Ford Ranger WildTrak now on sale in limited-edition new Jet Black

You can now for a limited time buy the very fantastic to drive Ford Ranger WildTrack pick-up in Jet Black. You get class-leading safety features, including six airbags, and driver assistance technologies like Lane Keeping Aid, Adaptive Cruise Control and Electronic Stability Control. 

A Special Volkswagen Offer by our JPJ...in some ways.

A once in a lifetime opportunity for Volkswagen enthusiasts has arrived courtesy of our Road Transport Department. As of the 21st of March, 2017, the RTD, or better known as Jabatan Pengangkutan Jalan Malaysia (JPJ) has started the "VW" car registration series and customers who purchase a Volkswagen car in the next couple of days will be one of the lucky few to own a Volkswagen with a VW number plate. Customers who are interested should quickly visit their nearest authorized dealers to find out more or to place a booking before the "VW" series ends. 

UITM’S ECO-SPRINT EMERGED AS CHAMPIONS AT SHELL ECO-MARATHON ASIA 2017

Our engineering students HAVE THE POTENTIAL to achieve greatness. Team UiTM Eco-Sprint from Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Shah Alam, Malaysia brought home victory for the fourth consecutive time with a result of 359.4km/m3 in the Hydrogen category, at the recently held Shell Eco-marathon Asia 2017 competition in Singapore. Emerging as the runners up in the same category, University of Malaya’s Eco-Voyager earned Malaysia a sweet 1-2 victory by achieving an improved reading of 255.7km/m3 (compared to the team’s previous reading at the competition last year)!

MITSUBISHI OPENS ITS NEW 3S CENTRE IN BAYAN LEPAS, PENANG

EON Auto Mart Sdn Bhd, a member of the DRB-HICOM Group of companies, and Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia today officially launched the new Mitsubishi 3S Centre in Bayan Lepas.  This is part of the company’s efforts to provide better customer experience for Mitsubishi’s owners in and around Bayan Lepas and the greater Penang region.

Our Cars/ Long Term Test: Continental MC5 on the C180 after 15,000km

This is a short piece since I am on vacation with the family. As you folks are aware, the Mercedes-Benz C180 W204 had been fitted with Continental MC5 aka MAX contact replacing the OE fitted Continental CSC5 tyres. Now since I have done around 15,000km on them it's time to review them.

Ford Continues its ‘Driving Skills for Life’ Programme with over 140 participants this time around

With the main aim to reduce road accidents in Malaysia, Ford and local distributor Sime Darby Auto Connexion (SDAC) organised another six sessions of their Driving Skills for Life programme, a flagship global corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme offering free-of-charge, hands-on driver training. Over 140 licensed drivers participated in this programme. 

Roadshow News: “Vento Turbocharged Tour” to be held at 11 selected locations across the country

Volkswagen Passenger Cars Malaysia (VPCM) will be organizing the “Vento Turbocharged Tour” which will be held at 11 selected locations across the country starting with the 18th and 19th of March at AEON Bukit Tinggi, Klang. 

Porsche Centre Penang officially opens its doors - Porsche Cayman 718 unveiled

Sime Darby Auto Performance (SDAP), the authorised importer of Porsche vehicles in Malaysia, recently officially opened the new Porsche Centre Penang to cater for the Northern region. This brand new 3S Porsche Centre Penang is strategically located along Jalan Baru in Seberang Perai, Penang, and is easily accessible from Penang Island via the first bridge.

Happenings: Continental Tyre Malaysia supports Malaysian Classic Volkswagen Enthusiasts on their road trip to Germany

Ah. Old Volkswagens. They do bring out some pretty nostalgic feelings in everyone. Usually some people just use them on weekend drives around their neighbourhood. Old Beetles and original Kombi Transporter vans get used sparingly by their owners and kept in pristine condition. But not these bunch of valiant people led by Mr Stephen Pang. They are on their way to Germany using 4 classic Volkswagens - three Kombis and a Beetle. 

Naza Kia Malaysia Set to Launch All New Grand Carnival before the end of the 1st quarter, 2017

Naza Kia Malaysia, who are the authorised distributors of Kia here has just announced that they will launch the all-new Kia Carnival MPV before the end of March 2017. According to the company, the Carnival will be the vehicle pushing up the sales of Kia Malaysia for the year. They forecast an increase of up to 25% for this year. Quite high hopes on this MPV by the looks of it. 

