TOTAL Lubricants Deliver Cutting Edge Performance to Increase Engine Life and Mileage - and the ROBOCOP Movie promotion

Engine oil provider for FIA Formula One™’s world champion Sebastian Vettel and Infiniti Red Bull Racing Team focuses on producing high quality lubricants that boost engine performance and save fuel

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – January 29, 2014 – TOTAL, the official provider of lubricants and racing fuels for FIA Formula One™ Championship winners Sebastian Vettel and Infiniti Red Bull Racing Team, brings its heritage of providing cutting edge lubricants that deliver superior performance, reliability, and fuel efficiency to the Malaysian market via TOTAL QUARTZ, a range of lubricants specially designed to meet the stringent performance requirements of automotive OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) and engine manufacturers worldwide.

According to the World Bank, Malaysia has an average of 361 vehicles per 1,000 people, a figure that increases to 977 in urban areas such as Klang Valley, the highest rate of vehicle ownership in the Asia Pacific region. According to analyst firm Frost & Sullivan, the rate will continue to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 5.8% until 2019, despite the fact that Malaysia is now the second most expensive country in the world to own a car. However, the robust demand for cars is dampened by continuous increases in fuel prices, putting pressure on automobile owners to seek ways in which they can save on fuel while optimising their car’s performance.

Happy Chinese New Year!

Happy Chinese new year and a very happy holidays to everyone too. May the year be prosperous to you, with good health to all you guys out there too.

So you may have your bonus around this time or you may have some ang pau money after this. What should you do with it if you haven't spent it on beer, shandy, vsop whilst blowing over a night's worth of poker, gin rummy, bacarat (if you're James Bond)? How about two nice BEFORE and AFTER photos for you to get going. The car may be a barge...but what a barge it is after a wheel swop. Enjoy.

The 190e gets a new paintjob.

The Mercedes Benz 190e has gotten a new coat of paint since we last saw it here. It now sports a new front bumper too like the original 2.3-16 Cossie. The colour is now something called Smoke Silver and is the one of two original colours for the Cossie. The lights are all new too. Yes, this normal 8valve 2.3 looks like a brand new Mercedes Benz. Fabulous isn't it?

Photos by Adlis K

Spotted: LHD 1st Generation Hyundai Accent

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Now this is something you don't see everyday. A left-hand-drive 1st generation Hyundai Accent 3 door. The car was spotted at a shopping mall in Kelana Jaya and looked pretty well kept. 

This model wasn't actually sold in large volumes in Malaysia too. I think there were some small numbers imported during its tenure (1994-2000) and no one wanted a small Hyundai in those days (It was the later 2nd gen Accent that sold decently well here in the mid-2000s). In those days everyone bought a Japanese car or a Proton and I have a feeling that this left-hand drive Accent was only brought in a few years back. Of course, any car with left-hand-drive in a right-hand-drive market is pretty unique as you are bound to suffer from the following problems:

Proton R3 launches three models...and NOTHING IS REALLY NEW

Proton has launched three models of the Proton Suprima, Proton Satria Neo and the Proton Inspira at the recent Proton Sales Carnival held at MITC Melaka on the 17th -19th January 2014 and the 24th to the 26th of January 2014 over in Juru, Penang. 

Proton Motorsports, or the R3 division did up the cars which are basically tarted up versions of the Suprima, Satria Neo and the Inspira. The Suprima S was launched in Melaka whereas the other two over in Penang.

The Suprima S is one of those premium specced variant which basically has a newly developed bodykit, new wheels, some springs and a little bit of this, and a little bit of that. And because of this the Proton Suprima S is now reborn as something called the Proton Suprima S Super Premium. In all honestly, it has one ugly bodykit with a front splitter that SHOULD have been less bulky and SHOULD have been painted in the colour of the car's body as then it would not look like an afterthought. It just looks too bulky to look good in black. Someone mentioned the word 'kampung' tuner and I agree to this.

In fact the reason I chose to put the photo of the Suprima S Super Long Winded Name that  is covered with all those models so that you have something more interesting to look at than a car that has an ugly bodykit. Of course this would be available at all Proton sales outlet if you inquire. I suggest you don't bother and just opt for a stock Suprima S instead.

News This Week: NAP2014, RON 95 Petrol, all-new Altis, facelifted Kia Optima K5

Let's just do everything in short little blurbs.

National Automotive Policy
The National Automotive Policy was announced recently and basically there is really nothing for most of us Malaysians to get worked up about. As I've already posted on motoring-malaysia.s Facebook page, the summary is as follows:
NAP2014 in a nutshell...no more cheap imported hybrids after existing stocks run out except for CKD. Which is only one car at this moment- Honda Jazz hybrid.

Info on the Facelifted Perodua Alza

Perodua Alza (base)

This is just for record and so that readers have some clue of what the facelifted 2014 Perodua Alza is about. All variants get new redesigned bumpers and different alloy wheels.

The improvements made towards Malaysia's most affordable MPV (albeit a small one) include the ISOFIX points for child safety seats in the second row of the vehicle and splitting the 3rd row seat in half to allow greater customisation by the users – these 2 improvements are standard for all new variants.