The EON Dealers Association of Malaysia (EDAM) is supportive of a merger between EON and Proton Edar, as the current market situation has caused 80% of EON dealers to be unprofitable losing between RM15,000 to RM50,000 a month., with the remaining 20% seeing sales of 20 units or more a month.

There are now 400 Proton dealers in the country, comprising of both Proton Edar and EON outlets. An optimum number would be about 250 outlets after the two dealerships have been merged. EON previously closed down 10 sales branches and 4 service centers, as part of its rationalization exercise for greater efficiency.

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EON closes down branches

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Volkwagen’s Tiguan Concept showcases a preview of it’s upcoming mini Touareg - a small SUV pitched against the likes of the new 3rd generation Toyota RAV4. The concept car being presented at the LA Auto Show is powered by a new “Clean TDI” engine which includes a NOx storage catalytic converter and as a whole reduces nitrogen oxides by up to 90% compared to engines known today. Improving turbodiesel technology is very important for car manufacturers who want to increase market share in the lucrative European market, like what Honda has been doing with their new second generation i-CTDi engine. This new Clean TDI engine is part of the BLUETEC offensive initiated jointly by Audi, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen. The three German marques intend to establish the term BLUETEC as a universal label to denote clean and low consumption diesel vehicles.

The Volkswagen Tiguan Concept is 1.85 meters wide, 1.69 meters high and 4.40 meters long. The front is typical of modern Volkswagen cues, and the grille is flanked by xenon headlamps. Volkswagen wanted to make sure the new Tiguan is immediately recognizable as a part of the Volkswagen SUV family.

Viewed from the side, except for the small VW symbols in the 19 inch wheel rims (wrapped with Continental tyres btw!), there is no logo that “tips off” the viewer that the Tiguan is a Volkswagen, yet you can see the sense of familiarity there - exactly like what people have been calling this car, a mini Touareg.

Production is estimated to begin in twelves months time, making this a 2008 model most probably. More photos after the jump.

[UPDATE: Added two more videos!]

Click here to read the rest of Volkswagen Tiguan Concept

Proton showed us a sneak preview of the upcoming Proton Savvy facelift at the recent 2006 A1 Grand Prix event in Sepang. This photo is from a paultan.org visitor from Savoc.net. While the strange shoulderline is still there, the awkward rear end design that looks like the front of a Proton Waja is now gone - though the rear hatch still sinks in between the two rear lamp clusters. The Proton badge has been placed slightly upwards. Originally scheduled for public release this Friday, because of certain circumstances it looks like we’ll have to wait a little while longer than that for the new 2007 Proton Savvy facelift - just a little bit longer!

More photos at Savoc.

Joining Volkswagen’s R family which previously consisted of only the Volkswagen Golf R32 is a new sedan and estate version of the Passat called the Volkswagen Passat R36 Sedan and the Volkswagen Passat R36 Variant (estate).

The new R36 Passat family, the most powerful production Passat of all time (discount the awesome twin turbocharged 575 horsepower Passat R GT concept, that’s not for production yet) features Volkswagen’s new 3.6 liter V6 FSI, mated to a 6-speed DSG gearbox as well as 4MOTION all wheel drive, resulting in a 300hp monster that goes from 0-100km/h in 5.6 seconds for the sedan and 5.8 seconds for the heavier Variant estate. Volkswagen seems to have chosen the Variant moniker for it’s estate/station wagon products, and for those who want an alternative to the Audi A4 Avant can perhaps go for this Passat R32 Variant.

For detailed specs on the R36 trim, as well as more photos, have a look at the post content after the jump! This looks yummy.

Click here to read the rest of 2007 Volkswagen Passat R36 Sedan/Variant

The Toyota-Daihatsu siblings take economies of scale to a whole new level unheard of with the introduction of the Daihatsu D-01 Concept recently at the Auto China 2006 motor show. While Toyota calls it a “concept” for China, it’s actually pretty much the same ASEAN market Toyota Avanza/Daihatsu Xenia that’s been available for ages already, with a slightly different bodykit. The production version of the Daihatsu D-01 Concept will be introduced into the Chinese market in mid-2007.

One more rear view photo after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Daihatsu D-01 Concept - China’s Avanza

A promised update to the previous post on the upcoming toll price hike, the highways that will be affected are the Guthrie Corridor Expressway, Karak Highway, Grand Saga Cheras-Kajang Highway, Lebuhraya Damansara Puchong (LDP) and Kesas Shah Alam Highway.

Estimated toll subsidies for all the highways are expected to be RM2 billion if toll subsidies are not reduced. As for how much we’ll suffer, that amount is still under study, but the last toll price increase in early 2005 saw the Plus Expressway toll rates going up by 10% on the North-South Expressway, while previously Kesas upped prices in 2002.

Assuming the subsidies of RM2 billion are to be cut in half or a quarter, that would be a savings of RM1 billion (a palace, a foreign sports complex and a space trip) or RM500 million (a foreign sports complex and a space trip) respectively.

Well, the choice of where to spend the money was obvious, as the other projects are so much more important than keeping the toll rates affordable for us!

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Here’s the exact list of enhancements you will get when you choose to purchase a Naza 206 Bestari in Sportivo trim at RM76,888.00 over the normal Naza 206 Bestari.

Full list after the jump, as well as more photos of the car.

Click here to read the rest of Naza 206 Bestari Sportivo Specifications

Auto Italia general manager Lim Boon Leong and Sime Darby Motor Division managing director Rajan Thurairatnam with Alfa City directors Foo En Lin and Terrence Foo.

Sime Darby Auto Italia Sdn Bhd (Auto Italia), has appointed Alfa City Services Sdn Bhd as the authorised dealer of Alfa Romeo cars in Kuala Lumpur and Ipoh. Alfa Citys Kuala Lumpur showroom cum service centre is located at Lot 21, Jalan Tandok off Jalan Maarof, Bangsar while its two Ipoh showroom and service centre are located at Jalan Sultan Iskandar and Jalan Lahat Lane respectively.

“2007 will be an exciting year for the marque as we will be introducing two highly acclaimed new models; namely the Alfa Romeo 159 sports sedan and the Alfa Brera coupe. Alfa City, with its vast experience and market knowledge, will be an invaluable partner in our push for a stronger foothold in the luxury segment as we continue the task of rebuilding the brand in Malaysia,” said Sime Darby Motor Division Sdn Bhd Managing Director Rajan Thurairatnam.

I will be looking forward to seeing the two new latest generation Alfa Romeos on Malaysian streets next year. One more photo after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Auto Italia appoints Alfa City as dealer

The Star SMS alert reports that toll prices for 5 highways will go up in 2007 as the government cannot afford toll subsidies anymore.

But a new 400 million ringgit palace, and sending someone up to space to play batu seremban, make teh tarik and paint batik is okay.

Updates on which highways these are to come soon, for the moment if you travel on highways and pay lots of tolls frequently, you can begin to plan on how you’re going to have to change your lifestyle - ubah gaya hidup!

The Tune It Safe! program was the brainchild of the German Federal Traffic Ministry and the Association of German Automobile Tuners, created to encourage drivers to adopt safe and legal tuning practices. Every year, the Tune It Safe! program would display a car at the Essen Motor Show. This year, it’ll be this monster, a Brabus Rocket CLS V12 S police car. Brabus has taken a 6.3 liter V12 engine and souped it up to produce 730hp at 5100rpm and a mind-blowing 1320 Nm of torque from 2100rpm!

More photos after the jump.

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Brabus Rocket CLS V12 S Biturbo

Click here to read the rest of Brabus Rocket CLS Police Car