RHB Now ‘Race for a Ducati’ campaign kicks off

January 20, 2012 at 4:40 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Bikes, Ducati, Local News

RHB Bank has kicked off its RHB Now Race for a Ducati campaign, in which three Ducati Monsters are up for grabs. To be eligible for the prizes, customers need to perform any financial transactions via RHB Now and play the RHB Now Racer online and mobile game, which can be accessed via various channels, from PCs to iPads.

As mentioned in our earlier post, the top 10 customers with the highest score will win the weekly prizes, and the top 10 players with the overall highest scores obtained during the campaign period will be invited to a grand finale challenge, which will see the three eventual winners of the stunning two-wheeler.

The campaign is set to run for eight weeks, from today until March 15, so there’s plenty of time to play the game. In conjuction with the campaign, there’s also a nationwide Race for a Ducati roadshow, with no less than 20 stops at selected RHB Bank branches having been outlined.

The Monster will be on show, of course, and the Diavel and Streetfighter 848 are scheduled to make appearances at some stops. You’ll be able to buy Ducati merchandise as well as bikes at each roadshow – RHB Bank esteemed customers and staff will be able to enjoy exclusive package deals on Ducati products.

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Perodua sold 180k cars in 2011, takes 30% market share

January 20, 2012 at 3:02 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Malaysian Makes, Perodua

Perodua had a media briefing in KL this morning, revealing its 2011 performance and targets for this year. In a difficult year for the auto industry, the brand once again became the top selling marque in Malaysia, shifting about 180,000 vehicles in 2011. Retaining this title means that Perodua has been top of the tree for six consecutive years now.

The 180k figure is slightly down from the record breaking 188,600 vehicles sold in 2010, but then the total industry volume (TIV) also fell from from 605,156 to just below 600k units. Perodua’s market share also saw a slight decline from 2010′s 31.2% to 30%.

Exports grew from 4,000 units in 2010 to 8,000 units last year. Perodua revealed that Sri Lanka is its top export market now, taking over from UK. Bosses say that once overall cost is further lowered, exports will be ramped up, with a target of 20,000 units by 2015, or about 10% of total output. For 2012, they plan to export 10,000 cars.

Of the 180k local total, Perodua sold 81,904 units of the Myvi, which retains its title as Malaysia’s best selling car, 60,675 units of the smaller Viva, and 37,402 units of the Alza, which is the biggest car it sells.


Click to enlarge chart

2011 saw the introduction of the new Myvi in June, before Perodua wheeled out the “Lagi Power” 1.5-litre Myvi SE and Extreme in September. The Myvi is also exported CBU to Indonesia as a Daihatsu Sirion, launched at IIMS in July.

It wasn’t an easy year to launch such a big model, with the launch coming so soon after the triple disaster (earthquake, tsunami, nuclear) that hit Japan, but the company pulled through (Perodua MD Datuk Aminar Rashid Salleh singled out partner Daihatsu for their efforts) and reclaimed lost ground with the popular new Myvi.

Among other obstacles they faced were the amended hire purchase act that came into effect mid 2011, the weak global economy, a strengthening Japanese yen and the recent Thai floods, although effects from the latter was minor compared to the Japanese disaster.

Looking ahead, Perodua sees 2012 as cautiously positive. Datuk Aminar revealed the target of a 4% sales increase to 188,000 units on the back of network growth and “aggressive promotions” throughout the year. Besides new competitors, Perodua sees inflationary pressures, slower growth and Bank Negara’s credit tightening measures (Malaysia’s household debt levels are very high) as challenges.

At the event, Perodua also announced a new flagship 3S Centre to be located in Section 19, Petaling Jaya. This RM30 to 40 million facility will be the model for future sales and service centres in Malaysia and abroad. It will also be the central region’s hub in the company’s new “decentralization” approach. Construction will start in March or April and it’s expected to start operations in 2013.

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Fancy a Ducati Monster 795? You can simply win it in the RHB Now Racer contest!

