Tan Chong Motor starts exports of Malaysian assembled Nissan to Thailand

On 4 December 2024,Tan Chong Motor Holdings Berhad (TCMH) marked a significant milestone with its first export of Malaysian assembled Nissan vehicles to Thailand. The first batch of the Nissan Serena S-Hybrid, which were assembled at TCMH’s Serendah plant in Selangor, is expected to commence shipment in December 2024. This is the reason why I am actually quite keen to write about this bit of news as this highlights efforts in the Malaysian automotive industry to be more outward looking.

Spotted for Sale: 2002 Nissan Sentra with ONE CAREFUL LADY OWNER...

 Now here we have a 2002 Nissan Sentra for your viewing pleasure courtesy of mudah.my, the buy-sell website that I go to when I want to dream a little. According to the advert this Sentra belongs to a 'Careful Lady Owner'. Fuiyoh!!! Do you believe in Santa Claus, totally honest Politicians or truthful advertising? 

Nissan Indonesia sells the styling looking CrossOver called the Juke...we get a joke

Here is another article to get your minds thinking a little. Last time I wrote about Perodua/ Daihatsu not giving us what Indonesia gets. This time it is Nissan Malaysia. 

Now Nissan Indonesia's idea of what an urban crossover vehicle that is chic, cool, hip, modern, hipster, tumblr, uber, rad and phoar is so much more chic, cool, hip, modern, hipster, tumblr, uber, rad and phoar compared to what Nissan Malaysia has in store for us. Take a look at what is offered by Nissan Indonesia above, and what Nissan Malaysia is offering us below.

The all-new 2015 Nissan X-Trail....2.0l or 2.5l?

The all-new Nissan X-Trail was launched about a month ago here in Malaysia and today, very early in the morning of the third day of the year of the Goat that I have decided to give my opinion on this SUV.

The 2015 X-Trail is based on the latest Renault Nissan common module family platform and would be used by both Nissan and Renault to make lots of cars. Right now I know that this X-Trail is sold as the Nissan Rogue in America and the X-Trail elsewhere. A short wheelbase variant of this SUV is also produced and sold as the Nissan Qashqai or as Clarkson once called it, the Kumquat. Hey, I'm not the only motoring journo who likes giving new names to funny named Nissan if you get my drift. I suppose it has been quite lucky for Nissan Malaysia that they sold the X-Trail as an X-Trail instead of a Qashqai. It'll be a marketing nightmare trying to try sell the product. Cashcow you say? 

NISMO Almera - In this case, NISMO means (Nis)san, for (M)alaysia (O)nly.

Today, lets take a look at a popular B segment car that has supposedly been tuned by the performance arm of its manufacturer, the Nissan Almera Tuned by NISMO. I looked up the internet to check whether such a car existed over in Japan, Hong Kong and also Singapore. I found out they called the Almera the Latio in Japan, the Sunny in Hong Kong and Almera in Singapore too.

I also found out over at the NISMO website that NISMO does not actually officially sell a bodykit current model NISMO Latio/ Almera sedan over there. Nor is there such a complete NISMO tuned Latio or NISMO Sunny or NISMO Almera for Singapore. If you are telling me that it is sold in other markets other than this well, if it isn't actually sold in Japan, how relevant is your argument compared to mine then?

To Infiniti or Not To Infiniti....

The Infiniti Q50

Infiniti is a budding car company here in Malaysia. Not a whole lot of Malaysians would know what an Infiniti car is. This is because Prior to the 1990s, there was no such thing as an Infiniti. An Infiniti is actually Nissan's luxury car marque that they use to target the premium motoring segment in where a regular Nissan would not be able to. This is very similar to what Toyota is offering when they started Lexus.

Opinion: Of Nissan Teana and Nissan Sylphy - CVT on the old and new models.

It may be very okay to buy this new 2014 Teana.....

...but not very okay to buy this previous Teana.

I just noticed that the new Nissan Sylphy and the new Nissan Teana....have the same engine and gearbox. Note that the earlier Sylpillis, er Slyphy...no, Sylphy and the earlier Tena, no, that's an adult diaper were running the same CVT gearbox and different engines. This time, both have four cylinder Nissa-Renault MR Series 2.0liter engines running a slightly modified CVT gearbox. You also get the same engine and transmission in the recently launched Renault Fluence (which I totally forgot was also recently launched - makes you wonder how much I was looking forward to it being around Malaysia).

All-New Nissan Sylphy open for bookings - But most importantly, it has rear disc brakes

Disc brakes are an important milestone for the Sylphy (NOT SLYPHY - WHICH I HAVE BEEN MISSPELLING AS ITS SO DARN HARD TO SAY AND SOUNDS LIKE A DISEASE IN THE FIRST PLACE). The current model sold here was the only 2.0liter C-segment or small family car sold in Malaysia with drums brakes at the rear. Not that it couldn't stop very well, it had the usual ABS and EBD (brake assist) which makes brakes work tremendously well these days. But drums brakes, as I've stated in an earlier article about the Sylphy is suitable on a Ford Anglia or a 1954 MGTF. Or a DATSUN 120Y, if you want to play heritage with a Nissan. It is time for disc brakes all round and at last Nissan as put this on the now available for booking all new Nissan Sylphy. 

Nissan Sentra, New since the year 2000 - If this were a Proton, Malaysians would be screaming murder

Right now I am watching Ultraman on NTV7, having a nice cuppa tea whilst typing this. The Ultraman episode on TV must be quite new (circa 2008) as cell phones, graphics seem up to date. Ultraman still wears a jumpsuit and still has that blinker on his chest. Some things stay the same. Much like the Nissan Sentra 'Sport' sold over here in Malaysia (see above). Soldiering on since 2000.

Last I checked we are now coming to the middle of the second decade of the 2000s and if you checked the Nissan Malaysia website today, you'd notice that they're still selling a car which was first sold in the year 2000. The Nissan Sentra is still on sale over here in Malaysia!!!! If this were a Proton, Malaysians would say that the local car company is trying to kill us all by selling outdated cars, take our money by not giving us any options, continue to make profit by selling us outdated cars and other stuff. But here we have Nissan still giving us the same piece of dull family transport year after year after year. Of course, some may say that you don't see any on the road and that this is just Nissan wanting to clear stock.

Nissan Almera NISMO Package - Why I suggest you should save your money instead.

Oooo....check out the photo...three men standing under a sign that shows 'male'

Currently the best selling non-national car in the market simply because it is fresh and new (before the launch of the all-new Vios. Nissan has a NISMO package for the car and you can buy it together with the Almera or separately. In short you can upgrade any Almera that had been purchased prior to the launch of the Nissan Almera NISMO packages.