Offer alert: Chevrolet Malaysia's Double Bonus deals - Rebates up to RM6,000 and more for a new Chevy Colorado

Naza Quest Sdn Bhd the sole importer and distributor for Chevrolet vehicles in Malaysia is now offering the 'Double Bonus' sales promotion for the new Chevrolet Colorado. 

The new Porsche 911 GT3

I must say that everytime Porsche launches a new 911 GT3 I get very excited. The reason is because the Porsche 911 is in its purest form when it is a GT3. More so when it becomes a GT3 RS. However, the previous GT3 was not offered with the purest gearbox of all - the manual. Only a PDK box last time. This time, the new Porsche 911 GT3 gets all of its purity back as it is now offered with one again. 

Mofaz Exotic Car Brings The Mercedes-Benz Experience To Customers In The East Coast Region with the Mercedes-Benz Mofaz Kota Bahru & Kuala Terengganu 3S Autohauses

Mercedes-Benz Malaysia,  together with authorised dealer, Mofaz Exotic Car Sdn Bhd, has expanded its presence in order to serve its customers in the east coast region with the all-new Mercedes-Benz Mofaz Kota Bharu (above) and all-new Mercedes-Benz Mofaz Kuala Terengganu (below) Autohauses.

GO AUTO launches its new FULLY SYNTHETIC ENGINE OIL and the official HAVAL CLUB

Go Auto, the official distributor for Haval vehicles in Malaysia, has unveiled a new fully synthetic engine oil that is engineered with green technology to give more protection and mileage for up to 15,000km between oil changes. The Go Auto Fully Synthetic SAE 5W-40 SN, is also formulated to be more environmentally friendly as its friction modifiers and detergents ensure the engine is cleaner, thus lowering the carbon emissions.

7 Malaysian teams vie for top spots at Shell Eco-marathon Asia 2017 - We did very well in 2016, let's hope for more from our students this year!

120 Shell Eco-marathon student teams from Asia, the Middle East and Australia will be competing on the track in Singapore from March 16 – 19, 2017 in order to see who has designed and built the most energy efficient vehicle for the track. Their efforts will culminate in the Shell Eco-marathon Drivers’ World Championship Asia.

TEST DRIVE: THE PROTON PERDANA 2.4 - Does it feel better than the Perdana 2.0 and also a 1.5liter VTEC Turbo?

The car you see in the photos herein is the Proton Perdana 2.4. I remember saying in my initial road experience with the car last August that Perdana 2.0 variant gave away very little to this 2.4liter version. Aside from 400cc, a front strut bar in the engine bay, a front spoiler with side skirts, a slightly better infotainment system and a full leather interior, the Perdana 2.0 is essentially the same and would still get you from A to B quite comfortably. Of course, to put this theory of mine to rest I tried out the Perdana 2.4 for a while.

Sunday Lite: Yellow cars up in Genting

This pic was taken today by friend and occasional contributor to this blog, Mr Firdaus Asri.

Tractors: BMW Group subsidiary Designworks collaborates with John Deere on the Backhoe concept of the future

Let's get sidetracked a little. No cars, supercars or even normal commercial vehicles. BMW Group subsidiary Designworks has collaborated with tractor specialist, John Deere in designing the next generation of Backhoes. Backhoes are those multi-purpose tractors fitted with a loader-style shovel/bucket on the front and a backhoe on the back. Due to its (relatively) small size and versatility, backhoe loaders are very common in urban engineering and small construction projects (such as building a small house, fixing urban roads, etc.) as well as developing countries. And now Designworks gives us a concept for the future.

Truck News: 2016/2017 FUSO Diamond Contest prize winners announced!

 (left) Mercedes-Benz Malaysia Commercial Vehicles Vice President, Mr Albert Yee and a representative from authorised FUSO dealership, Kee Huat Auto Sdn Bhd, accepting the Mercedes-Benz C200 on behalf of 2016 FUSO Diamond Grand Prize winner, Puan Noraini Binti Abdul Haris.

Puan Noraini Binti Abdul Haris of I Aini Brilliance Enterprise walked away with a Mercedes-Benz C200 sedan in the recent prize giving ceremony of the 2016/2017 FUSO Diamond contest. The first-time FUSO brand customer, who unfortunately was not present at the ceremony, runs a logistics company with her husband took home the coveted Grand Prize of a Mercedes-Benz C200, an all-expenses paid trip to Japan and a visit to the FUSO Kawasaki Plant and Research & Development Center in, Japan, as well as service vouchers worth RM6,000.

