Prestanda – Volvo’s Promise Of Clean, Efficient, Yet Exhiliarating Performance

Traditional schools of motoring thought have always placed performance and economy at opposite ends of the driving spectrum; one cannot be had without sacrificing the other with manufacturers often having to strike the best possible balance between these conflicting requirements.
More recent developments have prompted fundamental reshaping of our mindsets on what is possible in engine development. As authorities around the world continuously tighten their noose around carbon emissions, car makers are forced into increasingly creative use of technology and other innovations to maximise engine efficiency without sacrificing performance. It would seem then that the replacement for displacement has indeed been found.
Moving forward, Volvo Cars is consigning its six- and eight-cylinder engines to the history books; bravely filling the gap of these large capacity powerplants with nothing more than 2.0-litre four-potters under its new
Drive-E modular powertrain umbrella
.
“Volvo Cars’ Drive-E powertrain technology is focused squarely on delivering responsive power, clean efficiency and an exceptional driving experience. We achieve this with our compactly-designed engines, advanced boosting solutions and a firm commitment to electrification across our portfolio,” said Dr Peter Mertens, Senior Vice President Research & Development at Volvo Car Group.
Besides its
well-known commitment to safety
, Volvo Cars also has a strong history professing its concern for the environment. In 1975, Volvo was the first automotive company to use lambda oxygen sensors, a technology it developed in collaboration with Robert Bosch GmbH and subsequently made available to all car makers.
The new range of Drive-E powertrains is therefore a continuation of Volvo’s unwavering dedication toward the cause of environmental sustainability by continuously focusing the spirit of its innovations toward that path. Utilizing creative combinations of turbocharging, supercharging, direct injection, and even electrification, Volvo is able to create a full range of engines to cater for a variety of performance and efficiency needs.
Coming from the preceding range of inline-6 and V8 engines, the reduction in cylinder count to the new four-cylinder engines will, on average, correspondingly reduce overall fuel consumption. In the context of the Malaysian market, it also leads to a very welcomed reduction of one’s annual road tax. This however, does not mean that the power delivery is compromised – through various innovations in injection pressure, Volvo is able to produce a range of engines with the right blend of power, drivability and fuel efficiency.
The
XC90 T8 Twin Engine plug-in hybrid
 is the ultimate expression of Volvo’s Drive-E technologies, featuring nothing but the best of what the company has to offer in one impressively engineered package. Besides boosting power and torque utilizing a state-of-the-art charging system consisting of a turbo and supercharger, the system’s efficiency is also enhanced by plug-in hybrid electrification.
Volvo’s advanced boosting ensures high torque availability across a wider speed range. Both the turbocharger and supercharger are designed to precise specifications with the aim of delivering improved fuel economy, leading performance and drivability. Superchargers deliver low-end torque and response. Turbos deliver horsepower. Below 3,500 rpm, the supercharger and turbo are active. Above 3,500 rpm, only the turbo is applied. For the driver, this means instant and uninterrupted boosting of power at all times.
This elaborate setup of turbo and supercharging helps the 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine punch way above its displacement, putting out 320hp at 5,700rpm and 400Nm from 2,200 to 5,400rpm. Impressive? But wait, there’s more.
Between the engine and 8-speed automatic transmission connected to the front wheels lies a powerful 34kW crankshaft-mounted starter generator (CISG) that is able to provide up to 150Nm of additional torque if needed.
Additionally, the rear axle is separately driven by a 67kW electric motor that can be called upon to propel the vehicle on pure electric drive. In entirety, the system generates net outputs of 407hp and 600Nm, figures far exceeding what we would traditionally expect even from a V8 with twice the capacity and more than seven times the annual road tax!
Being developed from the onset to accommodate electrification, the XC90 comes without the compromises one typically expect of hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles. The lithium-ion traction battery is positioned along the vehicle’s centre tunnel ensuring that boot space is not encroached upon; also, handling is not disrupted upon by unnatural weight balance of the vehicle. Most importantly perhaps, locating the battery right in the middle of the floor pan keeps it within the vehicle’s safety cage, maximizing its protection in a collision.
The hybrid battery itself has a nominal capacity of 9.2 kWh, which has the potential to propel the XC90 in pure electric drive for distances up to 43km in one full charge. If your daily commute is kept within a 20km radius of your home, it is entirely possible to go a whole day without having to fire up the petrol engine even once.
“Volvo Cars has made a clear commitment to electrification across our entire product range. Our Twin Engine technology is a confident first step forward. This technology delivers a no compromise balance of clean, efficient performance and exceptional driving pleasure. It is all about using the latest available technology to address unmet consumer needs,” states Dr Mertens.
You might not expect a manufacturer that places safety as its overriding priority to also put such a strong emphasis on performance, but the all-new XC90 T8 Twin Engine carries on a rich heritage of fast Volvos that are not only thrilling to drive but also exceptionally safe and engineered with a clear environmental conscience.
The SPA platform and T8 Twin Engine powertrain introduced in the XC90 is but a solid foundation upon which we can expect upcoming Volvo models to continue to be built in delivering that ‘no compromise balance of clean, efficient performance and exceptional driving pleasure’ that Dr Mertens raves about.


JPJ Is Coming For You: Traffic Summons Worth Up To RM800 Million Still Unpaid

RM800 million worth of summons dating all the way back to 2010 still unpaid!

According to Road Transport Department (RTD) Director-General Datuk Seri Shaharuddin Khalid, there is around 2.7 million summons worth up to RM800 million that have yet to be settled. Dating all the way back to 2010, these summons were given out for various offences, including speeding, mobile phone usage as well as having no driving license - that last is WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?!

"RTD would be taking actions against motorists who have yet to pay their summons arrears by blacklisting them when they come to renew their driving licence," he told Bernama in an interview yesterday.

If you're disturbed by Datuk Seri Shaharuddin Khalid's announcement and unsure whether you have a traffic offence in your name, you can easily check whether you have any outstanding summons through JPJ's portal
here
.

Datuk Seri Shaharuddin Khalid also took the opportunity to mention that RTD was enforcing the maximum speed limit of 110 km/h on major highways throughout the country.

He reminded everyone that except for the North-South Expressway (PLUS) at Menora Tunnel in Ipoh, Perak which has a speed limit of 70 km/h, motorists can only drive up to the 110km/h on all major highways.

To help with ensuring that motorists stick to the 70km/h speed limit at the accident-prone Menora Tunnel near Ipoh, Shaharuddin said that RTD would be adding four AWAS (Automated Awareness Safety System) cameras at the location.

“The addition would bring the overall AWAS cameras to 49 in the country including 22 on PLUS now,” he said. — Bernama


Tan Kim Hor – Co-Founder of Tan Chong Group Passed Away

Tan Sri Tan Kim Hor, who co-founded the Tan Chong group together with his late brother Tan Sri Tan Yuet Foh, has passed away yesterday. He was 92 years old.
In 1957, his brother Yuet Foh, who was a taxi driver heard that the President of Nissan was coming to Kuala Lumpur to visit the newly established Japanese Embassy.
With little formal education and zero connections with anyone that could put him in touch with the president, Yuet Foh made full use of the only quality he had – tenacity. He stood outside the gates of the Japanese embassy, braving the blazing tropical sun and waited for the president to come out.
His resolute patience was rewarded when the president granted him a brief audience. Yuet Foh could not speak Japanese or English but somehow he was able to communicate his message across, that he was interested in securing the franchise to sell Datsun cars in this young country.
“Just give me a chance to sell a few cars and I will show you what I can do,” said Yuet Foh to the president.
His tenacity impressed the president and soon the first shipment of Datsun models, as Nissan’s cars were known then, were on their way to Malaya, as our country was known then.
Yuet Foh roped in his elder brother Kim Hor and together, they established Tan Chong & Sons Motor Company in 1957 and soon began selling the first Japanese cars in the country, mostly 1200DX sedans.
The Tan brothers would sell Datsuns by carrying brochures on their bicycles. They were Malaysia’s early ‘travelling salesman.’
Yuet Foh passed away in 1985, at the age of 61. He is succeeded by his son Dato’ Tan Heng Chew, President of the Tan Chong group’s flagship holding company Tan Chong Motor Holdings Bhd, which owns  Edaran Tan Chong Motor – the distributor of Nissan vehicles in Malaysia, as well as TC Euro Cars - the distributor of Renault cars in Malaysia.
Kim Hor was the Executive Chairman of Wawasan TKH Holdings Bhd., which was formed following a fallout with Yuet Foh’s children. After a long drawn legal battle that went on from 2001 to 2009, the dispute was settled out of court, with the Tan Chong group splitting into Tan Chong Motor Holdings and Tan Chong International Limited. The
Hong Kong listed Tan Chong International Limited owns Motor Image, which distributes Subaru vehicles in South East Asia, Taiwan, Hong Kong and China, as well as Tan Chong Motor, the distributor of Nissan vehicles in Singapore.
Kim Hor’s son Dato' Tan Boon Pun and Dato' Tan Hoe Pin and Dr. Tan Ban Leong now runs Warisan TKH Holdings.


MoF: SST Is Selective, To Have 5% And 10% Categories

Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng has stated that not all products and services will be imposed with the sales and service tax (SST), which is set to be reintroduced on 1 September this year.
The statement by Lim sad that SST will be imposed to selected manufactured and imported items, which will carry two different rates: 5% or 10%.
“The 6% service tax applies to selected services and not all services, unlike the goods and services tax (GST),” he told The Edge.
Lim also told The Edge that the sales tax is imposed on manufacturers’ and importers’ price, while GST was imposed on the final consumer price and it is not correct to claim that the 10% sales tax is higher than the 6% GST.
“How could the SST burden the people more than the GST when the expected collection from the SST is estimated at only RM21 billion for a full year, while the GST had expected to collect RM44 billion in 2018, according to the previous government’s projection,” he added.
The Finance Minister also mentioned that the new SST is designed in a way that the impact towards the lower income group would be ‘proportionally less’. Further details will be made known when the SST Bill is tabled at the Parliament.


