the first introduction of turbocharged engine, besides the obvious proponent of good fuel consumption, Honda also found it particularly effective in combating the effects of turbo-lag. While turbo-lag may never fully be eliminated, the tuning and engine modulation of the CVT helps clear out dark-spots within the car’s power delivery. The combination of the CVT and 1.5-litre turbocharged engine is a competent package.
In the case of the 1.8-litre engine, certain tweaks of the engine management’s parameters have been done to suit the marriage of the CVT gearbox and also to boost fuel economy.
Some manufacturers have adopted a stepped-ratio feature with their CVT gearboxes, this, to provide the sensation of pseudo-gears provides a more natural sensation during acceleration, does Honda plan offer a feature like this with the current Civic CVT setup or in the near future?
The all-new Honda Civic has a feature like that, it isn’t a linear response, where the engine speed is kept steady and the speedometer catches up, but it does feel more dynamic during harder acceleration, allowing for the revs to rise and fall. The response of the CVT gearbox depends on the driving situation.
In the case of the 1.8-litre Honda Civic, is it a similar powertrain like the one fitted in the Honda HR-V?
The package in both cars are identical, but there are distinct differences between the response of the CVT gearbox – largely due to the differences in the design and operating range of the Civic’s torque-converter.
Few years ago introduced a new design language called the ‘Exciting Edge’, the elements of that design philosophy are present in this new Civic – namely in the design of the front grille assembly. There is little mention of the design concept with the new Civic, is there a change in direction?
Well, the design of the Civic is inspired by the Exciting Edge concept, however, this time around the focus of Honda does not quite highlight the Exciting Edge styling philosophy.
In Japan, we know that the Civic has been discontinued for the last two generations as the market there is more inclined towards MPVs and SUVs, does that mean that the influence and responsibility of Honda’s Japan R&D operations are lesser than that of Honda R&D U.S.A, where the Civic is an important product?
The initial phase of development was conducted by Japan’s R&D operations before it is sent to Honda’s American operations to be finalised, but in the case of the initial design and powertrain development, that was all done in Japan.
We are to understand that the Malaysian operations had a hand in the development of the Honda City, is it a similar case with the Civic as well?
The process is a little bit different with the Honda Civic, the Honda City is a regional product, and hence the development input is more focussed on markets where the car will eventually be sold.
In the case of the Civic, it’s a global model hence the areas of contribution are more widespread, but the Honda Malaysia team is given freedom to tailor the final product for suitability to the Malaysian market. Traditionally, the Thailand and Malaysian markets used to have identical packages, but because now, we produce a car where it is sold, Malaysia is granted more autonomy to produce cars that best suit the market's interest.
When you combine VTEC and Turbo, this obviously stirs the soul of your average car enthusiast, and depending on the user, the Civic will have to satisfy many different types of drivers and driving situations. On the dynamics of performance and reliability, will the Civic be able to tackle the driving situations of Malaysia? And if so, does this reflect in the manufacturer warranty on offer?
I think we need to clarify, that when we mention VTEC Turbo, some may have the notion that this car resembles the monstrous Civic Type-R, but in the current era of downsized turbocharging – the main premise is to deliver power of a higher displacement engine, such as a 2.4-litre with the current Civic, yet good fuel efficiency.
The Civic is a global model, we do not introduce a model globally without adequate testing and development. We are confident that our efforts in the design, development and testing phase has created a durable and well-engineered product. The warranty for a Civic is as any other Honda on sale today.
Does the new Honda Civic VTEC Turbo have a VTEC zone such as the VTECs of past?
It’s not the VTEC in the more traditional sense. The variable valve timing system is there to optimise the engine’s performance and fuel economy. Perhaps a good way to summarise this is, in comparison to the traditional hydraulic VTEC system which used to lock the camshafts on a separate cam lobe setting, the all new Civic’s VTEC system in electronically operated to offer a much wider range of engine performance characteristics.
Think of it as a means to an end, with the technology that was available before, cam profile switching provided the best means to combine power and fuel efficiency in one engine application. But with today’s technology, it allows for a wider range of control over the engine’s response, and as such does not need to enter a zone before for the power kicks-in.
Will the all-new Civic have better performance when fuelled with RON 100 fuel?
We do believe there will be a slight gain in performance, but we cannot say for certain at this juncture.


Honda NSX: The Samurai From The Land Of The Rising Sun

Ahhh, the first-generation Honda NSX, the 30-year-old Japanese car that is blessed by one of the greatest if not the greatest race car driver, Ayrton Senna and a sports car that can be considered somewhat a unicorn amongst its JDM peers due to its naturally aspirated engine when the rest of the pack were swooshing turbochargers.

Truth be told, the Honda NSX never really considered the other JDM sports cars as its competitor. It had bigger aspirations as it wanted to go face to face with the most elegant sports car from Europe, Ferrari. Honda wanted to build a sports car that would elapse the Ferrari when it came down to performance and wanted to be better than Ferrari when it came to reliability. They also wanted to sell this particular car at a fraction of the price of a Ferrari, and amazingly they did it.

The outcome was a Honda NSX, a name that evolved from NS-X, which stood for New Sportscar Unknown World. You can see why Honda called it an unknown world because they wanted to offer a package better than a Ferrari but at a much lower price. Where do you get that? At Honda's Unknown World of course.

The NSX didn't really change much throughout its production years of 1990-2005, it is a mid-engined, rear-wheel drive, all-aluminium body sportscar. It was equipped with a 3.2-litre longitudinal V6 that produced 276hp. The Honda engine actually exceeded the V8 engineered engine from Ferrari at the time of its introduction, and although the horsepower matched the other Japanese sports cars, it was not as torquey as its JDM peers due to it being naturally aspirated.

It was also a very different experience compared with other JDM sportscars. Whilst the other JDM sportscars were like performance addicts that went wherever it was pointed, the Honda NSX was a car that got you to places fast and in comfort. Other JDM sportscars were impressively great on the track and B-roads but they could never compete with the NSX when it came to usability. The NSX could cruise comfortably without giving its passengers a spike in your BPM. It was more Ferrari like, exhilarating but with comfort in mind too.

It was also great at low speeds which made it usable daily. The transition from that to monster when the throttle is fully open and induction noise comes alive is something you can only experience in a NSX. When the driver lets it rip, the NSX goes all the way up to that glorious 8,000rpm with power never really missing throughout that rev range.

But enough of reading about it, cause the true image of the NSX can now be seen and heard through the wonders of high definition video and audio. So enjoy this little sex video that we put together. Or did we mean to say NSX video, what's the difference, they're both the same!


Mercedes-Benz Malaysia Announces Price Reductions Following Update Of GST

Tomorrow is the beginning of the new pricing mechanism in Malaysia with the removal of the Good and Services Tax (GST).
Mercedes-Benz Malaysia has updated the pricing of their models with this new taxation system and prices will take effect from tomorrow, 1st of June 2018.
The company also wish to highlight the ongoing World Cup sales campaign, which runs from now until 15th of July. Customers can enjoy a low-interest rate of 1.98% for a tenure of three to five years in the Hire Purchase Classic or Agility Financing.
Both financial solution products also come with complimentary motor insurance or four free service vouchers (or 48,000 km, whichever occurs first).
The new price for Mercedes-Benz models are as follows:


How Volkswagen Became A Victim Of Realpolitik

What if we told you that the whole drama surrounding Volkswagen’s diesel engines’ emissions scandal is more about
realpolitik
 rather than genuine concerns for the environment?
 Realpolitik,
as coined by German philosopher Ludwig von Rochau, places a nation’s own practical interest above idealistic pursuits – in this case, the interest of domestic industries over the environment.
Yes, Volkswagen used some cheat codes (literally!) to pass the US EPA’s exhaust emissions testing, but nothing is ever black-white.
The ones who are upset with Volkswagen – the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Congress – are the same people who resisted against imposing stricter environmental regulations on American-made trucks.
The EPA’s real role – Protecting America’s Big 3
Beyond its borders, representatives of the US government often expound the virtues of free trade. In reality, the US government protects its domestic manufacturers from foreign competition via an unnecessarily complicated set of regulations.
A Cadillac Escalade consumes 11.2-litre/100 km but it is exempted from the gas guzzler tax because the EPA says it’s a truck and trucks help people get work done. A Mercedes-Benz S600 consumes the same but it is slapped with a USD1,700 tax.
Peculiarities in the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) regulations also meant that passenger cars are required to cut their fuel consumption by 5 percent annually until 2025, while pick-up trucks and SUVs only need to cut by only 3.5 percent annually.
So a Honda Fit needs to work harder than a Chevrolet Suburban in reducing fuel consumption.
A 25 percent import duty on imported trucks meant that a Thailand-made, relatively efficient 2.2-litre four cylinder Ford Ranger would be more expensive than a US-made, 3.5-litre V6 Ford F-150 if it was sold in the US.
By taking advantage of its large 17 million vehicles domestic car market, the US’s policy is to promote super-sized vehicles that are so big that it is not viable for foreign car manufacturers to produce them.
America’s Big 3 – General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler, rely heavily on trucks - a loosely used term in the US as it can also refer to truck-based SUVs.
General Motors for example, relies on trucks (including SUVs) for nearly 75 percent of its total sales! The passenger car segment is dominated by Asian and European brands.
This explains why many vehicle safety and environmental regulations in the US are often tilted in favour of trucks over passenger cars.
Volkswagen Stood Up To Bullying By EPA
Most car companies accept the tilted playing field as the cost of doing business in the US, the second largest car market in the world after China.
Some companies like Toyota and Nissan, poured huge amounts of money to develop and build a large truck for the US market (Toyota Tundra and Nissan Titan) but others are less willing.
In 2011, the then-President and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America, Jonathan Browning, voiced his dissatisfaction with the EPA’s bias towards trucks in the proposed 2025 CAFE targets.
Browning said “…Volkswagen would like to see the same flexibilities and alternative compliance paths afforded the heaviest trucks be available to the smallest, already fuel-efficient passenger cars,” adding that the proposal is not technology neutral.
“A lot of good work has been done, but there is room and a need for some improvements to keep a
level playing field for all automakers
 to attain the challenging new goals,” he added.
At the same time, the then-CEO of Volkswagen AG Professor Dr. Martin Winterkorn was putting great pressure on Browning to deliver 800,000 unit sales by 2018, nearly four times higher than the company’s results in 2010.
This unrealistic demand and would later push Volkswagen’s engineers to plant a cheat code on their TDI engines.
Enter The ICCT
Despite its rather authoritative sounding name, the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) does not represent any government, environment or consumer rights body.
Its website lists several US-based organisations as its donors - ClimateWorks Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the European Climate Foundation (despite its ‘European’ name, it is affiliated to ClimateWorks), and the Climate and Clean Air Coalition.
Witch Hunting Diesel-Powered Foreign Cars
More than 65 percent of all cars sold in Europe are diesel-powered. Europe’s CO2-based regulations and high fuel tax favour diesel engines, which are often more fuel efficient than many hybrids.
Of late, especially with the introduction of Euro 6 standard in 2014, the focus has expanded to include NOx emissions, a weak point for diesel engines but can be addressed (with added cost) using exhaust after-treatment technology.
The promise of clean emissions, low fuel consumption without sacrificing powerful performance is what sets European car manufacturers from Japanese hybrids.
Audi, Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz and BMW have been actively promoting the benefits of European clean-diesel technology to woo American drivers, who would have otherwise gone for a Japanese hybrid, to their side.
At the same time diesels are gaining popularity in the US, the ICCT has since 2012, published a series of papers attacking clean diesel technology and the European Union’s New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) standard, alleging that the test is not realistic and that the differences between real-world fuel consumption and NEDC’s test values are widening.
The papers alleged that many car companies are gaming standardised laboratory testing by manipulating legal loopholes.
ICCT gathered its real-world consumption data from spritmonitor.de, a third party website where users input their vehicle’s real-world fuel consumption data. As it is not possible to measure real-world CO2 emissions on a large scale, ICCT used fuel consumption to estimate a vehicle’s real-world CO2 emissions.
Curiously, ICCT actually commended Volkswagen in 2014 for producing real-world fuel consumption (and therefore similar levels of CO2 emissions) that’s very close to its claimed figures!
Instead, it accused Mercedes-Benz and BMW models of producing the most divergence, but as we would know later, this was not the case.
The ICCT didn’t uncover anything new. European regulators have long been aware that there are gaps between real-world and laboratory test results, mostly due to clever manipulation of legal loopholes (perfectly legal).
To stay one step ahead of the manufacturers, the European Union had in 2008, already proposed to replace the current NEDC standard used to test exhaust emisions and fuel consumptions, with a more rigorous Worldwide harmonized Light vehicles Test Procedure (WLTP), which will be phased-in in 2017.
In 2013, Germany’s ADAC’s Prof Dr-Ing Reinhard Kolke presented a paper titled ‘Cycle beating: How are OEM’s optimising the vehicle to test cycles?’ to the International Energy Agency.
Professor Kolke explained that among the loopholes commonly exploited are:
Adjusting the measurements of the exhaust emissions down by 4 percent (the maximum permissible tolerance)
Overinflating the low rolling resistance tyres
Removing unnecessary weight from the car – within legal limits. Commonly removed parts are roof rails, front fog lamps, and even passenger-side wing mirror. Air-conditioning and other ancillaries are switched off
Dynamometer is calibrated to different, more favourable vehicle weight category, again this the exploiting tolerances provided
A specially developed robot is used to control the throttle during testing. The robot is able to maintain a driving speed that is precisely 2 km/h less than that target driving speed, exploiting to 2 km/h tolerance provided
The test chamber is kept at an optimal 29 degrees Celsius
Disconnecting the alternator, and installing a specialised software in the engine’s computer are illegal – the latter was what got Volkswagen in trouble.
Professor Kolke explained that by taking advantage of all the permissible tolerances in NEDC testing, discrepancies of up to 20 percent are possible.
Rather than wasting time prosecuting manufacturers, the EU simply worked on tightening its testing standards.
We should point out that governments around the world only consider standardised laboratory testing results.
Ever since the scandal broke, many newspapers have carried out reports that many other manufacturers are also emitting higher emissions than claimed, alleging that other manufacturers are also cheating.
This is wrong and reflects on a poor understanding of emissions regulations.
To say that a laboratory test is unrealistic is moot because the other alternative of using real-world driving results is even more unrealistic as those results are not repeatable across different drivers, different cars, different driving and weather conditions. What is realistic for driver A who lives in area X is not realistic for driver B who lives in area Y.
As explained by Professor Kolke, the two should not be compared. The primary criteria when deciding on a standardised test is repeatability. Correlation with real-world driving is useful but it is a secondary criteria.
Over in the US, the West Virginia University was hired by ICCT to conduct real-world emissions test on a few European diesel cars. The damning results for the Jetta and Passat TDI gave the US EPA the silver bullet it needs to put a stop to the increasing popularity of diesel-powered European cars coming to the US.
The fact that Volkswagen had excessively rigged its cars (NOx emissions on a Jetta TDI was 35 times over the limit!) was just a bonus.
As expected, the ICCT was very pleased with itself.
“This is a powerful affirmation of U.S. federal and California vehicle emission regulations, and of the agencies” said Drew Kodjak, ICCT's Executive Director on EPA’s decision to investigate Volkswagen. “Clear protocols, in-use requirements for the useful life of vehicles, clear enforcement follow-through, the authority to fine and force recalls—these are 'best practices' that regulations worldwide should incorporate, and today's announcement shows why."
Korea Buys Time For Hyundai and Kia
For a country where just over 15 percent of total new cars sold are foreign brands, Korea seems unusually interested to prosecute Volkswagen. Even when combined with Audi, the Volkswagen Group’s market share in Korea stands at just over 4 percent.
Still, the Korean government is demanding that Volkswagen Korea’s CEO Thomas Kuehl to explain himself at a parliamentary audit.
The US-made
Volkswagen Passat TDI is Korea’s best-selling imported car
 and German diesel-powered vehicles make up more than 75 percent of all imported cars sold in Korea. German premium brands have been increasing their presence in Korea, at the expense of premium Hyundai and Kia models.
Last year, Volkswagen slashed prices of its Passat TDI from 42 million Won to 38.9 million Won, forcing Hyundai to reduce prices of its flagship Aslan from 39.9 million Won to 38.9 million Won. Sales of the premium Hyundai models have been severely affected by the increasing number of imported models.
Sales of the Aslan is now averaging at just 800 units/month, less than the 1,000 plus per month targeted by Hyundai, despite throwing additional 1 million Won discount to existing Hyundai owners (which covers just about any Korean).
With the signing of the Korea-USA FTA in 2012, Volkswagen have been importing many US-made models into Korea.
Sales of imported cars in Korea grew
 from less than 3 percent in 2005 to nearly 20 percent in 2015. As a result, diesel-powered Volkswagen, BMW and Mercedes-Benz models have been eating into the sales of high-end Hyundai and Kia models.
China is indifferent
In the same way Korea is quick to train its guns on Volkswagen, China prefers to look the other way. Volkswagen counts two state-owned companies as its local partners – SAIC and FAW, both are very influential companies with close ties to the Chinese central government.
China’s quality oversight body the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine has so far only said that it is ‘concerned about the matter,’ but declined to confirm if it will investigate the company.
Volkswagen China has announced that it will be recalling 1,950 TDI models, a miniscule figure in China – 1,946 Tiguans and 4 Passats – in the near future for a software fix.
China is a petrol-dominated car market and consumers there are indifferent about the so-called ‘dieselgate’ scandal. China is Volkswagen’s largest market, bigger than even Germany.
Surprise – Prices of Volkswagen TDI models went up!
After the scandal broke, the US government has retracted its certification for Volkswagen’s TDI models, thus making them illegal for sale.
However, data from price comparison website TrueCar.com, obtained by Bloomberg, showed that the remaining TDI models at dealer’s lot were actually sold at a premium, 13 percent higher than before the scandal broke.
These cars probably went to enthusiast drivers, who didn’t care about their TDI’s exhaust emissions and wanted to buy the existing models quickly because they knew that later models will certainly have their TDI engine’s power output reduced to meet EPA’s requirements.
Who else will gain from this? Toyota
The biggest indirect beneficiary of this is scandal is Toyota, still the world leader in hybrid technology. When the Prius first came out in 1997, European manufacturers brushed it aside as an inferior technology to their clean diesels – which deliver comparable fuel economy with much better performance.
However Toyota saw something that many can't – that clean diesels, with its high fuel efficiency and low C02 emissions are only good in the short term. Toyota believes that diesels' inherently poor NOx output will eventually become their undoing.
My colleague Daniel Wong once posed a question to a Toyota engineer involved in the Prius, on why didn’t they develop diesels instead? The engineer answered in a very nonchalant manner, “Because NOx. You will see, eventually regulations will catch up with NOx and everyone will have to go down the hybrid route.” He made that comment nearly ten years ago, and true enough, Toyota’s predictions were spot on.
To control CO2 and NOx down to a permissible level to meet the latest EPA and Euro 6 emission standards, diesel particulate filters (DPF) and exhaust after-treatment technology, commonly known as SCR or AdBlue, are required and this adds cost.
Volkswagen was forced to cheat when it was not able to meet EPA’s emission standards without resorting to expensive DPF and SCR, which will significantly raise the prices of its cars.
After 20 years of development, Toyota's hybrids powertrains now matched the thermal efficiency of clean diesel engines, minus the problems with NOx.
At some point, petrol-electric hybrids will be the more logical solution and this explains the late scramble by almost every European manufacturer to produce a hybrid car.
Throughout the scandal, Toyota has been quiet on the sidelines but you can bet that within the hallways of its engineering centres in Aichi, Japan, Toyota engineers are smugly saying “I told you so.”
While the company still produces a small number of diesel engines for its European market models, the company is confident that it doesn't need diesels to meet its future environmental targets. A look at the company's "
Toyota Environmental Challange 2050
" presentation revealed that diesels don't matter much in the company's long-term plans. It's hybrids, plug-in hybrids, fuel cell hydrogen power and battery electric vehicles.


