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BHPetrol Save & Win contest – mother of two bags the first prize of RM50,000 in September draw

November 9, 2011 at 11:53 am By Anthony Lim Filed Under Local News

BHPetrol’s Save & Win contest’s September draw saw Ayu Rohaida Haji Muda walking off with the first prize of RM50,000 – the mother of two from Temerloh, Pahang, who works in the Temerloh hospital, was naturally overjoyed with the windfall.

“I was shocked but elated when I was told I had won the first prize of RM50,000. It is so nice to be rewarded for being a loyal customer of BHPetrol. I am going to put aside the money for my children’s education. To BHPetrol, a big thank you!,” she enthused.

“Previously I used other brands of petrol. Then I tried BHPetrol Infiniti Advanced2X and found it gives me more mileage, immediate acceleration and power. Definitely, Infiniti is the petrol for me,’” she added.

Ayu Rohaida wasn’t the only big winner in September, as a host of other BHPetrol customers walked away with cash prizes ranging from the second prize of RM30,000 to 50 RM1,000 consolation prizes.

BHPetrol’s MD Tan Kim Thiam said that there’s no better time for Malaysian motorists to feel the real difference in its BHPetrol Infiniti Advanced2X 95 and 97, with the Save & Win contest going on.

The contest, which began in September, ends on November 30, so there’s still time to enter and try and bag the month’s big prize – all that’s needed is a minimum spend of RM30 at participating BHPetrol service stations to be eligible to win the cash prizes and 2.5 million ePoints every month.

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J.D. Power Asia Pacific report finds that overall new vehicle quality in Malaysia is up notably from 2010

November 8, 2011 at 9:24 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Honda, Local News, Nissan, Toyota

According to the J.D. Power Asia Pacific 2011 Malaysia Initial Quality Study (IQS), overall new-vehicle initial quality in Malaysia has improved from 2010. The study – fielded between March and July this year – is based on responses from 2,858 new-vehicle owners who purchased their vehicle between September 2010 and May 2011. It includes 67 passenger car, pickup and utility vehicle models from 14 brands.

The study, which is in its ninth year, examines new-vehicle quality during the first two to six months of ownership, and measures more than 200 problem symptoms covering eight vehicle components, these being vehicle exterior, driving experience, features/controls/displays, audio/entertainment/navigation, seats, HVAC, vehicle interior and engine/transmission.

All problems are summarised as the number of problems reported per 100 vehicles (PP100). Lower PP100 scores of course indicate a lower rate of problem incidence and higher performance.

Overall initial quality in Malaysia averaged 124 PP100 in 2011, a 23 PP100 decrease from 2010. Initial quality has improved from 2010 in six of the eight problem categories: vehicle exterior, driving experience, features/controls/displays, audio/entertainment/navigation, vehicle interior and engine/transmission. The report says that the greatest improvements have occurred in the vehicle exterior category.

Despite overall improvement, the five problems reported most frequently by owners continue to be excessive wind noise, noisy brakes, excessive fuel consumption, air-conditioning which doesn’t get cold fast enough and the engine losing power when air-conditioning is on.

The study found that 44% of new-vehicle owners indicated having a problem-free experience with their vehicle. Among these owners, 51% say they “definitely woull” recommend the model they own to friends or relatives. In contrast, among the 56% of new-vehicle owners who experienced at least one problem with their vehicle in their initial six months of ownership, only 27% said they would recommend the model they own.

In terms of specific models, the Honda City ranks highest in the entry mid-size segment for a third consecutive year, with a score of 62 PP100, an improvement of 36 PP100 from 2010. Following in the segment rankings is the Toyota Vios. In the mid-size car segment, the Nissan Sylphy finished top of the heap with 39 PP100, followed by the Toyota Corolla Altis at 43 PP100 and the Honda Civic, with 55 PP100.

In the MPV/Van segment, the Toyota Avanza was class-leading for a second consecutive year, with a score of 64 PP100, with the Toyota Innova (73 PP100) and Nissan Grand Livina (107 PP100) in second and third respectively. As for the pickup category, the Toyota Hilux led the pack with 32 PP100, followed by the Isuzu D-Max at 47 PP100 and the Mitsubishi Triton at 64 PP100.

