Peugeot launches the facelifted Peugeot 508 in Malaysia

It must be Peugeot week here. The official distributor for Peugeot automobiles in Malaysia, Nasim Sdn Bhd has launched the facelifted Peugeot 508 and I was there. The new 508 gets quite a major front end revamp. There is a new family grille with new bumper design and a redesigned bonnet too. There are also full LED technology in the car now. Headlights (which also swivel according to steering angle) are LED as are the daytime running lights, fog lamps and rear lights too. The rear bumper also has a redesign also.

The interior gets a 7 inch multimedia display and is fully loaded with audio, reverse camera, driving aids, connectivity and navigation. A whole lot of stuff as well as JBL speakers (which do sound good as I managed to sit in a display unit and cranked it up a fair bit). Aside from the above, you also get every other goodie you can think of. safety systems, keyless entry, push start, electric parking brake, electrically adjustable seats and other stuff too.

Spotted for Sale: Buy these cars and receive FREE ACCIDENT

I love our country. Most of us are bilingual and a lot are tri-lingual. Of course this means English is definitely a second language or tongue to most. As such, advertisements are hilarious. But if you take them seriously, buy these cars and get FREE ACCIDENT. Instead of being 'Accident Free' you get a bonus.

Tested: Peugeot 208 GTI - A car worthy of its GTI Badge

These days if you want performance and handling for a certain price it would have to be the hot hatchback. These hot hatches were basically souped up versions of compact and supermini sized hatchbacks in either 3 or 5 door variants with added on bodykits, larger wheels and a more powerful engine. Gone were the days where affordable sportiness meant a coupe body. Ever since the first few hot hatchbacks arrived in the late 1970s and early 1980s, this was the way to go for affordable performance.

Peugeot was one of the early ones. They burst into the scene with the 205GTI in 1984. It was a stupendous car. It had a 1.6liter engine with 105hp in the beginning. This would not sound like much in current times but in those days, cars were pretty light. This was an era before airbags, side impact bars in the doors and other safety kit. So the 205GTi had around 900kgs to lug around. This still meant decent acceleration and performance. And at that point of time, 1.6liter family hatchbacks had an average of 95hp to begin with. So the 205GTI reigned supreme. It even liked to cock its inside rear wheel if one drove it vigourously in the bends. It was, a classic. Still is actually. I do wonder what happened to the few I used to see running around in the mid 1990s.

Perodua Myvi 10th Anniversary Edition

Perodua has unveiled a Myvi comemorating ten years of the Myvi. Called the Myvi 10th Anniversary Edition this Myvi is super limited in production with only ten units made available.

Thank God its only limited to ten units and not a unit more. And that.... is all I have to say about it, folks.

Jaguar Land Rover Malaysia organises off-road experience - So I got to try the Range Rover Sport

Jaguar Land Rover (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd (JLRM), authorised importer and distributor of Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles in Malaysia recently organised a 5 day special off-road driving experience event at Sepang to owners, potential buyers and members of the media. More than 500 Land Rover owners had the opportunity to experience first hand the features and systems featured on Land Rover and Range Rover vehicles. And there are lots of features in all of them. They also were given the opportunity to have a sneak preview of the new Land Rover Discovery Sport (below) as well as the complete range of Jaguar cars in Malaysia. This includes the very tasty and mind blowingly fantastically sounding Jaguar F-Type coupe. They were like trumpets from heaven. But, before I start dreaming of exhaust notes, let's get back to the story at hand.

Jaguar Land Rover Malaysia previews the Discovery Sport

Jaguar Land Rover Malaysia has finally previewed the 2015 Land  Rover Discovery Sport here in Malaysia. The preview was part of a four day customer and media experience event held at the Sepang F1 Circuit 4x4 track area. The Discovery Sport represents the third generation of compact SUV produced by Land Rover and effectively replaces the Freelander as Land Rover's entry level SUV.

We Malaysians will most probably be getting the 240hp 2.0liter turbocharged engine based on the Ford Ecoboost and the 2.2liter DuraTorq TDCI engine with about 190ps and a whole lot more torque than the petrol powered engine. Both will be sold with ZF's nine speed automatic transmission on a haldex type all-wheel drive setup (although there is a more efficient Active Driveline system on option but I doubt will be offered here). There is no low range transfer box with either all wheel drive system, to counter this limitation, the ZF 9-HP features a special very low ratio first gear which is only used when the vehicle is off-road or otherwise needed, for on-road use, the vehicle will normally start in second gear.

