AUTOFEST KUALA LUMPUR 2016 to be held from the 13th to the 15th of May 2016 at the MATRADE Centre KL

Here is another Auto Show which will hit Kuala Lumpur in the month of May 2016. The AUTOFEST Kuala Lumpur 2016 will be held from the 13th to the 15th May 2016 (from 10am to 9pm). It will offer great prices, savings and attractive offers on wide variety of reconditioned, brand new, pre-owned cars and bikes gracing the show floor as well as showcase of new launches, accessories and other automotive related products at discounted prices.

Land Rover Defender Rover Team to tour the Peninsular showcasing the icon for one final time

Jaguar Land Rover (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd (JLRM) is embarking on a special roadshow to celebrate the Land Rover Defender as part of a tribute to the iconic 4X4 vehicle.  The Land Rover Defender Rover Team’s roadshow will visit more than 14 selected locations including malls, business districts, popular cafes and other popular hangouts in the Klang Valley and Penang from April 23 till May 1, 2016. 

SHORT TEST DRIVE: MERCEDES BENZ W205 C-CLASS C300 AMG LINE & C180 AVANTGARDE and a bit on the W204 in comparison to the W205

 C300 AMG Line

There are times when I would start and say that the article will be a short one. It sometimes becomes long winded and therefore long as heck. It happens as I end up having so many things to say about a car. This article is supposed to be a short drive article, but since it includes thoughts on two variants and two generations of car. It will be pretty long actually and it is about the Mercedes Benz W205 C-Class. The C300 and the C180 variants as well as a comparison with the W204 model that preceded it (in terms of ride and handling).

THIS IS THE END...... The Land Rover Defender The End Edition by Chelsea Truck Company

This is a tribute by Khan Design's Chelsea Truck Company for the iconic Land Rover Defender. It is aptly named THE END EDITION. There will be 25 of it built to commemorate the last Land Rover Defender to be built. That rolled of the Land Rover factory sometime last January by the way.

TRUCK NEWS: Volvo Trucks Malaysia offering brake and clutch parts with labour at attractive prices

Volvo Trucks Malaysia is introducing the Volvo Genuine Brake and Clutch campaign for a limited time only. Attractive prices on selected brake and clutch components plus labor are now available for your choosing. 

Ford sells 650 vehicles in March 2016

Ford had announced a few days ago that its March 2016 retail sales in Malaysia that grew 24 percent from the previous month to 650 units.

The performance was driven by growing demand for the tough Ranger pickup, with March sales increasing 19 percent from the previous month of 513 units. Initial customer deliveries of the  new Focus also kicked off in March.

Facelifted Subaru Forester launched with two CKD 2.0i variants and a CBU turbocharged 2.0XT

The new facelifted Subaru Forester is now available in Malaysia. There are three options. Two Completely Knocked Down (CKD) variants – the Forester 2.0i priced at RM 144,948 and Forester 2.0i-P at RM 154,488,. The third variant is the fully imported completely built up (CBU) turbocharged 2.0XT from Japan. That is priced at RM 211,729. 

Industry News: Mercedes Benz Malaysia achieves best first quarter sales ever for Malaysia

“With our brand heritage, we will continue to build on our strong foundation to ensure success in the future,” said Mercedes-Benz Malaysia President and CEO, Dr Claus Weidner (right) at the company’s 1Q2016 results briefing.  Also present was Vice-President, Sales & Marketing, Passenger Cars, Mr Mark Raine (left)

Mercedes-Benz Malaysia recorded a total of 2,658 units in Q1 of 2016. This is a 41% growth compared to Q1 of 2015, and it the Best 1st Quarter in the premium marque’s history. The three-pointed star achieves a new milestone recording a market share of 2.3% (YTD March 2016), marking a 0.5% increase compared to full year 2015. This makes Mercedes-Benz is No. 1 in the premium luxury car segment.

TEST DRIVE: 2016 Ford Focus 1.5 EcoBoost Sport+ Hatchback (Automatic)

Alright folks, remember that I wrote in the facelifted Ford Focus Titanium+ sedan test drive that I wanted to take a Focus up Genting Highlands? Well, I managed to do just that actually. I however did that not in the Titanium+ but I managed to do that in the facelifted Sport+ hatchback. Even better yes?

MUV - Bringing online auction to the used vehicle industry in Malaysia

Since its inception in July 2013, MUV Marketplace Sdn Bhd (MUV) has sold more than RM260 million worth of used vehicles, ran 50 auctions for more than 11,000 vehicles with a hit rate of 75%. MUV currently has three hubs across Malaysia, namely in Klang Valley, Penang and Johor that are capable of housing more than 2,000 vehicles and seating 350 buyers altogether. 

