One of the oldest Automotive blogs in Malaysia. Since 2006 and going strong.
Motoring-Malaysia.blogspot.my is an award winning Malaysian motoring / automotive / car news & reviews website or auto blog. It is where we rant and rave about cars, trucks, buses, motoring, motor vehicles and any interesting automotive industry related stuff. Unswayed in our point of view and darn proud of it! It's not about the numbers...it's about passion.
BMW Group Malaysia, ParkEasy, Shell Malaysia and Sunway Group introduce New Reserve + Shell Recharge Bays.
BMW Group Malaysia earlier today unveiled the new Reserve + Shell Recharge Bays at Sunway Pyramid today. This new venture was done together in partnership with ParkEasy, Shell Malaysia and Sunway Group. The launch of the new parking arrangement via a smartphone or mobile device application forms part of BMW Group Malaysia’s ongoing efforts to drive e-mobility or Visionary Mobility forward in Malaysia.
A new video is out on our YouTube channel. This time its our experience trying out the slightly refreshed 2019 Proton Exora Premium 1.6 T(Turbo) CVT during the recent media test drive up to Bukit Tinggi, Pahang and back to Shah Alam. It was short, but we did manage to find out some new things about the C Segment 7 Seater MPV.
BMW Motorrad Malaysia's Sixth BMW Motorrad Night Fuel Malaysia - 22nd June 2019 7.00PM to 11.00PM
BMW Motorrad fans in Malaysia rejoice! The Sixth Edition of the largest gathering of premium motorcycle enthusiasts will happen at the former RMAF Airbase, the Sempang Airport in Sungai Besi, Kuala Lumpur. The BMW Motorrad Night Fuel Malaysia event returns to Kuala Lumpur once again in 2019 after making its round at other venues throughout Malaysia since it first started in 2016.
Isuzu Malaysia recently delivered 61 new units of their light duty trucks, the Isuzu ELF NPR75UKHW (Crew Cab), to Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB). The handover of the new trucks was held at the Glenmarie Golf & Country Club. Automotive Corporation Malaysia Sdn Bhd (ACM), an authorised dealer of Isuzu Malaysia were the dealers that the trucks were procured from.
The Malaysia Commercial Vehicle Expo (MCVE 2019) is coming at the end of the month. The commercial vehicle expo will take place from 20th to 22nd June 2019 at the Malaysia International Exhibition and Convention Centre (MIECC) and it the largest tradeshow for such vehicles. Daihatsu (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. (DMSB) will be displaying their 2019 Gran Max Panel Van there this time around.
Videos - 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe preview - 2019 Proton Iriz Facelift Test Drive - 2019 Proton Persona Facelift Test Drive- 2019 Proton Exora Launch, Prices & Details
Selamat Hari Raya AidilFitri...Maaf Zahir & Batin. No updates here but we have not been quiet during this month of Ramadhan. We did quite a few videos over on YouTube folks so while we have been taking a break from writing, we have not been stopping doing videos, which is why I do suggest you people subscribe to the Motoring Malaysia channel over on YouTube.
I have to say that YouTube is the future as more and more people like moving pictures. It isn't as easy to produce compared to writing but both have their challenges. Personally, writing is nice as it allows your poetic side to use words to convey a picture within one's mind. As for video, it is easier to record, but on a personal note, I prefer to make our videos have better production values rather than just doing one long take and talking about a certain vehicle.
Note that I do like editing my videos so that it becomes somewhat like a mini documentary with a lot of B-Roll showing the vehicles rather than just a hand doing a walkaround.
Anyway, here are some of the videos which I have not updated here as yet. There is one on the facelifted Proton Iriz & Persona and on the newly available for sale here in Malaysia, 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe SUV. Not forgetting we have the launch video of the slightly revised 2019 Proton Exora 1.6 Turbo
We should be active again after hibernating during this fasting month!!! Stay tuned for more videos!
Apollo Tyres, have officially opened their first ever Apollo Truck Tyre Zone (ATTZ) centre in Malaysia. Located in Batu Pahat, Johor, the ATTZ is Apollo's one stop solution centre for tyres which focuses more on commercial fleets. Equipped with modern automotive technologies, the newly opened centre will be managed by Sin Chu Hin, who are an established tyre supplier and distributor over in the southern region of Malaysia. It looks like this affordable brand of tyres are now moving into the commercial tyre market aside from offering budget tyres for passenger cars.
