Terengganu on the East Coast has Friday and Saturday as its weekend, so Thursday night is usually a time when people start to look forward to their weekly break. Last night saw added excitement in the state capital of Kuala Terengganu as the streets came alive with a convoy of 35 vehicles taking part in the Toyota GAZOO Racing Festival Drivers’ Parade.
A first in Kuala Terengganu
The parade was a promotional event for this weekend’s opening round of Season 3 of the Toyota GAZOO Racing (TGR) Festival and Vios Challenge race series. In the convoy were 26 Vios racing cars which were driven on public roads for the very first time, escorted by the police. The racing cars, intended for the race series, are normally not for normal use on public roads.
Starting from the race venue at the Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin stadium, the 25-km journey took drivers across the iconic Kuala Terengganu Drawbridge before coming to stop at Pasarnita for a meet-and-greet session with hundreds of local fans.
Toyota GAZOO Racing Festival Chief Motorsports Officer Akio Takeyama led the convoy which had celebrities and Promotional class drivers Diana Danielle, Janna Nick, Wany Hasrita, Nabila Razali, Ain Edruce, Shukri Yahaya, Shawn Lee, Nabil Ahmad, Khai Bahar and Syafiq Kyle.
Also joining the parade were the pool of amateur and professional racers competing in the Sporting and Super Sporting Classes who included Malaysian drifter and Season 1 champion Tengku Djan Ley, teenage driver Hayden Haikal, Dato’ Ken Foo, Season 2 champion Brendon Lim, Ahmad Tarmimi, Mark Darwin, Mirza Syahmi, Mohd Ismail Idris, Jackson Tan, Freddie Ang, Ricky Tan, Syafiq Ali, Lim Chun Beng, Sutan Mustafa and Tom Goh.
Recognized as Malaysia’s premier street racing series, the Vios Challenge is held on a specially-constructed 1.65-km street circuit and features close action on the track with celebrity, amateur and professional racing drivers competing in three classes of saloon car racing (Promotional, Sporting and Super Sporting classes respectively) in the exciting one-make series that is the highlight of the TGR Festival.
Related story: Drivers talk about the much-improved Vios racing car for Season 3
More than just racing action
For motorsports fans and spectators in Kuala Terengganu, the excitement of the TGR Festival is not confined to the action and drama on the track. Today and tomorrow, there also will be a display of Toyota’s wide range of models (with test-drives available), a drift performance by Japanese drifters courtesy of Toyo Tires, a racing simulator challenge, stage games and celebrity performances, promotional activities, lucky draws, the sale of merchandise, and a Superfans Signing Session where fans can mingle with the celebrities racing in the Promotional class. Entrance is free and there’s plenty of parking available at the venue.
Season
You must have insurance coverage for your motor vehicle if you want to use it on the road. In the past, insurance coverage was just that; you paid the premium annually and if you had a claim for accident damage or the vehicle was stolen, the insurance company paid the appropriate compensation.
Today, things are different and to enhance the ownership experience, the car companies work with their partner panel insurers to give customers more than just insurance coverage. Volkswagen Passenger Cars Malaysia (VPCM) is among the companies which offers insurance coverage with extra benefits. The insurance programme, launched recently, is known as the Volkswagen Insurance Plan or ‘VIP’.
As a privileged VIP policyholder, benefits include prioritised claim approval, roadside assistance with 24-hour emergency towing and assurance that repair work is conducted at authorised Volkswagen body and paint centres, in accordance to Volkswagen repair standards with only genuine parts used.
Additionally, there are no excess fees, no betterment cost and an agreed value of up to 10 years. This is applicable to all Volkswagen models, regardless of vehicle age.
Available through all authorised VW dealerships
VIP can be purchased at any Volkswagen authorized dealerships in Malaysia when registering a new vehicle or during roadtax renewal. Allianz General Insurance Berhad and Etiqa General Takaful Berhad are partner panel insurers, with Allianz offering conventional insurance, and Etiqa offering both conventional and takaful insurance.