Volkswagen Malaysia and Swire Motors starts construction of Volkswagen's largest dealer facility in Malaysia

Volkswagen Malaysia has entered into a partnership with highly diversified and global group Swire Motors. The partnership was kicked off with a ground breaking ceremony to mark the construction of Volkswagen Puchong North, which will be Volkswagen's largest dealer facility in Malaysia.

This super sized 4S showroom will display up to 16 different models while the Aftersales section will have 25 service work bays to serve the southern region of Klang Valley.

The construction of Volkswagen Puchong North facility is expected to be completed in November 2015.

HITACHI AUTOMOTIVE BATTERY HITS THE MALAYSIAN MARKET

Earlier today I attended the Hitachi Automotive Battery launch and dealership signing ceremony between Hitachi Chemical Asia-Pacific Pte Ltd (HCAP) and Borneo Technical Technical Co (M) Sdn Bhd to appoint the latter as the distributor for the battery in the country effective May 2015.

Trucks: UD Trucks celebrates 80th Anniversary - a new UD centre in Japan and an enhanced Quester

This year, UD Trucks turns 80 years old and in celebration, the company has opened a new 3,000 sq ft UD Experience Centre in Ageo, Japan. Meanwhile, the company has also re-affirmed its commitment to Southeast Asia with the enhanced UD Quester, specifically designed for growth markets.

Compared to its predecessor, the CWM, the Quester is equipped with a bigger cab, better all-round visibility and a car-like driving experience.The highly-customizable Quester is suitable for long-haul, transportation of Dangerous Goods, distribution, construction and mining applications.


Axle configurations range from 4x2 to 8x4, and the 11-litre engine has an extra engine brake built in.

Special offer from McLaren Kuala Lumpur when you purchase a McLaren 650S

And now, you can order your McLaren 650S in Malaysia and get a personalised Meridian home audio system for your house. The McLaren 650S comes with a Meridian in-car system. Now your house can get one too. Offer is valid for the first five (5) buyers between 13th May and 14th June 2015. Of course, if you have to ask how much is a 650S.........

PRESS RELEASE

LUXURY AND PERFORMANCE HIT THE RIGHT NOTE WITH McLAREN AND MERIDIAN

Land Rovers from all eras make 1,000km journey - KL - Kuala Terengganu and Back

Speaking about Land Rovers something interesting happened on the 30th of April 2015. This was a long weekend with two public holidays. It saw 100 Land Rover enthusiasts hit the roads for a 1,000km journey from Kuala Lumpur to Kuala Terengganu and back. Imagine a 1955 Land Rover series 1 doing that. Amazing.

Press Release
MAY DAY DRIVE TO COMMEMORATE A LAND ROVER ICON

2015 Land Rover Discovery Sport spotted in PJ

The all new Land Rover Discovery Sport has been spotted at the Sime Darby office building at Oasis, Ara Damansara in Petaling Jaya earlier today.

This is the entry level Land Rover passenger vehicle and it replaces the Freelander models. The Disco Sport should be sold here soon as we are seeing these cars on the road for testing and other tests.

MIBTC 2015: Shell Lubricants launches is driveline products - Rimula, Spirax and Gadus

Displaying (L-R) Shell Rimula Brand Manager Damon Chan, Shell Rimula Global Brand Manager Seow Lee Ming and Shell Lubricants General Manager Leslie Ng at the launch of Shell Driveline lubricants

Shell Lubricants took the opportunity to launch its driveline products at the MIBTC 2015 recently. The  products include Shell Rimula heavy duty diesel engine oils; Shell Spirax axle, transmission and gear oils; as well as Shell Gadus greases. Shell, is a household name in petroleum products offers a comprehensive range of lubricants that help protect engine and drivetrain components in all types of vehicles. 

MIBTC 2015: Scania launches Marcopolo complete coach and specialist Construction Trucks

Scania Malaysia launched two products at MIBTC 2015 recently. One is the complete premium coach and the other, specialist Construction Trucks for the Malaysian market. The Scania Construction Trucks and the Scania Marcopolo complete coach were officially launched by the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) Chairman Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Dr. Syed Hamid Syed Albar, together with the Managing Director of Scania Southeast Asia, James Armstrong.

