Last Saturday. the 10th of December 2022, I actually took time to attend the 8th edition of HINO Malaysia's HINO Total Support Contest at their Petaling Jaya headquarters. This time around, the contest had the participation of 158 contestants from 26 authorised dealers throughout Malaysia. This marks a return to having this contest after all the lockdowns trying to handle the Covid-19 pandemic in Malaysia and the mood was very positive at the event where it gives a chance for HINO sales and aftersales personnel to try out their skill and knowledge among each other, thereby enhancing their customer servicing skill as well as improving technical expertise by competing.
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Mercedes-Benz Malaysia introduced the all-new EQE, the all-new electric business avant-garde from the Mercedes-EQ sub-brand earlier today. This unveiling comes after the successful launch of the EQS, and the EQE is the next model based on the electric vehicle architecture (EVA2) developed specifically for electric vehicles. Technically an all-electric Mercedes-Benz E class, the sporty business sedan offers all the essential functions of the EQS in a slightly more compact format.
Recently, Hap Seng Trucks Distribution announced that the Lukut, Port Dickson based transport company Pearl Castle had invested in ten brand new Mercedes-Benz Actros 6x2 prime movers. This new purchase from the trucking solutions provider was made to expand its 70-strong fleet of vehicles which are used in the petroleum, water supply and construction sectors.
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FGV Transport Services Sdn Bhd (FTSSB) has ordered a total of 41 units of the New MAN TGS prime movers fitted with low emission Euro V specification engines to its land transport fleet..The new additions comprises of five units of MAN TGS 4x2 and 10 units of 6x2, both which will be used for container haulage as well as 26 MAN TGS 6x4 which will be used for heavy-duty cargo transportation.
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On the 1st of Nov 2022, Isuzu Malaysia officially opened its new retail outlet design operated by the people of Autoexec Corporation. The new Isuzu 3S Centre is located along Jalan Jinjang Permai which is on the Northern part of Kuala Lumpur. The new centre has visually bolder and vibrant façade with a distinctive logo tower, and shows off a more distinctive and recognizable venue for their Isuzu needs.
MAN Truck & Bus (M) Sdn Bhd (MAN Malaysia), who was the first vehicle manufacturer in Malaysia to offer Euro V engines as standard across its entire Truck range, has launched the taller and more spacious TM Cab for their TGS new truck generation range as an option. Previously, the standard height TN Cab has always been preferred by the Malaysian market due to its flexibility but MAN Malaysia feels that it is timely to introduce a truck cabin that allows people to stand upright in the cabin, thereby allowing more space for the truck driver for his comfort and convenience.
China brand Chery is making a comeback into the Malaysian automotive scene. You may remember if you are old enough where the brand was around in the early 2000s and then slowly faded away due to various factors. But they're back!
Hino Motors Sales (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd (HINO) has officially opened its latest 3S Centre which is located in West Port, Pulau Indah on the 26th of October 2022. HINO had appointed Truck Solutions Sdn Bhd, who operates this new authorized 3S - Sales, Service, and Spare Parts centre. Strategically situated in West Port/Port Klang area, this new 3S centre aims to provide total support to HINO’s customers, especially those operating in logistics & transport services. This is the the first service centre in West Port that aims to provide top-notch vehicle services to support logistics and transport operation.
On October 18, 2022, Harley-Davidson® announced that its Asia Harley Days 2022 event will be held at Triple Tree Beach Resort Cha-Am Beach, Petchaburi in Thailand on November 5th and -6th, 2022. The two-day event is a moto-music festival that unites Harley-Davidson® riders, H.O.G.® members, enthusiasts and fans from over 11 countries and territories including Thailand, South Korea, Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Taiwan, Macao, Hong Kong, India and Singapore, as well as 87 H.O.G.® chapters and many motorcycle clubs from these countries and territories.
Do you know that there has been an e-hailing ride service in Malaysia called Maxim? Anyway, the company has been operating here for quite a while now (since 2018) and had conducted a recent survey on their drivers for us to find out about who these people are. Maxim, who operate in about eleven countries globally, are onwards toward being one of the world's prominent ride hailing service. They have tractable data of application, driver, passenger and history of ride, the users get the opportunity to know more about their drivers and the type of car that they can expect for their booking.
TREVO is inviting Malaysians who are 21 years old and above who like football, or soccer, have a basic understanding of the sport (or can quickly learn) to enter a contest organised by them. TREVO is a peer-to-peer car sharing marketplace where guests can share any car that fits the needs and wants for the trips they are taking, from the closest TREVO hosts in their community. TREVO aims to provide more vehicle choices that fulfil the travel needs of the users, called Guests, while providing car owners, who are called Hosts, the opportunity to earn extra income to offset the cost of car ownership.
