A landmark ruling by the Federal Court has held that victims of road accidents should be automatically compensated by insurance companies without requiring legal action to do so.
Provisions in the Road Transport Act 1987 should be construed to protect all motorists, including victims of road accidents, Federal Court judge Abdul Rahman Sebli said, Free Malaysia Today reports. The intention of Parliament in enacting the Act was also to protect innocent third-party road users, he said in a 140-page judgement allowing appeals involving eight different motorists, of whom seven were injured in accidents.
According to the report, of the eight appeals, five involved Pacific & Orient Insurance, Amgeneral Insurance, Allianz General Insurance Company, and Malaysian Motor Insurance Pool. The three-person bench, comprised of Rahman as well as Hasnah Mohammed Hashim and Rhodzariah Bujang, awarded RM150,000 in costs to each of the successful parties in the appeal.
The appeals came about as the insurance companies had obtained a declaration in the High Court to nullify the policies of motorists due to allegations of misconduct on the part of the vehicle owners, the FMT report said. This action had denied accident victims monetary compensation that had been due to them, prompting the appeals.
In one of the cases, the dispute arose from the vehicle owner having “sold” his vehicle to a third party through a sambung bayar arrangement without telling the insurance company. The insurer (or insurance company) then obtained a declaration from the High Court to nullify the policy of the motorist due to allegations of misconduct on the part of the vehicle owner. Following this, the insurer refused to cover the victim’s loss.
In a separate case, while the Sessions Court had found the driver of the vehicle negligent after a full trial, the insurance company took a court order alleging it had been defrauded, then declined to pay the vehicle owner.
The case victim was eventually found to merely hold a paper judgement, which the Federal Court said was “not even worth the paper it was written on,” continuing that it was unfair because the victim’s constitutional rights to be treated fairly had been infringed.
Rahman said that all vehicle owners were required to have compulsory insurance coverage, because the law states that the road transport department would not issue road tax without insurance coverage. In the event of an accident, a victim injured by a vehicle could sue the vehicle owner, but with valid insurance coverage, the insurer (or insurance firm) would step in and provide the necessary compensation in damages to the victim on behalf of motorists.
The Road Transport Act had to balance two competing interests. While it has to protect innocent third parties against the risks, it must also protect an insurance company from being victimised by fraudulent claims, Rahman explained.
Ultimately, setting the balance between two competing interests still meant that the loss had to fall on one party, and the Federal Court ruled that such a loss should be borne by the insurer, in following the principle established by the 1959 Indian Supreme Court case of British India General Insurance vs. Capt Itbar Singh.
Making strides in the energy/electricity sector in Indonesia is Baran Energy, unveiling its first transport segment product, the Anubis Cruisercross electric motorcycle (e-bike). From photos on its website, two versions of the Cruisercross will be available.
Photos show the Cruissrcross in both spoked and alloy wheel versions, indicating rough road and on-road specific duties. However, an actual vehicle is yet to be unveiled to the public or when it might actually enter the local market.
Meanwhile, specifications revealed include a travel range of 132 km in urban cycle with a maximum speed of 158 km/h. Other details include a power output of 46 hp, with 106 Nm of torque from a nominal battery capacity of 63 kWh, good enough to give the Cruissrcross a 0-100 kmh time of 5.5 seconds.
From its design, the Anubis Cruisercross takes the typical stance of an adventure-touring motorcycle with high seat and tall beak type mudguard. Standard equipment for an e-bike in this class includes a windshield, hand guards, fork protectors enclosed motor and battery pack as well as hydraulic disc brakes front and rear.
Other details include a mid-mounted electric motor with belt drive to the rear wheel. A small compartment in the rear allows for the storage of miscellaneous items.
BMW Group Malaysia, in collaboration with Safe ‘n Sound, has presented a total of 90 fully subsidised child car seats to B40 families. This was accomplished with funds raised by BMW Group Financial Services Malaysia last year.
As part of the on-going BMW Safety 360° initiative, the NEXTStep Subsidy programme was introduced in May 2022, to promote road safety for children. The campaign also aims to make child car seats more accessible to lower-income households.
Expecting parents and parents with young children weighing up to 36 kg, with a monthly household income of below RM3,500, were eligible to apply for a fully subsidised child car seat under the programme, and over 900 applications were received during the application period.
