TOTAL Lubricants Deliver Cutting Edge Performance to Increase Engine Life and Mileage - and the ROBOCOP Movie promotion

Engine oil provider for FIA Formula One™’s world champion Sebastian Vettel and Infiniti Red Bull Racing Team focuses on producing high quality lubricants that boost engine performance and save fuel

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – January 29, 2014 – TOTAL, the official provider of lubricants and racing fuels for FIA Formula One™ Championship winners Sebastian Vettel and Infiniti Red Bull Racing Team, brings its heritage of providing cutting edge lubricants that deliver superior performance, reliability, and fuel efficiency to the Malaysian market via TOTAL QUARTZ, a range of lubricants specially designed to meet the stringent performance requirements of automotive OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) and engine manufacturers worldwide.

According to the World Bank, Malaysia has an average of 361 vehicles per 1,000 people, a figure that increases to 977 in urban areas such as Klang Valley, the highest rate of vehicle ownership in the Asia Pacific region. According to analyst firm Frost & Sullivan, the rate will continue to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 5.8% until 2019, despite the fact that Malaysia is now the second most expensive country in the world to own a car. However, the robust demand for cars is dampened by continuous increases in fuel prices, putting pressure on automobile owners to seek ways in which they can save on fuel while optimising their car’s performance.

Happy Chinese New Year!

Happy Chinese new year and a very happy holidays to everyone too. May the year be prosperous to you, with good health to all you guys out there too.

So you may have your bonus around this time or you may have some ang pau money after this. What should you do with it if you haven't spent it on beer, shandy, vsop whilst blowing over a night's worth of poker, gin rummy, bacarat (if you're James Bond)? How about two nice BEFORE and AFTER photos for you to get going. The car may be a barge...but what a barge it is after a wheel swop. Enjoy.

The 190e gets a new paintjob.

The Mercedes Benz 190e has gotten a new coat of paint since we last saw it here. It now sports a new front bumper too like the original 2.3-16 Cossie. The colour is now something called Smoke Silver and is the one of two original colours for the Cossie. The lights are all new too. Yes, this normal 8valve 2.3 looks like a brand new Mercedes Benz. Fabulous isn't it?

Photos by Adlis K

Spotted: LHD 1st Generation Hyundai Accent

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Now this is something you don't see everyday. A left-hand-drive 1st generation Hyundai Accent 3 door. The car was spotted at a shopping mall in Kelana Jaya and looked pretty well kept. 

This model wasn't actually sold in large volumes in Malaysia too. I think there were some small numbers imported during its tenure (1994-2000) and no one wanted a small Hyundai in those days (It was the later 2nd gen Accent that sold decently well here in the mid-2000s). In those days everyone bought a Japanese car or a Proton and I have a feeling that this left-hand drive Accent was only brought in a few years back. Of course, any car with left-hand-drive in a right-hand-drive market is pretty unique as you are bound to suffer from the following problems:

Proton R3 launches three models...and NOTHING IS REALLY NEW

Proton has launched three models of the Proton Suprima, Proton Satria Neo and the Proton Inspira at the recent Proton Sales Carnival held at MITC Melaka on the 17th -19th January 2014 and the 24th to the 26th of January 2014 over in Juru, Penang. 

Proton Motorsports, or the R3 division did up the cars which are basically tarted up versions of the Suprima, Satria Neo and the Inspira. The Suprima S was launched in Melaka whereas the other two over in Penang.

The Suprima S is one of those premium specced variant which basically has a newly developed bodykit, new wheels, some springs and a little bit of this, and a little bit of that. And because of this the Proton Suprima S is now reborn as something called the Proton Suprima S Super Premium. In all honestly, it has one ugly bodykit with a front splitter that SHOULD have been less bulky and SHOULD have been painted in the colour of the car's body as then it would not look like an afterthought. It just looks too bulky to look good in black. Someone mentioned the word 'kampung' tuner and I agree to this.

In fact the reason I chose to put the photo of the Suprima S Super Long Winded Name that  is covered with all those models so that you have something more interesting to look at than a car that has an ugly bodykit. Of course this would be available at all Proton sales outlet if you inquire. I suggest you don't bother and just opt for a stock Suprima S instead.

News This Week: NAP2014, RON 95 Petrol, all-new Altis, facelifted Kia Optima K5

Let's just do everything in short little blurbs.

National Automotive Policy
The National Automotive Policy was announced recently and basically there is really nothing for most of us Malaysians to get worked up about. As I've already posted on motoring-malaysia.s Facebook page, the summary is as follows:
NAP2014 in a nutshell...no more cheap imported hybrids after existing stocks run out except for CKD. Which is only one car at this moment- Honda Jazz hybrid.

Info on the Facelifted Perodua Alza

Perodua Alza (base)

This is just for record and so that readers have some clue of what the facelifted 2014 Perodua Alza is about. All variants get new redesigned bumpers and different alloy wheels.