The IQS is one of three consumer-based studies that J.D. Power Asia Pacific conducts in Malaysia. This year’s Malaysia Customer Service Index (CSI) Study, which measures new-vehicle owner satisfaction with after-sales dealership service, was released in July, while the Malaysia Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) Study for 2011, which examines new-vehicle buyer satisfaction with the sales and delivery experience, was released in September.

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RAC Future Car Challenge Brighton to London: Proton wins two awards, Gordon Murray T.27 is overall winner

November 6, 2011 at 10:18 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Malaysian Makes, Proton

We’re in London now where the RAC Future Car Challenge 2011 finished yesterday. The 64 cars, which included the best electric powered and alternative fuel green vehicles around, started the 92 km journey from Brighton to London, where the challenge ended at Pall Mall. All contestants then drove to a blocked off Regent Street, where the cars of tomorrow parked back-to-back to with the cars from the good old days.

The vintage cars, some over 100 years old, were in town to participate in the annual London to Brighton Veteran Car Run, and got plenty of attention from the locals and tourists alike. Even better, many of their owners were dressed to match the period in which their cars roamed the streets. A sight to behold, but also much white engine smoke to inhale!

A gallery post on that when I return home. After a few hours to collate the results, we all gathered at the prize giving gala dinner at the RAC’s grand old building in Pall Mall. Our table, the only Asians in the room, had plenty to celebrate, after it was announced that Proton won two awards – the Most Efficient Multi-Purpose Car (Prototype) and the Best Overall Extended-Range Vehicle (E-REV). Both were courtesy of the Exora REEV. The Best E-REV award was shared with the Toyota Prius Plug In Hybrid.

The Best Overall Entry award went to the Gordon Murray Design T.27 Electric Car, which also won the Best Overall Pure EV award and the Most Energy Efficient Small Car (Prototype) title. If you don’t know, the flower shirt-loving Gordon Murray is the designer of the legendary McLaren F1 – the man drove his own creation, and you can find him in our gallery. Also spotted at the race were Damon Hill and veteran motoring hack Steve Cropley – regular Autocar readers should know the latter.

Another big winner is the already on sale Nissan Leaf EV, which won the Most Energy Efficient Regular Car (Production) and the Best Overall Vehicle On Sale today accolades. The best ICE vehicle went to the Mini Cooper Diesel, although it didn’t have much company since most were EVs or E-REVs.

Earlier in the day, we were at the Pall Mall finish line to greet the cars, and the Persona REEV was the first of Proton’s three entries to cross the line. Driver and lead engineer of the Malaysian assembled effort, Muhd Zulfadzli, was very happy with the drive. Their strategy worked to perfection and they arrived with 8 mins to spare. The Wankel engine kicked in for 4.5 mins after the car exhausted all its battery charge. As comparison, last year’s winning Exora had its generator running for 34 mins.

Unfortunately, there were some problems with the data collected, and the Persona wasn’t included in last night’s results, which is a shame. It wasn’t Proton’s mistake and the team is gutted, to say the least. It will take two days to repair and “unscramble” the data, apparently, so there could yet be more good news. We’ll see.

The Saga EV had a closer call. Driven by Noamaan Siddiqi and assisted by Datuk Zainuddin Che Din, Proton’s Green Tech Dept director, they arrived with just 2 mins to spare, and with 0% charge left. It didn’t help that they started with just 80% charge (to give the other Protons more juice) and the traffic in downtown London was busy. The Exora REEV arrived last, just in time.

“I am overjoyed, to say the least! We were surprised with the Exora REEV victory last year as the Best E-REV Vehicle and we were determined this year not to take that victory for granted. So, for Exora REEV to come up victorious once again this year, with two more additional awards to its name is truly a remarkable achievement for Proton.

“The fact that we are tied as the winner in the Best Overall E-REV Vehicle category with another world class automotive manufacturer speaks volume about our standards and capabilities in this field,” said Proton MD Datuk Seri Syed Zainal Abidin of the result.

I think that it’s very unlucky of Proton to not have won more with the Persona REEV, but the fact that the team is not entirely happy with two awards in a challenge featuring the world’s best green vehicles, shows that the company is on to something here.

It proves the point that Datuk Zainuddin Che Din was making in an earlier briefing – green vehicles is a new and level playing ground for all (although some do have mega budgets), and with EVs, Proton and its partner Frazer Nash is up there with the best, instead of playing catch up like in the conventional car arena.

