GO AUTO EXPANDS ITS REACH INTO BATAM, INDONESIA

Go Auto, the sole distributor for Haval vehicles in Malaysia have expanded their wings into Batam, Indonesia. The company continues its move forward by entering the car market in  Batam, Indonesia. Batam, is a free trade zone and it is Go Auto's first play into the Indonesian market. It is also part of their plans to make Malaysia an manufacturing hub for Haval brand in the ASEAN region. Batam is the latest market in ASEAN to be penetrated by Go Auto after it successfully started marketing Haval in Cambodia and Brunei.

Porsche Driving Experience launched in Sepang - to cater for enthusiasts in this region

Porsche Asia Pacific announced the commencement of the highly anticipated Porsche Driving Experience in Sepang, a unique programme catered for drivers who want to take their skills to the next level, step-by-step. It will be held at the Sepang International Circuit, an ideal location for Porsche’s programme both for customers and also enthusiasts. 

Motorsport: Tengku Djan Wins Drift Competition in Thailand after a four year hiatus from Drifting

Malaysian professional drifter, Tengku Djan had entered the Drift Competition (Thailand) 2017 at the  Songkhla Speedway in Amphoe Hat Yai, Thailand which recently happened on the 13th and 14th of May 2017. This was his first time entering a drift competition after a four year hiatus from the sport. Even with a lengthy hiatus, he had managed to win the Class A category of the event.

Volkswagen Ups the Production of the Tiguan in Malaysia due to demand...and adds a brand new colour to the line-up.

Volkswagen Passenger Cars Malaysia (VPCM) has begun scaling up production of the recently-launched, all-new Volkswagen Tiguan, in an effort to meet the demands of Malaysian consumers. Launched in April 2017, bookings of the new SUV have been strong and there is now a waiting list for the vehicle.

TRUCK NEWS: Volvo Trucks to Showcase their Premium Flagship FH Series at the Malaysia Commercial Vehicle Expo 2017 - Will Host a Panel Discussion on ASEAN Economic Community for the Transport Industry

Volvo Trucks’ latest premium flagship heavy-duty truck, the FH series, will be on display at the Malaysia Commercial Vehicle Expo (MCVE) 2017 from 18 to 20 May 2017 in the Malaysia International Exhibition & Convention Centre (MIECC), Kuala Lumpur.

PROTON SAGA IS COMPACT SEDAN OF THE YEAR AT THE DSF.MY & ALLIANZ GENERAL INSURANCE COMPANY'S VEHICLE OF THE YEAR AWARDS

Local motoring website Drive Safe and Fast (dsf.my) together with Allianz General Insurance Company recently held their VOTY or Vehicle of the Year awards. The new Proton Saga was awarded Compact Sedan of the Year. 

Sport cars: One-millionth Porsche 911 rolls off the production line

Porsche had recently built the One-Millionth Porsche 911. Quite a milestone for the iconic sports car. Quite incredible that there have been so many sold since 1963. It is a testament to the strength of the 911 and the Porsche brand. I mean, who would have thought that a sports car with the engine sitting right at the rear of the car would be the one that many dream of having. Or have owned (one million of them actually). 

Happenings: HRH The Sultan of Selangor officiates the Perodua Mosque in the Hulu Selangor District

Last Friday, the 12th of May 2017, was a special occasion for Malaysian compact car manufacturer Perodua. His Royal Highness Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah Al-Haj Ibni Almarhum Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Al-Haj, the Sultan of Selangor, had officiated Masjid Perodua,or the Perodua Mosque, the first mosque to be built by a corporate entity in the Hulu Selangor district in the state of Selangor.

Happenings: TANJUNG MALIM’S INAUGURAL PROTON-BANK MUAMALAT “JOM KAYUH MESRA ALAM” CYCLING EVENT

About 1,500 cycling enthusiasts, health conscious and environmentalist Malaysians participated in the inaugural “Jom Kayuh Mesra Alam” cycling event yesterday (Sunday, 14th May 2017). The event was jointly organised by PROTON Holdings Bhd (“PROTON”) and Bank Muamalat Malaysia Bhd (“BMMB”) held at PROTON City, Tanjung Malim, Perak Darul Ridzuan. This is the first ever cycling event co-organised by PROTON. 

