PROTON have started teasing the all-new B segment sized Proton PERSONA

Proton has now officially teased us with one (1) picture of the all-new Proton Persona which will be launched soon. The car, will effectively replace the current Persona but it is supposedly slightly smaller than the one which has been around for....err...a very long time (about 9 years or so to this date). The main difference between the new Persona and the new one is the size.

News: Vehicle Auction on 14th August 2016 - Bid for your car, truck, van, generator set here.

There will be an auction scheduled on Sunday, 14th of August 2016 over at Fleet Management Solution Sdn Bhd's premises in Shah Alam. This could be the place to head over to  if you're interested in bidding / buying some ex-company cars, 4x4s, vans for your up and coming pasar malam business or a truck or two. 

Truck & Bus News: SCANIA DRIVER COMPETITION SOUTHEAST ASIA 2016-2017 is officially on - Applications are Open Now

The 2016-2017 Scania Driver Competition has started. The SDC Southeast Asia 2016-2017 (SDC-SEA) as it is officially called is now bigger.  it will, for the first time, welcome participants throughout South East Asia (which is why it is now called SDC-SEA). There will be drivers from Myanmar and the Philippines added to the list of competitors which would include 10 drivers from Malaysia, 6 from Singapore, 2 from Philippines and 2 from Myanmar in the finals. It should be more interesting after this!

Volkswagen Malaysia Merdeka Sales Promotion Campaign and Malaysia-wide Open House

Volkswagen Malaysia has announced today that in the spirit of unity and national harmony, Volkswagen Malaysia will be and is celebrating the month of August with special Merdeka promotions.

Century Battery have launched their battery warranty service centre and have a SMS Contest going on right now

Century Motolite Battery Sdn Bhd or Century Battery have been in the vehicle battery business for as long as I can remember. For over 50 years they have been selling batteries throughout Malaysia. Their current crop of batteries include the maintenance free Century Ultramax, Century SDFC (for continental makes of cars), Century Marathoner (which they improved in May 2016), Hybrid and also the Century LM low maintenance battery. They even have a battery assist service for the greater Klang Valley area if any motorist requires an immediate battery change (for the agreed price of course). Anyway, Century Battery have just announced that they are the first company in Malaysia to have a battery warranty service centre. 

Test Drive: 2016 Volvo S60 T6 - A stealthy executive express that gives you old school thrills in a new package

Sometime ago I attended the Malaysian launch of the 2016 Volvo S60 T6. It is not exactly an all-new car as it is still the one that was launched way back in 2010 but this is the one where Volvo, in 2015, started added their newest engines and transmissions based on their Drive-E technology as well as doing some style tweaks and adding more driver conveniences. Now what is interesting about this new car is that it is sold in Malaysia in front wheel drive form and has an output of 306 hp and 400 Nm of torque. I had a brief spin in one and it felt so alive. Really alive as it tyre-chirped, torquesteered, tramlined its way down the road. Like what an a powerful, old school front wheel drive sports sedan would do. Like what its forefather, the Volvo 850 T5R would have done in its day. 

MotorSport: FITRA ERI TAKES THIRD VICTORY IN MALAYSIA CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

Now aside from the Ferrari Challenge Asia Pacific there was a whole lot of other racing going on at Sepang International Circuit (SIC) last weekend. All of the races were part of the Malaysia Championship Series (MCS) which includes the Asian Le Mans series and also the name bearer - the Malaysia Championship Series,  Touring Production Championship & the lower output Malaysian Touring Car Championship. So this time, Round 2 of the MCS race for the Touring Production Championship at SIC was won by  Indonesian driver Fitra Eri of Team Sakura Tedco Racing, His third victory of this season.

Truck News: Mercedes-Benz Malaysia Launches Its First Full-Fledged 3S Commercial Vehicle Centre in East Coast

Mercedes-Benz Malaysia Commercial Vehicles (MBM CV) recently launched its very first full-fledged 3S Commercial Vehicle Centre in Kuantan, Pahang with its authorised dealer, Hap Seng Commercial Vehicle Sdn Bhd.

Truck News: Volvo Trucks Malaysia 2016 Fuelwatch Challenge Malaysia - Zulkifli bin Saad crowned the 2016 fuelsaving King

The Fuelwatch Challenge 2016 by Volvo Trucks has been won by Zulkifli bin Saad. Zulkifli, who hails from Penang. This is the 7th year the very popular annual Volvo Trucks Fuelwatch Challenge has been held in Malaysia and this year, Volvo Trucks have made some changes to the competition by adding expert mentors in the form of part winners and also by adding the Volvo DynaFleet Management system to be used to monitor driver and truck performance.

