Hap Seng Star Sdn Bhd, one of the largest authorised dealer of Mercedes-Benz in Malaysia have announced the availability of the new Mercedes-Benz Vito Tourer at all Hap Seng Star dealerships in Malaysia. This is a 10 seater people carrier and the reason why you do not see this at other (non-Hap Seng Star) dealership is that the Vito, unlike the similar V-Class MPV is a vehicle under Mercedes-Benz Commercial Vehicles and not a Mercedes-Benz Passenger Car division vehicle.
Mercedes-Benz recently announced that they have finalized the plans for a regional After-Sales Logistics Centre in Malaysia. The new centre will be located at Senai Airport City - Johor Bahru where Mercedes-Benz has signed a long-term lease agreement for the location. Operations are planned for the beginning of 2024 withTiong Nam Logistics Solutions Sdn Bhd.named as the lead developer of the project. This is definitely good news in terms of investments into Malaysia especially in terms of putting more jobs on the table for Malaysians coming out of pandemic lockdowns.
Some motorsport/Formula 1 related news here. On October 20, 2021 Epicor, an industry-specific enterprise software to promote business growth, and Scuderia AlphaTauri had announced that Epicor has been named the Team’s Official ERP Partner. To those, like me even, who does not have a clue of what ERP here stands for it is not Electronic Road Pricing (which is what Singapore uses for their road congestion charges) but something called Enterprise Resource Planning. This is basically a system which is used by a company to manage key parts of its business such as accounting, manufacturing, sales, and marketing. So here, Epicor's Kinetic cloud based software will be keeping track of a Formula1 team's daily business activities and their logo will make it debut on the Scuderia AlphaTauri car at tje Formula 1 Aramco United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas
Hino Motors Sales (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd (Hino) and Rapid Bus Sdn Bhd (Rapid Bus) is continuing trials with the Hino Poncho compact bus. The routes for the new trial run are in more challenging routes in and around Kuala Lumpur and also in Penang. This comes after a successful initial 2 month trial run for routes aroud Petaling Jaya in 2019. The 7-meter low-floor Hino Poncho minibus is Hino's solution for transport accessibility in tight and narrow roads and this second trial in Kuala Lumpur, commencing from early October 2021 to the end of April 2022, will cater to route T180 – from Taman Dato’ Senu to Chow Kit, and route 302,which is from Titiwangsa to KLCC. As for Penang Island, the Poncho will cater to route 11 which is from Pengkalan Weld to Batu Lanchang, and route 201 which caters for Pengkalan Weld to Tingkat Paya, Terubong.
Finally, the re-imagined new Land Rover Defender 110 has arrived in Malaysia. It has taken awhile, namely due to the pandemic dropping in and making life a little bit different from everyone but it is here. Jaguar Land Rover Malaysia launched the new Defender with two variants, namely the 2.0L 300PS Ingenium 4-cylinder Electronic Control, Direct-injection petrol engine and the 3.0L 400PS MHEV (Mild Hybrid Electric Vehicle) 6-cylinder petrol engine.
The asking price of the 2.0L 300PS variant starts from RM798,800 while the 3.0L 400PS MHEV starts from RM998,800 (price is inclusive of 50% Penjana Sales Tax waiver, excluding Road Tax, Registration and Insurance). But if you add the optional roof rack or the optional snorkel ad utility box you see in the car below, its going to be a whole lot more. Yes, the price is nothing like the price of the old Defender 110 when it was offered here but this re-imagined Defender is nothing like the old namesake actually.
I'm back folks! News pieces will come soon as things are finally coming back to normal here in Malaysia as the country comes out of various forms of Covid-19 Pandemic lockdowns. Malaysia has over 95% vaccination rates for adults and this is why I have decided to start writing again. With economic activities opening up again, we can actually see, touch and feel the cars, trucks and whatever modes of transport. With experience, and only with actually experiencing these machines will writing about it make most sense for me to do.
....of course it has curtailed my mood. I am one of those guys who enjoy proper experiences in my life. And since Malaysia is on another round of lockdowns, I have basically put many things on hold from my many dealings as well as this motoring blog. I am still around folks but until things get back to normal, I seem to be enjoying what retired people have been doing. Nothing whatsoever.
