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J.D. Power Asia Pacific report finds that overall new vehicle quality in Malaysia is up notably from 2010

November 8, 2011 at 9:24 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Honda, Local News, Nissan, Toyota

According to the J.D. Power Asia Pacific 2011 Malaysia Initial Quality Study (IQS), overall new-vehicle initial quality in Malaysia has improved from 2010. The study – fielded between March and July this year – is based on responses from 2,858 new-vehicle owners who purchased their vehicle between September 2010 and May 2011. It includes 67 passenger car, pickup and utility vehicle models from 14 brands.

The study, which is in its ninth year, examines new-vehicle quality during the first two to six months of ownership, and measures more than 200 problem symptoms covering eight vehicle components, these being vehicle exterior, driving experience, features/controls/displays, audio/entertainment/navigation, seats, HVAC, vehicle interior and engine/transmission.

All problems are summarised as the number of problems reported per 100 vehicles (PP100). Lower PP100 scores of course indicate a lower rate of problem incidence and higher performance.

Overall initial quality in Malaysia averaged 124 PP100 in 2011, a 23 PP100 decrease from 2010. Initial quality has improved from 2010 in six of the eight problem categories: vehicle exterior, driving experience, features/controls/displays, audio/entertainment/navigation, vehicle interior and engine/transmission. The report says that the greatest improvements have occurred in the vehicle exterior category.

Despite overall improvement, the five problems reported most frequently by owners continue to be excessive wind noise, noisy brakes, excessive fuel consumption, air-conditioning which doesn’t get cold fast enough and the engine losing power when air-conditioning is on.

The study found that 44% of new-vehicle owners indicated having a problem-free experience with their vehicle. Among these owners, 51% say they “definitely woull” recommend the model they own to friends or relatives. In contrast, among the 56% of new-vehicle owners who experienced at least one problem with their vehicle in their initial six months of ownership, only 27% said they would recommend the model they own.

In terms of specific models, the Honda City ranks highest in the entry mid-size segment for a third consecutive year, with a score of 62 PP100, an improvement of 36 PP100 from 2010. Following in the segment rankings is the Toyota Vios. In the mid-size car segment, the Nissan Sylphy finished top of the heap with 39 PP100, followed by the Toyota Corolla Altis at 43 PP100 and the Honda Civic, with 55 PP100.

In the MPV/Van segment, the Toyota Avanza was class-leading for a second consecutive year, with a score of 64 PP100, with the Toyota Innova (73 PP100) and Nissan Grand Livina (107 PP100) in second and third respectively. As for the pickup category, the Toyota Hilux led the pack with 32 PP100, followed by the Isuzu D-Max at 47 PP100 and the Mitsubishi Triton at 64 PP100.

The IQS is one of three consumer-based studies that J.D. Power Asia Pacific conducts in Malaysia. This year’s Malaysia Customer Service Index (CSI) Study, which measures new-vehicle owner satisfaction with after-sales dealership service, was released in July, while the Malaysia Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) Study for 2011, which examines new-vehicle buyer satisfaction with the sales and delivery experience, was released in September.

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New parts plant for UMW Toyota’s next generation Camry

November 1, 2011 at 3:29 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Toyota

UMW Toyota today announced the official opening of the Toyota Boshoku UMW second plant. One of the reasons for the new plant being built is to accomodate the parts production required for the next- generation Toyota Camry, which will be locally assembled for the next generation, instead of the current generation Camry, which is a CBU import from Thailand.

The new plant will also allow the first plant to improve its processes. The new plant will focus on sewing and cutting operations and introduction of a new locally-produced part called the “Package Tray” which functions as the rear speaker board for the new CKD Camry.

Toyota Boshoku UMW is a joint-venture with Toyota Boshoku Corporation, Japan and UMW Toyota Motor, estalblished in 2006. TBU focuses on manufacturing and assembling seats, door trims and interior parts for Toyota Vios, Hilux, Fortuner, Innova, Hiace, and Hino commercial vehicles.

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Toyota iQ-RS Evasive makes it a triple iQ shot at SEMA

October 31, 2011 at 11:59 am By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, International News, Toyota

Joining the Toyota iQ-MR from Tatsu and Jon Sibal’s iQ RX at SEMA is the iQ-RS by Michael Chang. His iQ gets a complete Evasive Motorsports body kit, with carbon featuring for the front lip, front and side splitters and rear diffuser, as well as the canards, which come from Voltex.

