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Need assistance? Well, they’re all EARs, it seems

November 10, 2011 at 12:10 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Local News, Technology

It’s called EARs, or Emergency Assistance & Response Services, to give it its full name, and it’s a nationwide personal safety and automotive assistance service, ready to aid anyone who find themselves lost, stranded or in need of emergency personal or automotive help. The service, which is subscription-based, works through means of a mobile phone, in this case an iPhone application known as the EARsAlert2, which allows users to seek for help at the touch of a button.

How does it work? Well, say you’ve been involved in an accident, and may be in shock or injured, uncertain of your whereabouts or frustrated from having to contact many different parties for help, such as family members and friends, auto services and tow trucks, among others.

The service simplifies the entire process – just tap on the icon on your phone and a signal is immediately sent within five seconds to EARs which identifies your name and pinpoints your location via GPS. You’ll receive a call from an EARs agent within a short timeframe to ascertain your condition and safety, and to confirm what kind of emergency service or assistance you need.

The agent will then contact the relevant service providers to assist you. At the same time, EARs will also alert five of your closest contacts to inform them about your situation. The service is also able to assist with police reporting, workshop coordinations for repairs and insurance claims, if needed.

In the event of a personal emergency, such as a kidnapping case, if the EARs app is launched and the person is not contactable by the agent, the five closest contacts are immediately alerted via SMS and one primary contact is contacted to act upon the situation, armed with important information like location coordinates.

“EARs was conceptualised mainly because I have many friends and family members who have experienced vehicle breakdowns or personal crimes, or who have had their car stolen,” said EARs CEO Edwin Ong. “Although there are services for each of the situations I’ve just mentioned, these services tend to work independently of one another, hence I felt the need for an all-in-one total solution for personal and automotive assistance, leveraging on a mobile device which many of us already have.”

According to the company, in 2008 there were a total of 373,047 vehicle accidents which resulted in 6,527 deaths, and in 2009, there was a 15% increase in crimes, totalling 198,622 or 544 reported cases per day – every day, there was at least one murder, 19 cases of rape and 243 stolen vehicles. Meanwhile, last year, there were 1,022 vehicle accidents per day (or the equivalent of one accident every 1 minute and 44 seconds).

“In light of statistics like these, we believe that EARs will bring great peace of mind to many Malaysians,” said Ong. “People can be assured that there’s someone they can call on at any time of the day who will be able to help them, regardless of whether they need a tow truck or personal assistance.”

The Breakdown and Assistance (BRASS) plus Personal Alert (PAL) combined packages are priced at RM75 per year, or RM10 per month. You can find out more about the service here. As for the app, it’s available on iTunes for iPhone users to download for free, and users can play around with the app in demo mode without an account. It’ll soon be available for other smartphones.

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Mitsubishi Mirage to make its debut in Tokyo

November 10, 2011 at 11:12 am By Anthony Lim Filed Under 2011 Tokyo Motor Show, Cars, International News, Mitsubishi

It’s the return of the Mirage name to the fold – Mitsubishi Motors Corporation is set to debut its new Mirage at the upcoming Tokyo Motor Show. The name was of course first used for the Mirage series developed for resource/energy/space-saving and high-performance in a compact package, which made its debut in Japan in March 1978.

The new Mirage, the company says, inherits the essence of that first series – cleverly getting the most performance and function out of a limited space. The five-door compact hatch measures in at 3.7 metres long, 1.66 metres wide and 1.49 metres tall, and will be powered by a 1.0 litre three-cylinder MIVEC block, with Auto Stop & Go.

The design focuses on compactness, affordability, and high fuel efficiency, and Mitsu is looking at the global model to fit the needs of emerging markets as an affordable entry-level model as well as needs of advanced markets for fuel efficiency and low-CO2 emission.

The five-seater will come equipped with a CVT gearbox, wear 14-inch wheels and 165/65 series rubbers, and has a targeted top-of-class fuel efficiency (at least for the Japan domestic version) of 30 km per litre. The new Mirage will make its market debut in Thailand in March 2012 before entering other global markets.

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Lotus vs Lotus: it’s all over, with both parties settling the issue amicably – Team Lotus to now race as Caterham F1

November 9, 2011 at 11:05 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Formula 1, Lotus, Motorsports

The long-running Lotus vs Lotus saga is over – the fight that ended up in court has reached an amicable ending. Proton, Group Lotus, 1Malaysia Racing Team and its owner Tony Fernandes have announced – delightfully, the statement said – that the legal dispute in the English Courts relating to the ‘Lotus” and ‘Team Lotus’ brands has now ended on a happy note, with the parties agreeing settlement terms earlier this month.

