Subaru Opens Plant In Thailand - First In Asia Outside Of Japan

Tan Chong International Limited (TCIL) has officially opened a new dedicated Subaru vehicle assembly plant in Thailand - the first of its kind outside of Japan in Asia. The only other Subaru plant outside of Japan is located in Indiana, USA.
Built on the grounds of a former Foton commercial vehicles plant that was also operated by TCIL, the new Tan Chong Subaru Automotive (Thailand) Limited (TCSAT) plant spans more than 100,000 square metre of land in Bangkok’s Ladkrabang Industrial Estate. The TCSAT plant will operate at an initial capacity of just 6,000 cars per annum, all of it Forester models. At its current setup, the production can be ramped up to 10,000 units per annum (single shift) but with further upgrades, the facility can accomodate up to 100,000 cars and four models per annum.
The plant is a joint venture between the Hong Kong-listed but Singapore-based TCIL and Japan’s Subaru Corporation (SBC). TCIL controls 74.9 percent of the joint venture via its subsidiary TC Manufacturing and Assembly (Thailand) Limited, with SBC holding the remaining 25.1 percent.
SBC is responsible for most of the production operations while TCIL handles the overall plant management and supporting services.
Construction of the plant was completed within just one year, with a total investment of more than THB 5 billion. The first completed (pre-production) car rolled off the line in August 2018
Currently, the plant only makes the
all-new Forester
 for the Thailand market but exports to Vietnam, Cambodia, and Malaysia – all of it distributed by TCIL’s subsidiary Motor Image Group - will commence later this year.
It also means that our local market’s Forester will no longer be assembled at its existing contract assembly partner Tan Chong Motor Assemblies (TCMA) - which belongs to a separate Kuala Lumpur-listed Tan Chong Motor Holdings - plant in Segambut. The local Subaru XV however, will continue to be supplied by the Segambut plant.
As the Thailand-assembled Forester uses more than 40 percent of regionally sourced parts, it qualifies for export to ASEAN countries at zero import duties. Of course, excise duties will continue to be a hurdle, especially for Malaysia.
The outgoing generation locally-assembled Forester is currently selling at RM131,788 (high specs 2.0i-P variant). Whether will the imported from Thailand all-new Forester see an increase in prices (due to excise duties, which the outgoing locally-assembled car gets some rebates from) or not is yet to be seen.


Nissan Considers Thailand As First EV Hub Outside Of Japan

It seems that in the last few years, Thailand has become the choice for many manufacturers and brands to set up shop. They're a pretty good entry point into the ASEAN region, with plenty of incentives provided to manufacturers who choose to make it their base of operations. It's much like how getting into China usually requires setting up a factory in China itself, albeit with less restrictions. The latest in the line of manufacturers to consider Thailand is Nissan,
as reported by Bangkok Post
.
Nissan Motor Co, as it's more formally known, plans to make Thailand its production hub for electric vehicles (EVs). These plants will cater to both the local market and overseas shipments, and with this commitment Nissan was granted privileges by the Thailand Board of Investment (BoI). For now the plan only covers building hybrid EVs at their Samut Prakan plant, although they are currently working on building full EV models given the recent success of the Nissan Leaf EV in the Thai market.
Naturally each phase of their plan comes with more incentives from the BoI, which in turn makes these vehicles more affordable for Thai consumers. For now, Nissan is investing 10.96 billion baht (RM 1.43 billion), although this figure will naturally ramp up as more models are introduced and more production facilities are set up. With eco cars and EVs, both in full and hybrid forms, becoming so popular with Thai consumers, there is also pressure on the government to incentivize consumers to purchase these vehicles.


Wee Ka Siong Not Helping Delivery Riders

It seems that the
delivery riders
 within the
p-hailing community
 are not on the same page as our Transport Minister,
Wee Ka Siong
.

Zulhelmi Mansor, President of the Malaysian P-Hailing Delivery Riders Association (
PENGHANTAR
), stated that they were left with more headaches than solutions after meeting with Wee during the p-hailing community's meeting.

*Image credit: PENGHANTAR

Current issues not resolved

While the current delivery riders are concerned with the current issues that are plaguing them at the moment, the push for them to acquire the Goods Driving Licence (GDL) will add more burden and some of them have shared some choice words on social media.

Some of the issues that were raised during the meeting were regarding the delivery charge's floor price, concerns regarding digital maps, travelled distance vs the actual trip made by the riders, and more.

The
nationwide strike
 which happened on 5 August 2022 was coordinated to bring these issues into the limelight as well as to get the attention of the authorities for change. Wee stated that there will be amendments made to three acts in order to protect the welfare of the riders.

*Image credit: PENGHANTAR

Proposed 'changes' from the government not helping

Mohd Firdaus Abdul Hamid, one of the participants of the recent protest said on
FMT
 that "We are already under pressure from (our) companies, and now the government is also doing the same. We do not agree with the proposed amendments. The reasoning behind it – that the ministry wants to find out the actual number of riders so as to take care of our welfare – is illogical."

“P-hailing riders are already required to contribute to the Social Security Organisation’s (SOCSO) Self-Employment Social Security Scheme (SKSPS), so why can’t the government find out the actual number of riders from there?" added Zulhelmi.


Pengusaha Bengkel Gesa Proton Lantik Ejen Pasang OCH Alternatif Untuk Exora

Nampaknya isu OCH pada
Proton Exora
 masih belum selesai setelah
Proton
 digesa oleh pengusaha bengkel untuk melantik mekanik luar yang mencipta hos penyejuk minyak (
Oil Cooler Hose OCH
) alternatif untuk Exora sebagai ejen pemasangannya.

Dalam waktu yang sama, Proton juga perlu mewajibkan pelanggan meneruskan
servis kereta
 di bengkel Proton sehingga tamat tempoh waranti.

OCH Exora Kerap Pecah, Lantik Mekanik Pasang OCH Alternatif

OCH merupakan komponen yang menjaga transmisi dan minyak enjin kereta daripada panas melampau. Jika OCH pecah atau rosak, minyak akan bocor menyebabkan enjin dan transmisi kereta gagal berfungsi dengan baik dan boleh merosakkan enjin.

Pengusaha bengkel kereta terkenal di Lembah Klang, Mohd Fadzzel Mohd Sultan, telah menyarakan supaya Proton melantik mekanik yang membuat OCH alternatif sebagai ejen pemasangan.

Perkara ini telah dikemukakan oleh beberapa kelab pemilik Exora kepada pengurusan tertinggi Proton sebelum ini, namun tidak berhasil.

Cadangan itu diberikan sebagai jalan penyelesaian isu OCH kereta Exora yang kerap pecah sehingga membuatkan bakal pembeli dan pemilik Exora bimbang.

Orang ramai terpaksa menempah OCH alternatif melalui pihak ketiga meskipun Proton mengingatkan bahawa komponen sedemikian tidak diuji dalam makmal dan dikhuatiri menyebabkan lebih banyak kerosakan.

Fadzzel bagaimanapun mempertikaikan peringatan itu dan mahu Proton mencari penyelesaian holistik untuk menyelesaikan isu ketahanan komponen itu demi kebaikan pemilik Exora.

Pasang Custom OCH, Waranti Jalan Seperti Biasa

Lebih dikenali sebagai Pak Tam, Fadzzel turut menawarkan khidmat pemasangan OCH buatan sendiri di lima bengkel miliknya. Tambahnya, mekanik yang membuat OCH alternatif untuk Exora patut diberikan peranan oleh Proton.

Menurut Fadzzel, jika Proton izinkan mereka untuk memasang OCH alternatif, pelanggan akan membayar kepada ejen yang memasang OCH alternatif, namun waranti dengan Proton tetap akan berjalan seperti biasa.

Tambah beliau, langkah ini akan menaikkan nama Proton kerana tiada lagi masalah OCH pecah serta Proton tak perlu risau pelanggan lari memandangkan mereka masih terikat dengan pusat servis Proton.

Proton Pernah Berminat Nak Beli Hak Reka Cipta OCH Alternatif

Sebelum ini, Proton dikatakan berminat untuk membeli hak reka cipta OCH alternatif daripada beliau, namun tawaran itu terpaksa ditolak atas pelbagai faktor.

Tambahnya, ada pelanggan yang mencarinya pada jam 3-4 pagi ekoran masalah OCH pecah di tengah jalan. “Jika kita tiada hak reka cipta OCH itu, bagaimana kita nak bantu mereka?” jelas beliau kepada FMT.

 “Saya tak berminat nak kerjasama cara mereka, dengan spesifikasi dan harga pun kena ikut cara mereka. Itu agak berat untuk pelanggan kita. Sebab rata-rata pelanggan kita bukan orang senang,” katanya yang terkenal dalam kalangan pemilik Exora sebagai pakar OCH.

OCH Proton Tak Berkualiti?

Fadzzel berkata, nasihat Proton agar pemilik Exora waspada terhadap OCH alternatif dalam pasaran tidak menggambarkan realiti sebenar.

“Kalau mereka kata jangan beli daripada pihak luar sebab tak diuji, produk awak yang telah diuji pun ada kegagalan. Jadi awak letakkan tahap kualiti produk awak itu dekat mana?”

Menurutnya, bengkel-bengkel luar sering mendengar keluhan pelanggan yang terpaksa membelanjakan sehingga RM7,000 – RM8,000 kerana membaiki enjin pecah.

Sehingga kini, lima cawangan bengkel kereta milik Fadzzel sudah memasang lebih 1,000 buah OCH alternatif untuk pelanggan.

Ketua Pengurusan Kandungan Proton, Faisal Shah, sebelum ini memberitahu media bahawa pembekal OCH alternatif diragui kemudahannya dalam menjalankan ujikaji produk buatan mereka.

Walau bagaimanapun, ada pemilik Exora yang sanggup membelanjakan sehingga RM1,000 untuk menukar kepada OCH alternatif berbanding menanggung risiko kerugian besar di masa hadapan.

Adakah anda pengguna Exora? Sanggupkah anda menukar kepada custom OCH memandangkan terlalu banyak kes OCH Exora buatan Proton pecah?

