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KL Monorail fully back in operation as of 5pm, May 8
Rapid Rail has announced that all services on the KL Monorail have resumed as of 5pm this evening (Wednesday, May 8), with trains running at up to seven minutes interval during peak hours. The rail service had been disrupted since yesterday evening due to a fallen tree on Jalan Sultan Ismail near Concorde Hotel, which saw part of the tree falling on to the monorail track.
As a result of the blockage, the rail operator announced yesterday evening that Monorail services at four stations between Hang Tuah and Medan Tuanku stations had been suspended. The four stations closed were Bukit Nanas, Raja Chulan, Bukit Bintang and Imbi.
In the interim period following the closure, the rail operator deployed shuttle buses at Hang Tuah and Medan Tuanku to bridge the gap. The bus shuttle service has now ended with the resumption of Monorail services.
The company said that all clearing and repair work carried out was completed at 5.55 am this morning, and that it had also conducted a thorough and detailed examination of the stretch to ensure the track was stable and safe for operation.
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RON97 petrol price May 2024 week two update – price of premium fuel stays unchanged at RM3.47 per litre
With Wednesday comes the usual weekly fuel price update, as the finance ministry announces the retail prices of fuel for the coming week of May 9 to 15, 2024.
There’s no change in the price of RON 97 petrol, and so the fuel continues at the RN3.47 per litre rate it has been pegged at since September last year. As for RON 95 petrol, it of course continues at its ceiling price of RM2.05 per litre, as set by the Malaysian government in February 2021.
Likewise, diesel prices continue as they are, with Euro 5 B10 and B20 blends remaining at RM2.15 per litre, and Euro 5 B7 costing 20 sen more, at RM2.35 per litre.
These fuel prices will take effect from midnight tonight until Wednesday, May 15, 2024, when the next set of fuel price updates will be announced. This is the 19th edition of the weekly fuel pricing format for this year, and the 278th in total since the format’s introduction at the start of 2019.
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2024 Yamaha MT-15 new colour for Malaysia, pricing up by RM200 to RM12,498
2024 Yamaha MT-15 Midnight Cyan Following the colour update for the MT-25, the 2024 Yamaha MT-15 gets a new paint scheme choice in Malaysia, with pricing set at RM12,498, up RM200 from the 2022/2023 price. The new colour option for the MT-15 for this year is Midnight Cyan while Midnight Black is carried over.
Stocks of the updated MT-15 are expected in authorised Hong Leong Yamaha dealer showrooms immediately. Every MT-15 purchased comes with a two-year or 20,000 km warranty against manufacturing defects and a free disc lock worth RM100.
Otherwise, no changes for the MT-15 with power coming from a 155 cc, variable valve actuation, liquid-cooled, SOHC single-cylinder producing 19 hp at 10,000 rpm and 14.7 Nm of torque at 8,500 rpm. A six-speed, slipper and assist clutch equipped gearbox and chain final drive rotates the rear wheel.
2024 Yamaha MT-15 Midnight Black Suspension uses upside-down forks with gold anodised fork legs at the front end with a preload-adjustable monoshock at the back. Braking for the MT-15 is done with a single hydraulic disc on the front and rear wheels, with 17-inch wheels, shod with 110/7-0 front and 140/70 rear tyres.
10.4-litres of fuel is carried in the tank and weight for the MT-15 is claimed to be 133 kg, with seat height set at 810 mm. A monochrome LCD instrument panel displays all the necessary information with LED lighting used for the head and tail lights.
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Nissan Retail Concept 3S centre opens in Cyberjaya
Click to enlarge There’s a fresh Nissan 3S centre in Cyberjaya. Operated by Evo Mobility, the RM1.5 million facility has been operating since January, ‘filling a crucial gap in the market’ as it caters to potential new customers in Cyberjaya, Sepang and Putrajaya areas.
Edaran Tan Chong Motor (ETCM) says that Evo Mobility carries over two decades of “strong and robust business acumen background in fuel distribution across the southern region,” and the company is now venturing into the automotive space.
Located at Jalan Autoville 2, Autoville Cyberjaya (the designated hub for automotive sales and repair businesses in the township), the 7,300 sq.ft. facility has space for up to five vehicles in the showroom, a dedicated new vehicle delivery area, customer lounge and two service bays. The latter is capable of servicing up to 200 vehicles per month.
Click to enlarge Also, this new Cyberjaya outlet carries the latest Nissan Retail Concept (NRC), following the lead of Nissan’s flagship 3S centre in Petaling Jaya and three other outlets.
