There is a new green AP holder in town called Premier Hybrid Cars Sdn Bhd, who claims to be the the first hybrid distributor of hybrid cars in Malaysia, a fact that is technically untrue because Honda Malaysia Sdn Bhd is actually the first hybrid car distributor in Malaysia, selling two generation of the Honda Civic Hybrids now.
Premier Hybrid Cars Sdn Bhd will begin its offering with a three-model line-up, all from Toyota Motors. The three cars consist of the Toyota Harrier Hybrid (actually the Lexus RX 400h), the Toyota Alphard Hybrid, and the Toyota Estima Hybrid.
The Lexus RX 400h, or the Toyota Harrier Hybrid as Premier Hybrid Cars calls it is powered by a 3.3 litre V6 (3MZ-FE) producing 211 horsepower and 288Nm of torque on its own. The electric component consists of two electric motors, one for each axle. The front axle motor is more powerful, producing 167hp and 333Nm of torque, while the rear axle motor produces 68hp and 130Nm of torque.
Combined output of all motors adds up to 272hp – you can’t just add the horsepower figures for all three power devices together to get peak achievable horsepower. The car is driven via a CVT gearbox and runs on front wheel drive most of the time, with the rear electric motor kicking in only under full acceleration or when the front wheels lose traction. The petrol engine can be completely switched off so that the RX 400h runs on electric motors only for smooth and eerily silent operation.
The Toyota Alphard Hybrid is not the latest generation as it does not have a hybrid model. The model with a hybrid engine is the previous generation which we are seeing all over our roads now. Its hybrid system is quite similiar to the one in the Camry Hybrid, using a 2.4 litre Atkinson cycle engine combined with a CVT gearbox and an electric motor, except that in the Alphard there are two electric motors with the additional one on the rear axle. Toyota calls the resulting four-wheel drive system E-Four. Total power output is 131 PS from the gasoline engine, 17 PS from the front motor and 25 PS from the rear motor.
The Toyota Estima Hybrid is available with a similiar hybrid powertrain as the Alphard Hybrid, except the 2.4 litre 2AZ-FXE engine makes 150 PS instead of 131 PS and a peak torque of 190Nm. A 143 PS electric motor with 270Nm of torque powers the front wheels, while the rear axle is driven by a 68 PS electric motor with 130Nm of torque. The maximum output of the system is 190 PS, and like all Toyota hybrids use a CVT gearbox.
Premier Hybrid Cars is run by people with political connections. Its chairman is Datuk Shahrin Zahari, a 28 year old EXCO member of Putera UMNO and son of the late Datuk Zahari Wahab of the Ranhill Group. The company’s executive director is 22 year old Nik Iruwan Nik Izani, supposedly a racecar driver and son of Nik Izani Nik Ibrahim, senior Vice-President of FMCG division in Mofaz group.
A quick check with the SSM shows that Premier Hybrid Cars Sdn Bhd was established on the 3rd of January 2008 with a paid up capital of RM2. Its shareholders are Nik Iruwan and his father Nik Izani with 1 out of 2 shares each.
Yes, we all know that they are somebodies, that’s why they managed to get these new set of Open APs. They currently have about 20 on hand, but once those are finished they can apply for more up to 1,200 for this year. But one good thing for the public may just come out of this. The company is currently lobbying for the government to drop taxes for it hybrid cars to encourage the usage of the relatively fuel efficient cars. We could see something like this happening when the Budget 2009 is unveiled as we all know that when the people lobby, it falls to deaf ears but when connected people lobby things happen.
If this happens and the reduced taxes applies to all hybrid cars (instead of just Premier Hybrid Cars Sdn Bhd’s cars), some of us may be able to buy the Civic Hybrid from Honda Malaysia Sdn Bhd at reduced prices than the current price which is about the same as an Accord 2.4. Cheaper price tags on these luxury Toyotas don’t really mean a thing at all for the people that actually have trouble paying the new fuel prices.
Anyway, I would like to advise people that hybrid powertrains are very complicated things… it would be a good idea to get them from principals who can competently back your warranty and maintenance. They will have better access to technical knowledge and spareparts inventory.