It is fun once I had got a few business matters settled as well as getting the recent Hari Raya festivities and the fasting month. Then came the total lockdown and out went my mood for most things too. But eventually I will start things off again.
But for now, just know that I am still around, but things are on a back burner for the moment.
I totally thrive for life experiences ad right now, you don't get many when you're in lockdown.
But do read the Porsche Taycan Experience article I just published down below....that electric vehicle is somehow still very Porsche in its execution.
Recently, Sime Darby Auto Performance, the chaps who are the authorised Porsche distributors her in Malaysia held the Porsche Taycan Experience at the Sepang International Circuit. The event was held to showcase what the fully electric Porsche Taycan 4 door sports sedan/coupe can do. This is quite a good thing as there would still be some of us petrolheads over in this part of the world who still have second thoughts on fully electric vehicles, even more so an electric Porsche.
Hyundai-Sime Darby Motors (HDSM) has launched the facelifted Hyundai Kona compact SUV yesterday (Friday the 16th of April 2021). It features some slightly different exterior styling tweaks as well as some little changes inside together with more advanced features and equipment. But didn't Hyundai just launch the Kona here very recently?
This is a bit late in terms of news but on the 9th of April 2021, BMW Malaysia launched the 2021 BMW 330Li M Sport in Malaysia. Somewhat of an enigma in terms of sports sedans, this is the first-ever long wheelbase variant of a compact premium sedan ever made by BMW and also the first ever compact premium sedan ever to be sold in the Malaysian market. BMW Malaysia calls it a mid-sized premium sedan. But maybe this is due to its length, which is actually quite long - where the extra bit is similar to an average adult's outstretched thumb to their index finger. Or slightly larger than the height of a flagship smartphone. But in car terms, it is like buying a corner lot terrace house compared to an intermediate lot. Not a bungalow mind you but you do get some extra here and there. in its mid-sized premium executive sedan portfolio for the Malaysian market.
Today, the 12th of April 2021, I was invited to witness the official launch of Sime Darby Motors' automotive facility, Sime Darby Motors City. While operating for quite a while already in the township of Ara Damansara in Petaling Jaya, it was only officially launched today due to the many pandemic lockdown issues the country is facing. So after an actual postponement of an earlier scheduled official opening, Sime Darby officially launched the automotive complex today. The complex houses six flagship centres featuring many brands represented by Sime Darby Motors in Malaysia, namely BMW, Ford, Hyundai, Jaguar, Land Rover, MINI, Motorrad, Porsche and Volvo. The automotive centre aims to be an exemplary hub for everything automotive for automotive sales industry.
Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia (MMM), the official distributor of Mitsubishi vehicles in Malaysia, introduced the newest variant of the Mitsubishi Triton Athlete. The Triton Athlete is the flagship model of the Mitsubishi Triton 4x4 pick-up range which replaces the Triton Adventure X. It will be available in three colours which are the Sun Flare Orange Pearl, White Diamond and Jet Black Mica. Aside from the three colours, being the flagship variant, it will come packed with more equipment than the usual variants.
The month of April 2021 could be a good time to buy a Volkswagen Passat folks. Volkswagen Passenger Cars Malaysia (VPCM) is offering those that buy a Volkswagen Passat Elegance or a Passat R-Line a complimentary 2 night stay at the exclusive Pangkor Laut Resort over in Perak. The offer is valid from now till the 30th of April 2021.
PROTON’s bullish start to 2021 continued in March as the company reported that they had not only achieved a new high point for the year but also achieved its best sales month since September 2013. Which seems like a loooong time ago especially in such pandemic ridden times. Proton sold 14,989 units (domestic + export) in March which is equivalent to a 26.2% increase over February and an estimated market share of 23.5%. So yes, the local brands are dominating the market but the thing is that every other established name out there seems to be also selling what they have due to the SST Rebate as well as increased demand for personal transport. No one wants to sit in public transport and get some virus it seems.
Recently Perodua has reported that their1Q21 sales were up 29% as the Malaysian company sold an estimated 57,911 vehicles units with 4,345 of their new Ativa compact SUV delivered. This is also another small achievement as the 4,000 plus units were delivered in under 30 days (because the Ativa was launched in early March actually). One of the good things of having ample stock to be made available prior to the actual launch.