“The NRC was mooted to innovate Nissan dealerships and deliver world-class service standards to Nissan customers across the globe. It is centred on showcasing Nissan’s brand values across the entire customers’ journey at the dealership touchpoint, whether it is to test drive the latest model or to drop the car off for a regular service,” ETCM said, adding that more showrooms will undergo the NRC transformation.
The Nissan 3S in Cyberjaya is open seven days a week, from 9am till 7pm, for the showroom portion (03-76142215/019-2917100). The service centre (03-76142215) operates from 8am to 5pm on weekdays, and 8am to 1pm on Saturdays.
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Toyota global sales up 7.3% in FY2024 – 10.3 million units total, 37.4% being hybrids; net income up 101.7%
Toyota today reported a net income of 4.9 trillion yen for the financial year 2024 (FY2024) ended March 31, 2024, which is 101.7% higher than what it managed in the previous financial year (FY2023).
The increase in net income was brought on by heightened demand for Toyota and Lexus vehicles, with over 10.3 million units sold globally in FY2024, or 7.3% more than in FY2023. The automaker saw strong demand in North America (+17%), Europe (+15.7%) and Asia (+3%).
Meanwhile, markets in the ‘Other’ category such as Central and South America, Oceania, Africa, the Middle East and others saw a sales increase of 4.6%. On the flipside, Toyota’s home market of Japan registered a sales decline of 3.7% due to the suspension of shipments caused by the Daihatsu safety scandal.
In terms of the types of vehicles sold, Toyota was keen to point out that sales of its electrified models went up by 35.3% to hit 3.855 million units in FY2024 compared to 2.849 million units in FY2023. Hybrids (HEVs) made up the bulk of electrified vehicle sales with 3.594 million units, a 32.1% increase from FY2023, while plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) saw a 60.3% jump to 141,000 units.
Sales of the automaker’s battery electric vehicles (BEVs) recorded the highest increase at 310.1%, although the total number of units is still less than PHEVs at 117,000 units. As for fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs), Toyota sold just 4,000 units in FY2024, which is 11.3% more than in FY2023.
With higher sales in FY2024 than in FY2023, the company’s sales revenue rose by 21.4% to 45 trillion yen, while operating income went up 96.4% to nearly 5.4 trillion yen. For the FY2025 ending March 31, 2025, the company is forecasting a modest increase in sales revenue to 46 trillion yen and a lower operating income of 4.3 trillion yen, the latter taking into account a total of two trillion yen in investments for the future, including expanding its multi-pathway strategy.
Toyota also forecasted sales of Toyota and Lexus models to hit 10.4 million units in FY2025, which is just 0.9% more than what was recorded for FY2024. Electrified models are expected to see a sales growth of 25.2% to 4.8 million units, with HEVs in particular expected to register an increase of 25.2% to nearly 4.5 million units.
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Jalan Sultan Ismail fully reopens to traffic today, May 8
Jalan Sultan Ismail has been fully reopened to traffic today, according to Jabatan Penerangan WPKL, quoting KLCCC DBKL. This follows yesterday’s fallen tree incident near Concorde Hotel that caused one death, one serious injury and damage to multiple cars.
The stretch, which is a busy section of a major artery in the city centre, has been cleaned up. However, the Monorail track, which was also in the path of the fallen tree, still needs work.
Rapid KL says that currently, cleaning up and rehabilitation work are being done with the assistance of DBKL. The operations team and structural engineers are making detailed checks to ensure that full operations can resume according to the set safety standards.
In the meantime, four stations will be closed to the public due to the need to shut off power to the track. The stations are Bukit Nanas, Raja Chulan, Bukit Bintang and Imbi. To support this disruption, 10 feeder buses will ply the route of the closed stations. The buses are free and will run on a frequency of 30 minutes, depending on traffic conditions. More on the Monorail’s disrupted service here.
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Malaysia set to begin trials of QR code immigration clearance at both Johor border crossings in June
In March, Singapore announced that travellers arriving and departing Singapore by car via Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints would be able to use QR codes instead of passports for faster and more convenient immigration clearance.
Now, Malaysia is aiming to do the same, kicking things off with a trial run of a QR code immigration clearance system in Johor, The Star reports. The pilot project is set to be carried out in June at both the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar (BSI) and Sultan Abu Bakar Complex (KSAB) customs, immigration and quarantine (CIQ) facilities.
“The initial plan is for the pilot project to be carried out starting from June. However, there is a possibility for this to happen at a later date. It depends on whether the infrastructure and system being developed for the QR code clearance are ready by then,” state immigration director Baharuddin Tahir told the news publication.
