August 22, 2006 @ 3:29 pm
· Filed under Cars, Local News
Trade Minister Datuk Seri Rafidah Aziz disagrees with Thailand’s decision to not give Malaysian imports the ASEAN Common Effective Preferential Tariff (CEPT) rate of 5%, instead keeping it at a higher 20% rate.
According to Rafidah, the interpretation of the ASEAN secretariat backed Malaysia’s position on the matter. As long as Malaysia lowers it’s own tax rates to 5% for countries that qualify for the CEPT rate, it should receive the same treatment and should not be linked to anything else. According to Rafidah, Thailand also has non-tarriff barriers in place for palm oil.
Though the amount of vehicles from Thailand going into Malaysia is much more than the other way around, companies like Toyota have decided to assemble certain models here for the region, like the Toyota Hiace van.
Most of you know and love the Volkswagen Golf GTI, so here’s it’s more luxurious sibling based on the same chassis. Euromobil Sdn Bhd launched the new 2006 Audi A3 Sportback in Malaysia at the Audi Roadshow at KLCC on the 18th of August 2006. We get the normally aspirated 2.0 FSI and the turbocharged 2.0 TFSI variants of this hot hatch, somehow missing the 3.2 V6. Let’s check out what this luxury hot hatch has.
These are the new post-NAP prices for Audi cars in Malaysia sold by Euromobil Sdn Bhd, last updated on the 8th of August 2006. The prices have gone up across the model range except for the flagship Audi A8 models, but this is expected since the NAP tax rates disfavour CBU cars coming in from non-ASEAN countries. Audi will be adding the new Audi TT as well as the Audi Q7 7-seater SUV to it’s line-up next year.
PT Proton Edar Internasional Indonesia (PEII) has managed to secure orders for 3,000 Proton Wira cars to be used as taxis around Indonesia. These orders are from various major cities of the republic, and will be delivered in batches.
PEII director Dwi Sasetia said the Proton Wira was chosen by taxi companies because of it’s proven hardiness on Malaysian roads, as our weather conditions were similiar to theirs. The first batch Proton Wira cars from the year 1993 are also still in action, since it is pretty much unfeasible to purchase new cars over here due to the long loans we need to take. The 13 year old cars might be making strange noises here and there, but they are all still in running condition.
Proton has a 50,000 car per year capacity plant in the Cikarang Industrial Park, located 50 km east of Jakarta.
August 21, 2006 @ 1:10 am
· Filed under Cars, Porsche
This is coming a little late, considering the new 997 Porsche 911 Turbo was launched a month ago in Malaysia on the 21st of July 2006, but then again I don’t think many of you are in a rush to go out and buy this fine piece of engineering in the form of a supercar, are you? Even if you wanted to. Sniff. Anyway. Let’s have a look at what new technological goodies are packed into the new 997 2007 Porsche 911 Turbo.
Rumours through the grapevines indicated that Hyundai’s Kia unit might be the new owner of Ford’s struggling Jaguar brand, and perhaps even Land Rover. This might be bad news for Jaguar fans, you might see new Jaguar sedans based on the Kia Amanti or something. The Kia Amanti already looks very suspiciously like a Jaguar S-Type. And most of you know the Jaguar butt of the previous generation Hyundai Sonata.
Anyway, there were talks of this, but Hyundai has come out and informed media that yes there was an internal study done on the feasibility of acquiring a luxury marque like Jaguar from Ford Motor Co but it was ruled out because Hyundai decided it needed to focus on expanding production instead.
Unlike Jaguar, Ford’s other two luxury brands - Land Rover which makes luxury SUVs and Aston Martin which makes luxury sports cars - were profitable in 2005.
The new Chevrolet Aveo sedan based on the Daewoo Gentra was recently launched in the US through a special virtual car launch through a web cast. Specifications are pretty much the same, a 1.6 liter E-TEC II DOHC engine making 103hp. There’s no lower 1.4 liter engine option for the US market. The US version has a variable rate rack and pinion steering, which should ease parking at low speeds and offer more precise steering at highway speeds.
The previous Chevrolet Aveo sold 68,085 units in 2005, and the previous version will continue to be sold as a hatchback Aveo5 in the US. The new sedan is due on our local shores very soon, perhaps next month. More photos after the jump.
August 19, 2006 @ 10:11 pm
· Filed under BMW, Cars, Rumours
I am eagerly awaiting the new E92-based BMW M3 to be released to see what fantastic new engine BMW will be putting under the hood. New BMW engines seem to naturally be award winners lately - the 3.0 twin turbodiesel in the BMW 535d, and the normally aspirated 5.0 V10 in the BMW M5.
Details of the new E92 BMW M3 has surfaced on forums like M3 Post, and while we don’t know if this is the actual real specifications, let’s just have a look at it anyway. Details are after the jump.
I have blogged previously on Thailand’s refusal to lower duties for incoming Malaysian vehicles down to Common Effective Preferential Tariff (CEPT) tax rates of 5%. As the region’s largest CBU vehicle producer, Thailand stands to lose out because of Malaysia’s new National Automotive Policy which imposes Non-Tariff Barriers to cars coming into the country, such as those from Thailand.
The NAP was formulated to have a balance between opening up the market according to AFTA requirements, as well as protect Proton and Perodua. Examples of Non-Tariff Barriers imposed by our NAP are Approved Permits and quotas - for example there is a limit of a maximum of 20,000 cars coming in yearly from Thailand. Approved Permits are capped at a maximum of 10% of industry volume. There is also racial-based barriers requiring the importer of CBU vehicles to be 70% owned by Bumiputras or by the Malaysian government (through Khazanah?). Also, duties are calculated from a price list published by the Customs, instead of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade valuation method.
The Philippines has joined Thailand and Indonesia in opposing Malaysia’s Non-Tariff Barriers. Ford cars in Malaysia like the Ford Focus are CBU imports from the Philippines. The members of the ASEAN Free Trade Area Council will meet at the upcoming ASEAN Economic Ministers (AEM) meeting on Tuesday, August 21 2006. The CEPT 5% rate for Malaysia will be one of the issues discussed at the meeting.
Naza Automotive Manufacturing Sdn Bhd has plans to set up an assembly plant in southern India, possibly in Chennai. Chennei is home to a number of automotive plants like Hyundai, Ford, Mitsubishi, BMW, Mahindra and Apollo Tyres, and is base for 30% of India’s auto components industry and 20% of the Indian vehicle industry.
Naza plans to go international with it’s Naza Sutera and Naza 206 Bestari models, and India is one of it’s target markets. The Indian passanger car market is big - 1.3 million new car registrations in 2005 alone, and the middle class group of Indians who can afford to buy cars is growing. As import duties for cars in India is high, CKD assembly in India itself would be Naza’s best option to be competitive.
Trade Minister Datuk Seri Rafidah Aziz disagrees with Thailand’s decision to not give Malaysian imports the ASEAN Common Effective Preferential Tariff (CEPT) rate of 5%, instead keeping it at a higher 20% rate.
These are the new 
PT Proton Edar Internasional Indonesia (PEII) has managed to secure orders for 3,000 Proton Wira cars to be used as taxis around Indonesia. These orders are from various major cities of the republic, and will be delivered in batches.