The improvements made towards Malaysia's most affordable MPV (albeit a small one) include the ISOFIX points for child safety seats in the second row of the vehicle and splitting the 3rd row seat in half to allow greater customisation by the users – these 2 improvements are standard for all new variants.

W222 Mercedes Benz S-Class to be launched in Malaysia sometime in March 2014

To those CEOs, Chairmen of large multi-million Ringgit companies and other Captains of Industries (including those shady characters who get money through 'other' sources) take note that the W222 Mercedes Benz S-class will be launched sometime in March 2014. 

The model that would be brought in at the launch is the S400 Hybrid and it is rumoured to be in Semi-Knocked Down or SKD format. This simply means that some assembly of the car would be done at the Mercedes Benz assembly plant in Pekan, Pahang.

More (Closeup) pics of the upcoming Malaysian 2014 Toyota Corolla Altis -1.8E and 2.0G

The all-new 2014 Toyota Altis has just been launched over in Thailand. According to my sources it should be  launched sometime soon. The latest would be sometime February.The earliest, can't say, as the Chinese New Year is fast approaching and it is usually a long holiday for most businesses here in Malaysia. These are more exclusive photos of the actual cars instead of media photos or taken from some sales website.

The pictures show close-up shots of the meter cluster, navigation, engine bay and navigation systems of a bodykit cladded Altis 1.8E and an Altis  2.0G. First up is the Altis 1.8E. If you've seen the earlier pictures here, you'd know that this are more of the same, You see the optional Navigation/Entertainment system, 205/55/16 unknown brand tyres used. The 'source' said Indonesian Achilles. I can't confirm as yet. (Not any 'branded stuff here. Hmmm....). At least the 1.8E gets a leather wrapped steering wheel too.

Tomorrow's the launch of the new FACELIFTED Perodua Alza

According to sources I was wrong. It isn't an all-new Perodua Alza but a facelifted one. Anyway, whether its ALL-NEW or just NEW, Perodua is launching the mini MPV at the One Utama Shopping Centre, Petaling Jaya on the 10th of January 2014. If you are interested, its a two day weekend event.

Something for small families to aspire for? Well, it's either this or a Proton Exora. Which is now the official Taxi One Malaysia. So if you don't want to own a cab, you have to go for this at this price range.

2015 Subaru WRX STI photos leaked ahead of the official launch

These are allegedly official photos of the upcoming 2015 Subaru WRX STI. What it i is basically a WRX on steroids. What you also see is that it looks eerily similar to a Mitsubishi Evo X. Even if the Scooby is pictured in the famed Subaru WR Mica Blue shown in the pics. I don't know. I suppose cars these days look the same if you remove some character lines here and there. Or add a winged rear spoiler instead and you get a similar looking car.

Not going to say anything else except that if it actually drives better (with over 300bhp instead of 268bhp in the WRX) than the supposedly fabulous new 2015 WRX, it's going to be party with Subaru again instead of the good ol' Evo. More pics below.

You gotta love the effort put into this used car ad, even though the car is only a Satria Neo

Mr Hadi Azmi who works as an editor as a local production house must either love his job or his friend (in that bromance sorta way) a whole lot as he took the time to come up with this ad for the sale of his friend's Proton Satria Neo.

The car is nothing to shout about. It may handle decently well but is sorely lacking everywhere else. Especially headroom. And build quality. And ergonomics. And...I better stop as it'll take too long.

So what does Hadi do? Market the man as a manly man. And a car owner by a 'manly man' deserves to be bought by others...So there you have it. The manly man's car, pictured below.

Stop the press! All-new 2014 Toyota Altis 1.8E photos!!!

Toyota is readying the launch of the all-new Toyota Altis here in Malaysia. We've got a scoop on the actual car that will be sold here in Malaysia. The photos you see herein were taken from the local Toyota distributors during the 'New Model Training' course for sales personnel conducted very, very recently. We are so darn fast in getting you the pic simply because we care. About you readers lah, not about keeping secrets.

Anyway, what you see is the Corolla Altis 1.8E (A) with a bodykit. This could be an option that is not stated in the price list at the moment which you can see on the Toyota Malaysia website. The Altis we're getting will be like the one sold throughout Asia. You can see the similarities with the one from the Taiwan website pictured below. But being Malaysian spec, you can see that the car ha more chrome around the grille and wheels which are heavily polished. We like our Toyota to have more 'bling' in line with the so-called prestigious image that Toyota has in Malaysia. It looks like the new Vios, in line with Toyota's current design philosophy. At least it doesn't look dull and boring like Toyotas of old. The only problem with a Toyota is that you will see too many of them on the road at one time. A bad thing if you're into being different but a good thing if you're into anonymity.

Honda City officially on sale in India. Malaysia? Who knows.

The all-new Honda City is officially launched and on sale in India. It was recently launched at the end of last year over there and now it is officially on sale over there. The question on the minds of most Malaysian Honda enthusiasts would be when is this car coming to our shores. We predict that is won't arrive until the middle of this year at the very least (We have our doubts) due to Honda Malaysia requiring to engineer the new Honda City for local assembly and that no reports of Honda sending a few units to JPJ in Putrajaya to get type approval as yet.