He said that the QR code clearance will only be utilised for factory buses travelling through BSI and KSAB during the trial run. “We will only be carrying out the pilot project on factory buses. If everything runs smoothly, it will then be expanded to include other modes of transportation,” he said.
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Tesla plans to test robotaxi in China, though use of Full Self Driving not yet approved by authorities
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has proposed the use of Tesla vehicles as ‘taxis’ in China as a way of testing the vehicles’ ‘full self-driving’, or FSD functions for the Chinese market, China Daily has reported.
The news outlet cites sources as saying that the Chinese government may have offered partial support for the plan, and Musk has reportedly suggested implementing autonomous driving capabilities in China’s taxi services, according to sources close to the matter, according to the news site.
While China “welcomes Tesla to do some robotaxi tests in the country” and hopes that the company will “set a good example”, Chinese authorities did not immediately approve widespread use of FSD functions, China Daily reported.
Tesla plans to unveil its robotaxi on August 8, for which the EV maker plans to use the ‘unboxed’ manufacturing strategy originally intended for the stillborn Model 2 project.
Tesla has been in partnership with Baidu for collaboration on map and navigation data for autonomous driving services in China, though for FSD functions, Tesla still needs approval to collect and transfer data required for Tesla vehicles’ driver assistance features, according to the report.
While some outlets reported that Tesla had signed a deal to get regulatory clearance for self-driving vehicles in China, the latest development in terms of Tesla-Baidu cooperation only indicated that Baidu map accuracy has improved ‘to some extent’, and that it has no relation to the car’s FSD function, the report added.
The partnership between Baidu and the American EV maker began in 2020, when Tesla began integrating Baidu navigation maps into its vehicles for the Chinese market.
The reported by China Daily cites the China’s ministry of natural resources as saying that “all intelligent driving systems are required to obtain a qualification before they can operate on public roads”, and foreign companies need to partner with domestic companies which have obtained this qualification.
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2024 Volkswagen California debuts – TDI, TSI, PHEV; new Multivan-based camper van; 5 versions available
Volkswagen has revealed the seventh-generation California, a camper van derived from the long-wheelbase version of the MQB-based T7 Multivan that launched back in 2021. First previewed by a concept last August, the new California will go on sale in June 2024, with deliveries set to take place in the second half of the year.
In terms of powertrains, the California is available with two four-cylinder engines, including a TDI diesel making 150 PS (148 hp or 110 kW) or a TSI petrol with 204 PS (201 hp or 150 kW) – both drive the front wheels.
New for the California is an eHybrid plug-in hybrid setup that features a 1.5 litre TSI evo2 petrol engine, an electric motor, a battery and the company’s 4Motion all-wheel drive system. Exact power figures weren’t provided but the company says the California eHybrid is “the ideal companion for all globetrotters, winter campers and campers with boats or bikes on a trailer.”
Given its Multivan roots, the California is larger than its predecessor – the California 6.1 – and measures in at 5,173 mm long, 1,941 mm wide (without exterior mirrors), 1,901 mm tall and with a wheelbase of 3,124 mm.
As standard, all versions of the California (we’ll get to those soon) come with a pop-up roof as well as sliding doors on the left and right sides to make it easier to load items. On the former, Volkswagen says the interior height is 1,297 mm when the roof is closed, and increases to 2,108 mm when the pop-up roof is open. The pop-up roof comes with a front window and large front opening in addition two side windows in the bellows (all with mosquito nets).
With these features, owners can use their California as an open-air terrace for the first time, with an optional awning available for order for the left or right side if they want some protection against rain or too much sun.
Another new aspect of the California are individual seats instead of a bench seat in the rear, which Volkswagen says allows “expensive bikes” to be stored inside. You can of course adjust the seats to suit your personal preference, like folding them down to form a bed.
On the topic of versions, there are five available for the California, namely Beach, Beach Tour, Beach Camper, Coast and Ocean. Each one comes with specific equipment to suit different camper lifestyles, with the Beach having six seats that include 2+2 individual seats in the second and third row. There’s also a mattress that fits two people under the pop-up roof that can be opened and closed manually with an easy-to-operate mechanism.
The Beach Tour is similar to the Beach but adds on rotating and height-adjustable driver and front passenger seats, two ergonomic folding chairs in the boot lid, lighting in the pop-up roof and sliding windows in the rear doors. This variant also comes with a five-inch touchscreen in the C-pillar on the passenger side, which provides access to all camper van functions. Users can also do the same via the in-car app on the infotainment system or by using the California smartphone app.