Mercedes-AMG Teases 2016 DTM Racer: Transforming The Civilised C-Class

Yes, I’ve called it that. The all-new
C-Class
 is civilised, tame, completely unlike its sharp, cut, masculine rival, the
BMW

3 Series
. It doesn’t I think it looks bad, or is this at all a negative aspect of the C-Class. It just looks a lot more like something you’d drive to the opera or the office rather than to the race track.
It’s a big departure from the previous-gen W204, which was far more aggressive and sharp-looking: easy then, for the Mercedes-AMG company to convince its buyers of the
C 63
’s aggression beyond what lies beneath the bonnet, and then for the DTM team to turn the same monster into a convincingly athletically-machined racer.
Now, as you might imagine, the latest-gen
Mercedes-Benz
 W205/ C205 C-Class ought to be a far more difficult task for the DTM team to transform into a racer, given its curvier and sleeker design.
But it looks like they’ve done it: already teasing official sketches of their C205 (codename for
the C-Class coupe
) DTM racer set for track action come 2016.
Look closely, and you can pretty much see the road-friendly C-Class Coupe underneath the heavy aero and wide-body kits the Mercedes-AMG DTM team plan to utilise, but as expected, many body panels themselves will be heavily revised from the road-going car.
If anything, these sketches are properly menacing.
“The new Mercedes-AMG C 63 Coupé will again set new standards for driving dynamics and design. So, the vehicle provides the ideal basis for our DTM car,” said Head of Mercedes-AMG DTM Ulrich Fritz. “I’m already looking forward to seeing the new Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM compete in 2016. Our aim with this vehicle is, of course, to continue the Mercedes-Benz success story in the DTM.”
Here's the current C 63 DTM racer:
And back to the sketches for 2016:


Review: Lexus LX 570 – Analog Beast In A Digital Void

In 1930, a collection of Japanese corporations, headed by Kamataro Aoki, then President of the Aichi Tokei Denki company, set out to develop a luxury Japanese car, capable of rivalling the Fords and Chevrolets of the time.
The great Kanto earthquake of 1923 had nearly wiped out all of Japan’s rail infrastructure, and hence lorries and trucks were put to work cleaning up and rebuilding what was lost. This presented the perfect opportunity for Ford and GM, who were early pioneers of mass production to enter a relatively untapped and unchallenged marketplace.
Source:
www.greatkantoearthquake.com/aftermath.html
Nagoya City mayor, Isao Oiwa, put forth a proposal to build a ‘Detroit City of the east’ in the Chukyo district of Nagoya. The early forefathers of Japanese industry combined their respective resources - Okuma Iron Works developed the engine and transmission, Nippon Sharyo, the frame and body, Okamoto Bicycle Works handled the wheels and braking systems, and the Toyoda Loom Company was in charge of parts casting.
And if that name sounds somewhat familiar, it is because the Chukyo Detroit Project was among the guiding factors that spurred entrepreneur Kiichiro Toyoda to establish what we know today as the largest and most successful car company in the world.
The ‘Atsuta’ prototype was finished in 1932 – it was fitted with a 3.94-litre water-cooled inline-eight engine producing 85hp. The premise was “to build a quality luxury car to distance domestic vehicles from the threat of mass-produced U.S models”. Priced at 6500Yen, the Atsuta was more than double that of the contemporary Ford sedan models, and even at that price, it was 2700Yen below the cost price.
Unable to turn a profit – the Atsuta and subsequently the Chukyo Detroit Project were ultimately discontinued, but it does draw an interesting talking point; the Japanese never started out by building on a budget. They had a penchant for luxury and astute engineering from the very start.
Many decades later, this guiding principle of building big and brave – draws significant parallels to this near three-tonne colossus, the Lexus LX 570.
Specifications:
Lexus LX 570
Price: RM872,014 (Excl GST & Ins.)
Engine: 5.7 -litre, V8, 32-Valve, Dual VVT-i
Power: 362hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 530Nm @ 3,200rpm
Transmission: 8-Speed Auto, AWD
Safety: 10 airbags, ABS, EBD, ESC, Traction Control, Hill Start Assist, BLIS, Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA), ISOFIX (rear), Tyre Pressure Warning System (TPWS) Front and Rear Parking Sensors, Reverse Camera
Origin: Fully imported from Japan
Overview
The Lexus LX marked the firm’s first foray into the luxury SUV market, first introduced in 1996, the LX was based heavily upon the parent company’s
Toyota Land Cruiser
 (J80) model. Now in its third generation – the 2016 LX 570 is the product of several revisions since first going on sale in 2008.
In 2015, the Lexus LX 570 underwent a comprehensive restyling exercise which brought it up to date with the rest of the Lexus range. Besides the doors and roof panel – everything else was redesigned, including the slick new interior architecture.
This brought about the tastefully opulent centre console – crowned at the top with a massive 12.3-inch Electro Multi Vision (EMV) screen. The meter cluster houses a 4.2-inch MID screen while a heads-up display now projects navigation and speed data.
Under the hood lies the enduring 3UR-FE naturally aspirated 5.7 litre 32-Valve V8 power plant. Dual variable cam timing (VVT-i) on both cylinder banks help it to a power output of 362bhp at 5600rpm and a whopping 530Nm of torque at 3200rpm.
Active and passive safety features are top notch, given it’s a Lexus, one would be foolish to expect any less. Ten-airbags cocoon the cabin in the event of a crash while on the outside – pedestrian impact absorbent structures for have integrated into the front fasciae too.
Everything bodes very well for the Lexus LX 570 until you factor in the price tag, which is comparable only to the gargantuan proportions of the car itself. Starting from RM872,014, this apartment-on-wheels is literally priced as much as some luxury apartments – which puts it out of range for perhaps all but the one percenters of the world.
In terms of size, engine displacement and seating capacity – the Lexus LX 570 only has one natural competitor, the Infinti QX 80, which is around RM80k cheaper but in my opinion - no match for the Lexus’ thunderous drivetrain and surgical levels of build quality.
The argument, however, becomes more discretional when you factor a salvo of seven-seater uber-luxury SUVs that have been introduced in the last year, case in point, the
Audi Q7
, Volvo XC 90 and most recently the
Mercedes-Benz GLS
. And, in the case of the
Volvo XC 90
 – costs less than half of the LX 570.
Which begs the question, why would one need, let alone want something as superfluous as a Lexus LX 570?
Exterior
Take two steps back, if only to take in the wide expanse of the car’s proportions. Lexus’ trademark spindle grille is supersized in the LX570’s application and cuts a very imposing stare - flanked by sharp-edged yet charismatic headlamps leading up to edges of the front fascia.
At the outset, one might never call the LX 570 pretty but fierce it is nonetheless, round the sides, a medley of bulging contours around the wheel arches add girth to an otherwise traditional looking SUV architecture.
At the rear, sharp, tube style LED tail lamps wrap around sides leading towards the centre of the split folding rear tailgate. The prominent glasshouse proportions front and back offer another visual cue to the LX 570’s retrospective lines.
With most modern SUVs accentuating soft, rounded contours and more car-like proportions, which undoubtedly help them to more slippery aerodynamics and aid fuel consumption - I have a subtle appreciation for the hard-edged, in-your-face design language this car speaks.
Interior
It’s hard to fault Lexus’ efforts on the interior. All round visibility is superb – as is the (10-way powered) adjustability of the front driver and passenger seat. What’s interesting about the LX 570 however, is its ability to appeal to the driver and the driven.
The steering wheel is crafted to slide smoothly through your palms and fingers while the plethora of toggle switches in the centre console helps transcend one into Captain Kirk-like feeling – helming the controls of your very own USS Enterprise. This sensation is further accentuated by the intricate detail of dial cluster and heads-up display system.
The swathes of leather that cover every conceivable touch point within the cabin exudes a plush and tactile feel – the Lexus 570 is possibly among the best cabin spaces one can find themselves in, usurped only by BMW’s effort with the (G11) 7 Series in my opinion.
In the rear, passengers are entertained by two 11.6-inch monitors set amidst a spacious cocoon – leg and shoulder room is generous, to say the least. Lexus’ Shimamoku ornamentation highlights – which requires no less than 38-days of painstaking craftsmanship lines the rear air-conditioning vents, it just goes to show the level of thought has gone into the interior.
Driving Experience
Tucked under the massive shell of the LX 570 are the underpinnings of a very competent on and off-road vehicle. A double wishbone setup combines with four-way multilink braces at the front and rears to ensure loads redistributed evenly across the chassis.
Once on the road – the LX 570 exhibits great conduct at speed, tracking straight even at speeds upwards of 180km/h. Catch a long sweeping bend, and it will continue to surprise with its measure of surefootedness and composure.
Pushing through tighter corners, however – the heft of this car lets itself be known, as the transfer of weight side-to-side becomes less fluidic, but in real world terms this is very much an improbable scenario.
Yet, the weightage and accuracy of the electrically assisted steering do not falter – you’d be amazed how easy it is to guide this mammoth of a vehicle down the apex of a corner. The turning circle at 11.8 meters is commendable too, again, one would be surprised how many U-Turns this SUV can actually clear.
The positive traits of the drivetrain eventually serve to build confidence rather quickly, for competent drivers – one would very quickly realise how the LX 570 seems to wrap itself around you, making it seem smaller than it really is.
The brakes are superb, brake callipers clamp on huge 18 inch ventilated discs all round. Pedal travel is predictable and well-modulated against the resulting stopping force hence rarely does one feel overwhelmed when having to slow the car down to a canter in traffic.
But if there’s just one reason one would be absolutely smitten by the LX 570, it’s that roaring V8 under the hood. Plant your foot, literally anywhere in the rev range and the engine will respond with a salvo of torque, which will be most accurately summed up by the subsequent grin on your face.
In sixth gear, while cruising at the speed limit, prod the accelerator and watch the speedometer climb with angst and impatience, by the time the rev needle hits 5500rpm – you’d be doing around 180km/h, it's simply effortless.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for downsized turbocharging in the name of parsimonious emissions but the fury of a well-calibrated and free-revving V8 is an experience to be savoured.
And it isn’t all that bad too – at 110km/h, with the engine ticking away at a sober 1800rpm, the best economy numbers I got was 13.5l/100km, this figure climbed to 15.2l/100km in mid-day traffic. Considering our recent
test with the (G11) BMW 7-Series
, mind, with all its Efficient Dynamics engine tuning and Carbon Core lightweight architecture returned a combined fuel consumption 12.9l/100km – it’s worthy to note the LX’s engine is nearly three times the size and hauls around 900kg more.
Power is sent through an eight-speed auto which seems to be seamlessly connected through the cogs on the upshift, but clumsy in the lower three ratios on the downshift – this is especially experienced when slowing down in traffic, where tangible drivetrain jolts are transmitted through the chassis. Otherwise getting behind the wheel of the LX 570 is an experience unlike any other.
Conclusion
Much like the Atsuta from decades gone by – the idea of the LX 570, be it excessive or redundant in a digital age of optimised efficiency, exhibits a steady defiance to the norm. It’s a big, brash thing and unashamedly so – priced as it is, perhaps it’s for the select few who already own the Mc Laren and BMW 7 Series but require an all-in-one vehicle that goes anywhere.
Granted, there are cheaper options such as the Audi Q7 and Volvo XC 90 which are just as capable – but the LX 570 seems to muster a sense of character, owing to the engineering which is a great combination of new age intelligence and ‘ol-school’, tried and tested mechanics.
The symbiosis of which makes it somewhat of an analogue beast, in a digital void.


2022 3rd-Gen All-New Honda HR-V Spotted In Malaysia

Carlist.my has spotted the 2022 3rd-gen All-New Honda HR-V on our Malaysian highway stuck in the Hari Raya
balik kampung
 traffic.

To clarify it is from our southern neighbour Singapore who's also probably visiting family and friends for the festive period since the
Singapore - Malaysia land border reopened
.

