Industry News: ASIA ADVANCED DRIVING ACADEMY (AADA) and Its Founder Kenvin Low receive international certifications

Mark Atkins, Chief Examiner (International) for DIAmond Advanced Motorist, UK (third from left) and Kenvin Low, Founder and CEO of Asia Advanced Driving Academy (fourth from left) flanked by the skilled trainers of AADA.

Asia Advanced Driving Academy (AADA) and Kenvin Low, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Founder of AADA, received four internationally acclaimed certifications from DIAmond Advanced Motorists and International Association of Driver Education (IVV), today. DIAmond Advanced Motorist is the largest professional membership body for drivers and rider trainers in the United Kingdom (UK) and has been an accrediting body across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia Pacific

Mercedes-Benz Services Malaysia's C-Class Coupé Financing introduced after the launch of the car today

Mercedes Benz Malaysia launched the C205 Mercedes Benz C-Class Coupe at Sepang earlier today. I wasn't there because I was at the Volkswagen Vento event and I then drove a UD Truck in Serdang. Too many events on one day and I don't have a teleporter. Anyway, the C200 Coupe, C250 Coupe and C300 Coupe was launched today and you can have the option to finance their C-Class Coupé alone or together with a comprehensive motor insurance* solution through Mercedes Benz Services Malaysia. 

TRUCK NEWS: UD QUESTER 8L launched to complement the Quester 11L - I manage to try one too

Tan Chong Industrial Equipment (TCIE), UD Trucks’ sole distributor in Malaysia, today introduced the new Quester 8L (litre) to the Malaysian market. With this new addition, UD Trucks now offers the widest range of affordable trucks to meet all kinds of business operations ranging from long haul, mining and distribution to construction work and regional transportation.

VOLKSWAGEN VENTO LAUNCHED IN MALAYSIA - THREE VARIANTS, PRICES START AT RM79,888 ONWARDS

 Vento Highline

Volkswagen Malaysia has officially launched the new Volkswagen Vento sedan in Malaysia. The word 'Vento' means 'wind' in Italian and Portuguese.  The locally-assembled Vento is available in three variants; the Trendline , Comfortline and Highline. Prices are from RM79,888 onwards. There is an early bird discount of RM2,000 if you place a booking now. Stocks are limited for this offer. 

Two engine options actually!!! Bringing prospective buyers more variety and choice.

MOTORSPORTS: Malaysian Drift Queen Leona Chin does us proud again with double podium finishes in the Renault Clio Cup China Series

Our local lady drifter, now race car driver has scored another good result in the Renault Clio Cup China Series. Fresh from her first podium finish ever in Zhuhai last March, she had now scored a back to back 2nd position finish at the 2nd leg of the Renault Clio Cup China Series which was held at the Korea International Circuit on the 14th and 15th of May 2016.

HYUNDAI’S IONIQ TO BE DISPLAYED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MALAYSIA AT MY AUTO FEST 2016

Hyundai Sime Darby Motors has officially announced that they will be displaying their new plug-in hybrid car at MY Auto Fest 2016 at the Mines International Exhibition and Convention Centre (MIECC) on the 20th to the 22nd of May 2016.  The Hyundai IONIQ is the world’s first model to offer three electrified powertrains on a single, dedicated vehicle platform namely the IONIQ Hybrid, IONIQ Electric and IONIQ Plug-in. 

The hot Volvo S60 T6 officially on sale in Malaysia and we get a SHORT TEST DRIVE in one

 Volvo Car Malaysia launched the S60 T6 variant of their premium compact sports sedan with a very engaging presentation by Managing Director, Mr Lennart Stegland (pictured above - right and below). This event marks his first official engagement with the Malaysian media and he basically explained to us Volvo Car's Powertrain Strategy. This was partly due to the fact that the path of future Volvo Cars has been chartered for at least ten or so years with their Drive-E philosophy taking center stage. 

Latest India NCAP tests show zero rating results for the cars tested.

The latest Indian NCAP results for crash tests have been released. The Renault Kwid (an A segment crossover hatchback thingy), Maruti Suzuki Celerio (an A segment hatch), Maruti Suzuki Eeco (essentially a minivan), Mahindra Scorpio (the infamous 'Inspector Sahab' jeep) and Hyundai Eon (another A segment hatch) all showed low levels of adult occupant protection with a zero star rating. So 'low levels' of adult occupant protection is actually an understatement. 

