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Honda Malaysia has concluded the Joy of Buying contest with the prize-giving ceremony to present the seven grand prize winners with a brand new City each. Held from 1 September to 31 October 2018, the Joy of Buying contest was to celebrate Honda’s 70th Anniversary and Malaysia’s Unity. The contest also emphasizes the 3 Joys of Honda, which are Joy of Buying, Joy of Selling and Joy of Creating.

Honda Malaysia President and Chief Operating Officer, En. Roslan Abdullah (below) said, “This contest is an effort to show our sincere gratitude and appreciation to our beloved customers. It is the strong support of our customers that has enabled Honda Malaysia to be the No.1 brand in Non-National segment for three consecutive years. We would like to thank all our customers for believing in the Honda brand. We will continue to provide the Joy of Buying to our customers to meet their demand for greater customer satisfaction.”

The two-month Joy of Buying contest received more than 4,800 submissions nationwide, of which, a total of 301 winners have been chosen. In addition to the seven grand prize winners of a City each for 7 weeks, there are 17 winners in the second place who will receive a Sony Blu-ray Home Cinema System each and 277 other winners will be rewarded with Honda official merchandise.

En. Roslan also added, “This contest takes lead from our tagline, and seeks to find the most creative answer on “how the slogan ‘The Power of Dreams’ has changed the customer’s way of life.” The Power of Dreams has inspired Honda to what it is today, turning a dream into reality as we aspire to provide mobility solutions to make lives better.”

The City has maintained its leadership No. 1 position in the B-segment and it is Honda Malaysia’s best-selling model. This year, the model has contributed more than 30,200 units sold or 32% to the total Honda Malaysia sales from January to November, making it the highest sales unit contributor during this period.

For further information on the Joy of Buying winners, Honda models and its after-sales service, call the Honda Toll-Free number of 1-800-88-2020 or log on to www.honda.com.my.

Most car enthusiasts are familiar with the Japan Super GT Championship where it is set to return to Malaysia in 2020 for its first-ever night race. Well, the folks from Country Heights and Goldenport Enterprises (from China) just announced that they too want to contribute to the growth of Malaysian motorsport by hosting the first-ever Asia GT Festival at SIC in March 2019! (more…)

Toyota Motor Asia Pacific Pte Ltd (TMAP), the sales & marketing regional headquarters of Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) in Asia, is offering Total-care Service for 1,500 Toyota vehicles owned by Grab Holdings, Inc. (Grab) in Singapore through its subsidiary GrabRentals. In June 2018, Toyota invested US$1 billion into Grab to advance mobility services in the region. The Total-care Service is a result of a deepening partnership between Toyota, a leading automaker transforming itself into a mobility company, and Grab, the region’s leading O2O mobile platform.

  • Total-care Service is a pioneering set of mobility services designed for ride-hailing companies
  • Aims to achieve ultra-efficient vehicle maintenance using telematics data and Toyota’s philosophy of eliminating inefficiencies

The Total-care Service is an innovative, world’s first service developed specially for ride-hailing companies. Working with ride-hailing companies, like Grab, Toyota can leverage onboard-telematics data through a shared information platform to provide services such as fleet management, automotive insurance and vehicle maintenance packages to extend the life of ride-hailing vehicles, and enhance the driving experience for the end user. Through this Total-care Service, Grab is able to provide its driver-partners with more cost-efficient and timely maintenance services.

TMAP and Grab will offer this service to Grab-owned Toyota vehicles across Southeast Asia in phases. In addition, both companies will work to increase the share of Toyota vehicles in Grab’s fleet in the region by 25% by 2020. In the future, Grab will also seek to implement Toyota’s world-renowned Toyota Production System (TPS), a system based on a philosophy of eliminating waste, to improve Grab’s business operational efficiency.

In general, ride-hailing vehicles accrue five times more mileage than privately-owned vehicles. To keep vehicles in a good and safe condition, it is essential to provide proper vehicle maintenance based on the vehicle’s condition. At Grab, driver-partner and passenger safety is a top priority. By ensuring that Grab’s driver-partners are driving vehicles that are receiving timely maintenance, Grab is able to provide the highest level of safety on its platform.

In October 2018, Grab unveiled its ‘Safer Everyday Tech Roadmap’, comprising product enhancements that aim to raise transport safety standards for the industry in Southeast Asia. As a result of continuous efforts to improve safety on the Grab platform, Grab’s incident rates have decreased by 40% over the last year since Q3 2017.

