MERCEDES-BENZ MALAYSIA 3RD Quarter 2016 Performance Report - On the way to another record year with 9,047 cars delivered between January-September 2016

 Mercedes-Benz Malaysia (MBM) is on the way to another record year in terms of sales and growth. The Mercedes-Benz brand is still the number one premium automotive brand in Malaysia with 10% growth and 9,047 cars delivered to customers in the first nine months of 2016. Seriously folks, there may be an economic slowdown in various sectors but not here. And definitely not for the people who are buying these Mercedes-Benz cars.

Perodua market share estimated at 36.1% year-to-date, 20K Bezzas delivered

And meanwhile, over at camp Perodua, over 20,000 Perodua Bezza compact sedans have been delivered throughout Malaysia! The Malaysian company which specializes in small compact cars have also announced that their total industry volume, or in layman's terms market share, to be estimated at 36.1% as the the year to date. 

A short update - the Proton Saga Executive 1.3 CVT, on a trip with it to Ipoh and back to KL

I am in Ipoh, Perak today! This happened as part of the New Proton Saga media drive. I must say that the trip down in the mid specced Saga Executive 1.3CVT is quite nice.

Sunday Lite: Why the Ford Mustang is cool

Steve McQueen. 'Nuff said.

New Renault Koleos is now launched and available at all Renault Showrooms nationwide

The all-new Renault Koleos – Renault’s new flagship SUV – is now launched and available in Renault showrooms nationwide. The fresh looking SUV is available at the introductory price of RM172,800 in Peninsular Malaysia and RM116,800 in Langkawi (on-the-road inclusive of GST, without insurance and for private registration).

PROTON SEARCH CONTEST 2016 WINNER ANNOUNCED - LONGEST SINGLE OWNER PROTON WITH MOST MEMORABLE STORY WINS A NEW PROTON SAGA

I was at Proton's Center of Excellence this afternoon for one of those truly unique and heartfelt motoring events that only happens every few years or so. Proton had announced the winners for the Proton Search Contest 2016 where they invited Proton owners who had owned the longest running, decent condition Proton cars out there to participate and also required them to share warm memories of their cars either through written stories or short videos. 

Volkswagen Driving Experience this 15th & 16th October 2016 in Johor Bahru

This is just to inform you readers out there that there will be a Volkswagen Driving Experience event this weekend at Angsana Johor Bahru Mall on the 15th and 16th of October 2016. If you are in JB during this coming weekend, do head over for one of those motoring experiences that usually only money can buy. This one is free. Courtesy of Volkswagen Passenger Cars Malaysia.

The all-new G30 BMW 5 Series is revealed

This is finally it. The seventh generation of the G30 BMW 5 Series Sedan has been revealed and it further evolves the styling of its predecessor, the F10 5 Series. This new one will definitely make its mark when it hits the roads in markets around the world in February 2017 - we should get it at the very least two months or so after that usually (which is still darn fast by Malaysian standards).

Limited Edition Range Rover 5.0 Supercharged designed by Piet Boon launched in Malaysia

In commemorating 10 years of durable and timeless collaborations with Land Rover, renowned Dutch based lifestyle designers, Piet Boon, today debuted his latest bespoke limited edition design Range Rover in Malaysia.

Volkswagen Wearnes Sg Besi 4S Centre Relocates to its new Facility just across the road from where it was earlier

If you've been frequenting or intend to visit the Volkswagen showroom and service center in Sungei Besi take note that it has moved to somewhere close by. The Volkswagen Wearnes Sg Besi 4S Centre has officially relocated to their their new 4S facility located at No. 8, Jalan Dua, Off Jalan Sungei Besi, KL. The new location, now fully operational and open for business, is located just across the road from where the earlier Centre was previously located. 