TOYOTA GIVES SNEAK PREVIEW OF C-HR AT SETIA CITY CONVENTION CENTRE THIS WEEKEND AT THE CARLIST - MAA TEST, DRIVE & BUY EVENT

 

In case you are interested in the very funky Toyota compact SUV called the C-HR, you can go take a look at it today (sunday) at the Setia City Convention Centre.  The car is on display at the Carlist.my MAA Test, Drive & Buy Event this weekend (May 13 and 14) in Setia Convention Centre, Setia Alam, Selangor from 10 am to 10 pm. 

Trucks: Motoring-Malaysia's Video Blog #1 of 2017 - Featuring the Volvo FH Series truck at its launch

Here is one of the rare occasions where I have decided to put up a video on YouTube. I do not usually do this currently as there is only so much I can personally do. Anyway, this is one on the VOLVO FH Series of trucks which was recently launched here in Malaysia. 1.00 minute long only. Specially for truck spotters I think. 

Motorsport: Ferrari double at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, the second round of the World Endurance Championship (WEC)

I am publishing this bit of Ferrari news here because of the nice Ferrari pics. Ferrari pulled off a resounding one-two in the GTE-Pro class at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, the second round of the World Endurance Championship (WEC).

Truck News: Volvo Trucks Malaysia Delivers New Premium Volvo FH Series of Prime Movers to Heavy Haulage Customers

Volvo Trucks Malaysia recently held a truck handover ceremony of the new Volvo FH Series truck to Chip Jun Sdn Bhd, Central Kargo Sdn Bhd and Haiweima Sdn Bhd in conjunction with the official launch of the new trucks in Malaysia. These premium Volvo prime movers are meant for heavy duty haulage.

Offers & Promotions: TOYOTA RAMADHAN DRIVE PROMOTION - Cash Rebates and Free Value Packages offered

There seem to be a lot of good deals to be had if you are interested in purchasing a Toyota in the near future. They are offering lots of cash rebates and free value packages in conjunction with the upcoming Hari Raya celebrations. The fasting month hasn't even started but car companies have started their promotions. This includes Toyota. Customers can save up to RM5,000 with the rebates (depending on the model and variants). 

First teaser of the forthcoming BMW 8 Series Coupe which will be displayed at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este 2017

Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG Harald Krüger announced the arrival of a new concept car. The BMW Group will present a design study at this year’s Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este on 26 May 2017 which provides an exclusive look ahead to the BMW 8 Series Coupe slated for 2018. The concept car embodies uncompromising dynamics and contemporary luxury – the essence of a modern BMW coupe.

Mercedes-Benz Malaysia launches all the AMG 43 Series of cars for the Malaysian market - Prices start at RM499,888 for the C 43 4MATIC

Mercedes-Benz Malaysia celebrates Mercedes-AMG’s 50th anniversary by launching six, yes, SIX Mercedes-AMG 43 series models for the Malaysian market. These complement the full monty AMG 63 series models and bring the dream of AMG ownership to a slightly more affordable level. In terms of price as well as annual road-tax costs here in Malaysia.

Offers & Promotions: Visit Ford at the Carlist.my MAA Drive, Test & Buy Event 2017

If you are interested in any of the Ford models sold here in Malaysia at this moment, you should make plans for this weekend. The upcoming Carlist.my MAA Drive, Test & Buy Event 2017 will be happening at Setia City Convention Centre this May 13-14, 2017 where you will be able to view and test drive selected Ford vehicles during these two days.

