Motorsport: A Fabulous Ending To The First Toyota Vios Challenge Race Series - The Toyota GAZOO Racing Festival Is A Success for UMW Toyota

The first ever Vios Challenge season here in Malaysia recently concluded at the final races on the 24th and 25th of March 2018. It was a satisfying end to the one make series which can be said to be quite an effort for a car manufacturer. Whilst increasing the profile of the simple Toyota Vios by making it into a racing car, it is also a noble initiative by Toyota Malaysia to introduce grassroot racing to the general population. 

Test Drive (with Video) : 2017-2018 Volkswagen Tiguan 1.4 TSI Highline With Optional Accessories - Revisiting the Tiguan

I was offered another go at the Volkswagen Tiguan 1.4 TSI recently. Those that follow this blog would remember that I actually wrote about this in April last year (2017). I initially road tested the Tiguan then during the media drive in conjunction with its Malaysian launch. I came away satisfied with its overall feel and performance to say the least. Somehow, I now found myself in another one courtesy of the friendly people at Volkswagen Passenger Cars Malaysia. This time its a 2017-2018 Malaysian specced Volkswagen Tiguan 1.4 TSI Highline edition. 

BMW Group Malaysia and Dealer Tian Siang Premium Auto Unveil i Charging Stations in Ipoh, Perak

BMW Group Malaysia and their dealers in Ipoh, Tian Siang Premium Auto, recently unveiled three new BMW i Charging Stations at the WEIL Hotel in Ipoh, Perak. This makes ownership of a BMW plug-in hybrid car a little better if you live in Ipoh or are visiting the capital city of the state of Perak. It also further demonstrates BMW's commitment towards their Future Mobility ideals here in Malaysia.

The Malaysia Autoshow 2018 Is An Upcoming Motorshow That Should Not Be Missed - Scheduled For The 26 - 29 April, 2018

There is a major motorshow which will be held in a few weeks time here in Malaysia folks. This is the fourth edition of the annual Malaysia Autoshow organised by Malaysia Automotive Institute (MAI) and will be held from 26 th to 29 th April, 2018 at the Malaysia Agro Exposition Park Serdang (MAEPS). This round of the Malaysia Autoshow continues in the footsteps of the previous Malaysia Autoshow in 2017 which recorded over 250,000 visitors. Malaysia Automotive Institute (MAI) is confident to attract more visitors to this year’s event, which promises a diverse and immersive automotive experience for all visitors.

PROTON Continues its Turnaround with More Dealers Upgrading their Outlets & also a Trip To Geely's Facilities in China

PROTON's turnaround process is continuing at a slow and steady pace. Recently the company had announced that 10 more of its dealers will be upgrading their outlets to 3S and 4S. This follows the earlier two batches which were held in December 2017 and January 2018.

Happenings: At the MAI Auto Festival 2018 in Bagan Datuk, Perak - 30th March to 1st April, 2018

The Malaysia Automotive Institute held the MAI Auto Festival 2018 which took place from March 30 to earlier today, at SMK Hutan Melintang, Bagan Datuk, Perak. It was officially opened by Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, YAB. Dato' Seri DiRaja Dr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, yesterday where he also gave away the main prize for the lucky draw which was a Perodua Axia.

Renault Koleos Signature - A More Premium Variant of The Koleos 2WD is Now Available in Malaysia

TC Euro Cars (TCEC), the authorised distributor of Renault vehicles in Malaysia, have announced another variant in the Malaysian Renault Koleos lineup - the Renault Koleos Signature. This is a a new two-wheel drive (2WD) variant of Renault’s flagship D-segment SUV and it is now available for booking at all Renault branch showrooms nationwide. Prices of this new variant sits somewhere in between the Koleos 2WD and the Koleos 4WD, at RM198,800 (on-the-road inclusive of GST, without insurance, for Peninsular Malaysia and private registration) onwards.

Range Rover Velar is the World Car Design of the Year at the 2018 World Car Awards - Malaysian Preview in April 2018!

The Range Rover Velar has won the World Car Design of the Year title at the 2018 World Car Awards. It may be only the second most affordable Range Rover in the Range Rover lineup, after the Range Rover Evoque, it looks every bit a worthy edition. But whilst this bit of news deserves to be celebrated, another little bit of news is interesting for those who would want to own the Velar here in Malaysia. It will be reaching Malaysia sometime in April 2018 and it is local distributors Jaguar Land Rover Malaysia have already announced that they are taking bookings for the good looking SUV!

Volkswagen Malaysia Has Announced A Service Maintenance Schedule Revision For Volkswagen Cars - More Ownership Cost Savings In The Long Run

Good news for all Volkswagen owners out there! Volkswagen Passenger Cars Malaysia (VPCM) has announced a revision on the Service Maintenance Schedule for Volkswagen cars. The new Service Maintenance Schedule will be effective beginning the 1st of April 2018 and according to VPCM, it can offer up to 26% savings for Volkswagen owners (if calculated based on a 5 year or 75,000km duration. This revision will be implemented mainly due to extended replacement intervals of certain components. 

Contest: Win An EMEL Edition Renault Captur - The Grand Prize in the EMEL ColourfulRaya Contest 2018

TC Euro Cars (TCEC), the authorised dealers of Renault vehicles in Malaysia, today announced the COLOURFULRAYA CONTEST 2018. This is a collaboration with local fashion label EMEL where a special EMEL edition Renault Captur will be given away as the grand prize.The EMEL Captur is an Ivory (body) / Diamond Black (roof) in a one-of-a-kind lace print livery on the outside that reflects the EMEL Raya 2018 Collection theme of Chantilly lace. #ColourfulRaya

SDS Bakeries Sdn Bhd Wins Grand Prize of a Mercedes-Benz CLA 200 and a Trip to Japan in the 2017/2018 FUSO Diamond Contest Grand Draw

Buy a truck and win a heck of a lot. This seems to be the what happens when you buy a FUSO  truck (or more) and you then get to participate in a lucky draw like the recently concluded 2017/2018 FUSO Diamond Contest Grand Draw. Organised by Mercedes-Benz Malaysia Commercial Vehicles (MBM CV), the Grand Draw’s ultimate prize or prizes, which is a Mercedes-Benz CLA 200 and a trip to Japan was won by SDS Bakeries Sdn Bhd. 

