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150 Units Of Renault Captur Compact CrossOver Allocated For GoCar, Fleet Now At 450 Vehicles!

TCEC, the sole franchise holder for Renault vehicles in Malaysia, today announced that it will be providing 150 units of the stylish and versatile Renault Captur compact crossover to GoCar, Malaysia’s leading on-demand car-sharing platform, bringing the total fleet to 450 GoCars on the road. The collaboration was announced at a handover ceremony at TCEC’s headquarters in Petaling Jaya during which the first 50 units of Renault Captur were delivered to GoCar. The remaining 100 units will be fulfilled in subsequent months.

(From left) Sicard Guillaume, Vice President, Sales & Marketing Asia Pacific, Renault, Dato’ Rosie Tan, Group CEO of Tan Chong Motor Holdings, Kuan Kim Luen, CEO of TC Euro Cars, Nicholas Tan, President of GoCar, Alan Cheah, CEO of GoCar Malaysia, Quincy Govin, Head of ASEAN Operation, Renault

The Renault Captur is Europe’s best-selling crossover in its segment. Its vibrant exterior styling, powerful turbocharged engine, excellent fuel efficiency, excellent safety rating and affordable maintenance package all combine to make it a good addition to the GoCar fleet. “The fashionable yet sporty Renault Captur is an excellent choice for GoCar members. Its stylish exterior with vibrant two-toned colours adds a distinct French flair to our fleet while its impressive equipment and features deliver enjoyable driving performance in addition to offering comprehensive safety features,” said Alan Cheah, CEO, GoCar Mobility Sdn Bhd.

Through the GoCar sharing service, the Renault Captur is offered with a rate of RM18.90 per hour, RM189 daily, RM1,323 weekly or RM5,670 for a month. To access the service, simply download the GoCar mobile application and register as a member. Upon verification, members can easily make bookings as well as lock, unlock and start the Captur via the GoCar mobile app. Extensions for reservations can also easily be managed via the app.

“Renault Captur is the perfect embodiment of 120 years of Renault know-how and technical expertise including breakthroughs like turbocharging and excellent efficiency. Through this collaboration with GoCar, we hope to offer more opportunities for Malaysians to experience a crossover model that has been Europe’s segment leader for many years,” said Kuan Kim Luen, CEO, TC Euro Cars Sdn Bhd.

Powered by Renault’s turbocharged TCe 120 engine that is mated to a six-speed Efficient Dual Clutch (EDC) transmission, the EEV-certified Captur is capable of delivering the performance and acceleration of a normally-aspirated 1.8L engine, with excellent fuel efficiency and lower emissions.

In conjunction with the Renault Captur joining its fleet, GoCar is offering Malaysians the opportunity to #TakeCaptur for a road trip between now until 31 December 2018. Valid for new members only, the promotion offers RM30 off the Captur, with a minimum booking of 10 hours, through the special promo code ‘GOCARCAPTUR’.

Weststar Maxus To Absorb 6% GST With Immediate Effect For All Variants

In the Ramadan spirit of giving, and with the Government’s revised GST to zero percent, Weststar Maxus, the sole distributor for the Maxus range of vehicles in Malaysia, has reworked its pricing for the range of G10 luxury “people mover” and V80 commercial vehicles with 0% GST effective immediately.

The price reductions ranging from RM5,000 to RM10,000 will remain in effect until end May pending the reimplementation of the Sales and Services Tax (SST) by the Government. “This initiative is aimed at making the full range of our vehicles more affordable to Malaysians,” says Tan Sri Syed Azman Syed Ibrahim, Group Managing Director, the Weststar Group. “We are now in an expansion phase and want to strengthen our brand and quality proposition to the widest target segments across the country.”

Plans are afoot to open two new showrooms within the next couple of months in Penang and Kota Bharu. Weststar Maxus also opened a showroom in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur, in February this year. “The marquee value of Weststar Maxus has gained considerable traction among family and commercial segments in the last two years, and we are confident that our product range has the price, quality, and features advantages to succeed as a premium brand,” notes Tan Sri Syed Azman.

The Maxus G10 range of luxury vehicles is powered by a 225Hp (165kW) 2.0T turbo-charged direct injection engine pared with a ZF 6-speed automated manual gearbox for smooth power output and swifter response to gear shifting. With a maximum of 345Nm on tap, the Maxus G10 SE delivers a similar power ratio as that of a 3.0L natural aspirated engine, but with 30 percent less fuel consumption. Read more about the Maxus G10 here.