The
Sand Khaki Pearl
 color variant that you see below definitely looks to be the color to get when the car is launched here locally.

We expect the local
2022 All-New HR-V
 3rd-gen launch to happen sometime in Q3 this year.

Two variants of the all-new Honda HR-V were made available in Singapore, the  HR-V 1.5 DX and the HR-V 1.5 e:HEV.

A bit more exciting however were the variants that were launched in Indonesia, because the HR-V for the Indonesian market shines the spotlight on the
turbocharged RS variant
, a world-first for an HR-V.

Dare we hope for the turbocharged powerplant, which should stand the HR-V in good stead against other force-inducted B-segment rivals such as the Proton X50 and
Hyundai Kona 1.6T
?

Engine and Performance

As with our neighbouring markets, the standard engine is the now-established L15B. The base variant will arrive in the all-new HR-V without a turbocharger and has reduced output of 121PS and 145Nm
just like City E, S, and V variants
.

A notch up the pecking order we find the e:HEV version with Honda's i-MMD hybrid system (Intelligent Multi-Mode Drive). It uses the same engine, albeit one that runs the more efficient Atkinson combustion cycle, to power an electric traction motor that delivers 106PS and 253Nm to the front wheels.

The turbocharged 2022 Honda HR-V RS on the other hand produces 177PS and 240Nm of torque. all engines are paired with a CVT or e-CVT transmission for the e:HEV variant which Honda says is now better at
delivering performance
 and fuel efficiency.

Interior of the 2022 Honda HR-V

By volume, the all-new 2022 HR-V is slightly down on its predecessor thanks to being slightly shorter from nose to tail. It's lower too, but 20mm wider than before to accommodate its lower-slung coupe-like body.

That said, Honda has sought to keep the cabin experience in their newest crossover a commodious one, utilising its much-known use of excellent interior packaging to yield unexpected levels of cabin space which should at least be on par with the outgoing model in terms of shoulder room (extra width?) and is claimed to improve on legroom despite the same wheelbase length of 2,610mm. Headroom could be a weakness, though, thanks to that heavily raked rear screen.

Upfront, the dashboard has seen a total overhaul and adopts a floating (but with a sizeable back panel) 7-inch infotainment touchscreen and
full-width look HVAC vents as the 11th-gen Civic
. Buttons on the centre stack have been reduced to ones surrounding a trio of knobs for climate control and some extras on the multi-function steering wheel, giving a very minimal aesthetic overall.

Honda Connect
 plays a larger role in the all-new 2022 HR-V, though its breadth of ability is contingent on the background infrastructure available locally, and in Japan is even able to support having its own in-vehicle WiFi network, but like the panoramic glass roof, we’re unlikely to receive that in Malaysia.

Honda Sensing

The big headlining feature here is the full inclusion of the
Honda Sensing suite
, something that the outgoing model did not have.

When it does arrive, and knowing that it cannot afford to lose further ground to competitors, we expect the majority of the incoming range to feature some Sensing tech, if not the full complement altogether.

However, seeing as how the City and City Hatchback only arrive with LaneWatch in the 1.5V, we might find the usual 6 airbags, anti-lock brakes, and stability control in the base variants with Sensing reserved for the top-rung petrol-only variant and the e:HEV.

In the upper two variants, buyers will be treated to autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian and cyclist detection, adaptive cruise control, automatic high beam, lane keep assist, blind spot monitoring, and front departure alert. Also of note is the continuing absence of rear cross traffic alert.

We should also see some if not all of these additional features when the 2022 Honda HR-V makes landfall here:

3 drive modes

Walk away auto-lock

Electrostatic touch LED map light

Rear seat reminder

Hands-free powered tailgate with walk away cross

Remote engine start

Price of the 2022 Honda HR-V

The 2022 All-New Honda HR-V in Indonesia is priced from IDR 355.9 million
(RM105k)
 and goes all the way up to IDR 499.9 million
(RM147k)
. The current 2nd-gen HR-V retails in Malaysia from
RM104k
 to
RM119k
.


BMW Malaysia Introduces M Sport Variants of 118i and 330e

Just in time for Chinese New Year (or, well, just past it), BMW Malaysia has introduced the 118i M Sport and 330e M Sport models to compliment the 1 Series and 3 Series lineups respectively. These models will not replace the
118i Sport
 and
330e Sport
 models either, instead sitting a level above.
BMW's M Sport packages usually add a touch of aggression, and these two models are no different. On the surface, both cars are equipped with 18-inch alloy M Sport wheels, along with the M Aerodynamics package and the M Sport suspension package- fairly standard fare all-in-all. There's also the darkening of the kidney grilles as well as the BMW Individual High Gloss Shadow Line (basically blackedout trim pieces) and a number of BMW M logos.
But the M Sport models go beyond merely M parts. Both cars also benefit from LED headlamps and foglamps, while there is the addition of Park Assist for the 330e M Sport for self-parking functionality. The 8.8-inch Navigation System Professional is also a nice addition for both cars, bringing additional ConnectedDrive functionality as well.
Remote Services and eDrive for the 118i M Sport and 330e M Sport respectively allow pairing with smartphones and enables users to check on various status levels of the car. Specifically for the 330e, owners can also start the climate control remotely to cool the car down.
All BMW Authorised Dealerships nationwide are currently organising a ‘Test-Drive Lucky Draw’ program until Sunday, February 12 th 2017 where visitors who test-drive any BMW model will get to participate in a lucky draw and stand a chance to win up to RM 88,888 to purchase a new BMW vehicle.
BMW Group Malaysia is also collaborating with The Oriental Group of Restaurants where patrons of the premium Chinese restaurants, dining for the New Year of the Rooster are entitled to participate in the ‘Test-Drive Lucky Draw” program. The new BMW 118i M Sport and BMW 330e M Sport come in the colours of Black
Sapphire, Mineral Grey, Estoril Blue and Alpine White. The new BMW 330e M Sport is available at all authorised BMW dealerships across the country from today onwards, while the new BMW 118i M Sport will be made available from Monday, 13th February 2017 onwards.
The BMW 118i M Sport retails for RM 188,800.00, while the BMW 330e M Sport goes for RM 258,800.00. Prices are on the road, without insurance, and with 5-Years Unlimited Mileage Warranty, Free Scheduled Service and BMW Tyre Warranty Programme,


New 500hp 308 R HYbrid Seen On Peugeot CEO's Tweets, Production Version?

Peugeot
 CEO Picat Maxime has posted a pair of interesting pictures showing his boss, PSA Peugeot Citroen boss Carlos Tavares, entering a hot variant of a
308
 that’s only partly camouflaged with the hashtag #Peugeot308RHYbrid.
Could this be conclusive proof that Peugeot is bringing their 500hp, 730Nm (in Hot Lap mode) hyper hatch concept into the market? It would certainly seem that way. If we're lucky, they've kept the insane performance figures too. Picat
 also said the words ‘radical performance', which is encouraging.
If it does stay true to the concept, the electrically-augmented 308’s powertrain would be made up of a RCZ R-derived four-cylinder 1.6-litre THP 270 S&S engine providing 270hp, matching the output of the recently revealed
308 GTi
. Two electric motors are added in with 115hp each and sends drive the front and rear axle, bringing the total output to that lofty 500hp maximum.
We’ve
already detailed the 308 R HYbrid
 when it was revealed towards the lead-up to the 2015 Shanghai Auto Show, but so far was only known to us as a concept. The red car we see above does have a number of little cues that indicate it’s more aggressive nature, although it sheds the concept’s two-tone paint job and the red highlights on its 19-inch wheels.
Hopefully, we’ll be seeing more of Peugeot’s part-electric super hatch as the car draws closer and closer to a full unveil.


Does Proton R3 Still Have Value?

It's definitely not a great time for motorsports, but the fact that Proton R3 mighy be pushing "bodykit" specials is a bit worrying.

Towards the end of 2020 and going into the new year, we saw a couple of leaked images of the upcoming Proton Saga and Iriz R3 variants. Until more details are released, it looks pretty similar to the
35th anniversary edition
 of the Proton Saga that dropped last year - albeit with some extra R3-specific stitching on the seats and programmed into the head unit.

This is all well and good, but it's looking very much like this may be an exercise in pure cosmetics. Special edition models of mass-market cars have traditionally sold pretty well regardless of the actual substance or change, but this is something that hits a nerve for us. The real question to ask is this: is R3 diluting their brand by doing a body kit special?

It isn't something that's unique to a brand. Toyota has been doing it ever since the second generation
Vios
 - the first generation actually got some slightly niftier suspension, but they abandoned it with its successor and focused purely on cosmetics. Nissan does the same with its in-house brand
NISMO
 and external partner Autech. Honda of course makes plenty of money with Mugen parts, even though they are rarely performance-oriented these days.

But the reason we're concerned is this is one of our home-grown race teams. R3, or Race Rally Research as it's known in full, has a long and storied history both locally and regionally, which makes it a little sad to see them go down this route. The engineers, test drivers, and racers associated with Proton's sub-brand are world-class, many having worked closely with Lotus.

Towards the end of the life of the
Satria
 Neo, R3 did make what was effectively a body-kit special in the form of the Satria Neo R3 - essentially a Satria Neo CPS with a couple of cosmetic bits, but largely modelled after the R3 Satria Neo (confusing, we know) which sported bigger cams, a better exhaust header, adjustable cam pulleys, and a carbon-fibre air-intake for a decent 20 hp bump over the standard engine's 125 hp. It also came with better suspension and super sticky tyres at the time.

Before this was the Satria Neo R3 Lotus Racing Edition - yes, that extremely expensive Satria Neo that went for RM 115,000, or double the price of a regular Satria Neo of the time. The engine was similar to the hopped-up R3 Satria Neo with a 145 hp output, but the brunt of the money went to extremely trick Ohlins DFV suspension (truly magical if you've ever driven a car equipped with these), AP-racing front brakes, and a kerb weight 62 kilograms lighter than the standard Satria Neo CPS.

And of course, who could forget the Satria R3. Decked out in black paint, it was the last hurrah for the performance Satrias - and it even had its own development program for owners who wanted to get the most out of it. It was essentially a stronger Satria GTI, stripped out to sub 1-tonne, and was the choice of many competitive drivers in the autocross and gymkhana scene.

It's unlikely that the
Iriz R3
 and Saga R3 will bear any resemblance to this, and part of the reason for this is that Proton cannot afford to warranty these components or put the vehicles back through type approval process (TVA). It's a fair point, though one that's a little tough to swallow when you consider just how potent these machines can be. The Iriz and Saga racecars that compete in MSS and other endurance races in Malaysia pack close to 200 hp from modified variants of these standard 1.6-litre engines.

Unfortunately, you have to remember that these engines are extremely high strung. Many of them will go through a full rebuild after a year of racing, if not after each and every outing - and that's not something 99.9% of owners are willing to go through. These engines will also not fare very well in everyday conditions, with stop-start traffic and low-speed conditions.