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Cheaper hybrid please!!!
My first comment on PT. I just couldn’t help to think about the hardship that less fortunate people has to go through just to continue living – in Bersamamu that I watched yesterday. Yet here, we have these people with connection that get richer everyday, it’s just sad. AP system is a monopoly, should get revised/abolished long time ago. The world is not fair, but this is too obvious =/
do u think that those people who can buy those expensive toys will give a damn about new petrol price??…and the rich will get richer…
furthermore, heard that this Chairman guy is somehow connected to the SIL or better we call him SOB? and now people, who is behind the latest petrol price hike??…hahaha
“The Umnoputera dream”
Instant Millionaire. 1200AP give and take some 30k-40k per AP =?. And this is what? per year?
Seriously, the government has to cut subsidies for the poor but have no issues to continue subsidising the the rich. Is this NEP for you?
Then you have the obvious “loopholes” of being able to do rebadged cars like Naza and Inokom. The whole system is rotten.
The RX 400h is much more impractical i think. I mean if you want better fuel consumption then why the engine are 3.3 liter that high, and what about the road tax. About the others are fine, nothing much to say.
Utterly utterly stupid!!! What a scandalous treachery of the rakyat’s trusts and aspirations for their elected representatives for better access to bread-and-butter transporter with ultra-efficient and clean engines.
Yaaa make the well-connected auto big shots siphon all environmental-friendly incentives deserved by the rakyat marhaen (working class majority) so that they can reap gigantic profits for vehicles exclusively affordable for the upper class. Doesn’t make sense to give incentives for a lexus SUV which still inefficiently guzzles oil with its high ground clearance and enormous weight.
Don’t these representatives and crony capitalists ever believe in the Day of Judgment???
And does they have the fuel consumption data on all these three cars ?
Looks like Hybrid is only for the rich. The rich can contribute to a greener earth, the rich can enjoy gas savings.
Lower income group people can ‘t go hybrid nor any of the above, can they?
Premier Hybrid??? Luxury cars???
Aren’t hybrid supposed to be targeted for the massess who struggled to pay petrol bills and opted for cheaper long-term running costs? This one only targets the rich.
If they are really a hybrid distributor, they should bring in family cars like the Prius.
totally retarded! and waste of money to own one of this not so hybrid car for the poor and also hard earned rich. in the end it is a absolutely win situation for the easy-earned rich to buy a luxury vehicle. while the easy-earned rich pay less of tax to G, but paying a lot to these AP holders.
That’s why they increased the fuel price, .it is to compensate for this stupidity!
(Petronas is good but G is bad, G takes money from Petronas, so G is also retarded)
Who is going to maintain this car? Ah Keong Repair or Bawah Pokok Service have no idea hows this car works.UMW maintain? I dont think so!
We Want Cheap Car!!
What’s the point of bringing in all these luxury hybrids when what we need now are the likes of civic hybrid & prius. People who are rich enough to own an Alphard won’t be too worried about the fuel price.
Here we go again with all these AP crap, some people never learn.
so..new AP same owner?
Dont get it wrong, the RX 400h is more as a performance hybrid then a green car. Look at the massive hp all the electrical parts can provide.
Performance hybrid benefit greatly from the electrical motors not from the horse power, but the massive instant torque right from 0 rpm!
The other two MPV will have fuel saving benefit in this case.
Still, whats the point…
not enough scandalous policy to come out with??… to the extent that the current G’s is really p*ss*ng people off by the day, judging by the look of things..
i guess if this guy is bringing the Priuses and the Civics or any other smaller hybrids, he might need more than ‘JUST’ 1200 APs….. by then he could be accused of ‘killing’ off the two Pee’s (Pro this and Pro that)….
from the look of it, the guy is just enjoying the legacy, receiving the rice pot of one generation to another….
true enough the world ain’t fair, but then, it’s up to us to make a change… sooner or later…
excellent move by this new co. hope they will bring more hybrids to this country. toyota prius perhaps?
