POST MORTEM: Why were there so little participants at the recent KL motor show 2013?

It's quite simple actually. 

1. The Tokyo Motor Show as well as the Los Angeles Motor Show 2013 took center stage over KLIMS 2013. This was because all three motor shows either overllapped slightly or were close to one another.

 2. When it comes to the Tokyo motor show, it is very important for the Japanese car makers to shine at their home turf. Tokyo is what some motor journos rate as a class A motor show. A class A motor show usually has the latest car launches as well as the unveiling of lots of concept cars.

You really, really need one of these - V8 Suzuki Jimny

I really love going through the classifieds looking at interesting things to dream of buying. That's what we motorheads do. This one really got my attention. IT IS RIDICULOUS. It must drive ridiculous!!! The 1988 Jimny must have originally come with a 1.3 liter puny engine that had something like 60 horsepower. This one has a stonking V8 from a Toyota Soarer and at least 300 bhp and some ridiculous torque figures. Take a look at that engine bay, throw a pin in there and it will not come out through the bottom. 

Lamborghini launches the Gallardo replacement - Lamborghini Huracan

Lamborghini has made it official. The Gallardo replacement is the Huracán. It is named after another fighting bull, this time some fighting bull called Huracán who was of the Spanish Conte de la Patilla breed was known for his outstanding courage and strong sense of attack. He fought in Alicante in August 1879, showing his unrelenting character and remaining defiant and invincible, thus entering into the legend of fighting bulls’ history. So this Huracan is a good hundred over years over the original animal. Whatever that means.

It looks like what a small Lamborghini should look like. No surprises here as it builds on what the Gallardo looked like and added some of the latest Lamborghini styling cues from the Veneno and Aventador. I believe that the design doesn't bring anything surprising, but this IS entry level Lamborghini anyway.

Perodua teases the new Alza

Perodua has teased an advertisement of the new 2014 Alza on their website. I believe it could be all new as the Alza, aka Toyota Passo Sette mini MPV, was launched in 2009 and its five year model run is supposedly up by then. But knowing Perodua, who go by the Toyota/Daihatsu way of doing things what we'll see is a new bodystyle with the usual, same as the current model engine and drivetrain. This means that it will have the same 1.5liter engine and 4 speed gearbox. Same as it ever was.

Electric Cars by Chedet

Former Prime Minister of Malaysia Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad blogs these days under the pseudonym Chedet. He is advisor to Proton, the national car company he initiated when he was Premier. He has some interesting things to say about electric cars and the turmoil that is going on in the Australia motor industry. As some of you are aware, Ford will cease production in a couple of years time over there and so will Holden. Toyota is also mulling the same thing. And yes, no one is talking about electric cars over there. It's just dollars and cents and electric cars are indeed a far fetched dream for most of us.

Read the article over there by clicking on the link here.

Volvo Group's UD Trucks delivers world's first Quester units designed for growth markets in Asia

UD Trucks on the 16th of December 2013 delivered the first units of Quester, its all-new heavy-duty truck range, designed specifically for growth markets in Asia and the rest of the world, including Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Regarded as an industry game-changer, the Quester is designed, priced and equipped with features that cater to a multitude of different industries, from distribution to long-haul transportation, mining to construction.

2014 Mercedes Benz W205 C-class

Not going to add anything more than that it is bigger than the earlier W204 and like previous C-classes, apes the current S-class. Mercedes Benz has actually moved the goalposts (larger interior, exterior, materials used, construction, equipment etc) for the compact executive sedan category with this car in my opinion.

Sime Darby Motors lets go of Alfa Romeo in Malaysia

Tough. I remember reading sometime in 2006 that Sime Darby were serious in making Alfa Romeo work in Malaysia. They gave out pretty good warranties for the cars but it seems they have given up - voluntarily relinquishing their distributorship of Alfa Romeo in Malaysia.

Sometimes large conglomerates get over-confident, claiming that they can do wonders. Well, Alfa Romeo is an enigma all by itself and this year Alfa Romeo Malaysia managed a dozen or so cars. Last year they managed slightly below forty cars. This is quite a sad end to Sime Darby's venture with Alfa Romeo. But somehow this end is predictable.