January 20, 2012 at 11:14 am By Harvinder Sidhu Filed Under Advertorial, Bikes, Ducati, Local News

If you’re a big fan of two-wheelers, then you’ll know the Ducati Monster 795 to be one pretty impressive bike. So, if you fancy the chance of riding one off for free, then you’ll be chuffed to hear that RHB Bank is putting no less than three of these 87 hp Monsters up for grabs.

There’s only one way to win one, and that’s through the RHB Now Racer game, which can be played via the Internet or through a mobile device. In the game, which runs until March 14, participants will take on the role of a RHB Now’s Avatar riding a legendary Ducati bike

The objective of the game is to manoeuvre along one of eight racing tracks that are unlocked weekly, meticulously dodging and jumping over various obstacles – such as sticky tar on the road and giant spikes – along the way. You’ll need to pick up as much treasure as possible and cover as much distance as you can within the given 60-second time limit to rack up the highest possible score.

The top 10 contestants with the highest game scores every week get weekly cash prizes, and the scores are locked in the ‘RHB Now Racer’ leader board. The top 10 overall game winners with the highest game score during the campaign period will then be chosen for the grand finale challenge, where they will compete on a finale route at a dedicated site to see who takes home those three Ducatis.

Sounds simple enough, and the neat thing is that the game can be played numerous times. The scores, however, are only recorded when you make transactions on RHB Now, Internet & Mobile Banking, which of course means that you’ll need to be a RHB Bank/RHB Islamic/Easy by RHB customer registered with RHB Now Internet & Mobile Banking to be in the running for those bikes and the seven grand finale consolation prizes – starting from RM7,000 – as well as 80 weekly prizes of RM200 each.

Each transaction above RM50 carried out via RHB Now online or mobile – and these includes BillPay, Western Union, prepaid reload, PayPal as well as online and mobile purchases from participating merchants – offers you the chance to play the game and lock-in a high score.

You’ll find the game online via ‘RHB Now Racer’ campaign website at www.rhb.com.my, and if you’re doing the mobile route, the ‘RHB Now Racer’ mobile game application can be downloaded from App Store (for iPad & iPhone) or Android Market (for Android phones).

All the necessary details about the RHB Now Racer campaign can be found online at www.rhb.com.my, so if you’re a RHB customer, head on over to see how you can try and make that Monster yours.

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Car Clubs to battle each other out at the Castrol EDGE Experience Nurburgring: The Sequel Car Club Contest!

January 20, 2012 at 7:46 am By Harvinder Sidhu Filed Under Advertorial, Cars, Castrol EDGE Experience Nurburgring, Local News

Similar to the first Castrol EDGE Experience Nurburgring challenge Castrol Malaysia organised last year, the Castrol EDGE Experience Nurburgring: The Sequel will see the participation of local car clubs in a car club-specific contest of the challenge yet again.

The driver of the campaign is the new and improved Castrol EDGE which is now engineered with Titanium Fluid Strength Technology™ which makes it the strongest and most advanced performance oil from Castrol. The all-new EDGE is able to adapt to different requirements needed by the engine, including the immense pressures of pedal-to-the-metal driving at the Nurburgring!

To take part in this contest and to win attractive prizes, the car clubs will have to publicize the Castrol EDGE Experience Nurburgring: The Sequel, which also takes place at Castrol Malaysia’s Facebook, via their respective online forums and social media. These car clubs will be judged based on three main categories namely, Most Prominent Key Art Feature, Most Active Forum Discussion and the Best Use of Social Media.

This contest is now open to all car clubs in Malaysia and this phase of the contest will end on 27th February, however the earlier the car clubs starts, the higher the chance of winning. Top 10 car clubs will be selected from the first phase and representatives will be invited to participate in an exclusive driving challenge at the MAEPS Motorsport Park on 17th March 2012. Car clubs will battle it out in BMWs with engines lubricated with the all-new Castrol EDGE which also minimizes metal-to-metal contact and maximizes engine performance.

The grand prize winner will walk home with RM5,000 cash and Castrol EDGE products. 2nd and 3rd places will be awarded RM3,000 plus Castrol EDGE goodies and RM1,500 plus Castrol EDGE goodies respectively. The remaining six places will not walk home empty handed, as consolation prizes will be awarded.

