Archive for Naza

Naza Kia Sdn Bhd has launched the new Naza Citra II Rondo in Malaysia. The Naza Citra II Rondo is essentially the Kia Rondo which is the replacement model for Carens that the Naza Citra is based on. The Citra will continue to be sold as a budget 7-seater SUV, and the new Naza Citra II Rondo will be positioned between the Citra and the Ria, bringing Naza Kia’s 7-seater offerings up to 3 models.

According to Naza Kia, the new Rondo is built on the D-segment new Kia Optima platform and also shares the Optima’s sweet new GEMA-based 2.0 liter DOHC CVVT engine producing 145 horsepower and 189Nm of torque, mated to a 4-speed automatic transmission with sequential manual shifting. The GEMA engine is a joint project between DaimlerChrysler, Hyundai and Mitsubishi. The 4B11 in the Mitsubishi Lancer is also based on the GEMA family.

Like the Optima, the Rondo rides on MacPherson struts at the front and a multi-link setup with coil springs at the rear. It also has anti-roll bars as standard for both the front and rear axles. It scored 5 stars on the NHTSA frontal crash ratings.

Two equipment levels are available - the Naza Citra II Rondo EX and the Naza Citra II Rondo EXS. The Naza Citra II Rondo EX features foglamps, six-jet windscreen washers, a trip computer, a 6 speaker sound system with a CD player, ABS brakes, dual SRS airbags, a manual climate control system, body-colored door handles, body-colored side moldings and black front grille crossbars packaged with 15-inch alloy wheels wrapped with Goodyear Eagle NCT5 tyres. The Rondo EXS carries over the features from the EX but adds an automatic climate control system, steering wheel audio, a roof rack and 16-inch alloy wheels.

The Rondo’s front row features 1,043mm of headroom and 1,042mm of legroom while the second row (60:40 multifold split bench) offers 1,015mm of headroom and 975mm of legroom. The third row (50:50 split) is naturally less at 887mm of headroom and 800mm of legroom but Naza Kia says this is enough for an average-sized adult. It’s best to head to showrooms and try it for yourself.

• Naza Citra II Rondo EX - RM84,888
• Naza Citra II Rondo EXS - RM88,888

Look after the jump for more photos of the new Naza Citra II Rondo.

Click here to read the rest of Naza Citra II Rondo 7-seater launched in Malaysia

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Naza Corporation has introduced a premium version of the Naza 206 Bestari called the Naza 206 Premium. It’s priced at RM71,888.00, about RM3k more than the 206 Bestari’s RM68,877.80 price tag. For the additional RM3k, this is what you get:

• Leather on the steering wheel, interior and two-tone seats.
• 3 head restraints for the rear seat bench
• A 6-speaker audio system (additional 2 over the Bestari)
• Seat back pockets and Peugeot logo at the back of the front seats
• Only rear spoiler (you lose the full bodykit of the 206 Bestari)
• New design Peugeot-badged 14 inch alloy wheels
• 206 Premium badging, Peugeot sill plates, door visors, hood insulator
• Reverse sensors

The interior leather is done up in orange, meant to be the same colour as the dashboard lighting. With more Peugeot badges around the car including on the alloy wheels it should be cheaper and easier for you to Peugeotize this car, which is what most people do. You get a 5 year warranty with 3 years free service including parts and labour.

The 206 Premium comes in 4 colours - Quick Silver, Aegean Blue, Svelte Grey and Onyx Black. Look after the jump for photos of the rear and the interior.

Click here to read the rest of Naza 206 Premium now on sale for RM71,888

In line with the late Tan Sri SM Nasimuddin SM Amin’s wishes, his second son SM Nasarudin has been appointed as the CEO and executive chairman of the NAZA Group of Companies as of the 16th of May 2008. SM Nasarudin, 25, is the late Tan Sri’s second son.

After completing his Business Economics degree from the University of Southern California in the US, he joined Naza Kia Sdn Bhd as a management trainee in 2005.

