Archive for Local News

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.

Source

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.

Source

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

Malaysian Peugeot distributors Nasim Sdn Bhd is having a test drive campaign for its new facelifted locally assembled Peugeot 407. Anyone can drop by the Peugeot Blue Box Glenmarie or Peugeot Bangsar on the 17th and 18th of October 2008 between 10am until 7pm to have a try at the 407.

The Peugeot 407 costs RM125,888 for the standard version and RM133,888 for the high-spec version - prices that are actually very very good for a European D-segment sedan fully loaded with high equipment levels such as 7 airbags and a good 10-speaker JBL stereo system. Read my previous story on the locally assembled Peugeot 407 for the full specs, photos and pricing.

Click for enlarged image

Perodua has put up a preview teaser site for the new Perodua Myvi SE facelift. It’s quite a multimedia-heavy effort, and it seems that they’re spending alot on the internet, with even an Adsense campaign going online this week.

On the teaser site, you basically travel down some city streets and you pass signboards with teaser images of the new Myvi SE. You have to click on the signboard to view each teaser image. The images appear shrouded, but you can move your mouse around to uncover bits of the image. The countdown timer on the site indicates the car will be unveiled in approximately 6 days and 17 hours time at time of publishing.

That’s 6PM, Thursday October 9 2008.

Look after the jump for unshrouded versions of the teasers.

Click here to read the rest of Perodua Myvi SE Facelift Teaser Goes Online!

The Proton MPV Naming Contest is now closed and Proton says they received a total of over 251,000 entries, or about 11,000 a day consistently. A team of professional auditors have been appointed to audit the selection process and the winners will be notified sometime in October 2008.

“This is a historic moment for us and we would like the public to play a big part in naming the new MPV. We hope the MPV will be Malaysia’s Preferred Vehicle in terms of style, price and utilization,” said Proton managing director Datuk Syed Zainal.

Related Posts:
Proton MPV - exclusive initial details revealed!
Proton MPV - first batch to roll-out mid-September 2008
Proton MPV sketches preview production model
First sighting of new Proton MPV test mule

Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Datuk Shahrir Abdul Samad says it is possible for further reduction of petrol and diesel prices in November 2008 if the average crude oil prices for October 2008 remain below US$104.

Let’s just pray that this happens! The current lower prices are partly due to the failure of the US$700 billion US financial sector bailout to pass through the US House of Representatives voting. The Bush administration is now trying to pass a revised bid and if this goes through, we may see crude oil prices go up again in anticipation of higher demand from the US, who are the biggest consumers of the commodity.

The government dropped a bomb on us on the 5th of June this year by raising RON97 petrol prices from RM1.92 per liter up to RM2.70 per liter. It then reduced prices to RM2.55 in August and RM2.45 in September.

The government has reduced the price of fuel in Malaysia by RM0.10 per liter across the board for all three types of fuel.

Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Datuk Shahrir Samad said the government could only manage a RM0.10 reduction because although crude oil prices have dropped, the ringgit has depreciated against the US dollar.

He added that according to calculations the government could only reduce prices by RM0.07 sen but decided to increase subsidy by another RM0.03 sen to make it a total of a RM0.10 price reduction. It would be interesting to see how this is calculated.

The following are the new prices for petrol and diesel in Malaysia, effective tomorrow:

This means that for a full tank of 50 liters, you get to save RM5 per fuel tank or between RM20 to RM30 depending on whether you fill up between 4 to 6 times a month. I hope this means something to those that are needy out there, but as for me I do not feel like I will be saving much. Selamat Hari Raya!

According to a report by Utusan Malaysia, all federal and state roads will have its speed limits reduced by 10km/h between the 25th of September 2008 to the 12th of October 2008. Transport Ministry secretary general Datuk Zakaria Bahari says this move is part of an effort to “reduce highway accidents” during the Hari Raya season.

It looks like law-abiding citizens will have to set off earlier for their balik kampung trips thanks to the lower speed limit. This is actually not something new - apparently lowering the speed limit has been in practice since 2006.

Frankly I don’t see how lower speed limits will reduce accidents as the speed limits are already very reasonable (there was even a proposal to raise the highway limit to 120km/h some time ago) as it is and on the smooth parts of the PLUS highway, travelling at a pace of 110km/h may even cause some people to feel sleepy.