MINI Malaysia Introduces Limited Edition Countryman Park Lane

If you are looking for car dressed with a touch of high street elegance to match your preference for an active lifestyle vehicle, then good news as MINI Malaysia has just the car for you with the limited edition Countryman Park Lane.
Priced at RM253,888, limited to 88 units in Malaysia, and named after one of the most distinguished addresses in London, the MINI Countryman Park Lane sports a distinct livery and colour scheme that is meant to capture the prestige of its namesake.
The Countryman Park Lane is suited up with a MINI ALL4 bodykit in Earl Grey body finish, while its roof and exterior mirror caps are covered in a new colour variant known as Oak Red. Its stylistic presence is further enhanced with the addition of Oak Red stripes on the bonnet, tailgate, and lower side sections. The Countryman’s characteristic side turn indicator now features an inlay of Oak Red with an exclusive emblem bearing the “Park Lane” inscription. The emblem is also found on the cockpit surface and door sills.
To complement its Oak Red highlights, the Countryman Park Lane is accentuated with 18-inch rims in the Turbo Fan Dark Grey design, with silver body elements fitted to the front and rear apron as well as the side sills.
It isn’t all just exterior set dressings that sets the Countryman Park Lane apart. Inside the Countryman Park Lane comes fitted with the Ambient Lighting package, which creates colour highlights throughout the entire door panel in night mode, the MINI Visual Boost that adds a 6.5-inch LCD screen which can be paired up with the MINI Connected app.
Downloadable from iTunes and Google Play Store, the MINI Connected app grants users access to a myriad features such as the MINI Streetwise navigation feature, Sports Instruments engine information display, Force Meter accelerating force visualizer, MINI Calendar that syncs the smartphone’s calendar to the MINI Centre Instrument display, and MINI Status and MINI Vital Statistics which will list down information on fuel, range, and distance travelled.
The Countryman Park Lane is the third exclusive edition MINI model since 1987 and 2005 to be featuring the Park Lane name. Park Lane is the suburb where a prestigious and legendary MINI showroom is located.
Powering the Countryman Park Lane is the same drivetrain found in the Cooper S Countryman, with a 1.6-litre 4-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine generating 190hp and 260Nm of torque. Coupled to a six-speed automatic, the Countryman Park Lane will accelerate from 0 to 100km/h in 7.8 seconds, achieve a top speed of 212km/h, and return an average fuel consumption of 7.5L/100km.
Following
MINI Malaysia announcement of its 4 Years Unlimited Mileage Warranty with Free Scheduled Service program last week
, all 88 units of the MINI Countryman Park Lane will come covered by the new maintenance program.


Perodua Launches The Axia In Seychelles, Marking Brand's Debut In The Country

Perodua has officially launched the Axia in the Seychelles, an archipelago of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, off East Africa. The launch also marks the brand’s debut in the country.
The Axia is offered in E MT, G AT, SE and AV variants in Seychelles, at promotional prices of 235,000 (RM71,500), 265,000 (RM80,600), 275,000 (RM83,700) and 290,000 (RM88,300) Seychellois Rupees respectively.
All variants are powered by a 1.0 litre 1KR-VE engine with intelligent variable valve timing that is connected to a five-speed manual transmission on the E MT variant and a four-speed electronically-controlled automatic transmission on the other three variants.
“The Seychelles offers a good opportunity for us to expose our brand to people of various nationalities who travel to the island nation for their holidays. We believe that this will give us greater prospects for future markets,” said Perodua Sales Sdn Bhd Managing Director Dato’ Dr Zahari Husin.
Perodua has appointed SF Hybrid Motors Pty Ltd as the official Perodua distributor for the Seychelles, handling sales as well as after-sales.
Besides Seychelles, Perodua’s other current African export market is Mauritius, where it has sold over 3,000 vehicles since 1996.
“We are honoured to bring Perodua to the Seychelles. We believe in Perodua and are even backing it up with a three-year warranty up to 100,000 km. The Perodua Axia is the perfect fit for the Seychelles market. It delivers in all aspects – style, safety, security, ingenuity, low running costs as well as affordable spare parts and servicing,” said SF Hybrid Motors Director Mr Christophe Larue.
Looking for a new Perodua? Get the best deals
here
.


Mazda Rotary Engines Set For Comeback In Tokyo Motor Show?

Before you brush this off as yet another rumour of a new Mazda rotary engine, we have strong reasons to believe that this could be the real deal.
According to a report by Australia’s GoAuto, which have been very reliable in its previous scoops, Mazda is expected to introduce a range-extender petrol-electric hybrid concept that features a rotary engine.
At the recent Frankfurt Motor Show, the publication asked Mazda’s global sales and marketing managing executive officer Masahiro Moro on Mazda’s plans for another RX sports model, to which Moro-san replied “You came up with a dangerous question” – before adding with a big smile: “Stay tuned.”
When the journalist persisted, Moro-san asked, “Are you coming to the Tokyo motor show?”, hinting that the company will be making a major announcement on the topic there.
Mazda last produced a rotary engine-powered car in 2012, when the RX-8 was discontinued.
The characteristics of a rotary engine meant that it would be very difficult to engineer it to meet today’s stringent exhaust emissions and fuel consumption regulations in Europe, USA and Japan. While it was compact and light, exhaust emissions and fuel consumption is very high.
However, there are some advantages in using a lightweight rotary engine to power a range-extended electric vehicle.
Rather than using the petrol rotary engine to drive the wheels, the rotary engine can be set to run at a constant, optimal rpm where it produces the least emissions, and used as a generator to charge the electric vehicle’s traction battery.
The compact design of a rotary engine meant that it will take up less space than a conventional piston engine of the same output.
Such rotary-type range extender engine are not new. In 2013, Mazda produced a demonstrator prototype using the previous generation Mazda 2.
In 2010, Audi showed an A1 e-tron electric car with a rotary-type range extender engine developed by AVL.
The big question is whether the soon-to-be unveiled concept by Mazda points to a successor to the RX-8 or not? Albeit with a more eco-friendly twist ala-BMW i8.


BMW Concept M4 GTS Heads For Pebble Beach, Production Model Preview For US

Beastly, isn’t it? A concept for now, which will be previewed at the coming Monterey Car Week, but sadly, this one will be purely for sale in the US only. Bummer.
“While the
BMW

M4
 Coupe embodies the ideal combination of motor sport genes and unrestricted everyday usability, the BMW Concept M4 GTS previews an emotionally powerful and exclusive special model conceived with an eye for trailblazing technology and a keen focus on the race track. Despite its outstanding track ability, it is still fully road-legal. This is racing technology for the road in the truest sense”
 - says Frank van Meel, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW M GmbH.
That should just about spell it all, but this Concept M4 GTS is rather special.
As mentioned, it’s a race car for the tracks that will be perfectly suited for the road. Continuing a tradition began by the M3 Evolution back in 1988, the Concept M4 GTS packs an abundance of tech that will soon make its way into the production version of the car that’s due to be revealed later this year.
The car is largely based and built upon the strengths of
BMW’s M4 MotoGP Safety Car
, featuring items like a manually-adjustable front splitter and rear wing, a Carbon-Fibre-Reinforced Plastic (CFRP) hood, giant air intakes up front, and the
same water-injection technology to boost power
.
Although, the water-injection powered Concept M4 GTS here does make more power and torque. Here’s BMW’s explanation of how it all works:
“The water injection system introduced by BMW M GmbH sees the engineers using the physical effect of water when vaporizing to draw the required energy from the ambient medium. The water is injected into the plenums of the intake manifold as a fine spray. When water vaporizes and goes through its phase transition absorbs heat, cooling the air intake significantly. As a result, the final compression temperature in the combustion chamber – and therefore the engine’s tendency to “knock” – is reduced, enabling the turbocharged engine to use higher boost pressure and earlier injection timing.”
Riding on Michelin Sport Cup 2 rubbers, the Concept M4 GTS wears BMW’s light-alloy 666M styling wheels, featuring 19-inch sizes up front, and 20-inch in the rear.
The paint is a Frozen Dark Grey metallic scheme, with Acid Orange accents seen highlighting the car.
Pity, this beauty, which preview a real production model to come, will only be sold in the US sometime at the end of this year (2015).


Volvo Car Malaysia Announces EEV Status And Price Reduction For Selected Models

Volvo Car Malaysia announced that models equipped with the Drive-E powertrain have now been accorded Energy-Efficient Vehicle (EEV) status, which will result in a retail price reduction for applicable models, thanks to customized government incentives.
The models and their prices (on-the-road without insurance, inclusive of six per cent GST) before and after the incentives are as mentioned below:
Models
Retail price
Retail price with EEV incentive
XC60 T6
RM318,888
RM298,888
XC60 T5
RM288,888
RM266,888
V40 T5 Drive-E
RM192,888
RM180,888
According to Volvo Car Malaysia, the retail price with EEV incentive will take effect from today onwards.
“Our award-winning Drive-E powertrains offer customers a world-class blend of outstanding power and lower fuel consumption which promises to bring efficient driving pleasure to a whole new level,” said Lennart Stegland, Managing Director of Volvo Car Malaysia.
Stegland adds, “We fully support the government’s initiative under the NAP to encourage the use of EEVs in Malaysia as it will spur investments and development of green technologies from global automotive players into Malaysia.”
Volvo Car Malaysia also mentioned that it would like to acknowledge the cooperation between the relevant government agencies such as the Malaysian Automotive Institute (MAI), Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI), Ministry of Finance (MOF), Malaysian Investment Development Authority and the Road Transport Department (JPJ) to ensure that all the requisites for the certification and incentives are met.
Looking for a Volvo? Find one now at
Carlist.my


Autech-Enhanced Nissan Leaf Debuts, On Sale In Japan Next Month

Set to go on sale next month, the Nissan Leaf Autech features a range of exclusive styling upgrades over the regular Leaf.
The Nissan Leaf Autech is the fourth model in Japan to receive the Autech treatment, after the Serena, Note, and X-Trail.
Finished in Autech’s signature Aurora Flare Blue Pearl, the Nissan Leaf Autech features a range of upgrades, including:
Autech front grille
Metallic finishing on the front and rear bumpers
Autech emblems
17-inch wheels with 215/50R17 tires
Blue Autech leatherette interior upholstery
Autech logo embroidered on the seats
Autech leather steering wheels
More Autech emblems
Dark wood instrument panel
Closer to home, Edaran Tan Chong Motor is expected to introduce the new generation Nissan Leaf later this year. The company previewed the Leaf at the 2018 Kuala Lumpur International Motor Show last year.
Looking for a new Nissan? Find for the best deals
here
.


Sime Darby Racing Team ready to conquer Porsche Carrera Cup Asia 2023

Sime Darby Auto Performance (SDAP)
 has officially launched the Sime Darby Racing Team - its latest effort to conquer the 2023 Porsche Carrera Cup Asia (PCCA).

In partnership with Earl Bamber Motorsport (EBM), the Sime Darby Racing Team will be running a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car for the entire season in the PRO category with a young and talented Malaysian driver (and former Formula 3 racer) behind the wheel, Nazim Azman.

