Special Hari Raya Service Promotion for Hyundai car owners in Malaysia

Hyundai-Sime Darby Motors Sdn Bhd (HSDM) is offering its customers a �Special Hari Raya Service Promotion� in conjunction with the upcoming Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebrations. This service promotion is available at participating Hyundai service centers from 20^th August to 9^th September, 2010.

With an emphasis on �safety first� for the �balik kampung� rush this Hari Raya festivity, Hyundai wants to ensure Hyundai car owners a peace of mind during their long drive home. The promotion is also part of Hyundai�s commitment in providing value for money after-sales service to its valued customers. Customers can enjoy up to 20% discount on selected parts with 10% to 15% discount on labour depending on amount spent on parts purchase.

�Hyundai cars will be serviced by certified Hyundai technicians who use the latest diagnostic and service equipment. They also have immediate access to up-to-date technical and repair information which allows quicker diagnosis and repairs to any problem,� said Mr Dennis Ho, Managing Director of Hyundai-Sime Darby Motors Sdn Bhd.

He added that all certified Hyundai service outlets use only genuine parts manufactured according to Hyundai specifications. This is to ensure top performance and a maximum life span of Hyundai cars.

�Hyundai car owners should take advantage of this promotion as it does not only mean savings on selected parts and labour, but also a better and safer drive home,� said Mr Ho.

Customers who participate in this campaign will also receive free mystery gifts. For their own convenience, customers are advised to make prior appointments with the respective service centers or dealers.

Sime Darby Auto Imports is the sole factory authorised Porsche importer in Malaysia

Porsche Asia Pacific Pte Ltd today announced the official appointment of Sime Darby Auto Imports Sdn Bhd (Auto Imports), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sime Darby, as the sole and exclusive importer of Porsche cars in Malaysia.

The appointment, which follows a Letter of Intent signed between the two companies in January this year, was formalised in a signing ceremony that took place on Thursday, April 1, 2010.

Sime Darby takes over the responsibility from Jaseri Automotive Group Sdn Bhd, who had up till the first quarter of 2010 been handling the distribution and sales of Porsche cars in Malaysia.

With the agreement sealed, Auto Imports has appointed its related company, Sime Darby Auto Performance Sdn Bhd (Auto Performance) as the distributor of Porsche in Malaysia. Auto Performance is also a dealer and will have service centres that comply with Porsche�s stringent standards and undertake the sales, marketing and publicity functions as well as provide after-sales service for Porsche cars in Malaysia.

From L to R: Christopher Hunter, Lawrence Lee, Christer Ekberg, Arnt Bayer

Auto Performance will be headed by Chief Executive Officer, Arnt Bayer and After-Sales Manager, Christopher Hunter. Both Mr. Bayer and Mr. Hunter were previously from Porsche Asia Pacific, as Regional Sales Manager and Technical Manager, respectively, based in Singapore. The newly established company is also retaining staff members from the Jaseri Group who resume their full responsibilities operating at the current Porsche Centre Glenmarie.

Dato� Mokhzani Mahathir, Chairman of Jaseri Automotive Group will remain a shareholder of Auto Performance, providing continuity for Porsche�s existing customer base.

According to Arnt Bayer, �We are confident that Sime Darby is the right partner to take the Porsche brand to new heights in this key market. The company�s long standing experience, coupled with the solid team, will ensure a solid growth for Porsche in Malaysia. Improving customer satisfaction is high priority and one of the key projects will be the establishment of a state of the art After Sales facility in the Porsche Center Glenmarie that will offer first class service to all Porsche customers in Malaysia.�

Dato� Lawrence Lee (above: seated 2nd from left), Sime Darby�s Executive Vice President, Motors Division said, �We are honoured to add Porsche to our portfolio, and believe that the brand is well-placed for great expansion in this market. We already have some great plans for Porsche in Malaysia, including the establishment of a new dealership and a quick service centre for our customers, and will announce these in due course.�

Sime Darby to handle Porsche brand in Malaysia

Porsche Asia Pacific Pte Ltd has signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) to appoint Sime Darby the sole and exclusive importer of Porsche cars in Malaysia.