Hertz Is Offering Exclusive Car Rental Discounts to Singaporean and Malaysian Drivers Travelling to the United States

If you are travelling to the land of burger and fries,, the United States of America, and have the intention of driving yourself  now's the time to do so. Well, IF you have money to blow lah. HERTZ, that famous car rental company has an offer for those of us in Malaysia and Singapore. You can enjoy a 15% discount on cars from the Hertz Prestige and Adrenaline Collections as well as other top of the line vehicles. Note, as I said, if you have money to spend.

NEW PROTON PERSONA BOOKINGS HIT 12,000 IN TOTAL & NEW PROTON SAGA GETS 4,000 IN TWO WEEKS!

PROTON cars is on a roll. The All-new Proton Persona and the All-New Proton Saga have managed to be quite a sales success for them raking in over 12,000 and 4,000 bookings respectively. This is quite promising for them as the new Persona was launched on the 23rd of August and the New Saga was only launched on the 28th of September. A mere two weeks or so ago!

FINAL LOTUS 50TH CELEBRATION EDITION LOTUS OUT ON SALE - THE LOTUS EXIGE 350 SPECIAL EDITION

Lotus Cars has launched the new Lotus Exige 350 Special Edition. This is the final car in a series of three Lotus 50th celebration edition cars in conjunction with the celebration of Lotus' 50 years at Hethel. 

MAI AND PROTON COLLABORATE IN THE LATEST ROUND OF SUPPLY CHAIN & AFTERSALES DEVELOPMENT

L to R - At the launch - Chief Procurement Officer PROTON-Tuan Haji Hamizan bin Osman, MAI CEO-Datuk Madani Sahari & Mr. Rohime Bin Shafie, CEO Proton Edar

It was a whole day thing for me today at the Malaysia Automotive Institute (MAI). I witnessed the prize giving and conference for the inaugural Formula SEA ASEAN in the morning and then later in the afternoon, I attended the launch of the latest round Automotive Supplier Excellence Programme (ASEP) and Dealers Entrepreneurship Enhancement Programme (DEEP) conducted by MAI featuring PROTON with participation by its chosen vendors and dealers. 

UiTM student team walks away with RM35,000 at the inaugural Formula SAE ASEAN - Taylor's Uni students a close second!

Today I attended the Prize giving ceremony of the inaugural Formula SAE ASEAN at the Malaysia Automotive Institute (MAI) in Cyberjaya. Seven (7) teams from six (6) universities competed at the multi-stage design competition. This year's competition comprised of teams from Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Taylor's University, Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP), Inti International University and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). From there, the team from UiTM (car no 88) was the overall winner, with a close second by the team from Taylor's University (No 28). 

Volkswagen Group announces relocation of their regional after sales center to Johor - Operational by 2018

This bit of good news comes from Volkswagen Group directly. They group is moving their Regional After Sales center for the Asia Pacific region to Malaysia! This means faster spares and faster spares means better after sales services.

Spotted For Sale: 1993 Nissan 300ZX with that Lambo look - And other WTF 300ZXs out there.

Here is another one of those cars that you can find whilst scouring mudah.my for nice used sports cars. However, I wouldn't really say that this is one of those 'nice sports cars'. How about a nicely done up, identity confused sports car? I think this is more apt. What we have here folks is a 1993 Nissan 300ZX Fairlady that has been worked into something that bears resemblance to a Lamborghini. Why? This is the million Ringgit question.

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. 

PROTON PERSONA PREMIUM CVT & PROTON PERDANA 2.4 BAG SOME AWARDS AT THE FIRST EVER CARSIFU AWARDS

Recently,  PROTON, the national car company managed to bag a couple of awards at the first ever Carsifu Editor's Choice Awards 2016. The very recently launched All-New, Persona Premium CVT (the mid-specced car)  had won Best Compact Car and the also freshly launched All-New Proton Perdana 2.4 won Best Local Design of the Year at the inaugural CarSifu Editors’ Choice Awards 2016. Congratulations to Proton cars is in order.