*Kredit Foto: Free Malaysia Today


Australian Police Force Adds 450HP Audi RS 4 Avant

The New South Wales police force in Australia has just secured the services of an
Audi

RS 4
 Avant.
Now, you’d imagine that any police force enlisting the help of a 445hp, 430Nm of torque vehicle would have chasing down high-speed baddies in mind, but that isn’t quite what the mighty RS4 is purposed for.
“Youth engagement activities,” is what they’re seemingly more interested in, with Superintendent Wayne Starling, Commander of Lake Illawarra LAC saying that, “The Audi RS 4 provides an exciting and visible platform for our community and youth engagement activities. Our use of the RS 4 will encourage people of all ages to introduce themselves to local police, using the car itself to help start up a conversation.”
Audi Australia has been kind enough to loan the vehicle to the police force for a duration of 12 months.
It’s a great cause for sure. But where police “youth engagement” matters, I think the Abu Dhabi and Dubai police forces knows how to do it a little bit better, utilising these world-beating monsters.
Dubai Police Gets A BMW i8 To Fight Crime And Carbon Emissions At The Same Time
Why You Shouldn't Speed In Dubai, Meet Their Police Force
Abu Dhabi Police Takes Delivery Of RM12.5 Million Lykan HyperSport


Volvo S90 T8 Twin Engine PHEV Launched In Malaysia - EEV, 407hp, From RM369k

Following a
short media preview over the last few days
, Volvo Cars Malaysia has officially launched the S90 T8 Twin Engine during the ongoing International Greentech Eco Products Exhibition Conference Malaysia (or IGEM for short). Available in two trim levels, the S90 T8 Twin Engine Inscription is going for RM 368,888, while the Inscription Plus variant is going for RM 388,888. If you make your order before the end of October 2017, you can get them at an introductory price of RM 348,888 and RM 368,888 respectively- all prices are on-the-road, inclusive of GST but not including insurance.
We’ll do a quick run through of the specifications. For those unfamiliar with Volvo’s powertrains, the T8 Twin Engine is a plug-in hybrid powertrain that pairs a twincharged 2.0-litre 4-cylinder petrol engine with an electric motor. The engine produces 320 hp, while the electric motor provides another 87 hp; combined, the total system output is a whopping 407 hp and 640 Nm, provided your batteries have enough juice for the electric motors.
This allows the S90 T8 Twin Engine to hit 100 km/h from a standstill in just 4.8 seconds, and the range on battery alone is up to 50 km as per EU testing cycles. Out of practicality and simplicity, the petrol engine powers just the front wheels while the motors provide drive to the rear. In a technical sense, the S90 T8 Twin Engine is all-wheel drive- but if you leave it in the electric-only ‘Pure’ mode it can be run as rear-wheel drive.
The Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) platform that the S90 T8 Twin Engine sits on was designed from the get-go to accept hybrid components, as evidenced by the XC90 T8 Twin Engine. Volvo mounts the batteries low in the floor for better weight distribution and handling. It’s a proven platform, providing great comfort without compromising on handling.
What’s the difference between Inscription and Inscription Plus? The Inscription variant already nets you an impressive amount of kit, with all of the features you can find in the S90 T6. There’s the:
LED Illumination headlights With Active Bending Lights
Integrated Daytime Running Lights
Digital Instrument Cluster with 12.3" TFT Adaptive Display
Intelligent Driver Information System
Keyless Entry and Drive
9-Inch Touch Enabled Centre Screen Display (CSD)
Park Assist with Park Assist Pilot
360* Surround View Camera
Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
Blind Spot Information System (BLIS) with Cross Traffic Alert (CTA)
Lane Keeping Aid (LKA)
2-stage Integrated Booster Seats
Comfort Seats with Fine Nappa Leather
Orrefors Crystal gear lever
6 Airbags
If you’re willing to put in the extra RM 20,000 for the Inscription Plus, you also get the:
Bower & Wilkins 19-speaker sound system
Air Suspension with Electronically Controlled Dampers.
Arguably the sound system itself more than makes up for the difference in value for the Inscription Plus, but the air suspension definitely adds an additional level of comfort and refinement to an already excellent product.
Also worth noting is that the S90 T8 Twin Engine comes with the IntelliSafe Assist as standard, which includes Adaptive Cruise Control and Distance Alert, as well as the semi-autonomous drive feature- Pilot Assist. This allows the car to steer and maintain speeds of up to 130 km/h entirely by itself, braking and adjusting speed and distance for traffic as well. It’s halfway towards autonomous driving and definitely a help during the daily commute.


Paris 2018: All-New 2019 G20 BMW 3 Series Introduced, 40-Year Lineage Continues

At the ongoing 2018 Paris Motor Show, BMW has just pulled the covers off the seventh generation 3 Series, continuing the 40-year-strong lineage of the original sports sedan.
As seen from the leaked photos posted yesterday, the all-new G20 3 Series features a completely-redesigned exterior from its predecessors, with a pair of sharp-looking headlights flanking the signature kidney grille. LED headlights are fitted as standard, while Adaptive LED headlights with BMW Laserlight are available as an option. Large outer air intakes house the optional LED front foglight, while Sport and Luxury Line feature a T-shape housing.
But perhaps the biggest departure from its predecessors is the redesigned Hofmeister kink, now featuring a more angular design, as opposed to the curvaceous approach on BMW models of yore.
Towards the rear end, the all-new G20 3 Series features a pair of slim, L-shaped tail lights. M Sport variants of the G20 3 series receive twin muffler tips, while Sport and Luxury Line variants of the 3 Series receive a simpler-looking rear bumper with similar T-shaped elements.
In terms of dimensions, the all-new G20 3 Series is 76 mm longer than the F30, coming in at 4,709 mm, 16 mm wider at 18,27 mm, and just 1 mm taller at 1,442 mm. Wheelbase is also longer, coming in at 2,851 mm, a 41 mm increase over the F30 3 Series it replaces.

Other important figures include a body rigidity that is up to 50% stronger than before. Additionally, the weight of the all-new G20 3 Series is up to 55 kg lighter than the F30. As per tradition, the all-new G20 3 Series boasts a 50:50 weight distribution for
optimum handling
.
Moving inside, the all-new G20 3 Series comes, as standard, with LED interior lights. Ambient lighting with Welcome Light Carpet can be had as an option. As for the infotainment system, the Radio Professional with six speakers come fitted as standard, while the 16-speaker Harman Kardon surround sound system is a cost option.
Other interior highlights include the BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant, a built-in AI assistant that allows the driver to use natural voice to control various functions of the car. The BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant’s features and skills are constantly improved via regular updates. There's a wireless charger for smartphones but unlike other cars, this is integrated with the door locks and ignition. With the BMW Digital Key feature, drivers can lock/unlock the car with their smartphone and once inside, they can start the engine once the smartphone placed on the wireless charger.
The all-new G20 3 Series also features a segment-first feature called Reversing Assistant, which aids the driver to automatically reverse the vehicle in confined spaces. The system is able to reverse for a distance of up to 50 meters by steering it along the same line it has just taken when going forwards. The driver just needs to operate the accelerator and brake pedal and monitor the area around the car. Maximum reversing speed is 9 km/h.
At launch, BMW is offering 5 variants of the all-new 3 Series, including:
318d: 150 hp, 320 Nm
320d: 190 hp, 400 Nm
320d xDrive: 190 hp, 400 Nm
330d: 265 hp, 580 Nm
320i: 184 hp, 300 Nm
330i: 258 hp, 400 Nm
Depending on the chosen engine, buyers can pick between an 8-speed Steptronic automatic or 6-speed manual transmission.
In summer 2019, BMW will add the 330e plug-in hybrid and M340i xDrive to the G20 lineup. The M340i xDrive will be the flagship G20 model until the new generation M3 arrives, outputting 374 hp and 500 Nm, courtesy of a turbocharged in-line six-cylinder 3.0-litre engine.
Market launch of the all-new G20 3 Series will commence on 9th March 2019, and will be made in three plants globally, including Munich, the Tiexi plant in Shenyang, and the BMW Plant San Luis Potosi in Mexico.


2023 Subaru Forester facelift officially launched - Basic Eyesight ADAS as standard, new front end, from RM174k

TC Subaru, the official distributor of Subarus in Malaysia has finally launched the facelift Subaru Forester, after quietly bringing it into the country last month.

The new Subaru is still the fifth-generation Forester, but the update on the SUV has brought some new life to the vehicle through an altered front fascia as well as updated safety features.

Four variants are offered with prices starting from RM174k. The variants and prices are:

2.0i-L Eyesight - RM174,288

2.0i-L GT Lite Edition Eyesight - RM180,288

2.0i-S Eyesight - RM184,288

2.0i-S GT Edition Eyesight - RM196,288

No matter which variant you buy, the Forester will come with newly redesigned headlights and glossy blacked-out radiator grille surround. The 2.0i-S and 2.0i-S GT gets a more sophisticated set of headlights, which feature auto high beam and steering responsive headlights.

The other big update is of course the inclusion of Subaru's basic Eyesight system as standard, but the top two variants get additional features in the form of pre-collision braking with autonomous emergency steering and rear vehicle detection. All variants get:

Adaptive cruise control with lane centering

Lane departure warning and prevention

Lane sway warning

Lead vehicle departure alert and pre-collision throttle management

Everything else is business as usual, which means the Forester is equipped with the same 2.0-litre flat-four unit with direct injection, which produces 156PS and 196Nm, mated to Subaru’s Lineartronic CVT and distributed to all-four wheels via the Symmetrical AWD system.

Other noticeable differences between the top two variants and the rest of the lineup include:

Inclusion of 18" wheels

Special X-Mode Vehicle Dynamics Control system

All prices are for Peninsular Malaysia, OTR w/o insurance, and come with a 5-year, 100,000 km warranty.


Parents pressure son to buy a brand-new Honda with RM1,500 salary

What if you have parents who are constantly pressuring you to buy a new
Honda
 car despite only having a monthly salary of RM1,500?

A recent Tweet by ConfessTweetMY showed a young man's feelings towards his parents pushing him to buy a brand new Honda car. Why? According to the young man, owning a Honda seems to be a dream for his parents despite not having any income source of their own.

Ibu dan ayah kerap bertanya bila nak beli kereta Honda walhal gaji confessor RM1,500 sebulan.

Sedih hidupnya dibandingkan dgn kejayaan anak orang lain.
pic.twitter.com/wWZu1B9tdk

— Emosi (@ConfessTweetMY)
March 31, 2023

Despite the young man knowing that he can't possibly afford a brand new Honda car with his current salary and making it known, his parents are still adamant about their dreams and continued with questions like when will their dreams come true of when their child will finally find a job that'll earn enough to buy a brand new Honda.

Looking at the most affordable Honda model right now, it has to be the very enticing Honda City 1.5 S sedan priced at RM77,600 (OTR excluding insurance). With a 10% downpayment of RM7,760 and a nine-year term loan, you're looking at a monthly payment of RM821 and that doesn't include insurance, road tax, fuel, and maintenance.

It might be a good figure for some folks here in Malaysia but without proper income planning, one can easily take the wrong step and end up with a much bigger financial burden. Always live within your means and never, ever, give into temptations and pressure from others, even if it comes from your parents. Stay smart and always do the right thing.

We understand all too well with similar stories being heard from friends and families echoing the same sentiment. For this particular young man, voicing his feelings on Twitter might've been a necessary move instead of keeping it all locked up and messing with his mental and emotional states. We feel you, bro.


