Lexus Malaysia Launches The All-New Fifth Generation Lexus LS - More Uniqueness From The Premium Japanese Marque

Lexus Malaysia has officially launched its flagship premium luxury sedan, the fifth generation, 2018 Lexus LS. Ever since the first LS made its global debut in 1989, the premium Japanese marque has continued striving for perfection whilst carving a niche for itself in the premium car segment. This new one is quite overdue, as it has been ten years since the fourth-generation LS was launched. Lexus has said that it actually took them a decade of determination and tireless reinvention to finally come up with an all new 2018 Lexus LS. 

The 2018 Vespa GTS Super 300 is Now Available in Malaysia

The Malaysian distributors of Vespa, Naza Premira Sdn Bhd, has launched the 2018 Vespa GTS Super 300. The new 2018 Vespa GTS Super takes the iconic design of an Italian scooter and infuses it with a little more performance than the usual 150cc grunt. This time, with its 300cc Quasar engine,  it could be Vespa’s most dynamic scooter as you get that Vespa looks but with a sportier tune to it. Many could be surprised that this scooter may be able to outgun some 250cc sports bikers at the traffic lights.

UMW Toyota Refreshes the Toyota Sienta for 2018 - Only One Variant is Offered, Down from Two

Toyota Sienta, the Toyota compact MPV which looks like an oversized basketball shoe or sneaker gets some changes for 2018. First introduced over in Malaysia in August of 2017, the Sienta was a breath of fresh air to some with its unique styling and looks. Whatever the styling was, the compact MPV was actually well designed with a lot of useful features. I personally found it quirky and nice to look at. Anyway, UMW Toyota have now decided that this year, there will be only one variant offered - the Sienta 1.5V.

ZF Sales and Service (Malaysia) Gives Back In Conjunction with the recent CNY Festivities - The Selangor Family Aid Association Receives Aid from ZF & Partners

I have been super tied up with things especially over the recent Chinese New Year celebrations. Well, so have most of the companies and manufacturers related to the automotive industry. Everyone has been giving and sharing, making the festive season a time where people in need get to breathe a little and be merry too. One of the companies that have reached our attention are the people who make transmissions and other automotive parts - ZF Sales and Service (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, where they held a one day charity drive some time last February.

UMW Toyota Launches the Hilux L-Edition - Luxury Spec in 2.8L & 2.4L 4x4 AT Forms

UMW Toyota, the official distributors of Toyota here have launched the Toyota Hilux L-Edition in both 2.8 litre AT 4x4 and 2.4 litre AT 4x4 variants. The ‘L’  hererefers to ‘Luxury’ and was launched to add more variety to the Hilux line-up here in Malaysia. Prices start at RM119,300 for the 2.4 L-Edition and from RM133,900 for the 2.8 L-Edition. 

Volkswagen Malaysia to Celebrate The Beetle's 80th Birthday at Dealerships Nationwide on 17th of March 2018

This year, the super iconic Volkswagen Beetle celebrates its 80th anniversary. The authorised Volkswagen car distributors here, Volkswagen Passenger Cars Malaysia,  will be celebrating the birth of the Beetle with a nationwide dealer celebration. where all of us are invited.  Volkswagen Malaysia have announced that the 17th of March, Saturday 2018, all authorised dealerships will have lots of things going on from 11am till 5pm. This car has been around in one form or another since the 1930s!

Perodua Estimates 17.1% Total Market Share For February - Delivers A Total of 28,000 Myvi To Date From a Record 60,000 Bookings

Perodua has to date received a total of 60,000 bookings for their newest darling, the new Myvi. So far, the Malaysian compact car manufacturer (well, they still do not make anything cars larger than their Alza compact MPV) have managed to deliver approximately 28,000 Myvis which is close to 50% of the total number of  bookings since its launch November last year. This must be a record of sorts...

Ducati Malaysia X Boards Event & The Launch of the Official Scrambler Ducati Malaysia Social Media Channels on Facebook & Instagram

The Scrambler Ducati. This is a how Ducati are calling their Ducati Scrambler motorcycle. Of course, here in Malaysia you could be saying it like that naturally if you are speaking Malay as a noun usually comes first - like 'Bandar Taiping' for Taiping Town. But since this is an Italian motorcycle, it is the Scrambler Ducati, which according to Ducati, is more than just a motorcycle but a brand which enhances creativity, self-expression and the sharing of positive emotions like fun, joy and freedom made of motorcycles and stuff surrounding biking (of the motorised sort).

Road Safety: ASEAN NCAP Performs Development Test for Blind Spot Technology in Line With ASEAN NCAP 2017-2020 Protocol to Reduce Motorcycle Related Deaths

I managed to attend an event organised by The New Car Assessment Programme for Southeast Asian Countries (ASEAN NCAP) last week. It was the inaugural  Blind Spot Technology Development Test on cars that are currently on sale or available in the our market. According to ASEAN NCAP, which is an agency under MIROS (Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research,) the main objective of the test is to improve their capability in performing such a test in accordance with the ASEAN NCAP 2017-2020 protocol, which is where active technology is to be included under the Safety Assist domain in order to reduce motorcyclist fatalities which have the highest road fatalities in the ASEAN region.

Grab Malaysia Launches GrabVarsity - Providing Students With More Transport Options And Other Value Added Services

Grab has officially launched its latest programme which targets primarily students from higher learning institutions. Grab, being Malaysia and Southeast Asia’s leading e-hailing transportation and mobile payments platform has designed something particularly engaging for students with GrabVarsity. This is a first-of- its-kind programme in Malaysia that addresses the transportation needs of students, and looks at providing lifestyle benefits and rewards for the student community while offering opportunities for students to garner some real-life work experience.