The terms of the settlement are confidential, but the deal sees the ‘Lotus’ brand reunited under the sole ownership of Group Lotus. This includes the rights to the ‘Lotus’ and ‘Team Lotus’ names in Formula 1 motor racing. The deal also sees a working relationship established between the parties, who will work together on future projects in the automotive field.

For the 2012 F1 season on, 1MRT will race under the name Caterham F1 Team and will use a Caterham chassis.

“On behalf of Group Lotus and Proton, I would like to express how pleased we are that this matter is finally closed and we can now focus on looking forward to the future,” Group Lotus CEO Dany Bahar said.

“We understand that this has been a very difficult and confusing time for the fans of the sport and the Lotus brand, so we are glad to have reached a clear resolution on this important matter – I would like to take this opportunity to thank our fans for their continued support, it means everything to us,” he added.

Meanwhile, on behalf of 1MRT, Group CEO Riad Asmat said: “We are proud of what we have achieved by bringing the Team Lotus name back to Formula One when many tried, and although we are sad to say goodbye to Team Lotus, we are excited about owning our own future and being in control of our own destiny. Now we have no one to be compared to. We make our own history and we will remain green and yellow.”

“Now we look forward to an exciting future racing under our new team name of Caterham F1 Team. Please continue to support our very special spirit of never say die and support us on the track, as we move up the field and demonstrate that the good do win,” he added.

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Youngman SUV spied in China – based on the Lotus APX?

November 9, 2011 at 10:43 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, China, International News, Youngman

Over in China, a report says that a Proton SUV – supposedly based on the Lotus APX concept – will see the light of day in that market possibly sometime next year, through the Youngman brand. The APX made its debut in Geneva five years ago, but never went into production form.

The China Car Times – which has spyshots of the said vehicle – speculates that the Youngman SUV is not expected to sport a 3.0 litre V6 like that seen on the APX, but rather wear a more sensible four-pot 2.0 to 2.4 litre mill for economical reasons.

The report also says that the Chinese motoring press is predicting that the vehicle will enter the market anywhere between 90,000 RMB to 140,000 RMB when it arrives, and further speculates that the vehicle might possibly appear in concept form at the Guangzhou Auto Show in December, ahead of a Beijing Auto Show launch in April next year.

Earlier in the year, a Youngman Europestar SUV – being developed together with Lotus Engineering – was spied in China, though that one is said to be based on a GEN2 platform. Wonder exactly how different both are.

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Kia Ray – first images of Korean market-only compact

November 9, 2011 at 4:00 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, International News, Kia


Click to enlarge.

Kia has revealed the first official images of its new Ray compact vehicle, which will be sold exclusively in Korea. The production Ray shouldn’t be confused with the Ray Concept that the company presented at the Chicago Auto Show last year – this one is very much a box-type city car, far removed from the latter in terms of styling and shape.

There are very little details about the Ray, which the company says combines fuel economy with a spacious and highly versatile interior. Indeed, there’s not even a mention of powertrain options for the vehicle – that’s set to be announced closer to the vehicle’s launch.


Click to enlarge.

Design-wise, the Ray features a simple exterior silhouette, and the front combines the brand’s signature radiator grille with unique headlamps and LED daytime running lights. The rear, meanwhile, presents a wide and stable stance, accentuated by prominent LED rear combination lamps and vertically positioned bumper reflectors

The passenger-side rear door – in this case, on the right hand side – is a sliding-type unit, enabling not just easier ingress and egress in tight parking spaces but also provides a wide, unobstructed side opening for cargo storage.

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First group of Proton Amazing Holidays winners revealed

November 9, 2011 at 3:29 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Malaysian Makes, Proton

Proton has announced the first group of winners of its Amazing Holidays contest. The contest is part of Proton’s Very Important Proton (VIP) programme aimed at acknowledging and rewarding customers.

The lucky half dozen are Proton owners Rosliza Abu Bakar from Klang, Tan Siang Loong from Ampang, Hairul Nizam Abdul Rani from Kuantan and Ahmad Radzlan Mohamed Yusof from Kluang. The contest, also open to non-Proton owners, also sees two winners in this category: Kong Pooi Yee from Batu Caves and Lee Liew Chloe from Kuching.

All winners will receive a 3D2N getaway at either the Hard Rock Hotel in Penang, Tanjung Jara Resort in Terengganu or Casa del Rio in Melaka.

The Amazing Holidays contest is really easy, requiring contestants to answer only two questions. With four more rounds to go, there will be another 24 winners over the next four months. For more information and to join, go to www.protonvip.com.

The VIP programme, initiated in the middle of this year, also includes the more well known “My Proton Makeover” contest. The Overhaulin’ style effort has already seen R3 rework Fadly Hisham Roplay’s 1992 Saga. Next up for Proton’s motorsport and tuning department is Sashideran Radha Krishnan’s 17-year-old Proton Wira. Stay tuned to see how that one turns out!

