Advertisement

Sabah government dumps Perdana for Volvos!

February 20, 2009 at 12:05 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Volvo

Volvo S80

Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Haji Aman says his government has switched from the Proton Perdana V6 Executive to new “black Volvo 2.5″ cars as the state’s new official cars. Once again as with Perak (Camry) and Terengganu (Mercedes-Benz E200K), the reason given was the high maintenance cars for the Perdanas.

He says the arrangement for the purchase is through a company called Angkatan Hebat Sdn Bhd (a company which the state government holds 70% of through its Warisan Harta Sabah Sdn Bhd investment arm), which will then lease the cars to the state.

The Perdana V6 is still in use as official cars for some senior officers including permanent secretaries and heads of departments. The new imported Volvos are for the 12 Sabah Ministers only. A 2.5 litre Volvo sedan would most likely point to the Volvo S80, the 2.5T model in particular, which offers an effortless drive thanks to its torquey 2.5 litre inline-5 turbocharged engine. The Volvo S80 2.5T has also been spotted being used by the PDRM as part of its police car fleet. But if it is not a sedan (New Sabah Times sources only revealed it was a “car”, did not specify any bodyshape), an XC90 would make sense.

The only question right now is, how will the S80s be maintained well when according to the Volvo Cars Malaysia “Find A Dealer” page, there are no authorised dealers or service centers in Sabah? I hope Volvo Cars Malaysia will be able to provide training to Angkatan Hebat technicians or some other kind of arrangement, otherwise it might end up being “high maintenance” all over again. A quick check with Angkatan Hebat’s company profile (page 14) shows it already maintains a fleet of 38 Volvos and 14 service centers around Sabah so hopefully it should be sufficiently equipped.

Source

93 Comments      

Proton clarifies choice of Proton Exora name

February 18, 2009 at 7:59 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Malaysian Makes, Proton

Proton Exora

Proton has issued a response to the public outcry of alleged unfairness in the results of the Proton MPV naming competition. The dissatisfaction is mostly related to the chosen name “Proton Exora”, which its MD Datuk Syed Zainal said was based on the Ixora flower name at the launch event. According to Syed Zainal, “Exora is a flower that blooms in a bunch, so that evokes the spirit of the MPV, which is togetherness. It demonstrates the MPV as a family vehicle and that is why we decided to pick the name.”

In Proton’s statement, it thanked members of the public for highlighting the issues and concerns related to the choice of name and understands the points being made. It clarified that the name “Proton Exora” was picked through a vigorous selection process and was chosen because it was not a name for any animal and vegetation although it had similar pronunciation as the flower, Ixora. In fact, there were 139 contest entries submitting the name Proton Ixora, and 39 entries for Proton Exora. The Ixora name was eliminated from the final selection because it was the direct spelling of the name of a flower.

The 39 people who had submitted the winning name had also chosen the name for various other reasons. The winning entry by Miss Norsholihan Bt Abdul Eanich was chosen because of the tagline “Keriangan Keluarga” or family joy. Proton felt the name and tagline represented the company’s effort to offer a vehicle which could offer family togetherness.

The controversial rule in the naming competition stated that an entry “tidak diambil daripada” the name of flora or fauna, but it appears that Proton and contestants had different interpretations of this rule. A lot of contestants who are dissatisfied right now assumed it meant any name related to flora and fauna were disallowed, however Proton’s interpretation was only a direct name of a flora or fauna is disallowed.

What’s done is done and nothing can be changed, but reflecting on the situation, what Proton should have done at the very beginning is clarify what exactly “tidak diambil daripada” meant by giving examples, because in my honest opinion it is obvious to me that Exora is “taken from/diambil daripada” the word Ixora and contestants have every right to be dissatisfied because perhaps if they had known variations or puns on flora/fauna are allowed, they could have let their creativity loose even more and may have come up with an even better name and tagline than Proton Exora.

137 Comments      


Proton Exora: the MPV Proton will launch!

February 17, 2009 at 10:18 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Malaysian Makes, Proton, Proton Exora - Proton MPV 2009

Proton Exora

Proton has announced the name for the new Proton MPV – the Proton Exora! The Exora is based on the name of the Ixora flower, with the tagline “Keriangan Keluarga”. The name and tagline were picked by the Name The Proton MPV competition grand prize winner Norsholihan Bt Abdul Eanich, who will get to drive and own the 7-seater people mover she helped name once it is launched in April.

