After a banner year in 2017, Perodua is now targeting sales of 209,000 vehicles for 2018 – a modest 2% jump from the 204,900 vehicles registered in 2017 – mainly due to continued strong demand for its current model line-up.
“The momentum carried by the Bezza in the earlier part of 2017 and the continued demand for our other models have helped make us the top-selling carmaker in Malaysia for the 12th year running,” said Perodua President and Chief Executive Officer Datuk (Dr) Aminar Rashid Salleh (above).
“Based on our internal calculations, we expect the total industry volume to increase to 590,000 units in 2018, which would see our market share sustained at slightly above 35%,” he said.
On the current sales performance, Aminar said that the 204,900 figure in 2017 was above Perodua’s earlier target of 202,000; however, the 2017 performance was slightly lower than the 207,100 recorded in 2016, amidst challenging market conditions, intense competition and strict hire purchase guidelines.
“That being said, we are happy to say that we expect the numbers to climb back up this year due to favourable economic conditions as well as the continued momentum for the new Myvi,” he added.
The new Perodua Myvi (above)has garnered over 36,000 bookings since order-taking began in November 2017, and over 11,000 units have found homes to date.
“We expect more registrations moving forward, as most of the customers who placed orders last year wanted their cars delivered in 2018,” Aminar said.
“That being said, we are also doing our level best to meet demand especially for the 1.5 variants, which was beyond our expectations. Perodua Manufacturing Sdn Bhd, our manufacturing arm, is currently working overtime to ensure deliveries are made within an acceptable time frame,” he said, adding that Perodua will focus on maximising the sales potential of all its models in 2018 to meet the 209,000-unit target.
Datuk Aminar said that the increase in demand this year will also have a positive impact on vehicle production with an estimated 215,334 units to be produced at both its manufacturing facilities this year compared with 200,146 units produced in 2017.
Perodua’s intake growth has been positive in 2017, with the national car company expecting its service intakes to grow by 1.9% from 2.1 million intakes in 2017 to 2.14 million in 2018. From a corporate responsibility standpoint, Perodua will be undertaking a few long-term projects that will shape the youth and sports landscape.
Kicking them off is the Perodua Malaysia Masters, an international badminton tournament that is on-going this week at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil, with the finals taking place this Sunday.
“Sponsored by our technical partner Daihatsu Motor Company of Japan, the Perodua Malaysia Masters will see top as well as up-and-coming Malaysian shuttlers duking it out with their international counterparts for victory,” said Datuk Aminar.
(Top main image, from left to right):
Perodua Global Manufacturing Sdn Bhd President Datuk Ahmad Suhaimi Hashim
Perodua Auto Corporation Sdn Bhd President Mr Masanori Takahashi
Perodua President and Chief Executive Officer Datuk (Dr) Aminar Rashid Salleh
Perodua Auto Corporation Sdn Bhd Vice-President Dato’ Zainal Abidin Ahmad
The first Celebrity Race at the on-going Toyota Gazoo Racing event at Bandar Medini, Iskandar Puteri in Johor Bahru has just ended and here’s the post race interview session!
This is how it should be, FUN! Congrats to Shawn Lee on taking the win! More action to come, so stay tuned, or better yet, join us here tomorrow!
Did you ever think you’d see the day when a Kiawould be compared to the likes of a BMWM6 and PorschePanamera? How things have changed! Here’s more of the Stinger in action…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSWQTkbTYIQ
Be sure to catch our feature on how the S.Koreans have caught up with the Japanese, coming soon!
BMW Group Malaysia has introduced the first-ever BMW 5 Series Hybrid with eDrive Technology. Priced at a very respectable RM343,800, the all-new BMW 530e Sport is the fifth BMW iPerformance model to be introduced in the country, further reinforcing the premium automaker’s expertise in Plug-in Hybrid Technology.