The Weststar Maxus G10 is available at all Weststar Maxus showrooms throughout the country starting from as low as RM130,000. The Weststar Maxus G10 range is available in six colour options – Obsidian Black, Blanc White, Aurora Silver, Weststar Blue, Amber Gold, and Lava Grey. Below are the new prices:

Maxus G10
*G10 Model*	*Current Price*	*New Price On the Road Without GST (OTR without Insurance)*	*Difference*
Base Sport CBU	137,954.85	130,146.08	7,808.77
G10 SE CBU	157,348.50	148,441.98	8,906.52
G10 SE CKD	152,623.30	143,984.25	8,639.05
Executive CBU	179,935.11	169,750.01	10,185.01
Maxus V80
Window Van 12-Seater	130,678.60	123,281.70	7,396.90
Window Van 15-Seater	131,738.60	124,281.70	7,456.90
SWB	90,996.18	85,845.45	5,150.73
LWB	111,129.45	104,839.10	6,290.35

HSDM Announces 0% GST For Hyundai Vehicles, While Hyundai CRADLE Invests in Metawave to Help Develop Smart Automotive Radar Platforms

Hyundai Sime Darby Motors has announced the new prices of its vehicles, set to take effect on 1st June 2018, when the GST is abolished. You can find the new prices in this downloadable document:

Hyundai New Price List with Zero-Rated GST (Hyundai Sime Darby Motors)

Savings of up to RM10,000 are to be had on the Starex soon, and up to RM6,500 on the Ioniq (below).

On the global front, Hyundai CRADLE, Hyundai Motor Company’s corporate venturing and open innovation business, has announced it is investing in the Metawave Corporation to build intelligent radars for autonomous vehicles. Metawave is revolutionizing radar sensing by leveraging adaptive metamaterials (conventional materials using engineered structures with unique electromagnetic properties not found in nature) and artificial intelligence (AI) to create smart radars. Hyundai is closely evaluating new technologies, such as Metawave’s high-performance radar capable of 3-D imaging, for future autonomous platforms.

“Next-generation radar technology can use advanced algorithms for object detection and classification,” said John Suh, vice president of Hyundai CRADLE. “A new radar system that can increase resolution and accuracy with an AI engine will be a disruptive technology.”

How it works…

Three sensors are the fundamental components of the perception system for self-driving cars today: camera, LiDAR and radar. The camera is the highest-resolution sensor but cannot see objects beyond 50 meters. LiDAR extends the range to about 150 meters, with a fairly high-resolution imaging capability. Both camera and LiDAR are affected by bad weather and dirty roads. Radar, by its nature, operates at a lower frequency and “sees” objects at long ranges faster and in all weather and driving conditions. Today’s radar cannot cover wide angles at long ranges and lacks the resolution to differentiate between objects.

It needs a large number of antennae and expensive chips to run the complex digital signals. This type of system takes time and energy, making it inefficient. Metawave’s advanced radar platform, WARLORD uses just one antenna and pushes the complexity of the analog space, using ultra-fast and precise responses. With WARLORD, the antenna itself shapes and steers the beam in all directions using pencil beams, deep learning engines and AI algorithms to recognize objects quickly and send 4-D point cloud to the sensor fusion.

“The investment by Hyundai represents another key company milestone and further proof of our rapid momentum as we bring WARLORD long-range radar with imaging and AI capabilities to autonomous vehicles,” said Metawave CEO Maha Achour, PhD. “With our talented team of mm-wave and metamaterial experts, we were the first to demonstrate Electronically Scanned Metamaterial Array for Autonomous Driving at 77GHz. This technology will be an enabling factor for Hyundai and other auto leaders who are striving to improve the vehicle experience.”

Hyundai Autonomous Vehicle Development…

In January, Hyundai Motor Company and Aurora, a leader in autonomous vehicle technology, announced a strategic partnership to bring self-driving Hyundai vehicles to market by 2021. This partnership will incorporate Aurora’s self-driving technology into Hyundai vehicles, starting with models custom-developed and launched in test programs and pilot cities.

In February, a fleet of Hyundai NEXO fuel cell electric SUVs successfully completed a self-driven 190-kilometer journey from Seoul to Pyeongchang. The NEXOs were equipped with level 4 self-driving technology, as defined by SAE international standards, and 5G network technology.

These NEXOs featured a number of advanced technologies that enabled them to recognize surrounding vehicles more accurately and make better judgments at junctions and at branching roads, navigate through toll gates by accurately calculating the toll gates’ width and position and precisely pinpoint the vehicle’s position on a map by using external sensors fitted for situations when the GPS signal was interrupted, such as going through long underground tunnels.

What is Metawave Technology?

Metawave is building next-generation wireless technology platforms to address major challenges facing the wireless sensing and communications industries operating at mm-wave frequencies. By using engineered metamaterial structures and AI algorithms, Metawave was able to simplify architectures and improve system performance while lowering cost to both providers and consumers using its electronically beamforming and steering WARLORD and SABER technologies. The company is initially focusing on delivering the WARLORD smart radar platforms for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving. In parallel, Metawave is building the SABER^TM (Smart Antenna for Beamforming Electromagnetic Radiation) smart antenna platforms for fixed wireless and the 5G cellular infrastructure to power dense point-to-point, point-to-multipoint and mesh configurations for backhaul and access networks.