It's going to be one heck of a season and a very visible one for both the Sime Darby Racing Team and Nazim Azman thanks to the very eye-catching batik-inspired livery on their Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car.

The 2023 season will begin at the end of April with a home-ground advantage at the Sepang International Circuit (SIC). A total of 14 rounds covering seven different weekends and six different locations across Asia will be live-streamed online for those who are keen to get their dose of some of the best Porsche one-make series racing on the planet.

According to Christopher Hunter, CEO of SDAP, "Our participation in Porsche Carrera Cup Asia this year underlines our long-standing commitment to Porsche’s motorsport DNA. Porsche Malaysia has been at the forefront of customer track driving programmes, and we have had a long history with Earl Bamber Motorsport on track. We are confident about our performance in the upcoming season together with our strong partners, Earl Bamber Motorsport and Nazim."

As for Nazim Azman, he commented, "It is my pleasure to partner with Porsche Malaysia and Earl Bamber Motorsport to represent the Sime Darby Racing Team at the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia 2023. As this is my first time racing a GT car for a full season, I believe that this opportunity will widen my horizons and experiences in GT racing. I’d like to thank the team for the

support and will strive to do my best to step up in the upcoming race."

Below is the list of rounds for the 2023 Porsche Carrera Cup Asia (PCCA) which will be live-streamed online.


Veloster N Is First To Get Hyundai’s 8-Speed Dual-Clutch For 2021

Few automakers would have gone through the trouble of making a new gearbox for their hot hatch, but Hyundai just did.

Hyundai
’s N high performance division has always promised driving purity, so it was celebrated when it was revealed that the
i30 N
 came with a 6-speed manual as its sole transmission option. The trend followed into the fast Veloster, which by the way is a model based on the i30.

There were, naturally, calls for the South Korean manufacturer to accommodate an automatic option to broaden its appeal to those who might not be so keen on driving a car with 3 pedals, which were mostly ignored. That is, until now.

It seems Hyundai were working on an automatic gearbox specifically designed for use in high performance applications, and have announced that this all-new 8-speed (wet type) dual-clutch N DCT will be premiering in the 2021 revision of the Veloster N.

The automaker was previously stuck in between a rock and a hard place because its existing 7-speed dual-clutch transmission, while good, was definitely not engineered to be an especially fast shifting unit, nor was it meant to handle the kind of high torque and abuse that the N models would need to withstand both on road and track.

This is why Hyundai stresses that this new N DCT was developed with ‘Thermal Endurance’ in mind, and is even durable enough to endure multiple aggressive standstill launches in succession from the included N Track Sense Shift Launch Control mode. To reduce parasitic drag on the car’s 2.0-litre turbocharged engine while also improving cooling, the gearbox is fitted with its own electric oil pump.

“Veloster N demonstrates Hyundai’s approach to high-performance cars. By equipping Veloster N with N DCT, drivers get performance and convenience at the same time,” said Thomas Schemera, Head of Product Division at Hyundai Motor. “Anyone who wants a fun driving experience will jump at the chance to pilot the new Veloster N – an everyday sports car with racetrack capabilities.”

Theoretically, having 8 forward ratios could also mean a more even spread of gears to fully utilise the car’s power band. It also doesn’t hurt to have a little one up over the Volkswagen’s DSG. Hyundai’s N DCT was designed and developed entirely in-house and tuned to deliver fast and fun driving.

Of course, up and downshifts can be manually called for by either pushing the gear knob or by pulling on the steering wheel-mounted paddles. Doing so in certain situations can engage the N Grin Shift feature, which results in quicker shifts by summoning an extra 24Nm over-boost from the engine, which can last for up to 20 seconds.

The quicker shifts of the N DCT does improve acceleration, and Hyundai estimates that the 2021 Veloster would need just 5.6 seconds for a 0-60mph (96kmh/h) sprint, or about 0.2 seconds quicker than the fastest time the manual could manage.

We’re pretty sure it’s only a matter of time until Hyundai announces an i30 N with the N DCT transmission to complement the 6-speed manual, which could give the car a little more pull in auto-loving markets such as ours. With regard to the newest-generation Veloster in general, we’re unlikely to see the quirky coupe/hatch return to our shores anytime soon, let alone in this hot N form. We
did enjoy it while it lasted
.


Volkswagen Group Malaysia Donates Child Seats For A Cause

The
Volkswagen
 Group Malaysia has donated a total of 200 child seats in the name of child passenger safety in the country.
The seats themselves will be given to the Association of Registered Childcare Providers Malaysia (PPBM) in a collaborative attempt to raise awareness on the importance of having a child seat. PPBM began its work last December (2014) and through its various campaigns and activities, has since educated some 28,000 parents on the matter.
Puan Sharifah Salmah Syed Harun, Director of Human Resource, Volkswagen Malaysia, said “As a responsible automaker, we believe in the importance of cultivating children’s safety in cars. Our goal is to change mind-sets and increase awareness about child passenger safety.
“Hence, our collaboration with PPBM which involves the roll out of a Child Passenger Safety (CPS) training module. We are also pleased to contribute 200 Volkswagen child seats for educational purposes and 10,000 copies of the A-Z of road safety flash cards to be given to all participants.”
Only recently, after a few highlighted road accidents involving infants being thrown out of cars, is the government moving towards enforcing a law that will require
parents to have their child passengers braced by the safety
 of child seats.
At the very beginning of this year, the government had enforced that all new vehicles sold in Malaysia must offer ISOFIX child-seat anchors – despite the anchorage points being developed by Volkswagen and child safety seat maker, Britax-Roemer, back in 1997.
Obviously, the risks posed by not using child seats have long existed – in 2013 alone, statistics have shown that 53 children and babies were recorded to be involved in car accidents: 31 of that had died.
The Volkswagen representative continued to say that, “We are deeply saddened to learn of the recent fatal accidents involving infants in which no child safety seat was in use.
“Statistics have shown that child seats reduce the risk of death by 71% for infants and 54% for children between the ages of one and five. This also fortifies our intention of providing safety features in our fleet of cars such as the ISOFIX and many more.”
Problem is, naturally, that if you’ve been to your average store to find them, child seats that meet the UN ECE R44 standard requirements, aren’t the most affordable items you could buy for your car. That’s a separate issue for another time, one that we hope will be addressed by the right authorities.
One bit of shining light, however, is that manufacturer like Volkswagen is well aware of the situation, and is seemingly doing more and more about it.
BMW Malaysia is another example
, offering their range of R44-conpliant child seats at promotional prices to assert their availability.


Toyota and Geely May Partner Up For Hybrid Technology

On the one hand, you have Toyota - a company with a long and solid history of automotive manufacturing and arguably the pioneer of mass-market hybrid vehicles. On the other, you have Geely - the fast growing automotive company that knows a good thing when it sees it - case in point, Volvo cars. According to Reuters, there are rumours of the two companies being in talks for co-operation of gasoline hybrid electric vehicle technology - a little like BMW's partnership with Toyota.
The reality of doing business in China is that you need a Chinese business partner, and Geely is a great partner to have. With Toyota trying to ramp up sales in a market that is fiercely loyal to their local brands (and Volkswagen), Toyota is going to need all the help it can get. So far, the scarce information about this potential partnership ties to a mutual battery supplier that both companies share, although the specifics are still unknown.
Toyota has been producing hybrid vehicles in China for a couple of years now, selling them since 2015, and they plan to sell plug-in hybrid variants of the Corolla and Levin (yes, they're still using that nameplate in China) next year.


School Teacher Wins The Iconic Beetle

Muhamad Rizal  Sadiman, a 28-year old high school teacher from Perak has just been given a brand new Volkswagen Beetle 1.2TSI by VW Malaysia after his video won the hearts of the judges for the “Win The Icon” contest organised by Volkswagen Malaysia.

Rizal who submitted a video for the contest of him testing a Polo and Tiguan won because he managed to show that Volkswagens are truely exciting cars that you need to experience and that safety is one of the big selling points of the German car.

“A Volkswagen is truly better experienced than explained. Safety is a top priority for me as I was involved in an accident two years ago where the brakes failed. In my submission video, I showcased how the Tiguan performed during emergency braking, and I am very impressed. The Polo is another favourite as we had one in the family and it is a sturdy pocket rocket. I am so thrilled and excited about this win. I can’t wait to drive my new Beetle around town and to school”.

The contest which ran from 1st October till 30th November saw over 800 posts and submissions of photos and videos of Malaysians test-driving their favourite Volkswagen models while documenting their experience. Participants were to caption their submissions creatively with the hashtag #BetterExperiencedThanExplained.


Energy Commission wants all EV charge point operators to obtain license

The
Energy Commission (EC)
 has 'suggested' that all charge point operators or CPOs apply for the
Electric Vehicle Charging System license (EVCS)
.

Used for the purpose of installing EV charging systems, the license will be needed by all charge point operators in the future as well as those that are already operating to date. And they have to apply for the EVCS by 31 March 2023.

License to cover safety & technical aspects

The reason why EC is pushing for all charge point operators to apply for the EVCS boils down to standardising the services as well as safety. As more and more EV charging stations are popping up across the country, safety in terms of operations and structure should be imperative, especially when dealing with high levels of electricity.

According to
Bernama
, the license will grant the CPOs to conduct 'electricity supply activities' for commercial uses for 10 years based on location. Those who fail to do so by 31 March 2023 may face prosecutions under Section 37(5) of the Electricity Supply Act 1990 (Act 447) which states:

Any person who, in contravention of section 9, supplies electricity from an installation to or for the use of any person commits an offence and shall, on conviction, be liable to a fine not exceeding one hundred thousand ringgit, and to a further fine not exceeding one thousand ringgit for every day or part of a day during which the offence continues after conviction.

First EVCS license issued to Gentari

*Image credit: EV Connection

We've previously reported that the first publically-available
350kW DC fast charging station
 in Southeast Asia was opened for business earlier this month at X Park Sunway Serene, Petaling Jaya. It was the first charging station to receive the EVCS license, which was followed by the one launched at the Bangi Golf Resort.

More charging stations by several companies will be unveiled in the near future to accommodate the rising number of EVs and PHEVs here in Malaysia, which is why regulation on safety should be a point of concern since the cars that use these particular services aren't exactly cheap. With that in mind, the license does not regulate things like charging rates. That will most likely come later in the future, with a helping hand from our beloved Malaysian government.


