Chung Sung-Eun, the co-CEO of South Korea’s Kia Motors has resigned to take responsibility for the mass vehicle recalls the carmaker is facing. Chung, also a vice chairman of the Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group, will see his duties be assumed by co-CEO and president Seo Yeoung-jong and co-president Lee Hyeong-geun.
Kia had to issue a global recall of 85,900 vehicles over the past week. The cause of the recall is defective electrical wiring that can potentially cause fires, and the four models involved are the Soul, Sorento and Borrego SUVs, and the Cadenza sedan.
In China, Dongfeng Yueda Kia Motor Co, a Kia JV company, separately recalled 18,147 Sorento, Borrego and Soul models, while in the USA, 35,000 vehicles are involved. All of the US market cars involved rolled out from South Korea except for the Sorento R. In its domestic market, 18,000 vehicles will have to be brought in for rectification.
No accidents or injuries related to the defective wiring have been reported so far.
Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.
only company who taking care of their customers and the qualities of their products will do so…Bravo KIA
So Naza won’t be launching the Sorento anytime soon???
Salute with his decision.
When Gen2 first batch burning out back in 5 yrs ago nobody had resign from Proton top management.
same also when Camry burning out around 5 years ago, also . nobody in Toyota top management resigned.
haha…nice reply !!
sokong..!!! i see most of the top people of top car maker willing to step down after car the build in trouble.. but proton? since 25 years, no body step down.. wondering why..
it was isolated incident
every year u can see many cars burning ie camry etc never see u people question Toyota also.
Kia also facing sudden fell off steering wheel especially the Kia Soul….
they are still not that good bro…
@wowowww
“Kia also facing sudden fell off steering wheel especially the Kia Soul….
they are still not that good bro…”
————————-
Not really.
“Kia said in a statement that it was “actively cooperating” with federal investigators and that “although the investigation is based on a single incident that did not result in an accident or injury, the entire Kia Motors organization — including our supplier base — is reviewing manufacturing processes with the goal of quickly determining if there is a manufacturing cause and preventing the issue from reoccurring.”
http://mobile.latimes.com/wap/news/text.jsp?sid=294&nid=18945121&cid=16689&scid=-1&ith=1&title=Business
“although the investigation is based on a single incident that did not result in an accident or injury”
“although the investigation is based on a single incident that did not result in an accident or injury”
Only 1 case reported. They sold rougly 50,000 soul in U.S.
1 / 50,000 = 0.00002
Camry burning out due to operator did not plug in fuel inlet pipe properly and not related to design issue as per first generation of Gen2.
I did involve with this investigation back in Dec 2005.
Come on,if any proton staff reading this,take my word as a challenge, I used to drive wira 1.6,satria Gti and Gen2.
I swear to god , I will never ever own proton badge if they wont improve quality especially service centre quality. Neo CPS design is really lure myself but thinking of service center service, i need to think million times.
agree…those basher just wanna bash Japanese for some you know reason…..Toyota problem was those MADE IN CHINA parts….their vendors….
Kia problem now is due to design related issue….
Where does it say its a design issue ????
you know nothing bout engineering don’t you?
it’s engineering design problem la…
I’m in this engineering design field bro….
i personally watching at least 3 of new gen2 burned out at that time. and personally not witness about others new car makes, maybe there are. but this kind of stories well covered from public, of course media did pretty job Lol. so people judge upon what they can sense tho.
when foreigners did that… you respect…
but i bet, if there is any from malaysia company did that he/she will be condemn as STUPID, INCOMPETENT, COWARD etc…
I know my fellow malaysian… always look high at others, but belittling malaysians…
If then, what? Look low and shiok sendiri?
Its bad enough our powers at hand are comparing us to powerty stricken african nations…..
It’s about practicing what you’re preaching.
You want your level playing field? You gotta learn how to treat the locals and foreigners equally. As autojohndoe mentions, that’s not the case for most of those who shouts for level playing field.
This is what differentiates Proton with Kia or Hyundai. Is not a matter of respecting foreigners.
Don’t need to say more – just look at the progress the Korean car industry has made compared with the Malaysian car industry. 20 years ago, other countries would not trust a Korean or Malaysian car! Take a look at the world car market now and see how the Koreans have progressed.
