PROTON to launch its new sedan in two months time - Expect it to be the new Persona if it's based on the Geely Emgrand

At the presentation of Malaysia cultural handicraft to national athletes for them to present to the Asian Games Museum in Hangzou, China during the upcoming 19th Asian Games, the CEO of Proton, Dr Li Chunrong, had announced that the company will be launching a new sedan within the next couple of months as well as  announcing that their Electric Vehicle will also be launched soon after that. Fingers crossed it happens as scheduled!

The news is indeed quite a juicy bit for those who want a Proton but want a sedan rather than a SUV. As for the EV, that folks, is the upcoming smart #1, which should be launched a few weeks after that and that has been blogged about here.

smart Malaysia has allowed us to show you the stunning interior of their upcoming (to Malaysia) smart #1 - We have also driven it so our Opinion is here

 Yup. A few weeks after we were invited to a preview of the soon to be launched in Malaysia smart #1 battery electric crossover we can now show you interior shots of the car with what we can say will be the trim that is selected for #1 sold in Malaysia. Barring last minute changes of course. Like I mentioned in the previous post, the smart #1 is a joint venture between Mercedes-Benz and Geely, so it features so many Mercedes-Benz touches that I feel that this is essentially a rebadged, slightly more entry level variant of the EQ range of electric vehicles that Mercedes-Benz produces. 

1st of April 2021 Marked the Official Transfer of UD Trucks to Isuzu Motors

UD Trucks was officially acquired by Isuzu Motors from the Volvo Group on the 1st of April 2021. This move was part of the completion of the strategic alliance between the Volvo Group and Isuzu Motors. There has also been the first round of management changes up top with new members to the UD Trucks board of directors. This is not surprising as these things usually happen when overall control of a company changes hands.

Editorial: New 2020 Nissan Almera Launches in Thailand - This Will Make Buying Compact Nissan Cars Good Again

The all-new Nissan Almera has been recently launched in Thailand. This is also called the Nissan Versa and Nissan Sunny over in the United States of America and in the Middle East respectively. This is one car which Nissan Malaysia must be itching their hand on as the current Almera (shown below), while still netting some sales is a distant third (or fourth) in terms of Japanese B-segment here. 

Proton Announces That They Have Received Over 10,000 Bookings For Upcoming X70 SUV - 2,000 From Their Online Site - Some Thoughts

The Proton X70 SUV hasn't been launched as yet but Proton have announced that they have collected over 10,000 bookings for their first ever SUV. Nearly 2,000 of those bookings came from their new online booking website and it seems to show that online bookings for Proton vehicles is promising.

Opinion: Bogward Previewed at the Malaysia Autoshow 2018 - Thoughts on the Bogward BX5 & BX7 Models

Bogward, the recently resurfaced German brand has shown its face here in Malaysia at the recent Malaysia Autoshow 2018 where they previewed their BX5 and BX7 models. This the the second time the Bogward name has been used, the first, and original Bogward started producing cars under various nameplates like Goliath, Hansa Lloyd and also Bogward from the 1920s to about 1963 when the company was forced into liquidation. Their most famous model was the Bogward Isabella, which was produced in both sedan and coupe forms.  

Analysis: Proton Sold 70,991 Cars in 2017 - More Improvements To Come In 2018

It seems that PROTON has managed to somewhat stem the tide in terms of overall falling sales over the past two years or so. The Malaysian car manufacturing company recorded an overall sale of 70,991 units for 2017. Whilst this was a slight drop from the previous year - 72,291 units in 2016, the actual facts behind the figures show a positive outcome for Proton rather a totally negative one.

Opinion: The Newly Unveiled Mitsubishi Xpander's Front End Styling is Scary so I try to fix it with Bad Photoshop. Come see...

The first thing I said when I saw photos of the newly unveiled Mitsubishi Xpander compact MPV crossover thingamajig over in Indonesia recently was 'Okaayyyyyyyyyyy......'. Then I thought that this MPV isn't so bad looking after all. It could just be horrible. 

I attended the International Automotive Aftermarket Conference by MAI and here are my thoughts about that as well as the industry as a whole

I was privileged to attend the second International Automotive Aftermarket Conference organised by the Malaysia Automotive Institute (MAI) earlier today. “Spearheading Technology, Enhancing Automotive Aftermarket Industry” This one-day international conference attracted 100 participants, consisting of local and international industry stakeholders, academia, automotive recycling associations, and Government agencies. 

