Business Class by Lotus

Production of the new mid-engined Lotus coupe, the Europa S is scheduled to commence in July 2006 at the Lotus manufacturing facility at Norfolk, UK.



The Lotus tag line for the Europa is "Business Class by Lotus". I guess we will have to wait and see what the others say.

The new Lotus Europa S, is a Grand Tourer (GT) inspired two-seater with a 2.0 L turbocharged engine. It weighs just 995 kg with a maximum speed of approximately 225 km/h (140mph).


Back View


Front View


Side View

According to the Lotus press release, the Europa S has a larger boot / luggage compartment and easier cabin access than the Lotus Elise,

They stressed that the Europa S is not a derivative of the Elise or the Exige and has been allocated a separate Lotus type number (Type 121 - the Elise and Exige are both Type 111).

The car will be sold in all markets where the Lotus brand is present, except for the US and Canada. Read somewhere that it is because the Opel/Vauxhall built turbo engine has not been certified to meet emissions requirements for those nations.

Final pricing and full specifications haven't been announced yet but the price is
expected to be around £33000 (49000 Euros).

Chip Foose

One of my most favourite shows on TV is “Rides” on the Discovery channel. What I love about this show is the way that people take run-down cars that would have been otherwise destined for the scrap yard, and turn them into beautiful and amazing creations of automotive art.



It was on one of the series that I was introduced to Chip Foose and his amazing designs. Now a legend, Chip was the youngest member ever inducted into the Hot Rod Hall of Fame at the young age of 31.

He has also won the prestigious AMBR (America's Most Beautiful Roadster) Award twice – in 1999 and 2000. he was also involved with six different AMBR winners, including the 1995 winner the "Smoothster", the 1996 winner "Boydster", the 2001 winner "Impact" (designed by Chip and finished by Barry White), and the 2003 winner "Boydster II' (designed by Chip and finished by Bobby Alloway).

This year Chip was inducted into the San Francisco Rod and Custom Motorcycle Hall of Fame.

He has designed and built street rods, customs, studio vehicles and show cars for films such as Blade Runner, RoboCop, and Gone in 60 Seconds.

Currently he is operating Foose Design, an automotive and product design company specializing in illustration, graphics, surfacing, and complete construction of automobiles and automotive-related products. He also stars in TLC’s series "Overhaulin”, which began in April 2004.

Check out his designs here.

Proton Chancellor Launched

This follows my earlier post. Proton's new model, the Chancellor was launched at Proton Edar Sdn Bhd's headquarters in Subang Jaya yesterday.

It will be priced at RM138,000.

Proton expects to sell 1,000 units within one year.

Here is what other Bloggers, Mark and Bernard have to say.

The Global Car

Updated: 23 October 2010

Going through old articles which I had printed out and had accumulated over the years, I came across this great one by Paul Si on the Chevrolet Optra.

Front-side shot of a first generation Chevrolet Optra (localised variant), in Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.
Source: Two hundred percent.

Also known as the Lacetti, this is a car that defies convenient labeling.

Before I talk about the particular model itself, I would like to talk a little bit about Chevrolet brand. It was named after Louis Chevrolet a famous racer and pioneer of automotive innovations from Switzerland.

I remember that some Muslims in Malaysia were turned off by the brand symbol because they thought it was a cross. Stupid! They did't know that it represents a 'Bowtie'. I was surprised to find that many people still have that perception and I am not sure why GM or their representatives in Malaysia are not doing anything to dispel this notion.

Ok about the Chevrolet Optra. Regarding its history, work on it was first started by the engineers of Korean company Daewoo. It was ultimately completed jointly with General Motors experts after the company was taken over and re-named GM Daewoo. The design and styling of the Optra/Lacetti was done by Pininfarina of Italy and suspension developed by Malaysian-owned British firm Lotus.

A 1.8l engine was sourced from GM’s Australian subsidiary, GM Holden, while, German transmission specialists, ZF, supplied the four-speed automatic gearboxes.

The 1.6l engine came from South Korea, which also supplied the five-speed manual box.

The car is built at the GM plant in Rayong, Thailand. One of the vendors is Hicom Automotive Plastics (Thailand) Ltd, wholly owned by DRB-Hicom of Malaysia.

The Optra 1.8l automatic is available from Hicomobil Sdn Bhd and its dealers.

This is a car that has been touched by American, British, French, Italian, Korean, German, Australian and even Malaysian influences.

Truly a Global car.

Trivia: This car was the new reasonably-priced car in Top Gear's "Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car" segment for season 8.

Also read The Optra option.

New Concept Vehicles from Mitsubishi

Mitsubishi Motors Corporation and Mitsubishi Motors North America Inc. will unveil the Concept-CT MIEV hybrid sport compact and new Eclipse Spyder convertible at the 2006 Detroit Motor Show (January 8 to 22 at the Cobo Center in Detroit and open to the general public from January 14)


Mitsubishi Concept- CT MIEV (Image sketch)


Eclipse Spyder (Image sketch)

The Concept-CT1 MIEV2 hybrid 4WD sport compact concept uses an outer rotor type in-wheel motors and a lithium-ion battery system to drive all four wheels. It is targeted at the growing sport compact category.

This next-generation electric vehicle pairs the MIEV concept with a gasoline engine for series-parallel hybrid propulsion, which delivers higher power and realizes longer cruising ranges, to drive all four wheels. It was created by the Mitsubishi Motors R&D of America, Inc. design studio based in Cypress, California.

The new Eclipse Spyder is a convertible version of the Eclipse sporty coupe the company showed at the Detroit Motor Show in January of this year.

It features a soft top which opens and closes at the touch of a switch, with a new powered tonneau panel. The car is powered by either a 2.4-liter in-line 4-cylinder MIVEC3 engine or a 3.8-liter V6 MIVEC engine.

Eclipse Spyder will be produced at the MMNA's facility in Normal, Illinois and is due to go on sale in the spring of 2006.

Hopefully, they will ultimately make their way to the Malaysian market with the required modifications (left hand drive to right hand).

Automatic Scratch Repairing Paint

I first read about this at Aviks's blog. Really interesting innovation that all of us motorists have been waiting for.

From Nissan's web site :

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., has developed the world’s first clear paint known as “Scratch Guard Coat”, that repairs scratches on painted car surfaces.

The paint contains a newly developed high elastic resin that helps prevent scratches from affecting the inner layers of a car’s painted surface. The scratched surface of a car treated with this paint will return to its original state anywhere from one day to a week, depending on temperature and the depth of the scratch.

The paint is water-repellant and is effective for about three years. It also has a higher resistance to scratches compared with conventional clear paints.

An interesting information I obtained from this piece of news was that car-washing machines account for the majority of scratches to painted car surfaces. According to the Nissan website, vehicles painted with “Scratch Guard Coat” will have only one-fifth the abrasions caused by a car-washing machine compared with a car covered with conventional clear paint.

Car painted with “Scratch Guard Coat” (From the Nissan Website)

New scratches




One week later

Proton has a new MD

The rumours were true. PROTON Holdings Bhd has appointed Perusahaan Otomobil Nasional Bhd. executive director Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohd Tahir as its new managing director. The 43 year old will take over as MD from Jan 1, 2006. Proton also named Datuk Kisai Rahmat, (currently joint chief operating officer) as executive director of its engineering and manufacturing division.

Proton also reported its second consecutive quarterly net loss due to falling sales, rising costs and higher provisions (mostly due to Proton owned Italian motorcycle maker Agusta's increasing outstanding debts with banks and suppliers).

It lost 154.3 million ringgit (US$40.8 million; euro34.8 million) for the three months ending Sept. 30.

Read more at Paul Tan's blog.

Maximum Speed Limit in Malaysia

What is the maximum speed limit in Malaysia?