Malaysia’s Third National Car Project Could Get RM 41 Billion Funding From China

After Tun Mahathir voiced his intention of wanting a third national car, two companies from China have shown interest by proposing to invest RM 41 billion in the project and to construct a regional hub in southern Perak.
The companies - GSR Capital and Envision Energy, both Chinese EV manufacturers, submitted their joint proposal to the government during the Prime Minister’s visit to China recently. The joint proposal with Concept Fields Sdn Bhd also sees the participation of Nissan.
Envision Energy currently holds a 75% stake in Automotive Energy Supply Corporation (AESC), Nissan’s lithium-ion battery unit. Envision will bring in AESC to partner with GSR Capital to set up a regional EV manufacturing base in Perak.
The RM 41 billion project will spread over a five year period and will include the production of EV batteries.
Elsewhere, Geely has also shown interest to participate in the third national car project. According to sources familiar with the matter, Geely plans to upgrade its operations here in Malaysia.


BMW 5 Series G30 US Ordering Guide Has Been Leaked

In Malaysia we don't really have the luxury of picking and choosing our options willy nilly as the Americans and Europeans seem to be able to. This is partly because product planning is a lot easier to do with singular specifications that allow for a few additional unintrusive options, whereas in these more developed markets the customer is allowed to customise their car to a T as they operate on a nearly pull-driven manufacturing scheme. Each car is uniquely outfitted with the options from the factory- things that cannot be retrofitted at a dealership, and this doesn't work here as it would affect volumes of production.
But that doesn't mean we can't hope, or guess, what we'll be seeing in our local-spec G30 5 Series.
BMWBLOG
 and Bimmerpost managed to find a
leaked copy
 of the options list and guide for the upcoming 5 Series. The U.S. market will open with 4 variants of the new 5 Series, in either 530i or 540i form, with and without xDrive for both models. While there is word on a 550i model potentially coming to the U.S. market, it is these two models in non xDrive form that we will most likely see here.
The standard stuff to expect is at least as good as the outgoing F10 5 Series, with LED headlamps coming as standard for the 530i, and adaptive lighting topping this for the 540i models. Navigation only seems to be a standard option for the 540i, but beyond this the spec lists look pretty much as you would expect with a 5 Series. The options available are where it gets interesting: BMW is going to make radar based cruise control and safety systems, as well as gesture control avaiilable if owners wish to purchase them, which could really elevate the prestige of these products if they became made available here as well. Integral Active Steering (or rear wheel steering) is an option individual of any package, which may return as standard for the 540i (we had it in the previous gen 535i as standard).


BMW Unveils X5 and X7 M50i Variants – Twin-Turbo V8, 530 hp

BMW has taken the wraps of most powerful versions of its X5 and X7 SUV models, dubbed the M50i. In addition to the V8 power plants, both models are equipped as standard with xDrive all-wheel drive systems and model-specific suspension technology co-developed with BMW’s M Division.
At the heart of both SUVs is a twin-turbocharged 4.4-litre V8 that produces 530 hp between 5,500 and 6,000 rpm, and a whopping 750 Nm between 1,800 rpm and 4,600 rpm. Several components have been upgraded from the previous (N63) engine version; these include the crankcase, cylinder barrels, pistons, crankshaft, cylinder head, and most importantly larger turbochargers.
All that power is sent to an 8-speed automatic transmission, which is then channeled to all four wheels through the xDrive AWD system. The standard equipment of the new BMW X5 and X7 M50i also includes the electronically-controlled M sports differential which is interconnected to the Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) system to optimise traction and power transmission.
The X5 M50i is able to accelerate from zero to 100 km/h in 4.3 seconds, the X7 M50i takes 4.7 seconds.
The new BMW X5 M50i is equipped with Adaptive M suspension which offers Comfort and Sport settings, the X7 M50i is fitted as standard with adaptive dual axle air suspension, which is optionally available for the new BMW X5 M50i.
Aesthetically both models carry a number of design features to demarcate them from the rest of the model range, both feature larger air inlets in the front apron, different side sills, and sportier rear apron, while selected design elements are finished in Cerium Grey.
On the inside, both models are fitted M leather steering wheel, a gear selector lever displaying the M logo, Vernasca leather upholstery with contrasting topstitching and interior strips in Aluminium Tetragon (BMW X5 M50i) or Fineline Black wood. Both models also feature illuminated entry sills displaying the ’M50i’ logo. Additionally, the X7 M50i is equipped with a Harman Kardon surround sound system.
For the best deals on BMW vehicles, click
here
.


Child Seat Usage Enforcement Postponed to end of 2020. We’re not Surprised

Following the government’s announcement in November 2019, July 1st was supposed to be the day the usage child seats came into full enforcement, but did it happen?

Of course not. As many of us have guessed, the whole agenda has been postponed, until the end of 2020.

According to transport minister Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong, the grace period will allow the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros) to review the suitability of enforcing the use of child restraint system (CRS) devices, with a comprehensive action plan on it being announced later.

It was also said that no summons will be issued until the end of the year to vehicle owners who do not have a CRS installed.

The move to postpone the
enforcement of child seat usage
 is due to the change of government, and also the COVID-19 pandemic, which has somewhat prevented the members of the public to go out and sort things out. Simply put, the government is giving us more time to get the child seats for our vehicles.

To date, JPJ has issued close to 2,000 warning notices to drivers with children who have yet to start using child seats. It is also worth mentioning here that a total of 1,707 road crashes that occurred between 2016 and 2018 involved children in the car.

We understand that the government is trying its best to alleviate the financial stress of its citizens, but we're sure that there are other ways to do so without sacrificing the safety of the future generation.

With the
sales of new cars
 and used cars on the rise over the past couple of months, there is actually no reason to think that people have no money to purchase child seats.

Unfortunately, the whole issue of
child safety
 is still being taken for granted by most Malaysian road users, who just don’t seem to care even after reading hundreds of articles and watching numerous dashcam videos of crashes involving children.

That being said, we really hope that the government will look into this seriously and start enforcing the usage of child seats as soon as possible.

Take the
drunk driving
 issue for instance – a great amount of effort is being put in by the government, JPJ, PDRM and other bodies to make sure that drunkards stay off the road.

Now, all we’re asking is that you take this issue just as seriously, and start punishing irresponsible road users who just refuse to get child seats for their cars. Do you really want to wait until something happens to your own child before acting?


Toyota Hilux Returns To Japan After 13 Years

Toyota will be reintroducing the Hilux into the Japanese market after the model's 13 year hiatus. The new Toyota Hilux will be available at Toyota dealers across Japan from 12 September onwards.
Sales of the previous generation Toyota Hilux ended in 2004, with roughly 9,000 owners still using the Hilux for work.
"Furthermore, I would like to propose to customers not only the functional value of objects but also their conceptual value, in terms of special experiences and time gained by their possessing. We realize that for various practical reasons, Hilux can be a difficult vehicle to choose―for example, being a Class 1 vehicle, it requires annual inspection, and it is subject to slightly higher expressway tolls," said Masahiko Maeda, chief development engineer for the Hilux.
The Japanese market Toyota Hilux will be powered exclusively by a 2.4-litre 2GD-FTV turbodiesel engine that does 150 PS and 400 Nm, mated to a six-speed automatic. Under the JC08 test cycle, the Toyota Hilux returns 11.8 km/L.
Toyota is offering two grades of the Hilux for the Japanese market, Hilux X and Hilux Z. Both variants of the Toyota Hilux come fully-imported from Toyota's production facility in Thailand. The company aims to sell 2,000 units of the Hilux annually.
Elsewhere, Toyota has also introduced a redesigned Toyota Land Cruiser Prado and updated FJ Cruiser. The former is available alongside the Hilux from 12 September onwards, while the latter will be available at Toyota dealers from 16 October onwards.


2015 Mitsubishi Mirage Updated For Malaysia: New Kit, Same RM66k Price

While all the attention may fall around the
coming all-new Triton
 for the moment,
Mitsubishi
 Motors Malaysia (MMM) has rather quietly introduced a minor update for its compact hatchback, the
2015 Mitsubishi Mirage
.

Priced from
RM66,124
 (OTR, with insurance & GST)
he compact Mirage most notably gains a new sporty front bumper (identical to the limited edition Mirage Sports version from 2013), turn signals on the wing mirrors, and a new Kenwood audio 2-DIN head unit with Bluetooth connectivity.

Also, if you take a gander over at the brand’s local website, you may also notice that the previous lower-spec GL is no longer offered – gone with it, the entry RM60k price tag.

The previous higher-spec GS commanded RM64k (without insurance & GST), and there’s no sign of any significant changes to this despite the latest update. Based on the information provided by MMM’s local website, prices for the 1.2-litre hatch have been confirmed at the
RM66k
mentioned.

Other GS-specific features of old have been retained, such as the 14-inch alloy wheels, digital auto air-conditioning, LCD multi-info display screen on the instrument panel, keyless entry and engine push-start button.

For performance, the Mirage will continue to rely on its 1.2-litre, three-cylinder DOHC MIVEC engine, and Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) automatic. The combo outputs the same 77hp @ 6,000rpm and 100Nm of torque @ 4,000rpm.

Three body colours will be available for the updated 2015 Mitsubishi Mirage GS, being Red Metallic, Eisen Gray Mica and White Pearl.

Included in the price is Mitsubishi’s three-year warranty (or 100,000km, whichever comes first), and one year free maintenance.


PLUS to activate "SmartLane" zones to cope with heavy traffic this Labour Day weekend

According to PLUS chief operating officer Datuk Zakaria Ahmad Zabidi, “SmartLane” have been activated regularly at two routes during the festive period, which has received positive feedback from highway users.

To ensure smoother traffic flow during the upcoming Labour Day holiday and the end of the school holidays from April 29th to May 1st, PLUS Malaysia Bhd will activate "SmartLane" zones, a collaborative effort between them, the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM), the Road Transport Department (JPJ), and the Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM).

He said: "Once the SmartLane is activated, highway users will be allowed to temporarily enter and utilise the emergency lane at selected areas and will be redirected back to the normal lanes to continue their journey.

However, they must not use the road shoulder or emergency lane at other locations where no SmartLane is activated,” he said.

"The smartlane locations can be identified through special 'SmartLane' signage as well as the presence of traffic controllers stationed at the designated locations. Highway users are also advised to refer to the PLUS social media page via Facebook and PLUSTrafik Twitter,” he added.