The partnership with Toyota will complement Grab’s analytical tools that allow drivers to understand how they drive and where they can improve. Grab driver-partners regularly receive telematics reports on their driving patterns like speeding, acceleration and braking, and more parameters will be added over time. Since the rollout of telematics on the Grab driver app last year, there has been a 50% reduction in speeding incidents and 20% reduction in hard braking and sudden acceleration, which are potential causes of road accidents.

Ming Maa, President of Grab, commented: “We are excited to work with Toyota to roll out the Total-care Service to our Grab Rental fleet. The ability to meld data analytics with vehicle maintenance will make our rental fleet even safer for our driver-partners, and go toward achieving our goal to raise transport safety standards in the region.”

Susumu Matsuda, TMAP President, said: “We are starting this world-first Total-care Service here in Southeast Asia, making full use of Toyota’s strength such as our philosophy of Toyota Production System and vehicle connectivity technologies. I believe the service will support the sustainable growth of Grab’s business and help offer even safer and more attractive ride-hailing services.”

Through the Total-care Service, driving data is collected by Toyota’s in-vehicle data-transmission device, TransLog, and sent to the Mobility Services Platform (MSPF), an information infrastructure developed by TMC for vehicle connectivity. Grab, Toyota and its local dealers will use such vehicle data collaboratively to achieve a safer and more secure ride-hailing platform in Southeast Asia. For example, using vehicle data, Grab will be able to provide its driver-partners with support and advice for safety as needed. In addition, the Toyota dealer will apply TPS to vehicle maintenance for Grab-owned vehicles.

In addition, Aioi Nissay Dowa Insurance, a Toyota’s affiliated insurance company, will offer telematics-based automotive insurance to GrabRentals, allowing for safer driving and insurance premium reduction. In the area of vehicle maintenance, based on driving and vehicle condition data, maintenance schedule for each vehicle will be optimized. Furthermore, Intensive Care Stall (ICS) has been implemented at Borneo Motors (Singapore) (BMS), the authorized dealer of Toyota in Singapore. Making use of TPS knowhow, ICS achieves ultra- efficient maintenance service which will reduce vehicle downtime and maintenance cost.

 

About Grab…

Grab is one of the most frequently used O2O mobile platforms in Southeast Asia, providing the everyday services that matter most to consumers. Commute, eat, deliver shopping – and pay with one e-wallet. Grab believes that every Southeast Asian should benefit from the digital economy, and the company provides access to safe and affordable transport, food and package delivery, mobile payments and financial services. Grab currently offers services in Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar and Cambodia. For more information, please visit www.grab.com.

About Toyota Motor Asia Pacific…

Toyota Motor Asia Pacific is incorporated in Singapore and is the regional headquarters of its sole shareholder, Toyota Motor Corporation, in respect of distribution in the Asia Pacific region and regional treasury activities. The principal activities of TMAP are marketing and sales of motor vehicles, components parts, service parts and accessories as well as mobility services and after sales customer service.

The Ferrari Museum is dedicating a special exhibition to Michael Schumacher, which will open on the occasion of his 50th birthday on 3 January 2019. It is intended both as a celebration and a mark of gratitude to the most successful Prancing Horse driver ever. Schumacher has a special place in Ferrari’s history, which has been marked by his many records. Between 1996 and 2006 the German champion won five consecutive Drivers’ titles, from 2000 to 2004, and made a major contribution to the Scuderia’s haul of six Manufacturers’ titles over those years.

 

The Museum’s rooms will look back over the memorable seasons that the seven-time World Champion gifted to all Ferraristi, and that created a legend now bigger than ever in the hearts of all fans. The exhibition will also show Michael’s crucial contribution to the development of extraordinary GT cars in his years at Maranello, as a driver and later as a consultant. The ‘Michael 50’ exhibition is in collaboration with the Keep Fighting Foundation.

Naza Euro Motors Sdn Bhd, the sole distributor for DS Cars in Malaysia has officially launched the new DS Store Petaling Jaya, marking the first of its kind in Malaysia and Southeast Asia. The flagship outlet was inaugurated in the presence of  Yves Bonnefont, CEO of DS Automobiles and Dato’ Samson Anand George, Group CEO, Automotive Group, Naza Corporation Holdings.

Weaving the excellence of French savoir-faire in a luxurious and modern space, the DS Store Petaling Jaya emphasises on the refined world of DS Automobiles, replete with its distinguished Corporate Identity in mind and French know-how in the premium segment. The design concept is based on DS Automobiles’ signature design philosophy for its outlets in key global markets, taking inspiration from the DS Spirit of Avant-garde as well as innovation and state-of-the-art features, only available in a DS vehicle.