If you answer 110 KM/Hr on highways, then you are wrong. It is actually (but not officially) 120 KM/Hr.

Actually I had heard of this as a rumour before, but I later confirmed it with a few friends working with the JPJ, the Malaysian Road Transport Department.

It's an unwritten rule that the maximum speed limit beyond which motorist may be fined in Malaysia is 10 KM/hr more than what is pointed out on the signs. If you don't believe me, just check the speeding summons, which you have received so far. The fine will be for speeds more than 120 KM/hr on 110 Km/Hr stretches and more than 90 KM/Hr on the 80 KM/hr stretches.

Anyway, the fastest I have ever done on my Proton Wira is 145 KM/Hr and yes I received a summons for it. However, I have heard that some guys have gone as fast as 200KM/Hr on the North South highway. I know for a fact that one of my wife’s relatives did Kuala Lumpur to Johor in almost 2 and half hours on his Ferrari. That’s a distance of 368 km and normally takes 4 hours (with no traffic jams).

Proton Chancellor

Proton's new model, the Chancellor, will make its debut during the 11th Asean Summit (Dec 12-14, 2005) in Kuala Lumpur for use by the delegates. It will then be launched publicly on Dec 15, 2005.

The car is an executive class sedan and is specifically designed to be a chauffer-driven.

It uses the Perdana V6 engine on the Waja platform with a wheelbase of 2850mm. From the pictures I have seen, it resembles the Proton Waja.

Proton has not released the price of the Chancellor.

If anyone has pictures or any other info about this model, please share it with us.

Just e-mail me: ahoklah@gmail.com

NAP

I wrote this long time back but forgot to put it up on the blog. So here is the framework of the National Automotive Policy of Malaysia.

The Objectives:
1. To promote a competitive and viable automotive sector, in particular he national car manufacturers.
2. To become a regional hub for manufacturing, assembly and distribution for automotive vehicles.
3. To enhance value added and local capabilites in the automotive sector.
4. To promote export-oriented Malaysian manufacturers as well as component and parts vendors.
5. To promote competitive and broad-based Bumiputra participation in vehicle manufacturing, distribution and importation as well as in component and parts manufacturing.

OTHERS:

- Reduction in import duties for CBU vehicles. ASEAN countries: from 20% to 15% and Non-ASEAN: From 50% to 30%

- Import duties for CKDs maintained: 0% for vehicles from ASEAN and at 10% on non-ASEAN.

- Reduction in excise duties for passenger cars and 4WDs. The reduction is the highest in passenger cars: 90%-250% to 80%-200%.

- However, Excise duties for MPV/vans to increase.

- Approved Permits (AP) to be phased out in the long term.

This represent a movement in the right direction but maybe a bit too late as other countires like Thailand have already moved way ahead.

However as they say, better late than never.

Corvette Z06

Took the pictures at 1 Utama shopping center today.









This is the sixth generation 2005 Corvette - Z06. Said to be "the Fastest, Most Powerfull Production Corvette Ever Built".

According to the salesperson, it goes from 0 to 100 km/hr in just 3.7 secs.

He added that it costs around RM 1.8 Million.

Its not available in Malaysia as yet and I guess, it was just brought in for the Chevrolet road show going on at 1 Utama.

New Ford Focus in the Market

The new Ford Focus 1.8L Ghia is now available at all 32 Ford dealers in Malaysia since yesterday (18 Oct. 2005).

Said to be the "best compact car in the world", the 4 door sedan comes in 5 different colours, namely, Panther black, Magnetic silver, Platinum, Sonic blue and Techno silver.

According to their website: "The new Focus shares the same platform as the Volvo S40, but has a very different body silhouette. European in design, and filled with German technology, the new Focus has its own character. It is a refined and dynamic car set to redefine the C-car segment, and is Ford’s comeback to this market."

Specs: DOHC 1.8 Litre engine with electro-hydraulic power assisted steering (EHPAS). AS for the suspension, at the front are Macpherson struts, and at the rear, the unique “Control Blade” multi-link suspension. Stabiliser bars are standard for both front and rear. The Focus comes with vented disc brakes in the front, and solid discs at the rear. ABS and EBA are standard.

It is priced at RM119,888 (on-the-road without insurance).

Renault Kangoo Sportif Launched

Image taken from the Renault website

The new RenaultKangoo Sportif SL was launched by TC Euro Cars Sdn Bhd (Renault's official franchise holder in Malaysia) on September 29.

Features:
Actually it's not really a new model. Just a dressing up of the old basic Kangoo.
- The Kangoo Sportif SL comes with a sporty look thanks to its 5-piece bodykit that includes a front airdam, side skirts, rear bumper skirt and spoiler.
- Automatic transmission with a 1.4 litre engine.
- Allows up to seven people to sit inside.

Price:

The Sportif SL package: RM7,900 + RM69,888 (price of basic Kangoo)
Basic Sportif package : RM4,800 + RM69,888 (price of basic Kangoo)

INFORMATION:

TC Euro Cars Sdn Bhd is a wholly owned subsidiary of Tan Chong Motor Holdings Bhd.

Address:

TC EURO CARS SDN BHD
G-01 No 5 Jalan Semangat
46100 Petaling Jaya

Phone: 79561044
fax: 79549686

AP Issue Still Hot

The Approved Permits (AP) issue simply refuses to fade. Malaysian Members of Parliament were jumping mad when the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) released the names of MPs who were recipients of APs. Some of them are now demanding that Datuk Seri Rafidah Aziz step down for failing to come clean on the APs controversy. Read the report here..

However, the person who brought up this issue in first place, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the former prime minister and now Proton adviser has this to say: “I am only concerned with the effect of the APs on the market in Malaysia. That was my first complaint.” Read the full report here…

Evolution of the Suzuki Swift

The Suzuki Swift is one of the newest entrants to the Malaysian compact car segment.
I found the history of this car quite interesting. It started out as a concept vehicle, the 'Concept-S' which was first unveiled at the 2002 Paris Motor Show. This was soon followed by the Concept-S2, an open-top sports car that was unveiled at the 2003 Frankfurt Motor Show.

"Suzuki designers and engineers collaborated with European automotive professionals and ordinary motoring enthusiasts in pursuit of Suzuki's best compact car ever."

Unlike other Japanese cars, this model was developed with the European market and customers in mind. However, it is now produced in four countries, namely, Japan, Hungary (Magyar Suzuki Corporation), China (Chongqing Changan Suzuki Automobile Co., Ltd.), and India (Maruti Udyog Ltd.) and sold globally.

The Suzuki Swift 1.5VVT was launched in Malaysia on May 16th this year and costs RM79,888 approx.

OTHER INFORMATION

- Suzuki Malaysia Automobile Sdn. Bhd. has been appointed by the Suzuki Motor Corporation as the new automobile importer/distributor for the brand in Malaysia.
- Suzuki Malaysia Automobile Sdn.Bhd. was established by DRB-Hicom Bhd. With a capital investment of RM 5 million (USD1.3 million), 100% invested by DRB-HICOM.
- The Chairman of DRB-HICOM, Mr. Mohd Saleh Sulong is also the Chairman of Suzuki Malaysia Automobile Sdn.Bhd.

RELATED POSTS

- http://autolah.blogspot.com/2005/07/suzuki-apv.html
- http://autolah.blogspot.com/2005/05/new-nissan-plant-suzuki-swift.html

Policy on AP from MITI

Just got this "Policy On Approved Permit (AP) For Motor Vehicle" from the MITI website:

1. Import Licensing through Approved Permit (AP) was introduced in 1970 with the objective of promoting and providing opportunities for bumiputera entrepreneurs in the automotive sector.