What we could really settle for is the return of the 1.6-litre manual variant of the
Iriz
, which saw an extremely short production run due to its relatively low popularity. With a couple of chassis mods, some weight reduction, and sharper throttle response, it could really be quite an enjoyable warm hatchback - a proper alternative for the Suzuki Swift Sport that left our market one generation ago.

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Review: 2017 Honda CR-V – Calculated Superiority

Nature would have us believe that there is strength in numbers.
Sticking together has for eons, been a natural method of survival for many species. Regardless of how powerful they may be in singularity, for instance, wildebeest or elephants, grouping together is the most effective way of ensuring the survival and the continuation of the species.
The great migration of the Serengeti, which happens every year in May and June is a true spectacle of nature. The journeys of more than million wildebeest, zebra and gazelle traversing some of the harshest terrains – offer up one of nature’s greatest examples of how there is truly strength in numbers.
Which draws some parallels to the all-new 2017 Honda CR-V. Bear with me.
'Supremacy returns' was the much-touted tagline during the launch – something I struggled to understand.
Yes, it’s the fifth-generation of the ever-popular SUV that popularised the idea of the practical, good-looking, ‘mild’ off-road SUV. Which meant owners could have the elevated driving position and road-friendly driving dynamics – without the running costs of a lumbering 4x4 vehicle.
The new one isn’t any different. But, the CR-V wasn’t the first.
By the time the CR-V was introduced in 1995 - the Toyota RAV4 had already pioneered the idea of the modern compact SUV a year earlier, and the Suzuki Vitara 5-dr Wagon, albeit slightly more industrial, was first introduced some five years earlier, in 1990.
So if it wasn’t the original trailblazer, is the CR-V’s so-called supremacy simply measured by its successful sales figures?
Numbers that look good on a spreadsheet for prim-and-prop accountant types, but does little in the way of making you, the driver, feel supreme.
A fact that became apparent on the recent Honda CR-V media test drive.
As the convoy barrelled down a busy road in Kluang town, I caught three other CR-Vs (the first, third and fourth generation) just ahead of me. Given our relatively brisk pace and small focus angle of my lens, I managed to catch the following few shots.
But, it served to remind me that few other cars could, after production spanning five generations – still have a decent number early models in active service, let alone in a small vicinity like Kluang.
But still, quantity breeds commonality. For every other just like mine – the less special mine becomes.
So, can the all-new Honda CR-V split the difference between special and capable in equal amounts?
Specifications: Honda CR-V 1.5L (2WD) TC-Premium
Engine: 1.5-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder, transverse, VVT
Transmission: CVT automatic, front-wheel drive
Power: 190 hp at 5,600rpm, 243 Nm @ 2,000rpm
Performance: 8.8 seconds 0-100km/h, 200km/h Top Speed, 7.0 L/100km (NEDC)
Weight: 1,549 kg
·Safety: 6-airbags, Anti-lock brakes (ABS) with Brakeforce Distrbution (EBD), electronic stability control (VSA), Hill Start Assist (HSA), Honda Sensing – Forward Collision Warning (FCW), Collision Mitigation Braking Sysem (CBMS), Lane Departure Warning (LDW), Road Departure Mitigation (RDM), Lane Keep Assist System (LKAS)
Price: RM167,700 OTR excluding insurance
Origin: Locally-assembled in Pegoh, Melaka.
Overview
The fifth-generation Honda CR-V was
launched
 in July of this year, and has, much like all other Honda Malaysia’s most recent products – been a superb success. The Honda CR-V received 1,400 bookings, the sales target for 2 months,
in just one week
.
If that isn’t supremacy, at least for Honda, I don’t know what is.
Four variants are on offer starting with the 2.0-litre 2WD variant starting out at RM142,400. The following three variants are powered by new 1.5-litre turbocharged engine first seen here on the Honda Civic. The 1.5L TC 2WD and TC 4WD variants are priced at RM155,700 and RM161,600 respectively.
This is also the first time the most expensive CR-V
does not have a 4WD drivetrain
 – Honda Malaysia learned after the launch of the
fourth-generation facelift
 model that drivetrain and equipment specification are somewhat mutually exclusive. Buyers in Malaysia value a good specification sheet as much as they value a capable drivetrain, and that plenty of customers knew they don’t really require 4WD capability.
This brings us to the range-topping 1.5-litre TC-Premium which adds on equipment such as the programmable power tailgate, Lane Watch Camera and crucially, the Honda Sensing suite of active driver assist systems.
Let’s simplify it:
From the front
Active Cruise Control (ACC) with Low-Speed Follow (LSF)
 – Driver assist function, maintains pre-set speed and a programmable distance to the car in front. Preset speeds between 30 km/h and 180km/h, but the LSF works from 0 km/h. So it can bring the vehicle to a complete stop and restart again as traffic progresses.
Forward Collision Warning (FCW) and Collision Mitigation Braking System (CBMS
) – Collision avoidance, both systems work in tandem to prevent or mitigate a frontal collision. FCW uses a monocular camera and millimetre wave radar to detect a risk of collision, provides an audible and visual warning. If no action is taken, CBMS steps in, and can progressively adjust brakeforce, from light to strong.
From the side
Lane Departure Warning (LDW) and Road Departure Mitigation (RDM)
– Monitors vehicle position within the lane and alerts driver. If no action is taken, RDM provides subtle correction by braking individual wheels and providing steering assistance. LDW works between 72 km/h and 180 km/h.
Lane Keep Assist System (LKAS)
– Like the LDW, Works between 72 km/h and 180, but assists to keep the car centered within the lane with minute steering adjustments, almost unseen. This helps reduce driving effort.
All systems are driver assist functions, which requires constant driver input, the system quickly detects when the steering is being left unattended and prompts a warning.
The other point to note is, by packaging the full-suite of Honda Sensing driver assist systems, the Honda CR-V ‘temporarily’ takes over the Honda Accord (at least equipment wise) as the flagship of Honda range.
The new car measures 4,584 mm in length, 1,855 mm in width and 1,679 mm in height for the 2WD model (4WD: 1,689 mm). Which means it has shrunk in length by 6 mm (4,590 mm) but grew in width by 35mm (1,820 mm) over the fourth-generation model. At 1,685 mm in height, the previous 4WD variant sits in between the new models 2WD and 4WD variant.
Also – the styling packs quite a bit more pizzazz this time around. Led by Honda's 'Modern Functional Dynamic' design language which is both daring and finely executed.
On paper, a width increase of 35 mm might not sound like much – but in the flesh, the CR-V looks substantially much more premium now. Angular body lines in the bodywork, at the front bumper and along the flanks give the sheet metal some character, in short, it’s a design that won’t tire so easily.
I’m not quite sold on the wheels though – largely because they remind me of fidget spinners, which are cool, but not as SUV wheels – I’ll let you be the judge of that.
On the infotainment front – the CR-V packs a 7-inch infotainment screen compatible with Apple Carplay and Android Auto. 2 HDMI/USB ports are on hand.
Driving Experience
The 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder produces 193 PS (20 PS more than in the Civic) and more crucially 243 Nm (23 Nm more than the Civic) between 2,000-5,000 rpm.
The engine is coupled to Honda’s CVT automatic – which for the most part is superb in its responses and even serves to broaden the car’s overall performance envelope.
Because it’s not constrained to a set bunch of ratios – the CVT auto is able to fill in the gaps where engine torque isn’t at its optimum, such as between 1,000 rpm and 2,200 rpm and then again higher-up in the rev range, between 5,000rpm and 6,000rpm.
On the road, this gives the CR-V seamless and strong acceleration up to the speed limit, and then some, until around 160 km/h. At one stint, I had my foot planted to the floor, until around 197 km/h and it still had a bit more left to give. 135 km/h seems to be the sweet spot for a brisk cruise in the new CR-V.
The engine, like any other Honda product bearing the fabled VTEC name, is eager to rev and punchy, to say the least – but note, it isn’t like the buzzing banshee B- or K-Series four-cylinder engines of the past. But it does serve to mimic the performance characteristics of a larger 2.4- or 2.5-litre engine, which is no bad thing. The gearbox likewise will assume a stepped (geared-like) response under heavy throttle for best results.
Stability at speed is much improved, thanks to a lower centre of gravity and thoroughly reworked front and rear subframe design. The body structure feels rigid too – which helps spread the forces from the ground.
While all previous CR-Vs (especially the third and fourth-gen cars) were no slouch in the handling department – the new car is simply miles better. Confidently, it drives like the other European offering and manages the quantum of comfort and handling precision very well.
After all, that the new CR-V was benchmarked against the Volkswagen Tiguan during its development. Hence, on the highways, the new CR-V eats up the miles with relative ease. The interior refinement levels are superb and makes light work of a three-hour cruise - courtesy of advancements such as liquid-filled suspension bushes, liquid seals on suspension mounts and better sound insulation materials.
As with any Honda Malaysia press drive – extensive on-road testing, lengthy press conferences, and in-depth comparisons drives give us a holistic understanding of the new product and how it measures up against its rivals.
On an isolated and tight backroad, we had a chance to put the all-new CR-V through its paces. Chief of which, was the Nissan X-Trail and Mazda CX-5, and personally, for me, the most important yardstick for comparison was the fourth-generation model.
It doesn’t take very long to notice the improved accuracy of the steering of the new car. At speeds, the suspension’s response to road camber and bumps is far more measured and the rear more composed. The fourth-generation model also serves to highlight immediacy of the engine and gearbox.
Open disclosure: tyres on both the Nissan X-Trail and Mazda CX-5 comparison test vehicles were not in their optimal state. So driving comparisons would be qualitative at best.
Switching into the X-Trail, most immediate aspect one notices is the refinement levels. More exterior noise protrudes the cabin and the whine from the CVT transmission would suggest that it’s really doing something out of its main scope of talent. But for the most part, the X-Trail's steering decently communicative, and the car felt light on its feet. Power wasn't too shabby either.
The CX-5 remains a wonderful steer and delightful performer after all these years. The steering responses are superb and body control still up to par with more modern metal. The new CR-V beats it on straight-line pace, but the CX-5 body rigidity and suspension setup ensure it’s still quick through the corners. Note though, at the time of testing, the all-new CX-5 was yet to be
officially introduced
 in Malaysia.
During the drive, we were also given a short stint to test the 4WD variant on a closed course. The test involved putting the car through a quick sweeping left-to-right transition, which allowed us to experience the torque split between the front and rear axles.
The 4WD system uses a very intelligent which calculates the car’s throttle position, steering angle and even available traction to determine when best to deploy torque towards the rear wheels, in real time. An ECU controls a hydraulically actuated central transfer case, which then sends power to the rear differential.
The system works best to improve acceleration from a standstill and coming out of corners. During the test – there was a noticeable urgency during turn-in and when maintaining a proper tracking mid-corner. The CR-V 4WD has a surprising amount of grip too, harnessing a substantial amount of G-forces in the switchback of corners.
Comfort and Practicality
Comfort and practicality are other strong points of the new CR-V, seating five up, the seats are nicely supportive and there’s adequate lateral support for the driver and front passenger. The added width of the car is a boon for rear passenger shoulder and headroom as well.
Cubby holes are found almost everywhere, rarely did my other two passengers and myself need more space to stash our phones, SmarTag and water bottles. The large, multi-mode centre console will accommodate a handbag, or even a large hardcover cookbook if needed.
The one-pull release in the boot, that folds the rear seatbacks is a boon when trying to load longer items, as is the powered tailgate, again, the width of the aperture comes in handy when trying to load bigger items.
Conclusion
The new CR-V befits its popular reputation as the all-rounder full-sized SUV.
The improvements in body rigidity and suspension geometry have made it a much sharper drive have gone a long way towards capture some of the charm of being a driver’s car. Something its predecessors lacked, this also makes it more desirable.
The engine, gearbox and well-thought-out practicality remain its best traits – and alone enough to sign on the dotted line.
With the Nissan X-Trail looking a tad dated – there’s little question of the CR-V being popular on the sales charts and in the hearts of many owners.
But the acid test will come when it’s is pitted against the Volkswagen Tiguan and all-new Mazda CX-5. But for now, it definitely ticks all the boxes.


