Edaran Tan Chong Motor (ETCM) has announced that all Nissan vehicle warranties expiring during the movement control order (MCO) period will be extended by an additional 30 days from the last day of the MCO.
The company, which closed its business operations on March 18 in line with the order, says that all existing warranties will not be affected despite scheduled preventive maintenance service not being able to be performed during the MCO period. Customers are encouraged to reschedule service appointments within 30 days after MCO is lifted in order to keep their vehicle warranty active.
It said that appointment rescheduling can be made via its DriveOn mobile app, the TCEAS website, the company’s call centre or through direct booking with TCEAS service centres once the MCO lifts.
The company added that Tan Chong Ekspres Auto Servis (TCEAS) will extend its business operation hours from 8.30am up to 8.00pm on Monday to Friday (Sunday to Thursday in Kelantan and Terengganu) to cater to the surge of service appointments it expects after the MCO.
With Friday comes another weekly fuel price update, and again, more wonderful news for motorists, but unfortunately most won’t be able to fully capitalise on it as a result of the movement control order (MCO) limiting movement and travel.
The ministry of finance has announced that the price of all fuels has dropped again for the coming April 4 to 10 week. The price of Euro 4M RON 95 petrol has dropped by eight sen to RM1.30 per litre (from RM1.38 per litre last week), while RON 97 also gets an eight sen reduction to RM1.60 per litre (from RM1.68 last week).
As for Euro 2M diesel, that has dropped by 10 sen, and so the fuel now goes for RM1.58 per litre (previously, RM1.68). This means that Euro 5 diesel, which costs 10 sen more than Euro 2M diesel, will be priced at RM1.68 per litre.
The price reduction that has been happening in the past few weeks is a result of falling crude oil prices globally due to an “oil war” among oil-producing countries – at one point a day or so ago, the barrel price dropped below US$20, with fears that it could go as low as US$10 or even into the negative.
That has been temporarily arrested into an uptrend, but expect to see fuel prices hovering around this region for a while, given the lack of fuel consumption globally as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak, which has grounded aviation and limited the movement of vehicle travel in many places.
The prices remain effective until April 10, when the next fuel price update is announced. This is the 13th edition of the weekly fuel pricing format for the year and the 65th edition in total for the format, with runs from Saturday until the following Friday.
Perodua is doing its part in the war against the coronavirus by contributing RM2 million to the National Disaster Management Agency’s (Nadma) Covid-19 fund.
In addition to the cash, the Rawang-based carmaker has also donated 150 mattresses, 200 pillows, 105 boxes of mineral water, 15 industrial fans and 300 pairs of rubber boots to the Sungai Buloh Hospital, the public hospital at the frontline of the Covid-19 battle.
“This war against Covid-19 is our shared responsibility. The funds and items contributed by Perodua are part of our ongoing efforts to ensure Malaysia will recover as fast as it can,” said Perodua president and CEO Datuk Zainal Abidin Ahmad, who today presented a mock cheque to prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin in Putrajaya.
Nadma’s Covid-19 fund was launched by the PM on March 11 with the objective of assisting Malaysians who are most vulnerable to the impact of the movement control order (MCO), which will go on until April 14 at the very least. The government also recently introduced the Bantuan Prihatin Nasional stimulus package to further help Malaysians impacted by the MCO.
“We thank the government for these measures. Perodua, in solidarity with all Malaysians, hopes this pandemic will be resolved in the shortest time and with minimal infections and fatalities. To those who have lost loved ones to COVID-19, we extend our sincere condolences,” Zainal said.
“As for Perodua, we have also directed all our staff, the greater automotive supply chain and our dealers to pay keen attention to their staff’s needs and welfare during this MCO. To this end, we are monitoring the situation closely to ensure that our ecosystem’s livelihoods – like wage, benefits and especially employment – are not impacted. We are committed to social distancing measures to ensure the spread of the virus is contained,” he added.
In other news, Perodua said earlier this week that the warranty of Perodua vehicles will not be affected should the car experience technical issues before the expiry of the warranty period (or mileage) within the MCO period. Also, the warranty will not be void should owners not perform the car’s scheduled maintenance service in the MCO period, as dealerships are closed.
Volvo Car Malaysia (VCM) has announced on its social media pages that customers can now book a new Volvo car through a dedicated page on its official website.
The process is rather straightforward and similar to a normal registration of interest, where all you need to do is pick your preferred Volvo model and fill in a form. From there, a dealer will get in touch with you to guide you through the steps that follow. According to VCM, customers will take delivery of their booked vehicles by May 31, 2020.
As an added bonus, the company is offering a complimentary Polestar Optimisation package worth RM5,250 when you book a Volvo car by April 30, 2020. This deal is exclusive to bookings made online with the exception of the XC60 T5 Momentum and is subject to stock availability as well as terms and conditions.