The subsidy programme concluded with a special handover event in the Klang Valley, where Child Occupant Safety Instructors (COSI) from Safe ‘n Sound demonstrated the proper way to install and use the child car seats to a number of recipients.
The child car seats given under the programme included models such as the snskidz Ace (infant carrier, costing RM199), snskidz sport (convertible seat, RM279), snskidz Whizz (ISOFIX seat, RM499), snskidz Proto (combination booster seat, RM399) and the Mifold (booster seat, RM199). The prices are what these products would normally retail for in the market.
The first subsidy programme under the BMW Safety 360° initiative first took place in 2019 and received overwhelming response from over 25,000 applicants. To date, the programme has presented 400 families with subsidised child car seats.
“We are pleased to support the NEXTStep Subsidy Programme with the funds raised last year through one of our fundraising initiatives. For every signed contract of a BMW or MINI electrified vehicle (EV), RM100 was contributed to the fundraiser,” said Matthias Schlesiger, CEO of BMW Group Financial Services Malaysia.
Shareholders of Gamuda and Lingkaran Trans Kota Holdings (Litrak) have given their approval for the disposal of their highway assets to Amanat Lebuhraya Rakyat (ALR), Gamuda stated in an announcement.
In April this year, the concession holding companies for LDP, Kesas, Sprint and Smart Tunnel highways each accepted their conditional letter of offer from ALR, which planned to take over ownership of the highways.
“The sale of was met with 99% approval in the extraordinary general meeting of the group on July 27 and Litrak on August 5. The share sale and purchase agreements were successfully executed with ALR, with all conditions under the conditional letter of offer met,” Gamuda said according to the report.
Kesas is owned 70% by Gamuda, with the remaining 30% by Perbadanan Kemajuan Negeri Selangor (PKNS). Meanwhile, Projek Smart Holdings (Smart) is a 50:50 JV between MMC Corp and Gamuda.
Litrak hold 50% equity in Sprint, with Gamuda holding 30% and Kumpulan Perangsang Selangor (KPS) with 20%. Lebuhraya Damansara-Puchong (LDP) is wholly owned by Litrak, which in turn is 42.8% controlled by Gamuda, therefore Gamuda’s effective interest in Sprint in 51.4%, The Edge Markets wrote.
The government via the transport ministry (MoT) is stepping up efforts to curb illegal racing in the country, and this will be done via modifying existing acts to focus on not just the illegal racers, but also spectators and workshops that perform modifications on vehicles used for illegal racing.
This is according to MoT secretary-general Datuk Isham Ishak, who was speaking at an “Isu Mat Rempit” press conference at IPK Pulau Pinang. Also speaking to reporters in Georgetown today were Bukit Aman JSPT director Datuk Wira Mat Kasim bin Karim and Penang police chief Datuk Mohd Shuhaily bin Mohd Zain, among others.
Isham added that punishment meted out will also be amended to give a lesson to illegal racing offenders – not just in the form of increased fines, but jail terms as well.
The meeting today was to have an agreement between the MoT, PDRM and JPJ to collaborate in combating illegal racing. To reduce the risk in enforcement, illegal racing suspects will also be arrested based on evidence such as video recordings. Isham also declared that Penang will be the model state for the implementation of this new operations approach.
Last month, five motorcyclists died in a multiple-vehicle accident on Penang’s Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway.
The Radar RD6 is the first product under Geely’s new Radar Auto sub-brand, which will focus on outdoor lifestyle products. The photos show a left-hand drive Radar RD6 with a black interior. It’s a relatively traditional looking cockpit, which to us is a plus point for a pickup truck.
The front end of the cabin may also look a bit familiar. That’s because it is – the presentation is similar to that of the Haoyue VX11 (also known as the Okavango). The RD6’s steering wheel design, the dual LCD instrument/infotainment screens, air-conditioning vents and the layout of the centre console are pretty much identical to that of the Haoyue/Okavango, with only the top half of the dashboard – and gearshift knobs – differentiating both.
Built on Geely’s Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA), the RD6 will be offered with single- and dual-motor configurations. Previously, it was reported that it would have a range up to 600 km depending on the battery configuration, with power outputs ranging between 200 hp and nearly 400 hp.
Radar Auto has its own R&D facility in Hangzhou and an EV plant in Zibo, Shandong. The company will offer a full portfolio of electric lifestyle vehicles that will not only include pick-up trucks, but also SUVs, ATVs and other “lifestyle products.” Lin Shi Quan, a veteran engineering lead at Geely Auto Group that has worked on the Lynk & Co and Geely Auto brands, is the CEO of Radar Auto.