“With VIP, all Volkswagen owners regardless of model, can enjoy quality services and roadside assistance at the best value under a comprehensive plan catered exclusively just for them,” Erik Winter, Managing Director of VPCM, explaining that that VIP has been conceptualised under the Volkswagen Cares philosophy.
“Our owners are at the core of everything we do and providing this added service to them at our dealerships also ensures that the entire process is streamlined and more convenient, making our Volkswagen dealerships a one-stop centre for customer convenience and peace of mind,” he said.
For more information on Volkswagen products and services in Malaysia, visit www.volkswagen.com.my or any authorised dealership.
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When the next Formula E season starts in November, Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler drivers Daniel Abt and Lucas di Grassi will pilot a new e-tron FE06 all-electric racing car with a spectacular new look. The car will be unveiled publicly for the first time at the Frankfurt International Motorshow next week but Audi is giving a preview of its new colours and evolutionary technology. Its first race will be in Ad Diriyah (Saudi Arabia) on November 22/23.
With plenty of visible carbonfibre and a conspicuously bright orange livery to accentuate the lines across the whole car, the e-tron FE06 clearly appears even more aggressive than its predecessor in Abt and di Grassi achieved the runner-up position in the championship during last season.
“Compliments to the design team at Audi,” said Abt, the most successful German Formula E driver. “I’ve been keeping track of the visual development over the last few weeks and think the result is brilliant – the car simply looks aggressive and fast.”
New appearance but continuity in all other respects
While Audi pursued new paths with the design, including the selection of the orange that takes cues from the colour palette in which the road-going Audi e-tron was previously presented, the team relies on continuity in all other respects.
A new partner of the team is SONAX, a manufacturer of carcare products which has been closely linked to motorsport for decades and also supported Abt during his still young career. “We’re delighted that a new chapter is being opened in our long-standing partnership with ABT and that we’ll be able to present ourselves as a partner of the Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler team in Formula E in the future. The fascinating environment of the series provides our brand with great prospects of reaching even more potential customers worldwide,” said SONAX Head of Marketing, Franz Fischer.
The schedule before the first race is tight. Following the intensive private testing phase in Germany and Europe and the preparation of the two racing cars during the next few weeks, the team will travel to Valencia in the middle of October for the official 3-day Formula E pre-season test for all of the teams and drivers. At the beginning of November, the cars and equipment will then be loaded to be air-freighted to Ad Diriyah.
BMW M Performance vehicle owners here in Malaysia have another cool feature that they can boast about to their normal mortals around them with the BMW Elite M Card launched by BMW Malaysia. It’s a privilege programme that complements the current existing BMW Privileges Elite Card, but with more M-Power goodness. Those who opt for the newly introduced BMW Elite M Card will gain extra privileges on some very enticing M-specific benefits. (more…)
Since this year began, Porsche has been telling the world a lot about its first all-electric sportscar, with only the shape being camouflaged in the pictures. This has certainly built up anticipation and interest in the new model called the Taycan, and now it is finally presented in complete form.
The Taycan’s world premiere took place simultaneously in North America, China and Europe, which will be the most important markets of the new sportscar. The event locations also highlighted three ways of sustainable energy management: Niagara Falls at the border between the US state of New York and the Canadian province of Ontario representing hydro-power; a solar farm in Neuhardenberg near Berlin representing solar power; and a wind farm on Pingtan Island, around 150 kms from the Chinese city of Fuzhou representing wind power.
Speaking at the Berlin venue, Oliver Blume, Chairman of the Executive Board of Porsche AG, said: “The Taycan links our heritage to the future. It carries forward the success story of our brand – a brand that has fascinated and thrilled people the world over for more than 70 years.”
The range will start off with two variants – Taycan Turbo S and Taycan Turbo (Turbo? Where?). At the cutting edge of Porsche E-Performance, they are among the most powerful production models currently offered by the company. Lower-powered variants of these will also be introduced before the end of this year. The first derivative to be added will be the Taycan Cross Turismo at the end of next year.