To take part in the event, simply email the name of your car club and the contact number to harvinder@driven.com.my. Does your club has what it takes?

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Defensive driving skills is compulsory – what do you think?

January 20, 2012 at 7:03 am By Harvinder Sidhu Filed Under Cars

We are part of a society which relies heavily on personal transportation solutions such as cars or motorbikes. Unlike countries like Japan or Singapore, our public transportation system still has a long way to go before it becomes a feasible solution to majority of Malaysians.

Till that happens, which might happen in say 20 years (now that is a BIG might), we have to rely on buying cars or motorbikes, which would eventually be upgraded to cars. Simply walk into local colleges or universities and you will notice increasing number of cars driven by students which could be as young as 19 years old.

Without cars or motorbikes, you can safely say that our economy will slowly come to a grinding halt. With a heavy dependability on such transportation solutions, we have a lot cars on the road and this number is rising. With this, accident rates rise naturally as well. At the same time, our drivers don’t learn anything about defending themselves on the road at the driving academies which is another problem all together if you ask me. We only learn basic vehicle maneuverability and road safety, nothing about defensive driving.

Drivers have to first of all understand different driving phenomenons and learn how to negotiate them, while keeping in mind the safety of others. At the same time they will have to also understand the safety features on their respective cars. With such knowledge, drivers have better driving skills and this will translate to a reduction in road accidents.

Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye also recently mentioned in his article on The Star that defensive driving skills is a must, following numerous accidents in public, commercial and private motoring sectors. Although defensive driving is not offered at driving academies, drivers can do their part by taking part in such events that are organized by the private sector, whether it is by auto companies or by defensive driving schools.

Such an event can cost between RM500 to RM2000 and they offer life-saving hands on knowledge which once learned, can be shared with your loved ones. A typical one-day event will highlight driving phenomenons such as understeer and oversteer as well as how to negotiate their cars during the wet and other vital information. Drivers will also learn the effective way to sit in a car and operate the steering wheel and pedals. They will also learn how to carry out emergency braking and how to avoid obstacles on the road.

Although auto companies which offer such training such as the BMW Driver Training, the Mercedes Driving Experience or the Ford Driving Skills for Life treat these events as part of their branding or CRM efforts by promoting safety features or the drivability of their products, the knowledge obtained is still valuable.

Some companies such as Castrol and Shell also carry out such efforts. The former has the Experience Nurburgring yearly campaign which involves defensive driving as part of the campaign and the latter has just launched the Shell Helix D Academy which will give out 30 tickets to a defensive driving event.

Whether it is via the events above or via various driving schools, defensive driving saves lives and should be made compulsory. What do you think? Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section :)

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Mercedes-Benz’s turn to do the triple play – C-Class Coupé, SLK and CLS introduced in Malaysia

January 19, 2012 at 8:25 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Local News, Mercedes Benz

Earlier this week, Mercedes-Benz Malaysia introduced the new CLS, SLK and C-Class Coupe in the country. The company is looking at the models to effectively widen and deepen the brand’s offerings of niche models, and complement MBM’s portfolio of CBU models already available in Malaysia.

The C-Class Coupé, which made its international market debut in June last year, is available in three petrol engine guises here, these being the 156 hp C 180 and 204 hp C 250, with the 306 hp C 350 available as special order. All three models wear a BlueEFFICIENCY tag.

The C 180 Coupé, which comes wearing an AMG Sports package, is priced at RM305,888, while the C 250 Coupé goes for RM388,888.

Meanwhile, there are three variants available for the third-generation SLK, which made its market debut last March, and these are the SLK 200, SLK 250 and SLK 350, all with a BlueEFFICIENCY suffix again.

Power outputs are 184 hp and 204 hp for the SLK 200 and SLK 250 respectively, while the 3.5 litre V6 mill in the SLK 350 offers 306 hp.

Features include the Benz Airguide draught-stop system, and the SLK 200 gets the Dynamic Handling package thrown in. In terms of pricing, only that for the SLK 200 was mentioned at the launch, and this one goes for RM460,888.