Well Koreans have the support of their countrymen through thick and thin. Koreans put up with crap Korean cars because they know by supporting the companies it’ll help them advance in the future. Us? Rebadging one car for a niche market and already people bash like no tomorrow. They are improving, but nobody, and certainly not bashers are willing to admit that. Try the new cars and see the difference.
Plus the Korean carmakers are well established even before we started up.
Malaysian have been supporting P1 for ummm….25 years??
Not enough?
I don’t remember any joker ever resigned when shit hits fan under their watch.
Can give example so we all can admire & praise he/she here???
Well, I have the opinion that those who keep quiet/taichi the blame/hold on to their seats when something goes wrong are the real STUPID, INCOMPETENT, COWARDS because they dare not/not willing to take responsibility.
So far as I know there are no Malaysian manager or head who has ever stepped down due to mistakes made under their watch. Cold storaged or transferred, yes.
wat makes u think so? suddenly involve all malaysian manager? hahahahahhahaha
Guess I have to qualify that I was referring to Malaysian GLCs. The heads don’t admit mistakes or step down willingly. They’re usually transferred or have their contracts not renewed.
same also when Camry burning out around 5 years ago, also . nobody in Toyota top management resigned…..
my dads waja engine burn after first time balik kampung. this was the early batch…after that the temperature stat to be crazy….evrytime service we complain abt it….and one of their decision is to change the meter panel (that reset the milage again :p ). finaly after 8 yrs(las yr) its actually fix by pomen tepi jalan….change the engine head…gear box parts..and lotta things…. the conclusion is that..if that things happen now…i will definitely request for replacement car…. or else i will send to paper and stick “MY WAJA TAK GUNA” at the back…. :p
wow! level of integrity and responsibility these people shown are very impressive.. wonder when can we see these values in the ceos especially of GLCs in this country..
those who like to bash Japanese car…..pls voice out….
i like to bash jap cars..read the last sentence:
“No accidents or injuries related to the defective wiring have been reported so far.”
how many people have died on toyota cars becos of toyota fault?..
for honda, read here:
“two-year-old Vanilla Nurse killed in Cape Town when the Jazz she was sleeping in caught fire. ”
http://paultan.org/2010/01/30/honda-jazz-worldwide-recall-over-switch-defect/
I wonder whwther ferrari ceo step down in facing the 458 italia burning out
Not likely. Ferrari is replacing all the car that was damaged in the fire (1 to 1 exchange).
see how steady ferrari is?
We can only dream about this ever happened here. The SOP here is swept underneath the carpet & pray no one have noticed. This is true from top to bottom. Every single one of them are “untouchable”…….
The Korean really deserve their success!!
Luckily Forte/Cerato not affected… phew!
never know, naza might buat bodoh just like toyota.
Not as good as those actors from Proton LOL^^
At least the Koreans have the integrity to admit their faults and do a recall before there are any loss of lives, unlike a certain car manufacturer who chose to manipulate people to avoid doing so just not too long ago.
Koreans can be considered very strict followers of Confucian philosophy. Integrity, accountability, responsibility etc are held in very high regard.
We have a lot to learn from them.
thought that Kia already improved but still has major problem. Like that no need to buy forte…better wait for new waja.
good idea…
What Waja? Its a Lancer rebadged as a Waja. The Soul was designed and built from ground up.
who cares? even aston martin had rebadge TOYOTA IQ which later on becoming the so-called ASTON MARTIN CYGNET. lol
What about the local Sorento? Any recall? What if it get burnt before recall? Can claim from Kia?
it’s ridiculous, do they expect CEO should inspect all the cars?.. why would he take responsibilities and sacrifice himself in order to protect incompetent engineer / worker? in that case, CEO from Toyota should resign as well, and also Honda, Ferrari, and every other CEO…
In your humble opinion, what’s the responsibilities of a CEO ? google pls LOL…
apa salah engineer? got problem always engineer kena 1st~
According to Wikipedia “For corporations, the chief executive officer primarily coordinates external initiatives at a high level. As there are many other c-level executives (e.g. marketing, information, technical, financial etc.), seldom do corporate CEOs have low-level functions”
i’m not sure u understand me or not, but i believe u didn’t get what i meant there.
i know what CEO is, and definitely CEO is not responsible in this technical matter, no CEO in the world know everything from A to Z, especially when we talk about thousands of components in a car. the more suitable candidate should be the head of electrical engineer.
Mofaz is the CEO!
Chief Entertainment Officer!
This is hilarious!
Ghahaha.
