Paul Tan on the Automotive Industry
Honda has added the new Taffeta White colour that first debuted on the Honda Accord to the 3rd generation Honda CR-V. This will increase the amount of colours offered on the CR-V to 5, with the other 4 being Alabaster Silver Metallic, Crystal Black Pearl, Sparkle Gray Pearl and Polished Metal Metallic.
The new Taffeta White colour is doing quite well on the Accord, accounting for a total of 30% of Accord sales since its launch in mid-July 2009.
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2007 Honda CR-V Test Drive Review
When RON95 is fully introduced this September, it will cost RM1.75 per litre, which is 5 sen cheaper than RON97 but also 5 sen more expensive than RON92, which will then be phased out. RON97 will be repositioned as a premium fuel with an unsubsidized price tag of RM2 per litre and above.
Once RON95 is out and becomes the mainstream fuel due to the way the new fuels will be price-structured, the game will be pretty much “reset”, with some consumers trying the new RON95 fuels to see which one feels the best with their car’s internal combustion engine. It’s definitely a renewed opportunity to impress and gain some new customers.
You have to remember one thing though. Over time thanks to normal wear and tear, especially on older cars fitted with carburettors which do not deliver the right amount of fuel as precisely as compared to fuel injection, your engine’s combustion chamber might have been “modified” by the dirty carbon deposits caused by the a less than perfect combustion process. Carbon deposits increase the compression ratio because their bulk volume reduces the volume of the combustion chamber at Top Dead Centre and in the end if your engine is tuned to have a minimum of RON95, it may end up knocking thus requiring a fuel of higher than the recommended RON.
Fuel additive packages like the Techron formula found in Caltex fuel that are engineered to provide superior keep-clean for the combustion chamber may be able to help such cars. Techron is a patented formulation of polyetheramine and other unique detergents and components which can help clean up the engine intake system, and fuel metering system and continuous use over time will be able to help keep those parts clean as well. It’s also good to give the engine a little pressure to help these formulas clean off the deposits effectively.
In fact in the US there is actually something called Top Tier Detergent Gasolines, a standardised rating created by BMW, GM, Honda, Toyota and subsequently with Volkswagen & Audi endorsements in 2007. It is a standard that defines the levels of detergency (cleaning ability to provide optimal fuel economy, performance and reduced emissions) of fuels higher than what the US EPA has set, and Chevron (Caltex)’s Techron fuels were the first fuel to meet the Top Tier standard as they did not have to change Techron formulation to meet the standards. It already has adequate amounts of detergency.
This story is an infomercial.
Hyundai has updated the Hyundai Grand Starex with a new front grille that features a slatted design rather than the original Starex’s mesh grille with a chrome surround and a chrome bar going through it. The new model is called the Hyundai Grand Starex Royale. The wing mirrors are also now body-coloured instead of black, and now feature signal indicators on them.
One of the gripes that we had in our Grand Starex review was also the absence of a rear windscreen wiper – this has now been added onto the Grand Starex Royale. On the interior there is a new Pioneer touch screen LCD DVD player that is linked to a 7 inch LCD screen located at the middle top of the MPV for rear passenger enertainment purposes.
For more details on whether the Grand Starex is a worthy addition to your fleet of vehicles especially if you have a growing family (the Starex has a total of 11 seats with seatbelts – that’s alot of people!), check our our test drive review of the Grand Starex. Or look after the jump for more photos of the updated Hyundai Grand Starex Royale. It’s priced at RM148,888 OTR in West Malaysia and RM153,997.50 OTR in East Malaysia. Four colours are available – Crystal White, Stone Black, Sleek Silver and Carbon Grey.
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The Toyota Prius is now here in Malaysia, retailing for RM175,000 OTR inclusive of insurance for private registration. Might be too much for most of us to stomach considering this is supposed to include the rebate that the government is giving on hybrid cars, the same rebate that ensures the Camry Hybrid won’t be sold here in the near future as long as the policies stay the same as it is only for hybrids with engine displacements of under 2.0 litres. The Langkawi and Labuan prices are rather interesting though – its only RM127,408.45 and RM128,046.55 respectively for individual private registration.
As previously indicated we are getting the model without the solar panel, and we are getting the 15 inch wheels instead of the 17 inch wheels. The construction of the 15 inch wheels are interesting – it’s an alloy wheel but it has an additional plastic cover on top to help with aerodynamics. No GPS navi or colour screen on the interior but there is a heads-up display function. Other equipment includes 7 airbags, ABS, EBD, traction control, stability control (VSC), Hill-Start Assist, brake assist, keyless entry and start, and an 8-speaker audio system.
