Alpine reveals first images of the new A110 before its official premiere at the Geneva Motor show.

Ahead of the Geneva Motor show, (Renault) Alpine has revealed the first images of the new two-seater sports car it will premiere at the Geneva Motor show.

Volkswagen Sg Besi Celebrates New Outlet with a Party for Customers

After three months of settling in and ensuring smooth operations – Wearnes Automotive today held a launch and appreciation night for its customers and media to celebrate the new Volkswagen Sg Besi outlet. The previous outlet happened to be earmarked for redevelopment by the landowners. 

Bentley Kuala Lumpur officially opens its flagship showroom and previews the Continental GT Speed BLACK SPEED by Mulliner

Last friday I attended the official opening of Bentley Kuala Lumpur's new flagship showroom here in Kuala Lumpur. Wearnes Quest Sdn Bhd, who have been the official importers and distributors of Bentley automobiles in Malaysia since 2008 had invited favoured guests, customers and members of the media to the grand opening of the showroom at Etiqa Twins, located right in the heart of Kuala Lumpur’s Golden Triangle.

Happenings: College student from MSU wins Perodua Axia in MYPerodua Nation Grand Prize

Mr. Ahmad Irfan Ismail was chosen as the lucky draw grand prize winner of Perodua’s first and biggest outdoor event, MYPerodua Nation carnival held in Shah Alam from 20th January 2017 to 22nd January 2017. The 25-year old college student from the Management and Science University (MSU) was presented with a key to a brand new Perodua Axia 1.0L Advance variant.

THE NEW & ENHANCED PEUGEOT 208 GTI IS NOW IN MALAYSIA

Nasim Sdn Bhd, the official distributor of the Peugeot brand in Malaysia, has introduced to the Malaysian market the new (2017 model year) Peugeot 208 GTi. Aside from the usual equipment upgrade and some cosmetic changes, the chage that has made me the happiest is the new engine. 

MICHELIN MALAYSIA AND FEI YUE TYRES OPENS FIRST TYREPLUS STORE IN SARAWAK

Michelin Malaysia has opened its first outlet in Sibu, Sawarak via its Sarawak distributor Fei Yue Tyres Sdn Bhd. This RM2 million TYREPLUS outlet is designed with the customer in mind and can cater for all types of vehicles whilst offering competitive prices too.

SHELL MALAYSIA'S EURO 5 DIESEL IS NOW AVAILABLE IN SABAH

Good news for diesel users in Sabah. Shell Malaysia today announced the availability of its Shell FuelSave Diesel Euro 5 - a high quality, fuel-efficient diesel at 8 retail stations along the west coast of Sabah. 

HONDA MALAYSIA'S 2016 sales report, 2017 hopes & dreams, some thoughts and the upcoming Honda City facelift

Some facts and figures from Honda Malaysia. Firstly, Honda Malaysia exceeded the set target to end 2016 with a sale of 91,830 units. 15.8% market share - no1 non-national brand in Malaysia and No. 2 in total industry volume in Malaysia. Wow.

Industry News: Tire Technology International names Continental 2017 Tire Manufacturer of the Year - Innovative steps in R&D, Testing and Production

Tyre manufacturer Continental  was honored by UK-based trade journal “Tire Technology International” with its 2017 Tire Manufacturer of the Year award. Continental was chosen by a panel of 27 judges from all over the world where is chose to recognise the company's efforts in its continuous investment in the fields of research & development, testing and production equipment.

MASERATI LEVANTE SUV now on sale in Malaysia

The Maserati’s first SUV, Levante is now available to Malaysian market. After previewing Maserati's first ever SUV sometime last August, NAZA Italia has now announced its official launch into the Malaysian market. In order to make sure that the Levante is competitive in terms of pricing and in terms of desirability NAZA Italia has decided to bring in the Maserati Levante in the 3.0liter turbodiesel form, making this Maserati fuel efficient and also road tax friendly too. 