Unlike the Beach, the Beach Tour is a five-seater with three individual seats in the rear, with the two outermost ones able to fold back completely to create two additional sleeping spaces – there’s also an additional fold-out mattress on board. A lithium iron phosphate (LFP) camper battery with 40 Ah of energy capacity is also included with this version.
Next up, the Camper is also a five-seater but comes with a mini kitchen that includes a 230V power supply, a single-ring gas cooker, cutlery drawer and additional storage space in the load compartment. This kitchen unit can be pulled out to the rear when the tailgate is open but is otherwise kept inside to protect against the elements.
The next step up is the Coast, a four-seater that gets a full-fledged kitchen on the driver side and an additional camper van battery for 80 Ah of energy capacity. Volkswagen says the redesigned kitchenette, which features cabinets, a sink and a single-ring gas cooker, offers similar space to the unit fitted in the California’s predecessor, but does not protrude as far forward.
Lastly, the Ocean is the flagship version of the California as it has been in the past and comes as a four-seater with exclusive features. These include Melange Raven seat fabric made from recycled material and with California lettering embroidered onto the backrests of the front seats.
The luxury option also gets seat heating for the front seats, an auxiliary air heater, Climatronic automatic air-conditioning, a roof storage box and background lighting in the kitchenette. The Ocean and Coast also get a larger fresh water tank with 28 litres of capacity, which is five more than before. Both also have an exterior folding table and an additional 230V power socket.
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Pro-Net expands EV charging network – 36 Gentari bays at Proton Edar, smart dealerships in nine states
smart distributor Pro-Net has announced a charging infrastructure network expansion that includes Proton Edar dealerships nationwide. Currently, they have 36 charging bays covering nine states in Malaysia.
Since the introduction of a DC charger at Proton’s headquarters in October 2023, Pro-Net has taken steps to roll out chargers at Proton Edar dealerships. Together with Gentari, the company has successfully deployed six DC chargers (12 bays) consisting of 50 kW, 100 kW and 120 kW chargers, as well as three 60 kW units.
This is in addition to the chargers at smart dealerships, of which there are five DC chargers and 13 AC chargers nationwide, for a total of 22 bays. There’s more to come, as smart has announced upcoming outlets in Petaling Jaya and Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.
At present, over 70% of all public charging points are accessible through the Hello smart app, thanks to strategic partnerships with CPOs chargEV, JomCharge and Gentari. The in-house app provides real-time updates on charging points and availability status. By the way, all EVs are welcome at Pro-Net chargers except for those at Hap Seng, which are reserved for smart and Mercedes-Benz owners. Full list below.
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PLUS Sg Buloh, Serdang R&Rs closed for upgrading
Click to enlarge Those who ply the North South Highway and NKVE, take note. PLUS has announced the closure of two R&Rs for upgrading works, starting May 10. They are the Sungai Buloh R&R (southbound, KM 454) and the Serdang R&R (northbound, KM 306.2).
For Sungai Buloh, PLUS says that the petrol station, heavy vehicle parking area and temporary toilets will remain open. As for Serdang, PLUS says that one can use the surau and toilet at the Sungai Besi toll plaza or the following R&R. If these are your regular pit stops, bear in mind.
Drive safe and take a break if you’re feeling sleepy behind the wheel.
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Targeted fuel subsidy predicted to impact M40 car buyers more than B40, T20 – RHB Investment Bank
According to RHB Investment Bank, the planned subsidy rationalisation by the government will more heavily impact the mid-market segment of the automotive market. In a report highlighted by Astro Awani and NST, RHB this was because the low-income group is still expected to benefit from subsidies while high-income earners are less likely to be affected by the ending of subsidies.
“We are optimistic about the salary hikes for civil workers, with a more than 13% increase likely encouraging consumer spending on significant purchases. However, we are maintaining our earnings assumptions for now, as overall sentiment in the sector remains cautious due to uncertainty surrounding subsidy rationalisation,” it said.
The firm added that the restructuring of the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) to include a new Akaun Fleksibel (also known as Akaun 3) will have minimal impact in terms of spurring sales in the automotive sector.
“It is anticipated that only RM4 billion to RM5 billion will enter the economy annually through these withdrawals. It is much less compared to the RM145 billion withdrawn by 8.1 million EPF account holders through previous pandemic-related withdrawal programs. Consequently, the withdrawal per member this time is expected to be lower,” the firm explained.