Volkswagen Polo 1.6 now priced from RM69,888 for a limited time

Good news! Volkswagen Passenger Cars Malaysia (VPCM) is pleased to announce that the Volkswagen Polo 1.6 Hatchback is now priced at RM69,888* (*does not include registration and insurance. Applicable for Peninsular Malaysia only) for a limited time and with a monthly loan repayment of around RM737* only. 

RAINBOW ENTERPRISE GIVES OUT FREE EXTENDED WARRANTY PROGRAMME FOR RECONDITIONED CARS WITH GUARD MY RIDE

 Mr. Gerard Law, General Manager of GMR & Mr. Paramesvaren, representative of Rainbow Enterprise after launching the free extended warranty programme

I attended a small press event on wednesday which pertains to the fairly large reconditioned car market here in Malaysia (which makes it quite interesting actually). Rainbow Enterprise, one of the largest exporter of reconditioned cars from Japan is giving Malaysian car buyers free extended warranty coverage for the first 500 units registered commencing from 8th of March 2017. This special limited offer will be carried out through its partnership with Malaysia’s No. 1 extended warranty company Guard My Ride (GMR).

Auto Bavaria is the Official Vehicle Partner for the UNESCO Forum 2017 to be held in Kuala Lumpur from 14th to the 23rd March 2017

Auto Bavaria, the largest authorised BMW dealership group in Malaysia has announced that it will be the vehicle sponsor for the first Management of Social Transformations (MOST) Forum for the Asia-Pacific region in 2017. The event will take place from March 14th to March 23rd at the Sunway Putra Hotel, Kuala Lumpur.

Industry news: Malaysian automotive vendors keen to collaborate with Japanese counterparts

Recently a total of 44 Japanese automotive vendors and trading companies attended a business matchmaking session with a trade delegation consisting of 25 Malaysian automotive vendors held in Tsu City, Mei Prefecture yesterday. The event was hosted by Hyakugo Bank of Japan. Much like speed-dating in some ways where potential partners get to meet one another and see whether marriage of some sorts is possible. Business wise that is.

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.

New Peugeot 3008 SUV named "Car of the Year 2017"

The latest, newest Peugeot 3008 SUV has just won the Car of the Year 2017 award.  Comprising 58 European journalists (yup, a European thing, but since this is where the action is, the award is a big thing), the judging panel based their award on style, interior design and performance of the cars in contention. This prestigious trophy joins the twenty other prizes the new PEUGEOT 3008 has already won. The vehicle is the fifth PEUGEOT to win Car of the Year and the first SUV honoured in the history of the COTY prize.

Lucky Pakcik from Kuantan wins Volkswagen’s Biggest Angpow of the Year

I suppose this is a truly Malaysia thingy. A 53 Year old Pakcik wins the Volkswagen Passenger Cars Malaysia Chinese New Year Campaign's 'Biggest Angpow of the year'.  Mr. Syed Mohammed Sohaimi, who hails from Kuantan, Pahang qualified for the promotion after purchasing a Vento 1.2L TSI. 

Mercedes-Benz Malaysia issues a statement on the very recent recall announcement by Daimler AG

The official statement by Mercedes-Benz Malaysia is published down below stating the cause of the recent recall affecting Mercedes-Benz vehicles globally. It seems the starter motor will overload under certain conditions especially if the vehicle in question has suffered from a hydrolocked engine (water has entered the engine because of flood or other water immersion issues).

Range Rover Velar - The new compact luxury SUV from Range Rover

The global launch of the new Range Rover Velar (The Fourth member of the Range Rover Family) happened a couple of days ago at the design museum at London. The name Velar is actually an English word derived from Latin. It basically means Veil or something to do about how the tongue is used to pronounce the letter 'G' and 'K'. Quite a change from the first three models - The flagship is just called Range Rover, the second in line is called the Range Rover Sport and the smallest Range Rover of them all is called the Range Rover Evoque. The Range Rover Velar slots in between the Sport and the Evoque, rounding off a complete range of luxury SUV by the Range Rover brand of vehicles.

Mercedes-Benz Cycle & Carriage Bintang officially opens the Mercedes-Benz Cycle & Carriage Bintang Cheras Autohaus - Its 12th Outlet in Malaysia

A little bit more on Mercedes-Benz Malaysia from me. Mercedes-Benz Malaysia Sdn Bhd (MBM) together with their oldest and longest authorised dealer here in Malaysia, Cycle & Carriage Bintang Berhad (C&C) had earlier today officially opened the Mercedes-Benz Cycle & Carriage Bintang Cheras Autohaus (C&C Cheras).