However, it is crucial not to use the road shoulder or emergency lane at other locations where it might impede normal traffic flow. PLUS has also identified other locations for SmartLane activation, but it can only be implemented upon police approval based on the current traffic conditions.

These include the northbound route from Gua Tempurung (KM306.7) to Gopeng (KM297), Slim River (KM367.3) to Sungkai (KM354.1) and Rawang (KM439.9) to Sungai Buaya (KM435.5).


Volvo To Further Grow Malaysia CKD Operations; Exports To Five New Markets From End 2017

Volvo Cars is making Malaysia its assembly and export hub for the ASEAN region, with markets such as Indonesia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Vietnam, and even Taiwan set to receive Malaysia-built Volvo vehicles by the end of this year.
The Volvo Car Manufacturing Malaysia (VCMM) plant in Shah Alam is the oldest automotive assembly plant in the country having been in operation since 1968. Besides catering for the domestic market, the plant also produces Volvo vehicles for exports to Thailand.
The plant is fully up-to-date with Volvo’s latest production standards having been
assembling the second-generation XC90
 since last year – the only Volvo plant outside Sweden to currently do so.
According to a recent report by
Bernama
, Volvo had just spent RM20 million to grow the plant’s production capacity from the current 1,500 units per year to 5,000 by 2020.
"We will start exporting in mid-year (upon completion of the plant), starting with the
XC90 luxury SUV
, followed by a new car at end of the year," said VCMM Managing Director Fredrik Karlsson.
The ‘new car’ Karlsson mention is likely to be the all-new S90 sedan and/or V90 wagon, which is built off the same modular SPA platform as the XC90. We
spotted a unit of the V90
 around the vicinity of VCMM’s premises just yesterday.
The plant’s restructuring is expected to shift Volvo’s ratio for domestic to export consumption from 60:40 at present to 25:75 at full swing - highest for any automotive plant in Malaysia.


LA 2018: Mazda Set To Debut New Generation 3 - SkyActiv-X Confirmed

With a video title that says “A New Era Begins November 2018”, there’s little guesswork as to what Mazda has up their sleeves for next month.
The video released by Mazda teases a silhouette of what appears to be a hatchback, almost certainly hinting at the upcoming all-new Mazda 3.
Pausing the video at the 2 second mark gives us a brief look at the new model’s C-pillar, which is clearly inspired by the Kai Concept that was showcased at the 2017 Tokyo Motor Show, albeit with regular door handles.
At the 5 second mark, we can see that the side profile of the car now sports regular side mirrors, unlike the slim units found on the Kai Concept.
But design elements aside, what Mazda meant by its ‘New Era’ is its upcoming SkyActiv-X powertrain, which was covered in detail
here
.
In short, the new
SkyActiv-X
 engine with compression ignition will be able to offer superior fuel efficiency, and yet have far better engine response when compared to the current crop of SkyActiv engines.
Last but not least is the
new platform
 that will underpin the upcoming Mazda 3. One of the main changes is the rear suspension - out goes the proven multilink rear suspension set up of the current model, which is set to be replaced by a simpler rear torsion beam design.
More details of the new generation Mazda 3 are expected to be made known when the model debuts next month at the 2018 Los Angeles Auto Show.


Mitsubishi Xpander Cross Facelift 2022 – Nampak Menarik

Mitsubishi
Xpander Cross facelift 2022 telah didedahkan ketika Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show (GIIAS) 2022 dan rupanya... nampak menarik.

Selepas model facelift untuk Xpander biasa diperkenalkan pada hujung tahun lalu, sekarang adalah giliran Xpander Cross pula muncul dalam versi facelift yang melibatkan banyak peningkatan.

*Kredit foto: Mobil123

Exterior

Bahagian luarannya masih lagi mempunyai rupa Xpander, namun tampak lebih agresif dan garang.

Perbezaan yang membuatkan model ini kelihatan lebih berlemak dapat dilihat pada:

Rekaan gril
Dynamic Shield
 berbentuk Trapezoid baharu di hadapan

Rekaan lampu
T-Shape
 di hadapan

Rekaan bampar hadapan dan belakang

Wheel arc moulding
 yang lebih ketara

Rekaan Lampu LED tirus lebih panjang

Lebih lebar sebanyak 40 mm

Rekaan rim  17-inci baharu

*Kredit foto: Autonetmagz

Enjin Dan Prestasi

Enjin Xpander Cross facelift ini masih sama dengan Xpander facelift biasa, iaitu enjin 4A91 1.5 liter empat-silinder MIVEC menghasilkan 105 PS dan 141 Nm tork dan dipadankan dengan pilihan tranmisi:

Manual 5-kelajuan

CVT automatik

*Kredit foto: Mobil123

Interior

Bahagian dalamannya turut menerima kemasan baharu seiring dengan kemasan yang diterima pada Xpander facelift, bezanya cuma pada warna. Versi Cross ini menerima gabungan warna Navy Blue dan Silver dan sterengnya sama seperti Triton.

Selain itu, Xpander Cross ini hadir dengan:

Skrin infotainment bersaiz 9-inci

Kawalan penyaman udara digital

Brek parkir elektronik dengan Auto Hold (bagi varian automatik)

Pengecas tanpa wayar Qi

Meter separa digital

Ciri Keselamatan Dan Bantuan Pemanduan

Untuk sistem keselamatan, Xpander Cross datang dengan:

2-beg udara

Kawalan Kestabilan Aktif

Bantuan Mula Mendaki

ABS dengan EBD dan BA

Active Yaw Control

Kamera undur pelbagai sudut

Brek cakera (hadapan)

Brek drum (belakang)

*Kredit foto: Mobil123

Harga

Di Indonesia, hanya ada dua varian yang ditawarkan:

Xpander Cross MT Rp309,95 juta (RM93,437)

Xpander Cross CVT Premium Package Rp335,75 juta (RM101.215)

Sekiranya Xpander Cross yang lebih ganas ini memasuki pasaran Malaysia, agak-agak berapa tanda harga yang sesuai bagi model ini?


This Is Why The Toyota Corolla Is One Of The Most Successful Cars Ever

You might not realize it, but the Corolla is a namesake that has stretched longer than most cars on the market.

Not even the Europeans have a model that stretches as far back as this mid-sized Toyota has, both in terms of generations and in terms of actual years.

From as early as the 1970s, the Corolla was known as a proper entry to the Toyota brand in Malaysia. From the KE10 to the KE70, these models proved to be so hardy that they cemented the association between Toyota and a worry-free ownership experience – one that carries even until today.

It had near unrivalled popularity among buyers, and you will still see some examples on the road to this day. The following decade saw a great leap forward in terms of packaging as the Corolla went front-wheel drive, which in turn improved legroom throughout the car in addition to better fuel efficiency and reduced complexity.

At the time, the national car project was well into the swing of things and so the Corolla had some difficult competition to deal with – but nonetheless many Malaysians can remember having grown up in a Corolla AE82.

Coming into the 1990s, the Corolla once again went through a fairly major transformation. Gone was the boxy styling, replaced by aerodynamically friendly smooth curves and flowy lines.

The Corolla maintained its traditional three-box sedan shape – form following function – and again managed to command a base of satisfied customers that had grown to trust the Corolla name.

By this point, the Corolla had gone through seven generational changes, and the world had become vastly different from what it was in the 1970s – as had the Corolla, now being far larger than its humble beginnings.

Numerous global recessions coupled with our own weakening currency meant that the Corolla could no longer be the entry-level model for the brand.

Handing that torch over to the Toyota Vios, the Corolla was free to evolve as a mid-sized C-segment sedan and adopt many luxuries that were previously avoided in favour of keeping the model at an approachable entry-level price point.

By the time the tenth generation rolled around in the late 2000s, buyers would expect either a 1.8-litre or 2.0-litre engine with a Continuously Variable Transmission and a spacious interior.

For some buyers, the Corolla has been a car that they’ve returned to generation after generation. For others, the Corolla has become a stepping stone in their car ownership history as they move on to larger models.

But no matter what the Corolla is to you, as an owner you expect nothing less than reliability and solid resale value. After all, 44.1 million owners can’t be wrong – as that’s the number of Corollas that have been sold globally since the first generation in 1966.

This year sees the introduction of the all-new twelfth generation Corolla to our Malaysian market, and with it comes a pretty substantial leap over the outgoing model.


Facelifted Proton Persona Launched - 4 Variants, From RM 42,600

After much anticipation, Proton has finally launched
the facelifted Persona
 today alongside the facelifted Iriz.
Offered in four variants, the prices of the facelifted Persona range are as mentioned below (on the road, excluding insurance):
Persona Standard 1.6L Manual - RM 42,600
Persona Standard 1.6L CVT - RM 44,600
Persona Executive 1.6L CVT - RM 49,600
Persona Premium 1.6L CVT - RM 54,600
As before, only one engine will be powering the entire Persona range, which is a 1.6-litre VVT mill (109 PS/150 Nm), which is paired to either a CVT-type automatic or a 5-speed manual gearbox.
On the exterior, the facelifted Persona now comes with a fresh front fascia which comprises of the 'Ethereal Bow' grille which looks similar to the one on
the X70
 SUV, new LED DRLs, a new rear bumper, a new rear spoiler, as well as automatic headlights.
The Proton logo in the middle of the car’s rear has also been removed, replaced by ‘Proton’ lettering which runs across the back right above the number plate.
Inside, the dashboard continues to feature a two-tone colour split, and now taking centre stage is the Geely Smart Ecosystem (GKUI) 7-inch infotainment head unit similar to the X70’s, with the “Hi Proton” voice command system, 4G and Wi-Fi connectivity, music streaming, navigation, Over-The-Air updates, and a reverse camera with dynamic guide lines.
The infotainment system in the Premium variant makes the facelifted Persona the first car in its segment to come with a built-in SIM card.
Having said that, the list of standard features (Standard 1.6L MT/ Standard 1.6L CVT) include:
Dual airbags
Front parking sensors
ABS/EBD/BA/ESC/TCS
Hill Hold Assist
15-inch wheels
510-litre boot space
2 speakers
2 USB charging ports
Eco Drive Assist
Shark fin antenna
Fabric seats
Tricot headlining
LCD Segmented Multi-Info Display (MID)
The Executive 1.6L CVT variant gets additional features such as:
7-inch infotainment display
Semi-leather seats
4 speakers
Keyless entry and start with remote trunk release
Steering wheel audio controls
TFT LCD Multi Info display (MID)
LED DRLs
Reverse camera with dynamic guide lines
The range-topping Persona Premium 1.6L CVT gets even more goodies like:
4G & Wi-Fi Connectivity
"Hi Proton" voice command for music, navigation, and weather
6 airbags
Auto headlights
Leather steering wheel
Rear view mirror with clear plastic bezel
Sporty gear lever
Proton also shared the facelifted Persona’s estimated 5-year service cost of RM 3,051, which is basically the service cost for the first five years. The brand says that it is about 32% cheaper than its key rivals.
The facelifted Proton Persona can be had in five colours - Armour Silver, Jet Grey, Rosewood Maroon, Ruby Red, and Snow White.
Similar to the facelifted Iriz, the facelifted Persona is backed by Proton's 5-year/100,000-km warranty package.
As a value-added proposition, buyers of the facelifted Proton Persona can enjoy these benefits:
Free 2-year road tax for the first 1,000 registered units
Free 5-year data package with 1GB month data quota (1.6L Premium only)
Interest rates from 2.93%
Free labour for 3 scheduled service appointments (up to 20,000 km)
Insurance coverage package
Looking for a new Proton? Check out the best deals
here
.


