Archive for Local News

There is a company called The Island Car Company which are using Kancil parts including the 660cc inline-3 engine to produce a 4-seater light car with a fiberglass body for the purpose of taking tourists around resort islands.

The company will be based in Langkawi and the cars will be built at the company’s workshop with an initial batch of 100 units. No price indicated yet but the company will call it the Helang, which is probably a reference to the eagles found in Langkawi Island.

With a fiberglass body the car had better be intended only for slow speed cruising as I doubt the shell would have much crash safety capabilities engineered into it. Does anyone have photos of the Helang? News reports mentioned Tun Mahathir has tried the prototype out.

Alfa Romeo is back alive and kicking with a launch of 4 new models in Malaysia all at once. Spearheading the list and expected to the the company’s volume seller here is the long-awaited Alfa Romeo 159, priced at RM 188,888.

Under the hood is a 2.2 liter JTS inline-4 twin cam engine mated to a 6-speed Selespeed automated manual transmission. The JTS (Jet Thrust Stoichiometric) is a direct injection lean burn engine that puts out 185 PS at 6,500rpm and 230Nm of torque at 4,500rpm, which is quite torquey for a 2.2 liter unit.

The 159 has a decent level of equipment. We’re talking about a total of 9 airbags for the front, rear, side and driver knee, and there is also a front passenger airbag deactivation feature. Creature comforts include bi-xenon headlamps with washer, auto dimming rear view mirror, auto driving light control, follow me home headlamps, keyless ignition, rain sensor wipers, paddle shifts, stability control, an 8 speaker sound system, a sunroof, and full leather upholstery.

Internationally, there is a new engine for the 2009 model year and it would be nice if Sime Darby Autoconnexxion has plans to bring it in for future variants if they deem it suitable, we’re talking about the TBi engine, which is a 1.8 liter engine with direct injection, turbocharging and variable valve timing for both the intake and exhaust. It put outs 200 PS and 320Nm of torque (a 230 PS variant is also available for the Brera/Spider), so the two models could be differentiated like the Audi A4 1.8 and 2.0.

But in any case it looks like those who have been buying the Accord 2.4 and Mazda 6 2.5 (don’t think Camry 2.4 buyers are in the same category!) can now opt to shell out a little more and enjoy a sexy Italian beauty!

Next up is the Alfa Romeo GT Blackline Coupe, powered by a 165 horsepower 206Nm torque 2.0 liter JTS engine mated to a 5-speed Selespeed, priced at RM 218,888. This sleek coupe never fails to turn heads but mechanically it is not very different from the Alfa GT sold by the distributor’s previous incarnation, Sime Darby Auto Italia.

The GT is equipped with a BOSE Hi-Fi system with amp and subwoofer, a CD player with MP3 capabilities, xenon headlamps, 8 airbags, stability control, and sports seats.

The Alfa Romeo Brera Coupe is priced at RM 308,888 and is powered by the same 2.2 liter JTS engine as the 159 sedan. You’ve got 7 airbags, stability control, 6 speakers, rain sensor wipers, keyless ignition, bi-xenon headlamps, 8-way electrically adjustable front seats with heating for the driver’s seat, and leather upholstery.

The flagship and most expensive car is the 2-seater Alfa Romeo Spider, also powered by the 2.2 liter JTS and 6-speed Selespeed. It’s priced at RM 318,888 and is essentially a soft top convertible version of the Brera.

The Spider’s equipment includes keyless ignition, rain sensor wipers, cruise control, paddle shifts, 6-speakers, bi-xenon headlamps with washer, heated driver’s seat, stability control, and 5 airbags for the front and sides of the 2 passengers including a driver’s knee airbag.

There is more coming. The cute little hatch called the MiTo will be coming later this year to give the MINI Cooper and the Fiat 500 some competition. Look after the jump for full galleries the bellas, including a few promo videos of the 159 and GT.

Click here to read the rest of New Alfa Romeo models launched in Malaysia, including the Alfa 159 finally!

Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir says the review of the Approved Permits system is already at the final review stage and an announcement might be made by Minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamed by the end of this month.

