The Perodua Kelisa (2001-2007) - Fun little cars don't fade away long after production has ended.

One Perodua that has still stuck in the minds of most Malaysians is the Perodua Kelisa. It first made its debut in 2001 and was not meant to be a replacement for the long running Perodua Kancil. Both these cars were based on different generations of the Daihatsu Mira.

Photo Comparo - Exterior styling of the new Proton Perdana vs the previous Government-only Perdana / Honda Accord rebadge

Proton recently launched the new Proton Perdana and most of you are aware that it is based on the eighth generation Honda Accord which was produced from 2007 to 2012. This 2016 Perdana features the same eight generation Honda Accord chassis, engine, transmission but with a massive rework of the body. Here we have a comparison in terms of styling - the older car is the one with the 'GP40' registered plate, the newer one is the B plate test car.

Industry News: J.D. Power 2016 Malaysia Customer Service Index (CSI) Study SM - Toyota, Mazda, Mitsubishi Kia & Isuzu top the list

According to the J.D. Power 2016 Malaysia Customer Service Index (CSI) Study SM released earlier today, Malaysian car owners intolerant of service advisors not tending to their needs personally and quickly at service centers can significantly lower customer satisfaction levels. This means impatient customers bringing down the reputation of a certain car make or brand. Toyota is the best CSI brand, followed by Mazda, Mitsubishi, Kia and Isuzu rounding up the top 5 best after sales service in Malaysia for 2016.

ALL-NEW CALTEX DELO ® 400 MGX 'SINGLE FLEET' ENGINE OIL IS UNVEILED FOR THE MALAYSIAN MARKET

L to R ·         Dr. Simon Chung, Regional Technology Specialist, Chevron Lubricants

·         Asim Khan, Area Business Manager, Cluster Asia Pacific, Chevron Lubricants

·         Lennard Kwek, Asia Pacific Marketing Manager, Chevron Lubricants

Caltex Lubricants unveiled its latest premium diesel engine oil – Caltex Delo ® 400 MGX SAE 15W-40. This newest lubricant offering from Caltex has its ISOSYN technology providing unmatched protection in both high & low sulphur diesel fuel environments. Best of all it can give up to 80,000km between oil changes for most market situations. 80,000km!!!! Wow.

Sports Car News: Lotus Elise Race 250 launched with range of track-specific options as standard

Meanwhile, over in Hethel, UK the chaps at Lotus Cars have released the latest version of their popular Lotus Elise, the Elise Race 250. This track specced car is eligible for many race series around the world and it has been developed to meet the high demands of the track, with a raft of performance-oriented features as standard. 

Truck News: Viva Haulage Sdn Bhd gets its first new Scania Truck from Scania Malaysia for its expansion plans

 Handing over the keys to the truck to Mr Tee Wah Meng, Director of Viva Haulage Sdn Bhd, was Tuan Haji Idros Puteh, Sales Director, Scania Southeast Asia. 

Viva Haulage Sdn Bhd (Viva) has taken delivery of its first brand new Scania truck. The company which specializes in the container haulage business for major forwarding agents and freight forwarders in Port Klang had chosen the Scania P410LA 6x2 MSZ truck. This truck comes with a host of added benefits to ensure maximum support for its customers.

Happenings: Local Malaysian Celeb Neelofa presented with a Volkswagen Passat R-Line after winning the Most Popular Artiste Award for ABPBH

Waaaaaah. That local Malaysian celebrity named Neelofa was just presented a Volkswagen Passat R-Line after winning the coveted ‘Most Popular Artiste’ category at the 29 th Anugerah Bintang Popular Berita Harian (ABPBH) - the 29th Berita Harian Popular Star Awards (Berita Harian is a Malay language newspaper). Volkswagen was the automotive sponsor of the awards. Get popular, win a car. Seems to be a simple enough thing to do.