Bizzare Malaysian Cow-Jacking makes UK Daily and you don't need a truck, a Proton Wira is all you need.

Malaysia is in the UK news again. This is a good thing, in a bad sort of way. I read this piece yesterday in the Harian Metro Malay tabloid newspaper. At first I didn't think nothing of it but this piece of news has reached the Dailymail.co.uk. A paper in the UK. If it came out all the way in the UK, it is important news to be shared with you readers out there.

What happened was that three really stupid crooks had drugged four (4) cows and stuffed all of them, I repeat, all of them cows, into a Proton Wira. Their caper came to an end as the Proton Wira died due to the excess weight some distance away from the farm of which they were stolen from.

Mercedes Benz GLA45 AMG Previewed

The Mercedes Benz GLA45 AMG has been revealed by Mercedes Benz AMG. This folks is an A45 SUV in not so many words. It'll be Mercedes Benz's competitor against the also newly launched Porsche Macan mini-SUV and Audi's RS Q3.

Stats? 360bhp, 436Nm torque. The 1,991cc turbocharged unit can accelerate the all-wheel drive mini SUV from a standstill to 100km/h in 4.8sec. The top speed is electronically limited to 250km/h. It has a combined fuel consumption of 37.6mpg, with CO2 emissions of 175g/km.

Local motoring news: Roads around KL closed from 7.30am to 9.30am 1st Sunday of every month

KL Mayor at the "Green Car-Free Morning" event earlier today. Source: TheStar

For the interest of all you readers in and around the Klang Valley (as well as those who intend to visit Kuala Lumpur), Fifteen roads would be closed from 730am to 930am every 1st Sunday of the month in Kuala Lumpur. 

During the two-hour period, Jalan Sultan Ismail, Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, Jalan Raja Laut, Jalan Senggarang, Jalan Ampang, Jalan P. Ramlee, Jalan Pinang, Jalan Kia Peng, Jalan Stonor, Jalan Conlay, Jalan Raja Chulan, Jalan Semarang and Jalan Tun Perak WILL BE CLOSED TO ALL SORTS OF MOTORISED TRAFFIC. It is also described as 'Cycling Day' for Kuala Lumpur. 

Sunday Car Porn: Ferrari 458 Speciale

5 December – There was a regal spectacle at the Bobbejaansberg Nature Reserve, near Johannesburg. It was an unusual part of the launch of the 458 Speciale, which was making its debut in South Africa. At the presentation to a select group of Prancing Horse customers, there were two guests that were unexpected to say the least: a pair of lions that are part of the ‘Kevin Richardson Wildlife Sanctuary’s’ colony of big cats, which is run by a man know the world over as ‘The Lion Whisperer.’ The kings of the savannah therefore got a close up view of a queen of the road, even if, in order not to disturb them in this close encounter, the V8 in this latest creation from Maranello, did not roar as loudly as it could.

Source:Ferrari.

Surprising news - We are nominated for some award in the upcoming Malaysia Social Media Week (MSMW) 2014

Surprising isn't it? We are nominated for some award in the Best Auto Blog category for some upcoming World Blogger Awards at the Malaysia Social Media Week (MSMW) 2014 24th-28th February 2014. The World Blogger Awards isn't actually global as it is actually a Malaysian thing as it is just part of the MSMW 2014. We weren't even aware of such an event being held annually and don't even know who nominated us. We are glad they did whoever they are. 

Anyway, nothing is going to change with one tiny nomination. Things will remain the same. Click here to see the list of auto blogger nominees and see who we are up against. Quite surprising for a tiny outfit like ours to be up against some big guns. There must be a dearth of proper automotive websites out there eh? Or because we're simply quite good (and ostriches as well as pigs can drive the AMG SLS properly fast)

But if you are interested in voting for us here at Motoring-malaysia.blogspot.com, do head over there after the 6th of January 2014 and vote for us when voting starts. 

Kahn Design Range Rover Sport 3.0 TDV6 - RS300 Cosworth Edition

Try say this in one breath..slowly.... Land Rover Range Rover Sport 3.0 TDV6 - RS300 Cosworth edition. The official name of the modded Range Rover pictured above. Anyway, this is for those of you who are bored with the standard Range Rover Sport and don't know what you can do with it aside from trying to climb a mountain or something with it.

Press Release

The A. Kahn Design Land Rover Range Rover Sport 3.0 TDV6 - RS300 Cosworth edition is ideal for those who are looking for performance and style

Spotted in the ads: Here's another reason why you should stay away from Volkswagen

Happy 2014. Now as the first post of this year we bring you another tale of woe.

This advertisement on mudah.my caught a friend's end (thanks Ken). And here it is for all of you to read.
"For 1st year has send in for claims about 10 times, and 15 times in 24 months. All this model has same defects, aircond box malfunction, radiator fan, clutch, mechatronics and etc, which cant be solve even after replacement. Think 10 times before you decide to purchase Volkswagen. "