The company also revealed that the Proton Exora MPV will be priced at under RM 80,000 and will be available in 5 colours – Genetic Silver, Tranquility Black, Blue Haze, Pyrite Brown and Gaia Blue. In terms of safety, all variants will have at least 2 SRS airbags as standard, but this will be as far as it will go in terms of total airbag count. The Proton Exora will be built in the Shah Alam plant. Cost of development was slightly over RM 450 million.

Proton will produce between 3,000 to 3,500 units of the Proton Exora a month initially. After the local launch in April, the MPV will be swiftly exported to markets such as Thailand and Indonesia by July. We’ll see how the new Exora fares in an open market up with our friends up north against their favorite Toyota MPVs.

For more, please read some past coverage on the Proton Exora to find out more about the new MPV, expected to be powered by the Campro CPS engine. Bookings will be open at a fee of RM1,000 from this Saturday (21st Feb 2009) onwards.

Related Posts:
HOT: Proton MPV 100% fully uncovered
Proton MPV exclusive initial details revealed!
SPYSHOT: 2009 Proton MPV sheds some of its disguise
Proton MPV design registered with UK patent office
SPYSHOT: Proton MPV next to a Nissan Grand Livina

561 Comments      

Facelifted Peugeot 407 now available in Malaysia!

February 16, 2009 at 10:59 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Peugeot

Peugeot 407
Click for enlarged image

Shortly after its introduction in locally assembled form here in Malaysia, Nasim Peugeot Sdn Bhd has announced the availability of the new facelifted Peugeot 407, also in locally assembled form. No updates in the engine department and the equipment level (7 airbags, and various different levels of trim for the standard Classic and hi-spec Premium version, etc) as compared to the pre-facelift locally assembled 407, but there are a few aesthetics changes on the exterior and interior.

First up is a new chrome grille at the front featuring both vertical and horizontal stripes. At the rear, look hard and you’ll spot a small spoiler integrated into the rear bootlid. The rear bumper has also had some changes to the design. On the interior, the center console area now gets a classy piano black finish. The multi-info display has been relocated into the updated Multimedia and Navigation Screen system. At the front, the 407 also gains front parking sensors. A recap on what’s in the engine bay – its 2.0 litre inline-4 engine puts out 140hp at 6,000rpm and 200Nm of torque at 4,000rpm, which is improved over the old fully imported Cycle & Carriage car as it has variable valve timing.

As with the previous edition, the new 407 facelift also comes in 2 variants – Classic and Premium which retail for RM128,888 and RM136,888 respectively. Both versions are rather hi-spec, with the difference with between the two versions being the leather interior and the Multimedia and Navigation Screen system. Despite the latter being omitted in the Classic, it still comes with the premium 10-speaker JBL sound system. All prices are inclusive of insurance and a 3-year or 100,000 km warranty.

Look for more photos after the jump.
[Read more...]

106 Comments      

Proton MPV name to be unveiled next week!

February 13, 2009 at 3:42 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Malaysian Makes, Proton, Proton Exora - Proton MPV 2009

Proton MPV

Proton will be unveiling the name of the new Proton MPV on the 17th of February 2009, as well as the winners of the Name The Proton MPV competition held last year. An indicative launch date will also be revealed. Stay tuned for updates next week, enjoy your Valentines weekend for now.

Related Posts:
HOT: Proton MPV 100% fully uncovered
Proton MPV exclusive initial details revealed!
SPYSHOT: 2009 Proton MPV sheds some of its disguise
Proton MPV design registered with UK patent office
SPYSHOT: Proton MPV next to a Nissan Grand Livina

107 Comments      

New Proton Satria Neo CPS H-Line: details, specs, pricing and video!

February 13, 2009 at 3:27 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Malaysian Makes, Proton, Proton Satria Neo, Videos

Proton Satria Neo CPS

The Campro CPS engine is finally in the Proton Satria Neo, something that many have been eagerly waiting for. The CPS is essentially a Campro engine with a few updates and a variable valve lift system called CPS as well as a variable intake manifold (VIM) system. These additions help push up power to 125 PS at 6,500rpm and 150Nm of torque at 4,500rpm, figures which are up from the standard Campro’s 110hp and 148Nm.

The car’s front and rear track has also been updated. While the Proton Satria Neo had a front and rear track of 1,470mm for both, the Satria Neo CPS H-Line has a narrower front track at 1,467mm and a wider rear track 1,483mm.