Anyway, they have a contest.
It has been a good 25 years for Bentley here in Malaysia. The brand has grown from strength to strength and persevered throughout the years to bring some truly great brand experiences to its loyal customers in Malaysia. So in conjunction with the anniversary, Bentley Kuala Lumpur has previewed the latest variant of their limousine, the 2023 Bentley Flying Spur Hybrid. Aside from bringing a hybrid Bentley, it also signals the market’s maturity in charging infrastructure and a move for the brand to be carbon neutral. Bentley Kuala Lumpur like its parent company has started on its journey to achieve carbon neutrality by 2023.
Last week, on the 12th of October 2022, express bus operator SuperNice Express (SuperNice), a brand under the Unimax Group, received the first Scania coaches with Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS). These are the first buses in Malaysia equipped with active safety systems and features the usual anti-lock braking systems but with electronic safety programme (ESP) lane departure warning and Advanced emergency braking which can prevent collision with the vehicle in front by applying the brakes automatically.
Isuzu is going for another round of the Borneo Safari, which could be one of the toughest yearly 4x4 events in the world. Isuzu Malaysia is sending in the Isuzu D-Max X-Terrain as media vehicles in this year’s Borneo Safari International Off Road Challenge. This time, three units of the award-winning pick-up trucks are set to perform duties as the official media vehicles for the event. Of course, they will feature minimal mods only, which will showcase the capabilities of the D-MAX. This is also the first Borneo Safari in about two years as the recent Covid-19 pandemic had put a stop to things for a while.
PROTON’s new energy vehicle subsidiary, Proton New Energy Technology (PRO-NET) had earlier today entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with Gentari Sdn. Bhd., the clean energy subsidiary of PETRONAS, at the International Greentech & Eco Products Exhibition & Conference Malaysia (IGEM). This is part of Proton's intention to develop its own-brand NEVs and also for boh parties to leverage the capabilities and drive growth in Malaysia’s electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure in line with national decarbonisation goals.
The Volkswagen Fest 2022 will happen this weekend, the 15th and 16th of October 2022 and Audi, the sister brand to Volkswagen will be there showcasing their latest here in Malaysia. This is a first for Volkswagen Fest ever since it was held by Volkswagen Passenger Cars Malaysia over the past few years or so.
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BMW Malaysia had announced an online Pre-Booking for the first-Ever BMW XM Sports Activity Vehicle (SAV). This is scheduled to begin on the 20th of October 2022 with Exclusive and Limited units available. The BMW XM is the first-Ever BMW M GmbH high-performance luxury Sports Activity Vehicle (SAV) with an electrified drive from BMW M. The price for these online pre-booking XM in Malaysia, is an estimated price starting from RM 820,000.00 in Langkawi and RM 1,400,000.00 in Peninsular Malaysia. Taxes. It usually raises the prices.
Today, the12 th October 2022, Blueshark, which is a leading smart electric scooter provider, together with EP Manufacturing Berhad (EPMB), announced a multi-stakeholder partnership with several local industry players, including Blueshark Ecosystem Sdn Bhd and the Malaysian Green Technology & Climate Change Corporation (MGTC) as part of its market introduction in Malaysia. This joint venture will produce Electric Scooters, create jobs from producing the environmentally friendly scooters, maintaining them and the supporting infrastructure required for them.
PHS Automotive Malaysia, the authorised distributors of Audi cars here recently announced the launch of the all-new Audi A3 Sedan S line (pictured above) and that you can also register your booking for the very much hotter Audi RS 3 Sedan (below). Both are fully imported, which is why they have prices that match. The Audi A3 Sedan S line retails from RM331,990, inclusive of duties and sales tax while the Audi RS 3 Sedan is now open for booking with a price range of RM650,000 to RM750,000
GoCar Malaysia, a leading on-demand mobility-as-a- service platform in Malaysia, earlier today announced the expansion of its GoCar Garage digital one-stop car service and maintenance solution to Ipoh and Negeri Sembilan. The expansion is part of GoCar’s ongoing efforts to widen the Garage service network, through strategic partnerships with independent and authorised workshops. The service network now adds to GoCar's car sharing service and expands on their digital mobility setup.