Perodua Looking To Go Into Pre-Owned Vehicle Retail in 2017

If you're looking to buy a new Perodua, you can usually get great trade-in value and that helps a great deal in mitigating the cost of a new car. But rarely do we think of where these cars go once we hand the keys over; not every brand has an existing system for selling pre-owned vehicles. In addition to this, you could only get high trade in value under their programs if you were purchasing a Perodua from one of their own outlets rather than one managed by a dealer.
This year, Perodua is looking to make some changes. In previous years, they would sell off these pre-owned vehicles wholesale to other used-car dealers, as they had no official outlet for retail. At their recent
press conference
 and review of their performance through 2016, Datuk (Dr) Aminar Rashid Salleh made claims that they were looking into having their own retail system for these pre-owned vehicles.
The main obstacles to the implementation of a proper retail outlet has been a lack of space and a lack of structure: the former is understandable as land space in the Klang Valley goes for a premium. The exact details of this new retail operation have yet to be confirmed, nor is it certain whether dealers will be allowed to contribute to the system, but Perodua is definitely making moves in this direction.


BMW 530e and 330e Are The World’s Best-Selling Global PHEV Models

Putting aside the predominantly China-only plug-in hybrid models made by BYD – still the world’s biggest producer of electrified vehicles - it is the BMW 530e that is the world’s best-selling internationally available plug-in hybrid model.
According to data compiled by JATO Dynamics, BMW delivered about 50,000 units of the plug-in hybrid 530e last year, putting it ahead of the Toyota Prius Prime (about 47,000 units) and Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-in Hybrid (about 41,000 units), with the Honda Clarity Plug-in Hybrid rounding up the top-ten list. The Clarity is also available as a battery electric vehicle and a hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle.
The smaller 330e did rather well too, with 14,400 units delivered last year, putting it well ahead of the Mercedes-Benz C350e (11,400 units) and Volvo S60 T6 and T8 Twin Engine variants (2,200 units). Volvo’s numbers are low because deliveries of the all-new S60 began only in the second half of 2018.
Malaysia was certainly a significant contributor to the 530e and 330e’s success, as half of all BMW’s sold in Malaysia are contributed by plug-in hybrid models – 740Le, X5 40e, 530e, and 330e. Of course, the 330e is taking a temporary break this year, as the 3 Series range is transitioning from the current F30 generation to an all-new G20 generation model, which is expected to be launched here later this month.
The 330e is not expected to make a return within the year, as deliveries of the
all-new 330e
 won’t start in Germany until July this year. Local-assembly of the next 330e is still uncertain, pending announcement of the new National Automotive Policy by the government.
JATO Dynamics estimates that over 2 million units of battery electric (BEV) and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) models were delivered worldwide last year, dominated mostly by Chinese models. China is now the world’s largest market of electrified vehicles, driven by mostly government incentives. More than half of the world’s BEV and PHEV vehicles are taken up by Chinese buyers.


Mazda Vision Coupe Named Most Beautiful Concept Car Of The Year In France

Mazda’s Vision Coupe has been named the “Most Beautiful Concept Car of the Year” at the 33rd Festival Automobile International held in Paris last week.
Revealed in 2017 in Tokyo, the
Mazda Vision Coupe
 is a design vision model for the next generation of Mazda cars.
Featuring a simple and flowing “one motion” form, it embodies a more mature interpretation of the KODO-Soul of Motion design language tempered with a Japanese aesthetics.
Taking cues from the Mazda Luce Rotary coupe and other models that comprise Mazda's design heritage, the Vision Coupe uses reflections to express a sense of vitality; the next step for KODO design, according to Ikuo Maeda, Mazda's Managing Executive Officer in charge of Design and Brand Style.
“This car embodies a delicate Japanese aesthetic, and to be recognized here in the ‘City of Art’ two years after RX-VISION was awarded the same honor is very gratifying. We want to retain our identity as a Japanese brand as we continue making cars with global appeal.”
The brand’s RX-Vision won the same honor in 2016, making this a double win for the two concept models that will guide the design of the next generation of Mazda cars.
Judged by a panel of prominent designers working in fashion, architecture and other industries, the award celebrates the freshest, most creative and most beautiful concept cars in the world.
The Mazda Vision Coupe is currently on display with other concept cars at Hotel national des Invalides in France.


Catch Your Favourite Movies with Shell Helix Engine Warranty

When it comes to picking a lubricant for our vehicles, Malaysian motorists are spoilt for choice. Regardless of whether you own a Japanese car, European car, a performance oriented car, a supercar, an SUV, a luxury car, or even a hybrid car, there is definitely something for your car in the market.

However good these lubricants are for your vehicle, and no matter how much the manufacturers claim that they protect your vehicle’s engines, it is safe to say that not many can come close to Shell Helix when it comes to offering owners peace of mind and a sense of trust.

This is because Shell Helix became the first lubricant brand in Malaysia to introduce a first of its kind extended engine warranty program for the motorists of Malaysia, called The Shell Helix Engine Warranty (SHEW).

The Shell Helix Engine Warranty is a warranty provided by Shell Malaysia Trading Sdn. Bhd. for your vehicle up until 12 years, or 200,000 km, from the date your vehicle is manufactured (whichever occurs first), when you use Shell Helix Ultra or Shell Helix HX7.

All you have to do to enroll in this program is perform an oil change using Shell Helix Ultra or Shell Helix HX7 at your authorised Shell Helix Engine Warranty workshop, and your mechanic will sign you up. Alternatively, purchase Shell Helix Ultra or Shell Helix HX7 at any Shell retail station and self-register online.

This extended warranty programme covers 15 major engine parts against lubricant caused failure for up to 12 years or 200,000km mileage – whichever comes first. The components are:

Piston and piston rings

Crankshaft and bearings

Connecting rods

Connecting rod bearings

Gudgeon pin

Valves

Engine block

Cylinder head

Timing gear and chains

Camshaft and bearings

Cylinder liner / bore

Turbocharger

Cam followers

Rocker arm and pivot

Push rods and balance shaft

However, not everyone is eligible for the warranty. It is applicable only for cars under 8 years old with mileage less than 100,000km at first registration and is transferrable to the new vehicle owner in the case the car is sold.

The best part about the SHEW program, which covers up to a maximum or RM15, 000 for Shell Helix Ultra users per claim and RM8000 per claim for Shell Helix HX7 customers is that it is completely free.

That said, it has been about four months since the Shell Helix Engine Warranty program was launched, and the amount of satisfied customers is definitely on the rise.

With manufacturer warranties lasting typically for five years, now users can enjoy up to 12-years of worry-free motoring with the SHEW warranty. Plus, with the year-end holidays and festivities which are upon us, the SHEW might just be what every motorist needs.

To sweeten the deal, users who register for SHEW the first time or existing SHEW users who renew their SHEW warranty at either an authorized SHEW workshop or Shell Petrol Station from now to 31 January 2017 will be able to enjoy a free pair of movie tickets sent to them. For more details on the promotion, click here.

For more information, call the SHEW hotline at 1800-18-1855 or visit
www.shell.com.my/helixwarranty
.


Volvo Cars Tightens Ties With NVIDIA

If you’re tired of hearing about how every manufacturer from Proton to Mercedes-Benz is going to adopt Artificial Intelligence (AI) in their on-board infotainment systems, the bad news is that it’s not going to let up anytime soon. What was thought to be an isolated development for a manufacturer seems to be rolling out across a multitude of brands, and this is thanks in part to joint technology development between automotive manufacturers and component suppliers.
Unlike mechanical systems or sensors that require a little more programming and a lot more work to integrate, AI systems in the infotainment can work across the board in the same way you can retrofit a double-DIN head unit in any car that offers you the space to place it. Volvo Cars has announced that it will be strengthening ties with NVIDIA, but the tech extends beyond the infotainment system. What they are developing will be a system that functions as a core computer for the next generation of Volvo vehicles.
The core computer itself is based on NVIDIA’s DRIVE AGX Xavier technology, which will allow Volvo Cars to implement a highly capable computing platform for the Scalable Product Architecture 2 (SPA 2) vehicle platform that will underpin Volvo cars in the next decade. They’re already thinking that far ahead, when most products on the SPA platform have yet to even reach their facelift point.
What this new computer will allow Volvo to do is take great steps forward in the field of driver support systems, energy management technology, and in-car personalization options. 360-degree perception capabilities and driver monitoring systems will also allow for better autonomous functionality when letting the computer take over operation of the vehicle.
The SPA 2 platform itself will be based on the existing SPA platform, but will focus on adding next generation technologies such as electrification, connectivity, and autonomous drive. It is with this next generation of products that a powerful core computer becomes ever more important in order to maintain control of the car and to handle the numerous complex decisions that occur – whether it’s as simple as route guidance, or as complex and navigating through traffic.


REVIEW: 2021 Mercedes-AMG A 45 S - The Hypercar Of Hot Hatchbacks

The A 45 S
 is a car that, on paper, takes it a couple of steps too far. Too much power, perhaps too much grip, too much turbo pressure, too much weight, too much speed, too much momentum, too much tech.

It’s the first car from Mercedes-AMG that, when I first skimmed over its announced spec in 2019, went “hmm…that’s a little scary”.

