Archive for Local News

The raising retail petrol prices at the pumps have been hurting the dealers as well as consumers. President of Petroleum Dealers Association of Malaysia Alang Zari Ishak mentioned in a report to Bernama on Monday that dealers have had to pump in extra working capital to purchase stocks that don’t contribute to revenue.

Petrol dealers currently get 8 cents sales margin per litre of petrol and 3.5 sen per litre for diesel. These figures have not changed since 2001, even though fuel prices have been hiked a few times.

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This is the third J.D. Power Asia Pacific 2005 Malaysia Initial Quality Study (IQS) conducted so far. The study measures new-vehicle quality in the first two to six months of ownership.

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I will quote a report from MalaysiaKini and let you guys comment what you need to comment. Mohd Nazri is a Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, and also the MP for Padang Rengas.

Mohd Nazri said based on the list, ordinary people did not know that every Malaysian citizen is entitled to one AP in a lifetime.

I would like to know how I can apply to my one AP in my lifetime that I am entitled to. I hope he does not mean Student AP, which requires me to study abroad and own a vehicle there first, where in this context the MPs that received APs did not require to do.

Edit: The Student AP I mentioned doesn’t necessarily mean for students, I just didn’t have any other name to call it. I was refering to the type of AP where a Malaysian abroad can use to bring their overseas-owned car in after returning to Malaysia permanently.

Source

Proton R3 Amprex will be participating in Round Nine of the FIA GT Championship at the Zhuhai Circuit in China.

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Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said yesterday that Proton will sell stake to Volkswagen AG yesterday, causing Proton shares to go up as much as 3.6 percent to an eight-day high of 8.55 ringgit.

Volkswagen wants to lessen it’s dependance on China, where it’s market share fell from 2/3 in 1985 to just 18 percent now. If the deal goes through, Volkswagen will get it’s first factory in South East Asia.

However both parties did not quote any details so far and said talks were still being held.

In other news, the government has promised that the National Automotive Policy will be unveiled in November. I think they originally said end of September.

Source: Bloomberg

Honda has been marketing teasers of their new Honda City facelift that’s to be launched really soon. It’s already available in Thailand as the Honda City ZX.

I don’t know whether it will be known as Honda City or Honda City ZX in Malaysia, but either way it’s just a name.

UPDATE: Check out spyshots of the 2009 Honda City!

Launch date is 11th October 2005. 9 days more. Honda fans brace yourselves!

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Results of Customs audit as presented by Auditor-General Tan Sri Hadenan Abdul Jalil. This is an audit of year 2004.

1. Discounts of RM27.55 million on duties to importers although not eligible
2. Did not use approved rates
3. Wrongly assessed car value
4. Goods in custom storage contravened licensing criteria
5. Wrong codes entered into declaration forms
6. Goods released before duties amounting to RM500,000 not paid

Full story here.

Proton has issued a recall for their Proton Waja sedans with chassis numbers PL1CF1SNR4F192489 to PL1CF1SRR5F217757. From what I’ve been told, cars from this batch were produced between June 2004 and January 2005.

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Statistics have shown that in the first six months this year alone, 35,888 vehicles were stolen, leading to RM357 million ringgit in losses.

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Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry Datuk Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah has shed some light on the National Automotive Policy that is currently being formulated.

He says there are no plans to abolish APs due to the current policy of developing the domestic automotive industry through progressive liberalisation.

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