Mercedes Benz Kekal Takhta Kereta Mewah Paling Laris Dalam Tahun 2020

Wabak COVID-19 yang sedang melanda dunia ketika ini langsung tidak menghalang Mercedes-Benz daripada mencipta rekod jualan baru di China, menyaksikan mereka kekal sebagai peneraju pengeluar kereta mewah pada tahun 2020.

Syarikat pengeluar kereta mewah terbabit berjaya mencatatkan jualan sebanyak 2,164,187 kereta penumpang pada tahun 2020, dimana hanya terdapat 7.5 peratus penurunan daripada tahun 2019.

Menariknya, setiap satu per tiga daripada kereta keluaran Mercedes Benz yang terjual pada tahun lepas dihantar ke China dengan jumlah keseluruhan sebanyak 774,382 unit terjual. Peningkatan jualan sebanyak 11.7 peratus ini telah mencipta rekod baru jualan di China.

Antara pasaran besar dunia yang banyak membantu dalam jualan kereta keluaran Mercedes-Benz ialah China, Jerman, Amerika Syarikat, Britain dan Korea Selatan.

Di Asia Pasifik, penjualan kereta Mercedes meningkat sebanyak 4.7 peratus kepada 1,024,315 unit pada tahun lepas di mana China merupakan pasaran utama mereka. Sementara itu, terdapat penurunan pada jualan di Amerika Utara sebanyak 14.7 peratus kepada 317,592 unit dan penurunan sebanyak 16.4 peratus di Eropah kepada 784,183 unit.

Pada tahun 2020 juga,
S-Class
 keluaran Mercedes-Benz sekali lagi dinobat sebagai kereta sedan mewah paling laris dengan mencatatkan jualan sebanyak hampir 60,000 unit. Sementara itu, S-Class terbaru yang dilancarkan pada bulan September tahun lepas,
W223
 mendapat respon positif orang ramai dengan mencatatkan lebih 40,000 tempahan dari seluruh dunia.

Kereta kompak keluaran mereka seperti A-Class, A-Class Saloon, B-Class, CLA Coupé dan CLA Shooting Brake turut mencatatkan peningkatan sebanyak 3.6 peratus kepada 691,000 unit terjual. SUV keluaran mereka turut tidak ketinggalan mencatatkan penambahan sebanyak 12.9 peratus kepada 885,000 unit terjual. Model GLC merupakan model SUV terlaris mereka buat tahun 2020 dengan 320,000 unit terjual.

Sementara itu,
Mercedes-AMG
 telah menjual 125,129 unit kereta sport berprestasi tinggi di seluruh dunia yang hanya 5.3 peratus kurang berbanding tahun sebelumnya. Pasaran terbesar mereka merupakan Amerika Syarikat, Jerman, China, Jepun dan Australia. Namun, terdapat peningkatan ketara sebanyak 32.3 peratus dalam pasaran China, manakalah pasaran Amerika Syarikat turut meningkat sebanyak 1.5 peratus.

Lebih daripada 160,000 unit kenderaan
hybrid
 dan eletrik terjual di seluruh dunia pada tahun lepas. Ini merupakan peningkatan yang memberangsangkan iaitu sebanyak 228.8 peratus.  Ini selari dengan langkah Mercedes-Benz untuk meneruskan kempen CO2 neutrality bagi kenderaan keluaran mereka.

Akhir sekali, sejumlah 38,391 kenderaan Smart telah terjual di mana pasaran terbesar mereka merupakan Jerman. Ini kerana kerajaan negara terbabit memberikan subsidi kepada pengguna kenderaan berkuasakan eletrik yang amat membantu dalam meningkatkan jualan kereta Smart elektrik di sana.


Geely And Daimler Work Together To Build Efficient Next-Gen Engines

Daimler and Geely are working together to build new engines for their respective future cars.

Any good news about Geely
indirectly
 means good news for us and the latest bit of welcoming news about Proton's partners is that they will be developing next-gen hybrid engines with Daimler.

On top of the joint venture to develop
Smart vehicles
 together in China,
Geely
 and Mercedes-Benzs' parent company Daimler are at it once again on another project, and this time it's to develop highly efficient modular engines together.

A spokesman for Daimler added that it would be used in hybrid drivetrains and manufactured in Europe and China.

According to a report from Reuters, this cooperation between
Proton
's partner and Daimler is a result of the need to lower development costs due to the COVID-19 crisis and stricter fuel-efficiency and emission rules.

Currently, still in the beginning phases of engine development, the modular engine when completed will be used in different cars under different marques for Geely and Daimler.

According to reports from business daily Handelsblatt, "Most of the next-generation combustion engines will be made in China" which in turn makes the alliance with Geely, which owns a
9.69%
 stake in Stuttgart-based Daimler a good one.

The German-language business newspaper also mentioned that the Daimler-Geely pact would save the German carmaker a “triple-digit million sum” - implying an amount above 100 million euros (RM4.8 million) and less than 1 billion euros.

If Daimler entrusts Geely as co-developers of their new engines, maybe just maybe the three-cylinder
engine
 in the Proton X50 that was co-developed between Geely and Volvo is not that bad lah kan?


Korea Singles Out BMW For Fire Risk, USA Says Hyundai-Kia No Better

If you are a foreign automotive brand doing business in Korea, a fair amount of steely determination is necessary. On paper, Korea is a liberal, open market. Cars imported from countries that Korea has Free Trade Agreements with (USA for example), are exempted from import duty, which is otherwise at a nominal 8 percent. The situation on the ground however, is very different.
Foreign brands have long complained of opaque vehicle homologation processes, and implementation of odd Korea-only regulations, thus requiring costly and time consuming paperwork to re-certify imported vehicles under Korean requirements. Homologation papers done in accordance to the international, English-language UNECE standards are not recognized in Korea.
Advertisements and TV air time of foreign car brands are also scrutinized, which explains why the BMWs, Audis, Mercedes-Benzes, and Volkswagens that you see on Korean dramas always have their badges covered, but if it's a Hyundai or a Kia, it's not necessary.
Korean regulators are also very quick to jump on any opportunity to penalize European and Japanese brands.
Last year, Korean authorizes jumped on Volkswagen’s dieselgate scandal and filed an unusually severe criminal charge against the Managing Director of Audi Volkswagen Korea for false advertising - the only country to do so. Criminal charges filed in USA and Germany were related to the deliberate act of submitting false paperwork to government authorities.
Earlier this week, Korea’s Transportation Ministry slapped BMW with a 11.2 billion Won (USD 9.9 million) fine for concealing and downplaying fire hazards posed by defective exhaust gas recirculation. Around 40 cases of engine fires involving BMW cars were reported this year and the media scrutiny was intense. BMW is Korea’s leading import brand, controlling nearly 60 percent of the imported car market.
Korean news outlets, many of which are heavily influenced by the Hyundai-Kia Group, which controls nearly 70 percent of the Korean car market, adopted an unusually alarmist position on the matter, which then lead to operators of parking buildings to bar BMW models from entering their building, lest one catches fire.
At the same time, fire risks among Korean brands were under reported. In the same month the news footage above was produced, five cases of non-collision related engine fires were reported to the authorities, only two involved BMWs - the subject of the news coverage above. The remaining three cars - two Hyundai sedans and one Renault-Samsung (rebadged Nissans for Korea) – were mostly glossed over.
On their part, BMW had been cooperative with the Korean authorities and reiterated that the BMW models sold in Korea are identical to the ones sold in Europe, and that the cause of the fire had to do with local driving habits. And here’s the clincher – the supposedly faulty EGR components were later found to be made by a Korean supplier, which also supplies the same component to BMW factories in Europe.
Since the first engine fire incident was reported in 2016, BMW issued a recall to replace the component in 2017 - a move which the Korean government interpreted as ‘attempting to conceal’ a known defect.
Ironically, the USA is now giving the same treatment to the Hyundai-Kia Group, after 350 complaints have been lodged to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) over non-collision fires in Hyundai and Kia vehicles.
American consumer advocacy group Center for Auto Safety claims that almost one non-collision engine fire involving a Hyundai or Kia model has been reported every day for the last four months.
The US Senate Committee is demanding a hearing with chief executives of both Hyundai and Kia. The original hearing was scheduled on 14-November but it has now been put on hold, but closed door discussions between the Hyundai-Kia and American regulators are still on-going.


SDAS launches +Hybrid extended warranty programme for pre-owned BMW PHEVs

Sime Darby Auto Selection (SDAS)
 has launched its latest +Hybrid extended warranty programme for pre-owned BMW plug-in hybrid (PHEV) selection.

The +Hybrid extended warranty programme is in collaboration with Guard My Ride (GMR) as well as RHB Insurance to offer the market's first extended warranty programme specifically for pre-owned BMW plug-in hybrid cars in their selection which covers:

Electrical Machine Electronics (EME)

High-Voltage Battery Cell

Integrated Motor Generator (Electric Motor)

Battery Management Electronics (SME)

All pre-owned BMW PHEV units (330e, 530e, 740Le, X5 40e/45e) under SDAS will come with the +Hybrid extended warranty automatically starting today. For customers who have purchased BMW PHEVs from any of the SDAS branches, there's also the option to purchase the extended warranty via the SDAS 3S Centre located in Glenmarie.

There is, however, some T&C to be eligible for +Hybrid extended warranty programme, particularly the vehicle's mileage under 140,000km or no older than 8 years. This will get owners a program up to RM15,000 per claim and it can go up to RM100,000 per year depending on vehicle age and type.

To know more about the +Hybrid extended warranty programme or if you're interested to check out their selection of pre-owned BMW PHEVs, head over to any of the SDAS branches located in Ara Damansara, Johor Bahru, Tebrau, and Penang.