Plenty of Sparco stuff, as well as custom gear, to be found in the interior – the Sparco kit includes EVO seats, racing side mounts, steering wheel and pedals as well as a six-point racing harness.

Custom equipment includes a six-point roll cage, trunk reinforcement plate, fuel cell, rear trunk panel and rally style shifter. Carbon fibre again features strongly in the custom build, with the centre console, door panels and dash trim featuring it.

The iQ-RS wears an Air Runner suspension, custom under chassis brace, Advan Racing 17-inch RT wheels that have been powder coated in red and a Willwood brake system utilising custom two-piece rotors all-around and six-pot front and four-pot rear kits.

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Toyota iQ goes the pimped-up route for SEMA

October 31, 2011 at 11:50 am By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, International News, Toyota

Toyota’s iQ gets reintepreted for the upcoming SEMA show, with three examples – created for the show’s Tuner Challenge – getting the pumped up bodywork and pimped interior treatment. Two of the iQs are presented by tuning house Tatsu and Jon Sibal.

Sibal’s iQ RX has a full body kit courtesy of Veilside, finished in a subtle matte metallic grey and bronze pearl paint finish for MVDesignz. The engine has extra punch thanks to a Nitrous Express injection kit, and the wheels are 18-inch three-piece forged HRE rims.

The car also features an Air Runner suspension, MVDesignz custom-split black front seats with red stitching and a MVDesignz audio/video design and install, utilising Orion amp/speaker components, an Xbox 360 game console, 32-inch Samsung LED TV and an Apple ipad2.

Meanwhile, Tatsu’s iQ-MR takes the most radical approach, mechanically – the iQ’s engine has been moved amidships to drive the rear wheels. The mill has been rebuilt by Mavrik Motorsports, and features 12:1 compression pistons from JE Pistons and 292 duration, stock lift cams from Web Camshafts.

The bodywork has been customised with new panels from Speciality Cars, replete with Burns stainless steel exhaust pipes, and the iQ-MR wears a KW Variant 3 suspension system and 16-inch Sakura alloys from Axis Wheels. Speciality Cars has also done the interior panelling as well as the cagework. Fastbrakes four-pot brakes all-around complete the deal.

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2011 Toyota Innova gets updated looks in Malaysia

October 21, 2011 at 3:08 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Toyota

The Toyota Innova offered in Malaysia has been updated to the latest facelifted version which made its world debut at the Indonesia International Motor Show in July this year.

Three variants of the facelifted Innova are available in Malaysia – the 2.0E with manual transmission at RM97,500, the 2.0E automatic at RM102,500 and the top of the line 2.0G automatic at RM110,600, all prices quoted for private registration in Peninsular Malaysia with metallic paint.

Innova FL

The most obvious change is at the front where you get a new grille and bumper that reminds you of the Toyota Camry facelift and helps widen the appearance of the Innova. The photo above was snapped at the Indonesian International Motor Show (read our July story which has a huge photo gallery).

The side features revised side protection moldings and a wider chrome trip running beneath teh center line of the Innova. Toyota also says there are more prominent creases on the wheel arches and more distinctive character lines on the fenders, which help the Innova look more dynamic. There’s a new 15 inch alloy wheel design, wrapped with 205/65R15 tyres. At the rear, the biggest change are the new tail lamps.

On the interior, the dashboard has been revised to have a more “horizontal” orientation which separates the center console into an upper and lower zone. The 2.0E model has its control dials redesigned to offer easier operation. There’s also a new 4-spoke steering wheel for all models, and there’s also steering leather wrapping and dark wood trimming for the 2.0G version.

The instrument panel cluster has been redesigned with a black face for higher contrast to improve visibility in all lighting conditions. The Optitron meters have a silver-finished trim ring with turquoise blue highlights in the meter face design. For analog meters on the lower end models, there is a glossy black trim ring. Only the 2.0G gets a multi-info display which offers various info such as average fuel consumption; real-time fuel consumption; average speed on a journey; the length of time that the engine has been running; the range available on the amount of fuel in the tank; the direction the vehicle is headed in (compass), and the temperature outside the vehicle.