“Currently, the AP issue is still being under scrutiny. It’s a very complex issue. It involves many people and different interests. We’ve to weigh different interests and have to come up with something that are acceptable to most parties,” said Datuk Mukhriz to Bernama reporters on Thursday.

Earlier this month the KL and Selangor Car Dealers and Credit Companies Association urged MITI to open up the AP system to everyone, with a 30% quota for Bumis and the rest via an open auction system.

Datuk Mukhriz suggested that the AP system may be rethinked or abolished, though the latter is quite unlikely at this point of time, an unfortunately thing really as when the new NAP was unveiled in 2006, it was stated that the AP system would be phased out completely in 2010.

Russian-owned British vanmaker LDV was just about to file for administration when suddenly there is a new announcement that gives them some hope – our very own Weststar will be purchasing them for 1 British Pound. The deal includes LDV and Birmingham Pressings Ltd, which supplies metal parts for LDV.

Ex-army man Datuk Seri Syed Azman’s Weststar Group used to hold the franchise APs for Honda and Chevrolet, and in 2007 they partnered up with LDV to assemble their MAXUS LDV vans here in Malaysia for both local consumption and regional export. The vans are assembled at DRB-HICOM’s Pekan facility. There are various bodytypes sold here in Malaysian including a minibus and an ambulance variant (shown above).

The British government has extended LDV a 5 million British Pound bridging loan to help keep the company afloat while the Weststar deal is being completed.

Proton Edar has signed a new Master Dealership agreement with EON for the sale and service of Proton cars in Malaysia. The new agreement is to rationalise the sales and distribution network.

This new agreement will extend for a period of 5 years from the 1st of July 2009. Here are the terms and conditions of the new agreement:

• EON shall be entitled to maintain its existing forty (40) sales branches but shall reduce the same to thirty two (32) on or before 31 December 2010
• EON shall ensure that the said 32 sales branches are consolidated into 3S (sales, service and spare parts) centres on or before 31 December 2010
• EON shall be entitled to maintain its 32 service centres
• EON shall be entitled to relocate its sales and / or service branches subject to Proton Edar’s written approval
• EON shall be entitled to service or continue to service Mitsubishi marque cars until 31 December 2010

Take note that EON currently has sixty five (65) sales dealers and one hundred and fifty two (152) service dealers. It will have to rationalise its network to meet the conditions offered above. The last point in particular is quite interesting. It looks like Proton wants EON dealers to focus on selling Proton cars only.

With the signing of the new agreement, all EON sales and service dealers will undergo a migration process into the Proton Edar sales and service network with effect from 1 July 2009. Subsequent to the migration process, EON will no longer have any sub-dealers (sales & after sales) for Proton vehicles after 31 December 2009.

Under the consolidation exercise, EON dealers will migrate to Proton Edar within the next six months. During that period, EON’s sales and services dealers will be evaluated on their performance, compliance and business ability. This exercise is to streamline the dealer network into a smaller and stronger dealer network.

The Castrol Magnatec roadshow will be happening at various venues from the 17th of April 2009 to the 14th of June 2009 throughout the Peninsular of Malysia. It will be at the Berjaya Megamall Kuantan on the 22nd to the 24th this month, AEON Tebrau City, Johor Bahru (29 – 31 May), and Centre Atrium, Queensbay Mall, Penang (5 – 7 June).

Click here to read the rest of Drop by the Castrol Magnatec Roadshow 2009!

First unveiled as the Ranger MAX Concept at the Thai Motor Expo in November last year, the new Ford Ranger facelift is now on sale in Malaysia as a CBU import from its regional production center in Rayong, Thailand.

The Ranger’s 2.5 liter Duratorq turbodiesel engine with lag-free VGT puts out 143 PS and 330Nm of torque, mated to either a 5-speed manual (RM83,888 Peninsular and RM86,388 East Malaysia) or a 5-speed automatic transmission (RM88,888 Peninsular and RM92,388 East Malaysia). if you buy it now you can get a free accessory package worth RM2,000 while stocks last.

