31 May 2011

Perodua Myvi 2011 open for booking on 4th June 2011

The new Perodua Myvi 2011 is due to be launched on 16th June 2011. Perodua has announced that the car can be booked from its dealer from this Saturday, 4th June.

No details of pricing and variants yet. All they say is it will have six variants with six colors, enhanced styling, safety and fuel efficiency. The booking fee is RM400.

Stay tune!

26 May 2011

Proton Saga FL 1.6 launched, RM46,549





Proton today launched 1.6 version of their Saga FL. The drivetrain is from Persona, means a familiar 1.6 Campro IAFM and 4 speed auto. No manual transmission is offered.


24 May 2011

2012 Honda CRV

2012 CRV


Current Honda CRV



Autoblog has revealed a spyshots of next generation of Honda CRV. However, it was uncertain whether this is a lightly disguised next generation model, or merely a mock-up using current car,as some resemblances are very clear to see, such as window line upto C-pillar.

Rear tailgate seems different, with more curved and raked rear screen, ala Volvo XC60. Volvo design seems to inspired the rear light too.

According to Autoblog, production might start before end of the year. Malaysia usually is a bit inconsistent in the launching date relative to other countries, so it is unknown when the next CRV will arrive.

23 May 2011

New ‘AMP’ Spare Parts from Proton

Malaysian car manufacturer, PROTON, today launched its 2nd brand of spare parts, named the ‘Proton AMP’.The ‘AMP’ (short for ‘After Market Parts’) is a range of quality car components and accessories endorsed by PROTON that are now being made available to Proton car owners at highly affordable prices. With the AMP, PROTON aims to provide a great alternative to customers who seek a lower cost of ownership of their Proton cars without resorting to cheap and unsafe imitation parts to maintain their cars after the expiry of the warranty period.

En. Mohamad Shukor Ibrahim, Chief Executive Officer of Proton Edar Sdn. Bhd. said, “For most of our customers, the focus on saving cost in the post-warranty maintenance of their Proton cars have often led them to purchase low quality counterfeit parts that do not conform with the OEM’s (Original Equipment Manufacturer) safety and quality standard and this is detrimental to the well being and performance of their Proton cars. The Proton AMP will address this concern by providing Proton car owners high quality parts that are not only affordable but more importantly endorsed and guaranteed by PROTON.”

On top of the considerable savings that can be made by purchasing the AMP parts, Proton car owners are also assured of a 3-month or 5,000 KM (whichever comes first) product warranty by PROTON for each AMP product, excluding the wear and tear of such parts.

En. Mohamad Shukor added, “At the end of the day, what is important to us is our customer’s satisfaction. With the AMP, all Proton authorised service centres and parts stockists will become a better source of parts and services for our customer’s post warranty needs. The combined use of PROTON endorsed parts with the servicing of their Proton cars at our authorised service centres will provide our customers with better quality assurance and service experience. They may even look forward to an increase in their vehicle resale value as a result of a proper maintenance of their Proton cars.”

“We believe our customers will soon realise that quality does not have to be a pain on the wallet and we certainly hope that this will be reflected in their acceptance of the Proton AMP. Their support will not only be beneficial to their Proton cars but will also contribute towards the country’s National Automotive Policy (NAP) of curbing the sales of risky and low quality imitation or used components.”

The Proton AMP parts are available for purchase at all PROTON authorised service centres and parts stockists from 21 May 2011. For further information about the Proton AMP, contact any PROTON authorised dealers and parts stockists or visit any PROTON authorised service centre today. To know more, you may also call Proton i.care at 1300 880 888.

Vettel won Spanish Grandprix 2011


Sebastian Vettel of RedBull racing won 2011 Spanish Grandprix, fending off the hard-charging Lewis Hamilton.

At the start, home hero Fernando Alonso made a dream start, quickly slipstreaming Vettel before switching to the right inside lane, while Vettel simultenaously steered left. Alonso then outbrake pole-sitter Webber to take the lead, while Vettel steered round the outside of his team mate to go to 2nd place. At the end of first corner, Alonso lead the race, much to the delight of the crowd.

Alonso then lead till 2nd pitstop where Vettel managed to get in front of him. Alonso then loose out to Hamilton too. Webber and Button also managed to fly pass the struggling Alonso on hard tyres.

Towards the end, Hamilton is closing on Vettel. But even with DRS and KERS, he never managed to make a move against the leading Red Bull. Eventually, Vettel won by a scant 0.6 sec.