Volkswagen Passenger Cars Malaysia (VPCM) has launched the Volkswagen ‘Sound & Style’ range for those who want better audio in their cars. . The ‘Sound & Style’ range is an accessory package available with the Volkswagen Golf R-Line, Passat Comfortline, Passat Highline and Tiguan Highline. The cars get the German audio specialist HELIX tuned sound accessories and is also packed with other Volkswagen accessories worth up to RM16,000, depending on model.
Perodua has ramped up its Child Car Seats Safety Campaign ahead of the mandatory use scheduled for 2020 by the Malaysian government. Back in October 2017, Perodua launched a few long-term safety campaigns aimed at all road users, especially its customers, on the importance of using turn signals (which many Malaysians still don't), wearing seat belts (which many Malaysians still don't), not using mobile devices while driving (which many Malaysians still do) and restraining children in child seats (which many stupid, idiotic, dumb parents still don't have proper seats). This round of reminders from Perodua are about the child safety seats.
Volkswagen Passenger Cars Malaysia (VPCM), the distributors of Volkswagen cars here is celebrating the upcoming Hari Raya Aidilfitri festive season lots of offers and promos in terms of both sales and aftersales. For those interested in buying a new Volkswagen and want financing, there are low interest rate of 1.88% per annum for the award-winning Passat and a RM1,000 petrol card for all models booked and registered from now till 30 June 2019.
TC Subaru, the distributor of Subaru in Malaysia has just launched the 2019 Subaru XV GT Edition. This is one that sits above the XV 2.0i-P variant and gets a special aero kit and other extra bits for about RM4,000 over the price of the XV 2.0i-P. It costs RM130,788 OTR without insurance in Peninsula Malaysia and was designed in collaboration with Giken Co Ltd and Mr Masahiko 'Jack' Kobayashi, who used to be the former Chief Designed at Subaru.
Cashless, e-wallet style payments using Boost can now be used at 800 Shell stations throughout Malaysia.
Earlier today, the e-wallet provider, Boost, and Shell Malaysia officially announced that Boost e-wallet payment service is available at 800 Shell stations nationwide. The partnership has a goal to enhance customers’ retail experience at Shell stations by providing them with an alternative payment method aside from the usual cash, or card methods.
Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia (MMM) will be hosting the 4Sure Best Raya contest in conjunction with this year's Hari Raya Aidilfitri festivities. 10 lucky winners will be chosen from those who had test driven any Mitsubishi car at any authorized Mitsubishi Motors showroom throughout the nation will stand a chance to dine with Malaysian celebrities Izzue Islam and Amyra Rosli. This contest will run until the 2nd of June 2019.
I was extremely busy over the weekend. Proton invited Yours Truly to try out the newly facelifted 2019 Proton Iriz and also the 2019 Proton Persona. While we had tried out the cars over at the PROTON Test Track in Shah Alam, a road test would actually show its actual mettle, or performance. So with that, I chose to head over with a bunch of journos to Terengganu and tried out both facelifted cars during this media test drive.
The new four door coupe by Mercedes-AMG has now arrived on our shores...officially. Mercedes-Benz Malaysia has launched the new Mercedes-AMG GT four door Coupe series of cars. It is priced from RM1,798,888 onwards for the GT 63 S 4MATIC+ variant and from RM1,298,888 for the GT 53 4MATIC+ and RM1,098,888 for the 'entry-level' GT 43 4MATIC+. Do note that we get the '+' or Plus variant only. It is fully kitted up with the AMG Aerodynamics Package, the AMG Exterior Night Package and the AMG Exterior Carbon Fiber Package, making this one complete variant brought into Malaysia by the premium car maker.
Shell Eco-marathon Asia 2019, which is the most important event in the Make the Future Live Malaysia event, has come to a close with teams from Thailand, China and Singapore demonstrating the best energy efficiency within their respective prototype categories. The event was held at the Sepang International Circuit from 29th April to the 2nd of May 2019 and it was where students from all over Asia and the Middle East compete in making the most fuel efficient prototype vehicles they can and compete in efficiency 'races' against one another.
Bosch Automotive Aftermarket Malaysia (Bosch AA) has launched the ‘Drive for Life’ campaign here in Kuala Lumpur. The campaign is a car and road safety campaign which aims to raise awareness among drivers on the importance of regular vehicle maintenance and the usage of quality car parts (which a company like Bosch supplies). From their surveys done in 2018, more than 50 percent of Malaysian drivers lack knowledge in basic car maintenance and its impact on passenger, car and road safety. So the leading automotive parts supplier have decided to impart their expertise and share basic vehicle maintenance through this latest campaign. Very apt since it also coincides with the upcoming Hari Raya festivities.