In 2006, he was appointed Naza Corporation Sdn Bhd head of operations, and took up CEO positions in three Naza companies this year - Nasim Sdn Bhd (Peugeot franchise), Naza Corporation Sdn Bhd, and NZ Diners Sdn Bhd (Naza’s first foray into the food business, Bubba Gump Shrimp).

Founder and CEO of the Naza Group Tan Sri S.M. Nasimuddin S.M. Amin passed away this morning at 1.15am GMT+8 in Los Angeles, California where he was receiving treatment for lung cancer at a private hospital in Long Beach.

I extend my heartfelt condolences to Tan Sri’s family. Despite being the big man behind a large home-grown conglomerate that has provided many jobs, having met him briefly over dinner one day I found him to be very nice man and very down to earth.

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Naza Corporation Sdn Bhd is organizing a contest for buyers of the 2007 stock Naza Sutera where the buyers can win a Naza Sutera Sportivo.

As there will only be one winner for the car, those who buy a Sutera during the promotion period will also be able to bring home a 29 inch “Slim Fit” television set upon successful registration of their new car. This means all Sutera buyers will go home with a gift.

The promotion will be on from 14 March 2008 to 23 March 2008. 23 Naza Corporation dealers are participating in this promotion and interested buyers are advised to check out the nearest Naza Corporation dealer. Alternatively, interested customers may also call the Customer Careline at 03-2617 7777 for more information pertaining to this offer and the whereabouts of the participating dealers.

The selected dealers will also be having open houses for customers on the 14th to 16th March and 21st to 23rd March 2008 at their premises. All customers are invited to the open house.

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Naza has updated the Naza 206 Bestari with a new bodykit including a rear roof spoiler, door visors, and a new exhaust tailpipe. The rear seat bench now includes head rests, something that was optional on the car when it was initially launched, even though product images showed that it had headrests.

The 3 year or 100,000km warranty package has been upped to 5 years now, and includes 3 years free maintenance. With the additional accessories and warranty, the price remains the same at RM68,888 for the 1.4 liter French-rebadge.

One more rear shot after the jump.

Related Posts:
Naza 206 Bestari in-depth specifications, photos and price
Naza 206 Bestari Test Drive Review

Click here to read the rest of Refreshed 2008 Naza 206 Bestari

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The Naza Sorento (rebadged Kia Sorento) has been facelifted in Malaysia, and while we do not gain the new powerful VGT turbodiesel thats available in Europe, the 2.5 liter intercooled turbodiesel engine still remains one of the more powerful ones in the segment, producing 140 PS at 3,800rpm and 294Nm of torque at 2,000rpm. This is mated to a 5-speed (1 overdrive) automatic gearbox, with Active Torque Transfer between the front and rear wheels, high/low ratios, and a limited slip differential.

The facelifted Naza Sorento features a 3-bar chrome radiator grille and a new front bumper with circular fog lamps. The Sorento also gets new front headlamps with a blackened out design - these are of the projector type. It has 16 inch 5-spoke alloy wheels, and a new rear bumper.

Because of the new bumpers, the new Naza Sorento is 4,590mm long, 20mm longer than the pre-facelift Sorento. Ground clearance is 203mm, wheelbase is 2,710mm, track is 1,580mm for both front and rear, width is 1,865mm, and height is 1,730mm (1,810mm with roof rack). Exterior colours consist of a choice of 4 colours - Ebony Black, Sand Beige, Clear White and Clear Silver. All are two-tone matched with Pewter Gray.

The interior upholstery is grey with brown high gloss wood trim. Its too bad Naza Kia did not choose black for the interior as they did with the Kia Sportage - that would have given the interior a more upmarket feel, as it did with the Sportage. The interior instrument cluster is now brighter thanks to the use of LED lighting instead of the pre-facelift Sorento’s bulb lighting.

Interior legroom for the second row is now 890mm - 30mm more than the pre-facelift Sorento. Another new feature is dual zone climate control. There is a trip computer on the overhead console that shows a compass, distance to empty, average speed, elapsed drive time, and external temperature.