Well SY0H, if they put you to become Chief Power-window Officer I doubt you’ll solve your power window problems.
if so then the vendors should be responsible lo….
Mr.Mofaz, no wonder you love proton so much, that’s why we dun need any management step down while problem happen~~
and for another thing, I can assure you do not have the criteria to become a CEO at anytime~~ cos u dunno wat a CEO should be, or maybe you think, CEO is like big tauke..just has the money and status only, no responsibility kah????
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
below is the conversation of a terrify customer who driving a new car which might catch fire, with the CEO of the car company that he bought the car from :
customer: ” Why your new car got problem, how come it will get fire?????”
CEO: “Oh,I dunno~~~ its not my problem,!!! its my technical staff, cos they assembly it wrongly~~”
Customer: ” then who hire those technical staff??? ”
CEO: “Oh , not me! I dunno who is the technical staff, but they are hired by my technical manager~~”
Customer: ” then who hire the technical manager???”
CEO: ” Its not me either, it the General Manager who hire him! ”
Customer: ” i see, then who hire the General Manager??”
CEO: ” the COO hire the GM , not me, not me”
customer: ” who hire the COO??? ”
CEO:”ohya, this one i know, I appoint who to be COO ~~”
customer: ” @@$$%&&*##%$$^~~~~~~~~~~”
Actually MoFaz is correct in saying the CEO’s responsibility lies elsewhere. The CEO handles the company and ensures the profitability of the company. But he’s not a hands on boss (if any CEO does, then he’ll be crazy, with so many things on his mind), that’s why there’s Managing Directors and General Managers that reports to him, to inform him on the company’s well being. From there the CEO makes his decision. If there’s an engineering fault, then the Managing Director of Engineering is responsible, because when it comes to engineering, the bucks stops with him. If the problem wasn’t discovered by the MD/GM of Engineering, how could the CEO know there is a problem, especially in a large multinational?
All this talk of resigning is just grandstanding, a PR exercise.
Yup, agree with JoeGti…
Proton Top Management should do the same previously…
But now they have significantly improved…
Love my Persona…
Old Proton management during the Gen-2 era now no more, so in effect yeah they did step down.
More like made to leave. :-)
That’s true.haha
No need to ask protong milo ceo to step down, in a matter of seconds they will elect another crony to carry on the same tradition.
We do it in one stroke in the next election, looks like the 2008 political tsunami was not enough of a wake up call for this ‘takbur’ people. Next general election, the rakyat will wipe out these morons once and for all.
ask sy0h step down from lead basher because his writing not related and cause hatred among paultan reader
Naive of you to think that sweeping the current G off in the next election will cure all problems. Don’t forget those people, especially in the “Blue Flag” faction are former G people dissatisfied that THEIR crony didn’t get a share of the loot. More of the same really….
But this is not a political blog to talk about politics.
where are you all this while?
You think Proton is a ruling government ka?
hahaha…
Aiya SYOH,copy paste same old comment?
Typical Useless Malaysian supporting his/maybe her Typical Useless Party.
This is an automotive website not a field to spread your useless comment.
powerwindowman now becoming politician analysis?
i have to say that you are the moron here. why come here with stupid comment? you make your self stupid.. want talk politic, go facebook..
Salute his decision, takes responsibility and accountability. Its a vital part of continuous improvement process. When will Malaysian companies ever learn?
thy should deal with the problem ONLY then resign , dont jus resign leaving the company in a mess , its irresposible and unethical….unless ofcourse he was forced out through shareholders…..
anyway , its jus a kia , not sure if alot of ppl care actually since alot of us dont buy the brand….
The engineers will take care of the problem. The CEO has overall responsibility.
What a shame…just when they are doing great this have to happen. Well at least nothing bad happen to the owners.
let me give a comment. once upon a time many of car maker move to China for their part order and supply. Therefore Malaysian economy drop so badly. after several incident and problem from so called “made in china” now they are return back to M’sia. Now our economy start to boost again.
I got it from my brother who work in cable production factory as a design Engineer. Nissan now open quotation to supply cables for Nissan GT-R. His factory is one of factories in M’sia who are now beating.
still in progress to bid bro… not yet appointed…
i would love to see a mass recall on our future proton lancer
u should be truly ashamed of urself for such a comment
r u getting overly jealous that our national car getting better and better each year ??
wake up and sniff reality……ok!
is it getting better?