TC Euro Cars (TCEC), the authorised distributor of Renault vehicles in Malaysia, have now made the refreshed and better equipped 2019 Renault Captur available in Malaysia. The compact crossover vehicle is now improved with a new EURO 6 compliant engine for reduced emissions, stop-start engine function for added fuel savings and a new 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system which offers better connectivity and navigation.
More Malaysian Prime Mover / Heavy Duty Truck operators have taken to the Volvo FH16, the top of the range Volvo Truck for the Malaysian market. Aman Logistik Sdn Bhd (Aman Logistik) has procured four units of Volvo Trucks' flagship heavy duty truck. A truck handover ceremony was held recently to commemorate the occasion and was attended by the senior management teams of Aman Logistik and Volvo Trucks Malaysia.
Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP) and Volkswagen Group Malaysia (VGM) had recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which aims to help push the advancement in the fields of education, research and technology here in Malaysia, especially in autotronics (mechatronics etc. etc), with a goal to produce a highly-skilled workforce, with a focus on students mainly from the electronic and programming streams.
Michelin Malaysia has launched their annual road safety campaign, Michelin Safe on The Road (MSoR) with the aim to further show their commitment on road & mobility safety in this country. The road safety campaign aims at highlighting the importance of tyre maintenance and periodic checks as part of good road safety practices. Throughout the month of May 2019, Michelin experts and staff will be conducting thorough assessments on tyre conditions for the public at various locations throughout Malaysia (the list is stated down below).
BMW Motorrad Malaysia have launched two new urban scooters and two new motorcycles for the Malaysian market. These are the BMW C 400 X and BMW C 400 GT urban scooters from its Urban Mobility segment as well as an enduro all-rounder, the new BMW F 750 GS and a travel tourer, the new BMW R 1250 RT. The new 2019 motorcycles and scooters cover quite a range of riders, from those that just want something to scoot around town and to those that have a little bit more adventure in their hearts. Usually the adventure takes them up north, to Thailand and beyond, from the likes of it.
So we have been a bit busy with many, many things recently. One of them is going on the media test drive of the new, 2019 Toyota Yaris which was held sometime last week. UMW Toyota Motors, the distributors of Toyota vehicles here held a media drive for this newly launched B Segment compact hatchback. We were paired with another journo or two (technically would make it a trio not a pair) and were asked to drive a Yaris 1.5G AT to Janda Baik over in Pahang and back to the UMW Toyota HQ located in Shah Alam.
The Pulsar Dareventure powered by MODENAS has officially come to a close and the winner announced . This is the first motorcycle reality show in Malaysia and it was based on Pulsar Dareventure series previously held in Nepal, Sri Lanka and Peru. The Malaysian edition was was the first in South East Asia. The YouTube based series showcased contestants competing for the grand prize of RM5,000 cash and a brand-new Modenas Pulsar NS200.
Hari Raya Promos have started! Sime Darby Auto Connexion, the authorised dealers for Ford have announced that you can 'balik kampung' with a New Ford Ranger from as low as RM463/month. The offer also comes with savings up to RM11,000. Aside from that, 30 customers will be chosen to win electrical goods worth RM2,000. Details are down below, folks!
The new 2019 Audi A3 1.4 TFSI is now offered on sale here in Malaysia. Audi Malaysia has decided to spec up the smallest Audi sedan quite well this time around. The fully imported compact premium sedan is now priced at RM239,750 on the road without insurance.
BMW has introduced two new BMW 5 Series variants for the Malaysian market. These are the New BMW 530e M Sport and the New BMW 520i Luxury. The prices for the New BMW 530e M Sport is RM 338,800.00 and the New BMW 520i Luxury will cost RM 328,800.00. The prices are on the road, without insurance, and with BMW Group Malaysia’s latest 5 Years Unlimited Mileage Warranty, Free Scheduled Service Programme and BMW Tyre Warranty Programme).
Naza Euro Motors Sdn Bhd, the official distributor of the Citroën cars in Malaysia have launced the All-New Citroën C3 Aircross SUV. The unique looking Citroen SUV will come with a pricetag of RM115,888.00 on-the-road without insurance and basically offers we Malaysians a touch of French flair in design and taste. Of course, being an SUV, it is practical too.
Proton Cars have finally launched both the 2019 Proton Iriz and the 2019 Proton Persona yesterday. Both facelifted models feature revised styling, improvements to over 300 parts in each model as well as having the Geely-based GKUI infotainment system (in both the Premium 1.6 CVT variants of the cars) which makes it a first for B-segment cars with intelligent features to be sold in Malaysia. But the best thing is that Proton has slashed the official prices for the cars, they now offer more value for less.
