Happenings: The 3rd NATIONAL GD EXPRESS ROAD SAFETY CHAMPIONSHIP 2016

14th of August 2016 was a memorable day for the people of GD Express Sdn Bhd. This well known courier company held their 3rd National Road Safety Championship 2016 for their drivers and dispatch riders. This competition was held in conjunction with GD Exspress' Health & Safety Month and was held at the GD Exspress premises at Jalan Tandang, Petaling Jaya. The event was also attended by officials from MIROS (Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research), JKJR (Road Safety Department) PRDM (Royal Malaysian Police) – Traffic Police from the District HQ of Petaling Jaya, PETROSAINS (PETRONAS' subsidiary of their science centre) and the JPJ (Road Transport Department).

Honda Malaysia Airbag Recall Update August 2016

This is the latest update that Honda Malaysian has given on the Takata Airbag fiasco. You can now change your airbag(s) of affected Honda vehicles as the parts have arrived. Now read the article below and fix your appointments ASAP. 

PROTON CARS TO BE GIVEN AS REWARD FOR MALAYSIAN 2016 OLYMPIC GAMES MEDAL WINNERS

The Olympic Games are considered the world's foremost sports competition with thousands of athletes from more than 200 countries participating at a time. The Olympic Games are held every four years, with the Summer and Winter Games alternating by occurring every four years but two years apart. Now if anyone wins a medal any event in the Olympics, it is a big deal. A very big deal and DRB-HICOM and its automotive subsidiary, PROTON has decided to present their cars as appreciation to medal winners at this year's Summer Olympics currently held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

TRUCK NEWS: Heng Seng Company takes delivery of new Scania Truck for its business in Kelantan

Scania Malaysia recently handed over a Scania G460LA6x2MNA to Heng Seng & Company Sdn Bhd. The new truck, one of two G460s ordered, is meant to take on the MyGaz exclusive distributorship for the state of Kelantan. The keys to the Scania G460 truck with Opticruise gearbox was handed to Edward Tan Hoe Een, Managing Director of Heng Seng by Tuan Haji Idros Puteh, Sales Director of Scania Southeast Asia at Scania (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Kota Bharu Branch. at a small handover ceremony.

Limited Edition Renault Fluence Formula Edition is unveiled

Renault via its Malaysian franchise holder TC Euro Cars (TCEC) have unveiled a limited run edition of the Renault Fluence. This Renault Fluence Formula Edition, as it is called, is offered in conjunction with Renault's return to Formula One this year as a full works team as well as it being a lead-up to the 2016 Malaysian Grand Prix which is just around the corner. 

Toyota Sienta launched in Malaysia - Priced from RM92,900

The all-new Toyota Sienta 7-seater compact MPV has been officially launched in Malaysia. This compact MPV sits in between the Toyota Avanza and Toyota Innova and is imported from Indonesia (so it comes with ASEAN tax break incentives). The Sienta comes in 2 variants – 1.5G and 1.5V, priced at RM 92,900 and RM 99,900 (on the road with insurance).

TEST DRIVE: The new Proton Perdana 2.0L over Highways and B-Roads - We take it to the limit

The Proton Perdana.  It is the first of at least four new models that are part Proton's current turnaround plan and sometimes, the first will give you some impression on what's going to happen next. So Proton decided to take a few of us automotive writers and put us in some Proton Perdana to drive to Port Dickson for lunch, then to Melaka for the night and back the next day. I chose the Perdana 2.0L - WC 3820X to be the car I would drive.

TRUCK NEWS: Mercedes-Benz Malaysia Hosts Truck Drivers’ League Competition and 2016 Skills Competition Commercial Vehicles

As part of promoting safe and responsible driving amongst commercial drivers in Malaysia, Mercedes-Benz Malaysia Commercial Vehicles recently organised the long-awaited Truck Drivers’ League competition. Back by popular demand, the bi-annual Mercedes-Benz Malaysia Commercial Vehicles Truck Drivers’ League provides a valuable platform for Mercedes-Benz ACTROS drivers to hone their driving skills whilst challenging each other in this event.

Honda unveils the new tenth generation Honda Civic Hatchback - It looks nicer than the sedan that was just launched here

Honda has revealed to us the new tenth generation Honda Civic Hatchback. The car, that is current being built at Honda's Swindon factory in the UK is also meant for export to the United States of America. Funny thing eh? Honda is now built in the UK for sale in Europe and now the USA. Did you know that Honda Japan has not sold a normal Civic ever since they stopped production of the eight generation Civic?

NAZA Italia previews the all-new Maserati Levante luxury SUV

L to R-  Mr. Suraish Kumar,  Head of After-Sales, NAZA Italia Sdn. Bhd, Mr. Zakaria Ismail, Advisor, NAZA World Group of Companies & Mr. Farid Sulaiman, Vice President of NAZA Italia Sdn Bhd.

NAZA Italia, official importers and distributors of Maserati in Malaysia previewed the all-new Maserati Levante SUV recently. This is the first SUV for Maserati and it, like other Maserati prior to this, gets its name from the name of a regional breeze or wind - Bora, Ghibli, Syamal and others. 

