Spotted on the Streets: My mid-2000s Ssangyong Rexton has no resale value...what should I do with it?

This is a normal Ssangyong Rexton. It was sold in Malaysia is the mid 2000s. It is powered by a Mercedes Benz 2.7liter diesel engine and 5 speed automatic gearbox. It was quite hardy but it still cost somewhere in the RM138,000+ when it was brand new (circa 2007). And then you know its one of those funny named Korean cars...Ssangyong. So the resale value is pretty much rock bottom. These days you see people asking around RM20,000 for one. So what do you do with a Rexton that has no second hand value? You pimp it out of course.

But I never expected this to come out. 

TEST DRIVE: Volkswagen Vento 1.2 TSI Highline - There and Back Again....as well as a comparison!

Recently a bunch of Malaysian automotive journalists and I went up north to Penang recently courtesy of Volkswagen Malaysia. The reason for this trip was to try out the new Volkswagen Vento 1.2TSI. Now the Volkswagen Vento is actually the Volkswagen Polo Sedan. Volkswagen had decided the name needed to be changed for this facelift. According to them the reason for this was because they had done quite a bit of facelifting underneath the exterior of the car which gets a little bit more chrome trimming, new bumpers, new headlights, new taillights and new cosmetic bits inside (New, more upmarket looking steering wheel especially).

INDUSTRY NEWS: PROTON Officially opens its first 3S showroom in Chile

28th May 2016 marked the day when PROTON officially opened its doors (again) to customers in Chile. Proton had opened its new 3S showroom located in Irarrazaval, Santiago. The centre is located just 15 minutes away from the city centre and is managed by distributors Andes Motor. Andes Motor is a subsidiary of the Kaufmann Group which is a leading distributor of buses, Trucks and luxury cars in the South American country.

Project Kahn's Land Rover Discovery Sport 2.0 TD4 SE Black Label Edition - Some idea on how to soup up your local Disco Sport

The people at Project Kahn over in the UK have said that they have re-kitted one of the new Land Rover Discovery Sport into something gentlemanly. I think it looks brutish and all aggressive with those large wheels and black out exterior. 

ALL PROTON CARS, ACTUALLY ALL CARS, CAN BE JUMP STARTED LAH! R.T.F.M. OKAY?

Some of you Malaysians out there are so gullible and plain lazy. Let me tell you why. There have been stupid photos going around social media stating that you should not jump start certain Proton models as it will damage the Transmission Control Unit (TCU) of these cars. ALL PROTON CARS CAN BE JUMP STARTED.OKAY. So ignore the stupid notice you see below which I gotten off Facebook. The person who put this up is a moron. 

All New Honda Civic officially launched - Normally aspirated 1.8 and a turbocharged 1.5.

Honda has launched the tenth generation Honda Civic here in Malaysia. The Civic1.8L, 1.5L Turbo and 1.5L Turbo Premium are priced at RM110,726, RM124,376 and RM132,155. I think the prices are competitive, the 1.8 is priced very right and imagine that with only RM14,000 more you can go Turbo. 

NEWS: MERCEDES-BENZ MALAYSIA LAUNCHES W213 E-CLASS & THE MERCEDES-BENZ SERVICES MALAYSIA W213 AGILITY FINANCING

The new W213 series Mercedes Benz E-Class has just been launched in Malaysia.  The variants are the E 200 Avantgarde, E 250 Avantgarde, E 250 Exclusive and E 300 AMG Line. All have the current Mercedes Benz 1991cc, (2.0liter) 4 cylinder turbocharged petrol engine first seen in the facelifted W212 E-class. The engine makes 184ps, 211ps and 245ps respectively. 

First Ford Mustang delivered to a customer in Malaysia and its a 5.0 V8.

Syed Ahmad Muzri Syed Faiz (left), managing director, Sime Darby Auto Connexion presents the all-new Ford Mustang to Mr. Ganesan A/L Selvaraj (right), 

And there you have it. The chap who bought the first officially sold RHD Ford Mustang to be registered in Malaysia had bought the 5.0liter V8. Now we're talking. A big thumbs up. Then again, if the price of the car is already over RM450,000 for the entry level 2.3liter version, and the 5.0liter V8 is only a mere RM100,000 more.....the choice is quite easy actually. Congratulations is in order.

News: Volkswagen Malaysia's Hari Raya offers - Rebates and more

Now its time for Volkswagen Malaysia to announce their Hari Raya promotion. All Volkswagen models currently in stock get a RM2,000 'Duit Raya' rebate from now till 31st July 2016. And I think Volkswagen wants me to order kuih raya also, going by the background of the pics they provided. Or 'buka puasa' early. If you know what i mean.

SPOTTED FOR SALE: Citroen ZX 2.0 16Valve with a 6 speed manual gearbox upgrade

The Citroen ZX 2.0 16Valve 3 door hatchback was somewhat of a cult favourite among those of us who lived, breathed and dreamt cars in the 1990s. In those days the 152/167hp 2.0 16valve was one of the few European cars that had quite a good reputation against the numerous Honda Civic, Proton Wira (with a lot of Lancer Mods), GC8 Impreza and other cars from te Japanese brigade. Even the 1.9 and later 2.0 8 valve 5 door hatchbacks were also considered as the Euro to drive fast in.

