Archive for Local News

The new Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X will hit the streets of Malaysia this week through official importer/distributor Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia Sdn Bhd. As of time of posting, a countdown timer on the Lancer Evolution teaser microsite shows another 2 days and 22 hours until launch its launch on the 21st of August 2008.

The teaser site lists the Twin Clutch SST gearbox as one of the features, so the twin clutch model is sure to be in - the only question would be if the manual model will be available. The car will have Recaro bucket seats done up in combination leather.

More updates to come later when the car is officially launched!

Click for hi-res photo

Honda Malaysia has been participating in the Merdeka Millennium Endurance (MME) race since the year 2002 and held the Overall Title for 5 consecutive years. The MME is a 12-hour endurance race and will happen on the Saturday of the 30th of August 2008, 1130am to 1130pm at the Sepang International Circuit.

This year’s Honda Malaysia Racing Team consists of 34 team members (up 4 from last year’s 30), with 5 carried over from last year’s team. The rest - all 29 members - are new to HMRT this year.

Click here to read the rest of Honda Malaysia Racing Team in the Merdeka Millennium Endurance Race 2008

The Prime Minister has put the ball in Proton’s court with regards to finding a foreign partner (if Proton deems it necessary).

Commenting on the earlier this week on GM’s supposed renewed interest in Proton, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi told Proton to do its own evaluation on a foreign partner and submit it to the government for consideration.

The saying goes “talk is cheap” and especially so in these flip-flop days, but this could mean either one of two things. One - the PM could have renewed confidence in the aptitude of Proton’s management, trusting them to decide on such business matters.

In previous partnership talks it looked like Khazanah Nasional was handling everything, to the point that when this news piece on GM broke in the media, Proton said partnership talks should go through Khazanah.

The other possibility is something abit more negative but interesting - the government could want to appear to wash it hands clean off Proton matters after previous talks failed.

As for GM’s renewed interest in Proton, some updates have emerged. Sources reveal that Steve Carlisle had actually told the media that it would be open to exploring partnerships including a partnership with Proton if Proton or Khazanah Nasional were to ever approach GM to renew talks, but did not specifically say GM wanted to or was happy to re-open partnership talks.

What he actually meant was GM would be open to evaluate any potential partnerships - and any interest would depend entirely on the evaluation results. The sources used by our previous report as references had jumped the gun a little.

Source

The facelifted Toyota Fortuner has made an appearance on UMW Toyota’s website. The 7-seater SUV based on the Toyota Hilux IMV platform now features a “frowny” grille - that is it curves outwards downwards - and new headlamps with a different shape to fit the new grille.

The front bumper looks somewhat similiar to the pre-facelift (shown left), but new is the option for a TRD bodykit which we’ve not yet had a chance to see yet, but it could end up looking like bodykitted Fortuner facelift offered in Thailand (pics after jump), though I hope it is a different one as the Thai kit seems abit garish. Something based on the TRD Hilux would be nice. The headlamps also now seem to feature a projector lense, an upgrade from the reflectors of the prefacelift Fortuner.

As with the Hilux, the 2.5 liter turbodiesel in the facelifted Fortuner remains the same, producing 102 PS at 3,600rpm and 260Nm of torque between 1,600 to 2,400rpm. The petrol-powered 2.7V uses a 2.7 liter inline-4 engine putting out 160 PS at 5,200rpm and 241Nm of torque at 3,800rpm. Both engines use a 4-speed Super ECT automatic. When the Fortuner was first introduced, the diesel was only available with a 5-speed manual.

Lastly, unlike the Hilux which uses a part-time 4WD system with an LSD at the rear, the Fortuner uses a full-time 4WD system with a Torsen LSD.

The following are the estimated prices for individual registration in Peninsular Malaysia:

For all other prices, head on to the facelifted Fortuner preview page at UMW Toyota. Look after the jump for more photos of the facelifted Fortuner from Toyota’s Thailand site.

Click here to read the rest of Toyota Fortuner facelift initial details revealed!

Shell Malaysia launched a new diesel yesterday and the fuel is already available at pumps. Shell claims the new Shell diesel features better combustion characteristics, helps clean your engine, has better anti-foam properties and finally better anti-corrosion properties. It will replace the existing diesel offering and will be sold at normal prices.