2016 New Isuzu D-Max – Now With 8 Variants In 3 Trim Levels

Isuzu Malaysia has launched the facelifted model range of its popular Isuzu D-Max pick-up truck, now offered in eight distinct variants spread across three trim levels.
This is the first major refresh for the second-generation D-Max since its introduction in 2013, available in Standard, Premium and Z-Prestige trim levels. The top-of-the-range Z-Prestige variants are aimed squarely at the lifestyle segment - Isuzu hopes to underline the D-Max as a vehicle suited for commercial and individual owners alike.
Isuzu Malaysia Executive Director Hajime Machimura added, “Our new top-of-the-range Z-Prestige variant perfectly showcases how the new D-Max can be transformed into a premium 4X4 that can take pride of place even in the most luxurious urban setting one moment and yet take on the toughest terrains the next”.
Isuzu has chosen to omit the introduction of the new (RZ4E-TC) 1.9-litre Blue Power Ddi turbo-diesel engine which was
introduced
 for the Thai market at the end of last year. Instead, the 2.5-litre and 3.0-litre VGS turbo Intercooler diesel engines matched to a 5-speed automatic or manual transmissions have been retained due to their proven reliability and economy.
Prices for the facelifted Isuzu D-Max range are as follows:
Standard
2.5-L 4×2 MT Hi-Ride: RM82.978
2.5-L 4×4 MT: RM93,006
2.5-L 4×4 AT: RM107,596
3.0-L 4×4 V-Cross AT: RM115,690
Premium
2.5-L 4×4 MT: RM103,405
3.0-L 4×4 V-Cross MT: RM113,063
Z-Prestige
2.5-L 4×4 AT: RM120,064
3.0-L 4×4 AT: RM128,052
Prices quoted are on-the-road, inclusive GST and insurance in Peninsular Malaysia for private registration.
What’s new?
Visually, the front sports a new fascia which include new headlamps with integrated LED daytime running lights complimenting a restyled fog lamp enclosure. The bumper and grille also feature a more chiseled design this time around.
Round the back, there’s a new tailgate design with reverse sensor and camera offered as standard across the range.
On the inside, a new 7-inch touchscreen display (optional) replete with DVD playability is on offer, as is a new 8-speaker setup. A new e-Lumax Multi Info Display meter cluster is fitted on all Premium and Z-Prestige variants. There is a new fabric seat design too.
Standard safety equipment levels have also been upgraded, now all variants including even the lowest-specified model comes with the full complement of driving safety aids such as Anti-lock Brake System (ABS), Traction Control System (TCS), Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD), Brake Assist (BA) and Hill Start Assist (HSA).
The trim highlights are as follows:
Standard
2.5-L 4×2 MT Hi-Ride
2.5-litre 4JK1-TCX, inline-four, VGS turbodiesel, DOHC 16V, 136PS at 3,600rpm, 320Nm at 1800rpm-2600rpm
16-inch alloy wheels
245/70/R16 tires
Standard information display
Bulb-type rear combination lamps
2.5-L 4×4 MT / AT

Front fog lamps
LED rear combination lamps
2-Din 7-inch touchscreen audio system with USB and Bluetooth compatibility
8-Speaker setup
Reverse sensors
Reverse camera
3.0-L 4×4 V-Cross AT
3.0-litre 4JJ1-TCX, inline-four, VGS turbodiesel, DOHC 16V, 177PS at 3,600rpm, 380Nm at 1800rpm-2800rpm
Chrome front grille and head garnish
Chrome plate rear bumper
Power adjustable side mirrors
Leather-wrapped three-spoke multifunction steering wheel
High-mount rear stop lamp
Premium
18-inch alloy wheels
265/65/R18 tires
Shark fin type antenna
E-Lumax MID display cluster
Auto-air conditioning
8-inch touchscreen display with USB, MP3 and Bluetooth compatibility
Keyless entry and start
Z-Prestige
Three special body colours – Silky White Pearl (Urban Premium), Velvet Red Mica (Adventure Rugged - 3.0L Only), Stallion Black Metallic (Street Rugged - 3.0L Only)
18-inch alloys
Over fenders
Cargo Lid cover with spoiler
Sports bar
Street and Adventure Rugged feature grey painted alloy wheels
Leather armrest
Urban Premium – brown leather upholstery
Urban Rugged – black leather upholstery
Adventure Rugged – black leather upholstery
The new refreshed Isuzu D-Max also boasts an upgraded warranty package, now 5-years or 150,000km, from 3 years or 100,000km.


Our Transport Planning Suffers From Overlapping Ministries/Agencies

According to an expert, it seems as though Malaysia’s economic development is being impeded by too many ministries and agencies being involved with, and wanting an influence on, transport planning.

Any large plan is years in the making, which
is why poor execution is plain to see
 as it unfolds. This proves doubly true for the planning of a country’s transportation network, which has to account for so many outside factors including projecting population growth and movement during the arduous construction period and beyond.

Too many ministries spoiling our public transport?

Rosli Azad Khan
, a transport consultant with over 30 years of industry experience speaking to
Free Malaysia Today
, said there are currently three (3) ministries currently involved, seemingly able to exercise their ability to decide transport infrastructure, facilities, services, and policies.

They are: the transport ministry (obviously), the finance ministry, and the works ministry. This fragmentation, according to him, has led to
the compromised state of public transportation
 services.

With the exception of transport planning for Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, and Labuan being managed by the federal territories ministry, all other city and municipal council matters fall under the local government and housing ministry.

“This kind of structure and set-up is complex and complicated. There is also a low level of efficiency which, in the past, has resulted in self-inflicted problems. The set-up is not effective for long-term planning purposes nor does it help economic development,” said Rosli.

Other examples of redundancy he points to are to be found in the shipping and aviation sectors where port authorities essentially hold no sway in administration or management following the privatisation of all ports in Malaysia.

Similarly, the Malaysia Aviation Commission (Mavcom) plays “a very limited” role in airport planning and operations with nearly all such facilities now falling under the purview of Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad, which is run by a Finance Ministry that also owns Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM), Prasarana (RapidKL etc), MRT Corp, MyHSR (High Speed Rail), and Malaysia Rail Link (MRL) that’s now involved in building the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL).

Rosli cites political interference as a “major setback” to transport planning, operations, and construction, such was the case with the Klang Valley Double Tracking Phase 2 (KVDT2) project, which was to rehabilitate and expand 265km of railway in the Klang Valley and its surrounding areas.

This project, already underway at the time, was cancelled by the Pakatan Harapan government only to be later reinstated, then cancelled yet again by the Perikatan-Nasional administration.

It’s
missteps and neglect
 toward transportation upkeep and competent long-term planning such as these that have caused the decline in public perception, leading to a majority of Malaysians choosing private vehicles instead of public transportation wherever and whenever possible.

The bungling of the KVDT2 project has led to a suit by the contractor, Dhaya Maju-LTAT, but more tangibly, a sharp decline in ridership from approximately 134,000 commuters daily in 2015 to less than 20,000 a day in 2022.

“Without proper studies, planning considerations, assessment and comprehensive evaluation of travel demand and on how to provide the supply capacity side, the government, it seems, has made poor and rushed ad hoc decisions,” added Rosli.

“Unless (certain) entities are restructured and run entirely by professionals, without any interference by politicians, I can’t see how we could progress to the next level or the desired optimal level of services.”


Female Crash Test Dummies, Where Are You?

Crash test
 dummies based on the ‘average’ male are just one example of design that forgets about women and puts women’s lives at risk.

A recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Virginia’s Center for Applied Biomechanics revealed that belted female vehicle occupants have 73 percent greater odds of being seriously injured and are 28 percent more likely to die in frontal
car crashes
 than men.

The reason being is that most vehicle-crash safety tests use a female dummy that is based on the male body type and said dummy is not put in the driver’s seat for frontal crash tests. In the United States, automobiles are not required to be tested with the safety of women in mind, as reported by ABC News.

In Malaysia, The New Car Assessment Program for Southeast Asian Countries (
ASEAN NCAP
) has such a huge influence in the market that a 5-star rating is very much sought after by car buyers. This has driven car manufacturers to get the highest possible rating in order to appease the consumer, and some would even use the NCAP rating as part of their marketing strategies.

However, the 5-star rating does not include female dummies in the driver's seat for frontal crash tests. As of now, ASEAN NCAP only uses two ratings for its assessment regime, namely the Adult Occupant Protection (AOP) and Child Occupant Protection (COP), which is then converted to a 0 to 5 stars rating.

In AOP, two units of HIII-50M dummies (resembling men) are positioned in the front seats of a test vehicle, meanwhile a small female dummy, HIII-5F is placed at the rear seat alongside a child dummy. In the course of an accident, the crash impact finding for a female is only as a passenger but not as the driver? Now the 5-star rating doesn’t look too appealing for women, does it?

Furthermore, a study by Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and MIROS revealed that the Hybrid III family which is used worldwide as references for human surrogates in frontal-impact
crash testing
, may not be ‘sufficiently representative’ of the current US population, as well as for the Chinese and Malaysian populations.

The study collected data from 1,321 Malaysian adults comprised of 708 males and 613 females, ages ranging from 15 to 80 years old with Malay, Chinese or Indian ethnicity. Comparison of both statures and body weights of Malaysian adults are higher than the Anthropometric Test Devices (ATD), or crash test dummies.

For example, the reference values of body weights for small female dummies, nominally at the 5th percentile, is smaller than 95 percent of the adult female population, currently at the 25th percentile. This shows that the dummies used in frontal crash tests weigh roughly 30 pounds less than today’s average
Malaysian women
.

This has major implications for the safety of women driving cars, plus it is likely many women will experience higher head and neck injuries than the ‘misrepresented’ male dummy in the driver’s seat.

Women and those who are small-statured are susceptible to serious injury from
airbags
, the study added. “Airbags deploy at 200 miles per hour and can do a great deal of damage. If an occupant is small in stature, they necessarily sit close to the steering wheel to reach the foot pedals, which puts them directly in the path of the powerful force of an airbag”.

With the disparity in injuries between men and women, it might seem like a no-brainer to simply make a female crash-test dummy that reflects the average height and weight of women today and put her in the driver’s seat during tests. But why it hasn’t been done?

“Dummies, because you have to design and build them and they require many years and millions of dollars to develop, there just aren't that many of them out there,” says Jason Forman, a principal scientist at the University of Virginia’s Center for Applied Biomechanics. “Creating a female crash test dummy would be ‘enormously expensive’ and will take 15-20 years”.

Hence, male dummies are still the most tested, and therefore, far less or no real data is available regarding how car crashes can affect the safety and lives of women drivers.

Euro NCAP
, a European organisation that provides car safety ratings for consumers, acknowledged that ‘sometimes’ they use scaled-down male dummies in crash tests. But in reality, women are not scaled-down men. We have different muscle mass distribution. We have lower bone density. Even our body sway is different. And these differences are all crucial when it comes to injury rates in car crashes.

After all, women make up more than 50 percent of the world population, so shouldn’t at least 50 percent of the crash test dummies used to test the safety of cars be comprised of female crash test dummies?

This writer believes that it is time to remove women from the back seat of a car because women drivers also have the right to know whether a particular car will protect them in the event of a car accident, don’t they?


Nissan GT-R Crashes Twice Into A Mercedes-Benz C-Class In Hong Kong

Speeding and tailgating on public roads will mostly result in one thing, a crash and this dashcam video shot in Hong Kong pretty much confirms that.
The 30 second long video starts of relatively calmly as we see the driver behind the wheel merely going along normally. Enter the six second mark and we see a brand new
Mercedes-Benz C-Class
 enter the frame on the right, going at a significant amount of speed just as the road forks in two directions, with
Nissan GT-R
 charging behind it.
Now, we’re not very certain why the Nissan was as close as it was behind the
Mercedes-Benz
. Our guess is the two were racing and both failed to see the red light in time. As the C-Class braked very late before the traffic lights, the GT-R rear-ended him.
Thankfully no one was hurt in the incident as the Mercedes managed to avoid the unaware motorcyclist, jumping into the recording vehicle’s lane across the white painted lines. The bizarre bit is after the initial crash, the Mercedes then brake checks the
Nissan
, resulting in it being rear-ended again.
Let this be a lesson then never to tailgate or drive excessively quickly on public roads.


