SUPERCAR NEWS: The 458 MM Speciale - The latest in the series of one-off Ferrari cars

This is another reason why we need lots of money. Ferrari has revealed to us another of its one-off special order cars - the Ferrari 458 MM Speciale. Truly speciale.  Especially when viewed from the side as it looks like no other 458 out there.

INDUSTRY NEWS: 11th Batch of Apprentices Graduate from the Mercedes Benz Apprentice Training Centre's Automotive Mechatronic training programme

Mercedes-Benz Malaysia recently celebrated the graduation of the 11th batch of the Apprentice Training Centre (ATC)‘s Automotive Mechatronic training programme. Following three years of training, the ATC graduates are now qualified to provide world-class after sales services for Mercedes-Benz valued customers, and will be assigned to Mercedes-Benz Malaysia’s nationwide dealer network.

CKD VOLVO XC90 T8 Twin Engine launched - The first Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) produced in Malaysia

(L to R) H.E. Mr Bengt G Carlsson, Ambassador of Sweden to Malaysia and Mr Lennart Stegland, MD Volvo Car Malaysia

Volvo Car Malaysia today launched the locally-assembled Volvo XC90 T8 Twin Engine – the first ever Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) assembled in Malaysia. In addition to that, Malaysia will be the first country outside of Sweden to produce the XC90 T8 Twin Engine, thanks to huge investments made by the company to improve current infrastructure and capabilities of the local plant to handle Volvo’s SPA (Scalable Product Architecture) platform. This special SUV will also be exported to Thailand, and Volvo is also looking to do the same to other countries in the ASEAN region 

PEUGEOT & NASIM Launch the All-New Peugeot 408 e-THP

Nasim Sdn Bhd, the official distributor of Peugeot in Malaysia has finally launched the all-new Peugeot 408 e-THP here in Kuala Lumpur. The 408 is the 4 door sedan variant of the Peugeot 308 hatchback which was launched sometime last year here in Malaysia. There will be only one variant equipped with the 1.6liter direct injection turbocharged 4 cylinder engine with a 6 speed automatic transmission. It will be priced at RM143,888 on the road with GST.

ASEAN NCAP Q2 2016 results - Nissan X-Trail, Nissan Navara, Suzuki Ertiga, Suzuki Ciaz, Kia Morning, Hyundai EON and Isuzu MU-X

ASEAN NCAP has released the results for another batch of vehicles sold in the ASEAN region. The New Car Assessment Program for Southeast Asian Countries (ASEAN NCAP) announced the test results of seven car models that had been assessed in the second quarter of 2016. The models were Nissan X-Trail, Nissan Navara, Suzuki Ertiga, Suzuki Ciaz, Kia Morning, Hyundai EON and Isuzu MU-X. In the Adult Occupant Protection (AOP) category, two received 0-Star rating, four received 4- Star and one model received 5 Stars. 

Sports car news: Renault previews a CLIO R.S. 16 Concept car - This one gets the Megane R.S 275 engine and gearbox.

The Renault Clio RS 16 - Renault has come up with a Concept car as part of its Renault Sport’s 40th anniversary and their return to Formula 1. The Renault Sport Clio R.S.16 Concept grafts the Renault passenger car range’s highest-performing engine (found in the Renault Megane R.S 275) into a Renault Clio R.S. 

INDUSTRY NEWS: APOLLO Tyres now have an official presence in Malaysia

(Standing from L-R) Mr. Satish Sharma, President, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa (APMEA), Apollo Tyres and Mr. Shubhro Ghosh, Group Head - ASEAN, Middle East & Africa, Apollo Tyres

(front middle) Mr. Victor Siew, Divisional Head - Malaysia, Apollo Tyres

Apollo Tyres have officially set up shop in Malaysia. The tyre maker, Apollo Tyres Ltd is an international tyre manufacturer with manufacturing units in India and the Netherlands where it is more famous for the Vredestein brand. The company markets its products under its two global brands – Apollo and Vredestein. Apollo would be known to those who have bought the Volkswagen Polo 1.6 hatch and sedan (now Vento). Most of the Polo 1.6's had Apollo tyres fitted on them. This is because we basically received our CKD kits from Volkswagen's plants in India. 

Hari Raya Promo has begun at Ford with rebates, prizes and more

Hari Raya has already begun at Ford. From a promotion point of view that is. Ford and local distributor Sime Darby Auto Connexion has announced attractive cash rebates and monthly repayments for selected models nationwide. The monthly repayments after the rebates for new Fords are from as low as RM588 for Fiesta, RM908 for EcoSport and RM1,258 for Kuga.

Jaguar Land Rover Malaysia launches the facelifted Jaguar XJ series for Malaysia

Jaguar Land Rover Malaysia has launched the facelifted Jaguar XJ series luxury sedan in Malaysia. This latest model gets most of the latest tech upgrades like we have seen in the recently launched XF mid-sized luxury sedan. 