New Volkswagen 3S Centre in Tebrau, Johor Opens

Volkswagen Passenger Cars Malaysia (VPCM) and WN Motorworld Sdn Bhd has officially opened the new Volkswagen Tebrau 3S Centre in Johor Bahru. WN Motorworld Sdn Bhd has invested a total of RM1.5 million into this 3S Centre, a marked upgrade from its interim (temporary) facility prior to this new showroom. It is now able to better cater and support both Volkswagen sales and aftersales services in the areas of Tebrau, Johor Bahru, Kota Tinggi, Pasir Gudang and locations around the Iskandar region. 

TRUCK NEWS: HINO Malaysia Launches the Upgraded Hino 500 Series Medium Duty Trucks in Malaysia

HINO has launched their second new truck range in Malaysia for this year. This latest generation of HINO 500 trucks is quite an improvement over the previous 500 series which has been around since the early 2000s. The 500 series is also the best seller in the Medium Commercial Vehicle (MCV) segment here in Malaysia and HINO is confident that the new truck would be well received. There are new commonrail direct injection engines, new safety features as well as added refinement in all variants offered.

SPOTTED FOR SALE: 2014 DAIHATSU COPEN Roadster UnReg

One of the cars which I actually like to see more on our roads is the Daihatsu Copen. A small Kei-car 660cc turbocharged roadster that could be mighty fun to own and drive. Of course, here in Malaysia, Daihatsu's presence here is curtailed in some ways by Malaysia's way of doing things - lotsa restrictions, high taxes, promoting a local car industry and overly cautious buyers who seem to care about resale value above anything else. 

Sunday Lite: Not Fast, but a Legend....

The owner of this Proton Satria for sale has a nice title header - tak laju tapi legend - Satria Car, not fast but a legend.

It is a 1.3liter Satria by the way. The owner really holds this car in high regard. Tooooo high regard. ' Angkat bakul tekan lift sendiri ka?'

PROTON LAUNCHES THE PROTON IRIZ HATCHBACK IN INDONESIA

PT PROTON Edar Indonesia, the official distributors of Proton cars in Indonesia had recently  launched Proton Iriz hatchback at FX Sudirman Mall, Senayan. Two variants are made available to the Indonesian market, 1.3L MT Standard and 1.3L CVT Standard, priced at IDR175,250,000 an IDR185,283,000, respectively. The cars will sold in 7 colours, Cotton White, Midnight Black, Sterling Silver, Atlantic Blue, Graphite Grey, Citrus Green and Fire Red.

SHELL MALAYSIA LAUNCHES NEW ‘ANTI-AGEING’ OIL FOR HIGH MILEAGE VEHICLES

Shell Malaysia has just launched a specialised Shell Helix engine oil that can help ‘fight’ the effects of ageing in a car's engine. The new Shell Helix High Mileage 15W 50 synthetic technology multi-fuel engine oil is specially formulated for passenger cars (both petrol and diesel passenger vehicles - not commercial vehicles) with Flexi Molecule Technology to offer customised protection to engines, especially those with more than 100,000 km on the odometer. 

PROTON's Foreign Strategic Partner decision to be made by the first half of 2017

DRB-HICOM Berhad have confirmed again that will only conclude and announce their decision within the first half of this year. There have been tons of speculation on the matter and I had mentioned earlier that all of this is mere talk and even any 'expert' opinion will just be an opinion until the actual decision is released to the public. 

BHPetrol provides Electric/Plug-In Hybrid vehicle charging stations for FREE at the Sg Kayu Ara station, PJ & the Sg Besi Harmony station,

BHPetrol (Boustead Petroleum Marketing Sdn Bhd) recently marked its 11th year in the petroleum business by installing re-charging stations for Electric and Plug-In Hybrid vehicles at two of their stations - the BHPetrol station at Kg Sg Kayu Ara, Petaling Jaya and the one located at Sg Besi Harmony (after the toll plaza towards Seremban). This value added service by BHPetrol is a step by the company into developing a sustainable community and also a small step for the company into other renewal sources of energy.