In terms of dimensions, the new Vios is slightly larger than its predecessor we have here, measuring in at 4,425 mm (+5 mm), 1,740 mm (+10 mm) and 1,480 mm tall (+5 mm). However, the wheelbase has grown significantly to 2,620 mm – a whole 70 mm more than before – which should help contribute to better interior space. Compared to the Vios’ chief rival, the Honda City, the latter is 4,553 mm long, 1,748 mm wide, 1,467 mm tall and its wheelbase spans 2,600 mm.
The fourth-gen model is instantly recognisable at first glance as it exhibits hints of the F-Sedan Concept from 2017 and cues reminiscent of the larger Camry and Corolla. At the front, we find the Toyota badge linking the slim upper grille to a much, much larger lower grille with horizontal slats – the latter is joined by prominent air channels in the corners of the bumper.
Meanwhile, the angular headlamps sport L-shaped daytime running lights (DRLs) and are mounted just beneath the upper grille near the bonnet shut line. You’ll notice the bonnet takes up quite a bit of vertical space and is joined by a distinct character line that runs down the vehicle’s sides through the door handles, with a second line parallel to it slightly further down.
As with the previous model, the side mirrors remain close to the A-pillars, but the wheel arches are slightly recessed on the new car. Additionally, the window line stretches further back and the door openings have been widened as well.
Moving to the rear, we find a trim piece on the boot lid bridging the taillight clusters, which are smaller and more angular in shape than before. The lower apron mimics the front a little by incorporating slender faux air outlets, while the reflectors are integrated into a subtle diffuser-like element.
We’ve already been shown the new Vios’ interior previously, which is a lot more premium in appearance (almost Mazda-like) than past Vios models. Highlights include a freestanding touchscreen infotainment system that is surrounded by soft-touch materials, with a silver trim piece separating the upper and lower portions of the horizontal dashboard.
The cabin also appears to be more driver-focused than before, with soft padding on one side of the centre stack to “isolate” the driver from the passenger. Elsewhere, there’s an Ativa-like steering wheel as well as Veloz-like digital air-conditioning controls, the latter being ahead of the power outlets and button for the air filtration system, along with a rather familiar-looking gear lever. The centre console is where you’ll find a small storage cubby, the handbrake or electronic parking brake (with auto hold) and two switches to control the 64-colour ambient lighting system.
The fancy lighting system is one of a few upmarket features available for the new Vios, which you’ll know about soon. Diving into the variant line-up, the range starts with the Sport, which comes with full LED headlamps as standard, along with 16-inch alloys (with 195/60 profile tyres) fabric upholstery, a regular multi-info display, an eight-inch touchscreen head unit (with Android Auto, Apple CarPlay and T-Connect telematics), keyless entry and engine start, two speakers and manual air-conditioning (with rear vents).
Six airbags (front, side and curtain) also come standard on the base variant, along with the usual array of passive systems like VSC, traction control, ABS, EBD, brake assist, emergency stop signal and hill start assist.
The next step up is the Smart that gains automatic headlamps with LED DRLs, soft-touch interior surfaces (including a centre armrest), a seven-inch digital instrument cluster, a nine-inch touchscreen head unit, front and rear parking cameras and four speakers. The safety kit also gets bumped up to include a few Toyota Safety Sense items like Pre-Collision System (AEB), Lane Departure Alert with Steering Assist, Front Departure Alert and Pedal Misoperation Control.
The Premium builds on the Smart with its two front parking sensors (adds to the default four at the rear), six speakers, automatic air-conditioning (with PM2.5 air filter), a panoramic view monitor, DRLs that double as sequential turn signals, a 64-colour ambient lighting system, blind spot monitor, an electronic parking brake (with auto brake hold), rear disc brakes (lesser variants get rear drum brakes), rear cross traffic alert and auto high beam.
At the very top of the line-up is the Premium Luxury, which gets all the Premium’s features, with the addition of gloss black side mirrors, a red-themed interior, leather upholstery, extended ambient lighting elements (door panels, top console) and a six-speaker Pioneer sound system.