Volkswagen introduces the Special Edition Polo ALLSTAR - The first of a series of ALLSTAR model range

Volkswagen Passenger Cars Malaysia (VPCM) has announced the launch of the special edition ALLSTAR range, consisting of specially customised Polo, Vento and Jetta models. The ALLSTAR range kicks-off with the Volkswagen Polo ALLSTAR, which will be launched this weekend, and will subsequently be followed by the Vento ALLSTAR later this month, and the Jetta ALLSTAR in June.

New BMW Group Regional Parts Distribution Centre opens in Malaysia.

 BMW Group Malaysia today officially opened the doors to its new Regional Parts Distribution Centre at the Free Industrial Zone of the Senai International Airport in Johor Bahru. Situated on over 775,000 square feet of land in the Free Industrial Zone and with an investment of over RM 130 million, the new BMW Group Regional Parts Distribution Centre is one of the largest BMW facility of its kind in the Asia Pacific region and will support over 23 countries in the region as a logistics warehouse and parts distribution centre for after sales parts, components and lifestyle merchandises for the brands BMW, MINI and BMW Motorrad.

Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3 officially launched - We try it out at the Sepang International Circuit

The Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3 was officially launched earlier today at Sepang International Circuit. According to Goodyear, the new premium luxury sport tyre delivers 31% better wear performance and shorter braking distance on wet and dry roads. 

Promotions & Offers: Volkswagen Passenger Cars Malaysia has started its Hari Raya campaign offering nice rebates - Own a Volkswagen from as low as RM25* per day

In conjunction with the upcoming Hari Raya festivities, Volkswagen Passenger Cars Malaysia (VPCM) is running a special festive campaign offering a Volkswagen from as low as RM25* a day. During this campaign period, customers can enjoy cash rebates and savings on selected models such as the Polo, Vento, Jetta, Golf, Passat Comfortline and Trendline as well as the Tiguan Comfortline. Raya celebrations have started quite early in some ways.

Audi Malaysia announces appointment of its latest dealership operated by Rimau International in Setia Alam, Selangor

There's a new Audi dealership in the Klang Valley. Audi Malaysia today announced the official appointment of Rimau International as the latest authorised dealer to represent the Audi brand in Malaysia. The company has already started operations from a temporary facility in Setia Alam, Selangor since the fourth quarter of 2016. 

Mobil Lubricants chosen for Peugeot Service Centres throughout Malaysia

ExxonMobil’s distributor, Mobilub Trading Sdn Bhd (short for Mobil Lubricants), has signed a three-year agreement with Nasim Shd. Bhd., Peugeot’s authorized dealer in Malaysia. Mobilub will supply a range of Mobil lubricants to all 35 Peugeot outlets nationwide. 

SHELL LAUNCHES NEW PETROL AND DIESEL FUELS, DESIGNED FOR EFFICIENCY

Shell Malaysia today launched its new fuels in petrol and in diesel. The fuel are now available at Shell stations nationwide with the same range as before (FuelSave 95, V-Power 97, V-Power Racing, FuelSave Diesel and Euro 5 Diesel), the new fuels are designed to work with both modern as well as older vehicles. The new formulations contain Shell's latest formulation which they call DYNAFLEX technology. The new fuels are available at Shell stations nationwide from today, and also available to industrial customers and commercial fleet owners through Shell’s B2B channels 

Who does not need to wear seatbelts whilst driving here in Malaysia?

MOTOR VEHICLES (SAFETY SEATBELTS) RULES 1978 state that...

Article 7. 

Certain categories of persons exempted from wearing safety seat-belts.Rule 4 shall not apply

(a) to any person in a police, military or fire service motor vehicle or an ambulance;

Porsche launches the "Introduction to Porsche" Driving Programme for new Four Door Porsche Owners

Sime Darby Auto Performance (SDAP) officially introduced a new driving programme aptly titled "Introduction to Porsche" for owners of the new 4 foor Porsche models. The customers or new owners get to enhance their four-door sports car fascination and customer experience on the racetrack. This means that owners get more thrills every second even with a four door Porsche here in Malaysia

Motorsport: At the Audi R8 LMS Cup Rounds 1 & 2 at Sepang International Circuit - Photographs and Race Reports

The Audi R8 LMS Cup 2017 has started. The sixth season of the prestigious one-make championship happened this weekend with Rounds 1 and 2 at Malaysia’s Sepang International Circuit. This year, the 2017 Audi R8 LMS Cup season sees a number of exciting developments like new drivers, the entry of new Audi factory team WRT and two new race tracks on the race calendar. In addition to that, the push-to-pass button – whereby drivers receive a limited number of temporary boosts of 50 horsepower – returns, bringing an additional layer of strategy to each race. 