The shares are held by father and son Nik Izanin and Nik Iruwan. They have been in the motor business for many many years. However, in the Malaysian context, they need a strong UMNO person to be their lobbyist, and thus the post of chairman. The two Niks clearly have no other choice. Either get an UMNO member or get nothing at all!This is the typical modus operandi, ie UMNO peopel selling themselves to businesses who need things like permits etc. They do get some income thrown to them off and on, by the people who actually do the business and work hard at making profits. It is a convenient arrangement.
In Malaysia, it’s the only way to go, even if many in the business circle detest it.
So UMNO members are useful after all? It’s almost similar to the oldest profession in the world.
another scam hiding behind our daily struggle.
A diesel 7 series can return better mpg then a Hybrid Civic. Also, i think the consumer are still looking for the holy grail of hybrid FC. hardly any report manage to meet the manufacturer figure.
European hv been living with high fuel price so long enuf. they been driving diesel for so long that diesel outsell petrol in some cases. why are we not looking at diesel…??? some businesses we are protesting…???
as Paul said, Hybrid is complicated. Maintaining this delicate machine may take some expertise. I also wonder, why are they bringing all those super expensive model..??? if i can afford those model, petrol price is not so much of concern to me…!!!
you ppl go figure…
I Vote diesel also over hybrids also for now. Hybrid sales are falling everywhere in the world, and isn’t even growing in the US, the no.1 market for hybrids.
explains why almost 7out of 10 cars sold in europe today are diesel.
If only the G would consider comments from motoring writers and editors. I truly believe people like Paul Tan, Yamin Vong or Hazeri Samsuri are helped by lobbyists to forward their suggestions it would be just great. It would even turn around the economy and go down in history.
I have always wondered why the masses simply could not break in and point out glaring mistakes/issues of what the G is doing wrong. Where is the power of the people? But let’s not look into the little red book..
In this case, the hybrids does not serve it’s purpose. If this co. can lobby for 0% taxes and bring in family sedan hybrids, only then I applaud them. Paying UMNO lobbyist for the good of the masses, it’s okay to make a ton of money if it benefit the people in general.
Who got the APs. :-(
These car AP are for the rich and influencial. Cars sold are for the rich and influencial. There is nothing to shout about caring the environment and addressing the increasing price of petrol.
Paul, you said Harrier Hybrid is not offered in Japan. Check this one….
http://toyota.jp/harrierhybrid/
Paul Tan says: thanks for the link… i couldn’t find it from the vehicle line-up list on toyota’s website, but seems that this direct link works.
This is yet another reason why this government has lost its credibility with the people. APs should be open tender and the proceeds government revenue used to defray high cost of fuel. Instead, now the proceeds are used to make another privileged group richer at the expense of the masses.
I have never and will never buy an AP car!
sigh…increase petrol 40%…… everyone pays.
Then ditch out 1,200 AP to a single Malay “Entrepreneur” that start business in Jan 2008 (1,200 * 30k= RM36mil)…..then other malay and everyone else pays.
Good monopoly way thats guaranteed to produce multi-millionaire “entre” preneur.
Entre….prenuer anyone?
screw the hybrids. i want low sulphur diesel and affordable, small capacity, diesel powered vehicles.
They should bring in the Prius. These are all too expensive. Anyone who can afford these cars are not going to be bothered with the price of petrol; which is probably paid by the company.
What a joke. What the F**k.. A bloody young chico cud be an AP holder and another who is too young to know the rock band Iron Maiden.
What a country… After this any car co mpany who intrested to introduced hybrid cars will be forced to use the AP from this co of two monkeys..
Maybe later another company will be awarded AP for EURO 4 Diesel cars..
Hoi! You idiots in the goverment, what about AP for a new brain for all of u?
May these people burn and rot in hell…
Looks like the Bolehland Fed Guomen never learn from the 8 March defeat in the 5 states. These people are looking for quick gain with their APs while most of the Rakyat can hardly make ends meet.
The 2nd Finance Minister said that the inflation was under control and the fundamentals of the economy were still strong and the equity market will not be jeopardised. What is he talking about? Did he really go to the street and see how poor the ordinary Rakyat has become?. He should be revealing the true economic statistics and data, and he should provide proper advice and warnings to the Rakyat in case the worst scenario creeps in. Why can’t he tell the truth? At least the Rakyat is better prepared.