 I mean how the heck can you try sell a premium Italian brand from one miserable showroom and service center in of all places, Jalan Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur? Everyone who sells premium cars is in Petaling Jaya, one should have stayed in Petaling Jaya instead of Jalan Ipoh. You only buy floor tiles and sanitary ware in Jalan Ipoh. How can you sell cars if you're not where the crowd who buys Alfa is? Maybe the only person that could sell Alfa Romeo in Malaysia was Ron Lim, the chap who used to run the previous Alfa Romeo distribution here who now runs Lamborghini Malaysia.

Anyway, press release from Sime Darby Motors after the jump.

Spotted for Sale: Butchered to heck 1969 W108 Mercedes S-class

I sometimes wonder what the heck were they thinking when people start projects like this one pictured herein. 

They take a car that already has some classic status and rarity, throw away the original engine, plonk in a 1JZ ('tiwe' should mean twin turbo) without a proper ECU, which means that the car cannot run or even start but they give you a new 'betty' - battery. The logic amazes me.

2014 BMW M3 AND M4 PHOTOS LEAKED

424bhp and over 500Nm in torque from a 3.0liter turbocharged straight-six engine (downsized from the previous generation M3). 0-100km/h in under 4.0seconds (according to the latest news) onwards to the 250km/h limiter. These are the first leaked photos of BMW's latest M3. It looks good with the different front and rear bumpers, outlet vents at the front fenders and that bonnet hump. This is internally codenamed as the F80

They've done it - New Proton Perdana Limousine AKA Honda Accord stretch

The new Proton Perdana limousine is out. It is basically a stretched previous generation (Eighth) Generation Honda Accord for the government. A Honda-Proton joint venture (or in simpler terms, rebadged engineering - with Proton engineering especially for this limo version). Normal length variants are to follow.

Royal Malaysia Police Land Rover Defender at work

This is a great photograph, taken from a  Facebook page, of an icon operated by the Royal Malaysian Police (Polis DiRaja Malaysia - PDRM). Hard at work during the recent floods in the East Coast. This photograph shows why we all love the Land Rover Defender. We hope that its future replacement would be as useful and as iconic as this one. 

At this moment we have our doubts. I mean, just look at it. The Land Rover Defender.

The reason why Volvo cars aren't selling here in Malaysia (and the rest of the world) these days.

Anyone know anybody who recently bought a brand  new Volvo? Nope? Neither have I. Why is it? The cars are well designed. The exterior looks pretty good and the interior gets some pretty nifty touches like the floating dashboard and unique switchgear. Everything feels well built but no one seems to be actually warming up to the Swedish brand here in Malaysia.

It used to be otherwise. In the 1980s and 1990s you see people driving Volvos everywhere. They were even the choice for Government officials and companies like using them for company cars. In those days Volvos were priced somewhere like where Volkswagen cars are priced these days, slightly lower than Mercedes Benz, BMW and Audi. Companies like giving the Volvo 240 or the 760 series as a car that sits between the higher priced Mercedes w124 200E and 230E cars. Somehow it showed you your place in the company's hierarchy and Volvos sold a fair bit then.

Suzuki Kizashi may not be directly replaced when the time comes - A Shame as we've driven it and it's quite nice.

According to a report by drive.com.au the Suzuki Kizashi is unlikely to have a replacement in the future. It is likely to soldier on for a while longer and may fade out into the annals of automotive history. The reason is that reception to this mid-sized car has been pretty cold. In the report, the MD for Suzuki Australia said that even at launch, the Kizashi was compromised by the American financial crisis in 2009.

With American once Suzuki's largest market being wiped out (Suzuki America declared bankrupty in 2012), sales for this (almost) large sedan dwindled as even in markets like Australia and the UK it was overpriced and underspecced compared to its rivals like the Honda Accord and the Mazda 6. The Suzuki Kizashi is also a tad undersized if compared to the current crop of Japanese mid-sized / full sized sedans. If you compare its size it is closer to cars like the seventh generation Honda Accord (2003-2007) instead of the larger eighth and ninth generation Accords that we're familiar with. You add competition like the huge Toyota Camry and Nissan Teana to the picture and you can see why Suzuki isn't really selling any Kizashis even here in Malaysia. But we've driven it and we like how it drives as well as how it looks. The car looks squat with a wheel at each corner. Very athletic looking and taut.