Archive for Local News

TC Euro Cars officially launched a set of 5 Renault cars today with revised prices - some have gone up and some have come down compared to the preview prices unveiled in March this year.

There is also an additional model added to the initial range of 4 vehicles - the 5th is the Clio 1.6 hatchback. All are CBU imports.

The cheapest of the lot is the Clio III 1.6, but it’s only cheap compared to the other Renaults offered. This little B-segment hatch is powered by a 110hp 151Nm 1.6L petrol engine. Its price tag of RM145,037.00 without insurance seems seriously steep compared to other imported European B-segment cars such as the Volkswagen CrossPolo and the Fiat Bravo GT. In fact, it’s even more expensive than the Polo GTI!

A more powerful version of the Clio is offered in the form of the 3-door Clio RS 197. This one will cost you RM210,182.00 OTR without insurance, which is almost a RM15K drop from the previously indicated price of RM224,675.50. The RS 197’s 2.0 liter engine produces 197bhp at 7,250rpm and 217Nm of torque at 5,550rpm, mated to a 5-speed manual transmission.

Two versions of the Megane are available - a coupe-cabriolet that allows you to enjoy an open top driving experience and the R26 Sport hot hatch.

The Megane Coupe-Cabriolet has had a small price drop of RM233,541.50 to the new price of RM229,931.00. It is powered by a regular 2.0 liter engine producing 135hp at 5,500rpm and 191Nm of torque at lower than usual 3,750rpm. This engine is mated to a Tiptronic 4-speed automatic transmission. An earlier pricelist also indicated the Megane CC had only 4 airbags, but at time of launch this has been upped to 6. Although the Megane III has just been launched, this Megane CC still remains fresh as there is no convertible version of the Megane III yet, but I’m not sure for how long.

The Megane R26 Sport is now about RM20k cheaper at RM229,988.00. This one is a scorcher, producing 230 horsepower at 5,500rpm and 310Nm of torque at 3,000rpm, mated to a 6-speed manual. These figures top the Golf GTI’s performance figures of 200 PS and 280Nm of torque, but you will have to do the shift-work yourself.

The final choice is a practical one - the Renault Grand Espace MPV with 7 seats. It has a turbocharged engine which means loads of torque to haul the vehicle around even when its fully loaded, which should provide a relaxed drive. You get 170 horsepower at 5,000rpm and 270Nm of torque at 3,250rpm while only paying road tax for a 2.0 liter engine. The Grand Espace costs RM289,967.00, down from RM294,938.75.

Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Datuk Shahrir Samad has indicated that the prices of petrol and diesel could be reduced again by the end of October 2008 as world crude oil prices were still on a downward trend.

He added that revising the price of petrol and diesel is easier now as the matter no longer had to be discussed in the Cabinet, but instead can be decided through a meeting of a few key ministers chaired by the PM. I think as earlier promised, we are slowly moving towards having a floating price for petrol and diesel that is revised twice a month, with potential to be even more frequent in the future.

The last fuel price slash was a couple of days ago on the 15th of October 2008. RON97 fuel was slashed 15 sen from RM2.45 per liter to RM2.30 per liter, while RON92 and Diesel fuel were slashed to the same RM2.20 per liter.

Interestingly, the minister also mentioned that the government cannot bring down prices drastically as it could have adverse effects in the supply chain, but it seems that they have no qualms about increasing it drastically as proven in the past.

I suppose he is referring to the petrol station operators suffer losses if fuel price goes down by a large margin while they still have stocks of fuel purchased at the old price. Even when fuel prices went up, they had something to complain about - the margin of profit for every liter sold which they claimed remained the same while the cost of fuel went up.

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UPDATE: Nissan Navara with 174 PS launched in Malaysia! - follow the link for full information on prices, specifications and photos!

The most powerful pick-up truck in Malaysia is coming soon - the Nissan Navara! Edaran Tan Chong Motor has launched a teaser microsite for the upcoming Nissan Navara, and they call it one big mother trucker!

Specs on the microsite confirms that we will not be getting any detuned or lame version of the Navara’s 2.5 liter engine, we will be getting the powerful common rail intercooled direct injected version with a Variable Nozzle Turbo (VGT) producing a powerful 174 PS at 4,000rpm and 403Nm of torque at 2,000rpm.

