TEST DRIVE: The 2018 Mercedes-Benz C350 e Plug-in Hybrid - The Ultimate Compact Luxury Sedan... For Now

Two years ago, or thereabouts, I had the chance to try out the then newly launched in Malaysia W205 Series Mecedes-Benz C-Class in its C300 AMG Line and C180 Avantgarde forms. It was a very memorable introduction to the new C-Class at the time and, to say the least, I was impressed with the two cars. The W205 C-Class first appeared in 2015 and you could say that things have moved on since then. With this review of the 2018 W205 Mercedes-Benz C350 e Plug in Hybrid, AND, another article on the 2018 C200 which will be written after this one gets published, I shall let you folks out there know what I think of this year’s crop of C-Class.

PROTON Previews Their Latest Car - The Proton X70 SUV - Bookings Start From The 8th September 2018 Onwards - Price? Not Announced For The Moment

I was one of the many Malaysian media who were invited to take a look a the upcoming Proton X70 SUV. Yes, the Geely Boyue in its Proton form has been officially previewed by PROTON without any camouflage for the first time to a group of people and they have also chosen X70 as its name. It is also Proton's first SUV ever.

[Update - PROTON has launched the X70 - Details are here and prices start at RM99,800 onwards.]

Volvo Car Malaysia Announces New Prices Following Re-introduction of SST

I am keeping this short and sweet. Following the re-introduction of the Sales & Services Tax (SST) by the Ministry of Finance Malaysia starting 1 September 2018, Volvo Car Malaysia have released their updated price list of its model range.

Mercedes-Benz Malaysia announces new SST pricelists & Product Upgrades - Namely the GLC 200, GLC 250 and New Night Edition Variants for the GLA 200 & CLA 200

Mercedes-Benz Malaysia had earlier today announced effective September 1, 2018, prices of all Mercedes-Benz premium automobiles are adjusted according to the government’s enactment of SST. Mercedes-Benz Malaysia also states that the company is committed to continue providing its premium range of products and services at the best value, putting their customers at the centre of their activities.

BMW 6 Series Gran Turismo Has Been Launched in Malaysia - 630i GT Variant, CKD at an Estimated Price of RM450,000

BMW Malaysia unveiled the First-Ever BMW 6 Series Gran Turismo here in Kuala Lumpur earlier today. The 6 Series GT, as it is called, replaces the previous BMW 5 Series GT and is essentially the second generation of what is the BMW Gran Turismo range of fastback luxury cars. Here, we will get one variant, the BMW 630i GT. The other surprise revealed today is that the 630i GT will be locally assembled in Kulim, Kedah like its other 3,5 and 7 Series brethren. This basically adds another very premium BMW to the CKD line-up. 

The Daihastu Gran Max Panel Van with Automatic Transmission is Officially on Sale in Malaysia

Daihatsu Malaysia has officially launched the New Gran Max Panel Van (AT) as we have written about earlier. The new panel van  is the first automatic transmission small commercial van to be sold here and it is specially designed to accommodate the requirements of mobile SME businesses (business ‘on-wheel’) that is blooming in the country as well as other corporations and government agencies. So everyone can basically drive it easily as these days, there are many who cannot drive a manual. Times have changed.

The Perodua Alza Gets A Facelift & More Equipment - Three Variants with Prices Starting from RM51,490 Onwards

The Perodua Alza compact MPV has just been facelifted. The nation’s most popular and most affordable seven-seater Multi-Purpose Vehicle (MPV) has been updated for 2018 and beyond with slightly different looks in line with the current Perodua styling and new equipment inside. This is the second time Perodua has facelifted and improved the Alza though.

Hino Ultimate Drive 2018 - Hino's and Possibly The First Ever Light Truck Driver's Skill Contest Held in Malaysia

Today marked a special milestone in terms of the commercial vehicle industry here in Malaysia. Hino Motors Sales (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd (HMSM) have organised the HINO ULTIMATE DRIVE 2018 Competition for Light Commercial Vehicle Drivers. This first ever event for LCV drivers was held at the Hino Total Support Customer Center (HSTCC) in Sendayan, Negeri Sembilan. 

SST Prices for BMW Cars, Motorrad & MINI in Malaysia Have Been Released - CKD Prices Mostly Goes Down with CBU Prices Mostly Up

BMW Group Malaysia have released prices for BMW Malaysia cars, BMW Motorrad (motorcycles) and MINI Malaysia. 

The Proton 1-Tank Adventure Finals - Heck of an Adventure and Our Findings - One of Them Was That The Proton Persona Actually Saves Fuel

The Grand Final of the PROTON 1-Tank Adventure  happened over the weekend of 11-12 August 2018. The economical driving competition took contestants from Kulai, Johor all the way to Juru in the state of Penang. What happened was that everyone really wanted to prove that they could do 700km and more on a single tank in a Proton Saga, Iriz or Persona and it was a fantastic, incredible, tiring, scary, intimidating and an unbelievable experience. 