Alonso was a lap down. This indicates sheer speed of Redbull and Mclaren of Hamilton. It is clear that Alonso managed to hold faster car during the first and second stint. But once these car managed to pass him, they just dissapear into distance and Ferrari never got the answer to their pace. Without Alonso determination to hang on, Ferrari would be further down the grid, just look at Massa.....

19 May 2011

Peugeot RCZ launched in Malaysia

Nasim (Peugeot importer in Malaysia) launched the highly stylist Peugeot RCZ to Malaysia market today. Two versions are available; 156 bhp version with 6 speed auto and 200bhp variant with 6 speed transmission. Both of these 2+2 variants are powered by 1.6 litre turbocharged Prince engine, where the higher powered version added with more advanced valvetrain systems.

156 bhp version is priced at RM219k whereas the 200 bhp version is at RM224k.

The car is not new in global market. Below are among the test drive review report:

Autocar UK
Paultan







Honda CR-Z Mugen

Are you among those who felt the CR-Z concept was a total waste? Nice CR-X inspired body, driver focus 2+2 cabin but powered by a hybrid system with a whopping 122 bhp? Worry not as Honda thinks so too. Mugen CR-Z is due to be presented at Goodwood Festival of Speed soon.




05 May 2011

Proton vs Perodua - 2011 Q1

Based on report on Motortrader about car sales up to March 2011, it seems that Proton and Perodua are heading for head to head battle. Upto March, 45,661 unit of Perodua were sold compared to 44,870 for Proton. With less than a thousant units separates these two, this is as close as it can get. This could be due year end and clear-off of 2010 stock, but nevertheless, sales are sales.

Going to model by model, Myvi is still the best-seller followed by Saga. 21,430 unit of Myvi were sold from January to March 2011, while Saga is almost 1000 units less. However, Perodua has two more model in top five, i.e Viva (15846) and Alza (8,378). Proton however, has an ageing Persona in fourth place, selling a solid 12,319 unit in this quarter. Not bad for a run-out, ageing model.

From this top five alone, Perodua sold 44,654 units, 98% of it total sales this quarter. Proton, meanwhile, represented only with two models in top five, only managed 32,774 units, 73 % of its total Q1 volume. Exora failed to make an impression, with only 5,505 units sold in Q1. Even Toyota Vios managed 7,285 units.

As for other Proton model, Inspira is in12th place with 3,428 units, Waja at 25th with 1,226 units, Satria Neo 1060 units at 27th place, Gen 2 shares 38th place with the prestigeous BMW 5-series at 202 units in March, totalling niche-like 466 units for Q1.

04 May 2011

Proton Persona R (P3-21A) spied again

Proton Persona R (P3-21A) has been spotted again. Quite a while back the car was seen in convoy with Vauxhall Astra. These new shots are from the back. There's no new knowledge actually about the final design. The rear end is still heavily camouflaged. Even the rear lamp seems temporary. The cladding at the back is also thick, heavily disguising the shape of the boot.


More photos after the jump.

03 May 2011

Perodua MyVi - Used Car Scenario

Overview
With the launch of new Perodua Myvi approaching, soon the market will be flood with current generation of Myvi, as if it not yet flooded the used market right now. With soon to be cheaper used price, combined with reasonable build quality and component price, the spacious Myvi is perfect car for young family who is starting family life, especially if one can find a good, cheap used examples.
I’m talking from point of view of Myvi owner. I bought 1.3EZ (standard line, automatic transmission) in 2006 for RM46k. At that time I have a kid and frequently travelled up north from KL, Myvi served the purpose fuss free. Lack of boot space was not a problem as I have only one kid, so the flexible rear seat can be used for additional boot space.
Performance wise, the auto version can be pushed to 160 km/h (at least that as fast as I dared) although in-gear acceleration leave a lot to be desired ( but OK for 1.3 auto I guess). NVH is not too bad, better than Proton LMST I owned at that time. Handling is bit of mixed story; body roll is plenty, sharp braking together with steering input accentuates this further. But the lack of roll stiffness does result in positive turning in, with strong chuckability, good for darting around tight corner. Ride is a bit on the firm side, bump absorption is not that good where minor road imperfection can be felt. Fuel consumption is good if one drive at 90 km/h on average, but once you pushed beyond 3000 rpm at top gear, i.e beyond 130 km/h it starts to guzzle fuel like nobody business.