Based on the W177 A-Class
, everyone must’ve immediately wondered what black magic Affalterbach had to invoke to tame such fury - 420PS and 500Nm of it - when condensed into a modest 5-door package that was also expected to drive in town, take the kids to school, all the while also not exploding.

In an unexpected turn of events, the most popular cars from Mercedes-AMG over the past half-decade or so have been their smallest. They’ve gotten the most press coverage and have managed to hook the most number of fresh customers into the fold of the German performance arm.

The first A 45 (W176) was joined by its siblings the CLA 45 and GLA 45. You could almost form a mental profile of your typical ’45’ driver: young, scrawny, and with dyed pale blonde hair most of the time no matter the ethnicity. They’d get giddy over exhaust pops and judge each other’s car on who has the most tasteless wrap job.

Ironically, this was paralleled by AMG’s first stab at smaller vehicles; they were very fast, but also flawed, felt angsty to sit in and drive, were a little flimsy and unrefined inside, and were saddled with the terrible burden of proof to determine if the brand’s usual big car formula translated well to smaller vehicles.

This newest supersonic A-Class, now with the S and 4Matic+ suffix, seeks to remedy those missteps. Upon first glance, this A 45 looks more mature, grown up, properly honed. And it better be, with such a firecracker of an engine under that bonnet.

So, at
RM437,673
, is it?

Design and Exterior

In my opinion, the previous W176 A 45 - due to the car it was based on - was more than
a little ungainly
 for a variety of reasons, but mostly due to its proportions. The W177 version, by comparison, is genuinely pretty. Where the older model had a bulbous front end and ‘flatscreen TV’ arse, this new car sits squat and low. It’s a lovely shape just on its own.

Normally I do not care for cars in white as, visually, the colour (or lack thereof) tends to rob them of certain contours and visual drama, but there’s no doubting it’s best at contrasting the black cosmetic/aero bits that AMG have stuck on here. Subtle are the side canards just before the front wheel arches, and the boot spoiler is far from excessive either. Have you seen
Honda’s FK8 Type R
?

What I did not care for were the wheels, a set of 19-inch rollers in two-tone gunmetal that resembled those fitted to the A 250 AMG-Line a little too much for my liking. In isolation, they do look very good, even retro-cool. The ’S’ gets larger front brake rotors with 6 piston callipers, by the way, painted in red.

The rear diffuser leaves no doubt that this car means serious business, but I’ve no idea if it generates an appreciable amount of downforce. Worse, those snarling quad tailpipes are actually fake.

Engine and Performance

This is the main attraction. Mercedes-AMG’s lofty power and torque goals necessitated a bespoke engine, so the M139 was conceived to pick up the torch where its predecessor, the M133 left off. Based on the existing M260, but heavily modified to dispense with everything but that 1,991cc displacement, it’s obvious this hand-assembled unit was engineered to take the downsized turbocharged crown by force.

Performance is a relative metric, of course, and there’s a fuzzy and barely discernible line in the sand that quietly maintains order. One such nonexistent but widely accepted rule is that a hot hatchback cannot have pace - from factory - to rival the supercars of its time.

For some perspective, a 420PS (or 416hp) output means each 497cc cylinder is tasked with producing 106hp, which is more than a Myvi 1.5 has in totality. The huge turbo, which is mounted behind the engine block just before the bulkhead, is very intentionally placed to keep the car’s nose low and aerodynamically efficient while maintaining optimal airflow into the intake system and cooling.

Despite having just one twin-scroll spooler to feed the A 45 S’ appetite for oxygen, the M139 doesn’t feel like a handful. Sure, it’s ferocious when you put your foot down, but at normal speeds, it’s actually quite sedate. Even calm.

Makes a good noise, too….for a four-cylinder. Its vocals are expectedly lacking in range, like a boy band member’s, but it’s good at general harmonies even with those faux quad pipes at the back. Still, there’s a lurking sense that this is being ‘auto-tuned’ by the Burmester sound system (more on that later), meaning it might not sound nearly as nice to anyone outside the car.

Peak torque of 500Nm is only reached at 3,000rpm and sustained until 4,000rpm, which sounds a little limiting, but in normal driving the A 45 S has so much low-down grunt and so little lag that you’re hardly aware of it having such a thicc turbo at all.

Though it doesn’t make a habit of keeping you in that 3k-4k rev range, the AMG Speedshift DCT 8-speed dual-clutch transmission does a fine job as an intermediary and can be vicious to shift in Sport+ or Race modes, but is much less adept at slow speed around-town stuff unless you drive it like it wants you to. Fail to find a groove with it and there is some jerkiness to be suffered. It feels like a more temperamental version of the 7-speed DCT in the A 250 AMG-Line.

That said, the steering-mounted shifters hardly feel like paddles but like buttons I’m pressing through a paddle-shaped middleman. It’s by far the weakest link in the driving experience, which might have gone unnoticed if this wasn’t an AMG product.

What doesn’t feel Benz-like at all is the 4Matic+ system. Capable of sending as much as 50 percent of drive to the rear axle, this ‘active’ AWD system certainly earns that moniker. Though the sensation isn’t as prominent as in an R35 GT-R, you do notice the car shuffling power around all four wheels to keep you as glued to the road as its square set of 245 section Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres will allow.

It’s a reassuring feeling in a vehicle with this much pace and this little real estate.

Drive and Handling

Like the W177 A-Class (in both
sedan
 and hatch form), there’s a feeling of rigidity and stoutness to the A 45 S, and this translates to perfectly acceptable levels of refinement and pliancy at normal speeds. You could even call it comfortable with the AMG Ride Control adaptive dampers set at their least aggressive setting. Firm? Yes, but completely liveable. It’ll even do a relaxing highway cruise, depending on your definition.

That’s perhaps the biggest contradiction of the A 45 S. While
other big-power hatchbacks
 can feel compromised in some regard to delivering on their performance claims, this feels more or less like any other A-Class for the majority of the time.

Apart from the busier ride being a tad grating on long drives, this car might be the quickest point-to-point machine on sale today, delivering an infinite well of on-rails grip and gut-punch acceleration. Mercedes-AMG says that 0-100km/h can be dealt with in just 3.9 seconds. Sure, but it feels more brutal from a rolling start.

It’s also much more consistent and predictable than its predecessor in how it dispenses pace, which always seemed to hop the line between inert and axe murderer. Be a little more playful with the throttle or the drive modes and the AMG A 45 S could let you have the faintest of slip angles.

Ultimately, this hottest-of-hot W177’s feels like it's working with you through the corners, instead of taking you on a ride. You’re hardly ever left pausing for the M139 to slingshot you toward that next apex, or out of one.

Distant objects come at you quick in this car, forcing your attention to keep up. Such speed and unyielding traction can feel a little detaching, which is quite the opposite of the usual experience of thrashing a ‘hot hatch’ about on a set of bends.

Keep your right foot in check and you’ll find the car is actually quite engaging and quick to react to small steering and pedal inputs, allowing you to make small confidence-boosting course corrections. Understeer was never an issue, either, with sharp and direct turn-ins despite the deadpan steering.

Interior and Tech

We’ll start with the seats. The lightning white tester here came with AMG’s body-hugging (but electrically adjustable) sport buckets up front, done in a mixture of Nappa leather and Dinamica microsuede with red accents. What they lack in padding they make up for in sheer supportiveness.

Strange as it sounds, it’s actually the most comfortable I’ve felt in any hatchback due to how enveloped I felt in it provided I dialled in the adjustable lumbar, side, and thigh bolstering. Annoyingly, those adjustments are made via the infotainment screen and therefore took way too much time.

Rear passengers get something resembling a rear bench but with a much more sunken area for the corner occupants, mimicking the fronts. It’s a good effort and the seats do make a big statement on what you can expect behind the wheel, but it’s just too bad AMG wasn’t as brave with the rest of the cabin. It seems clear that the majority of the resources were poured into that engine.

Save from a few badges peppered around, the forward view is unchanged from the regular A-Class. I struggle to find a single difference in material or finish. Luckily the W177 does have one of the best dashboards ever fitted to a production car of this size.
MBUX’s twin 10.25-inch screens
 never fail to impress as pure spectacle, and is nearly flawless in its operation and integration with connected services.

However, though intuitive, the touchpad controller along the centre tunnel can be tricky to use unless completely stationary, and I never gelled with the “Hi Mercedes” voice assistant functions.

There are 12-speakers in this Burmester sound system, including a subwoofer in the boot, but the resulting aural presentation was disappointing. Perhaps I’ve missed some magic button or needed to tweak around in the EQ settings to undo someone else’s Flat Earth reference preset, but out of the box this setup leaves much to be desired. Upon returning the AMG and hopping into my 10-year-old Peugeot with an equally dated set of JBLs, the difference in ‘oomph’ was shocking.

Speaking of new, the latest in Mercedes-Benz’s active safety suite are a standard fit in the A 45 S. I won’t bore you with a long list, but just know that autonomous emergency braking (AEB) and all its friends are in, but adaptive cruise control isn’t.

The biggest compliment I can give the A 45 S’ cabin is that it feels like a real Mercedes-Benz, feeling properly taut and exuding quality - something I couldn’t say as readily about the older A 45. Unfortunately, perhaps due to having such a strong foundation, some might feel it’s not doing enough to differentiate itself from the base car.

Conclusion

Knowing what it can do and how rounded a package it is, especially given its price, calling the Mercedes-AMG A 45 S 4Matic+ a ‘hot hatch’ seems a little wrong. It’s so much more than that; with point-to-point pace that is seemingly unmatched and, on a twisty road, having a drive sensation that’s in approximation to that
of a Nissan GT-R
.

It bashes and bullies a corner into submission and catapults you into the next set of bends at such a rate that you forget this thing has rear seats and a boot at all. It’s when you ask less of that mighty M139 that you’re allowed the space to poke fun at the chassis and drivetrain.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t have the most developed sense of humour relative to the most mischievous of hot hatches, but in this regard, it’s miles ahead of its predecessor on potential fun factor. However, exploring more of the A 45 S’ personality requires much more road, way more talent than I can supply, and possibly accessing the car’s drift mode.

It’s stupid-quick, yes, but counters that with a package of attributes that make it close to being the consummate everyday fast car by also being practical, refined, handsomely styled, packed to the gills with tech, and because it’s a W177, pretty easy to park.

Is an A-Class worth almost RM438k? Maybe not, but how much would a supercar condensed into the body of a 5-door hatch be worth, because that’s what Mercedes-AMG is selling.