Not only him, but the 6 people who thumbed up his comment. Typical dumb Malaysian wishing ill on other Malaysians just because of their selfish needs!
ur truly a snake, good at bad mouthing our local products
anyway…*yawn*..ur forgiven for being another confused child who is feeble minded
Wait, I didn’t badmouth Proton! I said the guy who wished the new Waja to have a recall and the people who gave him a thumbs up are the one who’s dumb!
better?? rebadging a lousy lancer you call it better?? you got brainwashed quite seriously aren’t you
Persona, Saga & Exora. Compared to the old cars, the new ones created under DSZ’s helm is a marked improvement. Proton is more than just the rebadged Lancer.
DSZ? i fxking care whether it is DSZ or DSG, can you pls based on FACT to talk?? u just pull some ahbeng ahseng and say, hey, we got better, you think this is the right way?
u proton wannabe really helpless
getting better and better each year ??
You really act like a sour grape. And with a very negative mindset. Change for the better!
Hopefully not lah!!! Interested to buy!!! just pending on the price!!!
that mean Mitsubishi technology suck isnt it?
It can potentially cause fire, but did it burn and cause anyone to die yet?
CEO of toyota should resign since the number and percentage of recall is much higher than this and the problem is also more serious which already caused many deaths.
more quantity because Toyota sold more cars than these Kia’s model la….==’
those cases of recalled of T were caused by the owner themselves(mostly) after investigation…it was reported in the news…
read properly….i said percentage.
I missed that out because the percentage isn’t that high as you said…they sold more cars that you’ve thought bro compare to the recalled one…
Over here, the ppl in charge will use the DEB method when shit hits the fan..
1. Deny
2. Evade
3. Blame
It wasn’t me…. lol
“It look like me, it sound like me, but it wasn’t me…..”
:)
Correct, correct, correct. :-)
POYO GILE RESIGN. IT DOESN’T SOLVE A THING. DAH KAYA BYK DUIT BLEH RESIGN CAMTUE. TRY BYK LAGI HUTANG, MESTI NAK TERUS KERJA
I had an experience before with my friend 3 weeks old sorento suddenly heavy smoke blew up from the engine while driving sedately near UTM last 2 years… Apa lagi, cabot lari la cepat2…
A very commendable act of the CEO. Takes full responsibility. Whereas over here, either the CEO hides behind some politician for protection or blames everyone except ownself.
dalam proton sorry nak jumpa macam ni…..
Resigned for less than 100,000 vehicles? Toyota’s boss should be doing a kamikaze by now recalling their cars in the millions.
Respect for admitting the fault. Salute~ but why need to step down? rubbish~ come on.. taking responsibility is not just stepping down can be. Do something on what you did~ Stepping down is just running away from mistake~! Running away wont make Kia any better.
new motto for the car…
BURNING SOUL…
When 85,000 KIA’s car are recall,one of their boss step down his position,but when more than 1 Million Toyota’s car are recall,none of their boss step down their position.
When this article appeared on Paultan,we can clearly see small amount of typical bashers posting their same old crap comment.
No doubt,all of them are useless.Simply talk without thinking,everything also wanna relate with Proton
Get a proper life,typical bashers.
Gen-2 price is about RM60k,a Ferrari cost a bomb but yet still end up with fire
Do you expect a car that cost you a lot of money to have the same fate as early batch Gen-2s
Yeah,if you have an organ called Brain inside your head,USE IT!!!
those people are underachievers
they wont stop blaming everyone else especially government and proton for their failure in their life :(
typical bottom of capitalism pyramid white collar slaves :(
Of course we want to relate to Proton. Look at the price of cars around the world, we are one of the most expensive countries selling cars… If it is not to protect our local Automotive industry. Look at Toyota, they have a reasonable price and reasonable quality. If not they I think alot of people would have complain and not buy their cars.. (In Malaysia case, because Proton or Perodua is the only affordable car)
Come on.. If you don’t compare to a standard they won’t be a standard. It shows that we are of no standard… If you are in class you either compare to the best in class (which is No. 1,in case you don’t know) so you can be better. You don’t compare with the same standard and say you are on par…
So the same, if you don’t compare with Market leader you will never be able to up the par… which in Proton case.. Yup.. standard has been suffering alright !!!