2. In 1987, a review was undertaken on the AP policy involving all 269 AP holders:


DECISIONS
* There will be no APs considered to new non franchise companies with immediate effect. Allocation of APs is restricted to new franchise companies only.
* Allocation of APs for 153 companies were withdrawn due to:
- business not in operation;
- no showroom and service facilities;
- misuse of AP, i.e. selling of APs;
- improper management of account i.e. allowing unauthorised parties including non AP holders to manage the account.
* Continue APs allocation to existing 116 companies, comprising:
- 76 Open AP Holders (to import any brand of car from any country); and
- 40 Franchise Holders (to import specific brands and makes from its principal).
* Encourage the existing quota holders to join/form consortia:
- to enhance efficiency; and
- to be more viable in terms of access to financial, after sales service and showroom facilities.

CURRENT POLICY

3. COMPLETELY KNOCKED DOWN (CKD)
* APs for importation of CKD packs by manufacturers, assemblers or contract assemblers are based on requested by the companies.
* Companies must have valid Manufacturing License or Contract Assembly approval.
* Companies that are in direct competition with models produced by national manufacturers are required to export 80 per cent of production. Performance of export must be submitted to MITI on monthly basis.

4. COMPLETELY BUILT-UP UNIT (CBU)
* APs on Passenger Cars are divided into 2 categories:
- non-franchise APs (open APs) for new/used passenger car and multipurpose vehicle (MPV).
- franchise APs for specific makes and models of passenger car and MPV.
* A new franchise company is evaluated based on:
- valid franchise agreement between importer and the principal/manufacturer;
- direct importation of vehicles from the principal/factory overseas;
- the models have not been assembled/ marketed in Malaysia;
- 70 per cent bumiputera equity holding;
- proven financial and management capability; and
- availability of sales/showroom facilities and after sales service.
* Import restriction (parallel import) is granted on brands under exclusive franchise agreement.

5. ADMINISTRATION OF APs
* Allocation of APs
- For new franchise companies, annual allocation of APs is based on the number of distributors and dealers appointed.
- Subsequent annual allocation is based on previous year’s performance of import and sales.
- Company to submit the import and sales performance report by the 10th of every month.
- Documents to be submitted are copies of:
- Form JK69 (AP) – Approved Permit (AP) issued by MITI
- Form K1/K8 – Import declaration issued by Kastam DiRaja Malaysia
- Sales Invoice – Issued by AP Holders to the distributors/buyers
- Certificate of Vehicle Registration (JPJ); and
- Letter of Undertaking – Issued by the financial institution.
- APs will not be allocated if company fails to submit the relevant documents and information.
* Issuance Of APs
- APs will only be issued upon submission of original Bill of Lading.

6. IMPORTS FROM ASEAN
* Effective 1 January 2005 all categories of vehicles imported from ASEAN are subject to import duty of zero to 20 per cent:
- CKD for all vehicles – zero import duty.
- CBU for Passenger Car/MPV/4WD/Van/Bus – 20 per cent import duty.
- CBU for Motorcycle – 20 per cent import duty.
* Importation of new motor vehicles from ASEAN requires APs for the purpose of monitoring and collection of data.
* APs will be issued based on quantity requested by Franchise Holders.

7. IMPORTS FROM NON ASEAN
* Effective 1 January 2005 all categories of vehicles imported from Non ASEAN are subject to import duty of 10 to 50 per cent:
- CKD for Passenger Car/MPV/4WD/Van – 10 per cent import duty.
- CKD for Bus and Lorry – zero import duty.
- CKD for Motorcycle – zero to 10 per cent import duty.
- CBU for Passenger Car/MPV/4WD/Van – 50 per cent import duty.
- CBU for Bus – 30 per cent import duty.
- CBU for Lorry – 35 to 50 per cent import duty.
- C BU for Motorcycle – 40 per cent import duty.
* Current arrangement on import requirements from Non ASEAN will continue.

New Alfa Romeo Models

Sime Darby Auto Italia Sdn Bhd, (100% owned by Sime Darby Bhd.), the distributor for Alfa Romeo in Malaysia, recently unveiled six new models — 147, 156, 156 GTA, 156 Sportswagon, 166 and Alfa GT Coupe.

156 GTA


147

The event also marked the official launch of the Auto Italia headquarters and 3S (sales, service and spares) center at Glenmarie, Shah Alam.

Extra Info.

Milan Auto (M) Sdn Bhd. was the previous distributor of the marque in the country from 1990 until Fiat Auto terminated the franchise in 2003.

The Sime Darby group acquired the franchise for Alfa Romeo through Sime Cerah Sdn Bhd., absorbing some staff from the previous distributor in the process.

SIME Darby Auto Italia Sdn Bhd, managing director: Radzi Zainal

Sime Darby managing director-Motor Group (Malaysia): Rajan Thurairatnam

Alfa Romeo Sales Europe and Extra Europe Fiat Auto Spa sales coordination representative: Hans Hoegstedt.

Newspaper Reports:

NST

Star

NGV

With Petrol and Diesel prices showing rising it really makes sense to look for alternatives. If you are living in the Klang Valley, you might look at converting your car to run on natural gas.

This is not a new technology and has been proven in several countries with Argentina and Brazil leading in terms of the number of Natural Gas Vehicles (NGVs). At present most of the vehicles using NG in Malaysia are taxis.

Here I will discuss some of the advantages, disadvantages and future potential in Malaysia.

Advantages:
- Natural gas is much cheaper (at 63.5 sen/ litre) than either petrol or diesel.
- It is also much more environment friendly as gas burns more cleaner with less harmful emissions. All public vehicles in New Delhi, India have converted to run on natural gas.
- There is abundant supply and prices are quite stable.
- Govt. incentives. Road tax reduced - 25% for bi-fuel( use either NG and patrol or NG and diesel) and 50% for monofeul NGVs (only NG).

Disadvantages:
- High cost of converting to run on natural gas. At present in Malaysia the conversion kits costs about RM3500.
- Limited refueling stations around the country. At present a few stations are located - in Kuala Lumpur, Klang, Seremban, Johar Baru and Prai.

Looking at long queues of Taxis at KLCC and Kelana Jaya Petronas stations made me realize that it is not really feasible alternative at present.

Future Scope
- Conversion costs will definitely go down as more companies come in with more choices.
- The number of refeuling stations will increase in the future. According to a recent report, Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) plans to open 10 new NGV stations this year and 94 by the year 2010.

RELATED LINKS

- Asia Pacific Natural Gas Vehicles Association

- International Association For Natural Gas Vehicles

- Green Car Congress

The Malaysian Car Industry

I am amazed at the number of people who thought that ALL cars would get cheaper after the implementation of AFTA. (for those who didn’t know, AFTA stands for the ASEAN Free Trade Area). They were disappointed when 1st of January, 2005 came and went and car prices didn’t go down (in fact they went up). They were disappointed that they still were not able to afford their dream Mercs, BMW, Hondas and Toyotas.

For those who didn’t know, under the terms of the Common Effective Preferential Tariff (CEPT) Agreement, Malaysia initially agreed to put the tariffs for automotive parts to below the five percent level by 2003. The move was postponed to the year 2005, when the car industry was badly affected by the economic crisis in 1997/98.

However, I am surprised to find that so many people are ignorant of the fact that this applies only to foreign companies having manufacturing plants in ASEAN with local content of at least 40 percent in order to enjoy the preferential import duty. So luxury brands like BMWs, Mercedes Benz, Lexus, Ferrari and Porsche (as well as other makes) manufactured outside the ASEAN region will not be cheaper. Import duties on those cars still remain. Anyway, people who can afford to buy these cars will buy these cars. Even without the taxes, they are still above the RM100K mark. I still can’t afford to buy a car costing over RM80K anyway. How many of you can?

