Archive for Local News

Minister of Housing and Local Government Datuk Seri Ong Ka Chuan said the cabinet agreed on Friday to review the price of fuel sold in Malaysia every 15 days or twice a month instead of once a month. He did not say when this would start.

Pump prices would take into consideration the average price of fuel for the 15 days and after deducting a fixed subsidy (currently supposed to be at RM0.30 per liter) and the prices at the pumps will be adjusted accordingly.

He assured the rakyat that despite this new arrangement, the government would not revise prices to above RM2.70 per liter for RON97 fuel even if the situation calls for it. The government will simply increase the amount subsidised to keep it at a max of RM2.70.

Source

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UMW Toyota Motor has relaunched its Toyota Genuine Motor Oil range of lubricants with a new look and a new formula for the premium SL/CF fully synthetic oil. The new formulation is called the Toyota Genuine Motor Oil SM/CF fully synthetic and has a gold coloured bottle. The rest of the range comes with a grey bottle.

The following are the prices for the relaunched TGMO:

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The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution is now in Malaysia, priced at RM 315,436.10 on the road without insurance together with a 1 year or 20,000km warranty. This is more expensive than what the Lancer Evolution 9 was asking for (a tad over RM280K), however looking at the specs list there are lots of extra comforts that seem to justify the sticker price.

The Evo 9 was quite a barebones car - it had the powerful engine and the advanced all-wheel drive system but that was it. It had manual climate control and a very basic audio system. In contrast to that, the new Lancer Evolution features a premium 9-speaker Rockford Fosgate Premium Sound System, and comfortable and relaxed cruising is very much achievable thanks to the automatic mode of the Twin Clutch SST gearbox. This time the officially imported Evolution comes without that pesky 180km/h JDM speed limiter!

Continue reading for the rest of the details…

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The Perodua Myvi has received a facelift 3 years after it was launched, at a time which would appropriately be mid-point in its lifecycle. There are updates with the exterior, interior, equipment as well as price, which naturally have been revised higher.

Continue reading after the jump for full details of the updated Myvi…

RELATED: 2008 Perodua Myvi SE Facelift - Full Details, Photos and Prices

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The Prime Minister has announced that the prices for RON97, RON92 and diesel fuel will receive small reductions of between 8 to 22 sen as of tomorrow.

With the new price structure, RON92 is now cheaper than diesel fuel. You may want to pump that if your car allows it. It was previously 4 sen more expensive than diesel fuel.

With diesel so expensive now, when is Malaysian diesel going to be upgraded to modern standards instead of the current MS123 standard?

The following are the new prices:

I’ll believe it when I see it at the pumps.

Lexus Malaysia has added one more model to their line-up here in Malaysia, the short wheelbase version of the Lexus LS. The Lexus LS460 is 120mm shorter than the LS460L but you may not notice it at first glance because it manages to maintain similiar proportions, unlike the luxury sedans from other manufacturers where you can see the rear door is obviously much longer.

Priced at RM663,117.50 on the road with insurance, it is more than RM100k cheaper than the LS460’s RM797,583.50 price tag. Under the hood is the same 380hp 492Nm 4.6 liter V8. The rear legroom remains impressive, and a single rear bench is now used to accomodate 3 passengers at the rear. The LS460L’s could only seat 2 because of the latter’s two individual rear seats.

Because of this, the single rear Ottoman massage seat is also gone. Also missing in this version are the ventilated leather seats and the rear entertainment system with 9 inch display. All the other premium equipment in the LS460L has been carried over including the impressive 19 speaker Mark Levinson 7.1 sound system.

Look after the jump for more photos of the LS460.

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Team Proton Axle’s Faidzil Alang beat 25 other cars and took the chequered flag today at the Bira International Circuit in Thailand, ensuring a driver’s crown win for the team in the inaugural Asian Touring Car 1500Max Series race.

This is Faidzil’s fourth win in the series, chalking up another 15 points bringing his total championship points up to 96 points. The team’s other driver Syafiq Ali is in second place in overall standings with 72 points. Looking at the current standings, it is only possible for Faidzil or Syafiq to win the driver’s title.

The Asian Touring Car 1500 Max Series race is a new regional championship for normally aspirated cars below 1599cc. Example cars that can participate include the Honda Jazz, Peugeot 206, Vios, GEN2, Satria Neo, Waja, Saga, Swift, Aveo and others.