We didn’t managed to get hold of a Proton engineer to ask this question but we did manage to ask a member of Proton’s Race Rally Research (R3) team who said the change was made because Proton found the standard Neo suffered from slight oversteer, so this change was made to induce a slight understeer to improve handling. Anyway either way as a result of the large wheel arches, the wheels looks kind of lost inside them at certain angles.

Satria Neo CPS

As for aesthetics, as you can see there’s a new bodykit and more prominent flared wheel arches that are inspired from the old Satria GTI’s design. The alloy wheels are of the same 16 inch size as the M-Line but feature a different design that looks like a carbon copy of Advanti Racing’s MEDUSA design but without the two-tone design – perhaps it’s licensed or “inspired”. On the interior, the dashboard is now of a darker shade with red lighting on the various air conditioning controls and auto gear position indicators, has a different door trim design, some new trim around the gear shifter area, and leather seats in a black and red combination similiar to the GEN2 CPS.

The following are the prices for the new Proton Satria Neo CPS, available in only two colours which are unique to the CPS – solid white and tranquility black.

Proton Satria Neo CPS M/T (white) – RM 57,313.00
Proton Satria Neo CPS M/T (black) – RM 57,763.00
Proton Satria Neo CPS A/T (white) – RM 60,313.00
Proton Satria Neo CPS A/T (black) – RM 60,763.00

Satria Neo
Click for enlarged image

Satria Neo
Click for enlarged image

CPS is only available for the high line model, so the lite and M-line models retain the regular Campro. Unfortunately this is the old original Campro engine, without the new IAFM systems in the Saga, Persona and GEN2. The CPS system has also been tweaked with this version of the Campro engine, so the high lift cam profile activation point has been revised. However I’m not sure what is the purpose of activating it later.

VIM switches between a long intake manifold at low RPMs and a short intake manifold at higher RPMs. According to Proton, a longer intake manifold is used at low RPMs to achieve slower air flow; this promotes better mixing with fuel. The short intake manifold allows more air in faster. This is beneficial at high RPMs. The CPS system uses a switching tappet and a trilobe camshaft to switch between two different cam profiles, one with low valve lift and another with high valve lift.

Campro CPS engine in the GEN2 CPS and Waja CPS

Engine Speed CPS VIM
0 to 3,800rpm Low Lift Long Runner
3,800rpm to 4,800rpm High Lift Long Runner
Above 4,800rpm High Lift Short Runner

Campro CPS engine in the Satria Neo CPS

Engine Speed CPS VIM
0 to 4,400rpm Low Lift Long Runner
4,400rpm to 4,800rpm High Lift Long Runner
Above 4,800rpm High Lift Short Runner

The regular Satria Neo High-Line is now phased out so if you want the higher safety features of the Highline model (dual airbags and ABS) you also must take the CPS engine and bodykit! This leaves a gaping hole in the produce positioning IMHO as some may like the looks of the Neo and want safety features but do not need the CPS power.

The price difference between the M-Line and the H-Line CPS is huge – RM9,300 so perhaps it would have been better to retain a H-Line regular Neo or upgrade the M-Line with ABS at the very least.

Look after the jump for some very high-resolution photos from Proton as well as our own photos from the launch event. Also, please read our short Satria Neo CPS Test Drive where we tell our experience with both the manual and automatic versions for a short period of time at the launch event.

Related Posts:
Proton Satria Neo R3 Test Drive Review
Proton Satria Neo CPS Short Test Review
[Read more...]

695 Comments      

New Chevrolet Cruze and Chevrolet Epica to hit Malaysian roads in 2009?

February 12, 2009 at 3:33 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Chevrolet/Daewoo, Local News

Chevrolet Cruze

Hicom-Chevrolet Sdn Bhd has announced that it will be launching two models this year, which are believed to be the Chevrolet Cruze and the Chevrolet Epica.

The Cruze (photo above) is a nice compact car which will replace the Optra Magnum in Chevrolet’s line-up. It will be launched sometime either in late July or early August 2009. It’s a rather good looking car (from the front to the side at least, not too sure about the rear styling) with an appealing interior, as long as photos do not deceive of course because most of us have never seen it in real life.

The new Cruze measures 4,600mm long, 1,790mm wide and 1,475mm tall with a 2,685mm wheelbase which will provide decent interior length, falling short only of the Civic and Lancer’s which are class-leading. It was launched in Korea late last year with a 1.6 litre ECOTEC engine producing 114 horsepower at 6,400rpm and 152Nm of torque at 4,200rpm. A Malaysian line-up could see this engine plus the 1.8 litre engine from the Optra Magnum carried over.