Then some people ask how come new Proton and Perodua cars are not cheaper. I disagree. They are cheaper. The new cars have better quality, extra features (like air bags, ABS) and service has improved. So for almost the same prices we are getting a better overall package.

Some people say that the Government should remove the taxes all together on all cars.

The logic is simple. Cars become cheapr and we can all afford the foreign brand that we have all been dreaming about. Yes!It would mean the end of the Malaysian automobile industry. Who cares about the consequences. Some people couldn’t care less but let us try to answer some questions:

- How many vendors companies have been developed and depend on Proton and Perodua for their survival?
- How many people are employed by these companies?
- Are you aware that the taxes obtained from the import of foreign cars into Malaysia are used for supporting public facilities?

Selling to a foreign car company may mean killing the Proton brand, loss of jobs and of course money moving away to other countries.

Of course there is always the question, "How come Korean cars are so cheap?" Why can't Proton be like them?

I simply have no good explanation. Proton and Perodua have to find the answers if they are to survive and remain competitive. Maybe I can blame it on dumping – that is, the practice of selling goods in foreign markets at significantly lower prices than either in the home market of in other markets. Many companies do this in order to build up their market share. The Japanese did it in the US. Proton does it too – for example, cars sold in UK are reportedly cheaper than in Malaysia or have better specs.

However, having said that I feel that the Malaysian companies have to find out how the Korean (and now the Chinese) car companies have been able to come up with winning designs and even penetrate the tough US market (which Proton and Perodua hasn’t been able to do so far).

Proton CEO's Contract Not Renewed

The board of directors of Proton Holdings Bhd group has announced yesterday that it will not renew CEO Tengku Tan Sri Mahaleel Tengku Ariff's contract. He will retire on Sept. 30 and goes on leave from today.

Mahaleel joined Proton in 1996 and was appointed CEO on April 1, 1997. I guess this announcement was expected as the differences between the CEO and the Board had been well publicized.

Despite the complaints and criticisms against him. it should be noted that, Proton moved from being only an assembler to a full fledged manufacturer of cars during his tenure. He made it into one of the most profitable companies in Malaysia.

Some people may argue that this was due to the fact that it had been supported/ protected by the government but several other companies, which received the same support/ protection were not that successful.

An four member interim executive committee (exco) has been established to assume the responsibility of the group CEO from today, pending the appointment of a new chief executive officer.
The exco comprises of:
-Datuk Mohammed Azlan Hashim (Proton Holdings chairman)
-Badrul Feisal Abdul Rahim (Proton board director)
-Datuk Kisai Rahmat (Proton’s director of operations )
-Datuk Kamarulzaman Darus (CEO of Proton Tanjung Malim Sdn Bhd)

The later two were named as joint chief operating officers (COOs),

Newspaper Reports:

- Star

- NST

Related Posts:

- Tengku Mahaleel in Trouble

Mitsubishi Motors back in Malaysia

Mitsubishi Motors is back in Malaysia after a gap of 20 years. It withdraw sales from the market after it became Proton partner.

EON Auto Mart Sdn. Bhd., a unit of EON will sell the entire range of Mitsubishi passenger cars and light commercial vehicles in Malaysia besides takign care of the after sales support.

Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. the joint venture company between Edaran Otomobil Nasional Bhd (EON) and the Mitsubishi Corporation of Japan (48:52), was established in March.

According to their chief executive officer, Fumihiko they are targeting to sell 400 to 500 units of vehicles for its six newly launched models.

The car models with their prices (On the road with insurance and roadtax, West Malaysia)are given below:


-Mitsubishi Lancer (1584 cc): RM102,309.50


-Mitsubishi Colt (1499 cc): RM121,953.50


-Mitsubishi Grandis (2378 cc): RM211,218.20


-Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX (1997 cc): RM284,363.90

-Mitsubishi Outlander (2378 cc): RM187,520.20

-Mitsubishi Storm Double Cab (2477 cc): RM87,998.20

The AP Issue

The issue of Approved Permit (AP) saga was first raised up by Tun Dr. Mathir Mohamad, former PM of Malaysia and now Proton's advisor.

On the 18th of July, the Malaysian Government released the list of Approved Permit (AP) Click here ...

Also read:

The Star report

The NST report

I never thought we would see this day. The Prime Minister Dato' Seri Abdullah Bin Haji Ahmad Badawi proves that he is willing to take action.

Today Datuk Seri Rafidah Aziz says the "AP Kings" deserved the permits .
Read here

Suzuki APV

Been too busy to update this blog.

Suzuki Automobiles Sdn Bhd, the official distributor of Suzuki vehiles in Malaysia recently launched the Suzuki APV. It is made in Indonesia but I don't think that customers would be put off by that.

The design is somewhat boxy (like the Proton Juara) but not unattractive.

This eight seater is powered by a 1.6 litre fuel injected, 16 valve engine.

Pricing (on-the-road, without insurance):
* Manual - RM59,888
* Automatic - RM69,888

For more information go to Paul Tan's blog.

Jumbuck Popular Down Under

Sometimes you find out that consumers in different countries have different tastes. Relating to cars, the Mitsubishi Town Box was quite popular in Japan but the Proton Juara (based on the Town Box) was a total failure in Malaysia.

Launched in 2003, the Proton Arena two seater pick-up or utility vehicles is Proton's first entry into the light commercial vehicle market. Criticism upon criticism was heaped upon it when it first came out in Malaysia and sales are still negligible here. "A wira with the back cut off," my friends used to call it. However, in Australia it is a different story. The Jumbuck as the Arena is known here, has seen sales up 57 percent for the first six months of 2005 compared with the same period last year. According to Proton Cars Australia managing director, John Startari, the Jumbuck "is the foundation stone for the future growth of Proton in Australia...".

Read Aussie reviews here and here..
BTW, Jumbuck is sheep in Aussie slang.

Naza to Assemble Peugeot Car

Naza Corporation Sdn Bhd revealed in a statement on June 29, wednesday that it had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with France's Peugeot S.A. to assemble a local variant of the 206 model under the Naza brand.

They are not only for the domestic market, but also for export in the growing right-hand drive ASEAN market.

According to the statement, production of the car should start early 2006 at Naza's plant in Gurun, Kedah.

Cycle and Carriage Automobiles have been appointed to provide the after-sales support.

Currently NAza manufacturesthe Naza Ria and the Naza Citra in its plant in Gurun.

Read the reports in the Edgedaily and in Forbes.

Tengku Mahaleel in Trouble

Looks like Proton's Chief Executive Tengku Tan Sri Mahaleel Tengku Ariff is in trouble after he criticized the government's auto policy in an interview with the Oriental Daily (Chinese language) newspaper on Tuesday.

However, its hard for me to understand his complaints about the "poor treatment" Proton was receiving from the government. Everyone knows that Proton couldn't have come this far without the Govt's support and after all the government owns 42.74% of Proton through Khazanah Nasional Bhd and is its biggest shareholder.

The Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has denied rumours that Khazanah Nasional Bhd had asked Proton Holdings Bhd's board to remove the latter's chief executive officer. Read the Bernama report.

The company’s board of directors had called an emergency meeting and have given him until the weekend to explain his comments. Read the NST report.

Myvi Vs Savvy

Received this from another friend.

Myvi goes up against Savvy one on one and lets see who wins. The previous one was clearly written by a Perodua supporter so I edited it a bit (neutral mah).