It added that the loan approval rate of year-to-date vehicle purchases reached 58% compared to 62-63% in 2022-2023, while gross loans for car purchases only increased by 2.7% despite TIV increasing by 5%. This suggests more stringent requirements for granting loans and consumers switching to more affordable cars.
In the first quarter of 2024, the total industry volume (TIV) made up more than 30% of RHB’s 2024 TIV assumption of 625,000 units. However, this is deemed to be not sustainable and the firm is not expecting sales to reach a new high and should return to “normal” levels after two record-breaking years.
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Beijing 2024: Leapmotor C01 sedan, C10, C11, C16 SUVs shown; T03 compact EV likely to enter Malaysia?
There’s plenty of interesting metal that was shown at Auto China 2024 in Beijing this year to say the least, especially with products that will be arriving in Malaysia for the first time.
One such brand is Leapmotor from the Stellantis group of brands, which has been announced as being part of Stellantis’ plans for introduction to this market later this year. Its positioning within the group’s brands for the country will be for the affordable EV segment, as one of three brands within Stellantis Malaysia’s plans for the near future.
Of the products shown by Leapmotor at the motor show in Beijing, the T03 fits the affordable EV bill, being a compact five-door electric hatchback that measures 3,620 mm in length.
Powertrain for the Leapmotor T03 is a front-mounted 70 kW (95PS) electric drive motor, offered with three driving modes and three steering modes, and has a maximum battery range of 280 km on the WLTP testing standard, according to the Leapmotor website.
Features in the T03 include an electric parking brake with auto hold, panoramic sunroof, an electric sunshade, as well as remote operation for battery pre-heating, air-conditioning, self-parking and vehicle location.
The T03 was also joined at Auto China 2024 by its stablemates, the C01 sedan, as well as the C10, C11 and C16 SUVs. As these are larger models and therefore given a more premium positioning in the Leapmotor line-up, these appear less likely to feature in the brand’s Malaysian-market plans for the immediate future, given Stellantis Malaysia’s affordable EV brief for the brand.
In fact, Leapmotor as a brand has been confirmed for arrival into Malaysia later this month, and as such, more will be known about the company’s plans, and products, for our market soon.
Leapmotor T03
Leapmotor C01 sedan; C10, C11, C16 SUVs
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Shell says Malaysia is an important country for it, remains committed to the mobility business here
Shell Malaysia has responded to a news report indicating that it was set to sell its entire petrol station business in Malaysia to Saudi Aramco.
“Malaysia is important to Shell. We remain committed to the mobility business in the country,” the company said in a brief media statement.
Earlier this week, Reuters had reported the news of the sale, citing four unnamed industry personnel familiar with the matter as its sources. Talks were reportedly said to have begun in late 2023, with the indication being that the deal may be finalised in the coming months. Sources briefed on the matter said the deal could be worth up to four to five billion ringgit.
With around 950 stations across Malaysia, Shell has the second-largest fuel retail network in the country after Petronas, which operates a larger network. The company also has a small presence in the electric vehiicle (EV) charging domain, through its Shell Recharge DC and AC electric vehicle charging network and ParkEasy, which it now owns.
One of the sources had told Reuters that the company’s effort to sell its downstream business in Malaysia is consistent with its move to sell its refinery on Bukom Island in Singapore, which supplies the network.
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Four Monorail stations closed, feeder buses deployed
Click to enlarge Yesterday’s fallen tree on Jalan Sultan Ismail near Concorde Hotel affected the Monorail track and Rapid KL immediately suspended Monorail services between KL Sentral and Medan Tuanku and deployed shuttle buses to bridge the gap.
The public transport company has now outlined its plan for the Monorail, which starts today, May 8. Four stations will be closed to the public due to the need to shut off power to the track. The stations are Bukit Nanas, Raja Chulan, Bukit Bintang and Imbi.
This means that the train from KL Sentral will reach Hang Tuah before returning on Platform 2, with a frequency of 24 minutes. On the other side of the line, trains from Titiwangsa will return at Medan Tuanku, and the frequency is 15 minutes.
To support this disruption, 10 feeder buses will ply the route of the closed stations. The buses are free and will run on a frequency of 30 minutes, but this of course depends on traffic conditions. Rapid KL has suggested alternative train stations that are located close to Monorail stations – check out the graphic above.
Rapid KL says that currently, cleaning up and rehabilitation work are being done with the assistance of DBKL. The operations team and structural engineers are making detailed checks to ensure that full operations can resume according to the set safety standards.