Test Drive: 2016 Hyundai Tucson 2.0 Executive - Hyundai's compact SUV grows up

Hyundai have come a long way. Back in the 1990s when Hyundai first set foot in Malaysia you would have never thought that their cars would actually be good to even sit inside. They went through many phases in terms of car design and styling. Back in the 1980s and early 1990s they made nondescript looking cars that were bland to look at. In the late 1990s they started aping certain European brands. But it was when they decided to bring in talents from across the globe that this Korean brand started making waves.

First Crash of the Perodua Bezza?

This could be the first crash of the new Perodua Bezza sedan in the hands of test drive customers. 

TRUCK News: FUSO Diamond Mini Draw Contest 2016 / 2017 - 15 winners from 885 entries!

Mercedes-Benz Malaysia Commercial Vehicles, recently presented 15 delighted FUSO truck customers who participated in the FUSO Diamond Mini Draw Contest 2016 / 2017 with attractive prizes in a special customer appreciation event. Five of the lucky 15 winners each won an exclusive trip to Japan and service and parts vouchers worth a total of RM 85,000. Meanwhile, 10 other fortunate customers each won consolation prizes of service vouchers worth RM 1,000. They were chosen from a total number of 885 entries.

Perodua 1st Half 2016 Performance Report - Strong performance reported on all fronts, maintains projected sales targets4

Perodua, Malaysia's second national car make is on a roll. Earlier today they held a press conference and disclosed sales figures and other performance related news regarding the car maker. Perodua basically told us that they are doing incredibly well actually with the announcement that they maintain their projected sales target of 216,000 units for 2016 despite the reduced projected total industry volume of new car sales due to the unstable global (and local) economy as well as the current soft consumer sentiment.

Away with the Proton Perdana

I have just arrived in Melaka after a drive with the Proton Perdana 2.0. I am down here with a bunch of other automotive journos who were in the 2.4 and 2.0 also. Here are some real life pics of the cars from my phone for the time being.

Sunday Lite: Project Kahn Land Rover Range Rover 4.4 TDV8 Westminster Edition - Something nice to get stuck in a Raya Open House traffic jam

Taking it easy this weekend as it is still Hari Raya Aidil Fitri open house weekends till the end of July. I heard a friend's relative took 3 hours to reach Section 6 in Shah Alam from Ampang Jaya. Hearing this was stressful. So this is Project Kahn's latest showing which would make sitting in a traffic jam much more relaxing. The Project Kahn Land Rover Range Rover 4.4 TDV8 Westminster Edition. According to Kahn this is the ideal vehicle one would associate with royalty. Fuiyoh. 

BMW's M Division unveils the limited to 200 units BMW M5 Competition Edition

 

This is quite interesting. The chaps over at the BMW M Division have come up with a special edition BMW M5 called the BMW M5 'Competition Edition'. M Division is BMW's in-house tuning arm and they've come up with this fabulous 600hp version of the M5. Complete with official factory warranty.

Perodua Officially Launches the its first ever Sedan - The Perodua Bezza (UPDATED with press release and more photos)

Bezza 1.0 Manual with Gear Up Bodykit

The Perodua Bezza, Perodua's first ever production sedan has just been launched. It is Perodua's 11th model and  aside from being its first sedan it is also its first Energy Efficient Sedan (EEV) which takes advantage of Malaysia's EEV tax breaks. It had cost Perodua RM300million to develop the Bezza and being the first ever Perodua sedan, takes them into uncharted territory in some ways. But response to this small A segment sedan has been very good, with a reported 4,028 bookings received within 5 days from the date it started to accept bookings.

Industry News: Mercedes-Benz Malaysia 1st Half 2016 Performance Report - Record Sales Figures & More.....

Mercedes-Benz Malaysia have actually broke a number of its own records again for the 1st half of 2016 in terms of sales performance. Double digit growths and 6,017 cars delivered to customers during that period. Seriously folks, the premium end of car sales here in Malaysia is largely unaffected by whatever supposed slowdown in the country's economy. What credit crunch you might ask?