The Polestar Optimisation package improves the powertrain in terms of five aspects, including throttle response, off-throttle response, gearshift speed, gearshift precision gear hold, and engine performance.
The last item sees an increase in output (more horsepower and torque) from the Drive-E powertrains used in Volvo models, including the S60 T8, S90 T8 and T5, XC40 T5, XC60 T8, XC90 T5 and T8, and the V40 T5.
Freight forwarders and hauliers have been granted four extra days to expedite the movement of essential cargo from congested ports around the country, transport minister Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong said. This will ensure that households across the country can get access to daily essentials during phase two of the movement control order (MCO) and beyond.
Beginning April 4, companies with goods stored in ports in Johor, Penang, Kuantan, Melaka, Bintulu, Padang Besar, and Port Klang are advised to move their goods until April 7, The Star reports.
Wee explained that “any activity and process in the supply chain of port, dock and airport services and undertaking and transportation by land, water or air are deemed as essential services,” and the standard operating procedures have been shared with related companies locally and internationally.
The exercise is in line with the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 (Measures within the Infected Local Areas) (No. 2) Regulations 2020, which is in effect until April 14. You may refer to the list of 10 essential services that are allowed to operate during MCO 2.0, here.
Proton has adapted to comply with the movement control order (MCO) that has been in effect since March 18, the national automaker said in a statement. The company said it has adhered to the requirements of the MCO in order to help limit the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus in Malaysia, and at the same time obtained approval from the relevant agencies for essential operations to be carried out by essential employees.
The health of every Proton employee is monitored twice daily, with plans to isolate and treat those who are suspected of being infected by the virus, the company said. The monitoring includes weekends, and also takes into account where the staff are based during the MCO as well as their active work status, it added.
Before the movement control order was put in place, all Proton staff movement outside the company has been limited from the beginning of February, while those who have travelled were required to undergo a 14-day self-quarantine upon their return, including screening for the virus before and after the quarantine period, said Proton.
The country is currently in phase two of the movement control order that has taken effect from April 1, which entails more roadblocks and stricter enforcement measures, with opearting hours for essential providers such as supermarkets and restaurants now limited from 8am to 8pm.
“We have been diligent in our efforts and even before the MCO was announced, we cancelled all overseas business travel and enforced work from home operations for a few departments with staff who were quarantined for possible infections,” said Proton CEO Li Chunrong, adding that the firm’s main priority is the health and safety of its staff.
Certain job functions which are deemed essential include the maintenance of Proton’s production facilities, along with selected service centres earmarked for the upkeep of government agency fleet vehicles. To ensure its staff members do not flout the MCO, Proton has obtained approval to issue letters for specific personnel to perform certain limited company operations.
Meanwhile, other areas of company operations continue, with individual departments holding daily meetings with department heads via video conferencing. “Thanks to video conferencing and messaging technology, meetings and discussions can be held from anywhere with an Internet connection so we are hopeful of keeping disruptions to our business operations to a minimum,” said Proton deputy CEO Datuk Radzaif Mohamed.
The automaker has also contributed 50 units of the X70 SUV to the health ministry in the ongoing fight against the Covid-19 coronavirus. These have been primarily tasked with transporting medical staff to and from work, as well as sending medical personnel to any infection hot spots in the country in need of urgent attention.
Those living in Sarawak’s rural areas have been given conditional relaxation of the 10 km radius rule recently enacted by the government to flatten the Covid-19 curve via the movement control order (MCO).
This was announced by Sarawak’s State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) chairman Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah in Kuching yesterday. He said under the MCO, rural residents who want to travel beyond the restricted area must obtain permits from the nearest district police, reported by the Malay Mail. Previously, approvals were issued by the district offices.
“The issue here is 10km. If it is in the urban areas, it is not a problem, but it does in rural areas. Today, at the SDMC meeting we have forwarded this issue to Sarawak police commissioner Datuk Aidi Ismail that there should be some forms of relaxation on the enforcement on the regulations in the rural areas,” he told reporters after chairing the disaster committee meeting yesterday.
“If you see, even my longhouse in Betong, I cannot get a clinic within 10 km. It is also the case if I want to get to other facilities,” he said, adding that the state’s top cop has agreed with that point of view. “If there is no clinic or hospital or pharmacies within the 10 km radius, then you have to go to 20 km or 30 km away,” Amar emphasised.
The Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases (Measures within Infected Local Areas) Regulations 2020, which came into effect on April 1 and will be in place till April 14, stipulates that any travel for reasons allowed is restricted to a 10 km radius from an individual’s residence.
Also, according to regulations under subsection 11(2) of the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 (Act 342), the individual is not allowed to be accompanied by others, unless there are reasonable grounds, so it has to be one person per vehicle.