The LOI outlines that Sime Darby will assume full responsibility for the importation, distribution, sales, marketing, PR and after sales service for Porsche cars in Malaysia. This also includes the right to appoint dealers and service centres.

Sime Darby is expected to officially take on this responsibility from Jaseri Automotive Group Sdn Bhd by the end of the first quarter of 2010.

According to Christer Ekberg, Managing Director of Porsche Asia Pacific, �We are pleased to welcome a new partner to our Asia Pacific family, and are confident that the team at Sime Darby are the right choice for us to grow the Porsche brand even further. We are also very happy that Dato� Mokhzani Mahathir will remain as a shareholder in this new partnership, which will ensure continuity and a seamless transition for our customers.�

Porsche Centre Glenmarie will remain as the base for Porsche Sales and Service while additional Porsche Centres will be added to ensure higher service levels to existing as well as new Porsche customers.

Dato� Lawrence Lee, Sime Darby�s Executive Vice President, Motors Division said, �We are thrilled to have the opportunity to add the Porsche brand to our stable, and are certain that our depth of experience in representing some of the world�s best known marques will stand us in good stead in this partnership. Malaysia will be our second representation of Porsche as we are currently representing the brand with a Porsche Centre in New Zealand.�

About Porsche Asia Pacific Pte Ltd

On 1 October 2001, Porsche established its Asia Pacific office, headquartered in Singapore to support its current 12 independent importers in the region regarding Sales, Marketing, After Sales, Training and PR.

Andropause Rx: A Porsche to restore low testosterone?

Scientists have conducted a rather interesting study, according to an article posted at Zeintec (Zei-News) online newsletter.

A group of men were first given ownership (for a full hour) of a �75,000 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet, followed by ownership (for a full hour) of a sixteen year old Toyota Camry, which definitely fell into the �beaten-up-family-car� category.

Before the drive began in the Porsche, tests were conducted on saliva samples from each man and a testosterone level was noted. After the men took a drive through the country side, alone in the car with no witnesses, there was a significant increase in these levels! To take it a step further, the levels increased even MORE when the man drove through a town or city where there were plenty of female onlookers to fluff their tail feathers for.

BUT when the man took an hour drive in the Toyota, there was no increase in their testosterone levels and sadly, some men even showed a slight decrease!

For a man, owning a Porsche would be the equivalent of having the brightest feathers amongst your peacock rivals! It is common knowledge that a low testosterone level in a man can lead to a decrease in health; bad moods, sleep difficulty, putting on weight and a low sex drive...So the conclusion we come to: driving a Porsche is great for your health!

DRB-Hicom loses Chevrolet brand in Malaysia

Effective August 31, 2009, General Motors Corp (GM) has ended its agreement with DRB-HICOM Bhd for the exclusive distribution of Chevrolet vehicles in Malaysia. Diversified conglomerate DRB-HICOM also faces the risk of losing its role as the local Chevrolet importer as GM is said to be scouting for a replacement. The US carmaker, sources said, is now talking to the Naza group to handle the import, distribution and possibly local assembly of Chevrolet automobiles in the future.

In the interim, GM has turned to listed Permaju Industries Bhd's outfit Cergazam Sdn Bhd to manage the franchise from DRB-HICOM. Cergazam is already the largest Chevrolet dealer, operating four out of seven outlets nationwide.

Porsche Service Campaign 2009 in Malaysia

Click on image for more details


The annual Porsche Service Campaign is around the corner again. For 2009, the campaign will commence from the August 1st - 31st at Auto Eurokars' 3S Porsche Centre, Glenmarie in Shah Alam, Malaysia.