1. Technology Partner: Engines

Myvi: K3 Engine by Toyota
Savvy: Renault engine
* Toyota engines- reliable, easy to maintain, proven for Malaysian market
Renault engines- expensive parts replacement, not proven for Malaysian hot weather
* Perodua 1

2. Technology Partner: Handling

Myvi: Toyota ???
Savvy: Lotus
* Proton 1

3. Engine Capacity/ Horse Power

Myvi: 1.3, 88 horse power
Savvy: 1.2, 74 horse power
*Perodua 1

4. Engine Cams

Myvi: DOHC
Savvy: SOHC
*Perodua 1

5. Fuel Injection

Myvi: EFi
Savvy: Multi point injection
* Proton 1

6. Engine Belt

Myvi: D.V.V.T
Savvy: Timing belt
* D.V.V.T - change every 200,000 km @ 4 years
Timing belt - 100,000 km @ 2 years
Perodua 1

7. Rear lamp

Myvi: LED
Savvy: Standard bulb
* Draw. LED Problems/ Bulbs need to be replaced. Perodua 0, Proton 0

8. Windows

Myvi: 4 power windows
Savvy: Rear windows - manual
* Perodua 1. Though good exercise for Savvy passengers owners, Proton: 0.5

9. Side mirror

Myvi: Electronic adjustment
Savvy: Adjusted manually
* Perodua 1

10. Fuel Economy

Myvi: Fuel - 1 litre = 21 km
Savvy: Fuel - 1 litre = 18 km
* Perodua 1

11. Price

Myvi: RM41,200 - RM51,300
Savvy: RM42,888 - RM42,494
* Proton 1

12. Quality Assurances

Myvi: Toyota??
Savvy: TUV
Perodua 1, Proton 1

Go count the points yourself.

Latest NCAP Crash Test Results

The Proton website has this to say about the new Savvy, "Road bullies, beware! With a body strength of 17,000N/mm, the Proton Savvy is as tough as a car twice its size."

Now most cars only have ABS but the Savvy has:

1. ABS (Anti-lock Braking System)
2. EBD (Electronic Brake-force Distribution)
3. BEBD (Back-up Electronic Brake-force Distribution)

I have some idea what ABS is, but what the hell are the other two?

Anyway, Euro NCAP, Europe’s leading independent crash test organisation, has confirmed that the Peugeot’s 1007 is the highest scoring car ever in all classes for adult occupant protection (one of seven cars to be awarded the coveted Euro NCAP five star rating).

The model is also the best in the Super Mini Class.

The Proton Waja (Proton Impian in Europe) received the three star rating for adult occupant protection and one star for pedestrian protection in 2002. I am not sure whether the Proton Savvy has been tested as yet.

Here is the summary of the results:

Superminis:

Peugeot 1007
Occupant Protection: 5 stars
Child Protection: 3 stars
Pedestrian Protection: 2 star

Renault Clio
Occupant Protection: 5 stars
Child Protection: 4 stars
Pedestrian Protection: 1 star

Citroën C1
Occupant Protection: 4 stars
Child Protection: 3 stars
Pedestrian Protection: 2 star

Suzuki Swift
Occupant Protection: 4 stars
Child Protection: 3 stars
Pedestrian Protection: 3 star

smart forfour
Occupant Protection: 4 stars
Child Protection: 2 stars
Pedestrian Protection: 1 star

Small Family Cars:

Mercedes A-Class
Occupant Protection: 5 stars
Child Protection: 4 stars
Pedestrian Protection: 2 stars

Fiat Stilo
Occupant Protection: 4 stars
Child Protection: 4 stars
Pedestrian Protection: 1 stars

Dacia Logan
Occupant Protection: 3 stars
Child Protection: 3 stars
Pedestrian Protection: 1 star

Family Cars:

BMW 3-Series
Occupant Protection: 5 stars
Child Protection: 4 stars
Pedestrian Protection: 1 star

VW Passat
Occupant Protection: 5 stars
Child Protection: 4 stars
Pedestrian Protection: 2 stars

Executive Cars:

Lexus GS300
Occupant Protection: 5 stars
Child Protection: 4 stars
Pedestrian Protection: 2 star

Small MPVs:

Opel/Vauxhall Zafira
Occupant Protection: 5 stars
Child Protection: 4 stars
Pedestrian Protection: 2 stars

Honda FR-V
Occupant Protection: 4 stars
Child Protection: 3 stars
Pedestrian Protection: 3 stars

The full results will be on the web site www.euroncap.com from today (28 June).

New Car Brand

This sign has been up for quite sometime at a workshop in Kelana Jaya (behind Subang Ria Food Stalls), Petaling Jaya.

Isuzu Launches the D-Max

Isuzu Malaysia Sdn Bhd (Isuzu Malaysia)launched the D-Max pick up at Subang Jaya yesterday. It is the first Isuzu vehicle to be assembled locally.

The vehicle is assembled in Pekan, Pahang by DRB-Hicom's subsidiary, Malaysian Truck & Bus Sdn Bhd.

The vehicle has a 3.0 litre direct injection diesel turbo intercooler engine and comes in five colours – Astral Silver, Imperial Blond, Zenith Blue, Steel Black.

Three variants are available:
1. 4x4 manual: RM89,011
2. 4x4 automatic: RM96,443 and
3. 4x2 automatic: RM87,395.

Read the reports in the Star and the EdgeDaily.

Extra Info:

Isuzu Malaysia Sdn Bhd is a joint venture company between Isuzu Operations (Thailand) Company Limited (IOT) (32.6%), Isuzu Motors Asia Limited (IMA) (18.4%) and DRB-HICOM Berhad (DRB-HICOM) (49%) to import, assemble and sell Isuzu LCV vehicles in Malaysia.

They has set up a distribution network of 20 3S centers all over the country.

Eight of these centres are owned and operated by "Super Dealer" Automotive Corporation (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd (ACM), a subsidiary of DRB-HICOM.

Lack of Funds

I am truly sad to learn that lack of funds has prevented Malaysian rally driver Karamjit Singh from retaining the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) title. It was reported that he could not understand why he couldn't secure sponsorhips despite having won the APRC overall title three times in the last four years.

Championship Titles
2001 Asia Pacific Rally Championship for Drivers
2002 FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship for Drivers
2002 FIA Production Car World Championship for Drivers
2004 FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship for Drivers

I guess it has to do with the fact that rallying is not that popular in Malaysia as compared to say the F1 even the Japan GT races. It's not glamorous enough.

Sincerely hope that some of the big companies come forward to sponsor this true motoring champion who has made a name for himself in the motoring World. At present he still needs additional sponsorships to enable him to finish competing in the production car category of the World Rally Championships (WRC).

Also known as the 'Flying Sikh', Karamjit made his rally debut in 1986 and in the WRC in 1994. He shot to fame following his success in the Malaysian Open and the National Driver's Championship titles in 1993. He was Malaysian National Rally Champion from 1990 to 1997 and also was Thailand National Rally Champion in 1998.

He formed Asia's most successful rally team with co-driver Allen Oh. They won the 2002 World Rally Championship production car title and were three time overall winners of the Asia-Pacific Rally Championships. Allen has retired. His present co-driver on the Proton Pert team is John Bennie from Scotland.

A True Story About 2 Sons

This post has been deleted due to certain reasons.

Proton Savvy Launched

Proton's new car, the Savvy was launched by former Prime Minster Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad at a Proton showroom at Petaling Jaya yesterday.

A student of the International Islamic University, Nor Hidayah Ariffin came up with the name for the car, which was formerly known during its development stage as the Tiara Replacement Model (TRM). It stands for "Shophisticated, Avant-Garde, Very Stylish, Very Spacious and Youthful".

The Savvy is a five door, compact car powered by a 1.2 litre (1149cc) engine and has a five-speed manual transmission.

According to their website, it has a maximum speed of 170 km/hr and reaches 0 - 100 km/hr in 12.6 secs.

Read their complete specs here...

At present it comes in 3 colours: Stratos (passion blue), Midnight (tranquility black) and Magma (Chili red).