Happenings: Perodua Fun Walk 2016 in conjunction with the National Sports Day

Managing Director of Perodua Sales Sdn Bhd, Dr. Zahari Husin (right), set off an air horn to release the participants of Perodua Fun Walk 2016. Also in the picture is Mr. Takamasa Kurinami, Executive Director of Perodua.

It's National Sports Day here in Malaysia today folks and I was busy taking a long afternoon nap just now. The reason was that I had to wake up early today and send my kid to her school for her school sports day today held in conjunction with the National Sports Day. So I sent her, went out with the missus for some fabric shopping in SS2 (we ended up not buying anything) and then later went over to the little kiddo's school and ate nasi lemak whilst waiting. After that I went home and fell asleep on the sofa. So much for National Sports Day participation on my part. But anyway, Perodua did something today too!

ISUZU D-MAX BEAST wins ‘Best Dressed-up Pick-up Truck’ at the first ever Carsifu Editor’s Choice Awards

The limited edition Isuzu D-Max BEAST triumphed in the ‘Best Dressed-up Pick-up Truck’ category at the first ever Carsifu Editor’s Choice Awards organised by Star Media Group. Isuzu Malaysia Sdn Bhd Executive Director Hajime Machimura (3rd from left in the photo above) received the award from Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Lee Chee Leong in the presence of Star Media Group Chairman Datuk Fu Ah Kiow, chief operating officer Calvin Kan and chief revenue officer Lim Bee Leng at a gala dinner on the 6th of October 2016.

Ford starts producing more Ford Ranger pickup trucks in Thailand to meet demand & photos of a Ford Ranger Wildtrak

A bit of regional automotive news now folks. Ford Motor Company has announced the official start of production for the Ford Ranger pickup truck at its Ford Thailand Manufacturing (FTM) facility to help meet extraordinary demand across the Asia Pacific region.

TRUCK NEWS: TWO BRAND NEW SCANIA TRUCKS ADDED TO SMG MEGA SAPPIRE'S FLEET

 Haji Idros, Sales Director od Scania SEA (2nd from right) handing over the key to the Scania truck to the Directors of SMG Mega Sappire.

SMG Mega Sappire Sdn Bhd (SMG) has added two new Scania trucks to its fleet as part of its expansion to cater for the increase in the haulage and loader business. The keys to its two latest P410LA6X2MSZ trucks were handed over to the Managing Director of SMG, Mr Kanapathy Raman Satish by the Sales Director for Scania Southeast Asia, Tuan Haji Idros Puteh today. 

AUDI MALAYSIA introduces the Q7 2.0 TFSI Quattro - The flagship Audi SUV gets competitive in terms of pricing

Don't you just love downsizing? Now you can buy a huge full-sized SUV (or house) and only pay less road tax for it! Audi Malaysia has just introduced the flagship Audi Q7 with a 2.0liter TFSI engine. This comes in close to a year after the official launch of the current Q7 with the 3.0 TFSI engine here in Malaysia. So you can have all the style of the largest SUV Audi offers with its more common and smaller engine (usually seen in the smaller A4, Q5, A6 models). 

The Ford Fiesta is 40 - Six Generations and 17 millions cars later.......

The Ford Fiesta is 40 years old already! Time flies. Since first little Fiesta rolled off the production line in 1976, there have been 6 generations of Fiesta with more than 17 million units produced to date. Ford is marking this special 40th birthday with a celebration of a car that is still keeping with the times and is innovative to this day. It is also the best-selling car in Europe for the past four years as it has been throughout the years.

Truck News: GIGA Shipping takes delivery of 2 HINO Truck Carriers & HINO announces sales of 2,551 units for the 1st Half of 2016

Earlier today GIGA Shipping, a subsidiary of Giga Maritime Group took delivery of two HINO SG2PDPA Prime Mover / Truck Carriers. The handover ceremony took place in HINO 3S dealer center, Soon Seng Truck & Parts Sdn Bhd. in Nilai, Negeri Sembilan. It was attended by Mr. Ken Iwamoto, Managing Director of Hino Motor Sales Malaysia who presented the trucks to Datuk Kumar Prabakaran, Managing Director of GIGA .