On a different note, I also noticed that the loud noise reported in our exclusive Exora REEV test drive report from last year has been silenced. Read that one here, and our first drive of the Saga EV here.

Well done, boys and girls! Gallery from the start and finish lines are after the jump.
[Read more...]

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RAC Future Car Challenge Brighton to London: Proton targets three category wins, Persona REEV tipped to star

November 5, 2011 at 7:57 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Malaysian Makes, Proton

We’re in Brighton, England, to witness the RAC Future Car Challenge from this charming seaside town to London. The race starts early tomorrow morning here, and we’ve just got back from the Hilton Metropole, the base for all participating teams. Team Proton is now charging up its three entries in the hotel carpark – the Saga EV, Exora REEV and Persona REEV.

As a recap, this is the second year of the FCC, which runs the opposite direction of RAC’s famous Veteran Car Run, and one day before it. Last year, Proton made everyone stand up and notice when they won the “Best Range Extender EV” award with the Exora REEV. The Saga EV also participated, and was close to winning its EV category. This year, both cars that were co-developed with Fraser Nash return to the challenge, accompanied by the just completed Persona REEV.

Proton is particularly proud of new boy Persona REEV. This is because a team of eight Malaysians modified and finished this car at Proton UK in Bristol. Shahril Nizam Abd Aziz, Group Project Leader of Proton’s Green Tech Department, tells us that the car started life as a CBU from Malaysia Proton Persona Elegance.

They dismantled it and removed the Campro engine, gearbox and fuel tank, among other things, before fitting the electric motor and Wankel range extender from the Exora REEV. Some mods were needed to fit in the new heart, and they had to make new brackets, mountings and modified the exhaust system from the Exora. The brackets are for the battery pack and new fuel tank. It took five days to do all the above, and three more days were needed for testing. The process ended just two weeks ago.

With a lighter and more aerodynamic body, surely the Persona REEV will do even better than last year’s winning Exora? Yes, according to Muhd Zulfadzli, Lead Engineer and Head of REEV. He said that while the Exora had its rotary generator running for 34 minutes in last year’s race, the Persona REEV didn’t need to use the range extender at all during a simulation of the 92 km race. In other words, it didn’t use a drop of fuel and ran solely in EV mode.

So they’re expecting the best tomorrow, naturally. Zulfadzli himself will pilot the Persona REEV. All the best, girls (there are two ladies in the team) and boys! Stay tuned for updates.

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EXCLUSIVE: Battery-powered Proton Saga EV driven in UK

November 4, 2011 at 8:05 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Malaysian Makes, Proton, Test Drive Reviews

Greetings from England! We’re here braving the wet and cold weather to witness the RAC Future Car Challenge from Brighton to London. The challenge (it’s not a race, according to organisers Royal Automobile Club of Pall Mall London) happens this Saturday in the UK, one day before the RAC’s famous London to Brighton Veteran Car Run.

Just as the Veteran Car Run celebrates the great cars of yesterday, the Future Car Challenge seeks to promote, demo and challenge clean and green cars – the cars of the future. The FCC also runs the opposite direction of the veteran run, starting from the coastal town and heading to the capital city.

This is the second year of the RAC Future Car Challenge, which seeks to find the most efficient and least energy consuming cars in different categories. National carmaker Proton, which won the “Best Range Extender EV” award last year with the Exora REEV, is entering three cars this year – Saga EV, Exora REEV and Persona Elegance REEV, the latter a newly built car with the same drivetrain as the MPV.

These cars were developed in partnership with Frazer Nash Research Ltd, a British based R&D company specialising in electric vehicle powertrains. Earlier today, we visited FN’s headquarters in Surrey to learn more about the company and its relationship with Proton. We also got to sample the Exora REEV and Saga EV at a small test track. Having already driven the Exora REEV last year (click here to read our exclusive test drive report), I paid attention to the electric Saga.

Continue reading the report after the jump.
[Read more...]

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Honda CR-Z launched – RM115k OTR with insurance

November 3, 2011 at 8:39 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Honda, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, Local News

Honda Malaysia earlier this evening launched the CR-Z, making Malaysia the first country in Southeast Asia to offer the three-door hybrid hatch to car enthusiasts. The third Honda hybrid to be introduced in the country is priced at RM115,000 on the dot, on-the-road with insurance (or if you will, RM111,878, without insurance).