1.0-Liter Ford EcoBoost Engine Wins Best Small Engine Award at the 2016 International Engine of the Year Awards event

The 2016 International Engine of the Year Awards saw the Prancing Horse taking overall engine of the year. But that is something most of us peasants could only dream of having. So if you're a down to earth sort of guy and like your engines small, tiny and still able to impress that geek in you then you need to know that Ford's 1.0liter EcoBoost engine won Best Small Engine of the year for the fifth year running.

ROAD SAFETY: HOW TO DRIVE AROUND TRUCKS, BUSES AND LONG TRAILERS - BEWARE OF THEIR BLIND SPOTS AND TURNING RADIUS!!!

The darker parts are the area in which a truck driver CANNOT see you.

A lot of people take driving around trucks, lorries or buses for granted. I think that since I have driven (and also ridden) almost everything there is to drive on Malaysian roads and the fact that the festive season is now upon us (again), I believe it is my duty to tell you a bit more about taking some precaution when you are around these large commercial vehicles. The first thing you must always remember is that these vehicles have A LOT OF BLIND SPOTS.

PROTON BALIK KAMPUNG RAYA PROMOTION HAS STARTED - REBATES, DISCOUNTS AND FREE SAFETY CHECKS

Alright folks, Proton has officially joined the Hari Raya promotions for this year. Customers interested to purchase new Protons during this Hari Raya Puasa festive season will get to enjoy savings of up to RM3,000 on selected 2016 Proton models. You can drive a new Proton Saga home and pay monthly instalments from as low as RM367. 

Latest Sales Campaign by Renault in Malaysia - Promotions, exclusive Renault Sport Formula One prizes and more

TC Euro Cars (TCEC), the official franchise holder of Renault cars in Malaysia, has announced the ‘Renault – Motorsports Is in Our DNA’ campaign. This is to celebrate the brand’s over 115 years in motorsports and their return to Formula 1 as a full works team this year. So until 31 August 2016, this new promotional campaign offers attractive deals on selected Renault vehicles as well as the chance to win exclusive Renault Sport Formula One™ Team prizes including Grandstand passes and a Renault Garage Visit at the 2016 Malaysian Grand Prix.

TEST DRIVE: The C7 AUDI A6 1.8TFSI - This is more KL Hilton than the Majestic Hotel

I was recently given a few days with the 2016 Malaysian Specced Audi A 1.8TFSI. This A6 is the updated A6 launched here sometime in August 2015 together with its larger engined sibling the A6 3.0TFSI. This A6 is the seventh generation (also called the C7 A6) of a long line of mid-sized premium Audi cars (this falls close to the D segment size of cars). It has been updated with better levels of equipment inside and has slightly refreshed bits and pieces for the exterior.

Shell V-Power’s new commercial highlights engine protection against gunk & corrosion

Shell V-Power (the Shell petrol brand) recently launched a new television commercial produced with state-of-the-art CGI and a car chase scene could entertain you readers out there for at least...err.. sixty seconds. Well, it IS an advertisement and not a two hour long action movie or melodrama. I just watched this advertisement and it is action packed. You have a BMW and a Transformers-like evil sentient robotic junk-like being. Very apt.

The importance of Child Safety Seats and where to get VERY affordable ones - Fabulous Mom Child Safety Seats

Hari Raya Aidilfitri is just right around the corner and this usually means a long journey back to our hometown for a lot of us. . It’s just natural that everyone is excited during this time but this excitement usually gives them the tendency to rush back to their hometown before the big day. However it is an undeniable fact that accident rates rise during these periods as there are more people on the roads during this time. The risk of someone having an accident is higher with the extra amount of vehicles on the roads

Ferrari’s turbo-charged V8 is the overall winner of the 2016 International Engine of the Year Awards

The 2016 International Engine of the Year Awards was held recently and the overall International Engine of the Year Award had gone to Ferrari for their 3.9liter bi-turbo V8 engine. This is the engine that you'll find inside the Ferrari 488 GTB, 488 Spider and the Ferrari California T (in a slightly different configuration).

Industry News (Regional): TUV sets up Independent Tyre Testing Lab in Indonesia - Progress in Indonesia's automotive sector

TUV Rheinland has opened the first independent tire testing laboratory in Indonesia . Located in Taman Tekno BSD, South Tangerang , the new 530 sq.m lab is fully certified by the Indonesia National Accreditation Body (KAN) and qualified to test passenger car, truck, bus and motorcycle tires to the latest national and international standards.

HYUNDAI SIME DARBY MOTORS offers FREE 12 Point Inspection for ALL CARS at participating Shell Stations in conjunction with Hari Raya celebrations

The Fasting Month is closing in and the Hari Raya will come soon enough.  In conjunction with the ‘balik kampung’ season this Hari Raya, Hyundai-Sime Darby Motors (HSDM) is organising its first road safety awareness campaign offering a free 12-point inspection for all cars regardless of brands at selected Shell petrol stations from 29 May to 17 July 2016.