Mercedes Benz has updated the S-class with it’s latest incarnation, the 2006 model. This new model is longer and taller than the previous model, with updated engines. In US and Europe where it will be introduced in the first quarter of 2006, there will be S350 and S600 models. If it ever comes to Malaysia, I should expect an S280 model to be introduced. This country isn’t very road-tax friendly to large capacity engines.

Click here to read the rest of The New 2006 Mercedes Benz S-Class

Jeff Ooi already has a very detailed coverage on the latest updates on the Proton vs. MITI saga, so I’m not going to talk much about it. More time for me to write more howtos and more about nice shiny automobiles! But I’m sure all of you would want to know the latest in this Proton/AP controversy.

Basically, Dr. M reveals some basic statistics on the distribution of APs in Malaysia, of which a majority of 54400 went to 20 particular companies, out of 67,000. The remainder 12600 went to the remaining 82 AP awardees.

Let’s do some basic math here.

54400 / 20 = 2720

This is an average of 2720 APs per company. Based on the market rate of RM35,000 per AP, this is an instant profit of 95.2 million ringgit a year on top of everything else. In Singapore, COEs are sold instead of given away, and the money goes to the government. Here, it goes into the bumiputra businessman’s pocket. I want to be bumiputra too.

Next, Dr. M responds to Rafidah saying that it was his administration which decided the ruling on 40% local content to qualify as national car. He says it did not fall under his control/decision, etc etc, haih. The same with the Naza Ria’s status as a national car.

Details here at Screenshots.

Click here to read the rest of Proton vs. MITI, Round 3

A foreign partner is key to Proton’s survival when Malaysia’s sheltered auto market is opened fully by 2008.

Mahathir says:

If we want to, we can sell more than 50% to Volkswagen. They are quite willing, I think, to buy even 100%. There are many other companies which would gladly buy 100% of Proton. Our fear, of course, is if they buy 100%, they might close the production of our national car and just assemble their cars.

However, Volkswagen Group chief executive says that the company would consider taking a stake in Proton only once VW finishes its plans for the coming five to seven years.

Full story here.

If Perodua were to make a car in the same class as the Proton Savvy, it would have to be based on the Toyota Vitz.

The Toyota Vitz is in the compact car class, unlike the Perodua Myvi/Toyota Passo which is in the mini-MPV class. Driver posture, body shape and handling is totally different between these two classes of cars. One is a cute people mover and the other is a sporty hot hatch.

When the shots for this model of the Vitz first came out, everyone thought it was a Perodua car because of the logo on the front. It looked like a revised version of Perodua’s P logo. It was actually the Vitz’s own logo. Toyota has a habit of making a logo for every car. Like the Harrier has an eagle logo on it’s grill.

Click here to read the rest of Toyota Vitz

Check it out here.

Some quotes from the article.

Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd. (“Daihatsu”) and Perodua, Daihatsu’s joint venture corporate group in Malaysia, today announced the launch of the Myvi that is being added to the current lineup. On the evening of May 25, Daihatsu and Perodua held a launching event for the Myvi in Kuala Lumpur, with Malaysia’s Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and Daihatsu President Takaya Yamada attending.

Daihatsu has made three of Perodua’s manufacturing companies into its subsidiaries and is proceeding to strengthen the competitiveness of the group including its suppliers in terms of cost and quality.

Daihatsu is the parent company of the groups three manufacturing-related companies: Perodua Auto Corporation Sdn. Bhd., the manufacturing-related holding company; Perodua Manufacturing Sdn. Bhd., an automobile manufacturer; and Perodua Engine Manufacturing Sdn. Bhd., an engine manufacturer.

When asked on Tengku Mahaleel’s position, Rafidah says:

I do not know… I don’t have any links with Proton. Proton is not under the ministry. Proton comes under the direct purview of Khazanah (Nasional Bhd) and Khazanah is under the Ministry of Finance. I do not know.. only the Finance Minister knows.

Our Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is also the Finance Minister, and the chairman of Khazanah Nasional which is Proton’s single largest shareholder, owning 42% of Proton Holdings Bhd shares. Let’s see what he says.

He has denied any rumours that Tengku Mahaleel has been given 1 week notice to give an explanation on his criticisms on the government’s automotive policy.

He also refuted any talk of Tengku Mahaleel being asked to resign by Khazanah Nasional.

It’s strange how so many newspapers reported on TM being asked to give a show cause letter. It’s all still rumours now.

Sources:
MITI Not Aware Of Any Speculation On Tengku Mahaleel
PM Denies Talk That Khazanah To Remove Tengku Mahaleel From Proton

Click here to read the rest of Mahaleel’s Job Safe For Now

Inconsistencies in the media. Hmm…

5 Malaysian dailies have reported that Proton Holdings Bhd boardmembers have decided to give it’s chief executive Tengku Tan Sri Mahaleel Tengku Ariff a week to explain the basis of his criticisms of the government’s automotive policy.

This was decided after the meeting held on 30th June.

The 5 dailies with reports:

The New Straits Times
The Malay Mail
Berita Hairan Harian
Utusan Malaysia
The Edge Daily

Tengku Mahaleel is believed to be overseas in London now.

There is still a possibility of him losing his job.

There is no official statement by Proton, but shares have dropped 15 cents lower to RM7.20 as of yesterday.

But another article by Utusan Malaysia reports otherwise. It reports that the Prime Minister personally checked the meeting and found that no such decision to call for an explanation in 1 week was made.

Let’s see what happens.

Source: Screenshots, The New Straits Times, The Malay Mail, Berita Hairan Harian, Utusan Malaysia, The Edge Daily

Click here to read the rest of Tengku Mahaleel Given 1 Week to Explain

Hmm. Car number plates seem to be the favourite when it comes to choosing numbers to buy for lotteries. When your number comes out and you didn’t buy it, you’ll be cursing like mad like this guy.

I’ve only bought the lottery once in my life. When this happened. All the aunties said the bees are lucky or something. So I bought all three vehicles in my house punya number plate. And bought them at all the different lotteries, including Toto, Magnum 4D and Damacai. Actually I don’t know where I bought lar, just gave the cash to my mum and asked her to buy.

2079, 6067 and 4446.

Nope, didn’t kena! Dang!

Perhaps I should ask Lilian for Damacai numbers.

It’s time to re-write all those management books.

Brainstorming is a word used for meetings used to generate ideas, but we can’t call it brainstorming anymore, in Ireland at least.

The word ‘brainstorming’ has been banned by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI) in Ireland for fear that it could be considered offensive to people with brain disorders as well as those with brain injuries or tumours.

ZOMGWTFBBQ!

We all know where all the people with brain disorders are now don’t we?

No?

Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment,
Belfast,
Ireland.

Source: Guardian, via The Inquirer

It’s been three months now since the move to Jaring, and I’m pleased to say that Jaring absolutely rocks! I have not had a single downtime for the entire three months since my server shifted it’s co-location to it’s datacenter in Bukit Jalil, and only two occasions of the TMNet-Jaring link through Eastgate going down, where traffic was routed internationally instead of through local peerings. That caused a minor slowdown instead of being totally down! BGP4 actually works in this datacenter

Click here to read the rest of Jaring Rocks My Socks