Guangzhou 2018: Toyota Drops All-New Corolla Teaser

Toyota has dropped a new teaser of the all-new Corolla, set to be introduced at the 2018 Guangzhou International Automobile Exhibition later this week.
The new sedan will be the third body style of the 12
th
 generation Corolla, following the debut of the
hatchback
 and
estate
 variants.
From the lone teaser that Toyota has provided, we can see that the sedan’s front end is largely similar to its siblings, though the Toyota emblem is not placed on the front grille, instead above the grille itself.
The bottom half of the bumper also appears to be sportier than the hatchback and estate variants, with the bottom half of the large grille being more angular. The front fog lights also appear to be of the LED type as well.
Underneath, we can expect the new Corolla sedan to feature the company’s new TNGA architecture, similar to its hatchback and estate sibling. The TNGA architecture also underpins several other recent Toyota models, including the C-HR, Camry, and Prius.


Zeekr 001 Sold Out For 2021 – Premium EV Goes For Tesla’s Throat, Over 20k Bookings

The Zeekr 001 – the first model of the
premium EV brand owned by Geely
 has sold out all its deliverable cars for 2021, Reuters reports. Though the earliest deliveries are only slated for Q3 of this year, the 001 appears to have sold out on pre-orders from eager buyers, according to the company.

According to a recent release by
Geely
, the Zeekr 001 enjoyed a stellar showing at the Shanghai Auto Show in April (its official debut) which garnered nearly 93,000 registrations on Zeekr’s phone app and 23,287 deposits of interest and confirmed vehicle deposits for the 001.

Zeekr is billed as a premium EV brand that will take on the likes of Tesla and Mercedes-Benz in the highly contested market in China. First shown to the world in April, the Zeekr 001 is the first of an array of models that will be based on Geely’s new electric Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA) Platform.

The SEA platform will underpin many vehicles under the Geely umbrella, which also include Volvo, Polestar, and Lynk&Co. Its highly modular characteristics also mean it can be suited to fit cars as small as an A-segment hatch to ones as large as an F-segment luxury sedan and all points in between, including commercial applications such as trucks, buses, and pick-up trucks – which can only point to a plethora of new models, including more models from Zeekr.

As of now, we’re still light on exacting details of the Zeekr 001 but we know it will be offered in three variants with varying battery capacities and the following estimated prices

You Edition – 606km range, 100Kwh battery, twin motor (Est. CNY345,000 – RM221,490)

We Edition – 712km range, 100Kwh battery, single motor (Est. CNY266,000 – RM170,772)

We Edition – 526km range, 86Kwh battery, twin motor (Est. CNY266,000 – RM170,772)

The 001 is said to utilise the 800V battery architecture
 (
similar to the Porsche Taycan
) and is fitted with Geely’s proprietary heat pump technology for maintaining the temperature of the batteries, meaning it is barely affected by hot and cold climates. The 001 is claimed to have a 0-100km/h acceleration time of under 4.0 seconds.

In addition, as we learned recently, Geely has in not so many words said that its EV batteries will boast an incredible average service lifespan of
2,000,000 km (yes, million)
 in normal operation before a fully charged car will drop to below 80 percent of its original charge capacity. Adding that there will be no noticeable drop in performance for the first 200,000km making them far superior to the batteries found in Teslas.

The Zeekr 001 is inspired by the Lynk&Co Zero Concept car which also claims a perfect 50:50 weight distribution and features magnetorheological dampers and air springs, which enables the car to adjust the ride height from 150 mm to 200 mm. This further adds credence to the Zeekr 001 being a proper premium EV and not just something pedestrian that is dressed up to look the part.

On the inside, the Zeekr 001 will offer many premium features and equipment such as an 8.8-inch digital meter cluster, head-up display and a central 15.4-inch touch-enabled infotainment screen.

Depending on the variant, the Zeekr 001 can also be supplied with intelligent self-opening and closing doors, intelligent massaging seats and/or heated steering wheel, as well as a Yamaha sound system.


Searching For The Best Ford Deal? How About 17 Months Of Free Instalments?

Times are tough and competition is stiff between car makers. Even within the same brand, it is not uncommon to see dealers competing tooth and nail with each other to secure the prized signature of the customer.

The savvy consumer makes the best use of this situation by comparing offers between several dealerships and ultimately choosing the best one.

If you are in the market for a Ford vehicle, however, the best deals are awaiting at every dealership with free instalment promotions on offer for the
Ranger
, EcoSport,
Fiesta
, and
Focus
.

The best-selling Ranger pick-up gets the ball rolling with three months of free instalments, followed by the
Focus
, Fiesta, and
EcoSport
 each wiping off more than a year’s worth of bank repayments.

The C-segment
Focus
 Trend hatchback takes 14 months of instalments off your backs, whilst the Fiesta has you covered for 16 months. The EcoSport compact crossover puts 17 months of free instalments on the table – that’s nearly one and a half years!

The promotion has no stated end date, but it is applicable only while stocks last.


Jualan Suku Pertama 2021 Perodua Naik 29% – Jual Hampir 58,000 Unit Kenderaan

Perodua
 telah menjual sebanyak 57,911 unit kenderaan dalam suku pertama 2021 berbanding 44,977 unit yang dijual dalam tempoh yang sama tahun lalu.

Pelancaran SUV kompak baharu
Perodua Ativa
 baru-baru ini telah banyak menyumbang kepada peningkatan jualan Perodua. Peneraju nombor satu pasaran automotif tempatan ini telah merekodkan peningkatan sebanyak 29% berbanding tahun lalu.

Presiden dan Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif Perodua Dato’ Zainal Abidin Ahmad berkata, peningkatan jualan syarikat kepada 24,433 unit pada bulan Mac dibantu oleh permintaan yang tinggi bagi Perodua Ativa. Setakat ini, Perodua Ativa telah menerima sebanyak 14,574 tempahan sejak dibuka untuk pesanan pada 19 Februari lalu.

Sebelum pelancaran Ativa (Mac), jumlah kenderaan Perodua yang didaftarkan pada bulan Februari hanyalah 16,583 unit. Namun setelah Perodua Ativa melangkah masuk ke dalam pasaran Malaysia, pendaftaran Perodua melonjak sebanyak 47.3% kepada 24,433 unit.

Daripada 14,574 tempahan yang diterima untuk Perodua Ativa, sebanyak 4,345 unit telah selamat dihantar pada pemiliknya sejak pelancaranya pada 3 Mac lalu. 67% daripada keseluruhan tempahan tersebut adalah untuk varian tertinggi mereka, iaitu AV.

Perodua Ativa muncul sebagai
SUV kompak
 paling laris di negara ini pada bulan Mac selepas mengatasi sasaran bulanan syarikat iaitu sebanyak 3,000 unit.

Untuk suku pertama 2021, Perodua telah menghasilkan sebanyak 60,383 unit kenderaan berbanding 49,280 pada tempoh yang sama tahun lalu. Lebihan 11,103 unit yang dihasilkan pada suku pertama tahun ini meningkat sebanyak 23% berbanding tempoh yang sama sebelumnya.

Menurut Dato’ Zainal, cabaran terbesar Perodua adalah kekurangan cip semikonduktor yang memberi kesan berbeza-beza kepada setiap pengeluar kenderaan pada skala global. Oleh itu, Perodua sedang giat bekerjasama dengan rakan niaganya untuk mencari bekalan alternatif bagi memastikan pengeluarannya berterusan.

Meskipun sedang berdepan dengan cabaran tersebut, Dato’ Zainal yakin bahawa Perodua masih mampu untuk mencapai sasaran jualan keseluruhan bagi tahun 2021 sebanyak 240,000 unit. Hanya tinggal 182,089 unit lagi untuk mencapai sasaran. Namun melihat kepada keadaan ekonomi yang semakin berkembang, ianya bukanlah satu sasaran yang mustahil.

Sasaran jualan 2021 Perodua mewakili peningkatan 9% daripada 220,163 unit yang dijual pada 2020, dan dijangka membawa kepada perbelanjaan rekod sebanyak RM6.5 bilion pada tahun ini untuk membeli komponen tempatan. Perodua juga mensasarkan pengeluaran sebanyak 272,000 unit (+23% daripada 220,968 unit pada 2020) dan 2.4 juta pengambilan servis (+20% daripada 2 juta pengambilan servis pada 2020) bagi tahun ini.

Adakah Perodua Ativa akan terus mencabar kedudukan
Proton X50
 sebagai SUV paling popular di Malaysia?


Nissan Skyline GT-T R34 Kemalangan Selepas Sejam Terjual Dengan Harga RM165,000

Malang tidak berbau, sebuah Nissan Skyline GT-T R34 telah terlibat dalam
kemalangan
 di Johor Bahru selepas hanya satu jam dijual dan
ditukar hak milik
. Lebih menyakitkan, kenderaan terbabit dipandu oleh orang tengah atau runner semasa kejadian, bukanlah pemilik baru.

Skyline GT-T RWD dengan enjin RB26 twin turbo ini mampu menghasilkan output sehingga 500 PS dan 540 Nm tork ternyata bukanlah jentera yang sesuai untuk dipandu oleh mereka yang tidak biasa membawa kereta berkuasa tinggi, apatah lagi apabila ianya menggunakan pacuan roda belakang (RWD).

Kereta
JDM
 itu walau bagaimanapun telah terjual dengan harga RM165,000 sebelum kemalangan berlaku. Menurut pemilik asal kereta tersebut, kereta itu telah pun dijual dan segala bayaran kereta itu turut telah selesai dibuat. Malah, kereta tersebut dah siap tukar hak milik dengan cap jari menggunakan eAuto. Pendek kata, segala-galanya dah selesai dan hanya tinggal nak hantar depan pintu rumah owner baru sahaja.

Namun, keterujaan pemilik baru untuk merasai model JDM tersebut bertukar duka apabila kenderaan tersebut musnah selepas menghentam pokok ketika dipandu oleh orang tengah dalam perjalanannya untuk menyerahkan kereta tersebut kepada pemilik. Pemilik baru kereta ini bukan sahaja tak dapat nak lenjan kereta ni, nak rasa bawa pergi kedai runcit pun dah tak boleh kalau jadi begini. Walau bagaimanapun, pemandu kereta terbabit dilaporkan selamat.

Berdasarkan gambar yang tular di media sosial, kerosakan yang dihadapi oleh kereta ini seperti tidak dapat diselamatkan lagi. Bahagian hadapan kereta ini musnah teruk akibat melanggar sebatang pokok di tepi jalan. Malangnya, bahagian yang paling terkesan dengan kemalangan ini merupakan bahagian yang paling mahal pada kereta, iaitu bahagian bonet hadapannya yang telah banyak diubah suai. Kalau sampai gearbox pun boleh tercabut, memang menangis di bucu katil sajalah.

Kemalangan seperti ini tenyata bukanlah kali pertama ianya berlaku di Malaysia. Masih ingatkah anda dengan kes penasihat jualan yang hantar
Proton X50
 sampai kemalangan sebelum ini? Bagaimana pula dengan broker kereta yang lenjan
Mercedes-Benz E43 AMG
 sambil berkata “sedap bodoh!” sebelum ini? Tanggungjawab orang tengah adalah untuk menghantar kereta tersebut dengan selamat ke tangan pemilik, bukannya lenjan kereta orang.