The petrol hike and the TNB electricity tariff hike will cause a pernicious anemia in the Rakyat’s purchasing power and this will translate into massive unit trust redemptions, which means a plunge in the equity and futures market.
Besides, the Rakyat will have to withdraw their savings and also fixed deposit from the banks in order to cover their loans and rising living cost. Coupled with the imminent interest hike by Bank Negara to curb the vicious cycle of inflation and stagflation, the whole economic scenario will turn from bad to worst within the next 6-12 months. The non-performance loan will increase drastically.
Did he think that the foreign investors will belive all his words? I really doubt. I really pity the poor and ignorant Rakyat, they are the ones who have been fooled by the same people they elect. Pathetic.
The disparity among the rich and the poor in Bolehland is the highest in Asia and one of the highest in the world, and yet our political leaders only focus on securing APs and contracts for their cronies and immediate family members..
They never learn, don’t they?
Looking at the posh cars in the above thread , I started to wonder:
-If the economic situation worsens, what will be the price tag of imported
Toyota Harrier, or Estima or Alphard using AP?
-Will this become a vicious cycle when the car dealers started to throw their prices in order to retrieve their cash as aquickly as possible? But how many rich guys out there are willing to buy with this kind of petrol hike?
-What if contractors, developers and businessmen also selling these cars
when they are cash -strapped? What will happen to the AP holders?
Interesting. I am curious to know the answers.
This Bolehland’s Fed Guomen is really genius in managing the country’s economy (Guiness Book of Record ?) Isn’t it?
haiz, people never listen.
make use of the loopholes and open gaps to install a new company.
well, if the G had dropped hybrid taxes earlier on, which encourages more people to use hybrid cars, which in turn reduces fuel consumption, maybe our fuel price situation won’t be so bad.
so who’s now getting all the cash by selling us those pseudo environmentally friendly car, we should be having clean diesels, not these hybrids
Yup, i support Turbo Diesel Engines.. But due to some ppl who dont realize the importance of Diesel they are still selling low quality EURO 2 ( i think even worst) Diesel to all of Malaysian just to keep them from buying from other manufacturer…
What we want is cheap, maintenence easy and low FC car which Diesel powered cars have proved it in Europe and next is in US!
Curse you all AP sellers, see what did to the ex-boss of NAZA. Gods know why…
Aiyah, still don’t get it. Rafidah got Naza, now Muhiddin must set up new cash cow la. Mofaz is his way out. For what they waste on Prius and so forth. Better hit big time with the luxury models. Can’t imagine if he becomes PM, what will become in the future for all of us????
Come on la. Bring in Luxurious hybrid cars is not gonna help any of us. Its only to proof that those rich is getting richer.
why can’t they put this amount of money to study and make our diesel quality improved?
Small segment car with diesel displacement works fine at other country, save a lot as well…and we are still at the stage of Euro 1 & 2 quality….
Like wise if we complain this one out, they will be showing thousand charts and tables comparing with other countries like india, thailand, vietnam…….
Hei!, be competitive and compare with those developed countries, not down grade yourself to compare with less developed country….
The G should be ashame of yourself.
I DON WANT A POSER LEXUS, I WANT A DIESEL BMW, A DIESEL BMW IS AS FUEL SAVING AS A DIESEL FIAT 500, CHECK WHAT CAR? MAGAZINE…
Why can’t we have a passionate, experience people as a mover in autoindustry. Why should hire someone young but son of somebody to run a business. G can’t do nothing, you don’t approve the paper, pack your thing and go to remote Gua Musang, Rompin or Sarawak. What to do..its all politics.
Now look like all the top “dogs” is cashing out, before the whole “building” is been empty.
Read The Star:
http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/9/18/business/2017573&sec=business
The Govt gives new APs (even though the Govt said no new APs) to this crony company…now this crony company is going to sell 100 hybrid cars to the Govt-linked companies at big $$. That’s how the cronies make $$ and thats why even Petronas $$ is not enough