By participating in this campaign, Porsche owners will enjoy a free 24-points vehicle inspection with the new Porsche On Board Diagnosis II (OBD II) system and original parts discount up to 20% (additional 10% for Porsche Privilege Card holders).

2010 W212 E-Class: E200 CGI and E250 CGI gets direct injection and turbocharging...finally!

Leaked scanned brochure images of Daimler AG's upcoming and all-important 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class are already splurged in the blogosphere. Here are some powertrain details for our Malaysian market siginificant petrol-powered E200 model(s), expected to be launched sometime Q4 2009.

Badged E200 CGI BlueEFFICIENCY and E250 CGI BlueEFFICIENCY, both these variants will be powered by that familiar 1796cc four-pot from M-B. However - in two different states of tune - these new E200 and E250 are capable of 181hp/270Nm and 201hp/310Nm respectively! Output figures that mirrors the current and outgoing W211 E200K and E230 (2.5 V6) quite closely, which the new E200 CGI and E250 CGI plans probably replace. It remains to be seen if the W212 will have an E280 with an improved direct-injection 3.0V6 (M272) N/A engine.

While it is clear that CGI denotes direct gasoline injection in Merc speak, it hasn't been confirmed (not at least from the German language brochure) that these new E-Classes boast a turbocharger in place of the clunky Kompressor, though the rather low-end fat torque delivery (which stays flat!) of 270Nm from 1,800 - 4200rpm and 310Nm from 2,000 - 4500 rpm arouse suspicions of turbodiesel technology, applied to Benz's trusty and frugal 1.8L petrol motor of course! Remember that 1.8L Mercedes-Benz DiesOtto engine capable of 238hp and 400Nm in that M-B F700 Concept?

Claimed performance figures are century sprint of 8.7secs and 7.9secs for the W212 E200 CGI and E250 CGI respectively while Vmax are 235km/h and 245 km/h.







Related post:
2009/2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class (W212) undisguised!

Asian Auto-Bosch Fuel Efficiency Awards 2008: Hyundai Sonata 2.0L, Elantra 2.0L & Accent 1.6L garners three awards

Asian Auto, in a tie-up with Bosch held their �Asian Auto-Bosch Fuel Efficiency Awards 2008� recently. The awards is to give Malaysian motorists a clearer and better picture of which car in the Malaysian market currently has one of the best fuel consumption i.e. the lowest fuel consumption in its class.

The Hyundai Sonata 2.0L competed in the luxury car segment competing against the Japanese luxury sedans (as well as European car makers) and won the 2^nd best fuel consumption at 8.4L/100 km only losing out to Mercedes Benz B-Class 170. (Hyundai Sonata 2.0L � 2^nd lowest fuel consumption).

The Hyundai Elantra 2.0L competed in the premium family car segment and won the 3^rd best fuel consumption at 8.4L/100 km. (Hyundai Elantra 2.0L � 3^rd lowest fuel consumption).

The Hyundai Accent 1.6L competed in the family car segment and won the 2^nd best fuel consumption at 7.0L/100 km. Losing out by 0.4L/100km to the Honda City 1.5L.

The Awards given to the Hyundai Sonata 2.0L, Hyundai Elantra 2.0L and Hyundai Accent 1.6L shows that the Hyundai passenger cars distributed by Oriental-Hyundai Sdn Bhd / Kah Bintang Auto Sdn Bhd has low fuel consumption even when compared to Japanese cars.

2009 Honda City launched in Malaysia

Click on all images to enlarge

Honda Malaysia has announced the price of its 3rd generation, all-new City. Available in two grades, the basic 1.5S goes for RM84,980 while the higher-spec 1.5E can be yours for RM89,980 (on-the-road prices with insurance).

Chief differences on the 'E' grade City are paddle shifters, on-steering remote audio controls, fog lamps, split-foldable rear seats with centre armrest plus adjustable headrests and upsized 16" alloy wheels, among other things. Both are however, only available with 5-speed automatic (5A/T) transmission paired to Honda's 1.5L i-VTEC (12ops/145Nm) engine.



