Thursday, May 25, 2017

Fourth Generation KIA OPTIMA GT debuts in Malaysia

Naza Kia Malaysia, the official distributor of Kia vehicles in Malaysia, today unveiled the all-new fourth-generation Kia Optima for the Malaysian market. The all-new fourth-generation Kia Optima will only be available here in Optima GT trim for the moment and it is locally assembled with a price from RM178,999 with 5 years unlimited mileage warranty.

Volkswagen Passenger Cars Malaysia launched the new Volkswagen Beetle yesterday. This is the latest Beetle variant to be sold in Malaysia and it basically gets new colours and slightly better specification overall. They displayed the Blue Silk coloured Beetle at the launch over at Mid Valley Mega Mall and the car will be on display from 24 to 28 May 2017.

Mercedes-Benz Services Malaysia Sdn Bhd (MBSM) adds Return To Invoice (RTI) insurance and Tyre and Rim insurance

One of the reasons why Mercedes-Benz Malaysia does very well over here in Malaysia is that they tend to move the goalposts in terms of sales, marketing and value added services. Now, the company, via Mercedes-Benz Services Malaysia Sdn Bhd (MBSM) are offering more in terms of their financing and insurance packages. One innovative new offering by MBSM is the Return To Invoice (RTI) insurance and Tyre and Rim insurance.

Isuzu Malaysia has officially opened its a new flagship after-sales facility in Shah Alam, Selangor. The new center, which also houses the Isuzu Technical Center, was officially opened by the Chairman of Isuzu Motors Limited Susumu Hosoi (who flew in especially for the event) and Group Managing Director of DRB-Hicom Dato’ Sri Syed Faisal Albar Syed Ali Rethza Albar.

Ford has a newly upgraded showroom in Taiping, Perak

Sime Darby Auto Connexion (SDAC), Ford Motor Company’s distribution partner in Malaysia, today announced the opening of its newly upgraded showroom in Taiping, Perak. This new showroom is operated under Acecourt Auto Sdn Bhd (Acecourt Auto).

The Perodua Myvi. This compact hatchback has been a favourite among most Malaysians over the past 12 years or so. So many have bought one (even my wife has one) until Perodua has now announced that the company is nearing its one millionth production unit of the car. When this happens, most likely sometime by the end of May 2017, it will be the most produced vehicle model in the history of the Malaysian automotive industry. Fuiyoh!

Motorcycles: MODENAS Finally Enters The Street Bike Segment After A While - BAJAJ Auto are the new partners - Launches PULSAR NS200, RS200 & V15 Models

MODENAS has finally launched some motorcycles that the Malaysian public have been asking from them. Three motorcycles - the MODENAS PULSAR NS200, PULSAR RS200 and the V15 has been launched. These models are bikes from Bajaj Auto of India and they are now on sale here in Malaysia.

Offers & Promotions: NW Motors “Great Deals At The Right Time” sales campaign

NW Motors, formerly known as Naza Motor Trading, is organising the “Great Deals At The Right Time, Buy Now And Save Even More” campaign in order to help Malaysians get the best deal for their new reconditioned luxury vehicles.

Ford via its authorised distributors Sime Darby Auto Connexion has their "Bergaya" with Ford promos for this upcoming Festive Season. There are deals which includes cash vouchers for electrical goods, rebates, offers and service promotions in store. And while all the goodies are given out at the showrooms and service centres nationwide, watch out for the Ford Ranger Roamers coming your way as they hit the streets to give away dates and Hari Raya packets to the public during the upcoming Ramadhan period.

BMW Credit Malaysia will be introducing Explore. Love More. – this will be a year-long Corporate Social Responsibility and fundraising initiatives with authorised BMW and MINI dealerships to help charity institutions in urgent financial need. The first collaboration begins with Quill Automobiles at the dealership’s sales event from 20 th – 21 st May 2017. Running from 10.00am – 6.00pm over the weekend, visitors at the Quill Automobiles dealerships can shop for a variety of food and beverages, from a selection of vendors by using coupons that can be purchased from BMW Credit Malaysia at the event.

Hino Motors Sales (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd - HMSM, a subsidiary of Hino Motors Limited Japan which is part of the Toyota Group of Companies, has taken part in this year's Malaysia Commercial Vehicle Exhibition (MCVE) 2017. This is Hino's 3rd time participating in the event and Hino believes that participating in the event allows them the opportunity to engage with potential customers visiting the exhibition.

DRB-HICOM’s Autofest 2017 promises to be one of the most memorable of the event since its introduction in 2013. The biannual event will be featuring MODENAS’s entry into a new segment, which is the street bike category. The carnival will also include showcases of the latest vehicle models (cars, trucks and motorcycles) and fabulous offers from the 10 brands under the group’s automotive portfolio, namely PROTON, Lotus, Audi, Volkswagen, Honda, Jeep, Mitsubishi, Isuzu and Tata. The three-day family styled carnival will be held from 19 to 21 May 2017, from 10:00am to 6:00pm, at the EON Complex in Glenmarie, Shah Alam. There will be offers, promotions and deals which includes special discounts and amazing exclusive packages from the automotive companies.

The biennial Malaysia Commercial Vehicle Expo (MCVE) has started today, the 18th of May, and will carry on till the 20th of May 2017. The Expo is held at the Malaysia International Exhibition and Convention Centre (MIECC) at Mines in Sri KembanganThis exhibition was organised by Asian Trucker Media and it showcases the latest in commercial vehicles to the Malaysian and also South East Asian market. This year, the exhibition's theme is 'Connected Mobility'.

Truck News: Teo Tuan Kwee Sdn Bhd buys 50 Scania G-Series Trucks to add to their fleet...of which a majority are Scania Trucks

This is some impressive news. Again, in a period where people say that economic growth is slow we see some eye opening news. Transport company, Teo Tuan Kwee Sdn Bhd (TTK) has opted to buy another 50 Scania trucks to join the existing 182 Scania trucks it already owns. 26 units of this latest batch of prime movers were handed over earlier today and it definitely is one of the largest sales for high-end trucks for 2017.

Chevron Malaysia Ltd., which markets the Caltex brand here in Malaysia, has announced the launch of its 'True Power from Within’ promotion in conjunction with the 10th Anniversary of the popular blockbuster movie, Transformers for the upcoming release of Transformers: The Last Knight. This is the fifth instalment in a very successful series (this time I am rooting for Megatron. Bored of the good guys after so many sequels). The promotion encompasses all of Caltex's products, from their lubricants, fuel as well as their promotional 'Fun Truck' which will be going around Peninsular Malaysia. There are lots of prizes to be won (like the Vespa you see above) and gifts to be given out (especially for the Fun Truck activities).

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.

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 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.

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.

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).

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.

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).

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).

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 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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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 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

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;

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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Tuesday, May 09, 2017

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Friday, May 05, 2017

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.

Thursday, May 04, 2017