MITSUBISHI MOTORS MALAYSIA (MMM), the official distributor of Mitsubishi Motors vehicles in Malaysia, have reported historical high sales performance of 4,156 vehicles sold during the first quarter of 2021. This is a 135% increase compared to the same period for 2020. During the same period, Mitsubishi Motors is also the top three non-national brand for three consecutive months. Quite an achievement for a brand which is actually one of the smallest in terms of product line-up here in Malaysia actually. Bravo!
UMW Toyota Motor, the sole importer, distributor and assembler of Toyota vehicles in Malaysia, has reported growth in sales for the first quarter (Q1) of 2021. The total number of new Toyota and Lexus vehicles sold in the first three months of the year were more than 17,000 units with a market share of approximately 12.1%, an increase of 62% year-on-year compared to the sales volume for the same period in 2020. This is much like the news that other car makers are reporting even during these pandemic wrought times. Most likely due to the fact that people would rather drive than share public transport.
And the fact that there is still an ongoing SST rebate so the prices of cars are slightly cheaper.
Isuzu Malaysia had announced on the 1st of April 2021 that the all-new Isuzu D-Max will be making its Malaysian debut in a few weeks. Finally, as this was launched 18 months ago in Thailand and most automotive pundits speculated that Malaysia would only get it in 2022. This is good news to those who like pickup trucks and also want something new from Isuzu.
Yesterday, Hino Motors Sales (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd (HMSM) officially launched its new 3S (Sales, Service, and Spare Parts) centre operated by Auto Skyline Sdn Bhd (Auto Skyline). This newly renovated sales and service centre would meet the needs of Hino customers in the Johor Bahru region and bring a more up to date customer experience for the brand. The new 3S centre which was renovated at a cost of RM120,000 aims to provide the best support solutions that optimally suit customer needs.
BMW Group Malaysia has introduced the New My BMW App and the New MINI App which has been designed to enable greater digital personalisation of the Premium Ownership Experience replacing the current one. The New My BMW App and New MINI App will completely replace the BMW Connected and MINI Connected applications respectively by July this year. Additionally, users who are already registered under the BMW and MINI Connected applications will not need to register again to sign into the New My BMW App and the New MINI App.
The all-new Toyota Corolla Cross has been unveiled online today. According to UMW Toyota Motor, the Corolla Cross will go on sale from 25 March 2021. It offers a Corolla crossover for those who want a C segment sized car or a Corolla for urban and outdoor adventures. The new model will be a CBU or fully imported model from Toyota's plant in Thailand and is available in two variants; the Toyota Corolla Cross 1.8V and Toyota Corolla Cross 1.8G. They are priced from RM134,000 (without sale tax exemption) and RM124,000 (with sale tax exemption until 30 Jun 2021) in Peninsular Malaysia without insurance. Still reasonable in terms of pricing as it is an ASEAN import thereby benefiting from the ASEAN tax break arrangements.
Last Tuesday, March 16 2021, UD Trucks held a virtual awards ceremony for the winners of the Extra Mile Challenge 2020 local driving competitions. Instead of having 1 winner from the finalists, a total of 10 winners from 9 countries joined the ceremony virtually to be honored and officially crowned Ultimate Drivers. The folks at UD Trucks decided that due to the challenges the world is currently facing due to the COVID-19 pandemic (where travel restrictions are abound and work itself was challenging in every continent due to lockdowns) it was deemed wise to crown all of the country winners as joint champions.
Shell Malaysia has unveiled their latest brand campaign; “Shell FuelSave 95 Ekstra Kilometer, Ternyata Berbeza”, this is a targeted campaign featuring a refreshed look at its Shell FuelSave 95 proposition. The campaign is anchored on Shell FuelSave 95’s robust capabilities: delivering extra kilometers and partnering customers to make the most out of their everyday journeys. It is in the Malaysian national language - Bahasa Malayu and it definitely targeted at a specific crowd, i.e those who speak and understand the language.
In light of the popularity of Perodua vehicles especially the recently launched Ativa SUV, Perodua urges both existing and potential customers to only deal with its authorised sales advisors to avoid being deceived by apparent scams that have surfaced after the Ativa’s launch on 3 March 2021. Go through official channels people, don't expect special deals and freebies especially if you know the car is newly launched or has a long waiting list.