New Prices for Volkswagen Cars With the New SST Tax Structure Announced - Lower Prices for CKD Cars, Slightly Up for CBU ....

Volkswagen Passenger Cars Malaysia (VPCM) have announced the revised prices of all Volkswagen models under the Sales and Service Tax (SST) structure which came into effect on the 1 st of September 2018. It would seem that the new prices of Volkswagen cars are now lower than previous prices with 6% GST if you want a locally assembled (CKD) Volkswagen. Prices for fully imported (CBU) models are slightly higher.

Perodua Slashes Prices by 1-3% With the Reintroduction of the SST...What? How???

Perodua has released their latest car prices in line with the government’s reintroduction of the Sales and Service Tax (SST) effective 1 September 2018. The very surprising thing is that the new prices for all its models have actually been reduced by between 1-3% (for selected models) compared with Goods and Services Tax (GST)-era pricing. This actually bucks the rumours that prices should go up after SST gets reimplemented. Surprising indeed.

Happenings: Ford and Sime Darby Auto Connexion Concludes its 10th Anniversary Extravaganza with a Customer Winning a Ford Fiesta 1.5L Sport

Sime Darby Auto Connexion (SDAC), the authorised distributor of Ford in Malaysia recently concluded its 10th Anniversary Extravaganza where a customer drove away a brand new Ford Fiesta 1.5L Sport.  Mr. Logeshwaran A/L Balasubramaniam from Pahang was handed the keys to the car at a recent prize giving ceremony.

Happenings: Renault ‘Buy & Win’ Contest Ends With A Renault Twizy Fully Electric Car Handed Over to the Winner

The Renault 'Buy & Win' Contest which was held from January to June 2018 had found the grand prize winner. TCEC, the sole franchise holder for Renault vehicles in Malaysia, recently handed over the Grand Prize of a Renault Twizy 100% electric vehicle to Mr Lam Ming Wei, the winner of the Renault ‘Buy & Win’ contest.

Castrol Asia Pacific Cars Super Mechanic contest 2018 Malaysian Leg Concludes

The Malaysian leg of the Castrol Asia Pacific Cars Super Mechanic contest 2018 recently concluded on the 24th of August 2018. This was basically after months of intense battle and it finally ended when the Northern Region team who participated were named the Malaysian Grand Champions in the Castrol organised competition. 

Scania Sees Potential In Sarawak - Delivers More Vehicles to Customers Over There

Scania Malaysia recently stated that they is growth potential for the company over in Sarawak due to various factors including better road network over there. In preparation for this, Scania is ensuring that it has the services and support in place for its customers and future customers in Sarawak while ensuring that drivers there are trained to achieve the best fuel economy, safety and performance.

Perodua Will Reimburse Cash Amount to Remaining 3,100 Myvi Customers Whose Deliveries Are Affected by Production Issues

Recently, Perodua had announced that they had temporarily halted production of the Myvi due to a vendor supply disruption. This has caused many customers and potential customers to worry whether they can register their new Myvi before 1st September 2018, which is the date SST will be implemented replacing GST (tax) after a three month tax holiday. However, the good news is that Perodua will be reimbursing a cash amount to the remaining 3,100 identified customers who were originally set to receive their Myvi before 1 September 2018.

Volkswagen Malaysia Extends The Tax Holidays For Limited Stocks - You've Now Got Till 15th November 2018!!!

Super good news! If you want to buy a Volkswagen that is! Volkswagen Passenger Cars Malaysia (VPCM) have announced an extension of the tax holiday for its range of models with the Price Protection Scheme. According to the good folks at VPCM, the Scheme will cover all Volkswagen models registered from now till 15 th November 2018 and it is while stocks last. 

Trucks: Muhammad Khairul Bin Abd Halim of Setia Maju Jaya Logistik Wins the Malaysian UD Trucks Extra Mile Challenge 2018

Muhammad Khairul Bin Abd Halim from Setia Maju Jaya Logistik Sdn Bhd has managed to win the 3rd edition of the Malaysian UD Trucks Extra Mile Challenge 2018. His skillful driving during the finals have earned him a place at the UDEMC Global Final 2018 which will be held in October 2018 over in Japan.

BMW Malaysia X FLYPROJECT Unveil the BMW i8 to the Malaysian Public At the Largest Outdoor Flycycle Class

Recently, BMW Malaysia and FLYPROJECT organised the country’s largest outdoor FlyCycle class at The Square, Publika and unveiled the new 2018 BMW i8 there. This is some form of mass exercise / workout session organised by BMW Malaysian and FLYPROJECT as part of the premium automaker’s commitment to create awareness on Visionary Mobility and Electro Mobility.