The “hot-hatch hybrid,” as the company has tagged it, is powered by a 114 PS and 145 Nm 1.5 litre LEA SOHC i-VTEC engine and a 10 kW (or 14 PS) and 78 Nm MF6 brushless DC electric motor and a sophisticated Intelligent Power Unit (IPU) – together, the powertrain combination delivers 124 PS at 6,000 rpm and 174 Nm of torque at 1,000 to 1,500 rpm.

The IMA Hybrid System is mated to a six-speed manual gearbox, which is the standard transmission for the car, with a Hill-Start Assist function present. The vehicle also features a 3-Mode Drive System, which enables the driver to choose and switch between Sport, Normal and Economy modes with the switch of an individual button.

The three modes alter the response of the throttle, steering, idle stop timing, climate control and the level of assistance provided by the IMA Hybrid System, and the individual modes are also indicated on the Illuminated Advance Sports Meter as glowing coloured rings of light. In Sport mode, you get – as expected – improved acceleration response, and steering feedback is tighter; in this mode, the light on the meter goes red.

Normal mode of course provides the optimum balance between driving performance and fuel economy, with an EPS response that’s balanced, smooth and agile. Switching to Econ mode, as it’s called, reduces throttle response, optimises motor assist, controls the air conditioning economically and lengthens idle stops to maximise fuel efficiency.

In Normal and Econ mode, the glowing coloured rings of light in the meter display changes from blue to blue-green to green depending on the driver’s style of driving; green, of course signifies the most fuel efficient driving.

Equipment on the 1,160 kg vehicle includes halogen headlamps with LED positioning lights, front fog lamps, a three-spoke leather steering wheel, cruise control, a six-speaker audio system with USB and an auxiliary input, rear foldable seats (which really are jump seats at best – there’s enough space to get in for an adult, but you can’t sit up straight!) and a glovebox cooler, among others. Folding down the rear seat back translates into 410 litres of boot space, which allows space for two golf bags.

On the safety front, the car comes equipped with dual front airbags, side airbags with Occupant Position Detection System and side curtain airbags. There’s ABS, BA and EBD as well as Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) in the mix too.

The CR-Z rides on 16-inch five twin-spoke alloys, wrapped with 195/55 series rubbers. At point of launch, there’s only a single external colour for the car, which is Premium White Pearl, but expect other shades to join the palette list soon – we hear that red, black and silver will come about as it goes along. And yes, you can also expect an auto CVT-equipped version to arrive on the scene sometime next year, but no word yet exactly when.
[Read more...]

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Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia: delivery of Triton and Pajero Sport affected by Thai flood situation

November 3, 2011 at 7:15 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Mitsubishi

Another Japanese car company affected by the floods in Thailand – this time it’s Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia, who have just announced that it will be temporarily halting the delivery of the Pajero Sport and Triton due to a disruption in parts supply to Mitsubishi’s Thai plant.

Mitsubishi Motors Thailand’s plant in the Laem Chabang Industrial Estates has suspended production of the Pajero Sport and the Triton due to difficulties in procuring the required parts for production.

Customers who have made bookings for the Pajero Sport and Triton may anticipate delays in the delivery of their vehicles, but MMM says selected Triton variants have adequate existing stock to fulfill market demand. Japanese CBU units such as the ASX, Lancer GT, Lancer Sportback, Grandis and Pajero are not affected.

“We apologise for the delay on vehicle deliveries, especially the Triton and Pajero Sport. Our commitment to our customers remains our top priority and we are monitoring closely on the situation in Thailand,” said Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia CEO Tetsuya Oda. Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia has also taken the decision to donate RM20 for every car registered from November 2011 to December 2011 to help those who have suffered as a result of the flood situation and to contribute to the rebuilding of affected areas.

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Proton Inspira R3 – new hi-res image and more details

November 2, 2011 at 10:40 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Malaysian Makes, Proton

And we’re back with more details on the new Proton Inspira R3. We’ve managed to obtain one high resolution product marketing image, which seems to depict a different alloy wheel design compared to the pictures in the classifieds ad that we posted earlier. The blacked out grille that we saw on the previous set of photos is also not shown, so it could be that the earlier set of photos are from an earlier prototype.

The Proton Inspira R3 is only available in the 1.8 manual transmission variant, and is limited to 100 units. Basically anyone who buys an Inspira 1.8 manual for the OTR price (RM78,549 solid, RM78,999 metallic) will get an Inspira R3 with all the added R3 bits included (bodykit, 18-inch alloy wheels with tyres worth RM9,000), until the 100 units run out.