The fifth Malaysia Commercial Vehicle Exhibition (MCVE) organised by Asian Trucker Media is set to take place from 21 st to 23 rd October 2021. The bi-annual exhibition is the biggest event for the commercial vehicle industry in South East Asia. Hopefully this actually happens and will not be affected by the pandemic lockdowns as vaccine shots have started rolling out in Malaysia.
This feature article today is about an Executive from Proton's Finance Department, Mr. Wan Muhammad Shafiq Bin Wan Abdul Rahim. This is a look into how a chap who had just started his working career and basically life as a working adult with a job at Proton. The chap is young, ambitious, and seems to be seeking to improve his educational qualifications too.
Wan Muhammad has a degree in Accounting and Finance and has also completed his ACCA course where he is a member since 2020. So basically this chap really knows how to count stuff. But he works in a car manufacturing company. Of course, he does, not everyone in a car manufacturing company tightens bolts or designs the cars. There are people who need to count the money coming in and going out too.
UMW Toyota Motor Sdn Bhd (UMWT), distributor of Toyota and Lexus vehicles in Malaysia, have announced a Special Service Campaign (SSC) to replace the fuel pump for the Toyota Avanza manufactured from October 2017 and June 2019. According to Toyota, this round of SSC is an expansion of an earlier campaign.
Sime Darby Auto ConneXion (SDAC), the sole distributor for Ford in Malaysia, had on 3rd March 2021 revealed the New 2021 Ford Ranger Raptor X Special Edition, which is special to Malaysia and comes in True Red colour. This is also the first time that the colour Red will be offered on a Raptor for customers here. It will come with more equipment and additional safety features as standard, notably it has a in-built 360-degree camera, Dual Digital Video Recorder, and distinctive accessories comprising a bold Raptor X decal and Special Edition carpet mats. The new variant is priced at RM216,888 (on-the-road, without insurance) with a 5-Year Manufacturer’s Warranty or 160,000km, whichever comes first.
In conjunction with Scania celebrating 50 years (F50Y) in Malaysia, the truck and bus manufacturer has launched a special promotion which is valid for trucks ordered and delivered between January to December 2021. During this period, the proposition of owning a Scania truck can be as low as MYR6,888 to just over MYR11,118 per month on-the-road. The offer is valid for a Scania New Truck Generation truck meant for five different applications and you can eve get it with Scania Malaysia's in-house Financial services, subject to credit approval with the usual terms and conditions where applicable.
The Perodua Ativa has been unveiled.... officially. Well, the official reveal via the internet (due to the pandemic lockdowns) was done but there have been many photo leaks, many of which were of the actual car, so this could be the first time Perodua's internal security measures to protect its launch product was severely compromised. On a large scale that is. Of course, the compact crossover/SUV is indeed a good looking car for the price, and the price is a large part of what will make this the most popular small SUV in the market. Their local competitor(s) would need to watch out as the final prices range from RM61,500 to RM72,000 on the road before insurance in Peninsular Malaysia.
Last week, BMW Motorrad Malaysia introduced the New BMW S 1000 RR (pictured above, right beside the BMW GS). Unveiled alongside the New BMW R 18 Classic (which will be featured in another article), the latest variant of the iconic BMW Superbike – the New BMW S 1000 RR now comes equipped with the Riding Mode Pro and Dynamic Damping Control functions as standard, providing a much more thrilling experience on the racetrack. Basically this latest variant comes with optional equipment made standard, most notably the BMW M Package and the above mentioned adjustable suspension extras.
Some say the new compact Perodua SUV will be called the Ativa. Whatever it is the new compact SUV, which is powered by a turbocharged 1.0liter engine will be premiered tomorrow on the internet! The link to head over to is www.peroduadigitalpremiere.com at 8.00pm, the 3rd of March 2021.
Of course, there are leaked photos of the new car already circulating on the internet. I think the Movement Control Order has caused even more people to get restless and leaks happen. Have a look at the photos here if you haven't.
Volkswagen Passenger Cars Malaysia (VPCM) has announced their March 2021 deals on both sales and aftersales. The most notable ones are the savings which can be had on the Malaysian Volkswagen Passat range and new parts offerings in its Repair Packages for all of its customer cars.