Isuzu Malaysia launches the 3.0L D-MAX Single Cab while upgrading the current 2.5L as well

Isuzu Malaysia Sdn Bhd has introduced a new D-Max variant into their lineup, the Isuzu D-Max 3.0L single cab. According to Isuzu, this is the only 3.0L single cab pick-up available in Malaysia. This means that if you are a business owner with no need to carry lots of people or workers but need the convenience of a very powerful pick-up truck, this is it.

MINI Seven Edition - an Exclusive 30 units MINI 5 door for Malaysia

MINI Malaysia today introduces the New MINI Seven Edition for the Malaysian market. This is the first design model from the brands’ newest MINI 5 Door model. The new MINI Seven Edition is created as an homage to the original Austin Seven. This new MINI Seven basically pays homage to the original, properly tiny, small, compared to today's MINI cars which we first saw in the year 2000. Yes, it is a homage, a larger sized homage of a tiny car. 

MERCEDES-BENZ MALAYSIA officially opens its new corporate Headquarters and Training Academy

This is a heck of a building, the new HQ and Training Academy of Mercedes-Benz Malaysia! The new purpose-built facility located in Bandar Kinrara, Puchong is part of the company's longstanding investments in Malaysia. Now, this new corporate Headquarters shows their commitment and support of the nation’s automotive industry.

The All-New Volkswagen Tiguan is now Open for Booking! Price is estimated to be from RM149K to RM169K

Okay folks, Volkswagen is now accepting early bookings for the all-new, soon to be launched, locally assembled EEV (Energy Efficient Vehicle) tax break category, Volkswagen Tiguan. What this means is that Volkswagen's Tiguan will be priced closer to its size rivals like the Honda CRV and Mazda CX-5. There will be two variants - the Comfortline and the Highline and it will be priced between RM149,000 to RM169,000.

Alpine reveals first images of the new A110 before its official premiere at the Geneva Motor show.

Ahead of the Geneva Motor show, (Renault) Alpine has revealed the first images of the new two-seater sports car it will premiere at the Geneva Motor show.

Volkswagen Sg Besi Celebrates New Outlet with a Party for Customers

After three months of settling in and ensuring smooth operations – Wearnes Automotive today held a launch and appreciation night for its customers and media to celebrate the new Volkswagen Sg Besi outlet. The previous outlet happened to be earmarked for redevelopment by the landowners. 

Bentley Kuala Lumpur officially opens its flagship showroom and previews the Continental GT Speed BLACK SPEED by Mulliner

Last friday I attended the official opening of Bentley Kuala Lumpur's new flagship showroom here in Kuala Lumpur. Wearnes Quest Sdn Bhd, who have been the official importers and distributors of Bentley automobiles in Malaysia since 2008 had invited favoured guests, customers and members of the media to the grand opening of the showroom at Etiqa Twins, located right in the heart of Kuala Lumpur’s Golden Triangle.

Happenings: College student from MSU wins Perodua Axia in MYPerodua Nation Grand Prize

Mr. Ahmad Irfan Ismail was chosen as the lucky draw grand prize winner of Perodua’s first and biggest outdoor event, MYPerodua Nation carnival held in Shah Alam from 20th January 2017 to 22nd January 2017. The 25-year old college student from the Management and Science University (MSU) was presented with a key to a brand new Perodua Axia 1.0L Advance variant.

THE NEW & ENHANCED PEUGEOT 208 GTI IS NOW IN MALAYSIA

Nasim Sdn Bhd, the official distributor of the Peugeot brand in Malaysia, has introduced to the Malaysian market the new (2017 model year) Peugeot 208 GTi. Aside from the usual equipment upgrade and some cosmetic changes, the chage that has made me the happiest is the new engine. 

MICHELIN MALAYSIA AND FEI YUE TYRES OPENS FIRST TYREPLUS STORE IN SARAWAK

Michelin Malaysia has opened its first outlet in Sibu, Sawarak via its Sarawak distributor Fei Yue Tyres Sdn Bhd. This RM2 million TYREPLUS outlet is designed with the customer in mind and can cater for all types of vehicles whilst offering competitive prices too.

SHELL MALAYSIA'S EURO 5 DIESEL IS NOW AVAILABLE IN SABAH

Good news for diesel users in Sabah. Shell Malaysia today announced the availability of its Shell FuelSave Diesel Euro 5 - a high quality, fuel-efficient diesel at 8 retail stations along the west coast of Sabah. 