As for the powertrain, the Vios in Thailand keeps to the country’s eco car regulations by using a 3NR-VE 1.2 litre naturally-aspirated four-cylinder petrol engine that makes 94 PS at 6,000 rpm and 110 Nm at 4,400 rpm. Standard for all variants, the E20-compliant Dual VVT-iE DOHC mill is paired with a Super CVT-i gearbox and is claimed to deliver 23.3 km/l, meet Euro 5 standards and there are three drive modes available (Eco, Normal and Sport).
Pricing-wise, the Sport retails at 539,000 baht (RM67,700), followed by the Smart at 584,000 baht (RM73,377), the Premium at 659,000 baht (RM82,794) and the range-topping Premium Luxury at 689,000 baht (RM86,563). Seven exterior colours are offered, including Urban Metal, Spicy Scarlet, Platinum White Pearl (Premium and Premium Luxury only), Super White II (Smart and Sport only), Attitude Black Mica, Metal Stream Metallic and Red Mica Metallic.
As is the case with new Toyota launches in Thailand, there are a range of accessories available for the latest Vios. Notable ones include the Lusso package that adds on two-tone skirting and a rear boot lid spoiler for an additional 19,900 baht (RM2,500). There’s also the Chiaro package if you want more chrome accents for 8,690 baht (RM1,092) and the Presto package that adds sporty stickers, two-tone line decals and a more aggressive body kit (check out the wing on the red car) for 17,500 baht (RM2,198).
There you have it, the all-new Vios. What are your thoughts of the City rival? Do you prefer this new design to the previous model? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
GALLERY: 2023 Toyota Vios (Yaris Ativ) 1.2 Sport CVT (Thailand market)
Now that electric vehicles are a thing in Malaysia, we sometimes get the question – what’s the best EV on sale here today? As with ICE-powered cars, there’s no easy way to answer this. Whether or not a car is the absolute best depends on your priorities, preferences, usage pattern and of course, budget.
Coming up with an answer to ‘what’s the best all-rounder?’ is slightly easier. This car has to be well-balanced in what if offers, and have a price that’s good to boot. In the current Malaysian EV space, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 is a good contender to be the best all-round electric car.
In this video review, Hafriz Shah puts in four digits of kilometres to answer that question, and find out the positive and negative aspects of the Hyundai Ioniq 5. Yes, because even an all-rounder that is the reigning World Car of the Year, World Electric Vehicle of the Year and World Car Design of the Year isn’t perfect. How so? Watch the video to find out.
Launched in March this year, the Ioniq 5 is the second EV introduced by Hyundai-Sime Darby Motors (HSDM) after the Kona Electric. It comes in three variants – Lite, Plus and Max. The Lite comes with a 58 kWh lithium ion polymer battery and rear-wheel drive, and the Plus is a higher-spec version of the 58 kWh RWD car. The Max you see here is the range-topper with a 72.6 kWh battery and dual-motor AWD.
The 58 kWh RWD cars have a 170 PS/350 Nm (125 kW) rear motor, good for 0-100 km/h in 8.5 seconds, while the Max gets a combined 305 PS/605 Nm (225 kW) and a 0-100 km/h time of 5.2 seconds. WLTP range on a full charge is 384 km for the 58 kWh car and 430 km for the two-tonne 72.6 kWh AWD. Top speed is 185 km/h for both. There’s an i-Pedal function for single-pedal brakeless driving.
As for charging, with a 350 kW DC fast charger, users can juice the Ioniq 5’s battery from 10 to 80% in just 18 minutes, and even just five minutes of plugging in will be able to net an extra 100 km of WLTP-rated range. Although we don’t have such powerful chargers yet, it’s good to know that the Ioniq is capable of faster charging when the hardware arrives.
Current DC fast chargers such as those on the Shell Recharge network are rated at 180 kW. At 50 kW, Hyundai says that the Ioniq 5 will replenish from 10% to 80% in 47 minutes, so expect much shorter waiting times at 180 kW DC chargers, even if it’s shared with another EV. Juicing up with a 11 kW home AC charger takes five hours for the 58 kWh and slightly more than six hours for the bigger battery. The Ioniq 5 has a CCS2 port.
Built on Hyundai’s dedicated Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP) for EVs (not shared with ICE cars, like in the Kona Electric’s case), the Ioniq 5 supports both 400V and 800V charging infrastructure without the need for additional components or adapters (800V architecture benefits explained in the video). The Ioniq 5 can play powerbank too, with vehicle-to-load (V2L) sockets under the rear seats that can supply up to 3.6 kW to power things like electric bicycles, scooters, camping equipment or even another EV with a dead battery.