TEST DRIVE: The 2015/2016 Peugeot 508SW THP - Station Wagons are cool to have actually

What are the French good at? Quite a lot actually. They gave us a whole lot of good food like croissants, baguettes, foie gras, escargots, the macaron but not French fries. They gave us great engineering architecture like the Eiffel Tower, the Versailles and the Arc Du Triumph. They gave us haute couture or high fashion and a lot of words that the English language uses - like abattoir, banquet and cabriolet . But to us motorheads, they gave us cars. Like this Peugeot 508 THP SW I had been driving around for a few days.

The current State of the Commuting for Malaysians is bleak, Ford Survey Shows

I quite admire Ford Motor Company and Ford Malaysia actually. They've actually paid money and commissioned a new survey surrounding the state of commuters in the Asia Pacific Region. And this basically means data about us Malaysians when it comes to commuting by car or by road transport. 

Come to the MY AUTOFEST 2016 at Mines and you may get to see a new Honda you've been waiting for.

The MY AUTOFEST 2016 will take place this weekend - from the 20th to the 22nd of May 2016. It is a sales oriented auto show but as it is organised by the Malaysian Automotive Association most of the better known manufacturers are there. I also heard that Honda Malaysia have a surprise for us if all goes well.

All-New Mercedes Benz C-Class Coupe Malaysian launch soon. Prices & Specs are out.

Mercedes Benz Malaysia will be launching the new C-Class Coupe very, very soon. I have just received the price list sent by two or three of their sales personnel from various branches (they're very excited). Three models, all in CBU form - the 184hp Mercedes Benz C200 Coupe AMG-Line - comes with 18inch wheels, the 211hp C250 Coupe AMG-Line - 19inch wheels and the 245hp C300 Coupe AMG-Line.

Spotted on the streets: Toyota Sports 800 - Classic Japanese sports cars way before JDM was cool

This is a rare car that has been spotted by long time reader Siva Bhakta. It is a Toyota Sports 800 from 1965 or thereabouts. He managed to chat up the owner who also mentioned that there was at least fifteen or so of this car in Malaysia. That is quite a number as according to sources like Wikipedia, 3,131 units were made and about 10% have survived to this day (with most in Japan).

Spotted over the weeked: My Precious..or the area is a total crimezone.

This was spotted by a friend over the weekend. Note the steering wheel chained with a huge padlock and a steel bar that connects to the pedals. I think the bar was what was left of a pedal lock and the owner had improvised with what he had. 

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.

Mercedes Benz Malaysia & Hap Seng Star Launches City Service Center in Kuala Lumpur

Mercedes Benz Malaysia (MBM) together with authorised dealer Hap Seng Star (HSS) has officially launched the first Mercedes Benz City Service center located along Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah (Jalan Ipoh). This center is a full fledged 3S center right smack in the middle of Kuala Lumpur. This is the first of this sort of facility in a downtown KL location where usually it is just a sales center instead of providing a one stop shop for everything Mercedes Benz. 

Volkswagen launches a new 3S Center in Alor Setar

Volkswagen Malaysia and Lee Motors Autohaus Sdn Bhd have launched the Volkswagen Alor Setar 3S Centre. This is the first Volkswagen 3S centre and the only authorized Volkswagen dealers in Alor Setar, or Aloq Setaq to the locals.

FORD RANGER SOLD IN MALAYSIA GETS EXTENDED WARRANTY PROMO AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, THE RANGER XLT GETS REAR VIEW CAMERA

The Ford Ranger sold in Malaysia is now offered with a five (5) year warranty as a special offer from now through 30th June 2016. This applies to both the Ford Ranger 2.2L XLT and the Ranger 3.2L XLT. The warranty package is split into a manufacturer's warranty of three (3) years or 100,000km and an additional two (2) years or another 100,000km whichever comes first. 

SHELL LUBRICANTS VIA THE SHELL HELIX BRAND LAUNCHES MALAYSIA’S FIRST-EVER ENGINE WARRANTY PROGRAMME

Shell Lubricants has unveiled Malaysia’s first engine warranty programme that is linked with engine oil, the Shell Helix Engine Warranty (S.H.E.W). Vehicle owners who service their vehicles with Shell Helix Ultra with PurePlus Technology, Shell’s most advanced motor oil, can benefit from a warranty against lubricant-caused engine failures for up to 12 years or 200,000 km from the vehicle’s manufacturing date, whichever comes first.  The free warranty also applies to purchase of Shell Helix HX7.

