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Peugeot 207 Sedan (Project T33) spotted in Rawang!

August 6, 2010 at 11:35 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Naza, Peugeot

Two units of Naza’s T33 Project have been spotted on the road by our own Danny Tan in Rawang! These two red cars are the latest locally assembled Peugeot cars soon to be offered in Malaysia, perhaps by the end of the year?

These shots are actually quite revealing. There are some minor tape on the car but the headlamps and tail lamps are quite clearly visible. Of course we can’t say for 100% sure if any of what we see here will make it to the final product or not.

The T33 Project is basically the Peugeot 207 Sedan, which will be built in Gurun for the local market as well as the ASEAN region. There has already been news in the Indonesian media that they will also be getting the 207 Sedan, imported from Malaysia in early 2011, so export plans are firmly in place. 18,000 of 207 Sedans are planned to be rolled out of Naza’s Gurun plant annually.

It will be offered with a 1.6 litre engine, which is a welcome upgrade from the 1.4 litre found in the Naza 206.

Look after the jump for the rest of the snapshots.
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Perodua vendors to enjoy “end-to-end supply chain financing” from CIMB Group

August 5, 2010 at 6:42 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Perodua

Perodua and CIMB Group signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) hours ago that will enable the carmaker’s vendors to enjoy “end-to-end supply chain financing” that will increase their liquidity and help their working capital management. This financing program is the first of its kind in Malaysia.

How does this “end-to-end” financing scheme benefit the vendors? Supply chain financing is divided into 2 parts – pre-delivery financing and post-delivery financing. The former is when the vendor needs financing for raw materials to make the parts, while the latter is when the parts are already delivered to Perodua, but without payment coming in yet. “This scheme will finance the gap,” said Dato’ Charon Wardini, Deputy CEO, Corporate & Investment Banking, CIMB Group.

In pre-delivery stage, vendors obtain financing based on monthly order value to pay for raw materials while post-delivery financing is obtained upon submission of invoices and documents to Perodua. Upon maturity of the invoices, Perodua will pay CIMB to settle the vendors’ financing. Which means instant cash to them, which is not the case normally.

The financing will provide vendors with cashflow to buy raw materials, produce the parts and focus on next month’s order. “Better cashflow can lead to better productivity,” said Aminar Rashid Salleh, Perodua’s MD. SMEs can find it hard to find financing, and this scheme, which comes with “competitive and reasonable rates”, makes it easy for approved Perodua vendors, the panel explained.

Perodua has a total of 141 vendors which it helped develop with tech training and tech transfer. Aminar points out that local content in Perodua’s cars has increased through the years, from 47% in the Kancil to 80% with the Myvi. The Viva had 85% local content when it rolled out in 2007 while the latest Alza has 90%. The Rawang based carmaker is estimated to purchase RM3.8 billion worth of parts from local vendors this year.

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Ivan Lau wins Rd2 of Goodyear International Drift Series!

August 2, 2010 at 4:52 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Local News, Motorsports

Round 2 of the Goodyear International Drift Series (GIDS) happened yesterday (1 August) at the Melaka International Motorsport Circuit (MIMC) and Ivan Lau of Team Bridgestone continued his good run when he defeated teammate Tan Tat Wei in the finals. With this victory, Lau has improved on his second place in Rd1 of GIDS in Putrajaya back in June. Completing the podium was Ariff Johanis from Team Goodyear Malaysia, who defeated crowd favourite Tengku Djan in the third place battle.

It was dark and cloudy all day at the circuit adjacent to the Ayer Keroh highway turnoff, but rain did not materialise. Although promotional material showed the Holden Commodore of Rd1 winner Fanga Dan, the Kiwi didn’t take part in this round. No matter, as the best from the Malaysian drift scene, along with lesser known hopefuls, were out to impress and take a shot at the RM10,000 main prize and bragging rights.

UPDATE: Live gallery added. Full report after the jump.
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RENDERING: Lancer-based Proton Waja replacement model

August 2, 2010 at 2:14 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Malaysian Makes, Proton, Proton Inspira - full details, specifications and test drive

As per some of your requests, Theophilus Chin has whipped up some artist renderings of what a new Lancer-based Proton Waja Replacement Model could look like, based on the disguised car we saw earlier today. Please remember the image above is just a rendering based on the disguised car and is not representative of any product Proton might launch in the future. Look after the jump for another front three quarter view. You can click any of the two renderings in this post for a larger view.
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Goodyear International Drift Series in Melaka tomorrow!