CHEVROLET MALAYSIA INTRODUCES THE CHEVROLET COMPLETE CARE PROGRAMME

Yesterday, at a gathering of various media people at the Chevrolet S3 Centre in Puchong Naza Quest, the official importer and distributor of Chevrolet vehicles in Malaysia, launched the Chevrolet Complete Care (CCC) aftersales programme. The Chevrolet Complete Care programme combines a Comprehensive Vehicle Manufacturer Warranty, with Complete Chevrolet Service, Fully Integrated Service Operating System, 24/7 Roadside Assistance and 24/7 Live Chat Customer Care Assistance for peace of mind, wherever a customer is located in Malaysia.

The services are laid down herewith (as well as in the news release right down below). It covers the following:

INDUSTRY NEWS: ISUZU MALAYSIA ANNOUNCES THAT 2016 WAS A RECORD YEAR FOR THEM

Isuzu Malaysia has announced that 2016 was a record year for them, where the brand is placed 6th in overall sales as the most popular vehicle brand in Malaysia. Isuzu also continued its domination of the Malaysian truck market, taking a commanding 38.9%.  The best selling Isuzu ELF light-duty truck tops the commercial vehicle charts for seventh consecutive years, and Isuzu Forward medium-duty truck for the third time.

BMW Group Malaysia is the Official Automotive Partner of the Le Tour de Langkawi Malaysia 2017.

This year it is BMW who are official automotive partners for the upcoming 2017 Le Tour de Langkawi cycling event. BMW Group Malaysia and Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) today announced the appointment of the premium automaker as the Official Automotive Partner of the Le Tour de Langkawi Malaysia competition for the year 2017. The premium automaker will support one of Asia’s premier cycling stage race with a fleet of BMW, MINI and BMW Motorrad vehicles. They will also be the  White Jersey Sponsor for the Best Asian Rider 

Happenings: EXCLUSIVE VISIT TO DUCATI TEAM GARAGE FOR SHELL ADVANCE GUESTS

Shell Advance recently invited 100 special guests for a unique experience ahead of the 2017 MotoGP™ season. The lucky group comprised of mechanics (who have helped make Shell Advance the leading motorcycle engine oil brand in Malaysia), members of the Desmo Owners Club Malaysia and selected media. In the main pic above, you can see Ducati press officer Julian Thomas taking a wefie with some of the lucky people.

TRUCK NEWS:Mercedes-Benz Malaysia Unveils its latest 3S Commercial Vehicle Centre in Klang

Mercedes-Benz Malaysia Commercial Vehicles (MBMCV) together with authorised dealer, Hap Seng Commercial Vehicle (HSCV) has officially opened its full-fledged 3S Commercial Vehicle Centre in Selangor’s Industrial Hub, Telok Gong, Klang. According to them, manufacturers and transporter companies will benefit from the full-fledged 3S Service Centre strategically located in Selangor’s Industrial Hub, Telok Gong, Klang.

Apollo Tyres offers an impressive one year UNCONDITIONAL Warranty for passenger car tyres in Malaysia

Mr. Shubhro Ghosh, Group Head - ASEAN, Middle East & Africa, Apollo Tyres believes the UCW offer will increase Malaysians’ confidence in Apollo

Starting from the 10th of February 2017 customers of Apollo Tyres here in Malaysia will be offered a one-year Unconditional Warranty (UCW) for their range of passenger car tyres. 

News: Caltex™ Havoline® and ONE Championship™ bring the fight back to Kuala Lumpur

Caltex wants you  to put the fight back in your engine, with Caltex Havoline. Throne of Tigers, will be held today, the 10th of February at the Stadium Negara in Kuala Lumpur. Ev Ting from Malaysia is expected once again to show his domination in the cage when he faces Kamal. Because of his impressive track record as a fighter, Ev was recently invited to represent Caltex as the brand ambassador for their premium engine oil brand, Havoline.

Aside from that you can also enter...