Automotive Industry CSR: Caltex Fuel Your School Programme to Help Fund Classroom Projects in Kelantan and Pahang this year

Chevron Malaysia Limited, which markets the Caltex® brand, continues its annual Caltex Fuel Your School programme (“the programme”) in partnership with MyKasih Foundation this year. This marks the fifth year Chevron Malaysia / Caltex is running this CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) Programme which benefit schools (which are chosen and those that need additional help the most) within the communities that Caltex operates throughout Malaysia.

The original BMC, BL (and maybe Rover) Mini and its Riley Elf, Wolseley Hornet, Mini Moke, Clubman, Countryman & pick up variants at the Auto Bavaria Mega Fest 2016

Lots of original, classic British Motor Corporation / British Leyland (and maybe Rover) Mini (with their owners, obviously) attended Auto Bavaria's Mega Sales event a couple of weeks ago. Here are some photos of it. Note the Riley Elf variant above and below (the one that has a different front and rear end). The Elf was the 'luxury' version of the Mini together with the Wolseley Hornet - exterior differences between the two include a different grille and the dashboard  

Hyundai Motor is the 35th biggest brand in the world according to Interbrand’s latest annual global brand value rankings

The Hyundai Motor company is the 35th biggest brand in the world according to Interbrand, a leading  consultancy company that mainly deals with branding and its net contribution to the value of a company. The Korean company also moved up one place to 6 th in the global automotive industry top 10 brands, ahead of Audi, Volkswagen, Nissan and Porsche and is the 4 th most valuable high-volume automotive brand.

TEST DRIVE: THE 2016 FORD S-MAX 2.0L ECOBOOST® - Petrolheads with lots of Children would be happy with one of these

Abandon all hope for those that enter here. This is a nice phrase to use especially those who earn a modest income, married, have more than three children, a maid, a pet car or dog and can only have one car in their garage yet has the need for speed. This is also the case for those that need to carry a lot of people who are adults, like their parents, grandparents and grown up kids for holidays but love the thrill of driving. There is almost no hope for these sort of people. I mean, to have fun you'd need something like a properly stonking hot hatchback, like a Ford Fiesta ST. Or a Ford Ranger WildTrak 3.2 which could uproot a tree or two. But you need to carry people. Lots of them. 

Toyota Upgrades the Vios - A new engine and drivetrain finally as well as VSC for all variants

 2016 Toyota Vios 1.5GX

Good news! Toyota have finally upgraded the 3rd generation Toyota Vios! Launched in 2013, this time the edgy styled Vios gets a slight exterior tweak but most importantly, a proper engine and gearbox from the 2010s instead of still being stuck in 2002. 

Renault Captur sales promo - Enjoy a rebate of RM8,000 in the 'CAPTURE LIFE, CAPTURE STYLE, CAPTURE DEALS' promo

Capture Life, Capture Style, Capture Deals’,is the latest sales promo for the Renault Captur by Renault distributors TC Euro Cars here in Malaysia. Customers who purchase the Renault Captur will enjoy rebates of RM8,000 off the vehicle price of RM117,200 (on-the-road inclusive of GST, without insurance, for Peninsular Malaysia and private registration). 

Ford and Sime Darby Auto Connexion starts their Year End Sales Promo - The BIG DEAL Promotion is on till 31st December 2016!

Ford and local distributor Sime Darby Auto Connexion (SDAC) has announced their year end promotions by kicking off the Big Deal promotion. The Big Deal promo will offer customers attractive cash rebates on selected models nationwide until 31 December 2016.

ISUZU MU-X SUV TO PARTICIPATE IN THE 2016 BORNEO SAFARI

The Isuzu Mu-X SUV will participate in this year's Borneo Safari International Offroad Challenge. This is quite a unique thing as it would mark participation by Isuzu Malaysia Sdn Bhd. - a manufacturer taking part in one of the harshest off-road challenges out there.

