Advertisement

My Proton Makeover – work in progress pics of the Wira

December 9, 2011 at 3:18 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Local News, Proton

Work has been progressing steadily on Sashideran Radha Krishnan’s 17-year-old Proton Wira, which is the second vehicle chosen to undergo the ‘My Proton Makeover’ treatment, and on December 14, he’s set to get his beloved ride back, all dressed up and ready to go.

We were invited to have a look at the car yesterday, with things moving into the final stages of the rebuild. The original white of the car has been replaced with a metallic blue shade, which Proton motorsports division head honcho Tengku Djan Ley says was chosen to best complement the silver wheels set to be tricked out for the car.

New to the car will be a rear wing, which it never had, and the front bumper now gets a lip, highlighted in silver. The car will also go back to Sashideran as a lowered ride, courtesy of a new APM suspension specified by the R3 boys.

Inside, the original brown interior has been replaced with a black theme, with blue highlights. Leather is the choice of wrap, and is to be found on the seats and door cards, and the stuff covers the dashboard as well, all replete with blue stitching.

The centre console trim hasn’t yet been painted, but is set to be blue, like the Satria GTI gearshift console cover that finds its way onto the car. Elsewhere, the roof lining also goes the black route, with an Alcantara-esque feel at that.

Mechanically, Djan says that they’re toying with the idea of changing the 1.5′s rear drums to discs, which might or might not happen, but otherwise, most of the mechanical work is pretty much complete – engine rebuilt and everything remounted. Sashideran, who was also present yesterday, looked thrilled, and is eager to get his “darling Wira” back. Next week, then!

62 Comments      

Toyota Avanza – brochure’s out on the upcoming facelift

December 9, 2011 at 2:15 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Local News, Toyota


Click to enlarge.

The facelifted Toyota Avanza should be in the showrooms soon enough – the UMW Toyota website already teases that it’s “coming soon,” with pricing and all, which we ran a story on earlier in the week.

Now, the brochure on the seven-seater is out; reader Ray picked up a copy in a Penang showroom and has duly scanned the front overview and specs list, offering a view of the MPV with the . Nothing much that our previous story hasn’t covered, but here’s the recap.


Click to enlarge.

Four versions will be available, three 103 PS 1.5 litre auto variants (the S, G and E) and a single 91 PS 1.3 litre manual E grade version. The top-of-the-line S gets a “sports” front/rear bumpers and side skirts as well as a unique radiator grille, and all the 1.5 litre models feature a 2-DIN, six-speaker audio system, while the 1.3 has a four-speaker, single-DIN one.

There’s ABS and EBD on the S and G versions, which also get dual front airbags – the 1.5 E makes do with one (driver’s), while the 1.3 E has none. Pricing, as mentioned in our earlier piece, start from RM63,864 for the 1.3E right up to the RM78,864 for the range-topping 1.5 S.

68 Comments      


Refreshened Mitsubishi Pajero introduced in Malaysia

December 9, 2011 at 12:08 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Local News, Mitsubishi

The fourth-generation Pampas cat, replete with minor nip and tuck job, has made its way here – Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia has introduced the upgraded Pajero. The biggie now comes with a redesigned front grille and bumper, new skid plate, a restyled roof rail and a new 18-inch alloy wheel design for revised external cues.

Inside, the dashboard now features red illumination to sport things up a bit, and to make it easier to park and reverse the beast into place, there’s a rear view camera system – which has a monitor incorporated into the auto dimming mirror – to help things along. Also introduced on the 250 PS 3.8 litre V6-shod vehicle is the Brake Overide System, which cuts engine power in case of simultaneous application of both accelerator and brake pedal.

All other creature comforts and mod cons remain, including leather seats, powered front seats, automatic climate control, rear air-conditioning with independent control, auto levelling HID headlamps, and a 12-speaker, 860 watt Rockford Acoustic surround system.

The Pajero, which is available in four colours – Warm White Mica, Black Mica, Cool Silver Metallic and Quartz Brown Metallic – goes for RM298,980 on-the-road, inclusive of insurance.

16 Comments      

BREAKING: Subaru BRZ coming to Malaysia next year!

December 8, 2011 at 5:00 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Subaru

We’re in Bangkok now for the year ending Thailand International Motor Expo, and yours truly picked up a pleasant surprise. No, the show girls did not offer to follow me home, but Motor Image is set to bring the just launched Subaru BRZ to Malaysia! Unveiled at the ongoing Tokyo Motor Show, the BRZ is Subaru’s version of the Toyota GT 86, which it helped develop.