Volkswagen Malaysia teases the upcoming Volkswagen Vento sedan

Volkswagen Malaysia is now accepting bookings for the soon to be launched Volkswagen Vento. It will be priced somewhere between RM80,000 to RM90,000 and will be powered by a 1.2L turbocharged and direct-injection TSI engine with an output of 105PS and a maximum torque of 175Nm. The power goes through the front wheels via 7-speed dual-clutch or direct-shift gearbox (DSG). Three variants will be available. 

Ford launches the all-new Ford Everest SUV in Malaysia

Another all-new SUV gets launched here in Malaysia folks. Ford Motor Company and its local distributor Sime Darby Auto Connexion (SDAC) have finally brought the latest, all-new Ford Everest to our shores. It looks properly chunky and I dig those wheel arches a lot.

New Toyota Hilux and Toyota Fortuner launched in Malaysia - Some thoughts

And meanwhile, Toyota have launched the all-new Toyota Hilux pickup and the Hilux based Fortuner SUV here in Malaysia. The Fortuner is based on the Hilux and both benefit from a more rigid chassis and a more rigid chassis to body mounting setup. More rigidity means a lot of things but what you do get is less NVH (Noise Vibration Harshness) inside, better road manners. More refinement overall. More looks too, especially the Fortuner. Very modern and a lot of Lexus styling cues making this no longer looking like a budget looking SUV. 

The Proton Preve with Four Years and 48,000km under its belt - How does it perform?

Photo: Wikipedia...in order to protect the innocent from pain and suffering.

A few weeks ago I managed to get my hands on a first batch Proton Preve 1.6CFE. You know, the turbocharged version of Proton's latest C segment competitor that is sold over in Australia, Chile and a few other places. Of course, this is the Malaysia specced one. It is about four years old and had already covered about 48,000 kilometers. This means that this car had covered about 12,000kilometers per year and you could say that it is a report on how the car lasts after a good four years.

BMW Vision Next 100 Concept Car and a Japanese Anime BMW

1983 was the year when the Crusher Joe anime cartoon movie was released over the Japan. It was based on a series of Japanese light sci-fi novels that told the story of a group of anti-heroes that travelled the universe and did lots of stuff including terraforming planets. I think the stories were set sometime in 2170 or thereabouts. More than a hundred years from 2016. 

A Malaysian Man - My Other blogsite

If you folks aren't aware yet ..... I have another blog called A MALAYSIAN MAN. This is where I record my journey on how to dress well in tropical weather Malaysia. I review what I wear or use and give people a heads up on how to look prim and proper in this crazy heat and humidity. Yes. Aside from blabbering about cars, trucks and buses, I blabber about how I dress and what menswear stuff is appropriate or not.

CALTEX Improves their Caltex™ with Techron® fuel and the “Caltex Fun Truck” Contest

Second from left – Shahid Ahmed, General Manager for Products in Malaysia, Singapore and Cambodia, Chevron Malaysia Limited Centre – Dato’ Basaruddin Bin Sadali, Deputy Secretary General of the Ministry of Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism Second from right – Greg Engeler, Product Engineer Manager of Chevron Asia Pacific

Caltex have just launched the new and improved the Caltex™  with Techron® fuel that it markets and sells in Malaysia. Caltex has reformulated its signature additive package with the addition of new Clean & Glide technology.

INDUSTRY NEWS: DATO’ SRI SYED FAISAL ALBAR APPOINTED PROTON NON-EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN

Some news on who is taking over Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed's place as the Chairman of PROTON.

PRESS RELEASE

DATO’ SRI SYED FAISAL ALBAR APPOINTED PROTON NON-EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN

Caltex Lubricants Roadshows in the Klang Valley in conjunction with the Power of X with CALTEX™ and X-MEN: APOCALYPSE

There are Caltex roadshows around the Klang Valley in conjunction with the Caltex promotion for the Release the Power of X with CALTEX™ and the upcoming X-MEN: APOCALYPSE film.

Pioneer Brings Apple CarPlay(TM) to its aftermarket in-dash car receivers for the Malaysian market

Apple CarPlay on the AVH-X8850BT

Pioneer's AVH-X8850BT, AVH-X8750BT and AVH-X8650BT In-dash Car Multimedia Receivers can now access Apple CarPlay in Malaysia. If you have an IPhone and want an aftermarket double DIN multimedia/infotainment system with proper IPhone connectivity you can try one of the models mentioned herein.

