The PSA Group’s 1.2-litre, 3-cylinder turbocharged PureTech petrol engine again voted ‘Engine of the Year’ 2017 for the 1L to 1.4L category

A jury of international journalists awarded the PureTech turbocharged 1.2L 3-cylinder petrol engine the price of the engine of the year 2017 in category 1L To 1.4L at the International Engine of the Year 2017 Awards in Stuttgart. This is the third year running that the Peugeot has won this award for the above mentioned category. 

Zhejiang Geely Holding takes 49.9% equity in PROTON

DRB-HICOM Berhad (DRB-HICOM, the Group) today signed the Definitive Agreement for China’s Zhejiang Geely Holding Group (Geely) to take 49.9% equity in Malaysia’s first carmaker, PROTON Holdings Berhad (PROTON) for RM1 Billion. On the same day, the Group also sold its entire stake in Lotus Advance Technology Sdn Bhd to Geely and Etika Automotive Sdn Bhd. This is DRB-HICOM exiting the sports car business.

Malaysian Drivers Especially Those in Klang Valley Need to Have More Patience and Need Better Road Ethics

Traffic in and around the Klang Valley during the fasting month is usually horrible. Everyone wants to get home at a certain time and everyone wants to beat the jam. But they usually don't get to beat the jam to they? We now have people who are so darn impatient that they end up causing more traffic jam than otherwise. They also make themselves reach their destination even later. Check out these picture above (from BikesRepublic) and below. 

BMW i8's Powertrain once again wins International Engine of the Year Award for its Category

For the third year in a row the drive system powering the BMW i8 has triumphed in its class – the 1.4-litre to 1.8-litre displacement category – at the International Engine of the Year Awards. This award provides further evidence of the performance potential of the Efficient Dynamics technology package, which the BMW Group has committed into since 2007 has enabled a continuous enhancement of driving pleasure while at the same time cutting fuel consumption and emissions.

Porsche Asia Pacific kicks off Licence to Thrill Campaign - The Search for the 2017 Porsche Asia Pacific Driver of the Year

The search for the 2017 Porsche Asia Pacific Driver of the Year kicks off with the launch of the region-wide Licence to Thrill campaign. Seeking the region’s best and most skilled drivers, the competition comprises two qualifying rounds which will put knowledge, skill, and passion for the wheel to the test for the chance to win the title and a fully sponsored trip to the Porsche Experience Centre in Los Angeles, USA. Best of all, this contest is open to members of the public from Brunei, Cambodia, French Polynesia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, New Caledonia, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. Anyone from the countries mentioned can try out! No need to be a Porsche owner folks.

The Volkswagen “Polo P” Driver's Ed Programme for College Students Continues with New Venues at Selected Campuses Throughout Malaysia

In case any of you have forgotten Volkswagen Passenger Cars Malaysia (VPCM) is continuing its popular “Polo P” project with new venues for participants in Klang Valley, and the northern and southern region of Peninsular Malaysia.  The “Polo P” project was developed with the mission to educate and empower new drivers with the skills and knowledge to stay safe on the roads. Launched in March this year, the program had already garnered over 250 participants to-date, consisting of students from private tertiary institutions and young adults around Klang Valley. Education on how to drive properly is good. Very good.

Happenings: BMW Group Malaysia announces its support for the Ice Skating Association of Malaysia (ISAM).

BMW Group Malaysia had announced its commitment to support the Malaysian National Team in Figure Skating and Short Track Speed Skating from the Ice Skating Association of Malaysia (ISAM) in their bid to qualify for the Winter Olympics in 2018. The premium automaker’s commitment with ISAM begins at the upcoming 29th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games KL 2017 where the Malaysian National Team aspires to bring home gold medals for the sport of figure skating and speed skating.

TWO YEAR OLD VIDEO SHOWING A VOLVO XC60 'AUTO BRAKE SYSTEM FAILURE' HAS BEEN GOING VIRAL AGAIN - VOLVO HAS RESPONDED

Volvo Car Malaysia has been recently made aware that there is a video with the title “Volvo’s auto brake system fails at launching ceremony… MD paralysed” has been circulating (again) on a lot of Malaysian social media and messaging apps. They have reached out to us motoring media here and would like to reiterate that in the depicted incident the Volvo XC60 was equipped with City Safety, but it did not have the Pedestrian Detection functionality. This is a separate optional system and would have been needed to mitigate or avoid the car colliding with the two men. Furthermore, the incident happened in 2015 (in Costa Rica, Central America). A long time ago in terms of autonomous technology.

GO AUTO PRESENTS HAVAL BRAND AMBASSADOR ROZITA CHE WAN WITH A NEW HAVAL H2 SUV

GO AUTO, HAVAL's authorised distributors in Malaysia has presented popular Malaysian actress, Rozita Che Wan, famously known as Che' Ta, with a HAVAL H2 sports utility vehicle (SUV) as a token of appreciation for being the brand's ambassador since October last year.

JAGUAR PREVIEWS THE SOON TO BE LAUNCHED JAGUAR E-PACE COMPACT SUV

Jaguar has recently introduced its new compact performance SUV, the Jaguar E-PACE. It joins Jaguar’s PACE family of performance SUVs, the E-PACE follows on from the successful Jaguar F-PACE, which has helped boost Jaguar’s sales by 83 per cent last year, and the all-electric I-PACE Concept which will go into production in 2018. 