Raymond Tan, Head of Sales, BMW Malaysia (above, right) said, “The All-New BMW 5 Series now offers eDrive Technology, an innovation taken from the Mobility of the Future – BMW i. More than this, however, is the fact that the All-New BMW 530e Sport also increases our portfolio of premium Plug-In Hybrid vehicles here, enabling us to offer the largest portfolio offering by any automaker in the country and to further demonstrate our commitment to Visionary Mobility in Malaysia.”
Charting more than half of BMW Malaysia’s total sales volume in 2017 with a profound 55% units of BMW Hybrid with eDrive Technology delivered, BMW Group Malaysia has a stronghold as the most successful premium hybrid brand in Malaysia. Tan said, “In terms of model mix share, we are also proud to share that 55% of our total models for the country are hybrid vehicles with eDrive technology. This also makes us fifth in the world in terms of deliveries of plug-in hybrid vehicles.”
In the details, BMW Group Malaysia set an all-time high sales record for the BMW X5 xDrive40e by delivering over 3,000 units in 2017 alone, making Malaysia the second largest market after America for the model.
Malaysia is also the third largest market for the BMW 330e and the BMW 740Le xDrive with over 2,400 units and over 450 units delivered respectively in 2017. “The All-New BMW 530e Sport will be a meaningful addition to our iPerformance portfolio and we are confident it will further underpin us as leaders in shaping mobility of the future here in Malaysia,” said Tan.
BMW Group Malaysia continues to be committed to Malaysia’s plan of reducing its carbon intensity by 40% by 2020. This was first announced in 2014 at the UN Climate Summit in New York and reiterated in 2016 at the Paris Agreement of the 21stConference of Parties (COP21).
Speaking at the launch ceremony, Dr. Mohd Azman Zainul Abidin (above, left), Group Chief Executive Officer of Malaysian Green Technology Corporation said, “A key strategy for Malaysia to move towards low carbon mobility is through industry wide cooperation and partnerships. We at GreenTech Malaysia are pleased to have BMW Group Malaysia as a partner from the very beginning, to ensure necessary and sufficient infrastructure is provided to support the new innovation of Plug-in Hybrid technology and eventually Electro Mobility. This will increase consumer confidence in the viability of electric vehicles and plug-in-hybrid vehicles. It is reassuring to see BMW Group Malaysia taking initiative to further propel Malaysia into a futuristic future of electromobility, while we continue to grow the number of ChargEV charging stations across the country.”
Design: charismatic athleticism.
The All-New BMW 530e Sport is the most innovative model in its class and offers the full wealth of BMW 5 Series driver assistance systems, in all modes including eDrive. The premium business sedan promises to serve up the dynamic driving experience, for which the BMW brand is renowned, combined with outstanding efficiency and seamless everyday practicality.
Starting with its signature feature, the air stream kidney grille is designed to further empower aerodynamics – opening and closing to adapt to different situations. The All-New BMW 530e Sport is offered in Sport Line and features LED headlights for both low-beam and high-beam, side lights, as well as daytime running lights, which complements the elegant high-gloss black front bumper, ready to turn heads on the road. The ‘530e’ badge is the most noticeable identifying feature of the plug-in hybrid variant. The highly visible i logo above the air breather as well as the eDrive logo at the C-Pillar provides insight to the fact that the premium business sedan receives technology know-how from the BMW-i sub brand.
For additional convenience, the All-New BMW 530e Sport offers Comfort Access – providing a seamless owner experience without having to reach for your car key. From unlocking your doors to starting your engine, the All-New BMW 530e Sport is designed to be aware of your car key’s unique sensors, which resonates solely with the car’s internal system; as such, no two keys are alike. To further emphasise on convenience, the All-New BMW 530e Sport also provides owners contactless boot operation.
Accentuating its sporty vibe to the rear of the new premium business sedan from BMW is the double round exhaust tailpipe on both left and right of the eDrive variant. Fitted with 19” V-Spoke light alloy wheels, the All-New BMW 530e Sport hints at an agile driving experience.
Dynamic interaction enabling powerful delivery.