Lastly, the second-generation CLS, which arrives in its 306 hp CLS 350 BlueEFFICIENCY form, with the 408 hp V8-equipped CLS 500 BlueEFFICIENCY available only through special order. The CLS 350 rolls in at RM760,888.

We’ve driven the three cars – MBM hosted a media drive up to Penang this week, so stay tuned for the first drive impressions of all three models next week.

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Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2 sampled on the road

January 19, 2012 at 4:55 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Feature Stories

Last year, we attended the double launch of Goodyear’s Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2 and Eagle F1 Directional 5 in Thailand. Held at the Kaengkrachan circuit near Hua Hin, we got to sample the successor to the original Eagle F1 Asymmetric that was launched few years ago, on the tight twisty Thai track.

Admittedly, we didn’t get to fully experience first hand the much touted class leading features of the A2 at the event. It’s not Goodyear’s fault though, as the track is a tight one and safety is top priority, as it should be. Tyre events generally don’t serve a lot of drive time, since there’s usually a big group of media people from across the region sharing a few test mules. It was more of a sampling session, rather than a full course meal.

Despite that, I know the potential and ability of Goodyear’s Ultra High Performance (UHP) contender, having tested the original Asymmetric at Holden’s Driving Centre near Gold Coast, Australia a few years back. That one was a more comprehensive test, involving a rotating turntable to simulate oversteer. If this sequel is better than the original, as claimed, the A2 will be one heck of a performance tyre.

Continue reading after the jump.
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Audi R8 Limo – stretching the V10 to the limit

January 19, 2012 at 4:30 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Audi, Cars, International News

Fancy being chauffered around in a Audi R8? Well, you can if you happen to be in the UK sometime after summer this year. Specialist limousine service company Limo Broker has announced plans to create the world’s first R8 stretch limousine.

Work has already begun on the creation of the one-of-a-kind white example, under the guidance of Chris Wright from Carbonyte UK. Carbonyte UK, which is also responsible for the world’s only Ferrari limo, will work in conjunction with Limo Broker to create the vehicle, which is set to become the signature car for the Limo Broker brand.

There’s a rendered video which gives a 3D outline of the concept behind the limo, and an impression of how the finished stretched supercar will look like. The seating arrangement as displayed from the interior rendering looks pretty cool. So, anyone for a ride?

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Peugeot ends its Le Mans endurance racing programme

January 19, 2012 at 3:15 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Motorsports, Peugeot

Racing, and winning, is good for the brand, but it takes up a lot of resources, which is not abundant in lean times. So many manufacturers have pulled the plug on racing recently, and this time it’s Peugeot announcing that it will end its endurance racing programme with immediate effect.

This means that Peugeot will cease to challenge Audi in sportscar racing, something the French manufacturer has been doing very well. Peugeot ran variants of its diesel 908 prototype in the famous Le Mans 24 Hours and the Le Mans series since 2007. The lion’s finest hour was the Le Mans victory in 2009. Last year, Peugeot won the inaugural Intercontinental Le Mans Cup title.

“This decision has been taken in the context of a difficult economic environment in Europe. Peugeot has chosen to concentrate resources on its sales performance in 2012,” Peugeot said in a statement yesterday.

Peugeot’s decision means that this year’s World Endurance Championship will be a lonely affair. Looking further ahead, Toyota has a new LMP1 programme and Porsche is set to join the sport.

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Saab selling off its Trollhattan museum vehicle displays

January 19, 2012 at 2:19 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, International News, Saab

According to a report, bankrupt Swedish automaker Saab is auctioning off its vehicles on display in its museum in Trollhattan. The company is selling the classic displays online, after failing to find a buyer for the entire collection. The collection is now closed except to serious bidders, with the cars available for viewing online.

Bidding on the vehicles closes tomorrow, UPI reported. A total of 131 vehicles are up for grabs, from the 1946 Ursaab, the first Saab ever produced, to modern prototypes. Also on the list are a blue and yellow 1960 racing Saab as well as a 1981 Turbo 900 “Silver Beast,” which was custom-equipped for James Bond, replete with bullet-proof windows and tires, tear-gas ducts and a “SAAB 007″ license plate.

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