FROM SPECTATOR TO STRIKER : CHEVROLET INVITES FOOTBALL FANS TO BECOME ‘PROS’ FOR A DAY AT 2017 CHEVROLET FAN CUP

Announced in the middle of last month, Chevrolet will make fans “professional” footballers for a day through the 2017 Chevrolet Fan Cup, a global competition where winners will play at Manchester United’s Old Trafford Stadium, the “Theatre of Dreams.”

Happenings: SMK Sultan Abdul Samad students rise to the challenge with Caltex™ Havoline® and ONE Championship™

On wednesday, the 8th of February 2017, a select group of secondary school students from SMK Sultan Abdul Samad in Petaling Jaya had a once in a lifetime chance to meet up with  two of the Mixed Martial Arts competitors from the ONE Championship series through a CSR community initiative spearheaded by Caltex Havoline. 

Someone said I did not give 'Constructive Criticism' on the Super Narrow & therefore quite ugly looking Chana Era CM8 MPV - I now try to give constructive advise

Photo:Paultan.org

Recently someone complained that I did not give any 'Constructive Criticism' about a car he, or she was searching on. The person stumbled on the blog searching about the CHANA ERA CM8 Mini MPV and then said this,

Statement by DRB-Hicom on PROTON Holding's Foreign Partner search - My opinions are included free of charge

DRB-Hicom, who are the owners of PROTON Holdings, the Malaysian car company has issued a statement (which is posted down below) in response to the latest round of media reports on the future of Proton and who is in the running to 'take over' or enter into a partnership with Proton. This depends on which angle the journalists are writing from. 

SHELL ADVANCE LAUNCHES FULL RANGE OF SCOOTER OILS WITH DUCATI CORSE RIDER ANDREA DOVIZIOSO AS SPECIAL GUEST & LAUNCHES EXPRESS OIL CHANGE AT SELECTED SHELL STATIONS

It has been a quiet weekend for Yours Truly. Didn't do much last friday except go to a Shell Advance launch for their newest range of scooter lubricants. Well, it still is Chinese New Year week you know. Anyway, the new products launched comprised of the fully synthetic Shell Advance 4T Ultra Scooter with PurePlus Technology 5W-40, synthetic technology Shell Advance 4T AX 7 Scooter 10W-40 and Shell Advance Scooter Gear Oil. 

Industry News: PROTON appoints a new CEO for Proton Edar

Proton has appointed the dapper looking chap in the photograph above as the new CEO of its sales and marketing arm, Proton Edar Sdn Bhd. Mr Abdul Rashid Musa replaces outgoing CEO Mr Rohime Shafie effective 1st of February 2017. Prior to this appointment, he was the Chief Technical Officer of PROTON where he held several portfolios, including being instrumental in the development of the four new models in 2016 (the Perdana, Persona, Saga and Ertiga). 

BMW 118i M Sport and BMW 330e M Sport variants launched in conjunction with BMW Group Malaysia CNY festivities

BMW Group Malaysia announced the introduction of two new M Sport models for the Malaysian market – the new BMW 118i M Sport and BMW 330e M Sport. The new cars are introduced in conjunction with the premium automaker’s CNY@BMW campaign that is currently ongoing at all its dealerships nationwide. 

Proton Persona and the Proton Saga launched in Brunei

Proton has launched the all-new Proton Persona and the all-new Proton Saga over in the Kingdom of Brunei. For those that did not do too well in geography or if you are just unaware, Brunei is located in the island of Borneo (hence the name) and nicely sandwiched between Sabah and Sarawak. Of course, if you're from Brunei, or did quite well for your Geography paper, you'd probably know that already. 

TEST DRIVE: VOLVO XC90 T8 - All Hail, the King of the North

The thing about a lot of people is that they have a preconception about nearly automotive brand out there. Take for example Volvo. A lot of people have that notion that a Volvo is one of those cars for family types. Some however think that a Volvo is those old square boxes like the 240 which are meant for hipster type folks out there. Then there are some who think that you should follow precisely what Volvo's previous slogan to the tee, which is 'Volvo, For Life' and just buy one Volvo and use it for the rest of their lives. But ever since Volvo recently gave their whole line-up a good shake, a Volvo is a stupendous vehicle to drive.