This is very fair for those in the interior, where distances are long. In urban areas, the shops usually aren’t very far away, so there’s no excuse to be gallivanting or going somewhere far for essentials. The cops have been mounting extra roadblocks and road closures for phase two of the MCO, so stay at home unless it’s absolutely necessary. And if you do head out, some utility bills as proof of residence would be good.
Toyota Motor Thailand has launched the new C-HR by Karl Lagerfeld in the Kingdom, which will be offered in limited numbers (200 units) at a price of 1.219 million baht (RM161,589). As the name suggests, the special edition model was designed in the spirit of the legendary fashion designer who passed away last year and features a number of unique styling cues.
To match the dressing style of the man in question, the car adopts a white and black colour scheme for its exterior and interior. The former sees the majority of the bodywork finished in black, while specific areas like the roof, side mirror caps, side skirts, and parts of the bumpers are painted white for contrast.
Other exterior touches include 17-inch gloss black alloy wheels, dedicated sill plates, a Karl Lagerfeld emblem on the tailgate, as well as a pearl white wrap applied on the doors that also sport the logo. The interior also follows the two-tone theme, as seen on the branded dashboard and seats, the latter of which is upholstered in high-quality leather.
Customers who purchase the special C-HR will also get a limited edition set designed by the Karl Lagerfeld team worth over 50,000 baht (RM6,628), which consists of a luggage bag, handbag, cap and key chain.
The “fashion vehicle” is based on the HV Hi hybrid variant of the C-HR sold in the Kingdom, and is powered by a 2ZR-FXE 1.8 litre four-cylinder (98 PS and 142 Nm of torque) paired with an E-CVT. The powertrain also features an electric motor (72 PS and 163 Nm) that draws power from a 6.5 Ah nickel-metal hydride battery, which provides a total system output of 122 PS.
Standard equipment includes LED taillights and projector headlamps, keyless entry and start, dual-zone climate control, a 4.2-inch multi-info instrument cluster display, a seven-inch touchscreen head unit, T-Connect telematics, seven airbags (including for the driver’s knee), and the usual list of safety equipment like Vehicle Stability Control, ABS, traction control, Hill-start Assist Control, and EBD.
The model also gets additional systems like automatic high beam, Lane Departure Alert, adaptive cruise control, a blind spot monitor, rear cross traffic alert, a tyre pressure monitoring system and Toyota’s Pre-collision System (autonomous emergency braking).
On March 25, Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) issued a directive to all banks to grant an automatic six-month moratorium (deferment) of all loan/financing repayments effective from April 1, to September 30, 2020. In the case of all conventional hire purchase (HP) car loans, the monthly instalments will automatically be put on hold for six months.
As for loans from non-bank credit providers, these are not banks and so aren’t tied under the BNM directive, so they’re not bound to offer any deferment. Mercedes-Benz Services Malaysia (MBSM) is one such company, and has stated that since it is not in the category of a licensed bank or financial institution under the purview of BNM, the automatic moratorium directive does not apply for it.
As such, the company says it will have to continue to accept all monthly instalments due for now. It however added that it was aware of the difficulties faced by its customers and is currently working on the best solution to support customers. It added that customers who wish to make enquiries on the matter to contact the company via email at mbsm_cs@daimler.com or at 1-800-88-1133 (press #2).
The company, which is Mercedes-Benz Malaysia’s financial arm, recorded new contracts worth over RM1 billion last year. In 2019, MBSM financed five out of every 10 Mercedes-Benz vehicles sold and held a servicing portfolio of RM2.6 billion.
Dongfeng Motor Group is reviewing its deal with PSA for reducing its stake in the French automaker following a sharp drop in share prices due to the coronavirus pandemic, Reuters reported.
The French automaker group of companies agreed late last year to merge with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), which would effectively create the fourth-largest automaker by sales volume, and bring together a combined workforce of 400,000 staff. The two automakers signed a memorandum of understanding in December towards closing the merger in 12 to 18 months, Automotive News reported.
To facilitate this process, Dongfeng had agreed to lower its 12.2% stake in PSA by selling 30.7 million shares back to the French company. This stake was worth around 680 million euros (RM3.2 billion), and the share sale would leave Dongfeng holding approximately 4.5% of the merged PSA-FCA group, said Reuters.
The Chinese firm, however is reviewing the move, according to a Dongfeng official. “There are possibilities that the stake sale plan will change. We are evaluating the issue. This is closely related to (PSA’s) merger talks with FCA, so we are also in close talks with them,” said the official in an earnings call.
A document sighted by Reuters showed Dongfeng and PSA plans to cut jobs at the Dongfeng Peugeot-Citroen Automobile (DPCA) facility in Wuhan, and reduce its number of car assembly plants in order to make the joint venture more profitable, according to the report.