The Hyundai IONIQ Wins 2017 Green Good Design Award

The Hyundai IONIQ has won another award. This time this eco-car has garnered the 2017 Green Good Design Award from  the Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and the European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies. The Green Good Design Awards™ celebrate important examples of sustainable designs and provide awareness on what companies are designing and producing to make the most positive impact on the environment.

Happenings: MERCEDES-BENZ MALAYSIA AUTHORISED DEALERS CYCLE & CARRIAGE SHARES DELIGHTFUL BUKA PUASA EXPERIENCE WITH CUSTOMERS

Cycle & Carriage Bintang Berhad (“Cycle & Carriage Bintang”), Malaysia’s largest Mercedes-Benz vehicle dealership, shared an evening with 350 customers over Buka Puasa or breaking of fast at the Saloma Bistro and Theatre Restaurant. Themed, ‘A Delightful Ramadan To Celebrate The True Completeness Of Life’, the event was aimed at capturing the joy and wholeness of celebrating Ramadhan as a family.

TYREPLUS STARTS TO REBRAND & TRANSFORM OUTLETS IN THE EAST COAST OF PENINSULAR MALAYSIA

Ask any Malaysian what would a usual Malaysian style auto workshop, kedai 'foremen' or garage be like and most would conjure up images of a cluttered, messy and greasy space in a hot, humid and noisy environment. Apart from these noticeable traits, most traditional auto service centres sometimes fail to offer consistently reliable, trustworthy and quality service, leaving car or fleet owners in doubt if their vehicle has been safely tended to. Send in a car to be fixed and you may leave with a car having less screws or bolts than when it entered the garage.

THE PROTON HARI RAYA SAFETY CAMPAIGN IS BACK AGAIN FOR 2017 WITH THE FREE 20-POINT SAFETY INSPECTION FOR PROTON CARS

In preparation for the upcoming Aidil Fitri festivities and holidays, PROTON Holdings Bhd is offering its customers FREE 20-point safety inspection at all of its authorised service centres throughout the month of June 2017. As in the previous festive seasons, PROTON is collaborating with PETRONAS Dagangan Berhad (“PDB”) yet again to bring this service closer to its customers at selected PETRONAS Stations as part of the PETRONAS Coffee Break Campaign.

Perodua to build Eco Park within its campus, focuses on sustainability and the 3R concept of Reduce, Re-use & Recycle

This is a bit more news about how Malaysian car manufacturer Perodua is giving back to society and also the environment. The compact car manufacturer is taking another step in going green by introducing an Eco Park within its 500-acre campus as part of its commitment towards the environment. The planned Eco Park, which will be located at the centre of its main manufacturing facility will include a small farm which the company will use hydroponics to grow produce and a green rest area for the staff. This should also relief work stress of the staff too.

Volvo Car Malaysia Launches the Volvo V40 T5 Inscription - The First of the Facelifted V40 Series of Cars for the Malaysian Market

Volvo Car Malaysia has launched the facelifted Volvo V40 in T5 Inscription specification for the Malaysian market. This new model now comes with some updates to keep it contemporary. The most visible and noticeable update are the new Inscription front grille with larger Volvo 'Iron Mark' logo and the 'Thor's Hammer' headlights that takes after Volvo's 90 Series cars. This is the first major external revision to the looks of the V40 ever since it was first launched in 2012 (for the 2013 season). 

Shell Continues its 'Balik Kampung' CSR Initiative to Assist Underpriviliged Children In Conjunction with Hari Raya festivities

Shell continues to fuel the future of underprivileged children for the third consecutive year this “Balik Kampung” season. The company invites all Malaysians to make a difference in the lives of underprivileged children in conjunction with the upcoming Hari Raya Aidilfitri festivities. For every litre of fuel pumped on 22, 23 and 24 June 2017 (Thursday, Friday and Saturday) at any Shell station nationwide, Shell will donate 1 sen (RM0.01) towards a fund to be channeled to the following five selected charitable organisations that I have listed below. Remember, this isn't just about you.

Jaguar Land Rover and Gorillaz Seek New Engineering Talent - Participate in the Goril 1 az App Challenge and you may get to work in Jaguar Land Rover

Jaguar Land Rover has teamed up with the 'virtual' (when they first appeared) band Gorillaz ! Definitely that young vibe going on instead of ye olde fuddy duddy image of Jaguars of old. What they've done is use a new Gorillaz mixed reality app as an innovative recruitment tool to find fresh new talent in the field of programming. Why so? It's because cars from this day and age use a lot of computers to make sure everything runs well. There are over a million lines of code inside each Jaguar.

Spotted For Sale: 1993 Proton Iswara 1.5 (A) 'TipTop Conditions' - What Does 'Tip-Top' Mean Again?

I have spotted another interesting car for sale. Really. This Proton Saga Iswara isn't interesting per se. In fact it is as interesting as leftover food from the most terribly run cafeteria in the world. What got me interested is the fact that people love using those marketing phrases like 'good condition', 'like new', 'free accident' or in this case, 'TipTop Conditions'. Malaysian English included.

Do Be Aware of Wildlife Crossings Especially During the Upcoming Festive Holidays Folks!

Hari Raya holidays are just around the corner and just like any other festive season, the number of vehicles plying our roads is expected to increase. A decrease would never happen until we have a fantastic system of public transport or when no one has any kampung or village to return to. Highly unlikely so there will surely be an exodus of people out of large cities when this happens. So when this happens, do be aware that the roads you travel on may be used as wildlife crossings. This is especially so on rural roads and those like the ones crossing national parks like Taman Negara or the East-West Highway up north.