HONDA MALAYSIA'S 2016 sales report, 2017 hopes & dreams, some thoughts and the upcoming Honda City facelift

Some facts and figures from Honda Malaysia. Firstly, Honda Malaysia exceeded the set target to end 2016 with a sale of 91,830 units. 15.8% market share - no1 non-national brand in Malaysia and No. 2 in total industry volume in Malaysia. Wow.

Industry News: Tire Technology International names Continental 2017 Tire Manufacturer of the Year - Innovative steps in R&D, Testing and Production

Tyre manufacturer Continental  was honored by UK-based trade journal “Tire Technology International” with its 2017 Tire Manufacturer of the Year award. Continental was chosen by a panel of 27 judges from all over the world where is chose to recognise the company's efforts in its continuous investment in the fields of research & development, testing and production equipment.

MASERATI LEVANTE SUV now on sale in Malaysia

The Maserati’s first SUV, Levante is now available to Malaysian market. After previewing Maserati's first ever SUV sometime last August, NAZA Italia has now announced its official launch into the Malaysian market. In order to make sure that the Levante is competitive in terms of pricing and in terms of desirability NAZA Italia has decided to bring in the Maserati Levante in the 3.0liter turbodiesel form, making this Maserati fuel efficient and also road tax friendly too. 

New Volkswagen 3S Centre in Tebrau, Johor Opens

Volkswagen Passenger Cars Malaysia (VPCM) and WN Motorworld Sdn Bhd has officially opened the new Volkswagen Tebrau 3S Centre in Johor Bahru. WN Motorworld Sdn Bhd has invested a total of RM1.5 million into this 3S Centre, a marked upgrade from its interim (temporary) facility prior to this new showroom. It is now able to better cater and support both Volkswagen sales and aftersales services in the areas of Tebrau, Johor Bahru, Kota Tinggi, Pasir Gudang and locations around the Iskandar region. 

TRUCK NEWS: HINO Malaysia Launches the Upgraded Hino 500 Series Medium Duty Trucks in Malaysia

HINO has launched their second new truck range in Malaysia for this year. This latest generation of HINO 500 trucks is quite an improvement over the previous 500 series which has been around since the early 2000s. The 500 series is also the best seller in the Medium Commercial Vehicle (MCV) segment here in Malaysia and HINO is confident that the new truck would be well received. There are new commonrail direct injection engines, new safety features as well as added refinement in all variants offered.

SPOTTED FOR SALE: 2014 DAIHATSU COPEN Roadster UnReg

One of the cars which I actually like to see more on our roads is the Daihatsu Copen. A small Kei-car 660cc turbocharged roadster that could be mighty fun to own and drive. Of course, here in Malaysia, Daihatsu's presence here is curtailed in some ways by Malaysia's way of doing things - lotsa restrictions, high taxes, promoting a local car industry and overly cautious buyers who seem to care about resale value above anything else. 

Sunday Lite: Not Fast, but a Legend....

The owner of this Proton Satria for sale has a nice title header - tak laju tapi legend - Satria Car, not fast but a legend.

It is a 1.3liter Satria by the way. The owner really holds this car in high regard. Tooooo high regard. ' Angkat bakul tekan lift sendiri ka?'

PROTON LAUNCHES THE PROTON IRIZ HATCHBACK IN INDONESIA

PT PROTON Edar Indonesia, the official distributors of Proton cars in Indonesia had recently  launched Proton Iriz hatchback at FX Sudirman Mall, Senayan. Two variants are made available to the Indonesian market, 1.3L MT Standard and 1.3L CVT Standard, priced at IDR175,250,000 an IDR185,283,000, respectively. The cars will sold in 7 colours, Cotton White, Midnight Black, Sterling Silver, Atlantic Blue, Graphite Grey, Citrus Green and Fire Red.

SHELL MALAYSIA LAUNCHES NEW ‘ANTI-AGEING’ OIL FOR HIGH MILEAGE VEHICLES

Shell Malaysia has just launched a specialised Shell Helix engine oil that can help ‘fight’ the effects of ageing in a car's engine. The new Shell Helix High Mileage 15W 50 synthetic technology multi-fuel engine oil is specially formulated for passenger cars (both petrol and diesel passenger vehicles - not commercial vehicles) with Flexi Molecule Technology to offer customised protection to engines, especially those with more than 100,000 km on the odometer.