Powering the All-New BMW 530e Sport is the latest-generation inline 4-cylinder BMW TwinPower Turbo 2-litre petrol engine which generates 184hp and 320 Nm of torque. Combined with the BMW eDrive system’s state-of-the-art electric motor, the All-New BMW 530e Sport has an overall system output of 252hp and 420 Nm of torque, enabling the car to sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.2 seconds. With a top speed of 235 km/h, the All-New BMW 530e Sport enjoys segment-leading figures of consuming only 2.0l/100km of fuel with a significantly low CO2 emission of 46g/km.
The electric drive boasts powerful efficiency with its combination of electric motor, lithium-ion high-performance battery, and intelligent energy management. The intelligent energy management optimises the effectiveness of the electric drivetrain and the high-performance battery with a predictive operating strategy. The All-New BMW 530e Sport offers an all-electric driving range of up to 48km with a maximum speed of up to 140km/h – the best in its segment.
LATEST! Nationwide campaign offering special ownership programmes for BMW models and BMW iPerformance models.
Additional special ownership programmes for BMW vehicles and BMW iPerformance range is also offered at BMW Malaysia’s ongoing nationwide campaign, held at all authorised BMW dealerships. This includes special financing interest rates from 0.88% as well as attractive rebates across a wide range of BMW models.
New owners of the BMW iPerformance models – BMW 330e M Sport, BMW X5 xDrive 40e, BMW 740Le, and now the All-New BMW 530e Sport will also have unlimited, complimentary access for a whole year for the ChargeNow mobility services via the ChargEV platform in collaboration with GreenTech Malaysia. The special offer also comes with a complimentary BMW i AC Fast Charging Cable. Specifically for new owners of the BMW X5 xDrive40e and BMW 740Le xDrive, the new programme by BMW Malaysia offers a complimentary BMW i Wallbox Plus, with RFID detection and can be managed and controlled remotely using the BMW iV smartphone app. The campaign ends 31st March 2018.
It’s here! Volvo Car Malaysia has finally unveiled the long-awaited successor to its Premium Mid-Sized SUV with the introduction of the new Volvo XC60 T8 Twin Engine, fully imported from Sweden.
(L-R) Lennart Stegland, Managing Director of Volvo Car Malaysia, Ziran Zhang, Chief Designer of Volvo Cars China, and Akhtar Sulaiman, Network & Product Director of Volvo Car Malaysia with the new Volvo XC60 T8 Twin Engine Inscription Plus, fully-imported from Sweden. Local assembly of the new XC60 has begun and will make its debut within the second-quarter of this year…
The new model will replace the original XC60 which has sold nearly a million units globally and represents 30 per cent of Volvo’s total global sales. Here’s the official launch earlier today…
“We have a strong heritage in crafting stylish and dynamic SUVs that feature the latest in technology – the new XC60 will be no exception,” said Lennart Stegland, Managing Director, Volvo Car Malaysia (below).
Built on the Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) platform, the new XC60 will maintain the beautiful proportions of its larger sibling but with a more expressive design on both the exterior and interior.
“The exterior has an athletic sculpture with a subtle, timeless quality. The interior is a masterful composition of well-resolved architecture and beautiful materials, all perfectly blended together,” added Stegland.
Want to see it in action? Check this out!
More on the new Volvo XC60…
Scoring a near perfect score of 98 per cent in the Adult Occupant category and 95 per cent in the Large Off-Road vehicle class, the new XC60 has been awarded Best Overall Performance by the prestigious Euro NCAP 2017.
This score was possible thanks to the new XC60’s ability to benefit and improve on the safety technologies of Volvo’s 90s Range – the first range of cars built on the SPA platform. Volvo calls its safety technologies which includes its driver support and active safety systems, IntelliSafe.
“Volvo has a vision that by the year 2020, no one should be killed or seriously injured in a new Volvo car – this recent award underlines our leadership in safety technologies and makes the new XC60 one of the safest cars that we have ever made,” said Stegland.