The BRZ is mechanically similar to the new hachi-roku but sports minor styling differences. It is powered by a 2.0-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder boxer engine with 200 hp and 205 Nm of torque, with drive going exclusively to the rear wheels. A six-speed manual is the natural choice of gearbox, but there’s an auto box for those who can’t DIY.

Estimated date of arrival? According to Glenn Tan, Executive Director of Tan Chong International and head of Motor Image, they will be trying hard for the second or third quarter of 2012, with a possible launch time that coincides with the Super GT race (the BRZ will be competing next season in the GT300 category). Trying hard because worldwide demand for the BRZ is expected to be great and there are many higher priority markets to satisfy.

Click here for a full live gallery of the Subaru BRZ from Tokyo.

96 Comments      

DRB-Hicom’s bid for Proton – does it include the introduction of Volkswagen at some point in the future?

December 8, 2011 at 2:44 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Local News, Malaysian Makes, Proton

Well, the wheels on this one are set to keep on turning. The talk is of course about the three-way bid that’s reputably shaping up for a controlling stake in Proton, with the players being DRB-Hicom, Proton chairman Datuk Mohd Nadzmi Mohd Salleh and parties linked to the Naza Group. Each party has apparently submitted a bid to Khazanah Holdings, which has a 42.7% stake in Proton, to seek control of the national carmaker.

Each will undoubtedly have its own game plan, and supposedly, DRB-Hicom’s is thought to include the presence of Volkswagen at some point in the future. The Star reports that a reliable source says that if DRB is successful, it will at a later stage introduce some of its equity to VW, with the view that both parties are to share control and management in Proton.

The report adds that this line of thought could make the bid more desirable, given that the carmaker wouldn’t be under the direct control of a foreign party, which was likely one of the reasons why the negotiations with Volkswagen four years ago never went to ink. VW is keeping mum on the whole affair, it seems, and so is DRB-Hicom, for now.

Not that it’s all done and dusted, of course. Another source with intimate knowledge of proceedings said Khazanah had yet to make a decision on things, and that a round of meetings are set to take place this week between key stakeholders regarding the matter – there’s every possibility that the sale of the stake in Proton might be called off temporarily, at that.

And so it continues to roll.

36 Comments      

Three-way fight for Proton stake shaping up – DRB-Hicom, Naza and Proton chairman Datuk Mohd Nadzmi involved?

December 6, 2011 at 7:18 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Malaysian Makes, Proton

The marketplace is buzzing with news of a three-way tussle for a stake in Proton that’s currently owned by Khazanah Nasional Bhd.

The three parties are said to be DRB-Hicom, which is controlled by tycoon Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar AlBukhary, parties linked to the Naza Group and a management buyout lead by Proton Chairman Datuk Mohd Nadzmi Mohd Salleh. All three parties have been previously linked with the national carmaker.

Currently, Khazanah has a 42.7% stake in Proton, and should a party succeed in buying over the Government’s stake, it will trigger a general offer. Business Times quotes a source involved in the bidding process as saying that the bids were in the range of between RM6 and RM7 per share. The same source added that “whoever is buying Proton is getting the company on the cheap” based on Proton’s March 2011 book value per share of RM9.84.

This development is drawing in the speculators, and Proton’s share price went up by another 89 sen yesterday to close at RM4.50, with over 20 million shares changing hands. DRB-Hicom, thought to be the front runner in the bid, also saw its shares rise. The counter gained 20 sen to end the day at RM2.20, the highest point since August. DRB-Hicom is of course the company that is assembling Volkswagen cars at its Pekan plant.

Proton’s share price might still rise, since OSK Holdings Bhd and RHB Capital Bhd have upgraded the stock to a “buy” with a fair value of RM5 per share. It will be interesting to know more about the plans each of the bidders have for Proton. Nothing is out at the moment, but we will keep tabs on this.

78 Comments      

Nasim opens Peugeot Blue Box Sungai Petani in Kedah

December 6, 2011 at 4:28 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Peugeot

Nasim Sdn Bhd, official distributor for Peugeot in Malaysia, has opened the Peugeot Blue Box Sungai Petani in Kedah. This is part of a network expansion drive that has yielded five new outlets in 2011. The other new facilities are in Melaka, Kota Bharu, Balakong and Kota Kinabalu.

With Sungai Petani onboard, there are now a total of 21 Peugeot sales outlets and 19 service centres in Malaysia. Operated by Le French Lifestyle Sdn Bhd, a unit of the Chye Seng Group of Companies, Peugeot Blue Box Sungai Petani is a 3S centre offering sales, service and spare parts.