Perodua - Free 50-point Car Inspection at Giant, Seri Kembangan with post Raya Perodua Tweckbot app

Perodua, via its Perodua Tweckbot app has returned. The Perodua Twecknot offers its FREE 50-point safety check to all Perodua vehicles at the Giant shopping complex at Seri Kembangan, Selangor in conjunction with the post Hari Raya Aidil Fitri 2016 celebrations. Remember, its usually a month long celebration with people's open houses and all that. A whole month of eating and celebrating after a whole month of fasting. Hmm..

The Rolls Royce Dawn is launched in Malaysia

Superlative. Now that's a word to describe the Rolls Royce Dawn. This is the latest super luxury car from Rolls Royce Motor Cars and it is a four-seater drophead coupe. It has just been launched earlier today and if you must know, it is a more contemporary styled Rolls Royce that is aimed at the younger, but obviously still very affluent customer. 

Ford and Sime Darby Auto Connexion will have an 'Open House Hari Raya' thingy at all Ford Showrooms nationwide - 22-24 July 2016

In conjunction with the usually one month long Hari Raya AidilFitri celebrations here in Malaysia Sime Darby Auto Connexion (SDAC) will be having something called the ‘Raya Get Together with Ford Family’ open house at all Ford showrooms nationwide from 22 to 24 July 2016.

The 2016 Renault Formula 1 Car will be on tour at Renault Showrooms and Roadshows in the Klang Valley

If you are a motorsport or specifically a Formula 1 enthusiast or 'kaki', or you support the Renault Formula 1 Team then you can catch a lifesize model of the 2016 Renault R.S. 16 Formula One car in display at selected Renault showrooms and Renault roadshows in the Klang Valley.

Spotted on the Streets: Volkswagen Type 2 1st Generation MicroBus with the 'Rat Look'

 

I spotted this classic, vintage Volkswagen Type 2 'Microbus'  aka Kombi aka Transporter recently and it caught my eye. The 'Bus' is iconic as it is and here, many try to keep it in pristine condition or with a proper funky psychedelic, flower-power 1960s or 1970s vibe to it. This one was unique.

BMW has a 1 Series Sedan for the China market. I hope they start selling it globally

BMW together with Chinese joint-venture company, BMW Brilliance Automotive Ltd (BBA) has revealed the BMW 1 series sedan. This is the China market only (for the moment, hopefully) premium compact sports sedan that sits at the very bottom of the BMW sedan range.

2016 Perodua Bezza ASEAN NCAP Ratings - 5 Star and 4 Star ratings given

ASEAN NCAP (the New Car Assessment Program) has released the results for the soon to be on sale Perodua Bezza compact sedan. 

Friday Night Blabbering - Facebook suggests that I join the Toyota Camry Hybrid Owners Malaysia page. Why Bother?

The thing with Facebook is that it likes to suggest pages for us to 'Like'. Now somehow there are patterns and algorithms that try to detect on what my pet peeves, hobbies and likes are and all of these enable Facebook to suggest that I would like to click 'Like' and join the closed group called the CAMRY OWNERS CLUB MALAYSIA. 

Happenings: CALTEX'S RELEASE THE POWER OF X’ PROMOTION REWARDS CUSTOMER WITH GRAND PRIZE YAMAHA MOTORBIKE

The Caltex Lubricants - X-Men: Apocalypse  - the 'Release the Power of X' contest has been successfully concluded with the grand prize winner awarded a 150cc Yamaha FZ150i.  Mr. Chung Guang Yao (photo above - left) from Klang won the bike. Sixteen years of age and he only needs to take his licence in order to ride his grand prize!

Perodua opens the order books for their first sedan - The Perodua Bezza

Perodua has announced on their website that their first sedan, the Perodua Bezza is now open for bookings. This is a milestone for Perodua. Their first sedan and their first locally designed car. It is based on the Perodua Axia city car and it does not look like a hatchback with a boot screwed onto it. It looks like a proper sedan from what I gather. Especially from the leaked photo much earlier (below) and the special preview that three publications - Paultan.org, Motor Trader and Careta.my had published.