The engine remains the same – the 1TR-FE 2.0 litre inline-4 engine putting out 136 PS at 5,600rpm and 182Nm of torque at 4,000rpm, mated to either a 5-speed manual for the 2.0E MT model or a 4-speed automatic for the 2.0E AT and 2.0G AT.

In terms of safety, only the top of the line 2.0G model gets 2 SRS airbags for the front passengers while the two 2.0E models only have one driver airbag, which is pretty sad as there are cars like the Perodua Myvi which now have dual SRS airbags as standard for all models. All models have ABS brakes.

Look after the jump for some images of the new facelifted Innova as well as an embedded price list. You can also check out our IIMS 2011 stories for more live photos from the Innova’s global unveiling.
[Read more...]

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UMW Toyota Motor update on Thailand flood disaster

October 19, 2011 at 11:05 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Toyota

Thailand is suffering from its worst flood in 50 years, and the scenes on the telly are sad, showing entire towns submerged in water. People have been displaced and industries paralysed. No one is spared, from hard disk drive makers like Western Digital to auto companies Honda and Toyota, plus their suppliers.

Honda’s plant in Rojana Industrial Park, Ayutthaya, is still a large aquarium, and Toyota has stopped operations at all its three plants in Samrong, Gateway and Ban Pho due to parts shortage. Here’s an update from UMW Toyota Motor on the current situation:

With the recent flooding in Ayutthaya, Thailand, Toyota Motor Thailand Co. (TMT) has decided to halt operations at all three plants at Samrong, Gateway and Ban Pho plants due to interruption in parts supply from affected suppliers.

UMW Toyota Motor Sdn Bhd would like to inform all customers, at this moment there is no interruption to the delivery of Toyota CKD (complete knocked down) and CBU (complete built-up) models retailed by the company for the month of October.

However, if the situation in Ayutthaya, Thailand continues to deteriorate, we will advise our customers on their vehicle delivery status individually.

“Our commitment to our customers remains topmost in our priority. We are closely monitoring on the parts supply situation in Thailand and will provide any updates or information in a timely manner. We sincerely hope for the quickest possible recovery and appreciate our customers and business partners understanding during these difficult times” said En. Ismet Suki, President of UMW Toyota Motor.

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Toyota to return to Le Mans in 2012 – with a hybrid!

October 17, 2011 at 11:05 am By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, International News, Motorsports, Toyota


Click to enlarge.

Toyota has announced that it will make a return to the Le Mans 24 Hours endurance race next year, and it will do so with a new hybrid-powered car.

Its return to Le Mans, where it last competed as a manufacturer in the late 1990s running the GT-One, will be with a new LMP1 chassis that will be designed, developed and produced by Toyota Motorsport in Germany, equipped with a hybrid petrol powertrain engineered by Toyota in Japan.

Le Mans will be just one of a number of races Toyota proposes to enter in the 2012 FIA World Endurance Championship, where it is seeking to further explore the potential of its hybrid technology through competition.

The new team will be based at Toyota Motorsport’s Cologne headquarters, and the LMP1-based race car will be rolled out in early 2012 for an extensive pre-season testing programme.

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UMW Toyota Integrated Quality Hub opens in Klang

October 12, 2011 at 2:07 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Toyota

UMW Toyota Motor (UMWT) recently held an opening ceremony for the UMW Toyota Integrated Quality Hub (IQH) in Bukit Raja, Klang. This new facility is to improve delivery of Toyota vehicles to customers, at the shortest possible time. The company has allocated over RM200 million to develop the 87.5 acre hub, as part of its RM1 billion three-year investment plan till 2013.

The event was graced by Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry Mukhriz Tun Dr. Mahathir. Also present was Shigeru Nakamura, Japanese Ambassador to Malaysia and Yukitoshi Funo, Executive VP, Toyota Motor Corporation.

“The main objective is to improve the delivery lead time so that customers can enjoy quality Toyota vehicles, fresh from the factory. The new facility creates additional job opportunities for 430 new team members who will be trained based on our Standardized Work (SW),” said Tan Sri Asmat Kamaludin, UMWT Chairman, who added that the all operations at the hub are specifically designed with the Toyota Production System in mind.