The all-new City is more grown-up and mature looking, which is a natural progression of things, as each successor model adds on more bulk and extra dimensions. However, upon closer scrutiny, the 3rd gen City actually has a rather long snout and lengthy frontal overhang (much protuding front bumper), quite atypical for a compact Honda sedan. Remember that "Machine minimum, man maximum" saying? Not a "Terminator" flick movie script or catch phrase but something of Honda's successful formula in car design - and clever packaging - for decades.



Well, maybe Honda engineers were much bent on avoiding a repeat of the stunted profile that resulted much split public opinions over the 2nd gen City (pre-facelift model). For the negative record, it was much criticised to be looking much like a laundry steam-iron, a loaf of bread or even a toad! For historical record - make no mistake - the 2nd generation City 1.5 i-DSI when launched in 2003, created ripples in the local automotive industry. It ruffled up the non-national segment (also a leading national car manufacturer along the way) when it was announced by then Honda Malaysia's MD/CEO, Seiji Kuraishi to be RM78,888 OTR. Many Honda dealers gave a standing ovation, delightfully taken in by surprise. As such, this all-new City will no doubt be a very important product for Honda Malaysia, as affirmed by the current Managing Director and CEO of Honda Malaysia, Atsushi Fujimoto. It is expected to carry on the volume baton worth some 40% of total sales of Honda passenger cars officially sold locally. Honda Malaysia is aiming to deliver 1500 units monthly of the all-new City starting January 2009, out of a total manufacturing capacity of an estimated 35,000 units annually, from its Melaka's Pegoh assembly plant.



Pop the new City's hood and you could actually see the latest i-VTEC (L15) motor 'hanging' loose (as contrasted with the new Jazz) in the centre of the engine bay, sitting just fore of the front axle. There are ample empty spaces both anterior and posterior of the tranverse engine block, more so aft of it extending until the radiator and that 'Optimus Prime' grille. Somewhat wasted space for a B-segment sub-compact. Or was it because of the A-pillar not as forward biased as the new Jazz (and the previous Jazz/City)? Afterall, the 3rd gen City has a completely different bodyshell than its hatchback 'cousin'. Or perhaps some way of conforming to new pedestrian safety standards?



Admittedly, the all-new City is sleek, youthful and sporty ("arrowshot form" in Honda speak) on the outside. Interior wise, it even succeed in elevating its cabin ambience to something more seriously executive than the Jazz, except for maybe the A/C controls or section of the dashboard.







The common-parts bin steering (Civic, Stream, Jazz et al) still looks and feels great after 3 years of debuting in the 8th gen Civic. Interior space is very commendable for a B-segment sedan. Boot volume while class leading at 506 litres, has more wheel humps intrusion now, though still a capacious rump. Speedometer fonts and dials is typical Honda-legible while taking the latest Stream/Accord cues. Engine coolant temperature gauge is still deliberately omitted, not unlike the last City but there is a multifunction info display now, set within the speedometer. First in class for a Japanese 'budget' sedan is the tilt-and-telescopic adjustable steering wheel. Nice and practical additions indeed.




On the other hand, two things that I missed very much in the new City are the split-level, dual glove-boxes and get this: Honda's wonderful ULTRA-seat. I spoke to the Chief Engineer for the all-new City, Takeshi Nakamura and he mentioned that for the overall sleekness and space of boot(?) of the successor, it has been omitted. When I pressed on whether it can be re-introduced in say, the City facelift model after 2-3 years, Honda Malaysia's MD & CEO, Fujimoto-san chipped in to say there are no plans to swap the split-folding back rest (1.5E) with full ULTRA seat capability. I was impressed with their candid replies, pleasantly obliging, especially coming from the head honcho himself, unlike a particular prestige German car manufacturer which has dumb 'protocols', dementious-like persona and snooty attitudes. And I happen to be still driving around in one of their "famed" automobile.