Kia Motors has retuned the Sorento’s suspension for better ride and handling. The front is an in-wheel type double wishbone suspension while the rear is a solid axle 5-link suspension with coil springs.

The front suspension now has larger bushes for improved ride, while the caster angle has been changed from 3.3″ to 3.89″ for improved straight line stability. The rear suspension has a longer lower arm length (now 655.1mm compared to pre-facelift 591.3mm) and adjusted angle to reduce the bouncy feeling associated with solid axle suspensions. Upper arm angle has also been adjusted for improved ride, and the upright shock absorber has been moved outside of the frame for improved ride.

Safety features include dual airbags and ABS. The new facelifted Sorento has a 5 star NHTSA NCAP rating, compared to the prefacelift Sorento’s 4 star rating. For the IIHS overall frontal test, the rating is now Good, compared to the prefacelift’s Acceptable grade. Euro NCAP test results revealed a 4 star score for both front and side impact.

The new facelifted Naza Sorento comes with a 5 year or 125,000km warranty, and a 2 year or 50,000km free service package, inclusive of lubricants and labour. Prices start at RM138,888 on the road.

More photos after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Naza Sorento facelift launched in Malaysia

Dato’ SM Shalahuddin SM Amin, President of Naza Group of Companies and Mr John Ng, MD of Nascar Pte Ltd at the launch of the new Naza Sutera in Singapore on 5 January 2008

The Naza Sutera is now on sale in Singapore for S$41,999. The 1.1 liter compact car is known in Malaysia as the Naza Forza. It is distributed in Singapore by Nascar Pte Ltd, the official distributor of Naza in Singapore. Nascar Pte Ltd is a subsidiary of The J & J Royal Group Pte Ltd, which also distributes Perodua, and TD2000.

The Singaporean specifications list include 14 inch wheels, a 6 speaker sound system with a MP3/CD/AM/FM head unit, and fabric upholstery. It does not have the dual SRS airbags that we have in our market. It also does not have the alloy wheels and fog lamps shown in the photo above.

Its 1.1 liter DOHC engine is mated to a 5-speed manual transmission, with 64 horsepower and 88Nm of torque which peaks over 3,000 to 3,500rpm.

The first 50 customers will get a 42 inch LCD TV.

Related Posts:
Naza Forza 1.1 Manual Short Test Drive Report
2006 Naza Sutera 1.1 Manual

We should have seen this coming: Naza has picked up the sole distributorship for Peugeot cars here in Malaysia after Cycle and Carriage Bintang Berhad announced back in October that it had decided not to renew its contract, which would expire at the end of this year.

The Naza Group already has a relationship with Automobiles Peugeot through Naza Corporation Sdn Bhd to assemble the Peugeot 206 here locally as the Naza 206 Bestari.

Expect the sexy looking Peugeot 407 to be assembled locally soon, which should put it in better reach for buyers looking at D-segment sedans and want to try something European. The 2.0 liter model currently sells for RM164,989.90 OTR with insurance. A drop to about RM130k to RM140k through local assembly is likely, and this is good news to me at least, because Naza has some surprisingly very decent local assembly build quality for its foreign brand cars, something I’ve personally observed with the new Kia Optima and the Naza Bestari.

Related Posts:
CCB discontinued Peugeot partnership in Malaysia

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The Naza Forza is Naza’s latest foray into the high-volume A-segment market and they obviously hope to reverse their fortunes after the Naza Sutera failed to get into 5-digit sales after 18 months on the market. But what is it exactly?

First of all, it’s got an Italian name, unlike the rest of Naza’s offerings which have had specifically Malaysian names in the past. It’ll be launched today but Shannon Teoh was part of a media sneak to Port Dickson recently to find out exactly what sort of pizza Naza is baking with their latest car.

More after the jump, including the new price and warranty/service package.

Click here to read the rest of Naza Forza 1.1 Manual Test Drive Report