The fouth generation Renault Megane R.S. was finally previewed here in Malaysia. Renault Sport's latest ultimate hot hatch is based on the Megane hatchback with a lot of magic sprinkled on it. It was first offered on sale in 2018 over in Europe and it will be launched here later this year. For Malaysia, we will be offered the more cooking Cup chassis in both the manual transmission as well as the Efficient Dual Clutch (EDC) automatic transmission.
Here is a video of the launch as well as the presentation on the car
Earlier today, PETRONAS Lubricants Marketing Malaysia (PLMM) together with their international counterparts, PETRONAS Lubricant International (PLI) launched the first PETRONAS AutoExpert service centre in Malaysia. This new centre, Autohaus KL, which is located in Section 15 Shah Alam, aims to offer the best products and high-quality car maintenance services to its customers. This is part of a wider plan by PLI to provide convenience to customers by bringing together PETRONAS fluid technology and technical expertise under one roof.
Naza Italia, official importer and distributor of the Ferrari brand in Malaysia, on Friday, previewed and launched the Ferrari F8 Tributo, the new mid-rear engined sports car. The Ferrari F8 Tributo was first unveiled on March 5 at the Geneva Motor Show and it has only taken a month and a bit more for the supercar to make its way to Southeast Asia. The special preview was made in conjunction with the 10th anniversary celebrations of Ferrari Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore, and also 10 years of Naza Italia distributing Ferrari here.
Hyundai-Sime Darby Motors (HSDM) has launched the restyled and redesigned Elantra for the Malaysian market. This is a major facelift for the 2019 Model Year as it adopts a new exterior design, extra engineering work as well as some interior refinements and extra equipment. All of this comes in at a very interesting price of RM109,888.00 (On the road price without insurance, for Peninsular Malaysia) for the one and only variant offered for now, the Elantra 2.0L Executive.
The All-new Toyota Yaris has finally been launched for the Malaysian market by Malaysian distributors for Toyota, UMW Toyota Motor. The model is the second vehicle, after the recently launched Toyota Vios, to be locally assembled at UMW Toyota Motor's new assembly plant at Bukit Raja in Klang, Selangor. The new Toyota hatchback will be sold from an affordable RM70,888 onwards and it quite affordable due to its high local content. The Malaysian Yaris has at least 70% local content inside of it.
MINI Malaysia has launched the New MINI Countryman Plug-In Hybrid Wired and the New MINI Cooper S Countryman Pure here. These are new variants of the chubbiest MINI car out there and now there are more options for MINI fans in Malaysia, one is a hybrid and one is something, er, pure, and these are sold at RM 228,888.00 for the MINI Cooper S Countryman Pure and RM 250,888.00 for the New MINI Countryman Plug-In Hybrid.
Naza Kia Malaysia, the official distributor of Kia automobiles in Malaysia, together with their dealer, Raza Motors Sdn Bhd has officially opened their latest sales and service outlet in Kota Bharu, Kelantan. This brand new 3S centre is the latest addition to Naza Kia's growing Kia network. The new outlet is part of the brand's push towards better customer satisfaction as well as meeting increasing market demands for Kia cars on the East Coast.
PROTON has extended their agreement with PETRONAS Lubricants Marketing Malaysia Sdn Bhd (PLMM) to develop, supply and deliver lubricant products and functional fluids, effective 1 January 2019. This simply means that every Proton vehicle sold here in Malaysia will be filled with PETRONAS lubricants and if you end up at an authorised service centre, you will be getting Petronas lubes too.
You want to know how good a vehicle is? You talk to the owners of the vehicle, or in this case, the Ford Ranger Owners who participated in the recent 4X4 Sarawak Jamboree. This is the largest annual gathering of Ford Ranger owners (and their pickup trucks) in Sarawak and they've fully embraced the 'Ranger Lifestyle' and the 'Built Ford Tough' philosophy as a whole. They're also one of the more heavy-duty owners of the Ranger as they were part of a 175 vehicle convoy which traveled through a totally new off-road track from Sibu to Kapit.
Perodua is back in Singapore! The Malaysian compact car company has just launched the current, third-generation Perodua Myvi over there at an event held at Perocom Auto Pte Ltd, the official distributor of Perodua in Singapore. Two variants are available, the Myvi 1.3 X AT and 1.5 H AT and are priced at SGD64,800 (RM197,093) and SGD69,800 (RM212,301) respectively, inclusive of Goods and Services Tax and the Certificate of Entitlement (COE), which as at February 2019 costs approximately SGD25,689.