The cars raced by Team Proton Axle are Proton Satria Neo 1500 Max ATCS cars built by Proton’s Race Rally Research division in Shah Alam. The team is managed by Alex Yoong. Other than the two main drivers mentioned (Faidzil Alang and Syafiq Ali), the support driver role is filled by Sanjeev Palar.

1500Max cars are allowed to have bodykits, a 17 inch wheel size, wings, suspension tuning and engine tuning. The engines must be normally aspirated. The race has a strict power to weight ratio rule for the cars to ensure all drivers have an equal chance of winning. Also, winning cars in each race has to have a success ballast added onto the car in the next race.

The next stop for the 1500Max race is Chengdu, China. Look after the jump for more images of our 1500Max Satria Neos.

Related Story:
MEM Proton Satria Neo Super 2000 - Specifications and Photos

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Many considered the BMW X6 to be quite bizarre when it first came out. Its top half was of a coupe but with a bottom half of an SUV. Kind of like the love child of a 6-Series and a BMW X5. To top it all off the sloping roof threatened to destroy rear headroom in the way the GEN2’s roofline did, and it only sat 4 instead of 5.

Despite all of that many were taken in by its sexy looks and already over 6,000 units have been sold since its launch 3 months ago in Spartanburg, USA. Three models are available - two petrol and one diesel, and all three are turbocharged. The X6 was the vehicle chosen to debut BMW’s new 4.8 liter twin turbocharged V8.

The BMW X6 is now in Malaysia. One variant is available immediately, with the other two to follow next year. The BMW X6 xDrive35i is priced at RM698,000 on the road without insurance, with BMW Service Inclusive + Repair. The xDrive35i model is powered by the N54 3.0 liter twin turbocharged inline-6 engine that produces 306 horsepower thanks to its twin parallel turbochargers and direct injection.

The other two X6 models available worldwide is the xDrive50i powered by the 4.8 liter twin turbo V8, and the xDrive35d powered by the sequential twin turbocharged 3.0 liter diesel engine from the 335d. I don’t think BMW Malaysia has introduced any models with the twin turbo diesel here in Malaysia (thanks to our diesel quality), so we may have to skip that one and have only one additional variant.

The X6 looked quite menacing in real life, with its huge wheels and equally large disc brakes. BMW had two cars showcased at its launch event - one was grey and the other was red. The red one had a fully black interior while the grey one was a combination of a black dash and beige seats.

Rear headroom was pretty much as expected (example photo after jump) - not as bad as 2+2 seaters but if you are a tall person the top of your head would be just a few millimeters away from the ceiling, which may not go well with people who feel claustrophobic.

Hopefully BMW will register a test drive unit for the media. But for the moment, please enjoy some photos of the X6 after the jump.

Related Stories:
BMW X6: full details, specifications and photos
BMW Concept X6 ActiveHybrid at Frankfurt 2007

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Honda has launched the new Honda Jazz in Malaysia and although the two engine options are gone, the single i-VTEC engined model comes in two different equipment levels - Grade S and Grade V priced at RM104,800 and RM109,800 respectively.

Let’s look at the new Honda Jazz after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of New Honda Jazz S and V launched in Malaysia

Sime Darby Auto Connexion Sdn Bhd has launched a new variant of the Ford Ranger called the Ford Ranger XL. Compared to the TDCi-powered XLT, the XL loses some equipment such as the lack of airbags and a less powerful engine.

Under the hood of the Ranger XL lies a less sophisticated 2.5 liter 12 valve SOHC indirect injection turbodiesel engine producing 109 PS at 3,500rpm and 257Nm of torque at 2,000rpm, compared to the TDCi’s 2.5 liter 16 valve DOHC direct injection turbodiesel with a VGT turbocharger producing 143 PS. The Ranger XL is also only available with a 5-speed manual, but the good news is the 4X4 system remains.

The Ranger XL has a different, less chunkier steering wheel. It has 16 inch alloys, fog lamps, an MP3-capable CD player, electronically controllable side mirrors and a tilt adjustable steering wheel. For a limited introductory period, customers will get a free bed liner and sport bar.

It comes with a 3 year or 100,000km warranty finished in 6 colours - Black Mica, Arizona Gold, Silver Metallic, Titanium Gray, Ranger Red and Solid White. It is priced at RM69,888 in Peninsular Malaysia nad RM73,388 in East Malaysia.

Look after the jump for photos of the interior, and promotional bed liner and sport bar.

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