Naza Kia Malaysia Introduces the Kia Sportage 2.0 EX - This is now the only Petrol Variant Available and sold opposite the Sportage GT Diesel AWD

Naza Kia Malaysia, the official distributor of Kia vehicles in Malaysia, has announced the introduction of the Kia Sportage 2.0 EX.. The New Sportage 2.0 EX is a new variant which actually replaces the Kia Sportage GT Petrol 2WD and Kia Sportage KX. This new variant will be the sole petrol powered variant and will be on sale with the more powerful Kia Sportage GT Diesel AWD.  Effectively this streamlines the Malaysian Sportage line-up to two variants - one petrol and one diesel. 

Motoring Malaysia Update and Some Thoughts on the Upcoming Toyota Supra

I've been a little busy with some other projects outside of the automotive world folks. I have to actually earn a living, be a father and also entertain myself via other non-automotive means sometime. So last weekend was one of those 'I stayed home and became a couch potato kinda weekend'. Of course, I wished it could continue and I also wished I was in Down Under for another vacation like what I did at the end of last year. But alas, it's already March of 2018! Suddenly the first quarter of 2018 is almost over! How fast time flies when you're having fun.

Mercedes-Benz Malaysia presents the inaugural Dealer of the Year awards - Hap Seng Star Balakong wins the first ever Best Dealer of the Year

Mercedes-Benz Malaysia held the first ever Dealer of The Year awards over in Penang recently. The new, soon to be annual event, is aimed at recognising the best among its 33 dedicated dealerships nationwide. Mercedes-Benz Malaysia presented a total of six awards for Best Performance in Financial Services, Best Performance in Business Excellence, Best Performance in After-Sales, Best Performance in Sales, Best Performance in Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) and Customer Loyalty Index (CLI), and the most prestigious of them all, The Dealer of the Year 2017 which went to Hap Seng Star Sdn Bhd Balakong dealership (pictured above).

Malaysian Leg of Jaguar’s 'The Art Of Performance Tour' Will Be At Setia City Convention Centre From 16 to 18 March 2018 - Register If You're Interested!

Jaguar’s The Art of Performance Tour will be in Malaysia on the 16th to the 18th of March 2018. The driving experience showcase will be held at the Setia City Convention Centre. If you are interested, you can register and then look forward to getting behind the wheel of the Jaguar XE, XF and F-PACE on a unique driving circuit, an on-road drive as well as Jaguar’s innovative Smart Cones course.

Triumph Motorcycles Malaysia Introduces Eight New Models With Prices From RM56,900

Triumph Motorcycles Malaysia recently unveiled eight new models for the Malaysian market. These are the new Triumph Bonneville Bobber Black, new Speedmaster, and the new Tiger 800 range comprising  of six variants. The new Tiger range starts at RM56,900+ while the Bonneville series starts at RM79,900+. Both cater to a different type of enthusiast - one for those into street rod bikes and the other, those that yearn for some dual purpose adventure riding.

Toyota's March 2018 Offers, Roadshows & Promos - And The Malaysian Spec Toyota C-HR Spotted Undergoing Assessment With ASEAN NCAP

Toyota have more offers this month. More rebates where you can save some money if you want to buy a Toyota that is. I suppose this is because they haven't actually launched anything really new recently and everyone of us is actually waiting for the upcoming Toyota C-HR launch. Here is the crossover SUV making its rounds at the recent ASEAN NCAP Blind Spot Sensor Systems Assessment over in Putrajaya yesterday. This seems to be the model which we will be getting.

Shell Eco-marathon Asia 2018 Will See 6 Teams From Malaysian Universities Compete Against The Best Student Built Energy Efficient Cars In Asia Pacific & the Middle East

Make the Future Singapore is a free festival celebrating bright energy ideas and innovation throughout Asia. The festival’s main focus is to  hands-on experiences and if that is not possible, virtual reality experiences to the people so that they can understand what is happening in energy consumption right now as well as what the future of energy and its usage will look like. A big part of this exhibition the Shell Eco-marathon Asia, where students from 18 countries from the Asia Pacific and the Middle East regions will compete against one another using their self-built energy efficient vehicles.

Mercedes-AMG GT 4 Door Unveiled - It Sets The Stage For The 4 Door Coupe Fight

The Porsche Panamera fighter. This is what some are calling the newly unveiled Mercedes-AMG GT 4 Door Coupe which was unveiled at the 2018 Geneva International Motorshow. Taking what Mercedes-Benz first started off with the original CLS 4 Door coupe, the German marge has now upped the game, letting Mercedes-AMG take the fight to another level.

2018 Renault Megane GT is AlreadyOn Sale - The Price Is A Little Eye Watering However...

TC Euro Cars, the authorised distributors of Renault here in Malaysia are actually selling the new Renault Megane GT. The Megane 4th Generation was first launched over in Europe at the end of 2015 with sales commencing in 2016. Now, in 2018 the car is officially on sale, albeit quietly, without much fanfare here in Malaysia (only on preview at the recent Malaysia AutoShow 2017 a while back).  Great looking car, but the price for this C segment GT hatchback is RM228,000.00. A little eye watering...

The Petronas FM Drive 2018 Held At Shaziman Transport SB - Featuring Scania Malaysia's Safety and Sustainability in Transport Solutions, Especially Their Trucks in Truck Trains

The PETRONAS Fleet Management Drive (FM Drive) 2018 was held recently and Scania Malaysia was there as an exhibitor. The annual competition is a truck driving competition which promotes safe driving within participating PETRONAS transport providers, especially their road tanker drivers and hauliers.