Road Safety: GLOBAL NCAP's Vision Zero - Key points at the 2016 OECD International Transport Forum

I have published below the PRESS RELEASE by GLOBAL NCAP regarding their latest calls for improved vehicle safety. It makes for interesting reading if you are interested in what's going to happen next in the realm of vehicle safety.

ROADSHOW TO PROMOTE SHELL ADVANCE LIMITED EDITION PACKS WITHIN PENINSULAR MALAYSIA

Shell Advance is embarking on a Peninsular Malaysia-wide roadshow to promote its newly introduced, specially designed limited edition packs of its best-selling motorcycle engine oils. From now till November 2016, the Shell Advance mobile truck will be visiting more than 100 locations across Peninsular Malaysia to promote four variants of Shell Advance motorcycle engine oils that now come in limited edition packs – Shell Advance Ultra with PurePlus Technology 10W-40 (1L) and 15W-50 (1L), Shell Advance AX7 10W-40 (1L) and Shell Advance AX5 Scooter 15W-40 (0.8L).

MOTORSPORT: PERODUA Sponsors Nabil Jeffri in the GP2 Race Series

This piece of news is something that gives hope to Malaysians who intend to compete in the world stage. Perodua has announced that it is sponsoring Muhammad Nabil Jan Al Jeffri in this year's GP2 Race Series. Perodua joins a list of sponsors that include our Kementerian Belia dan Sukan (The Youth and Sports Ministry of Malaysia). At a young 22 years of age, he would need all the assistance he can get to be able to compete in the international level. 

Mercedes-Benz Malaysia launches the C-Class Cabriolet and the SLC Roadster

The Mercedes-Benz Dream Cars Collection is what Mercedes-Benz calls their sports cars and coupes. They have expanded the Malaysian official sports car line-up with the introduction of two new models, the all-new C-Class Cabriolet & the new generation SLC Roadster, offering a wider range of options for connoisseurs of dream cars.

Audi Malaysia and Swire Motors officially open Audi Puchong

So many things happened yesterday - F1 pre-race parties, car launches, a diesel fuel launch and showroom launches. Which brings us to this piece of news. Audi Malaysia has announced the appointment of Swire Motors as the latest authorised dealer for the Audi brand in Malaysia.  Audi Puchong has already begun operations early September at a temporary Audi Puchong Showroom located at the SetiaWalk Mall, with after sales support provided at a dedicated facility nearby. This interim arrangement will precede the construction of a fully-fledged Audi Puchong 3S centre that will begin operations in 2018. 

Happenings: At the Renault Sport Formula One Pre-Race Party at the Renault Flagship Showroom

I attended Renault's pre-race Formula One party yesterday. The event was organised by TC Euro Cars (TCEC), the sole franchise holder of Renault cars in Malaysia over at the Renault Showroom and lepak place over at Section 13 Petaling Jaya. A total of 120 lucky F1 fans yesterday were treated to a special appearance by Renault Sport Formula One™ team drivers – Kevin Magnussen (middle- right) and Jolyon Palmer (middle-left).

AUDI RS 3 SEDAN LAUNCHED OVER AT THE 2016 PARIS MOTOR SHOW - 400HP / 480NM 2.5LITER 5 CYLINDERS

Audi has launched the Audi RS 3 sedan at this year’s Paris Motor Show. The RS 3 Sedan is the first compact Audi sedan to bear the RS label. It will be sold under the “Audi Sport” label, with presales of the compact RS model first start in China and in the United States in spring 2017. The two countries must be the brand's most important markets for the RS models.

Kimi Raikkonen tries his hand at Fire Fighting and Fire Truck Driving courtesy of Shell V-Power

It is Formula One weekend here in Malaysia. So there have been lots of happenings here and there. This time, Scuderia Ferrari driver, Kimi 'The Ice Man' Raikkonen gets to try out a Fire Truck courtesy of Shell V-Power. 