Booking opens now and ends on December 31, 2011, so you’ve got about two months to go grab your manual transmission Inspira R3. Registration and delivery starts in the second week of November. Colours available include white, silver, red and black, but we hear a majority of them are white.

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Range Rover Evoque launched – RM353k to RM393k

November 2, 2011 at 6:13 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Land Rover, Local News

Land Rover Malaysia has officially launched the Range Rover Evoque – the car arrives in three variant forms, these being a 2.0 litre petrol three-door Coupe as well as two five-door examples, a 2.0 litre petrol version and a 2.2 litre diesel.

The 2.0L Petrol Coupe – specified with a Dynamic Plus package – and the 2.0L Petrol 5-Door Prestige are powered by the 240 PS and 340 Nm Si4 turbocharged engine, with twin variable valve timing. As for the 2.2L Diesel 5-Door, which is also configured in Prestige trim, it wears the 190 PS and 420 Nm version of the SD4 turbodiesel, the same mill as found in the Land Rover Freelander 2.

Both the petrol and diesel engines are matched to the latest generation AW F-21 six-speed automatic transmission with a Rotary Auto Shifter. Performance figures are a 0-100 km/h sprint time of 7.6 seconds for the petrol versions and 8.5 seconds for the diesel, while maximum speed is 217 km/h for the petrol duo and 195 km/h for the diesel job.

Features available across the range include adaptive Xenon headlamps, push-button start, an 8-inch touchscreen with HDD and corresponding 380-watt 11-speaker Meridian audio system, 5-inch driver information full colour display, powered tailgate, rear climate control vents, paddle shifters, cruise control and electronic parking brake, among others.

A full suite of three-letter acronym traction and stability systems are also to be found, and these include Dynamic Stability Control (DSC), Roll Stability Control (RSC), Traction Control System (TCS), Trailer Stability Assist (TSA), Hill Start Assist, Hill Descent Control (HDC), Enhanced Understeer Control (EUC), Gradient Release Control (GRC) and Engine Drag torque Control (EDC).

The Coupe has some stuff that’s not to be found on the five-door versions – these are Adaptive Dynamics, a fixed panoramic roof with solar attenuating glass, textured aluminium trim in the interior as well as metal-finish foot pedals.

All three versions come wearing 20-inch alloys, though the Coupe gets what is called Style 7 and the two five-door variants, Style 6 – essentially, they are both the same V-spoke designs, but in different finishes, silver sparkle for the former and shadow chrome for the latter.

The Coupe comes in three exterior shades – Fuji White, Firenze Red and Sumatra Black, with an Agility theme in the White example and a Velocity theme to be found for the latter two colours. The five-door expands the exterior colour palette by two – Orkney Grey and Indus Silver join the trio above. Each is partnered to a matching interior theme, these being called Sprint, Vibe and Element.

Pricing-wise, the CBU Evoque rolls in at RM393,888 for the 2.0L Petrol Coupe Dynamic Plus, while the 2.0L Petrol 5-Door Prestige goes for RM363,888 and the 2.2L Diesel 5-Door Prestige is priced at RM353,888, all on-the-road excluding insurance. It’s apparently going great guns for the SUV – more than 250 bookings were secured for it even before the launch, so if you want one now, be prepared to wait.

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Ferrari introduces free 7-year maintenance programme

November 2, 2011 at 9:53 am By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Ferrari, Local News

Ferrari has announced a new customer care service, where clients ordering a California, 458 Italia, FF or 458 Spider from the authorised dealership network will be entitled to a free seven-year scheduled maintenance programme.

The service, which commenced in Malaysia with Naza Italia as of November 1, will be progressively available in all Ferrari markets, covering all global authorised dealership networks.

The Genuine Maintenance programme, as it’s called, covers each individual vehicle, and thus extends to any eventual subsequent owner during the entire seven-year period. The programme covers the scheduled maintenance at standard service intervals (20,000 km, or once a year, with no restriction on total kilometres) along with the relative original spare parts, engine oil and brake fluid.

The programme is unique, Ferrari says, being the first time a car manufacturer is offering such cover – the advantage to the owner is the assurance that the vehicle will be subject to regular annual inspection by Ferrari-trained personnel, using factory-approved dedicated diagnostic equipment.

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