PRESS RELEASE

Pioneer Brings Apple CarPlay(TM) to Malaysia 2016-04-29 10:00

New Ford Ranger’s Class-Leading Water Wading Tested in this Ford Ranger video

A bit busy today to be posting more articles. Here is one of Ford's articles on the Ford Ranger series of videos. Interesting. You can view it at their Facebook page here. Or you can go to their Ford Ranger website here. All of the four Ford Ranger video specials are there for your viewing pleasure.

PRESS RELEASE

Ford Ranger Presents: Built Ford Tough

Deep Water Test: New Ranger’s Class-Leading Water Wading Tested to the Limit

Truck News: Volvo FH16 featuring I-Shift transmission with crawler gears faces an extreme heavy haulage challenge - 750 Tonnes

 Sometime last month Volvo Trucks featured a...well, Volvo Truck that pulled about 750 Tonnes - a road train. I just found the time to look through it and it is actually pretty interesting. The Volvo FH16 features the I-Shift gearbox fitted with crawler gears and 750hp state of tune running the power through the strongest heavy duty axle from the product range. 

TEST DRIVE: THE Facelifted 2016 SUBARU XV 2.0i-Premium - Very nice, but I dream about turbocharged Scoobies a lot...

The Subaru XV is something that has been a relative sales success for Subaru in Malaysia. This was the first Subaru that has been locally assembled in Malaysia in recent years. Well, I cannot remember any Subaru being locally assembled over the past twenty five years or so actually. What has happened is that for the first time ever this quirky Japanese car maker has actually sold more than a handful of units per year in this country. It shows, as here in the Klang Valley you see the XV everywhere. At least one a day at the minimum. This is partly due to the new found affordability (due to CKD status), word of mouth and more mainstream looks (for a Subaru). This is a good thing as Subaru make cars slightly different from the normal Japanese stuff.

Volvo Car Malaysia at the RHB-SHIMANO Highway Ride - Volvo Life Paint, Volvo V40 Adventure Package and some XC90 news

Note the backdrop here and when you view the other photos down below.

Yesterday I went to a cycling event, the RHB-Shimano Highway Ride. This was a night cycling event and it was held on the LEKAS Highway. A stretch of the highway was closed to motorists from around 5.00pm to 3am earlier today. This must have caused some traffic jams in the surrounding area as some would have forgotten to bypass this stretch. Anyway, there were at least a couple of thousand people at around starting time (about 8.00pm) with participation from at least 16 countries. Volvo Car Malaysia, in conjunction with their authorised dealer, Clear Marque Sdn Bhd and the event organisers, Go Sportz Sdn Bhd were there. They showed off the Volvo V40 with their newly advertised 'Adventure Package' and also to launch a unique water based reflective spray paint called Volvo Life Paint.

FORD GO FURTHER ROADSHOW at the 1 UTAMA shopping centre this weekend - 27-2nd May 2016

This is just to inform you that there is a 'Ford Go Further Roadshow' at 1 Utama shopping mall in Petaling Jaya this weekend.

PRESS RELEASE

Ford to Showcase Vehicle Lineup at ‘Ford Go Further

Roadshow’ at 1Utama

RENAULT ZOE FULL-ELECTRIC VEHICLE NOW OFFICIALLY AVAILABLE FOR SALE IN MALAYSIA

Limited units of the fully electric powered Renault ZOE are available for sale in Malaysia to the public. The ZOE is available at RM145,888, on-the-road inclusive of GST without insurance for private individual registration in Peninsular Malaysia in Glacier White colour. Prior to this the car was made available for agencies to try out alternative modes of transport - like the chaps from GreenTech Malaysia for example (see the photo below - the ZOE at an event in Cyberjaya).

Students from the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM / UIAM) participate in Ford's Driving Skills for Life Programme

The Ford Motor Company (Fomoco) continued its efforts to raise road safety awareness in Malaysia through its global Driving Skills for Life (DSFL) programme.  After sessions with the German Malaysian Institute, Taylor’s University and Malaysian Multimedia University, the company recently hosting workshops for students at the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM).

MAXX OIL NanoPLUS range of engine oils is launched

MAXX Oil, an brand of engine lubricant oil which is formulated and made in the USA is distributed by Shift Performance Asia (M). Today the company has just launched the brand new Maxx Oil engine oil range called the MaxxOil NanoPLUS. 

The MINI brand celebrates 15 years

On 26 April 2001, the first new MINI came off the production line at the steeped-in-tradition manufacturing site in Oxford. Since the relaunch of the British brand, more than 2.5 million vehicles have been manufactured at this location. 