Happenings, Offers & Promotions: PROTON Offers ISOFIX Child Seats to new customers for RM299, Amazing 5 Value Campaign Offer Details & Experience the Drive Contest

The folks at PROTON have a lot going on in the month of May 2017. The most important item is the fact that if anyone buys a PROTON during this period, they are entitled to purchase a Certified Safety Child Seat with Isofix (ECE R44/04 compliant) worth RM1,000 for only RM299. 

Roadshows & Offers: Your Whee-lly Fun Day Carnival by Continental Tyres is happening this month of May

Continental Tyre Malaysia is having their first ever carnival extravaganza in Peninsular Malaysia. Three (3) roadshow carnivals will be held  in Penang, KL and JB for 3 weekends starting with this weekend in Auto City Juru Penang. Your Whee-lly Fun Day will consist of a number of activities such as a kids corner and ladies corner where respective visitors are able to take part in numerous challenges in winning exciting giveaways. Quite a historic event for Continental Tyre here in Malaysia.

TEST DRIVE: THE RENAULT KOLEOS 2.5L - Renault goes upmarket with this classy SUV

The thing with most cars these days is that they are mostly built to a certain level of standard and quality. If you bought a compact city sedan you most like would get a stunted looking car based on hatchback with hard plastics everywhere. If you bought a slightly larger compact family sedan like a Honda Civic everything moves up a notch but they’re still keeping lots of stuff out of the car in terms of material used and also bits that make it look classy as well as refined. Some even limit sound deadening material and some limit styling. Basically when you buy an affordable car you usually get less even though the specs say it has everything inside it.

The new Porsche 911 GT3 sets a blistering lap time at the Nürburgring - Beating the previous GT3's time by 12.3 seconds!

Unsurprisingly, the new Porsche 911 GT3 is faster than the previous GT3. Surprisingly, it is 12.3 seconds faster than the older model. Absolutely blistering in terms of raw pace, this new 911 GT3. It goes to show how much fine tuning Porsche has put into this car. 

Happenings: BMW Group Malaysia's successful unveiling of the to the Malaysian public in Bukit Bintang

BMW Group Malaysia had recently unveiled the All-New BMW 5 Series to the public via live telecast and live digital interaction on the largest digital screen in Malaysia at The Pavilion Kuala Lumpur. During the event, which was held on the 31st of March, a month and a bit more ago, BMW Malaysia also ran its #My5uccess contest where entries were broadcasted in real time onto the large digital interactive screen over The Pavilion Kuala Lumpur.

Maxx ‘N Go by MaxxOil Malaysia appoints Datuk Lee Chong Wei as Brand Ambassador, collaborates with Grab Malaysia and the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Car Dealers & Credit Companies Association (FMC)

Recently, MaxxOil Malaysia had introduced a car service smartphone application (app) called Maxx 'N Go. Today, they have officially launched it in Kuala Lumpur and has signed up Datuk Wira Lee Chong Wei as its brand ambassador as well as Grab Malaysia  and Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Car Dealers & Credit Companies Association (FMC).

Motorsport: Tengku Djan, the Malaysian race car driver extraordinaire returns to the Drifting scene representing MAXXOIL Malaysia

It has been awhile since Tengku Djan has participated in the motorsport called Drifting. So after a four year hiatus from the sport, he has now returned to represent MaxxOil Malaysia's drift team together with Charles Ng, from Hong Kong. Together, they will participate in the upcoming Drift Competition 2017 at the Songkhla Speedway in Amphoe Hat Yai, Thailand.