Prototype Kahn Design Flying Huntsman 105 Defender previewed

After teasing us with pictures of the Flying Huntsman Defender we finally get to see photographes of the real thing from Kahn Design. This coach-built monster of a Land Rover Defender 105 is unique. 15 inches is added to the standard Defender 90 (inch) wheelbase to become a 105. It also get its front lengthened by 400mm and it is wider by 150mm. I suppose you have to use both inches and metric figures as Land Rover uses inches for its wheelbase so it is straightforward and obvious stating so.

Trucking news: Volvo Trucks launches its Dynafleet web based fleetmanagement system in Malaysia

Volvo Trucks Malaysia has launched Dynafleet, Volvo Truck's web based fleet management system for fleet operators to utilise in managing their fleet operations. Dynafleet will assist in fleet operation by ensuring more fuel efficient and profitable transport operation by web based telemetry. It allows proper coordination between driver, vehicle and operations. All accessed via a simple, user friendly online application connection te driver(s) via an in-vehicle multimedia syetem, the operator's terminal and also by Volvo Trucks.

The new Dynafleet app is now available and can be downloaded free of charge from Apple iTunes and Google Play. A Dynafleet subscription however is required for it to be functional.

MIBTC 2015: MAN shows New TGS truck and Total Cost of OwnershipSolutions

The MAN TGS truck is a 41-tonne payload truck comes with an automated MAN TipMatic® Offroad gearbox that provides an optional gearshift strategy for off-road operation and transmit power to the planetary tandem axles with their 22.5-inch twin tires.  A reinforced sub-frame allows loading up to the permissible maximum payload of 30 tonne and the high-torque six-cylinder in-line Euro 3 engine with up to 480 HP (353 kW) delivers powerful propulsion. It is targeted for Malaysian mining operators who seek an affordable vehicle for such heavy duty workloads. 

MAN also displayed its service programmes which aims to lower ownership costs. This includes driver training and also increased awareness on proper life cycle, fuel usage and maintenance. A package that is holistic in nature to assist fleet operators in achieving optimum usage of resources.

MIBTC 2015: Malaysia International Bus Truck and Components Expo 2015 begins today

Tan Sri Syed Hamid Syed Albar, Chairman of SPAD, in a Scania bus during his walkabout 

I attended the Malaysia International Bus Truck and Component Expo over at the MINES convention center earlier today. The three day event began today and showcases various commercial vehicle players such as Iveco, Scania, Volvo Trucks, TATA, MAN and other brands too. There is a strong presence by the Europeans and a unsurprsingly the Chinese brands which are making inroads especially on the more affordable end of the field.

Press release

Road Safety Takes Centre Stage at Malaysia International Bus, Truck and Components Expo 2015

Strong Exhibitors Showcase and Diverse Activities at South East Asia’s Largest Commercial Vehicle Expo

Fun under RM150,000. Honestly..where the heck are the Japs these days.

In Malaysia RM150,000 seems to be a the threshold when it comes to buying a slightly more premium car. This figure could be seen as a sensible figure where the price buys you something large and nice or fast and sporty without breaking the bank.

Of course, this price segment is filled with large D segment cars with a 2.0 liter engine like the Honda Accord or a Hyundai Sonata or European and Japanese C segment type cars with either a 2.0liter normally aspirated engine or a smaller 1.6liter and below turbocharged one. But when it comes to actual performance cars in this price range we have to ask...where the heck are the Japanese?

Upcoming car reviews - A classic Mercedes Benz and a modern Peugeot GTI

It has been a busy couple of days for me and today's post shall be a short one. A teaser of what's coming up.

We have a review of a classic Mercedes Benz R129 300SL-24. This pristine 1992 model is a stunning example of why classic Mercedes Benz have a following here in Malaysia. It currently belongs to a serial car buyer friend of mine and the drive in this baby is totally an experience. It may have been launched in the mid to late 1980s and feels like it was hewn from a solid block of metal but throw it round a familiar bend and you find a level of composure that is unfamiliar in this generation of modern classic Mercedes Benz.

Then comes Peugeot's most exciting GTI in recent years. The Peugeot 208GTI harks back to the days when the Peugeot GTI badging meant something. It brings things back to the good old days of the 206 and 306GTIs. To say that it is as good as a 205GTI may be pushing it but its darn close. The 200hp in such a small package also makes it a heck of an entertainer.

Stay tuned folks. We don't just review cars. We review the experience too.