We’ve Experienced The All-New Mazda 3, And Left Thinking It’s A Bargain Of The Decade

By now, you would’ve known that the
all-new Mazda 3 will be launched in Malaysia
 very soon. It will be imported from Japan so prices will definitely go up (estimated to reach up to RM150,000) but even if you were to discount the difference in taxes, the all-new 3 is a substantially more premium car and prices have gone up across all markets.

Although Mazda isn’t saying it in public, we know that the folks at Hiroshima did not even bother looking at the Toyota Corolla or Honda Civic – Mazda doesn’t consider any of them its competitors. Instead, every surface of the car carried a “Beat Audi/Mercedes-Benz” vibe.

The much talked about SkyActiv-X engine won’t be offered in Malaysia. The ultra-low emissions, 24V mild hybrid, supercharged lean burning, spark controlled compression ignition (SPCCI) engine
is very costly
 and is currently only available in Japan. Deliveries in the European Union will begin later this year, only because the engine is needed to clear the EU’s upcoming 2021 CO2 emission regulations.

Instead, we will get a choice of 1.5-litre and 2.0-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder petrol. The former makes 114 hp/150 Nm while the latter makes 162 hp/210 Nm. That's not enough to trouble a 1.5-litre turbocharged Civic's 170 hp/220 Nm. But that's nothing unusual. Apart from the last Mazda 3 MPS, was there ever a recent Mazda model that made impressive topline numbers? Remember also that the 1.3-litre turbocharged Mercedes-Benz A200 makes just 163 hp/250 Nm.

For many, RM150,000 is way too much for a Mazda but the company doesn’t seem to care. Its engineers are convinced that they have outdone the Germans and are confident that drivers who love cars will say that the money is well spent – torsion beam included, more on that later.

In developing a car, a manufacturer typically starts by looking at two things – market data and benchmarking against their competitors. Not Mazda. Before even designing a single mechanical part, Mazda studied biomechanics and human anatomy, because cars exist to serve humans.

Where Volvo had enlisted the services of orthopedic surgeons in designing car seats, Mazda studied not just our spine but also how our eyes, ears, and skin respond to stimuli.

Its chassis engineers studied the minute details of how we walk before developing the chassis. Why walking? Because driving fatigue and motion sickness is directly related to our body’s ability to maintain balance while in motion – the most basic of human motion is walking.

If you don’t know how our pelvis works with which vertebrae and which strand of muscle to keep our head balanced, you can’t build a good car. You might be able to make a fast, lap record breaking car, but it won’t be a user-friendly, comfortable car that feels natural to drive.

The new Mazda seats are designed to help keep your spine in an S-shape, the natural shape an astronaut’s back takes when in zero gravity. To be honest the new TNGA platform Toyota models also do the same but to prove a point, Mazda offered to take us on a ride in a development car that has no front passenger seats.

Instead, it had a custom-made ultra-low stool, with a cushion fixed over a rotating ball so you had to force yourself to sit upright to maintain balance. Compared to the previous 3, it was significantly easier to maintain our balance in the all-new 3. The difference can be felt even when turning at 5 km/h.

via GIPHY

Over a long distance, this helps reduce driving fatigue as our body works less hard to maintain balance.

Building a premium car also means building a refined car, and cabin refinement is directly related to how our eyes and skin perceive a material’s surface, colour, and cleanliness – which Mazda calls visual noise.

Your eyes noticed the leopard right? Human eyes are very good at picking up variations, but we are more sensitive to some colours than others

How well can our eyes pick up inconsistencies in colour quality? How must a material feel when touched? How long does a driver’s eyes take to refocus when he/she takes the eyes off the road to look at the instrument cluster or infotainment, and back again? Which muscle and how much force is used when a driver reaches to open the centre console cover lid?

Not even Rolls-Royce goes to this extent in building a car. Of course, a Mazda is not as luxurious but Mazda has a better understanding in how our bodies respond to cars.

For example, everyone knows that white text on black background is the easiest on the eyes. Rolls-Royce will use white lights to replicate stars on a Phantom’s headliner.

Mazda however, also knows that our eyes are also most sensitive to variations of chromaticity – colour quality – of white. Variations in chromaticity, especially white is inevitable as different light sources are used for ambient lighting, instrument panel, infotainment, buttons and switches. No supplier makes white colour LEDs of such tight tolerances.

So what did Mazda do? Yes, you’ve guessed it. They learned how to make LEDs. Of course Mazda didn’t setup a LED manufacturing factory, but it worked closely with their suppliers to improve the component.

Every white light source used in the Mazda 3’s cabin, instrument panel and map lights included, has an extremely tight tolerance in chromaticity – just 1/3 of the usual, so it's the same white presented throughout the cabin. And you thought Rolls-Royce was fussy about aligning the wood veneers and leather?

The reason? Chromaticity affects how our eyes perceive beauty. Mazda engineers are extremely particular about maintaining a pretty looking interior in both day and night.

Outside, the fine details of the headlamp when lit up is worthy of an installation inside an art gallery.

The car’s body is also crafted to manipulate sunlight reflection as it moves – no other car company does that, not even Rolls-Royce or Porsche. This is a car that looks best when it’s moving. This ‘Utsuroi’ changing of reflection effect cannot be appreciated on a static car. Mazda says they are confident than no other car company can do it because such designs
cannot be achieved using computers
. The precise curvature needs to be perfected by Mazda's expert 'Takumi' clay modellers, before digitizing the surface for production.

The sedan and hatchback might look similar but the Utsuroi effect is different – the hatchback has the most dynamic light play. The body panels bend the reflection along the rear half before bringing the light back to the front (watch video below), while the sedan strives for a matured elegance light play.

I asked Noboyuki Fukui, from the Craftmanship Development Division, why Mazda doesn’t think this is going overboard. One wonders if Mazda is even making any money on the car. He answered proudly, “Because craftsmanship,” before adding “This is what we do.”

Next, they studied how our ears (and brain) perceive sound. Along the way Mazda has learned how to make an audio system that’s even better than their partner Bose’s. A 12-speaker Bose audio system is still available as an option (specifics for Malaysia unconfirmed) but we’ve tried the standard car’s 8-speaker audio system - it rivals a
Volvo S90’s Bowers & Wilkins
 setup!

It’s so shockingly good that that it’s almost like listening to live performance in front of you. The secret? Mazda had relocated the speakers from the door pocket - which Mazda says is the worst place to install speakers (but it’s also the easiest) – to the door's upper section and added a woofer behind the dashboard, as well as manipulating the timing of the sounds arriving from each speaker.

Removing the speakers from the door pocket also reduced the number of holes on the door, thus contributing to a quieter car.

If it’s so simple, why aren't other companies doing it? There are a lot of components and parts squeezed between the dashboard and bulkhead. The latter forms a critical part of a car’s structure. Making one more hole and squeezing a big speaker behind is an engineering nightmare. The next closest car to attempt a similar relocation is the
Volvo XC40
.

The relocation presented such a massive engineering challenge that Koji Wakamatsu, the engineer responsible for the all-new 3’s audio system, joked that he was extremely unpopular among his colleagues in Production Engineering.

Wakamatsu told us that a good car audio system has less to do with the speaker performance, but more with speaker location. Ideal locations are around the edges of the cabin (blue sections).

The infotainment now supports Android Auto/Apple CarPlay and the navigation system is designed to work better than your smartphone, which loses GPS signal when underground.

The navigation system boots up instantaneously and is able to track the car’s location even after it’s parked underground, allowing the navigation to show the correct street immediately upon exiting.

The secret is a dual-processor system that once underground, updates the car’s last known GPS coordinate with the car’s driving direction, and storing it for the next engine start.

Lastly, we had to ask the most pressing question on every enthusiast driver’s mind – why drop the previous 3’s multi-link rear suspension for a torsion beam?

Program Manager Kota Beppu conceded that torsion beams typically cause the rear axle to toe-in in hard corners, resulting in more understeer. However he countered that multi-link suspensions have too many variables and while that’s good for racing cars, it’s less so for daily use road cars.

By adopting torsion beam, Beppu explained that the team was able to reduce the number of moving parts, which together with other improvements, contributed to a quieter ride. Beppu was quick to add that the torsion beam used in the 3 is unlike any other, with varying diameter – becoming progressively thicker as it extend outwards.

The varying diameter and a thinner middle section helps contain movement from one side of the car that would influence the other, and allows for better flex control, thus neutralizing some of the negatives of a conventional torsion beam.

In any case, our short test drive of the all-new 3 at Mazda’s Mine Proving Ground confirmed Mazda’s claims that it drives better than any of its peers. Turn-ins are shaper and there’s just far more driver-centric ‘Jinba Ittai’ character that you just don’t get elsewhere, German brands included. How it drives on uneven surfaces is still left to be seen.

Our driving experience was very short, following behind a pace car at speeds too low (mainly due to heavy rain) to form useful conclusions but first impressions are positive.

Our suggestion is to try the car with an open mind. Remember that the Renault Megane RS also uses a torsion beam and nobody questions its dynamic abilities.

The rear seats are still too tight even by C-segment cars standards so if you are looking for a family sedan, a
Honda Civic is still a far better choice
. Mazda cars are all about the driver. In fact, in areas like HMI (human-machine interface), the Mazda 3 does better than the supposedly more driver-centric
G20 BMW 3 Series
 - whose Live Cockpit Pro instrument cluster is just a cluster of information overload while the relocated iDrive dial is now further to reach.

And here’s another curveball thrown at your conventional understanding of cars. In some sections of the all-new Mazda 3, spot weld counts have been reduced. Conventional understanding says this is bad.

However a rigid body also transfers more vibration from uneven road surfaces to occupants, and contributes to a noisier cabin. Of course, Mazda didn’t make the body softer.

When it comes to making a quiet cabin, the easy way is to add noise insulation material, but insulation materials add weight. Instead, Mazda learned that contrary to popular opinion, perceived cabin noise has less to do with sound energy (decibels), but direction and rate of change. For example, we are more tolerant of noise when flying than when driving, simply because noise levels in an aeroplane cabin is constant.

When driving over rough surfaces for example, the front wheels and rear wheels hit a bump at different times, To delay the transfer of vibration from the front wheels so it syncs better with the rear wheels, Mazda had placed ‘damping nodes’ thoughout the car’s body.

A normal node structure has 4 spot welds joining two different metal structure. Mazda’s new damping node uses only 3, with the fourth spot replaced by an epoxy seal to allow for rubber to be wedged between connecting joints.

Without much understanding of how a car is built, paying RM150,000 for a Mazda might seem ridiculous. Premium German brands offer better badge appeal and more powerful engines.

A Mercedes-Benz A200 or even a pre-owned C200 is a good buy by any measure. The person paying RM150,000 for a small Mazda however, needs to explain his/her decision, so a Mazda 3 can’t be a car for those looking to impress others.