IntelliSafe, which comes standard in the new XC60, will include the usual staple of active, preventive and protective safety systems such as City Safety (Autonomous Emergency Braking), BLIS (Blind Spot Information System), and Rear Collision Warning and Mitigation, just to name a few.
Both City Safety and BLIS now features Steer Assist, a system that provides automatic steering assistance that will – when required – avoid potential collisions. City Safety detects and helps avoid collisions with other vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists, and large animals.
Oncoming Lane Mitigation is a new system included in the new XC60; it helps drivers avoid collisions with vehicles in an oncoming lane by alerting, and if necessary, provide automatic steering assistance to guide the car out of the path of the oncoming vehicle.
Another defining feature included in the new XC60 is Volvo’s Pilot Assist – an advanced semi-autonomous driver assistance system which takes care of steering, acceleration and braking on well-marked roads up to 130 km/h, will also be available in the new XC60.
Here’s a quick 360-deg walk-around video, plus a look at the inside…
In terms of performance, the T8 Twin Engine, combines a turbocharged and supercharged petrol engine with an electric motor that independently drives the rear axle to produce an impressive combined output of 407 hp (320 hp internal combustion engine + 87 hp electric motor) and 640 Nm (400 Nm internal combustion engine + 240 Nm electric motor) of torque.
But it’s really quiet in Electric mode, have a look & listen…
The performance figures translates to a century sprint of only 5.3 seconds and a very efficient 2.1 litres of fuel consumed for every 100 km travelled and a pure electric range of 45 km (NEDC Hybrid Combined Cycle) from a 10.4 kWh hybrid battery which is centrally located in the tunnel of the car.
The XC60 T8 Twin Engine will be offered in the Inscription and Inscription Plus trim level, with the latter being equipped with the industry-leading sound system, Premium Sound by Bowers & Wilkins; a 15-speaker sound system that supplies an astonishing 1,100 watts through a 10-channel Class-D amplifier.
The fully-imported (CBU), new XC60 T8 Twin Engine Inscription Plus is priced at RM373,888 (on-the-road without insurance, including all applicable taxes) to complement the locally assembled range for the new XC60 that will be introduced at a later date.
The locally-assembled (CKD) XC60 will be offered in two engine variants, namely, the T8 Twin Engine and T5. The T8 Twin Engine will be offered in two trim levels – Inscription and Inscription Plus; while the T5 will be offered in a single trim level.
Here’s the breakdown of the pricing for the locally-assembled XC60 (on-the-road without insurance, including all applicable taxes):
XC60 T8 Twin Engine Inscription Plus: RM343,888
XC60 T8 Twin Engine Inscription: RM333,888
XC60 T5: RM298,888
Customers are free to choose from five exterior colour options which includes Ice White, Bright Silver, Osmium Grey, Onyx Black and Maple Brown. In response to customer demands, Volvo Car Malaysia has also added a second leather upholstery colour for the locally assembled variant – Maroon Brown – which will complement the usual Charcoal.
Full specifications and features of the locally-assembled XC60 variants will be revealed in the months ahead but interested customers may already place their bookings for their preferred variant, starting today, at all authorised Volvo dealers.
Before we go, do take a look at this amazing Volvo promo video called “Moments”… much feels. – Chris Wee.
Till we get our hands on the review unit, we’ll say goodbye for now…
“The momentum carried by the Bezza in the earlier part of 2017 and the continued demand for our other models have helped make us the top-selling carmaker in Malaysia for the 12th year running,” said Perodua President and Chief Executive Officer Datuk (Dr) Aminar Rashid Salleh (above).
The new Perodua Myvi (above)has garnered over 36,000 bookings since order-taking began in November 2017, and over 11,000 units have found homes to date.
Datuk Aminar said that the increase in demand this year will also have a positive impact on vehicle production with an estimated 215,334 units to be produced at both its manufacturing facilities this year compared with 200,146 units produced in 2017.