It might look like a regular Golf-sized hatch in pictures, but the scale is much larger. At 4,635 mm long and 1,890 mm wide, this crossover (Hyundai calls it so) is 430 mm longer and 90 mm wider than the Kona Electric, a B-SUV, and the three-metre wheelbase is 400 mm lengthier than the Kona’s. In fact, that 3m wheelbase is longer than that of a Toyota Camry (2,825 mm) and Mercedes-Benz E-Class (2,939 mm), and 20-inch wheels look natural on this body.
To see the amount of space inside the Ioniq 5 and all it’s nifty interior features – including the Staria-style Premium Relaxation Seats (driver and passenger) and solar roof (powers auxilaries) – check out the video.
The Lite and Plus have all-black cabins, but if you’re going for the Max, you can choose from full black or two-tone with dark or light grey seats, as seen here. The model’s signature Gravity Gold Matte colour is reserved for the Max, which can also be had in Shooting Star Grey Matte and a glossy Lucid Blue Pearl hue.
Current duty-free pricing for the Ioniq 5 is RM207,808 for the Lite, RM238,408 for the Plus and RM270,408 for the Max with the 72.6 kWh battery and dual-motor AWD. These are on-the-road excluding insurance prices, with sales tax. Those who booked the EV before July 1 locked in a price that was around 4% lower. It’s an additional RM10k for the extended warranty and service package, and HSDM also sells two kinds of AC home chargers, which you’ll want. Check out our full launch report and the video review above.
GALLERY: 2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5 Max 72.6 kWh AWD in Malaysia
Peer pressure is among the reasons that youths take part in illegal racing activities, as found by Seri Alam police deputy chief Mohd Roslan Mohd Tahir through the three-year research he has conducted on illegal racing, Bernama reported.
A total of 300 mat rempit (illegal motorcycle racers) aged between 16 and 27 years from Johor Bahru, Seri Alam, Kulai, Skudai and Iskandar Puteri were approached and interviewed, according to the report.
“All this while, everyone has been pointing fingers, looking for someone to blame (for mat rempit issues). Some even blame the government, family and society,” Roslan said.
“Through the research, it was found that it is not the fault of the government, the enforcement or the family because they got involved at their own will, and 90% is due to peer pressure,” Roslan told a press conference. These issues can be dealt with if the government, through certain bodies continues to hold programmes such as awareness campaigns, he said.
“[While] the authorities can organise programmes for youths through awareness campaigns, parents also need to play a role in giving advice,” the Seri Alam police deputy chief said.
Illegal motorcycle racing, especially those involving mass crowds have resulted in dire consequences; a large kapchai gathering in Penang last month where street racing also took place ended in a massive incident that claimed three lives from the outset, and two more would succumb to their injuries later on.
GoCar Malaysia has announced that it is collaboration with Green EV Charge – which is a joint venture between Yinson Green Technologies and GreenTech Malaysia – to improve EV charging convenience across the country. The initiative will integrate the ChargEV mobile platform with GoCar’s mobile app for its GoEV service.
The collaboration aims to provide EV users with easier access and better connectivity to over 400 ChargEV stations nationwide from the GoCar app without having to switch platforms. Charging output at these stations range between 3.7 kW to 22 kW, depending on the location.
The integration between the two platforms will first allow GoCar app users to view locations and obtain directions to charging stations, types of chargers and its availability on the ChargEV network. Later on, features to pre-book an EV charger, schedule a recharge, make payments and monitor the charging process will be introduced.
The collaboration with Green EV Charge is the latest effort by GoCar to offer Malaysians easier access to EVs. Recently, at the paultan.org Electric Vehicle Expo (EVx) 2022. the company announced a collaboration with EV Connection to offer EV owners access to more EV charging stations on the latter’s JomCharge network.
GoCar has also expanded its GoEV sharing and subscription lineup to now include the Nissan Leaf and the Hyundai Kona. With GoEV, GoCar members can experience an EV for an hour or even up to three years. So far, GoCar has reported that 90% of its 1,000 GoEV users were first-time EV users. The company plans to increase its EV fleet to more than 100 EVs by the end of the year.
On a related note, ChargEV announced that its EV chargers are now available to non-members on a pay-per-use basis. Applicable charges on non-members will be displayed on the ChargEV app, which is available for both Apple and Android devices.