Performance meets efficiency
The flagship Taycan Turbo S can generate up to 560 kW/761 ps while the Taycan Turbo generates up to 500 kW/680 ps. Claimed 0 to 100 km/h times are 2.8 seconds and 3.2 second, respectively. With a fully-charged battery pack, the Turbo S is said to have a range of up to 412 kms, while the Turbo can go up to 450 kms. Top speeds of both variants, which have standard all-wheel-drive, is claimed to be 260 km/h.
The Taycan is the first production vehicle with a system voltage of 800 volts instead of the usual 400 volts for electric cars. This is a particular advantage for Taycan owners: in just over 5 minutes, the battery can be recharged using direct current (DC) from the high-power charging network for a range of up to 100 kms. The charging time for 5% to 80% percent SoC (state of charge) is 22.5 minutes for charging under ideal conditions, and the maximum charging power (peak) is 270 kW. The overall capacity of the Performance Battery Plus is 93.4 kWh. Taycan drivers can comfortably charge their cars with up to 11 kW of alternating current (AC) at home.
Pure exterior design with Porsche DNA
With its clean, puristic design, the Taycan signals the beginning of a new era. At the same time, it retains the unmistakable Porsche design DNA. From the front, it looks particularly wide and flat with highly contoured wings. The silhouette is shaped by the sporty roofline sloping downward to the rear.
The sleek cabin, the drawn-in rear C-pillar and the pronounced shoulders of the wings result in a sharply emphasised rear, typical of the brand. There are also innovative elements such as the glass-effect Porsche logo, which has been integrated into the light bar at the rear. With a Cd value from 0.22, the aerodynamically-optimised basic shape makes a significant contribution to low energy consumption and thus helps extend range.
Unique interior design
The cockpit also signals the start of a new era with its clear structure and a completely new architecture. The freestanding, curved instrument cluster forms the highest point on the dashboard. This places a clear focus on the driver axis. A central, 10.9-inch infotainment display and an optional passenger display are combined to form an integrated glass band in a black-panel look.
The number of classic hardware controls such as switches and buttons has been greatly reduced. Instead, control is intelligent and intuitive – using touch operation or the voice control function, which responds to the command ‘Hey Porsche’.
With the Taycan, Porsche offers an entirely leather-free interior for the first time. Interiors made from innovative recycled materials underscore the sustainable concept of the electric sports car. ‘Foot garages’ – recesses in the battery in the rear footwell – ensure sitting comfort in the rear and allow the low height typical of sportscars. Two luggage compartments are available: the front compartment has a capacity of 81 litres and the rear 366 litres.
Innovative drive motors, 2-speed transmission
The Taycan Turbo S and Taycan Turbo have two exceptionally efficient electric propulsion systems – one on the front axle and one on the rear axle, thus making the cars all-wheel drive. The motors, transmission and pulse-controlled inverter are each combined into a compact drive module. The modules have the highest power density (kW per litre of package space) of all electric powertrains on the market today.
A special feature of the electric motors is the ‘hairpin’ winding of the stator coils. This technology makes it possible to incorporate more copper in the stator, increasing power output and torque while maintaining the same component volume.
The two-speed transmission installed on the rear axle is an innovation developed by Porsche. First gear gives the Taycan even more acceleration from a standing start, while second gear with a long gear ratio ensures high efficiency and equally high power reserves. This also applies at very high speeds.
Centrally networked chassis systems
Porsche uses a centrally networked control system for the Taycan chassis. The integrated Porsche 4D Chassis Control analyses and synchronises all chassis systems in real time. The innovative chassis systems include adaptive air suspension with three-chamber technology including PASM (Porsche Active Suspension Management) electronic damper control, as well as the Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control Sport (PDCC Sport) electromechanical roll stabilisation system including Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus (PTV Plus).
The all-wheel drive control with two electric motors and the recuperation system are unique. At up to 265 kW, the potential recuperation power is significantly higher than that of competitors. Driving tests have shown that approximately 90% of everyday braking is performed by the electric machines alone – without the hydraulic wheel brakes being activated.
Prices start from RM632,000
In the US market, prices for the Taycan start from US$150,000 (about RM632,000) and as mentioned earlier, lower-powered variants will be available as well and these should cost less. The first customers will receive their cars at the beginning of next year.
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