Bila isu seperti ini dah tular, ada yang berfikiran bahawa
insurans kereta
 akan cover kemalangan ini jadi tidak perlu risau. Walau bagaimanapun, insurans hanya akan membayar mengikut harga semasa kereta. Harga semasa kereta adalah jauh lebih rendah berbanding nilai sebenar GT-T ini kerana banyak benda telah diubahsuai sehingga menjadi sebuah
GT-R
. Maknanya kalau dapat ganti rugi sekalipun, dapat barang asal GT-T lah.

Tetapi, hasil penyelidikan netizen, Skyline GT-T tersebut hanyalah menerima perlindungan insurans daripada pihak ketiga yang hanya melindungi kereta daripada kecurian dan kebakaran sahaja. Ianya tidak memberi perlindungan terhadap kemalangan pada kereta ini. Jadi apa maknanya tuan-tuan dan puan-puan? RM165,000 hangus begitu sahajalah kerana insurans pihak ketiga ini hanya melindungi kerosakan dan kerugian ke atas harta benda pihak ketiga sahaja.

Kemalangan seperti ini boleh dijadikan pengajaran kepada mereka-mereka yang gemar untuk melenjan kereta di jalan raya. Jika anda tidak memiliki pengalaman yang cukup, sebaiknya guna sahaja perkhidmatan trak tunda untuk menghantar kereta tersebut. Bukan apa, bila perkara seperti ini dah terjadi, siapa yang nak jawab?

Ingatlah, meskipun anda mempunyai pengalaman sekalipun, tetapi tindakan anda mampu mendatangkan musibah terhadap pengguna jalan raya yang lain. Malah pemilik asal kereta ini turut menyatakan bahawa meskipun dia telah memandu kereta RWD seperti ini hampir 10 tahun, beliau masih berhati-hati dan rasa takut dengan lag boost dan tork kereta seperti ini yang mudah menyebabkan kereta hilang kawalan. Maklumlah, kereta
drift
 kan.

Kebanyakan kenderan yang ditala dengan saiz turbo yang besar akan berikan turbo lag dan apabila turbo lag ini terjadi, maka pelarasan kuasa akan datang dengan lebih mendadak kerana terdapat lonjakan pada graf tork dan kuasa enjin.

Bagi sesiapa yang tidak biasa dengan sifat kenderaan ini, mereka akan merasakan bahawa kenderaan ini kurang upaya pada awalnya kerana masih berada pada tahap awalan graf tork dan kuasa. Oleh itu pemandu yang tidak biasa akan menekan pedal minyak dengan begitu kuat awalnya tanpa mereka sedar bahawa apabila sahaja kenderaan melepasi had turbo lag dengan tahap RPM yang tinggi. Bila perkara itu berlaku, akan berlaku lonjakan secara tiba-tiba dimana kenderaan akan meluncur dengan laju. Tahap lonjakan kuasa ini boleh mendatangkan bahaya sekiranya stereng kereta berada pada sudut ke kiri atau kanan walaupun sedikit kerana kemungkinan besar kenderaan akan terbabas.

Jangan sesekali kita memandang rendah kekuatan kenderaan dan terlebih yakin dengan keupayaan diri. Kenderaan
RWD, FWD, AWD dan 4x4
 mempunyai karektor kenderaan yang berbeza dan tindak balas kenderaan tersebut juga berbeza di jalan raya, terutama bagi kenderaan yang telah ditala (tuned) dengan tahap prestasi enjin yang tinggi.

Ingatlah, jalan raya bukan tempat untuk berlumba, tempat nak pamerkan kelajuan kenderaan atau tempat nak pamer kemahiran pemandu kerana anda berisiko untuk mendatangkan kecederaan pada orang lain jika berlaku kemalangan. Berhati-hati di jalan raya!

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.

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Carlist.my.

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.

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 website now.


BMW Group Malaysia Will Be Installing DC Fast Chargers At Every BMW i Dealer

There’s no point having an electric car if you can’t charge it, and BMW wants to make sure customers can fast charge at their dealers hence will be installing DC fast chargers at all their i dealerships.

With BMW Group Malaysia introducing the
BMW iX xDrive40
, iX xDrive40 Sport, iX xDrive50 Sport, iX3, and i4 eDrive40, there are about to be a whole lot more BMW products on the road that will need places to charge. In the case of pure battery electric vehicles, that means that charge times and range are ever more important, and bringing charge times down is especially important.

While we fully expect that charge times will come tumbling down with every successive year of electromobility development – yes electric cars improve by the year – the other way to charge more quickly is with Direct Current (DC) charging stations that significantly cut charge times down. With the introduction of these models, BMW Group Malaysia also looks to widen their BMW i dealer network across the country.

At each BMW i dealer, there will be one of these DC fast chargers installed for public use, which helps to bolster the existing electric car and plug-in hybrid electric vehicle charging infrastructure that exists, as well as serve as a way to understand how best to implement these chargers on a broader scale. There will also be a few rapid-charging DC chargers for even faster on-the-go charging at a few select dealerships across the country.

This is all happening with BMW Group Malaysia’s
partnership
 with
GreenTech Malaysia
 that has stretched quite nearly as far back as the introduction of BMW’s plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. Having confidence in electric vehicles requires not just proven reliability and performance, but also knowing that you won’t get stranded somewhere without a place to charge, or be stuck waiting for hours at a charge station because there are no quick charge options.

We suppose the next question then is will these DC chargers be open to EV owners of other makes or limited to BMW i owners only?


Ford Ranger Prices up for all XLT and Wildtrak Variants

The
Ford Ranger
 has just gotten a bit more expensive. Recently obtained copies Sime Darby Auto Connexion’s official price list show a price increase of RM2,350 across the board for all 2.2 and 3.2 XLT and Wildtrak variants of Ford’s best-selling pick-up truck.
Fine print on the price list further confirms that the revised prices take effect on vehicles booked and registered from 1 July onwards. No price revision has been announced for the base 2.2 XL model, which retails for RM91,588 on-the-road excluding insurance.

Previous Price
Current Price
2.2 XL M/T
RM91,588
RM91,588
2.2 XLT M/T
RM102,268
RM104,618
2.2 XLT A/T
RM109,688
RM112,038
3.2 XLT M/T
RM111,808
RM114,158
3.2 XLT A/T
RM119,238
RM121,588
3.2 Wildtrak A/T
RM137,488
RM139,838
Available in Malaysia since 2012, the current-generation Ranger T6 received a
major facelift
 last year. This latest
revision in pricing
 comes merely two months after an earlier price hike announced only in May. At the time, Ford cushioned the blow by making reverse camera standard for all XLT variants and threw in an extended warranty package.


The 2023 Toyota Sienta Is Pretty Awesome (More So Than The Old One)

Remember the Sienta
? Well Toyota is back with an all-new generation of it, and honestly this 7-seater SUV is something Malaysians should want to make its way here.

UMW Toyota enjoyed only moderate success when it did offer the previous 2nd-generation version of the Sienta
from latter 2016
, which is what prompted its local discontinuation from our market. With its innovative use of space and styling, and materials, it makes us rethink the MPV category all over again.

All-New 2023 Toyota Sienta - Coming to Malaysia?

The all-new Sienta carries a footprint awfully similar to its predecessor with an overall length measuring 4,260mm, within which sits a 2,750mm wheelbase. From corner to corner, it’s 1,695mm wide and 1,715mm tall, adding 20mm to the older model’s already generous interior ceiling.

On the outside with its two-tone exterior trim and wheels, as well as lower perimeter ‘bumpers’, you might be forgiven for thinking this could be the latest quirky people mover to come out of the Citroen design studio rather than something of Japanese origin.

Just look up the most compact models from the French firm to see what I mean about the resemblance,
particularly their Aircross
 models or
the C4 Cactus
.

Toyota isn’t going for the usual sleek, robotised look we might expect given their current lineup, but instead focused on giving the Sienta an ‘organic’ feel that’s cohesively expressed by design from both the outside and inside.

2023 Toyota Sienta specifications

Its contours are deliberate, not stylised, its glass house is huge for maximal passenger comfort and versatility while offering great all-around visibility - Toyota claims bicycles with 27-inch tyres can simply be rolled in. And then you step inside to find a cabin that’s beautiful because of its functionality.

The dashboard, for example, is tiered, but done so to allow ample storage, not to look good, and it’s now basically a parcel shelf just ahead of the passenger seat. Cupholders are wide, deep, and positioned prominently, the seats are made from a fabric weave that’s treated with a hydro and oleo-phobic coating for the dirt repellency of leather/leatherette but with the comfort of fabric upholstery.

In fact, this trim material is pretty much scattered throughout and, combined with the warm and welcoming aesthetic, gives the Sienta the impression that MUJI and Toyota made a car. It’s a lounge on wheels.

It sits on the TNGA platform too, like every other car the Japanese auto giant makes
except for their trucks
 and the LandCruiser, so it benefits from the other attributes known about this platform - namely its refinement and generally impressive drivability.

2023 Toyota Sienta powertrain

It’s not fast, though. Not by a long shot. At least at launch, Toyota has disclosed two powertrain options. First up is a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated 3-cylinder M15A-FKS petrol, essentially the same found powering the Euro-spec Yaris, that chugs out
120PS
 and
145Nm
.

Those are respectable numbers given its displacement and this class of vehicle, but driving one might actually lower your blood pressure instead of possibly increasing it. Drive reaches the front wheels via Toyota’s Direct-Shift CVT gearbox (not to be
mistaken for a D-CVT
).

Toyota claims this powerplant will deliver an average WLTP fuel consumption of 18.4km/litre but those seeking more economy and smaller carbon footprint can opt for the Sienta hybrid which uses a 1.5-litre M15A-FXE Atkinson-cycle three-pot paired with an electric motor and gearbox combo (eCVT).

It's packed with all the tech and active safety (T
oyota Safety Sense
) features that you expect any modern Japanese car to come equipped with, but other than ticking all the boxes from a specification point of view, the sheer uniqueness and utilitarian flair is really the Sienta's main appeal.

Does it deserve to return to Malaysian shores as a worthy alternative to the current crop of compact but still highly commodious 7-seater MPVs that are currently on sale? We say yes, but only if UMW can offer the CKD value proposition. Make it happen, please!


Smart to Become EV Only for US and Canada

When it first launched, Smart was a brand with a huge amount of promise. Compact cars for city use in a world that's growing increasingly crowded- of course it sounds like a great idea, but somehow in practice it didn't quite work out. The best thing to do when a model isn't working out is to change focus; according to Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Mercedes-Benz USA has issued a letter to its dealerships that it will no longer sell cars with internal combustion engines after September 2017.
What does this mean? Well, Smart is going to be dedicated to EVs, but for now it seems like it will only be for the North American market (inclusive of Canada). With only 6,211 Smart cars sold in the US last year, it's easy to understand why they're axing most of their products and trying a different strategy that may just work out the way they originally intended.