Compare the price with Singapore,Thailand and Proton
Some of the bashers said that people buy Proton because it’s cheap,some said the price of Proton’s car is actually the same as other cars when there is no tax,which one is true and one more thing how can Proton beat Ford and Suzuki in Thailand,many bashers claimed that Proton’s price is the same as others,how can Proton manage to beat Suzuki and Ford when Proton’s car price is actually more less the same as Ford and Suzuki.
I dun care how Proton do well in other country… I just know Proton itself is over priced here ~~
and i’d love to see Ford and Suzuki is around the same price as Proton, here!
btw, have u moved to Thailand yet??
eerrr.. Proton gen2 price in Malaysia, RM60k..
others like Toyota or Honda actually should be same as gen2..
i read in some article, a BMW X1 was only USD 50k, which is should be only around RM150k-RM200k.. but, my mum have to add some RM100k more the price. and, i heard, ferrari 458 should be not more than RM1m..
that mean, we pay 60k for not-so-good quality car rather than for better-quality-car.. eventhough i love proton, but i have to admit that proton car lack of quality..
Don’t forget, Proton’s price do include tax as well. No tax Waja can be sold for 32K….
good point~
why would the hell Proton’s car also include tax?why???
can anyone tell me why???
to pay for a lot of subsidies that you enjoy since the day you were born. also to build the school that you went to, the road that you use everyday, and for many other things that you take for granted.
agree with mofaz, most people would not like to admit it, tax help pay subsidy, just blaming for the tax n bla2. no subsidy most people in msia will own motorcycle rather than a car
For me it is very simple. If there is a defect, do a recall and rectify it. It doesn’t matter which company faces this problem. It is the proper thing to do in order to minimize any potential fatality.
In regards to resignations, if you feel responsible, do it. However, since most car makers are listed companies, carry out an inquiry and make the findings public. That way whoever is found culpable for the problem will quit or get sacked.
This is not a dig at whichever company, i just feel it is the right thing to do.
The question is, has Proton ever recalled any car with defect?
Yes.
http://paultan.org/2005/09/29/proton-waja-recall/
http://paultan.org/2008/03/31/proton-savvy-rear-wheel-bearing-recall/
paul, dont forget Gen-2 first model,, recall absorber problem.
I think resigned from the top post should be the last option, its either you bounced back or take the responsibilities. So, we cant similarise all ceo as they also human..different view and stand..
It is so dissapointing that you guys especially those from Proton don’t admit their mistakes and never learn. People bash you for good reasons. If you people are so good, why not offer to compete on a level playing field??? Let’s face the fact that Proton’s price is no big deal coupled with poor quality (in fact it is bloody expensive if you compare to many countries despite the support from the govt). Only those people with low expectations will praise Proton (but the fourthcoming Waja replacement is a correct direction. It is better you copycat as you have no brains despite protected for more than 25 years).
Anyway, Kia’s management has shown good example by stepping down. But I have not seen any yet from Proton although the complaints are probably not as high as Mount Everest since its inception.
I ask you, have you driven the new cars built under DSZ’s helm? The Persona, the Saga & the Exora? I have, and I have no complaints over the new cars. So too are the owners who I know. So, why can’t bashers acknowledge that fact? Many bashers don’t talk from experience but from hearsay of others, and troll the pages of Paultan with those immature childish remarks. That’s not criticism, that’s just pure malice.
As for the price, you do know that even Proton cars are taxed too. I don’t know why they’re taxed, but I probably imagine it was not to raise the ire of other carmakers. If you could remove the tax, you’ll find you’ll get more value for money in the Proton than other cars of its class. But do people see that? Not really. All they see is whether the badge is right or wrong.
You might call me someone with low expectation, but I call a spade a spade. I’ve driven other cars before so I’m not just talking cock. There’s always two sides to a story.
he was talking bout automotive bro…expectation is highly needed in this industry…maybe for you a car that can move with no problem is consider good…
if so no one will grow….
higher expectation makes ppl grow…in this case the public expectation helps the automotive industry grow….
if a spade is a spade for you,pls don’t buy and choose any high gadget handphone because all a phone do is make calls,all a tv do us for you to watch and so pls don’t go for any LCD or LED tv since you’ve got no expectation….same goes to food,wearing,etc….
that’s what bro ‘Beh Tahan’ mean…
Have you driven the new Persona, Saga, & Exora? The guy generalise every Proton as beinig low quality, but what about the new cars built under DSZ’s helm? How come my friends who owns a Saga have no issues whatsoever? How come my friend’s sister who drives a Persona have no problems to complain? Or why my cousin who bought the Exora is satisfied with her purchase? They are improving, but nobody seems to acknowledge that, parroting the same old stuff over & over again.