F10 BMW 5 Series has sold over two million units worldwide. Why? It looks better than the previous one by a mile

BMW has just informed us that, the current BMW 5 Series (the F10) sets new benchmarks in the premium business segment with over two million of them sold throughout the world. Compared with the previous generation, sales of the current BMW 5 Series have even risen by more than 42 percent.

Motorsport: 2017 Volkswagen Polo R WRC drawing shown

Some juicy WRC bits here. The upcoming 2017 Volkswagen Polo R WRC will generate about 380 hp or 60 hp more than the current car (318 hp). It will be lighter by about 25kg, wider by 50mm, and with more aerodynamic. New regulations allow such additions to the current, 2016 car seen pictured below. Well, technically it should look like the car below, but slightly wider.

Spotted for Sale: 2006 Nissan Sentra 1.6 (M) - One Level Higher than Auntie Owned

Now this is taking things a level higher. Instead of advertised as 'One Lady Owner', we now get "2006 Nissan Sentra 1.6 (M)GRANDMA OWNER"

I have to believe this is really owned by someone's grandmother because:

A MEMORY FROM MY PAST ABOUT THE AE86

I finished my Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia or the Malaysian O-Level equivalent in 1989. I did what most teenagers would do then. Kept my hair long, went out with friends, played some sports and did all sorts of stuff. I also played a lot of badminton as a friend's house. 

News: Proton Edar gets a new CEO

This is a straightforward piece of news. Mr Rohime Shafie is now the new Chief Executive Officer of Proton Edar (the sales arm of Proton Cars) replacing Mr Norzahid Mohd Zahudi who had tendered his resignation. 

Let's see what comes next now that the change of management has taken place. 

Motorsports: BMW in the hunt for another successful DTM campaign for 2016

2015 saw BMW Motorsport win the seventh of a possible twelve titles in its fourth year since returning to the DTM in 2012. Given the fantastic performances and success enjoyed in 2015, there was no reason to change the drivers and teams for the new season. BMW Teams RMG, MTEK, RBM and Schnitzer will once again fly the flag for BMW in 2016. Back at the wheel of the eight BMW M4 DTMs will be Bruno Spengler, Marco Wittmann, António Félix da Costa, Timo Glock, Augusto Farfus, Tom Blomqvist, Maxime Martin and Martin Tomczyk

PROTON gets a RM1.5 Billion soft loan from the government and they say thank you

Here is the latest official press release from PROTON. This first made by the newly appointed CEO, Dato' Ahmad Fuaad Kenali. This is regarding the Government of Malaysia's approving a RM1.5billion soft loan to pay their vendors and suppliers (with the usual terms and conditions obviously). 

However, it is a good thing that would uplift the spirits of the group. I believe Proton is very necessary as it is the only company in the South East Asian region that has the research and development capability to build a car from scratch and comply with all the safety regulations globally. Perodua still cannot do so. I should know as I have met people within the industry and they tell me so. 

TRUCK NEWS: Volvo Trucks' Asia Pacific VISTA Competition sets a record for the number of participants

VISTA (Volvo International Service Training Award) is the largest competition for workshop personnel in the world. It first started in 1957 as a competition for Volvo's mechanics in Sweden and has since become a popular international event for Volvo technicians globally. The aim of VISTA is to develop and improve employees' knowledge and skills and improve customer service whilst rewarding the participants. The competition is open to all workshop employees within the Volvo Trucks and Volvo Buses global service network. VISTA 2015-2016 has been the biggest ever, with more than 18,500 participants worldwide.

CALTEX & X-MEN: APOCALYPSE Movie promotion and lucky draw from now till 12th June 2016

Chevron Malaysia Limited, which markets Caltex Lubricants in Malaysia -  Havoline® and Delo® have launched its very first partnership with Twentieth Century Fox the the upcoming X-Men: Apocalypse movie. This is another one of those Marvel superhero movies. Highly anticipated by fans and moviegoers. This new campaign is called THE POWER OF X WITH CALTEX. 

Ford's engineers create the worst road in the world...for a good reason

Last year in the U.K.,  the Royal Automobile Club, the RAC (like our Automobile Association of Malaysia -AAM) responded to more than 25,000 pothole-related breakdowns. According to statistics this was a nearly 25 per cent increase since 2014. Poor condition and lack of maintenance of European roads are said to contribute to at least one third of all accidents every year.