Short Test Drive: 2016 Jaguar XF Prestige 2.0liter

I tried out the all new Jaguar XF Prestige 2.0 at the Malaysian launch of the XF here in Subang Jaya. This is one of two models available here in Malaysia. The XF Prestige gets 17-inch Lightweight 15-spoke wheels, perforated leather seats, metal tread plates with Jaguar script and multi-function soft-grain leather steering wheel. The other being the XF R-Sport gets a sport suspension, 18” Helix 10-spoke wheels and R-Sport bodykit, R-Sport branded multi-function soft-grain leather steering wheel and R-Sport branded metal tread plates. However, the test units were all Prestige models with different options including larger wheels and tyres. I drove one with fatter 20inch wheels. The one on the left. In that nice Italian Racing Red.

All-New Jaguar XF launched in Malaysia - Two Variants at the moment and priced from RM450,000

White XF R-Sport

The All-new Jaguar XF, which sits between the recently launched XE and the top-of-the-range XJ, was launched earlier today. What it does is that it renews Jaguar's challenge in the mid-sized luxury car segment. 

For the Malaysian market, the fully imported All-new XF is available in two variants -- the XF Prestige and XF R-Sport. They are priced from RM450,000 for the Prestige and from RM460,000 for the R-Sport. Prices include GST but exclude registration, road tax and insurance. 

Spotted for Sale: 1980 Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV 2.0 - A real beauty if you ask me

Now this is a unique car that has been Spotted for Sale over at mudah.my. It is an Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV 2.0 from 1980 that has been rebuilt from the ground up by the looks of it. It has a baremetal respray of the body, an overhauled engine, new alloy wheels and tyres and a proper suspension upgrade.

TEST DRIVE: Renault Clio GT Line - A baby Clio RS?

The Renault Clio GT Line is the third car in the current Renault Clio line-up. The first that was launched was the Clio RS and the second was the Renault Captur, which to some extant is a Clio crossover vehicle with a different name. The Clio GT Line is the smallest sized conventional powered Renault you can buy in Malaysia (but not the cheapest), bar the electric Twizy and Zoe models of course.

Shell unveils a City Car concept by Gordon Murray

 Shell had recently unveiled a city car concept which could use very little energy expenditure in terms of road transport. This Shell Concept Car is a rethink of the T.25 City Car concept that Gordon Murray envisioned sometime in 2010. If you aren't aware, Mr Murray was instrumental in the design of the McLaren F1.

Mitsubishi Motors is...how shall I say this.... in deep shit at the moment

Mitsubishi eK Wagon - A Kei Car involved in the emissions scandal. Eeeeeek!!!!!! Help!!!!

This was taken from the BBC.com website. I like websites like the BBC over something like Berita Harian or Utusan Malaysia for news of this sort as the source is usually credible (Just a cheap potshot there for the heck of it). 

Mitsubishi is in deep deep trouble. Two articles from here and here are posted below with my comments following:

RENAULT CAPTURE ROADSHOWS - Featuring 3D Interactive art and the Renault Captur

There is a Renault roadshow happening right now over at Setia City Mall. It began yesterday, the 21st of April and will run to this Sunday, 24th of April 2016. There is an interactive 'Capture Life in 3D' experience showcase in this series of roadshows, which will proceed to Sutera Mall in Johor Bahru, Gurney Paragon in Georgetown and Sunway Pyramid in Petaling Jaya.

Someone is driving a hundred year old Ford Model T around the world!!!!!

Holy French Fries! Someone is actually driving  round the world in a 100 year old Ford Model T. This is the famous Model T which made cars a mass produced item. Henry Ford perfected the assembly line with this car and a hundred years later, in the age of sat nav, air conditioning, adjustable suspension, someone is trying to drive it around the world in something so ancient. 

New 3S Center for Volksagen in Semenyih launched, news on the recent sales promo as well as new models

I was over in Semenyih to witness the launch of the VOLKSWAGEN Semenyih 3S Centre. The launch was officiated by Volkswagen Malaysian and the centre operators, HICOM Auto Sdn Bhd and it is huge - it spans a total of 34,030 sqft, the Volkswagen Semenyih 3S Centre showroom is able to fit 8 car displays and a customer lounge, while the service centre has a total of 11 service bays manned by 12 experienced and trained aftersales staff.  HICOM Auto Sdn Bhd has invested RM10.7million towards the overall build up, purchase of Volkswagen approved equipment, aftersales, training and staff acquisition – this 3S centre will be able to cater to the southern Klang Valley and customers from Semenyih, Kajang, Balakong, Putrajaya and Nilai.