Hyundai-Sime Darby Motors (HDSM) has launched the facelifted Hyundai Kona compact SUV yesterday (Friday the 16th of April 2021). It features some slightly different exterior styling tweaks as well as some little changes inside together with more advanced features and equipment. But didn't Hyundai just launch the Kona here very recently?
This is a bit late in terms of news but on the 9th of April 2021, BMW Malaysia launched the 2021 BMW 330Li M Sport in Malaysia. Somewhat of an enigma in terms of sports sedans, this is the first-ever long wheelbase variant of a compact premium sedan ever made by BMW and also the first ever compact premium sedan ever to be sold in the Malaysian market. BMW Malaysia calls it a mid-sized premium sedan. But maybe this is due to its length, which is actually quite long - where the extra bit is similar to an average adult's outstretched thumb to their index finger. Or slightly larger than the height of a flagship smartphone. But in car terms, it is like buying a corner lot terrace house compared to an intermediate lot. Not a bungalow mind you but you do get some extra here and there. in its mid-sized premium executive sedan portfolio for the Malaysian market.
Today, the 12th of April 2021, I was invited to witness the official launch of Sime Darby Motors' automotive facility, Sime Darby Motors City. While operating for quite a while already in the township of Ara Damansara in Petaling Jaya, it was only officially launched today due to the many pandemic lockdown issues the country is facing. So after an actual postponement of an earlier scheduled official opening, Sime Darby officially launched the automotive complex today. The complex houses six flagship centres featuring many brands represented by Sime Darby Motors in Malaysia, namely BMW, Ford, Hyundai, Jaguar, Land Rover, MINI, Motorrad, Porsche and Volvo. The automotive centre aims to be an exemplary hub for everything automotive for automotive sales industry.
Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia (MMM), the official distributor of Mitsubishi vehicles in Malaysia, introduced the newest variant of the Mitsubishi Triton Athlete. The Triton Athlete is the flagship model of the Mitsubishi Triton 4x4 pick-up range which replaces the Triton Adventure X. It will be available in three colours which are the Sun Flare Orange Pearl, White Diamond and Jet Black Mica. Aside from the three colours, being the flagship variant, it will come packed with more equipment than the usual variants.
The month of April 2021 could be a good time to buy a Volkswagen Passat folks. Volkswagen Passenger Cars Malaysia (VPCM) is offering those that buy a Volkswagen Passat Elegance or a Passat R-Line a complimentary 2 night stay at the exclusive Pangkor Laut Resort over in Perak. The offer is valid from now till the 30th of April 2021.
PROTON’s bullish start to 2021 continued in March as the company reported that they had not only achieved a new high point for the year but also achieved its best sales month since September 2013. Which seems like a loooong time ago especially in such pandemic ridden times. Proton sold 14,989 units (domestic + export) in March which is equivalent to a 26.2% increase over February and an estimated market share of 23.5%. So yes, the local brands are dominating the market but the thing is that every other established name out there seems to be also selling what they have due to the SST Rebate as well as increased demand for personal transport. No one wants to sit in public transport and get some virus it seems.
Recently Perodua has reported that their1Q21 sales were up 29% as the Malaysian company sold an estimated 57,911 vehicles units with 4,345 of their new Ativa compact SUV delivered. This is also another small achievement as the 4,000 plus units were delivered in under 30 days (because the Ativa was launched in early March actually). One of the good things of having ample stock to be made available prior to the actual launch.
MITSUBISHI MOTORS MALAYSIA (MMM), the official distributor of Mitsubishi Motors vehicles in Malaysia, have reported historical high sales performance of 4,156 vehicles sold during the first quarter of 2021. This is a 135% increase compared to the same period for 2020. During the same period, Mitsubishi Motors is also the top three non-national brand for three consecutive months. Quite an achievement for a brand which is actually one of the smallest in terms of product line-up here in Malaysia actually. Bravo!
UMW Toyota Motor, the sole importer, distributor and assembler of Toyota vehicles in Malaysia, has reported growth in sales for the first quarter (Q1) of 2021. The total number of new Toyota and Lexus vehicles sold in the first three months of the year were more than 17,000 units with a market share of approximately 12.1%, an increase of 62% year-on-year compared to the sales volume for the same period in 2020. This is much like the news that other car makers are reporting even during these pandemic wrought times. Most likely due to the fact that people would rather drive than share public transport.
And the fact that there is still an ongoing SST rebate so the prices of cars are slightly cheaper.
Isuzu Malaysia had announced on the 1st of April 2021 that the all-new Isuzu D-Max will be making its Malaysian debut in a few weeks. Finally, as this was launched 18 months ago in Thailand and most automotive pundits speculated that Malaysia would only get it in 2022. This is good news to those who like pickup trucks and also want something new from Isuzu.
Yesterday, Hino Motors Sales (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd (HMSM) officially launched its new 3S (Sales, Service, and Spare Parts) centre operated by Auto Skyline Sdn Bhd (Auto Skyline). This newly renovated sales and service centre would meet the needs of Hino customers in the Johor Bahru region and bring a more up to date customer experience for the brand. The new 3S centre which was renovated at a cost of RM120,000 aims to provide the best support solutions that optimally suit customer needs.