Shell Malaysia Trading Sdn Bhd have been busy. Aside from recently making two of their Shell Select Stations into eco-friendly buildings that fall under the Green Building Index (GBI) they recently launched a new cutting-edge fuel storage tank and an additional loading bay at Westports over in Port Klang. The new storage tank was constructed to boost the company's capability to meet the growing demand for Shell fuels in the Central region of Peninsular Malaysia.
Hino Motors Sales (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. (HMSM), and Yamato Transport (M) Sdn. Bhd. (YTM), have joined forces and together, they have launched a new safe driving training program that leverages both companies’ safety-related experience and capabilities. The new driver's program is based on Yamato's driver aptitude test (DAT) which is currently being used in Japan but now it is being offered to Yamato's Malaysian drivers at Hino's training facility, Hino Total Support Customer Center (HTSCC) in Sendayan.
The 2019 Proton Iriz and Proton Persona facelifted models have been revealed to the general public at this year's Malaysia Autoshow yesterday. The Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad had the honour of doing so during the official opening of the Autoshow. The two cars will be on display throughout the Autoshow which will continue till 14 April (this sunday).
Volvo Trucks is commemorating its 50th year of operations in Malaysia this year. The well known Swedish commercial vehicle manufacturer officially set foot here in 1969 under Federal Auto Industrial Sdn Bhd and a year after the Swedish Motor Assemblies plant had begun operations in the country. In the years that followed, Volvo Trucks continued to expand its business and launched programmes to build on their customer relationships as well as create new ones along the way. But fifty years is quite a long time...
UMW Toyota Motor (UMWT), which represents Toyota here in Malaysia is one of the exhibitors at the Malaysia Autoshow 2019. The Toyota booth, which is located in Hall A, is currently displaying six of its current and upcoming models as well as having some cars which can be test driven at the autoshow. One of the display models is the much awaited all-new Toyota Yaris which will be launched sometime soon. This year's Malaysia Autoshow is on from 11 to 14 April, 2019, at the Malaysia Agro Exposition Park Serdang (MAEPS) in Serdang, Selangor.
BMW Malaysia has unveiled the BMW i3s at the opening of the Malaysia Autoshow 2019. This is BMW'S first Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) or pure electric vehicle and it adds to the brand's unique range of vehicles here in Malaysia. The i3s is also Malaysia’s first pure electric vehicle to be sold in the premium segment. The 2019 BMW i3s isn't something totally brand new. BMW has sold and delivered more than 120,000 units of BMW i3 vehicles globally so this is another new push by BMW Malaysia in its offerings.
Perodua introduced a special limited edition Perodua Bezza at the Malaysia Autoshow 2019. The autoshow opened yesterdayand will be ongoing through to Sunday, the 14th of April. This 'special' Bezza is Limited to 50 units and it will only be available for booking at the four-day event and not anywhere else. It is priced at RM44,890, on-the-road before insurance and was unveiled this morning on the Perodua stand by Malaysian Prime Minister YAB Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Perodua Global Manufacturing Sdn Bhd President YBhg Datuk Ahmad Suhaimi Hashim.
The Malaysia Autoshow 2019, organized by Malaysia Automotive, Robotics and IoT Institute (MARii) was officially launched yesterday. Held at MAEPS, Serdang, it will be ongoing from now to the 14th April. The Autoshow was officially launched by the Prime Minister, Tun. Dr. Mahathir Mohamad where he visited and officiated the unveiling of the Limited Edition Perodua Bezza Autoshow edition and PROTON's preview of the facelifted Persona and Iriz.
The A-Class limousine (which is what Mercedes-Benz likes to call their 4 door sedan), is in Malaysia. This is the latest addition to the Mercedes-Benz compact car range of ASeries of cars - A, GLA, CLA and now A-Class Limousine. The V177 A-Class sedan was first launched sometime during the end of 2018 will be available in two variants here in Malaysia - the Mercedes-Benz A 200 Progressive Line at and A 250 AMG Line. These two variants are priced at RM 229,888 and RM 267,888 (estimated - as the price has not been approved as yet) respectively.
Mercedes-Benz Malaysia's (MBM) had their 1st Quarter Performance Review earlier today. This was held together with the Malaysian launch of the Mercedes-Benz A-Class Limousine or Sedan (we shall talk about that in another article). So in terms of the first three months of 2019, MBM basically kept its number one premium vehicle sales spot with a total of 2,944 vehicles delivered to its customers.