This time, the Ford Ranger Raptor is petrol powered. Ford authorised distributors, Sime Darby Auto Connexion, has launched the next-generation 2022 Ford Ranger Raptor. This high performance variant of the ever popular Ranger pickup truck is now in its latest form and features a high-performance 3.0-litre twin-turbo EcoBoost V6 petrol engine that makes up to 397 PS and 583Nm torque, enabling the next-gen Ranger Raptor to have even more performance on and off-road.
Hello folks, Volkswagen Fest in back for 2022 and will be held on the 15 th and 16 th of October at Sentul Depot in Kuala Lumpur. This time, aside from the usual gathering of new and old Volkswagen cars, the organisers, who are the Malaysian distributors of Volkswagen cars here, Volkswagen Passenger Cars Malaysia (VPCM) have stated that they will debut the fully electric Volkswagen ID.4. (pictured below)
Earlier today, Hyundai-Sime Darby Motors (HSDM) launched the 10-seater variant of their very modern looking Hyundai Staria MPV at the One Utama shopping mall in Petaling Jaya. There are three variants available, the Staria Lite, Plus, and Max, starting from RM179,888.00 onwards.
Volkswagen Passenger Cars Malaysia (VPCM) earlier today announced the launch of its We Drive Football aftersales services campaign which is in line with the brand’s commitment to embrace the passion, unity and diversity that comes with the footballing way of life. In other words, you get special aftersales packages with a football based theme and Volkswagen football or soccer themed merchandise thrown into the mix, is all I can say about this.
PHS Automotive Malaysia (PHSAM) today introduced the #ReadyToDrive customer initiative campaign which has a focus on safety, reliability and peace of mind for Audi owners. This is the first aftersales initiative by PHSAM since they began, in July of this year, representing the Audi brand for wholesale, marketing and aftersales in Malaysia.
The #ReadyToDrive campaign will run from 1st October to 31st December 2022 and it offers Audi owners exceptional value in a comprehensive package. These include:
Earlier today DHL Express, the that very familiar international express service provider, announced the addition of six electric vans in Malaysia. These electric motor powered vehicles will be making its rounds across the Klang Valley for last-mile deliveries. This introduction makes DHL as the first courier company in Malaysia to transition toward a having commercial electric vehicle (EV) fleet. Welcome to the future, courtesy of DHL, I presume
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Scania Malaysia had on the 15th of September 2022 delivered the first batch of 10 out of 40 units of New Truck Generation (NTG) prime movers ordered together with a Repair & Maintenance (R&M) Contract to Sea Hawk Global Lines Sdn Bhd (Sea Hawk). A 10-year complimentary Scania Fleet Management System (FMS) Control 10 were also extended for all the 40 NTGs. Aside from that, the whole procurement used Scania Financial Services for the financing package making this another complete vehicle package arrangement.
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Today, the 26th of September 2022 is quite a memorable day. A national car is going hybrid. Peroduais starting on its first-of-its-kind electric vehicle 'real time' study which also incorporates a long-term mobility as a service market study involving 300 subscribers of its limited Ativa Hybrid model. From this we will see the Ativa Hybrid compact SUV on Malaysian roads and Perodua's study on how Malaysian consumers take to the subscription method of car 'ownership'.
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Ford Motor Company's Malaysian official distributor Sime Darby Auto Connexion has launched the 2022 Next-generation Ford Everest. The very chunky, tough looking SUV is available in three versions – the 2WD Sport and the 4WD Trend and Titanium. Taking after its Ford Ranger pickup truck sibling, the new Everest is rugged yet sleek on the outside and all cozy and comfortable, safe, high-tech on the inside with seating for 7 people too.
Good news to those that like Audi. The flagship 2022 Audi RS Q8 SUV has been officially made available here by Audi's authorised distributor here, PHS Automotive Malaysia and it will be priced from RM1,699,990 inclusive of duties and sales tax.
Hino Motors Sales (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. (HINO) had appointed two new HASOs (Hino Approved Service Outlet) up north in Georgetown, Penang and in Sungai Petani, Kedah. This strengthens its service network and provide easy access for after-sales support to customers, for the northern region, improving its customer support network. UP Service Centre Sdn Bhd (UP Service) located in Georgetown, Pulau Pinang, and Hong Yee Car Computer Service Sdn Bhd (Hong Yee Car) located in Sungai Petani, Kedah operate these two new centres.
Hyundai Sime Darby Motors (HSDM) has informed that they will be launching the 10 seater variant for the spaceship inspired Hyundai Staria. While they like to call it a spaceship, I think that it is more akin to the head of a Shinkansen high speed train. But what ever the case, it looks very futuristic and now you can order one with more seats by the fourth quarter of 2022.