Featured Article: New Kia Grand Carnival MPV is the perfect blend of day to day practicality and high end luxury

Nice MPV, the new Kia Grand Carnival. I shall state some points on why I actually dig this new MPV and then let Naza Kia's feature article state the rest.

Roadshows & Offers: Toyota GO 2017 Roadshows throughout May - Shah Alam, JB, Miri, KB, Sibu, Kuantan and Kuching

During the month of May, the TOYOTA GO 2017 roadshow will be at seven locations, including Sabah and Sarawak (It's good that East Malaysia isn't left out). Visitors can learn more about the wide range of Toyota models available from the sneaker look Toyota Sienta compact MPV to their best-selling pick-up truck, the Toyota Hilux. Test drives are available for all the models as well as offers and other fun stuff. 

Modified Cars: Land Rover Range Rover Sport 5.0 V8 Supercharged SVR Pace Car by Project Kahn

I love the current Range Rover Sport. In any form. Even those modded by Project Kahn from the UK. Now Project Kahn has spent nearly 20 years taking some of the best vehicles the automotive world could offer and making them better or worse. Depending on your point of view. These days they do a lot of Land Rover vehicles. And they look quite good actually. No ridiculously garish stuff!

The Lotus Evora Sport 410 is launched in Malaysia

Aside from the launch and handing over ceremony of one of the first Lotus 3-Eleven track oriented sports car, Lotus Cars Malaysia also officially launched the Evora Sport 410 model here in Malaysia. This is the latest Evora variant to be produced and it is basically lighter, more powerful and therefore faster than the 'entry-level' Evora 400.

Lotus Cars Malaysia launches the limited to 311 units Lotus 3-Eleven track oriented sports car

I attended the Malaysian launch of the Lotus 3-Eleven sports car earlier today. It was the official launch of the car here as well as the handover of one of two units already spoken for here in Malaysia. We witnessed the handover of car number to a loyal Lotus customer and also noted that he had been allocated car number #007. Another nice bit of trivia is that the other Malaysian customer for the 3-Eleven was given number #001. A privilege for Malaysia in my opinion. That car is in Penang, folks. 

Truck News: Hap Seng Commercial Vehicle Centre in Ipoh (HSCV Ipoh) opens to take care of Mercedes-Benz Trucks customers in the northern region of Malaysia.

Mercedes-Benz Malaysia Commercial Vehicles (MBM CV) together with authorised dealer, Hap Seng Commercial Vehicle (HSCV), has launched the fourth HSCV dedicated commercial vehicle 3S centre, the Mercedes-Benz Hap Seng Commercial Vehicle Centre, located in Ipoh (HSCV Ipoh). To date, HSCV has an established presence in Kinrara, Klang, Kuantan, Kota Kinabalu, Kuching and Miri. In total, MBM CV has 15 authorised dealerships nationwide.

Spotted For Sale: 1991 Mercedes-Benz 230CE converted to God knows what

This is another horror story in my opinion. The Mercedes-Benz W124 or C124 CE coupe is already a modern classic. So keeping one of these cars in pristine condition with its lines straight and true is actually a good thing as if you guys wanna talk resale value, you should buy one of these for about RM25-35,000 and you still may get to sell it off for the same price many years down the road. But I don't think you could do that with this one.

Perodua opens a new showroom in Kota Samarahan

Perodua had recently opened its 199th sales outlet (which includes sales sub outlets) through its newly appointed dealer, MD Worlds Sdn Bhd in Kota Samarahan, Sarawak. According to Perodua Sales Sdn Bhd Managing Director, Dato’ Dr. Zahari Husin, East Malaysia is an important market for Perodua as there are a lot of untapped potential there particularly with all the development projects planned by the federal and state government.  