Back to the new City, I feel that the repositioning of the fuel tank to the front (under the front seats) resulting in a usable capacious void under the rear seats aren't well utilised anymore, unlike the last City and the latest Jazz. Pity. Or course there are nice trays and compartments under these seats in the 1.5E model but upon closer inspection of the base 1.5S variant, the rear bench is actually still being supported by tubular frames that are permanently fixed to the floor by fastened slot-in sockets. Remember the ULTRA seats being junked for the 2nd generation City VTEC after its first facelift exercise? Honda Malaysia was quick to reinstate this feature for the VTEC during the subsequent 2nd or 3rd facelift exercise, after consumers of even the VTEC variant wouldn't mind having these useful feature, which will fold out or assemble upright, out of sight, not affecting its interior aesthetics.



During the press conference, many members of the media were quick to ask about the new 5 A/T box in place of the smooth, efficient and refined CVT. Towards this, Nakamura-san (pictured above, seated far right) was equally quick to justify that 5A/T is better suited to the taste and driving habits of fellow Malaysians preferring a "more balanced" performance. While I couldn't really catch what that meant exactly, I guessed Honda Malaysia probably wanted to a better balance between performance, durability and cost, both of manufacturing and maintenance (warranty).

Afterall, it's an open secret among City owners/Honda SCs that the 'old' CVT 'box had some juddering/vibration issues circa 70k - 80k kms of service life, more so with the 2003 batches. Not a big problem as some used car dealer would have you believe e.g. needing RM20k to replace the whole 'gearbox'. Just a starter set (clutch mechanism of some sort) replacement (for less than RM2k) but nevertheless still some monetary cost incurred and possibly, more so, the cost of reliability reputation somewhat dented. I happen to know because I am responsible for the maintenance aspect of my wife's other city runabout, a 2003/04 City i-DSI.

In a larger overview, I reckon that RM2k is worth it over the 5 years of ownership, with excellent fuel efficiency, space, versatility, practicality and flexibity of carting and hauling stuffs that even my last 7th gen Accord 2.0 VTi (or even my current Teutonic executive) can only dream of! Bring back those City moments-defining ULTRA-seats Honda Malaysia!!!





Additional premium features in the new City 1.5E- pictorial highlights:










For more details on the colour schemes, detailed specifications, brochure literature and videos...
go here: www.excitementinthecity.com.my :)

Proton Chief is 'Automotive Man of the Year 2008'

Datuk Syed Zainal Abidin receiving the Award from Tan Sri Mohamed Nor Yackob, Second Finance Minister of Malaysia.


Datuk Syed Zainal Abidin bin Syed Mohamed Tahir, the Managing Director of Proton Holdings Berhad, was awarded the �Automotive Man of the Year 2008� Award in recognition of his leadership at the helm of Proton and turning around an ailing domestic giant into a genuine global challenger.

To achieve this, his focus switched back to core competencies and profitability. This culminated in the long term strategy which is now known as the Asian Multi-Local OEM (AMLO) strategy. The AMLO strategy is Proton�s export thrust into ASEAN, China, India, Middle East � North Africa in collaboration with local partners.

Datuk Zainal�s philosophy of �the right car at the right price at the right time and market� saw the rebirth of the new Proton Saga which is today a top seller. The Proton Persona, another successful model, also reflects Proton�s revival, and the MPV that will be launched next year promises to be Malaysia�s preferred vehicle.

The winners for the New Straits Times/Maybank COTY 2008 Awards were announced at a gala dinner in Kuala Lumpur hosted by the New Straits Times and title sponsor Maybank Berhad.

The premier Car of the Year Awards was first organised in 2002 by Cars, Bikes & Trucks, the motoring section of the New Straits Times, to recognise the efforts of all car manufacturers as well as serve as a guide to car buyers.

The event is endorsed by the Malaysian Automotive Association (MAA).