The MINI Cooper S has had its engine uprated with more power and better technology than before. Jointly developed by BMW and PSA Peugeot Citroen, the 1.6-litre turbocharged engine has been equipped with Valvetronic, BMW’s variable valve timing system, gaining nine horses more as a result. The selling price stays unchanged at RM 239,888 (OTR without insurance). The new maximum power output …Read More

Have talks between Proton and Volkswagen been called off once again? Proton Chairman Datuk Mohd Nadzmi Mohd Salleh said last week that the final outcome of the ongoing talks with Volkswagen regarding any form of collaboration would be made known within two weeks. While there has been no announcement from any personnel within the Proton camp, a report titled Bumpier ride …Read More

Bad news if you are still dilly-dallying on whether to buy that new car: The period of low hire purchase interest rates appears to be over, as rates on new non-national car loans and new national car loans have been increased by 0.25% and 0.10%, respectively, according to a report by StarBiz who interviewed several bank officers. …Read More

Lotus Racing has received full indemnity in the on-going legal battle between Force India F1 team and Aerolab/Fondtech, the aerodynamic development firm which designed the wind tunnel model for Lotus Racing before the start of the current F1 season. Force India had expressed concern at the similarities between its own 2009 F1 car and Lotus Racing’s wind …Read More

Lotus Racing was putting in their best performance this season until both Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen were brought to a premature halt by hydraulics failures. Starting on 19th position, Trulli stalled on the track on lap 32, while Kovalainen, who started on 20th position, retired in the pit on lap 33. “It was difficult at the beginning with …Read More

Proton has announced a net profit of RM 239 million for the financial year up till March 31, 2010, compared to a net loss of RM 302 million for the previous year. Year-on-year, revenue has grown to RM 8.23 billion from RM 6.49 billion, derived from a sales volume that has risen to 174,481 vehicle units from …Read More

In two weeks, Proton is finally going to announce the outcome of the protracted discussions with Volkswagen AG, the automotive group that has recently purchased stakes in Porsche, Suzuki and Italdesign Giugiaro. This revelation follows the confirmation from three months ago that Proton was engaged in “intense discussions” with Mitsubishi and Renault besides Volkswagen. “We can confirm that …Read More

Lexus Malaysia, the official distributor for the Lexus brand in Malaysia, has announced a “Special Service Campaign”, or recall as it is more commonly known, of the current-generation LS 460 sedan. However, only less than 10 units of the LS 460L and LS 460 Sport are affected by the niggling, rather than pressing, issue …Read More

Malaysians consume the most fuel in the Asian region on a per capita basis, according to a report from Malaysian newspaper thestar. Since 2004, Malaysians have consumed more than 400 litres per capita, per year, beating out our Asian peers by significant margins. Five other countries in the study including Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, China and India are much more modest when …Read More

Hyundai-Sime Darby Motors has introduced a new variant of the Hyundai i10, one equipped with a more powerful and modern 1.25-litre Kappa engine in place of the current 1.1-litre Epsilon unit. Locally-assembled, the i10 1.25 is priced at RM 49,688 (on-the-road) for the standard-spec version and RM 52,688 for the high-spec version (which adds dual airbags and anti-locking …Read More

Proton has introduced changes to the exterior, prices and trim levels of the Proton Gen2, which made its debut in 2004. The Gen2 Medium-Line is no longer available with a manual gearbox, with the Gen2 Medium-Line automatic version going for RM 54,988—RM 1500 cheaper than before. The Gen2 High-Line manual and automatic versions sell for RM 57,488 and RM 60,488, respectively—both prices …Read More

Edaran Tan Chong Motor Sdn Bhd (ETCM), the official distributor for the Nissan brand in Malaysia, expects to sell 10 percent more cars this year, thanks to plans to introduce two new models and the substantial growth of the MPV segment, in which the Nissan Grand Livina is hugely popular. Having grown …Read More

Don’t be surprise if a Proton Exora slows down and stops the next time you flag for a taxi. The government has announced plans to introduce the Proton MPV as a 1Malaysia taxi to enhance the quality of public transport. “The Exora is expected to be better than the other models of taxis as it has more seating space and bigger …Read More

Lotus Racing had a weekend of mixed emotions at the Monaco Grand Prix, where both T127 cars showed ample promise in practice and qualifying and excellent pace throughout the race—only to drop out towards the end of the race. Heikki Kovalainen retired on lap 59 due to a steering joint problem, while Jarno Trulli crashed out on lap 71 after …Read More

Perodua has announced plans to increase the production of their latest model, the Alza, which would shorten the delivery period from the initial two months to three weeks. Perodua has garnered 30,500 bookings since the Alza’s launch in late November 2009, beating the monthly sales target set at 4000 units. However, only 20,000 units have been …Read More

BMW Malaysia has launched the 2010 BMW 5-Series GT, a crossover showcased at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show that was actually launched for international markets before the F10 BMW 5-Series. Codenamed F07, the 5-Series GT is sold in three model variants overseas, although only the 535i GT is brought into Malaysia, at a price of RM 638,800 (OTR without insurance). …Read More

Volvo Car Malaysia has launched the 2010 Volvo S80 facelift model, which brings changes not only to the appearance of things, but also under the bonnet and on the equipment count. The fully-imported S80 3.2 has been dropped, leaving the locally-assembled S80 2.5T as the only variant. For the extra goodies, the S80 2.5T now costs RM 295,000 (OTR without …Read More

Nasim Sdn Bhd, part of the ever-expanding Naza group and the official distributor for the Peugeot brand in Malaysia, has raised its 2010 sales target to 3800 units from 2930 units, in line with the 3766 units sold in 2009. Nasim has good reason to be confident, as three all-new models and …Read More

Kia Soul will be launched for the Malaysian market on the 24th of May, insider sources have revealed to us. We have predicted earlier this year that the Soul would be among the new cars arriving in Malaysia in 2010, so this information comes as little surprise. What may surprise is the kind of car that the Soul actually is, as it …Read More

Honda Malaysia has been selected as the Gold Winner of the Reader’s Digest Trusted Brands research study in the Automobiles category—for the 12th consecutive year. Conducted by independent firm Synovate on behalf of Reader’s Digest, the survey found that Honda Malaysia is the Most Trusted Brand among many Malaysians, based on six criteria including Trustworthiness & Credibility, …Read More