As for sulphur levels, Shell Malaysia says the diesel fuel is compliant with Malaysia’s current MS123 diesel standards. The previous proposal by the government to bring our fuel quality up to Euro II has been postponed. MS123 calls for a maximum sulphur content of 3000ppm while Euro II calls for a max of 500ppm.

There was a story on this blog posted in early 2007 referencing a Malaysian research paper revealing the sulphur levels of fuel sold by all fuel companies in Malaysia. It was revealed that out of the 6 fuel brands at that time, 5 had already complied with Euro II’s maximum sulphur content requirements with figures of 300, 500, 200, 260 and 260 ppm respectively. The one remaining fuel brand had sulphur content that was significantly higher than the rest at 2800ppm.

It’s just too bad that the paper did not reveal the brands, choosing only to label them as A, B, C, D, E, and F. It’s such a shame that we are stuck paying a significantly higher price for diesel now, yet only get MS123 grade diesel.

Shell Singapore already offers 50ppm diesel at their stations (called Ultra Low Sulphur Diesel) in compliance with Singaporean legislation.

Do read the 2007 story about the research paper to find out more about the quality levels of fuel in Malaysia. You will discover that not all fuels are the same!

Related Posts:
Analyzing fuel quality in Malaysia: 3 out of 6 already Euro II compliant for petrol

Various officials from within the government have been calling for Proton to continue looking for a foreign partner. The national automaker previously had failed talks with PSA Peugeot Citroen, Volkswagen and General Motors.

The Volkswagen deal would probably have gone through if it were not for Khazanah Nasional pulling out of the talks at the last minute, saying it had to give Proton more time to turn around before any equity/partnership deal could be cemented to ensure a fair deal for Proton.

Bernama reports today that General Motors’ Southeast Asian operations president Steve Carlisle (photo on the left) is willing to restart negotiations with Proton Holdings Berhad on taking up a stake in the company.

This comes just after GM announced it will invest US$445 million in Thailand to build a diesel engine plant next to its existing assembly facility. The new diesel plant will supply inline-4 diesel engines for GM’s trucks in Thailand and global markets.

When contacted, Proton Holdings informed Bernama that it had not been approached by General Motors for any negotiations. Proton also said that since any possible partnership would most likely involve talks of a share transfer, any interest from GM should be directed to its majority shareholder Khazanah Nasional instead.

So there we have it ladies and gentlemen. GM says Proton can come talk anytime, Proton says GM can come talk to Khazanah anytime. Who will make the first move? If talks do restart and a partnership involving stakeholding happens, GM may designate Thailand its truck production center and Malaysia its passenger car output center for cars like the upcoming Chevrolet Cruze.

Click for hi-res image

Sand blasting is process where a certain media is blasted onto metal parts, which in this case can be just a sheet metal, a door, or even an entire car. The outer layer of paint, primer and body cement is removed as a result of the specified media cutting its way through, revealing the bare metal on the inside.

Generally, most body parts on classic cars are made of steel; which is an alloy of iron (some classics are made of aluminum; which corrodes very slowly) and most of us classic car enthusiasts out there would agree that restoring a classic with a bad body condition isn’t the best of ideas.

Who you gonna call… rust busters!

You have to spend more money if your potential restoration project is mostly coated with rust, and to make it worse, if these rusty areas are not treated properly, they will come back and haunt you in a matter of months, mostly in a form of “bubbles” on your brand new paintwork.

Now with the help of two local entrepreneurs Ramesh Subrayan and Paramjit Singh, you can kiss removing paint, primer and cement by hand scrapper good bye as these two have paired up and established one of Malaysia’s first complete sand blasting facilities for classic cars. Yes, I am talking about sand blasting an entire car, just like what you see on shows such as Overhaulin’ or American Hot Rod.

Before and after - Click for hi-res image

According to Ramesh, Garnet is used as the sand blasting media and after the sand blasting is performed, you can see a smooth bare metal finish and visible holes as result of previous rust or oxidation. Here is a brief breakdown of the entire process:

1. Bare car shell arrives (completely de-constructed)
2. Car is mounted on the “Rotisserie”. (Some welded, some screwed)
3. Blasting begins using Garnet (different & mixed sizes) for external body, underneath floor board etc. Garnet is used as it permits the body shell to have a minimum 5 days period before oxidation occurs even without any treatment (Rust Inhibitor, Epoxy Primer etc)
4. Blasting performed according to SA 2.5 Charts (where it leaves behind 5% of existing sheet condition as it is preferred by most rust inhibitor products). Blasting equipment & Compressor used are of high end “all in one” (Built-in dryer, regulator, remote control system etc)
5. Special equipment are used to measure metal profile
6. Client’s inspection

Harvey Dent car, one half blasted - Click for hi-res image

Before the car or specific body parts are sent for welding, it will be treated with a layer of Epoxy Primer that would protect the bare metal from potential rust.