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Volvo C70 Inscription – limited edition to debut in LA

November 9, 2011 at 1:37 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, International News, Volvo

Volvo has come up with an Inscription edition of the C70 – the vehicle is set to debut next week at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show, and worldwide production will be limited to just 2,000 units.

It’ll be available in three exterior colours, these being solid Black Stone and Ice White as well as metallic Black Sapphire, and will wear exclusive 18-inch black Midir alloy wheels with black detailing and polished spokes and outer rim.

The car also gets a high-gloss painted grille – this and the LED daytime running lights are both surrounded by contrasting chrome, giving this particular C70 a distinctive face.

The interior also features a look that echoes the unique exterior, and elements include an exclusive leather-covered dashboard with contrasting stitching and Sovereign Hide upholstery in Off Black or Calcite, with the same contrasting stitching as on the dashboard, handbrake lever and carpets.

Elsewhere, the steering wheel, gear shift knob and sports pedals feature aluminium inlays, and the variant gets Special Inscription carpets and handbrake lever as well as the word “Inscription” embroidered on the front headrests.

An aluminium inlay in the iconic ultra-slim centre stack comes as standard, but there’s Black or Nordic Light Oak as an option.

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Hyundai Veloster arriving in Malaysia Q1 next year

November 9, 2011 at 1:15 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Hyundai, Local News

Hyundai-Sime Darby Motors says it will be launching the Veloster three-door coupe sometime in the first quarter of 2012.

“We have been receiving enquiries about the new Veloster from Malaysian car enthusiasts and I’m delighted to announce that this revolutionary three-door coupe, the first of its kind in Malaysia, will be arriving on Malaysian shores in the first quarter of next year,” said HSDM’s MD Dennis Ho.

The car will arrive here in its 132 hp 1.6 litre Gamma II engine form. Stick shifter fans will be pleased to know that the Veloster 1.6L will be available in both automatic and manual transmission versions.

Complete specifications of the model will only be announced at the launch in Q1 next year, though HSDM adds that it’s currently studying the possibility of bringing in the GDi (Gasoline Direction injection) and Turbo GDI models in the near future, with a consideration of the fuel quality here – a decision will be made upon the completion of this study.

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Driven/BCMY: IT Internship Opportunities

November 9, 2011 at 12:07 pm By benjamin Filed Under Advertorial

Dear all, we are looking for 2 awesome web developers to-be to join our company for an internship program.

Job Description:

  • Responsible to assist in developing our internal web projects.
  • This is a Mon-Fri internship position, based in our youthful and fun office at Jaya One, Petaling Jaya.
  • The duration of the internship will be for 1 to 2 months.
  • RM 1,000 a month

Requirements:

  • Must be proficient with Object Oriented PHP programming.
  • Knowledge with MongoDB, jQuery, and MVC programming concept would be an added advantage.
  • Prior experience developing web projects is preferred.
  • Must be able to tell lame jokes during the interview.
  • Penultimate or final year IT students are encouraged to apply.

Apply Now:
To apply, please email your resume detailing your technical knowledge and experience to benjamin@driven.com.my.

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BHPetrol Save & Win contest – mother of two bags the first prize of RM50,000 in September draw

November 9, 2011 at 11:53 am By Anthony Lim Filed Under Local News

BHPetrol’s Save & Win contest’s September draw saw Ayu Rohaida Haji Muda walking off with the first prize of RM50,000 – the mother of two from Temerloh, Pahang, who works in the Temerloh hospital, was naturally overjoyed with the windfall.

“I was shocked but elated when I was told I had won the first prize of RM50,000. It is so nice to be rewarded for being a loyal customer of BHPetrol. I am going to put aside the money for my children’s education. To BHPetrol, a big thank you!,” she enthused.

“Previously I used other brands of petrol. Then I tried BHPetrol Infiniti Advanced2X and found it gives me more mileage, immediate acceleration and power. Definitely, Infiniti is the petrol for me,’” she added.

Ayu Rohaida wasn’t the only big winner in September, as a host of other BHPetrol customers walked away with cash prizes ranging from the second prize of RM30,000 to 50 RM1,000 consolation prizes.

BHPetrol’s MD Tan Kim Thiam said that there’s no better time for Malaysian motorists to feel the real difference in its BHPetrol Infiniti Advanced2X 95 and 97, with the Save & Win contest going on.

The contest, which began in September, ends on November 30, so there’s still time to enter and try and bag the month’s big prize – all that’s needed is a minimum spend of RM30 at participating BHPetrol service stations to be eligible to win the cash prizes and 2.5 million ePoints every month.

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