Prices:

1.2 STD M/T (M) RM42888.00
1.2 STD M/T (S) RM42494.18

You can now book online with a booking Fee of RM 1000/ at the Proton Edar Website

PROTON Group Chief Executive Officer Tengku Tan Sri Mahaleel Tengku Ariff: "We’d like to think of it as my first Lotus"

Special Edition Accent RX-S

Oriental-Hyundai Sdn Bhd unveiled the special edition Accent RX-S 1.5-litre sedan yesterday. It is a sporty version with side, front and rear skirting and bonnet and an aggressive looking air scoop. Wonder whether the performance would live up to its appearance.

Price: RM69,724 and RM73,504 for the Manual and Automatic versions respectively (On-the-road without insurance).

NOTE:
Oriental-Hyundai Sdn Bhd is a fully owned subsidiary of the Oriental Holdings Bhd. It distributes the Hyundai Accent, Elantra and Sonata models.

Myvi Sets the Standard

Last year I won an sms contest organised by Cars, bikes and trucks’ section of the NST. Actually I didn't win anything, I just got my sms message printed. My name was not even put there. I had made some suggestions about how Proton cars could be improved. My suggestion was to make air bags and disc brakes standard in all cars. My friends working in Proton kept on making excuses like "it would increase costs", blah blah blah.

The Perodua Myvi comes as a breath of fresh air and has set a new stadard for all cars sold in Malaysia, both local as well as foreign brands.

Only the top range DOHC 1.3 litre automatic (priced RM51,300 on-the-road with insurance) comes with ABS and twin air bags but it is a start for a car of this range and price.

I found it interesting that local compnent vendors also contributed to the design and development of parts right from the inception stage working with Perodua. This is a strategic move in view of the fact that the car has 80% local content

Perodua's latest offering comes in direct competition with Proton's soon to be launched first compact car (Also known as the Tiara replacement model with a 1.2 liter engine). I am eagerly wating to see Proton's response to the Perodua's challenge.

Perodua Myvi Launched/ Toyota News

Perusahan Otomobil Kedua Sdn Bhd (Perodua) launched its latest model Myvi (the 6th) today. I didn’t read it in any of the newspapers but got the news from Paul Tan’s blog. (This guy is really up-to-date).

According to Perodua’s Managing director, Hafiz Syed Abu Bakar, they have received more than 6,000 bookings for Myvi and expect 15,000 more bookings after the launch.

----------------

UMW Toyota Motor Sdn Bhd’s new corporate HQ costing RM50mil was officially opened by by the Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah yesterday.

The headquarters in is located on a 24,000sq m site in the Section 15 industrial area, Persiaran Raja Muda, Shah Alam.

----------------
UMW Toyota Motor Sdn Bhd is also launching its new multi purpose vehicle (MPV), the 8-seater Innova on the 27th, this Friday. It replaces the Unser which is no longer produced anymore.

According to managing director David Chen, they have already received more than 2000 bookings.

More information is provided on Paul Tan’s blog.

You can also check out their official website.

More Info:

- UMW Holdings Bhd group managing director: Datuk Dr. Abdul Halim Harun,
- UMW Toyota Motor chairman: Tan Sri Asmat Kamaludin
- UMW Toyota Motor deputy chairman: Yoshimi Ishii
- UMW Toyota Motor managing director: David Chen.
- Toyota Motor Corp senior managing director: Akio Toyoda
- Toyota Motor Corp managing officer (Asia, Oceania and Middle East): Datuk Akira Okabe

New Nissan Plant/ Suzuki Swift

Edaran Tan Chong Motor Sdn Bhd which distributes Nissan and Renault vehicles in Malaysia is building a new RM125mil plant in Serendah, Selangor(six kilometers north of Rawang).

The new plant is expected to be completed by the first quarter of 2007. The initial production capacity at the Serendah plant is 24,000 units a year but it can go as high as 30,000 units.

The present plant is in Segambut.

Other Info:
Executive director of Edaran Tan Chong Motor: Dr. Ang Bon Beng.
Company secretary and General Manager of finance and administration: Joseph Tan

The sale of Nissan vehicles went up 40 per cent to 22,000 units.
Their best selling vehicle in Malaysia is the Sentra, followed by the Frontier pick-up and the X-Trail sports utility vehicle.

Read the Star report here.

----------
The 1.5-litre Suzuki Swift was publicly launched on the 16 of this month at the Palace of the Golden Horses hotel. Seri Kambangan, Kuala Lumpur.

According to says DRB-Hicom executive chairman Tan Sri Mohd Saleh Sulong, Suzuki Malaysia Automobile Sdn Bhd aims to sell between 4,800 and 6,000 units of Suzuki Swift in the first year (400 to 500 units per month).

The 1.5-litre automatic transmission (completely built-up from Japan) Swift will be priced between priced between RM78,000 and RM85,000. It is targeted at urban and suburban young families with incomes of between RM3,000 and RM4,000 a month.

Its competitors include the Honda Jazz, the Chevrolet Aveo as well as the Proton Gen 2.

In order to handle its sales and service, a network of 21 dealers with sales, servicing and spare parts (3S) centres has been established.

Some info about the car:

1. Comes in 6 colours,
2. 5 door hatchback
3. DOHC 1.5 litre, 16-valve fuel injected engine with Variable Valve Timing (VVT)
4. 4-speed automatic gearbox
5. Top Speed: 170 km/hr.

According to Tan Sri Mohd Saleh, they are now carrying out feasibility studies for the CKD (completely knocked down) assembly of Suzuki Swift in Malaysia.

They also plan to launch the Jakarta-assembled APV (all-purpose vehicle) and the Grand Vitara (Fully Built up in Japan) sports utility vehiclelater this year.

Other Info:

1. The Suzuki franchise in Malaysia is held by Suzuki Malaysia Automobile Sdn Bhd, a wholly-owned subsidiary subsidiary of DRB-HICOM Berhad.
2. Suzuki Motor Corp of Japan chairman and chief executive officer: Osamu Suzuki

3. Suzuki Malaysia chief executive officer: Bastaman Hamzah

4. Besides Japan, the Swift model is also assembled in Hungary, China and India.


Read more about it in the Business Times and in the The Star.

Chery Cars Hit Malaysian Roads

I have been neglecting this blog for a while and now its time for updates.

The Chinese Chery A160 was launched on the 7th of this month by International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Rafidah Aziz in KL.

The Chery A160 costs RM61,519 (on the road with insurance). Alado Bumi Auto Sdn Bhd which distributes this brand in Malaysia, expect to sell about 3000 units this year.

FYI, the ALADO group: ALADO Corporation Sdn. Bhd. (Pte. Ltd.) comprises of :
1. ALADO Automobile Sdn. Bhd.
2. ALADO Marketing Sdn. Bhd. &
3. ALADO Bumi Sdn. Bhd.

(Their website is terrible.)

Other models on line for launching later this year includes the A41 and B14 models.

Read the Star report here.

You can read about the specs of the A160 and the T240 at the Motor trader website here.

They were initally supposed to launch the mini QQ model but put it off following the allegations that it had copied GM Daewoo's Matiz and Spark designs. They later filed a lawsuit in China and GM is asking for compensation of 80 million yuan (US$9.6 million). however, Chery deinies this and says that they developed the design on their own.

Chery Automotive Co. only started exporting cars in October 2001 and it exports cars to more than 10 countries including Iran, Iraq, Bangladesh, Cuba, Syria and now Malaysia.

According to an American importer, Chery will be the "next Toyota...".

KLIMS 2006

The Kuala Lumpur International Motorshow 2006 will be held from May 26 to June 4 at the Putra World Trade Centre, Kuala Lumpur.

I am not sure why KLIMS 2006 and not KLIMS 2005.