For those who want to check out the Prius in better detail, there is a cut-body model showcased in the UMW Toyota Subang showroom until the 9th of August 2009, after of which it will be moved to Cheras from 10 to 16 and Penang from 18 to to the 31st. This model is said to be one of only two cutaway Prius models in the world – which basically means the Prius is cut to show you the inner components of the THS HSD system.
UMW targets to sell 100 units this year which is probably just about all the allocation they managed to get as there is a bottleneck in the Prius supply globally. For those who want to learn more about the new third generation Prius, you may read the related links below:
Related Posts:
3rd generation Toyota Prius: first impression drive
3rd generation Toyota Prius: official details
Smart Wheels is a microportal that will provide relevant tips and information for potential car buyers that aim to help them to make informed decisions. Smart Wheels will feature a series of stories that will guide you through a car purchase process and what to look out for when you purchase a car. It is an initiative by Honda but remains an independent portal that does not endorse any car brand in specific. It’s been running for a month now, so here’s a recap on what’s been published on the microsite.
Online Articles
Print Articles from various publications
Mitsubishi unveiled a new revision of the Mitsubishi Grandis with updated equipment when they unveiled the new facelifted Lancer 2.0 GT today. The Grandis now comes with the following extra features:
The Grandis continues to be powered by a 165 PS 2.4 litre MIVEC engine. The engine is the 4G69 which produces peak power at 6,000rpm and 217Nm of torque at 4,000rpm. This engine is mated to a 4-speed INVECS-II automatic.
The updated Mitsubishi Grandis is priced at RM160,557.80 OTR without insurance and is available in White Pearl, Black Mica, Cool Silver and Gray Mica. This is roughly a RM2k increase over the previous price when the facelifted Grandis was launched in 2007.
Look after the jump for more photos from the Grandis launch.
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Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia launched the 2009 update for the Mitsubishi Lancer 2.0 GT today alongside an updated 2.4 litre Grandis. As previously revealed, the new Lancer features the updated front end that first made a debut on the Lancer Sportback.
It continues to be powered by the 2.0 litre 4B11 engine producing 155 PS and 199Nm of torque, mated to an INVECS-III CVT transmission with paddle shifts that allow you to swap between the CVT’s 6 predefined virtual ratios. The 2.0 GT also features ABS, EBD, dual two-stage front airbags, disc brakes all-round, Nappa leather seats that fold 60:40 at the rear, and a 6-speaker CD and MP3 sound system with steering wheel controls.
Only three colours are available – White Solid, Black Mica and Red Metallic. According to MMM, it goes for RM123,980.00 OTR with insurance. It will be in showrooms from tomorrow in the Peninsular, and from the 21st August onwards for East Malaysia.
Look after the jump for a full live photo gallery of the updated Lancer 2.0 GT. You’ll notice one car that’s slightly modified with 18 inch wheels of a darker shade, and a few stickers on the body. That’s a demo car that Mitsubishi prepared to show us how the Lancer can be “pimped up”, and they took a low-cost, subtle and tasteful route to it.
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The Honda Accord Showcase starts today at Highstreet One Utama PJ until the 2nd of August 2009. It will then be held at the Queensbay Mall Penang concourse on the 21st to 23rd August 2009 and then the next and final stop will be JB’s Sutera Mall on the 2nd of October 2009 to the 4th of October 2009.
The new Accord 2.0 VTi-L will be on display in Taffeta White along with a photography exhibition of the Accord. The exhibition combines the Accord and various successful Malaysian personas. A commemorative book with the best photographs of the Accord, the personas and their success stories will be launched there.
Definitely interesting for those who are into vehicle photography.
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Honda’s Malacca plant shipped off its 2 millionth Constant Velocity Joint this month. The plant is also the largest CV joint exporter in the region. A CV joint is also known as a driveshaft and it is what transfers the power from the gearbox to the wheels of a car. The Malacca plant started making CV joints for the City and the CR-V back in 2002. Subsequently this was expanded to include the Jazz, the Accord, the Civic and even the new Honda Freed MPV, which is currently being assembled in Indonesia. Other than Indonesia, our CV joints are also exported to the UK, Turkey, Pakistan, India, Vietnam and Philippines.
The new facelifted Toyota Camry must be coming soon as the updated car has made an appearance on UMW Toyota’s website.
One thing that I can spot is that the 2.4V has something called “Smart Entry and Start System” listed as part of its equipment. The 2.0E and 2.0G has this listed as “without”. This must be a keyless push start system.
Look after the jump for full specifications and equipment list for the new models, as well as a photo gallery of the facelifted Camry from its China launching.
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