Audi launches the Second Generation Q5 at the 2016 Paris Motor Show

The 2nd Generation Audi Q5 has been launched over at the 2016 Paris Motor Show. This popular compact luxury crossover SUV basically gets Audi's current, slightly more edgy styling compared to its more rounded looking predecessor bringing the Q5 more in line with current trends. A simple way to say how it looks like would be to take the newly launched (in Malaysia) Audi Q7 and shrink it down a bit.

Honda Civic Type R revealed at the 2016 Paris Motor Show - Based on the hatch with production scheduled for 2017

Honda has revealed the CIVIC TYPE R concept car at the 2016 Paris Motor Show. It is based on the current and just launched Honda Civic Hatchback. What this new Type R is seen to have is a continuation of the current Civic Type R 2.0 turbo - a whole lot of aero addenda and that 2.0liter VTEC Turbo engine.

NAZA Italia reveals the Ferrari GTC4Lusso T in a simultaneous global debut with the official launch at the Paris Motor Show

Not too shabby for Malaysia eh? We actually get to view the newest Ferrari at the same time it is launched officially at the 2016 Paris Motor Show! NAZA Italia, official importer of the Ferrari brand in Malaysia, has unveiled the Ferrari GTC4Lusso T in a simultaneous global debut event. The reveal was held at the St. Regis Kuala Lumpur today, in tandem with the car’s official launch at the Paris Motor Show.

Renault Showcases New Models, Refreshed ones and a Concept Car at the 2016 Paris Motor Show

Renault is currently showcasing electric vehicles, new designs and a completely refreshed line-up at the 2016 Paris Motor Show. Significant models include the refreshed

 Renault ZOE electric car, the premiere of the Renault Koleos Initiale Paris and the Renault TREZOR Concept car.

BMW wins CarIT-Award 2016 - Magazine awards the BMW 7 Series' Remote Control Parking system as a leading technology system

Honestly, there are tons of awards for everything out there. There are awards for the Best of, the Worst of in every darn field you can think of. I searched on Google for the BEST UNDERWEAR AWARDS and lo and behold - the INTERFEEL AWARDS - "A selection of worldwide recognized professional of the intimates, swimwear and sportswear industry will reward the know-how and collections of Interfilière Shanghai exhibitors" came up. Wow. An award for Lingerie. So anyway, BMW just won something called the CarIT-(magazine) Award 2016 in the "Connected Car" field for their Remote Control Parking System in the BMW 7 Series.

THE ALL-NEW PROTON SAGA IS LAUNCHED - PRICES START FROM RM36,800 to RM45,800

The 3rd Generation Proton Saga has been launched. It comes in 3 variants – Standard (MT & CVT), Executive and Premium with prices starting from RM36,800 to RM45,800 in Peninsular Malaysia. 

The BMW M3 is 30 years old! - I reminisce on the E30 M3 a bit and let BMW tell the rest and a limited Ed Anniversary Model previewed - Lots of Pics!

The BMW M3 is 30 years old this year and its reputation today is totally peerless when it comes to the mid-sized sports car segment. In the mid 1980s, the very first M3 were homologated for the German Touring Car Championships and it won a whole lot of races obviously. It was this first M3, based on the BMW E30 3 Series that started it all. So much so that everyone wanted a E30 M3 back in the day. 

The Renault-Nissan Alliance and Microsoft to work together on next generation connected & autonomous driving systems

The Renault-Nissan Alliance and Microsoft Corp. have signed a global, multiyear agreement to partner on next-generation technologies to advance connected driving experiences worldwide. The companies will work together to develop next-generation connected services for cars powered by Microsoft Azure, one of the Microsoft’s intelligent cloud offerings. These new services will improve customer experience via advanced navigation, predictive maintenance and vehicle centric services, remote monitoring of car features, external mobile experiences and over-the-air updates.