DRB-HICOM to distribute and Assemble Indian Brand

DRB-HICOM Berhad's subsidiary USF-HICOM (M) Sdn. Bhd. will start assembling and distributing the Mahindra brand in Malaysia starting with the Scorpio range which was launched in Kuala Lumpur on 4th of this month.

Mahindra & Mahindra Limited is India’s largest manufacturer of 4x4 vehicles and tractors.

The Scorpio range range comprises of the 2.0 litre petrol 4x2 and the Scorpio 2.6 litre diesel double cab.

The Petrol version features a 2.0 litre DOHC 116bhp engine from Renault (used in the Renault Scenic and Laguna series) and is priced at RM79,913.13 (price on-the-road without insurance).

Other Specs:
- 7 seater
- 5 speed manual gearbox
- Standard leather seats
- wishbone suspension at the front
- leaf springs and a live axle at the rear
- disc brakes in front and drums at the rear
- Top speed : 165 kilometres/ hour.

Another Malaysian Car

Did you know that we have not 2 but 5 Malaysian car manufacturers and the numbers are increasing. I am not joking. Let me list them down for you (in alphabetical order):

1. Bufori Motor Car Company (M) Sdn. Bhd.

2. Esnasports Sdn Bhd

3. Perodua

4. Proton (Perusahaan Otomobil Nasional Bhd) (The big daddy)

5. TD Cars (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd

According to a Bernama report yesterday, the Naza group is going to join the list as the latest to come out with a Malaysian made car.

Some information about this car (According to group managing director Tan Sri SM Nasimuddin SM Amin):

- 1.2 litre car
- Launch scheduled in October this year.
- Designs done by 18 Naza engineers, 'mostly former employees of Proton and Perodua'.
- Secret project has been going on for the past two years (Went under the radar of all auto researchers).
- Total investment : Around half a million ringgit
- Estimated production /YEAR: 60,000 to 70,000 units

Read the full report here.

New BMW n Other Updates

New 3 Series Models Launched

Auto Bavaria Sdn Bhd has launched the new BMW 3 Series model today. The series comprises of the 320i 92.0-litre 150bhp 4-cylinder Valvetronic engine), 325i (6-cylinder 2.5-litre 218bhp Valvetronic engine)and the 330i (6-cylinder 258bhp Valvetronic engine).

The models available for immediate booking at Auto Bavaria branches nationwide are the 320i with a , the 325i with a and the 330i with a .

This series has been their constant best seller and accounts for very 2 BMW sold in the country.

NOTE:
BMW Malaysia Sdn Bhd is a Joint venture between BMW AG and thr Sime Darby Group (51:49).
Auto Bavaria Sdn Bhd is the authorized delaer of BMW cars in Malaysia. It is a subsidiry of Tractors Malaysia Holdings Bhd, whihc is in turn a unit of the Sime Darby group.

Lamborghini Showroom Launched

ES Evolution Sdn Bhd, the local dealer of Lamborghini in Malaysia has opened its showroom in Kuala Lumpur.

The latest outler is the 67th in Automobil Lamborghini SpA's international network of dealers.

The models available here are V10 Gallardo, the V12 Murcielago and the Morcielago Roadster (open top). If the government agrees to lower the tariff rates, the cars will sell between RM1.4 million and Rm2 million each. A "house on wheels" as a friend once told me. Actually that's a lot of low cost houses.0

Some more Info:
Add:
ES Evolution Sdn bhd
No.2 Block B Lot 4900 Jalan SS13/7
Subang Jaya Industrial Estate
47500 Petaling Jaya, Malaysia
Tel: (603) 5637 1280
Fax: (603) 5634 4782


Suzuki to Assemble Cars in Malaysia

Global Worldtrade Sdn Bhd. may start assembling Suzuki cars in Malaysia.

The cars would be distributed by Suzuki Malaysia Automobile Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of DRB-HICOM Bhd.

Suzuki Malaysia Automobile Sdn Bhd has signed a distributorship and an import agreement for completely built-up (CBU) Suzuki motor vehicles and spare parts.

They will distribute the Suzuki Swift 1.5L, Suzuki APV 1.6GLX and the 1.6GL, Suzuki Grand Vitara 2.0L.

Proton Sports Car

Watch out for the Proton sports car. My friend in Proton informs me that it is based on the Lotus Elise and while he was reluctant to reveal the price, I gathered that it will cost somewhere around RM 150K. (1US$=RM3.8)

If it is released as planned, it would become Malaysia's first sports car and not the Esna Venera.

SOURCES: NST, The Star & personal communication.

New Perodua Model

In March, I had read in a news report about Perusahaan Otomobil Nasional Kedua, or Perodua, launching a new model of the Perodua Kancil car in May this year.

I had also read earlier entries about the the soon-to-be-launched Myvi model in some other blogs. Namely, Gob.log and Wantan Productions and was wondering what the hell Myvi stands for. I got the answer today.

I read Paul Tan’s Journal entry about the Perodua Myvi yesterday. According to him, "My means Malaysia and the VI represents the sixth car that Perodua has come up with". However, according to the Edge Daily, “Myvi” signifies My Vehicle and My Vision, which also symbolises the Malaysian Vision.

It also reports the prices of the “Myvi” to be between RM41,500 and RM51,500 for the one litre and 1.3 litres variants respectively.

FYI, Perodua is Malaysia's second national car maker and was established in 1993.

According to their website, the joint venture partners/shareholders of Perodua and their respective shareholding are:
1. UMW Corporation Sdn Bhd (38%),
2. Daihatsu Motor Co. Ltd. (20%),
3. MBM Resources Berhad (20%),
4. PNB Equity Resources Corporation Sdn Bhd (10%),
5. Mitsui & Co. Ltd (7%) and
6. Daihatsu (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd (5%).

However, I read elsewhere that MBM Resources Bhd., which is the largest dealer of Perodua, is also the 2nd largest single shareholder in Perodua with a 23.6% stake.

Proton No 2 in UK

The title is a bit misleading. Proton is not the 2nd best selling brand in UK.

The Dealer Attitude Survey, undertaken by the National Franchised Dealers Association placed Proton 2nd after Lexus on the helpfulness of parts staff and 2nd best (alongside Toyota) in terms of technical support hotline.

Proton dealers were clearly very happy with the company and it reveals a synergy between the manufacturer and the dealers.

Links:

1. Car Pages

2. The Star report

Auto News Updates

Have been neglecting this blog for quite sometime now. Well here are the latest updates:

1. Proton Holdings Bhd:

Proton chief executive officer Tengku Mahaleel Tengku Ariff revealed in an interview that the company and its Chinese partner may start production in China this year if everything goes as planned. Read the whole story in the Star here.

2. HONDA Malaysia Sdn Bhd:

Yasuhide Mizuno (41) is now the company's 3rd managing director and chief executive officer. He was peviously general manager of Honda Taiwan Co Ltd.

Kenji Tanaka was appointed as new vice-president of Honda Malaysia's manufacturing plant.

F1 Sepang Pics

Here are some pics of the recent F1 race in Sepang, courtesy of Muz who was watching it live from the Grandstand. Lucky guy.

Auto Fair

There is a Auto fair coming up.

It is organised by Purnama Jelita (???)and will be held at the Main Concourse, Kompleks Bukit Jambul, Jalan Rumbia, Penang from 25th to 27th of March.

Participants include Duaria Motors Sdn Bhd (Kia), Ford Concessionaires Sdn Bhd (Ford), Proton Edar Sdn Bhd (Proton), Scott and English (M) Sdn Bhd (Tata) and Edaran Tan Chong Motor Sdn Bhd (Nissan).

TRM Spyshots

Several pics of the Proton Tiara Replacement Model (TRM) and the Satria Replacement Model (SRM)has been doing the rounds on the internet. One of the visitors to my blog recently e-mailed me these pics. Thanks Kim.