As for the low expectation part, I admit I had misrepresented the meaning of what I wanted to say. He said only people with low expectation praise Proton. I praise Proton, so my expectations are low? I know what my expectations are, and I talk through experience, not hearsay I heard from a friend of a friend of a friend. I had owned a 1st Generation Gen-2 and I also own a 3G Honda City. If you’ve read my rants in Paultan you’ll know how dissatisfied I am with the Honda. I have more troubles in the Honda than the Gen-2. Each car driven the same way. yet the much maligned car comes out better than the much hyped and praised car! I’ve seen the improvements Proton have made from the Gen-2 to the new cars, and compared to the Honda, although in some terms the Honda have the upper hand the Proton, it’s not that far off that Proton couldn’t catch up. The Persona is an improvement over the Gen-2, and I’m pretty sure the new Persona R will improve on the Persona. Credit where credit’s due. That’s what I meant when I call a spade a spade. I won’t bash just because of the car’s badge, and I won’t praise just because of the car’s badge.
that car is a rubbish, admit it. all cars are made by same kind of worker. so , basically, honda ckd and gen2 are same. made by lazy shit.
okok~ dun be so stress… Proton is a good car…no worry~~ keep driving your proton~~ nobody will come up tell you ur car is cheap and bad… dun worry k???
Toyoda, so you’re saying all Malaysian made product are rubbish? Well, you too are a Malaysian made product. Nuff said.
If that is the case, i guess for naza would put a handbrake for the work to bring in Kia Soul to boleh land.
If not mistaken during world cup time, Naza did bring this model for demo rite?
i think the decision whether or not to step down is based on his role in the defect. if lets say it was his very own decision that contributed to the defect, then his decision to step down is a correct one. because as a CEO, he’s lack of ability to make correct decision.
It’s a matter of integrity and preserving one’s honour. Step down with head held high and come back fighting another day.
Wah….so serious? What I understand is this: The issue is related to the LED disco light in the speakers and they have some problem with the wiring system and harness. The supplier, Johnson Control Inc. is responsible for this package and Kia CEO has nothing to do with it…
now i wandering, where all the basher go?? if page are about proton, in only 1 day it will full of bashing.. but if about other company, no bashing thing.. comment also low.. i see it only 50+ message here from last night(7 september, today is 8 september).
they are busy balik kampung, think with your brain, ok?
nonsense~
thers nothing to bash…its not a problem.,.just as a preventive measure they recall and the CEO is taking responsibility for it….proton definitely bash la…car catches fire and still they turn a blind eye n blame owner n refuse to admit…
I think tiadaid is too free to keep coming here to defend proton. Why dont spend your time else where? they are rubbish, stop defending rubbish.
At least Kia is honest to admit their defects and are ready to rectify the defects. I wonder our local cars will have such credibility. Don’t get excited even the Ferrari has defects and that why they go on fire!
I actually owe a pesona and planning to change to a Forte. I took a drive in the forte two weeks back and it feels very solid…surprisingly, the Pesona gave me the same feel as well. I must say Pesona is definitely an improvement from the Waja i used to have. Of course everyone is entitle to their own opinion. I know a pesona owner who hates his car so much…i guess it is just your luck when you get the car. I heard that Forte has an alignment problem and also the engine makes some noise. So, i guess every car has its own faults…dun you agree?
By the way, i am changing the Pesona for the Forte.. not because my pesona is not good..just that the Forte has more features that i kind of like…anyone can advise on how is the Forte? I am thinking to get the 2.0. They have a sunroof version that they imported limited numbers but i did not manage to get it.
Dan, im a forte owner….thers no alignment problem, its more like a unsuitable alignment setup….the car alignment was set to counter road slant angle(for rainwater) but unfortunately in malaysia the slant direction is oppostie the setup which makes car run to the left a bit, easyly solvable in SC. while for the engine sound, thers no such thing…its just the car NVH which is one of the best in its class is so good tht some of the 1.6 owners can hear the hydraulic steering fluid pressure, very tiny sound….2.0 since using motor driven steering will not have this sound.
Thanks…i went to look at the Peugeot 308 and Ford focus TDCI as well this weekend, both are nice cars…in a dilemma now on which to get between the three…