Ford seems to have abandoned its “a truck should look like a truck” stand that it took when it first launched this edition of the Ranger, as the new facelift now has alot more curves that was previously reserved for the Mazda Fighter. Much of the front is new, with new headlamps and new fender panels etc but most of the rear remains the same. The new look was designed by a team based in Melbourne.

On the interior there are 2 airbags, and an AM/FM and MP3-capable CD changer with AUX input. There are various conveniences in the interior such as a slide-out tray that can support up to 10kg and a two-level arm rest storage area. The rear bed has dimensions of 1,530mm by 1,456mm.

As for off-road capability, Ford claims a 34 degree approach angle and a 33 degree departure angle, with an underside that is said to be well armoured. The rear suspension uses leaf springs with oversized 32mm gas shocks, while the front uses a double wishbone with torsion bar spring design. The fuel tank, transfer case, engine and transmission are protected by steel plating.

There is a low-range gearing reduction of 2.48:1 for the auto and 2.02:1 for the manual. The rear differential is a torque-sensing multiple LSD to help split torque balance optimally between the left and right rear wheels whenever the situation calls for it.

Look after the jump for a gallery of the Ranger.

Click here to read the rest of New Ford Ranger facelift now in Malaysia!

There was a report in Bernama today quoting Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir that the AP systems may be rethinked or abolished altogether.

It appears that this statement was prompted by a request by the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Car Dealers and Credit Companies Association to open up the AP system to everyone, with maybe a 30% quota for Bumiputras and the rest to anyone by an open auction system.

Details are a little sketchy on whether this 30% quote for Bumis would have to be paid for or not, as in the current system APs are given free.

Don’t hope too much for car importing to be available to anyone at no cost however, as Datuk Mukhriz says abolition was not the only option on the table, and it is likely not to be the path taken as currently consumers are already paying for APs, and simply replacing it with an auction system would give the government extra revenue.

When an auction system was suggested back in 2007, MITI’s response was “auctioning can jeopardize the business of Bumiputra entrepreneurs in the automotive sector as it will be difficult to plan ahead and make long term investments.”

Hot after the new MINI Cabriolet (or Convertible, depending on the country you’re in) launch early this year is its Malaysian debut for RM 235,000 OTR without insurance and without MINI tlc package).

The MINI Cabriolet continues to use a soft top and now features larger side windows and a new retractable rollbar to help improve driver’s visibility. The rollbar moves up and down as required to help offer the driver an unrestricted rear visibility. The soft top comes down in just 15 seconds, and the Malaysian spec car comes with the Always-Open Timer as standard, which shows the driver the time they’ve spent driving with the roof down. This is supposed to encourage open air motoring as much as possible, which I hope is why you slurged the extra cash on the Cabriolet over the regular MINI in the first place.

Unlike the Cooper and Clubman which are available with both the regular and the turbocharged S versions, the Cabriolet comes only with the normally aspirated 1.6 liter for now, putting out 120 horsepower at 6,000rpm and 160Nm of torque at 4,250rpm with the help of Valvetronic.

Check out a full gallery and some videos of the new R57 Cabrio after the jump. There’s a new promo clip called “Radical Maneuver” as well as a “Making Of” video… I don’t recommend you perform the stunts in the video in real life!

Click here to read the rest of R57 MINI Cabriolet now on sale in Malaysia!

Click for enlarged image

The new facelifted version of the W164 Mercedes-Benz ML is now here in Malaysia from RM548,888 for the ML 350. Other than the 272 horsepower V6 ML 350, the 388 horsepower V8-powered ML 500 and the 510 horsepower ML 63 AMG will also be available but these are only for special orders.

Changes on the outside include a new bumper and new headlamps with a step in the lower edge, which continues below and around the front grille. The ML also has a new look for the underguard which makes the ML look wider.

On the rear, there is a new rear bumper, and an optional stainless steel underguard which can conceal the exhaust system.

There are also changes on the interior including door center panels that are now trimmed with ARTICO man-made leather. The in-car entertainment/telematics system has been updated to the latest version with LINGUATRONIC and also includes a charging function for multimedia devices connected to the USB port.

Look after the jump for a full list of details.

Click here to read the rest of New W164 Mercedes-Benz M-Class facelift now on sale in Malaysia!