I just realised that this is a good marketing tool. Proton can actually get the feedback from several potential customers before they actually go ahead with the full scale production.

Sepang F1 05

I was unable to watch the Malaysian Grand Prix this Sunday at Sepang but was able to catch some bits of the race on TV. It was quite funny, but even my mother-in-law is talkign about the F1 race. It seems that there are a lot more F1 fans in Malaysia as compared to a few years ago when almost everyone thought that building the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) was a waste of public money.

Anyway, coming back to the race, it was Renault's second consecutive F1 victory with Fernando Alonso dominating the 56-lap Malaysian Grand Prix right from the start at Pole Position. With this win, Alonso moves to the top of the championship standings.

Toyota had their first ever podium position, with the Italian Jarno Trulli crossing the finish line 25 secs behind Alonso.

Christian Klien claimed the final point.

Here are the final race results:

1. Fernando Alonso Renault
2. Jarno Trulli Toyota
3. Nick Heidfeld Williams-BMW
4. Juan Pablo Montoya McLaren-Mercedes
5. Ralf Schumacher Toyota
6. David Coulthard Red Bull Racing
7. Michael Schumacher Ferrari
8. Christian Klien Red Bull Racing

In the championship, Renault leads with 26 points. Toyota is now in 2nd place with 12 points. Red Bull's is 3rd while Ferrari is 4th with 10 points along with BMW Williams and McLaren.

India's first Formula One racing driver Narain Karthikeyan was able to complete the race, coming in at 11th place. Not bad for a rookie driver.

NOTE: 13 days to the F1 race in Bahrain.

My brother-in-law was able to watch the race live at Sepang. I will try to get some pics from him and put it up here.

Malaysia's First Sports Car

The Star carried an interesting news today. It reported that Malaysia's First sports car called the Esna Venera is expected to roll out in 2006 and that the company Esnasports Sdn Bhd had already received 20 orders. The car will cost between MYR500,000 ($131,579) and MYR800,000.

The company will produce only 150 units of the car after which they will start on the next model. Keeping the car exclusive seems to be their strategy. You can read the news in the Star here and also in the NST.

Got this picture from the NST website.

However, I was wondering how this can be Malaysia's first sports car when Proton already has announced that they would launch their own sports car later this year. They also have the various Lotus models.

New Mazda Car

At the 75th Geneva International Motor Show (Salon International de l’Auto in Geneva) several new cars were seen. This includes the new two-seater Mazda MX-5 from the Mazda Motor Corporation. It is the third generation evolution of the world’s best-selling lightweight sports car (known as the Roadster in Japan) which first debuted at the Chicago Auto Show in February 1989.



The new car is equipped with a newly developed 2.0-liter MZR engine for all markets. However, models with a 1.8-liter engine would be available for the European market.

It will be available in 8 exterior colors. Regarding the interior, base models will have black upholstery and a matte-silver metallic finish. Higher-grade models offer two choices: a combination of saddle-tan and black leather or black leather in a monotone treatment.

As for the safety aspect, the new MX-5 comes with the Mazda Advanced Impact-energy Distribution and Absorption System. It also has newly developed side airbags and a larger-volume head protection airbag.

The car runs on 205/45WR-17 radial tires.

The all-new MX-5 will be launched in global markets in the latter half of 2005.
For more information go to the new Mazda MX-5 website.

Passet Assembly

According to a recent news report, Germany's Volkswagen and Proton are to begin assembly of an Asian version of the VW Passat at Proton's Tanjung Malim plant.

Naza Launches New Sportage

Naza Kia Sdn Bhd launched the new Kia Sportage at Putrajaya on the 4th of this month.

Priced at RM 121 888.00 (on the road including insurance), they call the Sportage "Part car, Part SUV, Part MPV". That's marketing I guess.

The MPV comes in 10 colours - beat that Proton.

Contribute To This Blog

You can also contribute to this blog. Please e-mail me at ahoklah@gmail.com if you have any Malaysian auto news to share. Spy shots would be most welcome.

I support Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, challenge to Proton to aim for zero defects in all the cars it produced. Read the report in the Star

At present they have reduced the number of defects to 2 per car, which is not good enough if they are to comepete with the best in the World.

The PM's call for "zero-defects" is interesting. It was Philip B.Crosby who first advocated the "zero-defects" program. It was adopted by the US federal government defining quality as "conformance to requirements". He emphasized prevention rather than inspection (audits) and came up with the well known definition of quality : "meeting the customers requirements the first time and every time".

It is part of Total Quality Management (TQM) techniques which include identifying the root cause of defects and to eliminate them. This would ultimately lead to reduced costs and improved customer satisfaction.

Hope the people at Proton are listening.

Hyundai in Malaysia

I was a bit confused about Hyundai operations in Malaysia. However, reading this article in the Star cleared up a lot of things. I also did a bit of research on my own.

Hyundai-Berjaya Corp Bhd (HBJCorp) owns Hyundai-Berjaya Sdn Bhd (HBSB), Inokom Corp Sdn Bhd (the manufacturing arm), and franchisee Hyumal Motors Sdn Bhd. SIME Darby Bhd has 51% stakes in the publicly listed HBJCorp.

Hyundai-Berjaya Sdn. Bhd., with majority share owned by Berjaya Group Berhad, was incorporated on August 3, 1991.

Hyumal Motor Sdn. Bhd. is the importer CBU Hyundai vehicles distributed by Hyundai-Berjaya Sdn. Bhd. It was incorporated on October 16, 1990, with Bumiputras as the majority shareholder and Berjaya Group Berhad with a minority stake.

Hyumal Motor Sdn. Bhd. in collaboration with Oriental Holdings Berhad, has formaed Oriental-Hyudai Sdn. Bhd, in March 2001 to carry out CKD operations and distribution. The current range of CKD models available in Malaysia are the Elantra 1.8 and the Sonata 2.0. Kah Bintang Auto Sdn Bhd. is the main dealer for Hyundai cars distributed by Oriental Hyundai.
I am sure you are thouroughly confused by the web by now. BTW, Datuk Ben Yeoh is the CEO of Hyundai Malaysia.

In South Korea, Hyundai owns the Kia brand. The funny thing is that Kia's range of vehicles is distributed in Malaysia by another company, Naza Kia Sdn Bhd (NKSB) (formerly known as Earning Link Sdn Bhd). It is a member of the Naza Group of Companies (Naza Motor Trading Sdn Bhd, which is led by Y. Bhg Tan Sri Dato' Seri SM Nasimuddin SM Amin.

New Proton Chairman

Proton now has a new chairman. Datuk Mohd Azlan Hashim succeeded Datuk Abu Hassan Kendut. Datuk Mohd Azlan Hashim is the former head of Bursa Malaysia.



Read the full news in the Star, and in the NST.



It was also reported that Proton might start a joint venture to assemble cars in China this year and the company is expected to unveil a 1.3-litre Tiara replacement model in March, and the 1.6-litre Satria Replacement model by July this year.

Auto Blog

Just started this blog - specially dedicated to cars and any new developments in the Malaysian Auto industry.

I have always been interested in cars since I was a kid. When I was a schoolboy, I used to have this nice big poster of a bright red Lamborghini Countach on my wall. Several years later I still love looking at nice cars - even though I know I can't afford one.

Anyway, I guess what I had heard on the grapevine and had bloged about a few months ago was true. Just read something about a new Malaysian supercar on the Cars, Bikes and Trucks supplement of the NST. Even though they didn't identify the identity of the manufacturer, there is without doubt that it is Proton. The car is expected to be unveiled during the F1 race here in Sepang in March.

Can't wait to see how it looks and performs.