However we are also very certain that none of the German premium car makers are doing what Mazda is. It’s either you choose to pay for the badge or for the engineering. For the latter, RM150,000 is a steal. Put it this way: is there any RM300,000 or even RM500,000 car that is built with the same attention to detail as the Mazda? To each its own.


Fasiliti Industri Bersepadu Kereta Lumba, Akademi Automotif Akan Dibina Menjelang 2025

Satu projek mega bernilai RM10 juta untuk membina fasiliti industri bersepadu
kereta lumba
 dan akademi automotif telah diumumkan akan dibina!

Perkara ini telah diumumkan oleh Timbalan Menteri Kementerian Belia Dan Sukan (KBS) YB Senator Dato’ Sri Ti Lian Ker ketika merasmikan pusat perincian bernama OPM & PrimeX Signature.

Pembinaan Fasiliti Industri Bersepadu Kereta Lumba

Kerjasama antara pusat perincian tersebut bersama TOC Automotive College menyaksikan fasiliti seluas 43,000 kaki persegi di Malaysia bakal dibina menjelang 2025.

Khabarnya, fasiliti itu bakal menjadi mercu tanda di Malaysia kerana akan dilengkapi dengan:

Bilik pameran

Pusat pemulihan kereta dan perincian kereta

Pusat jual beli aksesori

dan banyak lagi

Menurut pengasas Optimal Premium Motors, Simpson Tan, OPM & PrimeX Signature bersama TOC akan melabur banyak RM 10 juta untuk membangunkan fasiliti baru ini sebagai platform pendidikan automotif kepada belia dan mencipta lebih 600 peluang pekerjaan.

Ini termasuk latihan teknikal yang menyeluruh, lengkap dengan maklumat industri terkini sebagai pemangkin populasi pekerja mahir di Malaysia.

Sementara itu Pengarah PrimeX Signature, Chris Lee percaya usahasama ini pasti mencipta permintaan yang tinggi terhadap fasiliti kereta bersepadu lumba di seluruh rantau ini dan membawa industri automotif Malaysia ke peringkat yang seterusnya.

Akademi Automotif Bakal Dibangun

Sebuah akademi automotif bernama Auto Detailing Academy (ADA) turut dibangunkan kepada mereka yang ingin menjadikan bidang automotif sebagai kerjaya.

Pelbagai kursus ditawarkan seperti:

Teknologi automotif

Kejuruteraan

Pemulihan kereta

Perincian kereta

Lain-lain yang berkaitan

Timbalan KBS menyebut bahawa Malaysia merupakan negara ketiga tertinggi dalam permintaan industri automotif di Asia Tenggara.

Dengan pelancaran fasiiti ini, beliau percaya ia bakal membuka peluang kerjaya dan latihan kemahiran kepada para belia dengan melengkapkan mereka dengan ilmu pengetahuan yang berguna untuk masa yang akan datang.

OPM dan PrimeX turut menyumbang RM10,000 kepada pertubuhan bukan kerajaan, Kelab Harmoni Malaysia sebagai usaha untuk mempromosikan perpaduan dan menyemai pendidikan kepada para belia di Malaysia.

*
Gambaran litar lumba Fastrack City di Johor

Ada Litar Lumba Atau Tidak?

Mungkin bagi sesetengah pihak, apa guna jadi fasiliti kereta lumba kalau tiada port lumba betul disediakan betul tak?

Walau bagaimanapun, tiada sebarang info sama ada pembinaan fasiliti industri bersepadu kereta lumba ini akan melibatkan pembinaan litar lumba atau tidak.

Berdasarkan bajet, RM10 juta itu tidaklah sebesar projek pembinaan
Litar 'Nürburgring Timur'
 bernilai RM1.3 Bilion yang bakal dibangunkan di Langkawi yang bakal siap dalam tempoh lima tahun lagi.

Namun mungkin ada hikmahnya jika tidak membina litar lumba kerana tidak mungkin berisiko menjadi satu lagi projek mega tidak tertunai seperti
projek ‘halimunan’ Litar Lumba Fastrack City
 di Johor pada suatu ketika dahulu.

Apa-apapun, kita tunggu dan lihat!


Proton Pulls Out Of Iran - Subsidiary Dissolved

The Star Online today reported that Proton Holdings Bhd’s (indirect) wholly owned subsidiary; Proton Motor Pars Co (PMP) in Iran has been dissolved.
According to the report, the subsidiary, which was set up in Iran in 2011 in order to assemble vehicles, parts and accessories locally, was dissolved even before any operations began.
It is said that the decision followed the fact that PMP had been dormant since its incorporation in August 2011 and had no intention to carry on business or operations in the future.
Proton’s parent company DRB-Hicom, during an announcement made to Bursa Malaysia, said that PMP was notified by its liquidator on Monday that it had been dissolved.
“The dissolution of PMP is part of the streamlining exercise undertaken to close down companies that are dormant or have ceased operations,” said DRB-Hicom.


Ford CEO Says It Will Keep Apple CarPlay, Android Auto: ‘We Lost That Battle 10 Years Ago’

Apple Carplay and and Android Auto have in recent years become synonymous with a car's infotainment system package, and Ford's CEO believes that there is no point of them investing too much in their own proprietary system.

According to an interview conducted by Wall Street Journal with Ford's CEO, Jim Farley, he believes that there's no point of them putting a lot of effort in their own system as the data collected by their own would not be as significant as the ones collected by Android Auto or Apple Carplay.

Picture credit: Korea Times

"In terms of content, we kind of lost that battle 10 years ago. So like get real with it, because you're not going to make a ton of money on content inside the vehicle", said Farley.

This is off the back of the belief in recent years where automaker’s proprietary systems can help manufacturers collect various data about habits and usage of the vehicle user, where they can then sell more in-system features off that data.

Not all manufacturers have the same opinion as Ford's CEO, as thedrive.com pointed out that General Motors has announced that it plans to phase out CarPlay in its EVs starting in 2024.

This is a brave move by General Motors and we get why they are doing it, because utimately it is possible that auto manufacturers may have to pay a fee or royalty to Google and Apple for including their respective car infotainment systems, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, in their vehicles.

Other manufacturers like Volvo and Mercedes have decided to go in the opposite direction and work together with Google to provide car buyers with a better connectivity experience, so it's quite interesting to see how General Motors' move would be received.


Conversations With Mercedes-Benz’s Head of Autonomous Driving and Active Safety

When Bertha Benz commandeered her husband Karl’s 1886 Patentwagen and made that history-making drive from Mannheim to Pforzheim in 1888, roads were populated by horses. Instead of car parks, establishments had horse hitching posts. There were no petrol stations but there were drinking and feeding stalls for horses.
Bertha Benz’s historic drive put in motion a series of changes that eventually made businesses centered on horses and carriages redundant. Nearly 130 years later, the world is yet again at the cusp of another revolution technology revolution, this time threatening makers of combustion engines and conventional cars. Dramatic improvements in battery technology and artificial intelligence has enabled startups from outside the automotive sphere like Google and its Chinese rival Baidu have entered the car-making business with autonomous self-driving cars.
Daimler AG is keenly aware that technology is once again turning the tables of fortune but unlike 130 years ago, this time Daimler is on the defensive. If Daimler doesn’t adapt, Mercedes-Benz cars will end up going the way of the horse-drawn carriage.
As part of the company’s plans for 2020 and beyond, Daimler has outlined four key pillars where its business for the next decade will be hinged upon - Connected, Autonomous, Shared, Electric – four key disruptors to the traditional car business.
At the sidelines of the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show earlier in September, Carlist.my caught up with Dr. Michael Hafner, Head of Automated Driving and Active Safety at Daimler AG.
The biggest challenge for autonomous or self-driving cars is less about technology and more about the legal aspects. If an autonomous car gets into an accident, who should be held responsible? Is legal for a driver to drive without holding a steering wheel?
A big part of Dr. Hafner’s work involves working with governments around the world to align the progress made in autonomous cars with their legal framework.
“We are still in the process of getting everything aligned. There are still many markets where not everything (autonomous) is technically allowed, but the update would be we are making good progress with aligning the technology to regulations, and this applies to the US, where there are several different state laws. Some of the states have made some changes last year but we need to make sure that it’s aligned in all the different states.
“In Europe it’s more centralized. A lot of things have been achieved, including changing the Vienna Convention. Now what’s left is the process of bringing this into the national regulations. There are in the middle of regulation Level 2 autonomous driving applications, and the next step will be the regulations of Level 3 to 5.
In Asian markets, it’s comparable. In China, which is one of our main markets, there a lot of activities going on. In addition to regulations, we have to look into things like maps. In some areas, maps are more confidential and you have to find ways to be accurate and still remain legal.”
The Vienna Convention on Road Traffic forms the basis of many traffic regulations around the world. The original 1968 version states that the driver must remain in control at all times, which technically made autonomous driving features illegal. On March 2016, an amendment was made to allow for transfer of control between the driver and the vehicle, provided that the feature conforms to UN regulations.
On the technology behind autonomous driving, Dr. Hafner acknowledged that advances in artificial intelligence and neural networks have greatly improved today’s autonomous driving features but having robust hardware with multiple layers of redundancies remains the most important core.
“The car has to be able to see everything, be it a pedestrian, a car or a motorcycle. If a radar doesn’t pick it up, the Lidar and stereo cameras have to,” explained Dr. Hafner on the need for redundancies, and why Mercedes-Benz cars adopt several different types of sensors.
As for adapting autonomous cars for the type of dense traffic conditions we see here in our region, Dr. Hafner explained that Daimler’s Intelligent World Drive programme is currently embarking on a five-month drive across five continents to gather relevant data for its market adaptation.
A specially adapted data gathering car based on a production S-Class has already completed drives in Germany and Shanghai. The vehicle is currently in Australia, before moving to South Africa and Los Angeles. The data gathered in Shanghai is particularly relevant to us, as traffic conditions in Shanghai are just as dense as in Kuala Lumpur, populated by many bikes and characterised by erratic traffic behaviours.
Although artificial intelligence forms a key part of autonomous driving, Daimler is not convinced that it is safe to allow the car to learn driving on its own. Instead, Daimler’s path towards autonomous vehicles is centered along guided learning rather than self-learning.
“Self-learning is something that you really really really need to be sure that it’s not learning the wrong thing. We prefer the approach where we update our software regularly with new insights from the field, but have it released systematically rather than have the vehicle learn something without our control.”
So will autonomous cars put an end to the act of driving? Dr. Hafner doesn’t think so.
“Often times driving is fun but sometimes driving is boring. Some of our customers would probably like to do something else when they are in boring driving situations. We want to them the ability to do what they want with their time. Another advantage with autonomous cars is that it could assist people who are currently excluded from mobility, it could be kids, the elderly, the disabled, with autonomous cars they would be able to benefit from mobility again,” he added.
Dr. Hafner also emphasized on the superior reliability and safety of an autonomous car versus a human driver.
“The software doesn’t drink. The software is always looking, it’s never distracted. If you test it and have enough redundancies, the software don’t have as much failures as humans,” said Dr. Hafner.
On the concerns of cost, Dr. Hafner believes when autonomous driving technology become mainstream, the advent of robo-taxis might actually reduce the cost of mobility. As for private car owners, Dr. Hafner sees the adoption of autonomous driving features is just a natural extension from the collision avoidance functions that are already in demand by Mercedes-Benz customers.
The idea of self-driving cars might seem a bit too far-fetched but Dr. Hafner is confident that in just ten years, we could order self-driving robo-taxis from our smart phones.
The
new Mercedes-Benz S-Class
 has just gone on sale in Europe and is expected to be launched in Malaysia next year. Specifications for Malaysia have not been announced but in some markets, new S-Class models equipped with the optional Driving Assistance Package now have improved semi-autonomous driving features like Active Steering Assist and Active Distance Assist DISTRONIC.
The Remote Parking Assist allows the driver to remotely drive the new S-Class in and out of tight car parks with just a smartphone.