Fuel Price Update: June 2017 Week 1

From 8 June till 14 June 2017, drivers in Malaysia will be able to enjoy cheaper petrol and diesel.
New prices below:
RON95 - RM2.05 (down 5 sen from RM2.10)
RON97 - RM2.31 (down 7 sen from RM2.38)
Diesel - RM1.94 (down 8 sen from RM2.02)


Video: 2018 Renault Megane RS Teased

The launch of an
all-new Renault Megane
 last year inevitably foreshadows the arrival of a new Megane RS flagship, which Renault has just teased in a fan tribute video posted on Renault Sport’s official Facebook page.
The short one-minute animated video was created to acknowledge the page’s one million fans. It showcases Renault Sport’s history of sporty hatchbacks including the 1983 R5 Turbo, 1993 Clio, 1995 Sport Spider, 2003 Clio V6, 2008 Twingo RS, and 2014 Megane RS Trophy.
Each car was animated video game style in resolution and presentation reflective of the era which it was launched.
After a message thanking its one million Facebook fans, the video ends showing a hatchback draped by a cloth with RS livery. The car’s distinctive C-shaped light pattern shining through the cloth corresponds to Renault’s current design language.
The video then concludes with the message ‘Coming Soon 2017’ flashed across the screen.
The current Megane RS is one of the most highly-regarded hot hatchbacks in the business and was, for a time, the fastest production FWD car around the Nurburgring.
In its most potent guise, the
Megane RS 275 Trophy R
 puts out 275PS and 360Nm from its 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine; in Malaysia, the car is currently available in a 265PS / 360Nm setup.
At present, Renault fits the Megane RS with a 6-speed manual transmission as standard, but following in the footsteps of the Clio RS, the next model might well feature a dual clutch transmission instead.
Outputs of the engine are reportedly targeted at the 300PS mark, putting it in Golf R territory; the big question therefore is, with that much outputs, would front-wheel drive still be a good idea?


Review: Honda S660 – It’s Like Driving A Full-Size Tamiya Car

Angular lines, exaggerated proportions tightly compressed within a tiny package, this little Honda S660 has all the hall marks of Tamiya Mini 4WD and R/C cars, stuff of legends for any ‘80s or ‘90s kid. In the same way Tamiya and its die-cast counterpart Tomica carry a distinct Japanese character with them, so is this S660. It’s an automotive equivalent of Gundam.
At the sidelines of the recently concluded Tokyo Motor Show late last month, we had the opportunity for a short 10-minute drive in the Honda S660. Our time with the car is too short but if an equally special Japan-only icon like Maria Ozawa is to grant you an audience, you can’t expect anything more than 10 minutes don’t you?
Designed in response to Japan’s punitive taxes on cars, the S660 is part of a genre of Japan-only ‘kei’ ultra-mini vehicles. With their body size and power output capped, kei cars are exempted from parking permits (mandatory in Japan, to be purchased from the local city council before a car can be registered) and enjoy lower excise and vehicle weight tax. They are easily identified by their signature yellow-coloured number plates.
Originally meant to spur demand for cheap, fuel-efficient point-A to point-B commuter vehicles for the masses, it didn’t take long before Japanese car makers decide that small doesn’t necessarily mean boring, and created legends like the Mazda AZ-1, Suzuki Cappuccino and the Honda Beat. Like the works of Ozawa-chan, these Japan-only specialties are highly coveted by foreigners, who can only buy them via unofficial channels.
Specifications for Honda S660
Engine: 658cc turbocharged, transverse 3-cylinder, mid-mounted
Power: 64 PS at 6,000 rpm
Torque: 104 Nm at 2,600 rpm
Transmission: 6-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Price: Not available in Malaysia
To most foreigners, the S660 looks like a toy car but to many fans, that’s exactly why it’s so cool. Don’t for one moment assume this to be a Japanese’ version of Barbie’s MINI convertible. Squeezed within the S660’s tiny package is a suite of tech borrowed from supercars. At the lower rear fenders and under the car are functional Ferrari F40-style NACA ducts that sucks in cool air to the S660’s engine, which is mid-mounted transverse, just like the first Honda NSX, and Lotus Elise.
All the mass, including the driver, fuel tank and the 12V battery, are concentrated right in the middle, condensed and focused on the car’s centre of gravity more intensely than anything else twice its size. The result? A highly responsive car that dart’s around its play pen as if it’s a pin ball.
Even the brake calipers are installed to face inwards, within the car’s wheelbase, just like any Ferrari. The car's weight distribution is at an almost perfect 45/55 front/rear.
Measuring 3,395 mm long and 1,475 mm wide, just 5 mm below the maximum permissible size for kei cars, the S660 is smaller than even a Perodua Axia (3,640 mm long and 1,620 mm wide), a lot smaller. It has a much smaller engine too – just a three-cylinder 658cc engine. Power capped by Japanese regulations at 64 PS (achieved at 6,000 rpm) but turbocharging and DOHC boosts its torque to 104 Nm at 2,600 rpm. That doesn’t sound like much but remember that this thing weighs just 830 kg, and yet still meets Honda's own
G-CON standards
 for crash safety, which is more demanding than many government-mandated regulations.
Catalyzing the lightweight and concentrated moment of inertia into a fun machine are two ingredients – rear-wheel drive and a short-shifting 6-speed manual transmission. Speaking of wheels, the little S660 uses staggered wheel sizes, just like supercars. The rears are 195/45 R16 while the fronts are 165/55 R15, all Yokohama Advan Neova AD08Rs.
Acceleration from 0-100 km/h is upwards of 11 seconds but that’s an irrelevant indicator when the S660 delivers more fun at 70 km/h than most other cars do at 140 km/h. Besides, the S660 is built for tight Japanese ‘touge’ mountain passes rather than German autobahns.
With such a tiny wheelbase and a super-concentrated weight balance, the S660’s already impressive handling (0.8 G on the skidpad, just 0.08 G less than the S2000) is improved further by a brake-based torque vectoring feature – which Honda refers to as Agile Handling Assist.
With the engine behind, and the foldable roof stowed in a box located under the bonnet in front, there’s hardly any room for bags so don’t even think of doing a cross-country drive in this.
Toy car? Maybe, but that’s exactly why we like it so much. It’s like driving a full-size Tamiya R/C car, remember how darty those little things were?
Inside, the S660’s cabin is as tight as you imagine it to be. However the seats adjust far back enough that our friend the towering six-foot plus tall Chris Wee from
AutoFreaks.com
 can sit snugly inside. Yes, every gear change will inadvertently result in man-touching but the mutual love for driving always triumph over homophobia.
Settled inside the low mounted seats, you become car’s focus and everything is wrapped around you. The centre console rises towards the front, bringing the gear lever closer to the steering wheel, just like a proper race car. The dashboard is designed to be more like a cockpit than a dashboard. All the switches and controls are angled towards the driver.
Where in most cars you would sit with your knees bent slighty, the S660 makes you sit with your legs stretched out flat towards the car’s short nose, with your upper body exposed to the elements. It’s very similar to the experience of sitting in an open-wheel junior Formula series race car. The steering wheel points straight at your chest, just like any Formula series race car.
How does it drive?
The driving experience will polarize many, even among enthusiasts. If you are the type of drivers who understand and appreciate the appeal of an ‘underpowered’ but well-balanced Toyota 86 or Mazda MX-5, then you will love the Honda S660. However if brute horsepower time attack machines are what you fancy, move along and read our review of the
Mercedes-AMG GT R
 instead.
With such small dimensions and so little power, it’s almost impossible to bin the S660 so it’s a very good car to learn the finer aspects of car control. The car responds so well and so accurately as if it’s wired to your brain. This is a car that you instinctively control as if it’s an extension of your hands and feet.
Indeed, this was the objective of Large Project Leader
Ryo Mukumoto
, who was only 27 years old when he created the S660. Mukumoto first car was an S2000 but he always felt that as a novice driver, it was the S2000 that was carrying him rather than him driving the S2000.
With a top speed of no more than 140 km/h, the S660 is best enjoyed on tight Japanese mountain passes, where realistic and sensible driving speeds barely go past 90 km/h. Sitting so low to the ground, with the convertible top exposing you to the elements while a rev-happy mid-mounted engine sings behind my ears, it’s like riding a sport bike.
Every upshift is accompanied by a chirp of the turbocharger’s waste gate, with added sound effects thanks to a set of pipes that amplify the sound to the cabin. The assault on your senses is intense enough to make 70 km/h felt like 140 km/h. If what you are after is pure unadulterated driving pleasure, the S660’s lack of top-end speed hardly mattered at all.
As the car is so light and with so little inertia, there is little need to brake hard for a corner. Setting the car up for a turn is simply an exercise of tapping the brakes while you heel-toe to a downshift, and pointing the car to trace the ideal line.
Rowing the tight short-shifting gear knob, you choreograph the S660’s mountain dance with your feet and hands, every move, every millimeter of pedal travel, every additional degree of steering input effecting a different pitch and yaw for the car.
The steering wheel is light and precise, and you feel every bit of the tarmac’s grip. Initiate a turn and you will feel the car rotating around your hips. With so little power, you can floor the throttle almost as soon as you clip the corner’s apex line.
How much in Malaysia?
As mentioned earlier, the Honda S660 is a Japan-only special. You can’t buy it from your local Honda dealer but grey importers are selling
reconditioned 2015 models
 for between RM140,000 to RM150,000. Most of the cars on sale are CVT-type automatics but it is the manual transmission models that will become collectors' items.
In Japan, a new Honda S660 is priced upwards of 1.98 million Yen, which is about 20 percent cheaper than a base-model Mazda MX-5. Applying the same price gap to Malaysia on a similar fully-imported from Mazda MX-5, the fair indicative price for a new S660 would be circa RM190,000.
Too expensive for what is essentially an affordable sports car aimed at the young? Blame it on our government’s 75 percent excise duty, and the additional 6 percent GST. In Japan, the S660 is priced closer to a Honda HR-V.
So is it worth the money? For its novelty factor, yes. As a driver’s car, not quite. As much as we’ve praised the S660’s driving experience earlier, we are also very aware that a big part of the S660’s charm can only be experienced in Japan, where roads are mostly populated by similar-sized kei cars, and their tight mountain pass roads are more suited to an S660 than a Porsche 911.
Outside of Japan, the S660 is easily overwhelmed by wider roads and larger vehicles. Even a Perodua Myvi can suddenly look like a Honda CR-V next to the S660. A Toyota 86 or a Mazda MX-5 would’ve been a more realistic option if good handling and two-seater sports car styling is what you’re after.
But does Honda Malaysia have any plans for the S660?
Here is where things get interesting. Officially, Honda Malaysia has no plans to introduce the S660 but for a model that’s not coming to Malaysia they seem to spend a lot of attention in ensuring that we get some driving time in it. Their Japanese counterparts are also very selective when it comes to loaning their press cars to foreign drivers. So why go through so much trouble for a car that isn't coming to Malaysia? We leave it to you to make your own conclusions.
The only other car that our hosts were paying this much attention to was the
Honda HR-V Hybrid
, which as we have mentioned in our review, is almost certain to be heading to Malaysia next year.
However unlike the HR-V Hybrid, the S660 was never developed for overseas market, which adds another layer of doubt as to what exactly is Honda Malaysia aiming to achieve with us driving the S660?
Unlike grey importers, authorized distributors like Honda Malaysia must comply with a lengthy list of regulations set by JPJ, including European-standard UNECE safety regulations, before they can be allowed to sell any particular model.
As a Japan-only model, the S660's homologation papers are all in Japanese language, tested according to Japanese regulations. These documents are not recognized by our JPJ and Ministry of Transport.
The situation is analogous to a Japanese student with a Japanese high school certificate not automatically admissible to a Malaysian university. This is not to say that the Japanese student is any less brilliant, but he would need to spend additional time and money to obtain the necessary papers recognized by the Malaysian government.
At the same time, we also know that Honda Malaysia is not your typical vehicle distributor company. If a certain model is popular among grey importers, Honda Malaysia won’t sit by idle, as shown with the Odyssey and Civic Type R, and we know that the S660 have been gaining traction among grey importers.
Remember that Honda Malaysia have a history pulling not one but three world’s firsts. Malaysia remains the only country outside of Japan to officially sell the FD Civic Type R, while Malaysia is the first country outside of Japan to launch the City Hybrid and Jazz Hybrid. In fact, the preview for the new Jazz Hybrid was first done in Malaysia, not in Japan. So who knows, Honda might just surprise us with the S660 next year.


