Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia is going to be busy these couple of months, scheduling not only the launch of the original Pajero, now in its fourth generation, in September, but also the introduction of the all-new ASX (Active Smart X-over) compact crossover, Mitsubishi’s latest global model, in the fourth quarter of 2010. Both models will be fully imported from Japan. Launched in Japan in …Read More

Isuzu has done it again, topping the chart of the J.D. Power Asia Pacific 2010 Malaysia Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) Study for the second year running. The leader Isuzu (844 points) is followed by Suzuki (790), Toyota (789) and Honda (788). Based on survey responses from 2445 new-car owners who bought their vehicles between September 2009 and April 2010, …Read More

UMW Toyota Motor has quietly let it be known, via an update of its website one week ago, that the new mid-life facelift version of Toyota Corolla Altis will be arriving in Malaysia soon. Toyota revealed the estimated pricing and specification of the four upcoming variants, but left out the date of arrival, except to say that it will be …Read More

UMW Toyota Motor, the official distributor for the Toyota brand, has issued an official statement reassuring Toyota Corolla Altis owners in Malaysia that their cars are safe for use and remain unaffected by the voluntary safety recall in the U.S., which had been announced over the weekend. Toyota U.S. plans to recall around 1.13 million vehicle units of 2005–2008 …Read More

Lotus Racing had an eventful weekend at the Belgian Grand Prix, which saw Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso and McLaren’s world champion Jenson Button failing to cross the finishing line. Heikki Kovalainen took 16th place after recovering from a slow start, while Jarno Trulli finished in 19th no thanks to a spin in the latter stages which robbed him …Read More

UMW Toyota Motor has listed the new mid-life facelift version of Toyota Corolla Altis on their website. The most significant of changes is the addition of a 2.0V variant priced at RM 131,990 (estimated OTR with insurance pricing). The RM 105,990 1.6E, the RM 112,990 1.8E and the RM 122,990 1.8G variants have had their prices revised upwards; for the …Read More

Proton has reported solid earnings for the first quarter of financial year 2010 which ended June 30. Compared with the same quarter in 2009, revenue increased by 23.6 percent to RM 2.29 billion from RM 1.85 billion, while net profit jumped 55.2 percent to RM 84.7 million from RM 54.5 million. The rosy result is attributed …Read More

Proton has done tremendously well in the 25 years since its formation, and has the potential to achieve a stronger presence in the global markets going forward. That is what Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Malaysia’s ex-Prime Minister who acts as an advisor to Proton, has to say about our national automaker which he had played a key role in creating. …Read More

UMW Toyota Motor has finally decided to launch a more powerful Toyota Hilux variant, the 3.0G Double Cab automatic costing an estimated RM 106,000, which represents a RM 11K premium over the 2.5G Double Cab automatic. For the extra money, you get additional equipments—retractable side mirrors, auto door lock feature and USB audio connectivity—and an …Read More

Bermaz Motor, the official Malaysian distributor for Mazda, has issued a press release assuring local Mazda3 and Mazda5 owners that a recall of either model is unnecessary at the moment, as there have not been any complaints to date, even though, the company concedes, the failure of the power steering mechanism is a possibility that cannot be ruled out. To ensure …Read More

Volkswagen Malaysia will most likely be locally assembling the Golf GTI, Beetle and Passat CC, going by the popularity of the three models which, together, represent 68 percent of the total volume of cars sold in the first half of 2010. The Golf GTI accounted for 273 units, the Beetle with 96 units and the Passat CC contributed …Read More

Naza-Brabus, the official and exclusive distributor for the Brabus brand in Malaysia and Singapore, has launched the RM 580,000 Brabus Ultimate 112. Despite the huge price tag, the car you see in the photos is in fact a Smart Fortwo Cabriolet that has been tuned and dressed up by Brabus. The Ultimate 112 boasts a horsepower rating of …Read More

Volkswagen Malaysia will be locally assembling three Volkswagen models by the end of the first quarter in 2011, after signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with DRB-Hicom Bhd at the Volkswagen Centre in Singapore. In addition to the production of CKD (completely knocked down) units, the agreement also covers the strengthening of Volkswagen’s local presence through various sales activities. …Read More

How things have changed. A few years back, most of us would have laughed it off if we were told that the all-new, sixth-generation Hyundai Sonata YF is going to share the best-in-class lead in the large family sedan segment with Honda Accord and Toyota Camry. That was no laughing matter, however, as we have just found out in our test …Read More

The Power of Dreams, the famous Honda slogan, should be changed to The Power of Honda. The Japanese brand has hit an all-time high monthly sales record of 4586 units in July—25 percent more than the number of units sold in July last year. With 26,734 units sold thus far this year, Honda Malaysia is targeting to sell …Read More

Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia Sdn Bhd has given the Mitsubishi Grandis a spec-sheet revision accompanied by a slight price increment. Now costing RM 165,427.80 (on-the-road excluding insurance), or around RM 5K more than before, the revised Grandis has been equipped with auto-leveling xenon headlamps, keyless entry and start, roof rails, powered tailgate, and 6.1" touch-screen …Read More

Suzuki Malaysia Automobile Sdn Bhd, the official distributor of Suzuki cars, has launched the Suzuki Alto 1.0, a fully imported supermini from India that brings the fight to local heavyweights Perodua Viva, Proton Savvy and Inokom i10. Three variants are available: the GA manual variant at RM 44,888, the GLX automatic variant at RM 49,999, and the GXS automatic …Read More

Volkswagen Malaysia has launched two new models: the Volkswagen Golf 1.4 TSI for RM 155,888, which is RM 54K cheaper than the RM 209,888 Golf GTI; and the Volkswagen Scirocco 1.4 TSI for RM 188,888, which is RM 55K cheaper than the RM 243,888 Scirocco 2.0 TSI. Both models are powered by the same 1.4-litre …Read More

Sime Darby Auto Connexion, which took over from Ford Malaysia as the sole distributor for Ford cars in Malaysia, has updated the Ford Escape, slightly more than a year after its previous update. Visually, the refreshed Escape loses the chrome bar grille for a black mesh grille, and gets a mildly modified front bumper. What’s more significant with this round of …Read More

Sime Darby Auto Performance Sdn Bhd, which took over the distributorship of Porsche cars for Malaysia, has officially launched the all-new, second-generation Porsche Cayenne as well as two new V6 variants of the Porsche Panamera. The Cayenne comes in five variants, with a variety of petrol, diesel and hybrid powertrains, each with a new eight-speed Tiptronic automatic transmission as …Read More