July 31, 2010 at 7:30 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Local News, Motorsports

Round 2 of the Goodyear International Drift Series happens tomorrow (1 August) at the Melaka International Motorsport Circuit (MIMC), which is adjacent to the Ayer Keroh highway exit. Tickets can be purchased on-site and are priced at RM20 for grandstand and RM5 for walkabout passes. Gates are open to the public at 11:30 am when qualifying for the top-16 tandem duels start.

Round 1 of Goodyear IDS took place in Putrajaya last month, where Kiwi drifter Daniel Woolhouse a.k.a Fanga Dan prevailed in the final duel with Malaysia’s Ivan Lau. Fanga Dan and his Holden Commodore should be back, and he will be joined by Team Goodyear Malaysia drifters Michael Gan, Hanizam bin Hamzah, Ariff Johanis and Azrina Jane Abdullah, as well as top local and regional drifters.

Sanctioned by Formula Drift Pro Am, Goodyear IDS is a three-round Malaysian series that’s organised according to Formula Drift standards. By standards, we mean the track layout, rules, judging (Formula Drift USA judge Andy Yen was here to oversee Rd.1) and safety levels – cars that did not meet the strict technical inspection were turned away.

Click here for our report and gallery from Round 1.

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CKD BMW 523i introduced, price lowered by RM15K

July 30, 2010 at 4:57 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under BMW, Cars, Local News

BMW Group Malaysia has introduced the locally assembled BMW 523i at its assembly plant in Kulim, Kedah. The entry-level F10 5-Series was priced at RM398,800 (CBU) when it was launched in Malaysia in May, but local assembly has brought the price down to RM383,800 (OTR, without insurance, with BMW Service Inclusive + Repair). This translates to savings of RM15,000 for the customer.

The 523i is powered by a 2.5-litre straight-six (N52) with 204 bhp and 250 Nm of torque, an increase of 14 bhp and 20 Nm over its predecessor, and matching the E60 525i in torque. Paired to an eight-speed automatic gearbox, this car sprints to 100 km/h in 8.5 seconds on its way to a 234 km/h top speed.

With this CKD 523i, the price gap between it and the other variant in the range – the RM598,800 535i – is even bigger, leaving space for a mid-level F10. BMW Group Malaysia has confirmed that they will be introducing a locally assembled BMW 528i later in the year. By the way, the first shipment of CBU 523i cars was fully sold within the first month of its launch.

Operational since 2008, the BMW Assembly plant in Kulim has wheeled out over 4,900 units to date. The facility employs over 400 employees who work on the 5-Series and 3-Series. It is operated in partnership with Inokom Corporation, and while both BMW and Inokom share factory space, they operate separate assembly lines.

“The BMW assembly line facilities in Kulim are as advanced as any BMW production facility anywhere in the world and has led to the introduction of superior premium quality assembly line technology, practices and standards to Malaysia,” said Manfred Zink, Production Manager and Plant Representative of BMW Group Malaysia.

For the F10′s launch story, full spec sheet and gallery, click here.

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Nissan X-Trail revealed – RM149,500, CBU, 2.0 CVT, 2WD

July 29, 2010 at 9:23 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Nissan


Click to enlarge

Edaran Tan Chong Motor (ETCM) has unveiled the new Nissan X-Trail to the media today. As previously speculated and captured on this blog, the X-Trail is imported CBU from Indonesia, which is the production hub of the SUV for our region. It is priced at RM149,500 OTR including insurance.

We only get one engine option – the MR20DE 2.0-litre engine that also powers the Sylphy. However, in the X-Trail this all-aluminium CVTC equipped engine makes 137 bhp and 198 Nm of torque, slightly more than the Sylphy’s 131 bhp/191 Nm. Like the C-segment sedan, the engine is mated to Nissan’s Xtronic CVT, but the stepless gearbox gets a manual shift mode here with six virtual ratios to play with. Power goes solely to the front wheels.


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Size wise, the X-Trail is longer than the old model by 175 mm and slightly wider too, although wheelbase is only up by 5mm to make 2,630 mm. I believe that the picture above shows where all that extra length has gone too – the silver X-Trail is the new model, and the section aft of its rear doors is obviously longer.