Sand blasting your rusty classic is so far the best thing to do if you are looking to a have body condition which is almost as good as new. The paintwork finish of a sand blasted shell is likely to stand out even more, outlining the beautiful lines of your evergreen and unique classic.

It is definitely worth thinking about even for low budget restoration projects as the cost of sand blasting an entire body shell is about RM3,500.00.

For more information, please feel free to contact Ramesh from CADBiz Sdn. Bhd. (based in Subang Industrial Park, Selangor) at 016-3663160.

Story by Harvinder Singh Sidhu

The Proton Vendors Association (PVA) and Kelab Vendor Perodua (KVP) are pushing for the excise duty for cars, MPVs and SUVs to be set at the same level. According to the two associations, the excise duty for MPVs and SUVs are currently lower than those of passenger cars.

They say the government will benefit from such a move because of higher excise duty income, and the related authorities will also benefit from the simplicity of multiple vehicle types being assigned a single tax category. They say the increased duties will encourage automakers to locally assemble their MPVs and SUVs, and for those who are already assembling them locally, it will encourage a higher use of local content.

We all know that both Proton and Perodua will be introducing MPV vehicles in 2009. This push for a single excise duty will definitely benefit the Proton MPV and Perodua MPV as the percentage of local content in the two vehicles will be higher than locally assembled or ASEAN-imported foreign makes.

Also in the memorandum sent to the Ministry of International Trade and Industry is the recommendation of streamlining the road tax prices for both petrol and diesel vehicles to promote the use of fuel efficient diesel vehicles, a proposal to scrap import duties on automotive-related raw materials, and a proposal for a vehicle end of life policy.

Yup, in times where fuel prices are so high, they’re still trying to get the government to take away that 25 year old car that you’re forced to use because your monthly fuel expenditure is too high for you to afford the loan repayments of a new car.

Source

Honda Malaysia CEO Atsushi Fujimoto has called on the Malaysian government to provide incentives and reduce taxes for manufacturers and importers of hybrid cars. He added that the Honda Civic Hybrid is priced RM40,000 higher than the regular petrol-engined 2.0S model and was selling between one to two units a month.

“If there’s government assistance, it will be better for us as we can sell more hybrid cars,” said Fujimoto-san. MITI minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has already indicated in the past that MITI will consider revising the rates for CBU hybrid cars. With pushes from both principals as well as grey importers with strong connections such as Premier Hybrid Cars, we could really see something happening with hybrid car taxes in the future.

However, at the same time the PM is also pushing for Proton to come out with a hybrid car and Proton has reported they are collaborating with hybrid component suppliers for a hybrid car that could be ready for market in 2 to 3 years if it finds it feasible.

So there is also a possibility for MITI pull a flip flop and instead put up a protective policy for Proton’s hybrid car. Let’s cross fingers and hope this does not happen.

Source

Most car companies in Malaysia ignore their online presence or simply let it wither, but for car companies that really invest in their websites like Honda and Toyota, sometimes the latest on their brands can be found on their websites first instead of anywhere else, just like how the Nissan Sylphy’s specs were posted on ETCM’s website before anyone else.

Toyota’s entire IMV range is being facelifted right now, and we’ve already seen a disguised facelifted Innova plowing Indonesian roads earlier. As for the Hilux, UMW Toyota Motor has revealed the facelifted version of the Toyota Hilux on their website.

On the exterior you get new wing mirrors with signal indicators, a new front bumper, a new front grille and new alloy wheels. According to the released specs there is no change in the power output level of the 2.5 liter D4-D engine. It remains at 102 PS at 3,600rpm and 260Nm of torque between 1,600rpm to 2,400rpm. The following are estimated prices:

All prices are an estimation only and are for Peninsular Malaysia, individual registration except the single cab which is the price for company private registration. Go to the Hilux microsite for the rest of the prices for different registration and regions.The Fortuner facelift could follow the Hilux facelift’s design cues.