Toyota Sienta, Avanza, Rush Prices Up RM3,000 To RM6,000

Last week, we
reported
 that the excise duty for seven-seater multi-purpose vehicles (MPVs) with engine capacities of 1,500 cc and below was set to increase from 60 to 65 percent.
Thus far, we can confirm that UMW Toyota Motor has increased the price of the Toyota Sienta, Rush and Avanza.
Here are the updated
Toyota Sienta 1.5
 prices :
Toyota Sienta 1.5G - RM96,900, increase of RM4,000 from RM92,900
Toyota Sienta 1.5V - RM103,900, increase of RM4,000 from RM99,900
As for the
Toyota Avanza
:
Toyota Avanza 1.3E MT - RM75,980, increase of RM3,700 from RM72,280
Toyota Avanza 1.5E AT - RM82,980, increase of RM4,010 from RM78,970
Toyota Avanza 1.5G AT - RM84,980, increase of RM3,310 from RM81,670
Toyota Avanza 1.5S AT - RM87,980, increase of RM4,000 from RM83,980
Last but not least is the Toyota Rush:
Toyota Rush 1.5G MT - RM109,900, increase of RM4,990 from RM104,910
Toyota Rush 1.5G AT - RM112,910, increase of RM6,010 from RM106,900
Toyota Rush 1.5S AT - RM115,900, increase of RM6,000 from RM109,900
On top of these Toyota models, the Perodua Alza,
Proton Ertiga
 and
Honda BR-V
 are also affected by the increase in excise duty. Perodua, Proton and Honda have yet to announce the increase in price, though that can change anytime. Unlike the earlier mentioned Toyota models, these three are locally assembled.
Proton is currently running a promotion for the Ertiga, where buyers can enjoy a RM1,500 discount on top of 5-year free service.


Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo Launched In Malaysia – 3 Variants, From RM990,000

Sime Darby Auto Performance (SDAP), the authorised distributor of Porsche vehicles in Malaysia today celebrated the introduction of the Panamera Sport Turismo, a shooting brake and 4+1 seater version of the Panamera (4-seater is optional).
Based on the second-gen Panamera sports saloon, the Sport Turismo will be offered in three variants in Malaysia:
Panamera 4 Sport Turismo – RM990,000
Panamera 4 E-Hybrid Sport Turismo – RM1,125,000
Panamera Turbo Sport Turismo – RM1,194,000
The entry Panamera 4 Sport Turismo is powered by a 3.0L V6 turbo engine making 350 hp and 450 Nm, which enables the car to do the century sprint in 5.3 seconds and achieve a top speed of 259 km/h.
The Panamera 4 E-Hybrid Sport Turismo on the other hand, is powered by a 2.9L V6 bi-turbo engine and an electric motor, producing a total output of 462 hp and 700 Nm of torque, giving it a 0 – 100 km/h sprint time of 4.6 seconds. With a full charge, the car has a maximum electric driving range of up to 51 km.
The range topping Panamera Turbo Sport Turismo on the other hand is powered by a 4.0L V8 bi-turbo engine which kicks out 550 hp and 770 Nm of torque, enabling it to sprint from 0 to 100kmh in 3.6 seconds.
All variants are paired to Porsche’s 8-speed PDK dual-clutch automatic transmission, driving all four wheels.
As a shooting brake, the tailgate opens like a hatchback, to reveal a cargo volume of 520 litres, 20 litres than a Panamera sedan. The 40:20:40 split folding rear seats can be folded down to expand the boot space to 1,390 litres. The hybrid model shown here however, has a smaller 425 litres boot (1,295 with the rear seats folded)
Unlike the 4 seater Panamera sedan, the Panamera Sport Turismo comes standard as a 4+1 seater, but an optional 4-seat configuration with electrically adjustable individual rear seats is also available.
Learn more about the
 background of the Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo here.
For the 4 E-Hybrid Sport Turismo, the domestic charging dock can be purchased as an add-on for approximately RM6,000.
Other notable highlights include:
Rear axle steering
Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control
Porsche Traction Management
Porsche Active Aerodynamics - With active roof spoiler


All-New C-Segment Proton Sedan In 2021? Not Happening

In case you were holding your breath in hopes of Proton readying an all-new model launch for 2021, save yourself the pain and disappointing oxygen starvation later and just accept - right now - that that isn’t happening. Exhale.

Looking back at our firstborn national automaker’s roadmap outlined back in 2019 at the launch of the
big Saga facelift
, this year should see the reveal and launch of a new C-segment sedan as part of their target to introduce a new model to market each year between then and 2023.
So many possibilities
.

We’re only guessing when it comes to the what category this newest incoming model falls into as Proton themselves, and CEO Li Chunrong, were clever enough to stop short of actually specifying it.

Looking at its covered shape and its longer end-to-end profile compared to the
X50
 on its left, there’s little doubt that this is no SUV but likely a midsize four-door to
replace the now discontinued Proton Preve
, a nameplate which might not be making a return. Instead, how about resurrecting the Waja or Perdana name - perhaps a Prewaja or Supridana S?

But who knows, they might surprise us with an
all-new MPV model
 instead.

Though the brunt of disruption caused by the COVID-19 outbreak was confined to 2020, this year isn’t yet witness to the recovery many of us were hoping for. All over the world, industries are still struggling to resume normal operations with restrictions on movement and workplace headcount remaining the norm. Meanwhile, the majority of businesses that saw only minimal direct impact have yet to experience a bounce-back due to a hesitant economy.

Making matters worse, as previously reported, a global
shortage of computer chips
 have drastically limited production of everything from the hottest new gaming consoles to cars as both require a steady supply of semiconductors that are getting harder to come by.

Even if you disregard that, Proton wasn't exactly having the easiest time fulfilling deliveries of the X50 with dealers instructed to temporarily halt
bookings of the entry-level variant
 to streamline output from its Tanjung Malim plant. Seven months since launch and customers are still being asked to endure a 6 month
waiting period
. In the midst of all this, how are Proton expected to launch another all-new model?

Theoretically, should the car’s development/localisation process be proceeding on schedule, nothing is stopping them from releasing a couple of teasers to jump-start the hype train. However,
Proton
, at this juncture, should really be concentrating on the X50 and the many orders they’ve taken for the B-segment SUV. We can wait until 2022.

Embarking on another launch in 2021, even if delayed until the very end of the year, would mean taking on more orders and having to cope with more volume, leading to an even more bloated backlog and a whole new crowd of impatient (and vocal) future owners.

That said, one thing that’s pretty certain is the Chinese origin of this upcoming C-segment model. Like the
X70
 and X50, this new four-door sedan will be a rebadged Geely model, cementing the sad reality of Proton’s days of in-house design and engineering being truly over.

The likeliest candidate to make the Malaysian transition is the Binrui which, upon its launch in 2018, happens to be the first production vehicle built on the
Volvo/Geely co-developed BMA platform
 that also underpins the X50.

Of course, any car that dares to trespass into the territory of the
Honda Civic
 and Toyota Corolla better put up a strong fight as the two remaining Japanese contenders have literally brutalised every other competitor into a full withdrawal. Slow sales and declining interest for the vehicle category
in favour of SUVs
 mean the field is littered with the mangled remains of, among others,  the
Ford Focus
,
Peugeot 308
, Volkswagen Jetta, and until recently, the
Hyundai Elantra
.

The Geely Binrui, however, does look the part with its sporty fastback profile and support for Level 2 autonomous driving capability. Upon its purported (eventual?) launch, its combination of price relative to a generous level of standard equipment would give it a significant competitive edge, repeating the strategy that proved so effective with the X70 and X50.

However, the Binrui is currently sold with a choice of two engines in its home market of China, none of which have seen any action in Malaysia. Kicking off the range is a 1.0-litre turbocharged 3-cylinder with 136hp while the other is a turbocharged 1.4-litre four-cylinder that, despite having a larger displacement and an extra cylinder, produces less power at 133hp.

Output aside, and apart from a possible plug-in hybrid combination paired to the 1.0-litre mill, it’s hard to see where any of those engines fit within Proton’s current range and pipeline, meaning that, for the sake of streamlining, it would make much more sense for the yet-unnamed Malaysia-spec four-door sedan to have the X50’s 1.5-litre
TGDi engine and dual-clutch transmission
 transplanted in.

There’s certainly quite a bit to look forward to with Proton’s next all-new model, and it is refreshing to take a break from seeing wave after wave of SUVs come to market. Again, referring to Proton’s own timeline from late 2019, we’re not due for another high-riding sibling to the X70 and X50 until 2023. With the way things are going, expect that to be nudged to 2024.

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Automakers Keen On Thai EV Tax Incentives

Automakers are optimistic about the Thai Government’s
deployment
 of a series of tax incentives (of up to eight years) aimed at luring companies to set up electric vehicle production within the country.
Bangkok Post
 reports that carmakers are keen and that the incentives packages are attractive enough to draw future investments to the country.
Last Friday, the Board of Investment (BoI) rolled out packages to tariff exemptions for imported production machinery, and corporate tax cuts from five to eight years for investments in full-EV, HEV, and PHEV production. This is in addition to the Finance Ministry’s excise tax cuts on imported (CBU) for full-EVs, HEVs and PHEVs.
The tax promotions include measures for passenger cars, pick-up trucks, and buses, with varying incentives depending on production technology.
Piengjai Kaewsuwan, vice-president of Nissan Motor Thailand added, “The BoI packages for BEVs are highly likely to attract new investment, particularly in electric batteries and motor manufacturing locally, as all of these projects are related to EVs and carmakers are now interested in making Thailand their production base.”
However, she tells Bangkok Post, that tax incentives for HEVs are less attractive.
Separately, an anonymous source from a car maker who spoke to Bangkok Post expressed concerns that the lack of specifics regarding battery type could lead to manufacturers settling for producing cheaper Ni-MH (Nickel-Metal Hydride) batteries, versus the newer Li-Ion (Lithium Ion) batteries, impeding the long-term growth of the technology.
On the home front, the Malaysian Automotive Institute (MAI)
announced
 yesterday, that it expects all new models to be only energy efficient vehicles (EEV) by 2025. Could the Thai Government’s well-placed tax promotions mean that Malaysia’s EEV aspirations are under threat?