Toyota Announces Special Service Campaign Expansion For Some Toyota Vios, Corolla Altis and Alphard Sold In Malaysia

UMW Toyota Motor Sdn Bhd (UMWT), the official distributor of Toyota vehicles in Malaysia has announced an expansion of the Special Service Campaign (SSC) to replace the inflator modules of the front passenger side airbag to certain Toyota Vios, Corolla Altis and Alphard sold in Malaysia. A total of around 21,000 vehicles are involved in this service campaign. These are the above vehicles which were manufactured from Jan 2013 to Dec 2014 and sold by UMWT. This SSC is  another expansion of the earlier campaigns announced by Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC).

Upcoming Event - The MAI Auto Festival 2018 from March 30 to April 1, 2018, at SMK Hutan Horizontal, Bagan Datuk, Perak.

The Malaysian Automotive Industry (MAI) will be organizing the MAI Auto Festival 2018!. This Auto Festival will take place from March 30 to April 1, 2018, at SMK Hutan Horizontal, Bagan Datuk, Perak. This is quite a unique event because it is actually held far from any large cities in Peninsular Malaysia! It is at least an hour or so from Ipoh, the capital of the state of Perak and will actually showcase 61 automotive companies that do business here in Malaysia. 

Sime Darby Auto Performance Launches the New Panamera Sport Turismo - Three Variants With Prices Starting At a Mere RM990,000

Sime Darby Auto Performance (SDAP), the folks who are the authorised distributors of Porsche here in Malaysia have launched the new Panamera Sport Turismo. Based on the Porsche Panamera sports sedan, the Panamera Sport Turismo is more like a Shooting Brake or Sports Wagon... or an oversized hot hatch rather than the more four door 911 type looks of the Panamera. It is basically different in that it has a larger rear opening with a low loading point, increased boot space and a 4+1 seating meaning that it offers a tad bit more practicality than the regular Panamera. If the word 'regular' could be used in the same sentence with a Panamera, that is.

Michelin LTX Force Tyre Experience: Michelin Malaysia Shows Off The Michelin LTX Force Range of Tyres At The MICHELIN 'OFF-ROAD DAYS' Event

I had the opportunity to participate in the first-ever MICHELIN OFF-ROAD DAYS event here in Malaysia recently. Held from the 20th to the 23rd March of 2018, it was meant to showcase Michelin's current range of Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) and 4x4 tyres. This included their latest on-and-off-road tyre, the MICHELIN LTX FORCE. 

The BMW Group Loyalty+ Mobile App Is Launched For Malaysian Customers

These days, the smartphone and many of its applications are an integral part of our lives. From making simple things like telephone calls, messaging one another, looking for stuff on the internet, buying goodies and more it is now conducted through the smartphone via applications or programs. So now, BMW Group Malaysia has now introduced the BMW Group Loyalty+ Mobile App, a loyalty mobile application for BMW White Card, MINI Black Card and BMW Excellence Club members to access their privileges when on the move.

UMW Toyota Are Now Selling The Upgraded 2018 Toyota Alphard and Toyota Vellfire MPVs

The officially brought in Toyota Alphard and Toyota Vellfire variants have been upgraded for 2018. UMW Toyota Motor, authorised distributors for Toyota here in Malaysia have announced that both these popular Multi Purpose Vehicles (MPVs) have received upgrades and improvements to that they offer better value for those buying them. According to UMW Toyota, new specs include a new engine and transmission for the Alphard 3.5liter as well as upgraded active safety systems for both models. This offers bragging rights to those buying the fully imported premium MPV from authorised sources.

Video: The Toyota Fortuner 2.7 Petrol 4x4 Demonstration Run At The Toyota GAZOO Racing Festival Final Race Weekend 2018

This is a short video I made on the 2017 / 2018 Toyota Fortuner 2.7 Petrol variant doing a demonstration run at the recent Toyota GAZOO Racing Festival final race weekend at the Technology Park Kuala Lumpur in Bukit Jalil. You can see it going through the paces with the traction control, hill ascent and hill descent systems making easy progress through the course.

Motorcycles: Millennium Welt Opens New BMW Motorrad Dealership Caters For Seremban and its Surrounds

BMW Motorrad Malaysia via their authorised dealers, Millennium Welt, had recently officially opened the first-ever BMW Motorrad showroom in Seremban.  Millennium Welt are dealers of BMW and MINI cars in Seremban, Batu Pahat and in Kuantan. Now, the group has decided to expand their BMW operations to include or simply put, BMW motorcycles in Seremban. This new BMW Motorrad center will cater to the population of Seremban and its surroundings.

Sime Darby Auto Performance Offers Three Unique Porsche 911 GT3 For The Malaysian Market

Wanting the make the already unique Porsche 911 GT3 even more special, Sime Darby Auto Performance (SDAP), the official importer and distributor of Porsche cars in Malaysia have announced the introduction of three unique Porsche 911 GT3. These 911 GT3, under the Porsche Exclusive Manfaktur program, have been commissioned by SDAP exclusively for the Malaysian market - featuring Meissen Blue, Signal Green and Riviera Blue. According to SDAP, this is to further enhance their customer experience offering a more unique experience.