Unlike the Frontier which came with a 5-speed manual only, the new Nissan Navara will come with a 5-speed automatic transmission with an easy rotary switch for shifting between 2WD and 4WD modes. 2H and 4H modes can be shifted on the fly at speeds of under 100km/h. You will likely have to stop to switch into the low-ratio 4L mode, but the rotary switch makes it easier than a shift lever.

This is probably also the first pick-up truck in Malaysia equipped with Xenon HID headlamps, which ETCM carefully states on the site is fully JPJ-compliant. The vehicle also has dual SRS airbags for the front passenger and driver. A version with leather seats will also be available, while in-car audio is served by a 2-DIN audio system with 4 speakers and 2 tweeters.

The specs of the Navara indicates a rather premium positioning - leather seats, the powerful engine and the xenon headlamps are proof of that. The microsite does not indicate a price and I’m not sure whether a cheaper version with less specs but retaining the powerful engine (or a manual version) will be available either, so we will just have to wait and see whether an indicated launch date appears anywhere on the internet.

Volkswagen Malaysia has unveiled the Volkswagen Tiguan to the press yesterday, a prelude to a nationwide launch that will be held on this coming 18th of October. The Tiguan was launched in the European market in the mid of 2007 and has since entered other markets to other countries such as Russia and Singapore.

Now you may be wondering what Tiguan means. It’s apparently derived from from two animals - Tiger and Iguana. The power of a tiger and the off-roading capabilities of an iguana, it seems.

Look after the jump for more details on the new Volkswagen Tiguan.

Click here to read the rest of Volkswagen Tiguan 2.0 TSI on sale in Malaysia!

Toyota has given the 7-seater Toyota Avanza a second facelift, after the first facelift that also debuted the 1.5 liter model in Malaysia, and it will be coming to Malaysia almost immediately right after the Indonesian launch this morning.

Five spec levels will be available in Malaysia - the 1.5S (RM78.5k), the 1.5G (RM74.5k), the 1.5E (RM70k), the 1.3E automatic (RM65.8k) and the 1.3E manual (RM62.5k). All the 1.5 liter versions only come with automatic transmissions. These are estimated prices for Peninsular Malaysia private registration.

The changes on the exterior are mostly aesthetic, while on the interior you get a new dashboard colour that is a mixture of grey and beige that Toyota calls “greige”. The 3-spoke steering wheel is also now a 4-spoke design while the center dash area where the air cond controls and head unit are is now done up in a colour called “smoke silver”.

It seems that the ceiling of the car also gets slightly reshaped with little guidelines that help guide the air conditioning from the front blowers to the third row. There is also added insulation in the roof to reduce the noise that raindrops make when it hits the car’s roof.

In Indonesia, the S-spec model gets a 2-DIN head unit instead of a 1-DIN versions as well as a gated shifter, but a quick glance at the preview specs of the facelifted Avanza posted up on UMW Toyota’s website shows we still get a 1-DIN version. However, all of the automatic models in Malaysia get the gated shifter, not just the S-spec model.

Another change that’s quite obvious from the photo above is a new colour - white. It’s a very basic facelift, minor changes that are done just to extend the lifespan of this model that has been around since 2004 and facelifted once in 2006. If you follow a 5 year model lifespan it should be retiring next year but it looks like the Avanza will be around for quite sometime.

Click here to read the rest of Toyota gives the Toyota Avanza another facelift!

It was just a few days ago that Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Datuk Shahrir Abdul Samad said a fuel price cut could be coming at the end of the month, but it looks like the government has decided to drop the prices earlier - tomorrow! The amount slashes is also more than the maximum of 12 sen that was previously indicated.

The following are the new prices of fuel in Malaysia slashed between 10 sen to 20 sen, effective on the 15th of October 2008:

Theophilus Chin’s “Waja 2″ rendering, a Waja/Perdana replacement model - what could happen if Proton pulled a SEAT and rebadged an Audi A4.

Proton managing director Datuk Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir revealed a few details on what’s coming up on Proton’s roadmap in the future. The following is a quick summary of what’s hopefully going to happen if everything goes well:

• Proton is in discussions with shareholders on the issue of strategic collaborations with a partner that could complement Proton’s existing markets instead of competing directly against it. Collaboration include areas like technology, vehicle platforms, improve efficiency, etc.
• Next generation Waja and Perdana will be a partnership with other manufacturers. The Proton Waja replacement should be out by early 2010. It seems that Proton is working with one partner for the Waja project and a different one for the Perdana project.
• A decision to be made soon on a new engine family that will replace the Campro engine by 2014, preferably a collaboration with another company for better economies of scale.
• A small capacity diesel engine for passenger cars from either PSA Peugeot Citroen or Fiat. The 1.3 liter Fiat JTD turbodiesel engine seems to be cheap enough for the diesel-powered Tata Indica Vista Quadra Jet so it could be cheap enough for Proton. It is available in various states of tune. Tata uses the 75 PS version. This engine won the 2005 International Engine of the Year award for the 1.0 liter to 1.4 liter category.
• Evaluation and testing of hybrid and electric technology for cars.
• Consolidation of dealer network to continue. Optimum value is said to be 200 outlets, while the current number stands at just under 300.
• Proton MPV launch in March 2009, targets 50k-60k global combined annual sales.
• Proton will continue to monitor and be cautious about the China partnership with Youngman. Syed Zainal says Proton is looking at how they are performing and will not hesitate to make a move if there are obstacles. Proton could appoint another dealer if it feels it is necessary, but this remains to be decided until after the Persona is launched in China. Proton cars are sold in China by Youngman under the Europestar badge.

Look after the jump for a rear 3/4 view of Theophilus Chin’s rendering.

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Click here to read the rest of Proton unveils details on its roadmap, new petrol and diesel engines

Based on the average monthly fuel price so far, Datuk Shahrir Samad has indicated a probable reduction in petrol prices of up to a maximum of 12 sen by the end of October 2008. If the maximum of 12 sen reduction is achieved, this would mean RON97 fuel could cost RM2.33 per liter, down from the current RM2.45 per liter. This maximum drop is possible if crude oil prices average out below US$104 per barrel.

Our petrol price is dependent on two factors - the price of crude oil itself and the exchange rate between USD and MYR. Datuk Shahrir mentioned that at current exchange rate prices, oil per barrel has to be US$72 for a RM1.92 petrol price. If we want to enjoy a RM1.92 price with oil costing more than US$72 per barrel, our ringgit instead needs to appreciate against the US dollar.

It’s Datuk Takeo Fukui from today onwards, as the CEO of Honda Motor Co Ltd Japan will receive the Darjah Mulia Seri Melaka (DMSM) which carries the title Datuk today at the 70th birthday of Malacca’s Yang di-Pertua Negri Tun Mohd Khalil Yaakob.

He joined Honda in 1969 and has been working his way up the ladder ever since, up to the CEO position he is currently holding since 2003. He started off as an engineer and worked on the CVCC project, and later became chief engineer of the Honda R&D Company and later president.

The Datukship is probably because of Honda’s contribution to the economy of Malacca via it’s assembly plant in Pegoh Alor Gajah, which also exports parts such as CV joints and bumpers.

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The new updated Perodua Myvi SE has been launched in the Malaysian market, so let’s have a look through what’s new with this Special Edition model compared to the recently unveiled Perodua Myvi facelift.

The Perodua Myvi SE is essentially an easy way to accessorize your Perodua Myvi with all the costs of making it look different from the run of the mill Myvi factored into the hire purchase loan for you and installed straight from the factory.

What you get is a new bodykit featuring a different front bumper and a different rear bumper, a spoiler, and different 14″ alloy wheels. The new rear bumper features a diffuser-like design which looks so much better than the pre-facelift Myvi SE’s rear bumper. The taillamps are also now of a clear design and keep the LED lighting units inside while the headlamps are of a blacked out design.

On the interior you get leather upholstery on the seats as well as the steering wheel. The head unit is no longer integrated but of a 2-DIN type and comes standard with CD, MP3 and WMA capability. It can also load your music files from a USB drive, and it has Bluetooth capabilities. The instrument panel follows the facelifted Myvi’s three-gauge design but instead of being blue and white, it lights up in amber.

Interestingly the cute yellow Myvi that we saw in the spyshots is missing from the line-up of both the standard facelifted Myvi and this new Myvi SE. You do get one new colour - Tangerine Orange. Other colour options for the SE include Ivory White, Ebony Black, Glittering Siver or Pearl White. Pearl White is designated a “special metallic” colour that costs more than your normal metallic.

Basically that’s it - the enhancements are all aesthetics. The engine is still the same 1.3 liter unit producing 86 horsepower at 6,000rpm and 116Nm of torque at 3,200rpm, and the brakes are still discs at the front and drums at the rear.

The following are the prices for the new Perodua Myvi SE:

Look after the jump for more photos of the Myvi SE including all colours.

Click here to read the rest of 2008 Perodua Myvi SE - full details and prices