The warm black, carmine red and champagne colours iconic to the DS brand adorns its walls and floors of the store, exuding a designer ambiance with great precision and creativity. At the centre of it all is the première appearance of the DS 7 CROSSBACK, which captivated guests and business partners alike at the event. With a total floor space of 3,230 sq ft, the new DS Store Petaling Jaya has the capacity to display three cars at any one time and offers 3S facilities for the convenience of DS owners. The outlet will serve as a one-stop centralised hub for DS owners and prospective customers to experience the very best of what DS Automobiles has to offer.

Dato’ Samson Anand George, Group CEO, Automotive Group, Naza Corporation Holdings said, “The new DS Store Petaling Jaya is the first to be introduced in Malaysia and in Southeast Asia. It is designed to provide premium service and the best in customer experience. The DS Store is about inviting visitors to immerse themselves in the values of the DS brand and gives visitors sophistication at their fingertips to configure, personalise and view their new DS.”

“With DS Automobiles’ fervent support and vision to continue accelerating DS brand development in Malaysia, we plan to invest RM5 million for marketing, operations and such in 2019, on top of the initial investment of RM2 million to set up the flagship store,” added Dato’ Samson. Present to officiate the new DS Store launch was Yves Bonnefont, CEO of DS Automobiles, who commented, “Each DS Store embodies DS Automobiles universe and is inspired by parisian luxury boutiques with its very own atmosphere. It is designed to place the customer at the centre of the brand experience.”

DS Automobiles is a world-renowned French premium brand known for its exclusive and exceptional customer experience through outstanding products and exacting standards of service that are distinctively theirs. The new DS Store Petaling Jaya will offer a new approach to customer experience for French know-how and high-end automotive products. A dedicated Customer Lounge welcomes discerning customers to configure, personalise and purchase their finest DS in-store, guided by a DS Advisor. The car exhibition area gives pride of place to a flagship model from the DS collection. Also on display is a large collection of DS lifestyle products inspired by DS Automobiles’ distinctive brand values of French expertise in opulence, refinement, personalisation and advanced technology.

A virtual reality experience at the VR Zone adapts the advanced technology of DS Virtual Vision,  giving visitors a peek into the latest DS models where they can virtually view, explore, customise and interact with the cars in an almost realistic manner.

DS Automobiles currently has 450 DS Stores worldwide and continues to pique the interest of premium car enthusiasts globally.

Volvo Car Malaysia, together with its appointed dealer, Fotroende Automobile, marked a decade-long re-entry into Sarawak with the grand opening of Volvo Kuching – a full-fledged 3S centre (Sales, Service, and Spare Parts) prominently located along Jalan Tun Jugah in Kuching. The launch ceremony was officiated by the Managing Director of Volvo Car Malaysia, Mr Lennart Stegland who impressed on the importance of Sarawak for the future growth of the brand said “Sarawak’s potential in the premium car market cannot be understated. It is vital that we regain a foothold in Kuching before expanding into other cities within the state. We have worked hard to ensure that the brand is represented by competent and passionate dealer partners that will serve our customers well.”

Like all Volvo dealerships, Volvo Kuching will adhere to the latest showroom and service standards which Volvo terms “Volvo Retail Experience” or VRE – a customer-centric, Scandinavian-inspired experience that is cool on the outside and warm on the inside. “VRE is based on Volvo’s brand philosophy which revolves around people and what’s important to them. I am confident that Fotroende Automobile will deliver the expected level of service to our loyal customers in Kuching,” Stegland adds.

The company’s name (Fotroende Automobile) is derived from the Swedish word Förtroende” which means “confidence”; something that company’s Principal hopes to build, together with the brand in Kuching. “Demand for the brand is strong, especially with the arrival of exciting new models from Volvo. We are proud that have been chosen by Volvo Car Malaysia to represent the brand here in Kuching,” said David Lai, the Managing Director of Fotroende Automobile.

The Volvo showroom in Kuching opens from 8:30 am till 5:30 pm, Monday to Friday, and closes at 4:00 pm on Saturday. The showroom will also be open on Sundays and Public Holidays from 10:00 am till 3:00 pm. For further information about the showroom, please contact 07 4312222 or you can e-mail the Sales Manager, Brandon Linang Anak Albert Juan, at brandon.juan@fotroende.com.my.

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