The outlet is equipped with the Peugeot Planet System Diagnostic tool that can perform full static and dynamic diagnostics on the vehicle’s management software. It can also be utilised to carry out software updates. Peugeot Blue Box Sungai Petani is equipped with two service bays and can service up to six vehicles per day.

Nasim is also looking at a great year in terms of sales growth. As at end November 2011, the Naza Group company has sold 4,949 units, which is 92% higher than the volume sold in the same period in 2010. In addition, Peugeot sales in Malaysia as of end October 2011 accounted for 86% of the French carmaker’s total sales in the ASEAN region.

15 Comments      

Proton P3-21A high speed Karak test caught on camera

December 6, 2011 at 3:19 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Malaysian Makes, Proton, Spyshots

It has been awhile since we had updates on the Proton P3-21A sedan. The last was when a pic of an undisguised yellow example made its way to the Internet, showing us a front end design that has been modified from the Tuah concept paraded at KLIMS 2010. If the final product stays true, the C-segment contender will have projector headlamps, LED DRLs and a wide “mask style” grille.

Anyway, reader Bay MH recently spotted something interesting when driving down the Karak highway to KL. He saw two taped up test mules of the P3-21A and whipped out his camera for some decent shots.

According to our car paparazzi, he was in a Vios and the Protons were doing over 140 km/h, with a Ford Fiesta chasing them (naughty fella!). He observed that both mules had four passengers onboard, and one unit sat lower at the back than the other, probably because it had cargo in the boot.

And just like in a Michael Bay movie, there were action scenes – Bay said that he had to slow down in the corners but had enough to catch up on the straights and both Protons were “cornering nicely at speed”.

Here are the shots that Bay (MH not Michael) managed to snap, bad black Fiesta included :) Click here to view our previous post featuring the abovementioned yellow undisguised pic.

293 Comments      

New Toyota Avanza coming soon – specs, prices are out!

December 5, 2011 at 1:15 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Toyota

You’ve already seen the refreshed Toyota Avanza, Indonesian spec, on this website last month, and it looks like UMW Toyota is all set to launch it in Malaysia. UMWT has put up a “coming soon” banner on its website featuring the new Avanza, with the tagline “Make room for more family fun”.

There will be four variants of the Avanza offered here – one base model 1.3 M/T and three 1.5 A/T variants. The 1.5-litre engine in question is the 3SZ-VE with 103 PS and 136 Nm, the same VVT engine powering the Perodua Alza. It’s mated to a four-speed automatic and is available in E, G and range topping S trim levels.


Click to enlarge spec sheet

Kit wise, ABS with EBD is available from G spec onwards. The G and S also get fog lamps and dual airbags, while the 1.5 E makes do with a driver’s airbag. All 1.5 variants get a 2-DIN head unit with MP3, WMA, USB, and AUX/iPod compatibility, but only the G and S get steering audio buttons (a first for the Avanza), tilt steering and six speakers. The S spec comes with a “sports” bumper and radiator grille plus side skirts.

Prices start from RM63,864 for the 1.3E, rising to RM71,864 for the 1.5E. The plusher 1.5G is priced at RM76,590 while the range topping 1.5S will set one back RM78,864.


Click to enlarge spec sheet

Click here to see the Indonesian spec new Avanza. Our previous post comes with detailed brochure shots of the new features and redesigned details.

148 Comments      

New Volkswagen showroom opens in Ipoh, 10th in M’sia

December 5, 2011 at 10:36 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Volkswagen

Volkswagen Group Malaysia (VGM) and Goh Brothers Motor, an authorised dealer of VGM, recently launched Goh Brothers Motor’s Volkswagen showroom in Ipoh, located along Jalan Kuala Kangsar.

In his speech at the launch, Ricky Tay, MD of VGM said the launch is in line with VGM’s rapid expansion plans in Malaysia and also to ensure customer satisfaction throughout the region. “Volkswagen’s presence in the northern region will further strengthen VGM’s nationwide network as well as bringing the Volkswagen brand and service closer to customers and Volkswagen lovers in this region,” he said.

“Volkswagen‘s main guiding principles in Network Development are Optimised Coverage, Customer Oriented, Dealer Profitability and Investor Friendly, all of which are values shared by Goh Brothers, and they are thus equally keen to translate these principles into business achievements and results,” Tay added.

Goh Brothers Motor is an old name, having been in the automotive industry for over 23 years, and with experience dealing with both local and international car brands. Goh Brothers Motor was appointed an official authorised VW dealer in May 2007. To date, Volkswagen has 10 showrooms across Malaysia.

13 Comments