Editorial: When you buy a car, ensure you can afford to maintain it out of warranty regardless of anything

These days, nothing much surprises me in terms of car maintenance and repair costs. The figures I once thought to be reasonable for spare parts are actual figures that may have existed in the year 1975. In the days of GST, expensive tax and excise duties, high shipping costs and very high technology utilised in the parts (whether in the construction or in the materials used) have made spares cost a bomb. Which is why these days many owners end up maintaining their cars at the authorised service centers to ensure that their warranty is intact.

MOTORSPORT: BMW Motorsport and Akrapovič expand their long term commitment

Well known European performance exhaust manufacturer Akrapovič will continue to support BMW Motorsport as Official Partner, and will significantly expand its long-term commitment over the coming years. The company has been involved in BMW Motorsport’s DTM project since 2012 and will also be a prominent feature as Official Partner in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (IWSC), in which BMW Team RLL competes with two BMW M6 GTLMs, and at the iconic 24-hour race at the Nürburgring.

MOTORSPORT: McLaren GT 650S GT3 previewed at the OD Racing Team Launch in preparation for the KL City Grand Prix 2016

The first of the upcoming Kuala Lumpur City Grand Prix 2016 events have begun. OD Racing held their official launch party for the year 2016 at the Zouk Club Kuala Lumpur on the evening of 25th May 2016 where the guest of honour was Yang Amat Mulia Tunku Dato’ Seri Utama Naquiyuddin Tuanku Ja’afar (below). 

HAPPENINGS:Seven lucky bikers win all-expenses paid bike trip to Langkawi with Shell Advance

You buy some Shell lube for your motorcycle and you win something memorable. This was what happened to seven lucky Shell Advance customers who won an all expenses paid road trip to Langkawi recently. 

INDUSTRY NEWS: MY AUTO FEST 2016 nets about RM20 million worth of bookings.

 The recent My Auto Fest 2016 which was held over the weekend of 20th to the 22nd May 2016 was quite a success according to its organisers, the Malaysian Automotive Association. The sales driven auto show actually netted about RM20 million worth of bookings which I hope translates into actual sales after this. It was also the platform for various car manufacturers to preview their products. 

HAPPENINGS: Mercedes Benz Malaysia announces their 2016 Corporate Social Responsibility Campaign

(From left) Driven Communications representative, En Hafriz Shah; Monfort Boys Town Chief Administration Officer, Mr Arulanandam S.; Teach For Malaysia External Relations Director, Madam Prabha Sundram; Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre founders, Dato’ Faridah Merican and Joseph Hasham; with Moki, Mercedes-Benz's MobileKids mascot.

Today Mercedes Benz Malaysia announced their 2016 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) campaign. Their CSR campaign is guided by four core subject matters - road safety, the arts and culture, investing in knowledge and corporate volunteering. And at a special event earlier this morning, Mercedes-Benz Malaysia today announced contributions of over RM200,000 for initiatives that support the growth and development of Malaysian society. Recipients of Mercedes-Benz Malaysia 2016 sponsorship are, Driven Communications, for its initiative of promoting safe road travels; the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPac); as well as education NGO and institution, Teach for Malaysia; and Monfort Boys Town.

Industry News: Lotus Elise wins Readers' Champion Award

The Lotus Elise has been announced as the Readers' Champion at the Autocar Awards. Most of you are aware that Autocar magazine UK is world renowned and is the benchmark in automobile test reviews. Heck. I grew up reading Autocar ever since I could read and picked up my father's Autocar magazine in the 1970s.

HAVAL MALAYSIA LAUNCHES THE HAVAL H2 SUV - 1.5L Turbocharged SUV from RM89,950 onwards

Go Auto, the distributor for Haval cars in Malaysia has launched the Haval H2 SUV. The larger, C segment sized H2 now complements the surprisingly popular B segment sized M4 crossover SUV in the Haval line-up here in Malaysia. Haval now have a better two car lineup and now caters to a slightly wider audience than the single vehicle in its lineup. Prior to this, the Haval brand was called Great Wall Motors and they also sold the Wingle pick-up truck as well as a turbo diesel power SUV. 

INDUSTRY NEWS: Hyundai recruits former design head of Bentley Motors

Hyundai Motor announced that the world-renowned designer SangYup Lee, former Head of Exterior and Advanced Design at Bentley, will become the Vice President of Styling at Hyundai Design Center starting from this June 2016. I believe this shows Hyundai's commitment to build better looking cars. And maybe add more pizzazz to the Hyundai design. 

Driven: Pre-production Proton Perdana 2.0 & 2.4 driven at the Proton Test Track - No Photos yet, but opinions and more details.

The other day I was invited with a the new Proton Perdana 2.0 and 2.4liter variants at the Proton semi-high speed oval track. This was another one of those hush-hush sessions where we were not allowed to take any photos. So there are no photos here. Just the drive report. But anyway, most of you who are on social media would have already seen leaked photos of the car floating around here and there. So it basically looks like what you have already seen in the photographs.

PROTON ANNOUNCES RECALLS FOR THE INSPIRA AND SELECTED EXORA CPS 1.6 MODELS

Proton has announced recalls for the Proton Inspira and selected Proton Exora CPS 1.6 models. The Inspira, a rebadged Mitsubishi Lancer is part of a global Mitsubishi vehicle recall and the Proton Exora CPS, a Proton in-house design is also recalled.