The 5G market will benefit from Metawave’s SABER platform by reducing interference and increasing the reach of coverage of their base stations. Instead of the massive numbers of antennae and complex digital processing used in today’s 5G radios, SABER uses one antenna per transceiver port, which is able to focus the signal in narrow beams to extend the reach of base stations and service dense number of users with little interference.

Go Auto Sales Opens New Haval Dealership In Skudai & Announces 0% GST Raya Promotion

Go Auto Sales Sdn Bhd, the exclusive distributor for Haval SUV in Malaysia together with authorised dealer, Ang Trading and Motor Credit Sdn Bhd recently launched HAVAL Malaysia’s newest dealership in Skudai, Johor Bahru, Johor. The authorised dealership is located at Taman Perindustrian Ringan Pulai, Johor Bahru and shall provide easy access to HAVAL customers staying around Skudai and Johor Bahru area.

Speaking at the official launch, Executive Director of Go Auto Group, Dato’ SM Azli SM Nasimuddin Kamal, said, “It’s with great pleasure that we welcome and congratulate Ang Trading and Motor Credit to be part of the growing HAVAL Malaysia family and wish them success in both sales and after sales services. The Company continues to achieve the primary goal to always improved the quality and enhance customer satisfaction.”

“This new dealership adds a total of 7 dealership in South of Malaysia with 4 being from Johor – in total the Company now has 24 dealerships nationwide. Both of our current models are certified as EEV (Energy Efficient Vehicle) which the H1 comes with a seven-year unlimited mileage manufacturer warranty whereas, the H2 comes with 5-years warranty or 150,000km whichever comes first,” Dato’ Azli added.

In addition, with the recent announcement made on 16 May in regards of the Goods & Service Tax (GST) which would be zero rated commencing on 1 June 2018, Go Auto has announced a “NOW or NEVER Celebrating Raya with Zero GST” Promotion. The promotion will be from now until 30 June 2018 offers new and existing HAVAL customers with savings worth up to RM9,500 which will also include rebate up to RM3,000, ‘duit raya’ up to RM1,200 and petrol vouchers worth RM300 in addition to the zero-rated offerings.

Aside from the current promotion, Haval plans to carry out a roadshow nationwide as part of the ongoing “Reimagine Campaign” in Northern, Southern, East Coast and East Malaysia, which will be announced later nearing the event date.

“In line with the recent direction from the government, the zero-rated GST gives Go Auto the opportunity to add-on to the current promotion, we’re definitely excited for this new deal especially with the Raya festivities around the corner – we hope to continue to give customers to own SUVs at competitive prices and to celebrate Raya with a brand-new SUV at the same time,” Dato’ Azli added.

The Ferrari SP38 Is A Stunning New Creation From The Ferrari “One-Off” Programme

A confirmed future classic, the incredible Ferrari SP38 – the latest offering from Ferrari’s One-Off Programme – has been unveiled at Fiorano where, after the ceremonial handover to one of Ferrari’s most dedicated customers, (We weren’t told who, Nick Mason maybe? – Ed.) the car was immediately put through its paces in a series of hot laps.

Designed by the Ferrari Design Centre on the chassis and running gear of the 488 GTB, this unique car reflects the specific vision of a client with a deep passion for racing. The result is a model that can be driven both on road and on track, while at the same time expressing all the beauty and innovation inherent in Ferrari’s road cars.

The all-new bodywork, in a newly conceived three-layer metallic red, marks a radical departure from the language aesthetic of the donor car. The twin-turbo, twin-intercooler set-up of the award-winning 488 GTB inspired the team to reference the mighty F40 as an icon from which to instruct the project’s general direction.

Compared to the 488 chassis, the visual mass of SP38 appears concentrated over the rear wheels as the wedge design sharply stretches towards the front. In plan view, the strongly tapered nose expands towards muscular wheelarches, giving the car potency and agility. Specific inset headlights were designed to be as thin as possible, with the mandatory DRL (daytime running lights) units relocated to add character and functionality to a slim bumper lip reminiscent of the 308 GTB.

On the side, the defining air scoop of the 488 GTB is completely concealed where the sheet metal folds in on itself from the low belt-line on the door and into the rear wheel-arch and three-quarter light.

The effect is dramatic, as it reinforces the importance of the rear volume while, at the same time, maintaining the air flow to the intercoolers at the base of the side window. The dynamic styling continues over the engine cover, which sheds its rear glass and is treated as a flip-up assembly in carbon fibre with shutlines slashing the flanks in a gesture directly reminiscent of the F40’s.