BMW On Course with Thai PHEV Expansion Plan

BMW Group is pushing ahead with its plan to expand its Plug-In Hybrid Vehicle (PHEV) operations in Thailand,
Bangkok Post
 reports that the company has set aside a THB 1 billion investment to be utilised in 2016 and 2017.
The carmaker has invested some THB 3.7 billion from 2000 to 2015 – another THB 488 million was spent at the end of 2016, to expand the PHEV line-up. The remaining funds will go into doubling the production capacity at BMWs’ Amata City Industrial Estate plant in the Rayong Province.
BMW Group Thailand began assembly of two PHEV models in November 2016 - the
BMW 330e
 and
BMW X5 xDrive40e
 M Sport.
At present, BMW’s Rayong plant is capable of assembling 20,000 cars for BMW and Mini, and 10,000 motorcycles for BMW Motorrad a year.
Bangkok post reports, currently the plant exports a large number of BMW X3 and X5 models to China. BMW aim to export 10,000 units of the models to China in 2017. About 1,000 BMW Motorrad motorcycles have also been exported to Malaysia and China.
The expansion plan also includes importing advanced technology to manufacture the car batteries in Rayong by mid-2018, which are currently imported from Europe.
Stefan Teuchert, the new president of BMW Group Thailand comments, the company also plans to localise the assembly for the
(G11) BMW 7 Series
 and upcoming
(G30) BMW 5 Series
 PHEV models.
BMW also plans to improve the charging infrastructure by adding another seven charging locations; to the current five already in place in Bangkok this year.
According to Teuchert, the investment is aimed at coping for future PHEV demands both domestically and abroad. Additionally, Bangkok Post reports that the BMW Group expects the sales of hybrid cars, mainly PHEVs to rise to 15 percent from 5 percent of annual sales currently.
Besides the Thai expansion plan, BMW Group also plans to make a Malaysia a
strategic export hub
 of the BMW 3 Series, 5 Series and 7 Series models to Vietnam and the Philippines.


Michelin Energy XM2+ Launched In Malaysia – Priced From RM 200

Michelin has introduced the improved Energy XM2+ in Malaysia, aimed at budget-conscious customers that value safety and performance that lasts.
The Michelin Energy XM2 isn’t exactly a new tyre, as it has been around for the past eight years. Although the thread pattern is familiar, Michelin has enhanced the XM2+ with a new full-silica rubber compound, claiming to improve wet braking performance.
Compared to new tyres from competing brands, the Michelin Energy XM2+ offered superior wet braking distance. Even when worn down to the last 15%, the Energy XM2+ still managed to bring the car to a complete stop quicker than any of its competitors.
As for the worn tyres, the Michelin Energy XM2+ offered similar wet braking performance as the new tyres. The same can't be said for rival tyres, which exhibited some floating-like sensation before the tyres decided to bite into the surface.
Even when driving hard in the wet, the worn Michelins did not break a sweat, offering similar levels of grip as new. Rival tyres exhibited more understeer when driven hard, while the Michelins offered consistent grip and predicable handling throughout the entire course.
To identify the differences between the older XM2 and XM2+, Michelin has placed a “+” symbol on the sidewall.
Managing Director of Michelin Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and Brunei, Mr. Pascal Nouvellon said, “The Michelin Energy XM2+ improves on its predecessor – Michelin Energy XM2, which has been a leading mass-market tyre for 8 consecutive years – in various aspects. Its performance is made to last. Indeed, the tyre’s “Stopping Superpower” is preserved at a high level, even when the tyre has been used for a long time. As its advertising campaign goes, Michelin Energy XM2+ is like a “Stopping Superpower” keeping consumers safe and confident on the road, time after time.”
For the Malaysian market, the Michelin XM2+ is available in 32 different sizes, ranging from 14- to 16-inches, covering a wide range of vehicles.


Mercedes-Benz Expands Their SUV Range With The GLE Coupe and GLS

Variety is the spice of life, and with Mercedes-Benz Malaysia they’re determined to provide you with a huge range of options – even among their SUVs.

It’s been a rough year for automakers. The pandemic known as COVID-19 has swept across the world and caused everything from a total shutdown in sales and operations to a halt in supply chains that cost companies millions by the week. But thankfully, we’re reaching a point where restrictions are starting to relax and people can get back to business.

Going through the second half of the year, we’re seeing many cars being launched that were previously delayed – either due to political shifts or COVID-19 related restrictions. Mercedes-Benz Malaysia has decided to add two new models – the GLE Coupe and GLS – to their already vast range of models on offer. The former comes in either the GLE 450 AMG 4MATIC Coupe or GLE 53 4MATIC+ Coupe variants, while the latter is available as a singular GLS 450 4MATIC model.

Perhaps it would be easier to start with the numbers. The 450 in these models refers to the powertrain provided, which is a turbocharged 3.0-litre inline six petrol engine that sings to the tune of 367 hp and 500 Nm of torque. In both models, the engines are paired with a 9-speed 9G-TRONIC automatic transmission, delivering power to all four wheels via the 4MATIC system. There’s even the 48-volt EQ Boost system that adds a temporary 22 hp and 250 Nm of torque when you need it through some electric motors connected to the drivelines.

With the GLE 53 Coupe, however, the same engine size and layout produces 435 hp and 520 Nm of torque – which is a significant bump in performance. It is, after all, a proper AMG model and while it may not be as violent as the 63s, it certainly isn’t a slouch with a century sprint time of just 5.3 seconds. It even comes equipped with the AMG SPEEDSHIFT TCT 9G that offers even sharper shifts and lightning-fast response to gear change requests.

What’s more surprising is that all three of these models are, in essence, all-new. Malaysia received this generation of GLE-Class sometime last year, but it’s taken over a year for the Coupe variant to show up here in either trim. The GLS-Class is something rarely talked about as it’s a more niche product compared to other Mercedes-Benz offerings, but this 2020 model is actually an all-new product when put next to its predecessor that was launched locally back in 2016.

All models come with the AIRMATIC air suspension that helps to raise or lower the car by marginal amounts, as well as providing a far more comfortable ride when you require it. In the case of the GLE 53, the system even ensures better aerodynamics and constant levelling to work in tandem with AMG ACTIVE RIDE CONTROL for extremely competent handling when necessary. These are things you come to expect as standard on Mercedes-Benz models of this tier and higher.

While both of the GLE Coupe models come with AMG trimmings in terms of the exterior body styling and interior accoutrements, a singular telltale is that the GLE 450 Coupe comes with 21-inch AMG alloy wheels, while the GLE 53 AMG Coupe comes with a larger set in 22-inch sizing. The GLS 450 also gets the larger 22-inch alloy wheels as well as the range of AMG items for the interior and exterior.

What would a Mercedes-Benz launch article be without a mention of the MBUX? Of course we’re going to talk about it, because it’s one of the things we love the most about the current Mercedes-Benz model range. In the GLS 450, you get two massive 11.6-inch touchscreens to display your information across the dashboard, while the GLE Coupe models get a pair of 12.3-inch screens. The GLE 53 AMG Coupe also gets the AMG TRACK PACE system that monitors 80 different parameters when you’re putting this performance model through its paces, logging data whether you’re on a track or an open circuit.

The prices for these cars? Well, the GLE 450 4MATIC Coupe will set you back by RM 661,009.42, while the GLE 53 4MATIC+ Coupe goes for a heftier RM 787.357.88. Their larger sibling, the GLS 450 4MATIC AMG Line retails from RM 899,888 – depending on which options you pick. Prices for the GLE models are inclusive of the tax break that Malaysians enjoy until the end of 2020, while the GLS pricing is based on what Malaysians would pay without the tax break as the model will only arrive in 2021.


Malaysia Autoshow 2017: Karting Slalom Competition To Attract Young Racers

The upcoming Malaysia Motorshow 2017, which takes place from 9-12 November 2017 will also host the first ever Karting Slalom competition in Malaysia. This new karting discipline aims at providing a low cost and safe platform to unearth young talents who have an aptitude for motorsport.
Speaking at the media introduction event, CEO of MAI, Datuk Madani Sahari added, “Karting slalom is a new category designed by the Commission International de Karting – Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (CIK-FIA) and is targeted at young people who have never competed in motorsports before.”
First introduced in Germany a few years ago - Karting Slalom was envisioned to teach children, as young as eight years old, the basics of safe driving that are applied directly from racing to driving on public roads.
Karting slalom is similar to Gymkhana discipline. Participants have to drive around a tight, technical course which emphasises dexterity and precision over outright pace.
Speeds will be limited to just above walking pace and only requires a small area of tarmac to be set up, in addition to two karts, safety gear, cones and timing equipment
The three competition categories are grouped by age, entry fees are as follows:
Age Group
Participation Fee Per Entry
Ages 8 - 13
RM10.00
Ages 14 - 18
RM20.00
Ages 18 and Above
RM30.00
Each driver must complete one lap practice session, followed by a heat which consists of two laps using two different karts. This is to eliminate any inconsistency of go-kart performance. Time penalties are incurred every time a participant displaces or knocks over a cone (+2 secs) or drives in the wrong direction (+10 secs). The final classifications based on total driving time for both runs plus penalties.
Two separate days of competition will take place at the Malaysia Autoshow 2017, on Saturday (11th Nov) and Sunday (12th Nov). Prizes will be awarded to the top three scorers in each category on each competition day. Trophies for overall winners over both days of competition will also be handed out.
The Karting Slalom competition will be organised by Kelab Kart Selangor and Wilayah Persekutuan (KKS), which is an affiliate of Automobile Association of Malaysia (AAM) - the national authority for 2- and 4-wheel motorsports in Malaysia. Participants are advised to wear full-length trousers, proper shoes, a long-sleeved jacket and full gloves, helmets will be provided by the organisers.
Separately, CEO Madani also confirmed that 2017 Malaysia Autoshow will host several new model launches and new product introductions from participating aftermarket and lifestyle brands. MAI expects a crowd of around 200k visitors in total at the 2017 Malaysia Autoshow.