PERODUA Launches the Bezza sedan in Mauritius

Perodua President & Chief Executive Officer, YBhg Datuk (Dr) AminarRashid Salleh (two from right) handing over the mock key to one of the first Perodua Bezza owner in Mauritius during the launch of Perodua Bezza in Mauritius, which was held at Rauf Dusmohamud & Co Ltd’s sales

showroom at Port-Louis, Mauritius’ capital recently.

The Perodua Bezza sedan has now set foot on the island of Mauritius. This makes the island nation Perodua's second export destination for its new Bezza sedan. The launch of the Perodua Bezza in Mauritius was held at Perodua's distributor in Mauritius, Rauf Dusmohamud & Co Ltd’s sales showroom at Port-Louis, Mauritius’ capital on the 29th of April 2017 and was hosted by the Rauf Dusmohamud’s Managing Director Mr Raouf Dusmohamud.

Happenings: 9 year old boy wins a Peugeot 408 2.0 by participating in the Perlis Marathon 2017

Wow. You cannot get any luckier than this. Nine year old boy,  Muhammad Farhan Hakimi bin Mohammad Nor, who participated in the 3rd Perlis Marathon won a brand new Peugeot 408 2.0 worth close to RM110,000 in the lucky draw for the event. Imagine just entering to run in a marathon and come away with a whole new car.

Happenings: The Land Rover Owners Club of Malaysia (LROM) Jamboree 2017

A grand Jamboree in conjunction with the Land Rover Owners Club of Malaysia (LROM) 20th anniversary celebrations was held from last Saturday, the 29th of April 2017 to earlier today at the Petai Jungle Lodge in Karak, Selangor. The convoy was flagged off on saturday from LR Premium Sdn. Bhd, an independent Land Rover and Jaguar after-sales service centre in Petaling Jaya.

Motorsport: Audi R8 LMS Cup 2017 Starts at Sepang this May 6 and 7, 2017

Six years after the inception of the Audi R8 LMS Cup and Asia’s leading sprint race is still going strong! In fact, the R8 LMS Cup rounds at the Sepang F1 Circuit will be the season opener, before the action races off to Japan, Korea and two locations in China for this thrilling championship. 

Mercedes-Benz Hap Seng Star’s Autohaus Bukit Tinggi, Klang is officially opened

The biggest premium brand in Malaysia has expanded its wings a little bit more. Mercedes-Benz now have another Autohaus (3S) Centre in Bukit Tinggi, Klang. The Mercedes-Benz Hap Seng Star Bukit Tinggi Autohaus is Hap Seng Star’s fifth Autohaus in Klang Valley. This new full-fledged 3S centre enhances coverage for customer care and convenience in Klang.

Happenings: KIA OWNER WINS THE KIA RIO SEDAN IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE MALAYSIA AUTOSHOW 2016

Dr Atiqah Farah Zakaria, receiving the car from Dato Samson Anand George, Group Chief Operating Officer, Automotive Group, Naza Corporation Holdings Sdn Bhd

April 26, 2017 was definitely an unforgettable day for Dr Atiqah Farah Zakaria. She had booked the Kia Grand Carnival at the recent Malaysia Autoshow 2016 and because of that, won a Kia Rio Sedan worth RM74,000.

Hyundai Santa Fe conquers the Antarctic driven by Great Grandson of Sir Ernest Shackleton - I Dig those fancy wheelarches!

Hyundai Motor has made history when a near-standard 2.2-litre diesel Santa Fe became the first passenger vehicle to be driven across the continent of Antarctica from Union Camp to McMurdo and back again. The Santa Fe was driven by Patrick Bergel, the Great Grandson of legendary polar explorer, Sir Ernest Shackleton. 

NEW TOP RANGE TURBO DIESEL VARIANTS OF NEW KIA SORENTO AND NEW KIA SPORTAGE LAUNCHED

Good news! Naza Kia Malaysia, the official distributor of KIA vehicles in Malaysia have introduced The New Kia Sorento HS Turbo Diesel beginning today and New Kia Sportage GT Turbo Diesel. Both vehicles will be in all Kia showrooms nationwide.