Opinion: Thoughts on car prices & labour costs elsewhere and the soon to be replaced Honda CRV

I haven't had the time to really rave and rant in recent times. So today I think I should share more car related stuff with you folks out there as it's a sunday night as I type this and my mind is at ease. Well, maybe not so much at ease because tomorrow is the start of another week where a lot of things will be happening. 

Opinion: Those C segment features in your B segment car may cost you an arm and a leg later on

One of the latest marketing statement from Honda Malaysia made during the launch of their facelifted Honda City sedan is that it now provides "....Malaysians with A New City that has C-segment features at B-segment price". What this basically means is that with nearly the same amount of money as the pre-facelift model, you get more equipment. Or so it seems.

Automotive Industry Opinion: Porsche sold 5,589 cars in South East Asia last year - Malaysia is one of their key markets

Porsche sold about 5,589 Cars over in the South East Asian region in 2016. You may think that 5,000 cars is a small number but this is a premium luxury brand. Each car sold would cost an average of RM400,000 to 700,000 with or without high taxes. Multiply that by 5,000 and you see that is is a significant sum.

Perodua at the CarSifu Editor's Choice Awards & Some thoughts on the overall Awards given out.

Perodua won something with the Bezza at the CarSifu Editor's Choice Awards 2016. Something called the BEST FAMILY RIDE OF THE YEAR. Whilst it is good that Perodua won something. Congratulations is in order, but..... It would make sense if the award was for Best A-segment sedan or something like that. 

Opinion: Usually I see it as not a Car Problem but something else called the Owner Problem

Hello folks. I had to take a few days from writing as I believe I needed a short break away from writing stuff. I spent the long weekend doing everything else except sit at the computer. I think this is a good thing as it has refreshed me in some ways. And the fact that I think that there is more to life than just motoring per se. But I am back to tell you about what is actually happening to cars in Malaysia - the owner problem.

Editorial: When you buy a car, ensure you can afford to maintain it out of warranty regardless of anything

These days, nothing much surprises me in terms of car maintenance and repair costs. The figures I once thought to be reasonable for spare parts are actual figures that may have existed in the year 1975. In the days of GST, expensive tax and excise duties, high shipping costs and very high technology utilised in the parts (whether in the construction or in the materials used) have made spares cost a bomb. Which is why these days many owners end up maintaining their cars at the authorised service centers to ensure that their warranty is intact.

Thoughts on Urban SUVs and Pickup Trucks since a massive jam caused by flash floods had hit KL again this evening

The photos you see herein are supposedly taken earlier this evening. It was forwarded to me by a friend who got it from a friend who may have got them from his friend and so on. Two different locations. The one above looks like it is the entrance to University Malaya near Jalan Pantai Dalam and the other looks like somewhere along Jalan Bangsar or Jalan Tun Sambanthan. Both hit by flash floods caused by the heavy rain this evening. Local dailies have stated that up to 15 cars have been submerged and hundreds trapped due to rising waters.

Nissan Agrees to buy 34% in Mitsubishi Motors Corporation - With some thoughts on the matter

buys..eat...gobbles....takes over...conquers...purchases..

This was taken from Reuters. The whole article is also posted below but this is the gist of it with my comments following thereafter:

"1.Nissan Motor Co has agreed to buy a 34 percent stake in Mitsubishi Motors Corp, taking de facto control with a $2.2 billion bet that bails out its smaller, scandal-hit rival.

Ramblings on a Wednesday night - Spare Parts aren't cheap these days...except for....

I may not be as good as a BMW, but my spare parts are damn cheap!

It's been a slightly slow week for me in the automotive scene. I had other things to do and not much had gotten my attention. So today I'd just like to share a little bit of my thoughts on spare parts for car.

Compact SUVs are usually based on compact hatchbacks. Are they worth the extra money?

Here is something to get you folks to start thinking a little.

Compact Crossover vehicles - These are B segment SUVs. Small, compact and usually based on a small B segment sedan or hatchback and made larger. Usually manufacturers widen the chassis a little, raise it a little, slap on some larger tyres and slot in a larger engine too. Sometimes, stretch the chassis a little. But it is essentially the same car underneath.

Daihatsu Indonesia gets to sell the Copen Coupe....Why don't we get it here?

I wrote in 2010 that I thought it would be good if Perodua rebadged the then Daihatsu Copen into a Perodua. It would be a breath of fresh air in Malaysia as there would be a very affordable coupe for us Malaysians to have a go with. Well, it has been 5 and a half years since and during that 5 over years Perodua has now become the number one selling car brand in Malaysia, dethroning Proton. And nothing has changed.