2017 Turns Out To Be A Good Year For Volkswagen

While 2017 was a year to forget for many, it turned out to be a memorable one for Volkswagen as the company just announced that it has produced more than six million vehicles in 2017, setting a new record despite all the drama caused by the Dieselgate scandal.
The company said that the achievement was driven by the long-standing best-sellers – the Jetta, Golf, Santana, Passat and also the Polo.
In addition, growing demand for the Tiguan and recently launched products such as the new Polo, Arteon , T-Roc, and also overseas model like the Chinese Santana have contributed to the production record.
With production taking place at more than 50 plants in 14 countries at the moment, Volkswagen has produced more than 150 million vehicles ever since the original Beetle rolled out back in 1945.
Having introduced more than 10 new models globally in 2017 alone, Volkswagen says that its entire product range will be renewed and expanded in core segments such as SUVs and e-mobility over the next few years.
By 2020, the brand will offer 19 SUV models throughout the world and will increase the share of SUVs in the overall model range to 40 percent.
And then, in the second phase, from 2020 onwards, the brand will build up a range of full-electric vehicles which comprises the I.D., I.D. Crozz and I.D. Buzz.
With more than 60 products in its portfolio at the moment, Volkswagen aims to have one million electric Volkswagens on the road by the year 2025.


First Drive: 2023 Honda Civic RS e:HEV - Making My Job Difficult (In A Good Way)

Having driven the Honda Civic quite a number of times over these last 2 generations of the model shifting toward a predominantly turbocharged era, I did meet
the e:HEV version
 with a degree of skepticism.

When I first heard about the car’s imminent launch, I reckon that fitting an RS badge to it might've been a mistake as my previous exposure to the i-MMD hybrid powertrain was in the City
and HR-V
 with my impressions summarised as very positive from a fuel economy standpoint but ultimately a little lacking in all other respects.

New to the range and costing about
RM16,000 more than the other RS
 (with the 1.5L turbo),
the story of
RS e:HEV - RM167,500
 - begins and ends with that complicated new powertrain.

Its strengths, weaknesses, and perhaps even some idiosyncrasies would hopefully be exposed in an overnight road trip from Kuala Lumpur to Desaru and back, a journey covering about 860km.

Later we’d find out the further south we drove, clear skies and a bright sun would completely diminish, replaced by storms and heavy rainfall that would not relent until we found ourselves back within the confines of the Klang Valley.

Not The i-MMD You Knew

Civic RS e:HEV’s bonnet opens to a fairly standard looking engine bay with the petrol 2.0-litre engine clearly placed in the middle. Only a few stray orange wiring harnesses serve to communicate there’s hybrid/electric guts in there too.

That petrol engine is larger in displacement, yes, but is still one engineered to sip fuel evidenced by its Atkinson combustion cycle. Its power output is a middling 141PS and torque peaks at around 182Nm, but being smooth and quiet is the ace up its sleeve.

That ability to hunker down at its most efficient RPM range and act as a motor-generator is the centrepiece of the i-MMD hybrid system, allowing Honda to fit in a beefier traction motor that’s responsible for the 184PS and 315Nm figures advertised.

Honda states the 0-100km/h dash takes 7.9 seconds and a top speed of 180km/h as the only indicators of the RS e:HEV’s pace which, much like the power and torque numbers, cemented the idea of an incremental performance bump over the VTEC Turbo.

Stepping In, Starting Up

Since the wheels are always driven by the electric traction motor with only occasional assist from the engine via an e-CVT coupling (for the sake of highway efficiency, not extra grunt), the car should drive just like an EV.

However, it behaves almost exactly like a normal Civic. Accelerator pedal and brake modulation are uncannily linear and natural, aided by the distant hum and vibration imparted by the combustion engine that veils the drive in this illusion of familiarity.

That said, the illusion was never strained too much to break, meaning at no point did the Civic RS e:HEV feel numb or inert or unpredictable as one might sense in an EV. On a sensory level, it feels like driving the 1.5 turbo engine, but one tha has zero lag or any trace of transmission indecision - just point and squirt performance that’s doesn’t overwhelm and is easily tamed.

Numbers Tell Bad Stories

184PS and 315Nm doesn’t sound too impressive - especially compared to the 182PS offered in every other Civic variant. But where the 1.5L VTEC Turbo is decently quick when hustled, the i-MMD e:HEV is…..just quick, often deceptively so.

Even if you’re in no hurry, the ease at which it can summon speed is a little startling, made even more underhanded by how unassuming its delivery is. There’s no drama, hardly much vibration or noise, but you’re suddenly over the speed limit. No transmission means no ‘kickdown’, either.

Swapping out the conventional engine for the i-MMD results in a weight penalty of 83kg to 1,445kg (kerb), but that’s hardly noticeable. If anything, its 10mm lowered centre of gravity makes the car feel even more planted on the road.

Steering feel continues to be something Honda could still stand to improve but input accuracy remains excellent and the overall ease of direction changes gives this flagship Civic the same on-road manner as the now-lesser RS. It’s not necessarily ‘sporty’, but the chassis is very sure-footed and responsive.

Most mind-boggling of all is the fuel economy. For its mighty reserves of real world performance, the Civic RS e:HEV burns a minuscule amount of petrol, easily making to our destination in Johor’s southeastern coast with half a tank to spare. Nuts. During our way down, during a hypermiling challenge, our car recorded an FC figure of 31.1km/litre. Again, nuts.

Speaking of similarities, you’ve no doubt realised there’s little else to set apart the Civic RS and RS e:HEV, and you’re right. The cosmetic differences include the new 18-inch two-tone wheels and the couple of blue-tinted Honda badges, but little else.

Inside, the upgrades are equally discreet with there being a fully digital instrument cluster, a Qi wireless smartphone charger beneath the centre stack, and dual-zone climate control - all welcome additions nonetheless.

Making My Job Difficult

I had left my thoughts on the Civic FE (1.5L RS) with the conclusion that it’s so nearly the consummate four-door sedan, but with the RS e:HEV offering a powertrain that so compellingly ticks the boxes for performance and efficiency, the bar is raised yet again.

A lot of my work in the automotive journalism sphere is
finding fault with a car
, but here it’s become a little more challenging because the Civic is already such a strong performer - a stylish, well-built, surprisingly spacious, well-equipped 4-door. This new range-topper furthers that advantage.

It’s not cheap, which is fair enough given the sore lack of worthy competitors in our market, but at least the RS e:HEV variant is obviously now that much more superior. At RM167,500, you’ll begin to wonder if the Accord even makes sense.

I’ll need more than a two-day drive interstate journey to truly form an opinion about the car but the early signs tell me that I won’t need too much extra convincing. This thing is hard to beat. So good it's boring me a little.....


More To Win In Toyota’s Buy & Win And Test Drive & Win Contests

Toyota
’s Buy & Win and Test Drive & Win lucky draw contests have furnished lucky visitors to Toyota Showrooms with prizes since it started on 1
st
 May 2015, with more winners to be announced before the contest ends on June 30
th
.
Prizes range from an iPad mini 16GB, iPhone 6 Plus to the grand prize, a 5-day, 4-night trip Tokyo, Japan to attend the 2015 Tokyo Motor Show.
All customers need to do in order to put themselves in the running is to test drive any Toyota model at any of their showrooms around the country and fill up a simple form thereafter.
So far, 50 showroom visitors and 100 proud new Toyota owners have been given prizes, one of whom was Mr. Lim Peng Ho who had just bought a Toyota
Camry
 Hybrid.
“I was really surprised that I had won a prize from this contest. I have joined many contests before but this is my first time winning a prize. I have owned nine Toyota models in the past 24 years. I stayed loyal to Toyota because they have always treated me well and the maintenance of my cars are very easy. I did not expect to win anything so I was very excited when I received the news,” said Mr. Lim.
Every two weeks, 50 winners will be selected from a pool of new Toyota owners to win an iPhone 6 Plus while 25 showroom visitors that test drove a car will be selected as winners of an iPad mini.
By the contest’s end, 20 winners will be selected for the grand prize trip to Tokyo to witness the debut of Toyota’s ground-breaking concept cars at the Tokyo Motor Show this year.
For now, there still 100 more units of iPhone 6 Plus to be won as well as 50 units of iPad mini 16GB, leaving plenty of opportunity for prospective customers to visit their nearest Toyota showroom – it might be their lucky day.
You can visit
www.toyota.com.my
 for contest details and showroom locations as well as follow them on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/ToyotaMalaysia.


UMW Toyota Motor Issues Recall For 2015 Lexus NX, 255 Units Affected In Malaysia

Taking a cue from the Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC), UMW Toyota Motor, the official distributors of
Toyota
 and
Lexus
 vehicles in Malaysia, has issued a recall for approximately 255 units of the
2015 Lexus NX.

UMW Toyota Motor (UMWT) will be in touch with owners of the affected Lexus NX units, which are said to have been manufactured between November 2014 and March 2015. UWMT’s special service campaign will then on carry out the necessary inspections, and if a fault is found, will replace the damaged components free of charge.

In its official release, UMWT described the issue as below:

The subject vehicles are equipped with an Anti-Lock Braking system (ABS), Traction Control System (TRAC), and Vehicle Stability Control System (VSC) which are controlled by the ABS actuator.

Due to the improper shape of a component inside the ABS actuator, there is a possibility that a resin component could be damaged during its press fitting assembly, creating minute resin fragment(s) which could become stuck in the actuator - if this occurs, the oil pressure control may be delayed when the Anti-Lock Brakes are activated, causing a loss of vehicle stability and increasing the risk of a crash.

UMWT also revealed that no other Lexus models sold by the company has been affected by this recall. There have also been no known injuries or accidents caused, as yet.

This is the second recall UMWT has had to issue this month alone, following the
airbag fix for 29,985 Toyotas issued May 13, 2015
. It should be noted however, that that recall had to do with the installation of defective airbag inflator modules, and is a part of the
great on-going Takata recall globally
. Honda Malaysia also
issued a recall for 87,182 of its vehicles
.

The 2015 Lexus NX made
its debut in Malaysia earlier this year in January
, with a total of five variants of the premium compact SUV being sold here. Prices for the NX range from RM292k to RM375k.


Next-gen 2024 Toyota C-HR spied lapping Nurburgring

The next-generation Toyota CH-R has been spotted testing on the Nurburgring, and it looks every inch like the Toyota CH-R Prologue concept car.

It is widely accepted that the previous Toyota CH-R was a fun vehicle to drive, so it's no surprise then to see that Toyota wishes to continue the legacy and make the next one a hoot to drive too.

This is probably why the next-generation Toyota CH-R has been spotted testing on the Nurburgring - yes, Toyota is testing its mass-market crossover on the green hell.

Anyway, the upcoming CH-R can't be any worse to drive than the soon-to-be-discontinued model, and we'll probably won't be able to tell if it is till it reaches production - but what we can tell from the car on the Nurburgring is that the pre-production CH-R  looks almost identical to the
Toyota Prologue concept
 car.

Everything from its general shape, fronts fascia and even cool rear spoiler is near identical with the concept car, so it seems Toyota will stick with the CH-R's funky character and give it a bit of flair.

Toyota have yet to disclose detailed information such as the powertrain and the launch date of this SUV, but they did say that the next-gen Toyota C-HR will demonstrate Toyota’s commitment to carbon neutrality, bringing a more comprehensive range of electrification models.

Globally, the C-HR was available with three different petrol engines. The one that was
on sale by the official distributor UMW Toyota Motor
 uses a 1.8-litre naturally aspirated engine (imported from Thailand), while our neighbours in Thailand and Indonesia also get the 1.8-litre hybrid. There's also a 1.2-litre turbocharged variant that many grey importers are selling.