The All-New and pretty good looking Renault Koleos SUV will be launched in September with order books already open

The all-new Renault Koleos will be launched soon and from what I can tell from the pictures it is quite a handsome looking SUV. From the details given, the Koleos, which is Renault's flagship SUV, will be officially launched in September but TC Euro Cars, franchise holder of Renault cars here have also announced that you can place an order for one starting today. 

MyProton Mobile Application launched by PROTON - Available for Android and Apple Smartphones

 

More convenience for Proton customers. Proton have launched a mobile application that makes it easy for customers do do the a lot of stuff just from their SmartPhone. 

Motorsport: Results of Ferrari Challenge Asia Pacific 2016 Round Four Race 1 & Race 2 at the Sepang International Circuit

Last weekend saw the Ferrari Challenge Asia Pacific Round 4 races at Sepang International Circuit. A total of 31 Drivers from 13 countries participated in the races. All were driving the same car, the Ferrari 458 Challenge EVO on a circuit where the ambient temperature reached over 51 degrees Celsius. Tough, challenging and fun. Even for those  of us watching from the sidelines.

MotorSport: At the Ferrari Challenge Asia Pacific 2016 Race at Sepang - Race 2 on Sunday....

I was fortunate to be invited to attend the second race of the Ferrari Challenge Asia Pacific 2016 at the Sepang International Circuit earlier today (Sunday). This was a two race calendar event which is part of the Ferrari Challenge Asia Pacific series. It was held in conjunction with the Malaysia Championship Series Round 2 held over the weekend. 

Upcoming Test Drive Articles - Proton Perdana B-road/Highway bash, Volvo XC60 T6 & T5, Volvo S60 T6, Ford Focus & S-Max

So many cars to write so little time. I mean I have to write in between having teh tarik, coffee, running errands, going to meetings, events and also the time when I am busy doing nothing. The doing nothing part is nice if you know what I mean. Anyway, I am going to write reviews about these cars pictured below:

Classic Cars: Elvis Presley's BMW 507 gets a stupendous restoration after being 'missing' for over 50 years

Elvis Presley's old BMW 507 roadster now looks stunning after a sympathetic rebuild to its authentic or as close to original condition consisting of many original parts by BMW Group Classic. You guys out there know who's Elvis Presley right??? 

News: Selected Service Centres Now Open 7 days a week with 12%-30% reduction in selected parts like turbocharger, ECU and transmission

National car manufacturer PROTON has announced that some of its 3S and 2S service centres will be operating throughout the week including Sundays effective 6th August 2016. This is part of Proton's Customer First initiative that aims to improve its after sales services. It also announced a price drop in selected parts which is also a very, very good thing!

News: Ford and SDAC Add Cheer to Merdeka 2016 with Attractive Deals and Promotions

Ford and its local distributor Sime Darby Auto Connexion (SDAC) are offering attractive cash rebates on selected models nationwide from now till 30 September 2016. If any of you are interested you can enjoy cash rebates of up to RM15,000 for the Ford Kuga SUV, up to RM13,500 for the Ford EcoSport compact SUV and up to RM8,000 for the Ford Focus as well as the feisty Fiesta too. 

Industry News: Ferrari announces a record 2nd Quarter and impressive 1st half 2016 Sales Performance figures

Ferrari recently announced its second quarter and six months ended June 30, 2016. As with the world today, there are still companies that make impressive sales figures in times that are seemingly in a slump. Well, right now we are witnessing a slump in Oil & Gas, but as always, when one industry is down, there is usually another one which is somehow booming. And I also have to add that the wealth of the people on this planet has grown tremendously over the past two decades or so making purchasing of luxury and ultra-luxury products continue to be on the uptrend.

Motorsport news: Suzuka Drift Race Challenge Series competition set for this 10th & 11th December 2016 in Batu Kawan

A company called Suzuka Oil Sdn. Bhd. has continued its push to try become a significant aspect in the world of professional Drift motorsports especially in Asia. After successfully organising 2 races in Penang (Batu Kawan end August 2015) and in the Klang Valley (May 2016, ELITE Speedway, PLUS Highway), Suzuka is seeing a return of the Suzuka Drift Race Challenge Series which will take place at Batu Kawan, Penang on the 10th and 11th of December 2016. They did the official launch and press conference of the event last sunday, the 31st of July. It was attended by a few drift cars...obviously.

Motorsport News: Official launch of the 2016 Formula One PETRONAS Malaysia Grand Prix

The campaign for the 2016 Formula One PETRONAS Malaysia Grand Prix had just been officially launched. The Grand Prix event will take place from 30th September to the 2nd of October 2016 at the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) and this year, the event will be themed Experience RedeF1ned. The launch event was attended by PETRONAS Senior General Manager of Group Strategic Communications Zahariah Abd Rahman and SIC CEO, Dato Razlan Razali (both pictured above - Left to Right - Dato Razlan & Zahariah Abd Rahman).