THE 'RENAULT FLUENCE IT'S A BIG DEAL' CAMPAIGN - Buy selected Renault Fluence at a steal!

Renault cars in Malaysia, today announced the ‘Renault Fluence It’s a Big Deal’ campaign. Through this new sales campaign, you can buy a display unit or selected pre-registered Renault Fluence at RM79,888 (on-the-road inclusive of GST, without insurance, for Peninsular Malaysia and private registration). This is B segment price for a larger C segment car! More car for you for less money.

LAND ROVER DISCOVERY SPORT now available in diesel

Jaguar Land Rover (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd has introduced the diesel variant of the Land Rover Discovery Sport premium compact SUV.) The new 5+2 seater Land Rover Discovery Sport 2.2L SD4 Diesel is powered by a proven 2.2-litre, 190PS and 420Nm turbodiesel engine mated to an advanced nine-speed automatic transmission. It looks the same as the petrol version and has the same levels of equipment. 

Four Malaysians in two Land Rover Defenders will strike off to India via the old World War II road through Imphal, Myanmar

 What was just a dream has now become reality for a bunch of Land Rover enthusiasts from the Land Rover Owners Club of Malaysia (LROM). Four Malaysians in two Land Rover Defenders will embark on a historic 46-day overland journey to India via the old World War II Myanmar-India corridor through Tamu – Imphal – Dimapur.

UPDATED (16 August - press release & feature list) : All-New Proton Persona is now officially available for booking!

As I mentioned in a previous article, the all-new Proton Persona is now available for booking at all authorised dealers at an indicative price of RM47,000 to RM61,000 in Peninsular Malaysia and RM49,000 to RM63,000 in Sabah & Sarawak. With 3 years Free Service (Parts & Labour, T&C applies) for bookings made by 30th September 2016!

Sunday Lite: Rare cars I remember spotting when I was a young lad in Taiping - A Citroen, Saab, Rover & a Borgward

The clocktower in Taiping. I used to go for tuition classes in the building behind the clocktower back in the day. 

Taiping was a quaint little town where I grew up. It was a place where everything was peaceful and most of us teenagers would cycle from one end of town to the other. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, these was a time where change was happening. Taiping may have been a small town then (slightly larger these days) but prior to this, from 1876 to 1937 it was Perak's state capital. This was also a time when tin mining was booming around the town.

INDUSTRY NEWS: PERODUA should have delivered 6,000 BEZZA Sedans by now from a record 19,000 orders

Down below is the press release from Perodua. The company have target 6,000 deliveries of the new Perodua Bezza sedan by today, the 12th of August 2016. This is part of the 19,000 orders the company has received to date. The breakdown of deliveries are 42% for the Perodua Bezza 1.3L Advance Version, 43% for the Perodua Bezza 1.3L Premium X and 15% for the Perodua Bezza 1.0L variants.

Volvo Car Malaysia announces EEV status for selected models - XC60 & V40 models are now more affordable!

XC60 T5

Good News! Volvo Car Malaysia, the already jovial and happy chaps who sell well designed Swedish cars are now happy to announce that selected models equipped with their latest, and currently very efficient Drive-E powertrains has been accorded EEV (energy efficient vehicle) status. With that, three Drive-E models sold in Malaysia will now enjoy better tax break incentives from the Malaysian government. This means that they are cheaper to procure. Yup.

TRUCK NEWS: DRIVE A SCANIA TRUCK AND WIN PRIZES THIS WEEKEND AT THE JOHOR BUS, TRUCK AND COMPONENT EXPO 2016 (JBTC)

Curious on how to drive a truck? Now you can cross this off your bucket list. If you are in and around Johor Bahru this weekend as anyone with a valid driver’s license will have the opportunity to drive a truck and test their skills this weekend at the Scania Driver Competition – JBTC Edition (SDC–JBTC Edition) that will be held during the Johor Bus, Truck and Component Expo 2016

Short Test Drive: I've DRIVEN the All-New PROTON PERSONA 1.6 - Manual & Auto Tested. UPDATED with new pics

The all-new Proton Persona will be launched on the 23rd of August 2016. For now it will come in three variants - the 1.6 manual, 1.6 automatic and the 1.6 premium. The order books for the Persona will be opened sometime next week but Proton have not revealed its pricing for the car as yet. According to them, the car will be priced competitively. 

Spotted For Sale: 1989 Daihatsu Mira Walk-Through Van - Not a Kei Car, but a Kei Van.

This is an interesting find - A L70 series Daihatsu Mira 660cc Walk-Through van from 1989. This grey import has come in via the classic car AP (Approval Permit) for cars older than 25 years of age. This is the L70 version and not the later L200 (the version that Perodua made into the Kancil) because of the L200 was first launched in 1990 and it had more flush fitting headlights as well as a slightly rounded bumper. But this isn't something to discuss about. This was a Kei car that became a Kei van.