Spotted For Sale: Another one of those 'AE86' that you've never wanted to own - Mazda 323 Astina 'Trueno'

Why the heck does everyone want to make any car with a wedge shaped front into an AE86 Toyota Levin Trueno? Here is another one. So far we have seen the original Proton Saga or some old front wheel drive Toyota Corolla becoming a panda AE86 but this time, someone has decided to make the Mazda 323 Astina (Familia Astina or 323 F) into a 'Hatchiroku' or 86. 

Audi Malaysia Hari Raya Offers - 1 year insurance, 2 years free service and more.

Audi Malaysia have offers on most of their cars sold here with the exception of the Audi A4 and the A5 for this Hari Raya celebrations. 

Volkswagen Malaysia's Hari Raya 'Open House' this 16th and 17th July 2016

Volkswagen Malaysia will be holding Hari Raya Open Houses at all of its authorised Volkswagen Dealerships nationwide this 16th and 17th July 2016. There one would find offers, deals and promotions on the range of Volkswagen cars sold here. The guest of honour is most probably the King of Fruits judging from the pic above.

FORD MUSTANG 2.3 ECOBOOST WILL BE ON DISPLAY AT THE SIME DARBY AUTO CONNEXION JURU, PENANG FROM THE 15TH-24TH JULY 2016

Those who are up north and are Ford Mustang or American muscle car fans take note. Ford via distributors Sime Darby Auto Connexion will be displaying a Mustang 2.3liter EcoBoost over at the Sime Darby Auto Connexion Juru Showroom over in Seberang Perai, Penang from the 15th to the 24th of July 2016. 

Ferrari reveals the La Ferrari in roadster or open top form - Official name will be revealed at the upcoming 2016 Paris Motor Show

Ferrari has revealed to us the first photographs of the newest version of the limited edition La Ferrari. Its name has not been officially revealed as yet but rumours are going around that the 'Aperta' moniker will be used like the Ferrari 458 Speciale Aperta open top and the limited edition 599 SA Aperta. 

KL Supercar Drag Race - 4 scheduled programmes from mid-July to December 2016 to be held

I am busy celebrating the Idil Fitri right now so there will not be many posts from me for the moment. Anyway, this is just to inform you folks that there will be something called the KL Supercar Drag Race at Dataran Merdeka that should be on from mid-July to December 2016. The first is scheduled for this coming 15th to the 17th of July. 

Article on Road Safety from the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS) for this festive holidays

Down below is a post from Mr.Yusof Ghani from the Institut Penyelidikan Keselamatan Jalan Raya Malaysia  or the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS). It is in Bahasa Malaysia. I shall try to give you folks out there the gist of it in English. If you understand Bahasa Malaysia better, you can read the whole test below.

"Patience can help avoid road tragedies.

TRUCK & BUS NEWS: Volvo Trucks' VISTA Competition 2015-2016 - Team Harju wins but all VISTA participants including those from the Asia Pacific region benefit from competing

VISTA (Volvo International Service Training Award) is the largest competition for workshop personnel in the world. What originally started in 1957 as a competition for Volvo's mechanics in Sweden has since become an international event. The aim of VISTA is to develop and improve employees' knowledge and skills and improve customer service. The competition is open to all workshop employees within the Volvo Trucks and Volvo Buses global service network. VISTA 2015-2016 has been the biggest ever, with more than 18,500 participants from across the world.

MILITARY VEHICLES - THE 1956 ACMA VESPA 150 TAP - Cute scooter, big gun.

This is something gloriously off-topic folks. I don't usually write about two-wheeled vehicles but I'd like to make an exception this time. Usually when we think about scooters, especially the iconic Vespa we think of cute transport. This is still cute but it packs a real punch. I mean have you ever seen anything so cute but could take out a main battle tank? This folks is the Vespa 150 TAP.

'NANA VW Giveaway' Instagram Child Safety Seat Contest gets its winner

Volkswagen Malaysia and local celebrity Nana Mahazan (I believe she's a Radio DJ these days) today presented a Volkswagen child seat to Ms Hafikah Tarmizi, winner of the “Nana VW Giveaway”Instagram contest. The contest, ran by Nana through her Instagram account, was part of a collaboration with Volkswagen Malaysia to raise awareness on the importance of child safety.