Chevrolet Cruze

But what we’d really like to see is the new ECOTEC Turbo engine slotted into this baby, but I don’t know if it’s going to be very likely even when the engine is finally out because of cost issues. It might be an Europe and US-only option, but it would be nice if we could get it too. The Ecotec Turbo will be a 1.4 litre competitor to Volkswagen’s TSI, Fiat’s T-JET series and Renault-Nissan’s new 1.2 litre and 1.4 litre turbos. The small displacement engine can use turbocharging to provide power outputs equivalent to 1.6 litre, 1.8 litre and even 2.0 litre engines, with loads of torque to boot.

The Chevrolet Epica on the other hand, is a D-segment competitor to the likes of the Camry and the Accord. It was recently refreshed (and launched in Singapore) with various technical and design updates such as a new 6-speed GM 6T40 automatic transmission, replacing the old 5-speed unit. It comes with either a 143hp 2.0 litre inline-4 motor or a 2.5 litre inline-6 with 156hp.

Look after the jump for more shots of the Cruze.
[Read more...]

39 Comments      

Contilovers.com 2nd TT Session (11th Feb 09)

February 12, 2009 at 2:41 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News

Contilovers

Contilovers.com started off as a spontaneous idea between two friends who are mad about European cars. It all began right after the launch of the Peugeot 308 VTi and 308 Turbo. They realised that thanks to the decent pricetags of Peugeots (Nasim), Volkswagens (VW Malaysia) and perhaps even Fiats (Torino – read Bravo GT test drive review), some decent European cars were beginning to be more accessible to the more common folk.

European car drivers are usually more passionate about their cars as they are relatively harder to maintain so you’ve really got to love your European motoring to put yourself through that! They also wanted to have a place for potential European car buyers to seek advice and read REAL ownership experiences instead of just listening to the coffee shop talk about how European cars will kill you with outrageous spareparts pricing and various electronics gremlins.

Anyway after even more spontaneity later, the forum had their first and soon after second Teh Tarik session. After hanging out at Kayu Nasi Kandar in Aman Suria and having a blast chatting about our favourite cars and fussing over a mysterious Maserati-lookalike car, they convoyed to another location for a photography session.

There was a total of 11 cars that day and it was quite difficult to snap some decent photos of the cars all together in the dark. There were some really nice cars including a rare Saab 9-5 Aero. Sadly no Audis, though I was told some of the attendees wanted to recruit a certain “appealing” Audi driver on the spot at the mamak! ;)

Check out the photos from the TT session after the jump. If you’d like to join us please on to Contilovers.com!
[Read more...]

Leave a Comment      

Proton dealer consolidation to cost RM100 million

February 11, 2009 at 8:46 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Malaysian Makes, Proton

ProtonProton wants to trim its 290+ dealers down to 180 dealers, but they say the consolidation process will cost RM 100 million. Last I heard Proton offered RM 300,000 per dealer, but a simple calculation shows 290 to 180 dealers for RM 100 million is nearly RM 1 million in costs per dealer in a dealer Voluntary Separation Scheme program! Nothing is finalised yet as Proton Edar is still in discussions with EON on how to consolidate their dealer nework.

Why did Proton approve applications of too many dealers and cause this over-congestion in the first place? Where is this RM 100 million coming from – Proton or taxpayer money yet again like the previous RM 10 million given by the government for the first round of dealer VSS? Proton got snubbed by dealers when it first offered RM150k per dealer because the offer was said to be too low, so this increased to RM300k.

Why should dealers that don’t meet performance expectations get a safe exit? Shouldn’t they have conducted adequate studies on their own on whether there is enough demand in the area they are opening the dealership in to sustain the operations?

Source 1, Source 2

82 Comments      

Honda Civic Hybrid gets new price: RM 129,980

February 10, 2009 at 2:05 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Honda, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, Local News

Honda Civic Hybrid

The facelifted Honda Civic is now in Malaysia, first in Honda Civic Hybrid form. Honda Malaysia Sdn Bhd has finally announced the new pricing for the Honda Civic Hybrid. It now retails for RM 129,980, a small premium of RM1,180 over the Honda Civic 2.0S.

It’s now also available in two colours – Premium White Pearl and Neutron Blue Metallic (new colors shown above), while the pre-facelift version only had one bluish-silverish metallic colour. For those waiting for the facelifted regular Civic, according to Honda Malaysia it will be coming in mid-March 2009.
[Read more...]

108 Comments