The IQH consists of a centralised vehicle stockyard, accessory centre and 2.1 km test track. The 9,500 unit capacity stockyard receives and delivers 420 vehicles per day. The accessory centre fits 142 combination accessory items such as the navigation system, audio system and aerokit. Now, customers can confirm their desired accessories five days prior to delivery of their vehicle. Final inspection is also done at the end of the line.

A new body and paint centre is also being built within the facility, to be ready by first half of 2012. To enhance after sales services, the facility will be equipped with 57 work bays and state-of-the-art equipment for central region customers. The IQH will also include an 11-acre production parts warehouse that’s expected to open by the second half of 2012.

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Toyota Fortuner facelift launched – from RM168k to RM182k

October 7, 2011 at 11:50 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Local News, Toyota

UMW Toyota today introduced its facelifted Fortuner – the four-wheel drive SUV, which made its debut at the Indonesian International Motor Show in July, features exterior and interior cosmetic enhancements as well as additional features.

The vehicle continues on with the two engine options as found previously, these being the 160 PS and 241 Nm 2.7 litre petrol and 102 PS and 260 Nm 2.5 D-4D turbodiesel units, mated to a four-speed auto transmission.

Available in four grade versions (the 2.7V and 2.7V TRD Sportivo, and 2.5G and 2.5G TRD Sportivo), the exterior gets a new reverse-trapezoid chrome front grille and newly-styled headlamps, which feature a protruding outer lens shape, as well as subtle changes in the character lines on the overfenders around the wheel arches.

Other new features include revised body-coloured wing mirrors with embedded signal lights and restyled rear combination lamps, with new graphics providing a more clear- cut impression. Meanwhile, going the TRD Sportivo route with the vehicle bags an aerokit that includes new polypropylene front and rear bumper spoilers and TRD Sportivo stripes that are specially designed and approved by Toyota.

Inside, the cabin now features a darker colour scheme, in response to customer feedback. The central area of the dashboard has been restyled, with a horizontally-based design to give a wider feel to the cabin. For the Fortuner 2.7V grade, black woodgrain/chrome plating is used for the trim, while the 2.5G gets silver finishing. The instrument panel’s three-meter design has also undergone some changes and no longer has cylindrical walls separating each meter, which are now of the Optitron variety – at night, turquoise blue illumination provides for fatigue-free viewing.

Also new, a redesigned, four-spoke steering wheel – on the 2.7V, there are audio controls on the upper left spoke, with black wood-grain trim for the upper quadrant of the rim. The shift lever knob on the 2.7V also gets a black wood-grain finish to match the dashboard, steering wheel and door trim as well as leather trim for the three rows of seats. As for the 2.5G, a gear position indicator has now been added to the meter.

Elsewhere, the control dials for the 2.5G’s air-conditioning system have been revised for easier operation. And the two-DIN head-unit/six-speaker audio system has been upgraded to now interface with portable music players (including iPod) – via an AUX-Jack or USB port.

A new colour – Dark Steel Mica – has been added to the exterior colour palette, which includes Silver Metallic, Medium Silver Metallic and Solid White. The new shade takes over from a previously available shade, Coal Black, which goes off the list.

The new Fortuner is priced at RM178,990 for the 2.7V and RM182,488 for the 2.7V TRD Sportivo, while the 2.5G diesel goes for RM167,990 and the TRD Sportivo version, RM171,448, all on-the-road with insurance. Optional items include a Premium Solar Film, priced at RM1,900 and a DVD-AVN DVD/navigation system with a 6.1-inch screen, which adds RM2,990 to the equation.

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Toyota Alphard hybrid to be resurrected

September 29, 2011 at 11:56 am By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, International News, Toyota

In Japan, Toyota says that it will be resurrecting the hybrid version of its Alphard MPV for the domestic market, in response to customer demand. The hybrid variant of the vehicle made its debut in 2003 with the first-generation Alphard, but production ceased in 2008.

According to reports, Toyota says that the new Alphard hybrid – which will wear a 150 PS 2AZ-FXE 2.4 litre four pot block as well as a 105 kW 2JM front / 50 kW 2FM rear electric motor combination – will get 19 km per litre, which is a 10% improvement over its predecessor. The company will also add a hybrid variant to the Vellfire.

Both models go on sale in Japan in late November, and the company is targeting a combined monthly sales figure of 2,000 units.

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