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That makes for a huge boot. Despite carrying a full sized spare tyre inside the vehicle, the versatile cargo area has a square space of 603 litres. That’s in the single floor mode; in the double floor mode, the “false floor” covers 2 drawers, the right one with configurable compartments, the left one for long items like umbrellas. Like its predecessor, the luggage board is washable, perfect for the mountain bike! A tonneau cover is standard.


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The interior ditches the central instruments for a more conventional layout. Fit and finish as well as material quality is good – the main dash moulding and all door caps feature soft touch plastics. Here, you’ll find a 2-DIN stereo with USB/AUX/Bluetooth and SD card capability sandwiched by two cubby holes.


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The air-con may be manual, and the steering has no buttons or leather wrap, but the X-Trail does come with features like rear air-con vents, powered front seats (6-way adjustable for driver, 4-way for passenger), keyless entry and start and bi-xenons with washer and auto levelling. Two cupholders up front and two behind have cooling functions. Safety kit includes 2 airbags, ABS, EBD, Brake Assist, pre-tensioner seatbelts and active head restraints. According to ETCM, this is the exact same spec that attained six stars in JNCAP crash tests.

On a separate note, ETCM has confirmed that the D-segment Teana, which has been spotted on our roads, will be launched at the “end of the year” in Malaysia. The Camry/Accord fighter will be locally assembled and priced competitively, unlike their previous CBU attempt at this model.

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Naza World ‘Upgrade Promo’ for the Ramadhan month

July 29, 2010 at 4:21 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News

Naza World will be having an ‘Upgrade Promo’ during the weekend of August 6th to August 8th 2010 from 9am to 7pm at all Naza World branches throughout the country, with the biggest of all being of course the Naza PJ Automall by the Federal Highway.

No, Naza isn’t going into aftermarket upgrades in a big way – that’s not what Upgrade Promo means. It probably means it’s time to ‘upgrade’ your car in time for the Ramadhan balk kampung season with special discounts during the weekend. Last I heard that there’s the latest generation Ford Focus RS for sale at a price tag of over RM300,000.

Dato Hj SM Faisal will be donating RM500 out of his personal coffers to five charitable causes for each car sold during the Ramadhan month. As Naza expects to sell 500 cars during the Ramadhan month, this will hopefully amount to RM250,000 of donation.

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Mitsubishi Pajero Sport GS – now with extra equipment

July 29, 2010 at 3:30 pm By Jacob Alexander Filed Under Cars, Local News, Mitsubishi

Mitsubishi have released an updated version of the Pajero Sport GS (which is the new name of the original 4X4 model before the 4X2 GL was launched) that now comes with added equipment as standard. This includes auto climate control, cruise control, rear spoiler, roof rails and 2-DIN LCD wide touch screen entertainment system with built-in reverse camera.

The 7-seater SUV runs on a 2.5-litre 16-valve inline-4 intercooled turbocharged DOHC diesel engine producing 134hp and 314Nm of torque from as low down as 2,000 rpm. This is mated to Mitsubishi’s INVECS-II 4-speed automatic transmission.

According to Mr Tetsuya Oda, Chief Executive Officer of Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia, the SUV has been a hit with Malaysians, selling over 1000 units since its debut in June. Mitsubishi plan to sell 2,000 units of the SUV by the end of this year.

Priced at RM 161,531.80 (OTR with insurance), the range topping Pajero Sport GS comes with a 2 year or 40,000 km free maintenance program. If you have no use of the 4WD option available on the GS, the cheaper GL model comes in at RM 145,467.80 (OTR with insurance).

High-res pictures of the Pajero Sport are available after the jump.
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SPYSHOT: Local spec Nissan Teana interior snapped!

July 27, 2010 at 2:53 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Nissan, Spyshots


Looks like it so happens to be Nissan spyshot day today! This is the first time we’re looking at the interior of those mildly disguised Nissan Teanas that have been going around the Klang Valley, thanks to reader Ezham. Our Teanas are specced with a light cream interior with brown wood trim, quite similar to what we can see in the Latio and the Sylphy. Look after the jump for the rest of the photos snapped at the Sungai Buloh overhead R&R yesterday. Thanks Ezham!
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