Three transversal slats slash across the engine cover to evacuate engine heat, and the smooth integration of a substantial rear spoiler is a hint at the famous rear wing of the F40. The trailing edge of the spoiler links seamlessly with the wing and with the aerodynamic diffuser at the bottom, to create a suggestive frame surrounding the tail volume.

A full Tailor Made cabin trim puts the finished touches on this truly special Ferrari, which will be on public display for the first time at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este on Saturday 26^th May 2018.

Bermaz Mazda Umumkan Harga 0% GST Dan Mazda Driving Academy

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MMM Umumkan Harga 0% GST Bagi Promosi Hari Raya 2018

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Bermaz Mazda Announces 0% GST Prices & Mazda Driving Academy

Bermaz Mazda has released the official 0% GST prices for all its vehicles in Malaysia, which can be downloaded at the links below:

Pen.Malaysia: Price List In Full Range with Breakdown GST-West M’sia 010618

Sabah & Sarawak: Price List In Full Range with Breakdown GST-East M’sia 01062018

CELEBRATE DRIVING WITH MAZDASPORTS ACADEMY…

Mazda cars have been engineered with a human-centric development philosophy, to instill the joy of driving into every Mazda car driver. Instead of just focusing on the mechanics of vehicle dynamics, Mazda’s developments also centered around humans so that they can deliver “Celebrate Driving” to their customers. This results in a harmonious experience where a driver feels one-ness with their car. Mazda calls it “Jinba-ittai”.

MazdaSports Academy, the latest extension of Bermaz Motor’s MazdaSports Division, is committed to create Mazda-unique driver experience programmes that are in true spirit of Mazda’s brand essence – “Celebrate Driving”. MazdaSports Academy will first introduce the “Advance Driving” ownership experience programme designed specifically for Mazda Owners, to take place on June 9, 2018 (Saturday) at MAEPS, Serdang.

With the “Advance Driving” programme, participants will learn to experience being one with their Mazda and discover ones driving potential. They will find their perfect driving position and enhance their driving ability through a dynamic driving practical course. The ownership programme is limited to twenty spirited Mazda owners. Mazda Owners that wish to join may do so by registering their interest via Mazda Malaysia’s Facebook Page. (https://www.facebook.com/mazdamy/)

Bermaz’s MazdaSports Division, formed in 2016, currently encompasses vehicle development, parts and accessories, and experience programmes. Since its establishment, the MazdaSports Division has developed two models under its vehicle development project; the Mazda3 and Mazda2 with the nameplate MS and M+, respectively, for domestic market consumption. MazdaSports Division anticipates offering a wider range of experience programmes under the MazdaSports Academy in the near future.

Perodua Contributes Medical Equipment & Toys To Sabah Women & Children Hospital

A team of Perodua volunteers paid a visit to the Sabah Women and Children Hospital recently, bearing gifts for the child patients as well as equipment and supplies for the hospital, in celebration of the Kaamatan season and to usher in the holy month of Ramadan.

The equipment and supplies contributed by Perodua consisted of two sets of Miller 3 straight laryngoscope blades with handle, worth RM1,800 each, plus 40 bed pillows with PVC covers. “We wish to acknowledge and thank the selfless staff of the Sabah Women and Children Hospital for their services to the people,” Perodua President and Chief Executive Officer YBhg Datuk (Dr) Aminar Rashid Salleh said.

Together with Lego Malaysia, Perodua brought smiles to some 250 child patients by giving them the gift of play. Each was given a Lego playset along with other goodies by Perodua volunteers. “Perodua takes this opportunity to wish Kotobian Tadau Tagazo Do Kaamatan to all who celebrate. May this festival bring us all closer together, and we hope for a harvest just as plentiful next year,” said Datuk (Dr) Aminar.

Over on the peninsular, Perodua recently returned to Shan Children’s Home in Perai, Penang with a team of 10 volunteers from outlets in Penang and Kedah. The carmaker first visited Shan Children’s Home on the eve of Deepavali last year, when it contributed over RM20,000 in the form of goods and cash and announced its commitment to a three-year Corporate Responsibility programme with the home.

This time, Perodua arranged a bread-making class for the home’s 19 children, which they found entertaining and educational. The volunteers also helped with some spring cleaning and handed out soft toys to the children, making their day.

“There are so many ways we can help these children. Material and monetary help is welcome, but both are finite. By engaging the children in educational activities like this, we hope to equip them with skills and knowledge that will benefit them throughout their lifetime,” concluded Datuk (Dr) Aminar.

BMW Group Reports 41.7% Growth In Electric Vehicle Sales In 2018

In the first four months of 2018, BMW Group Electrified vehicle sales worldwide totalled 36,692 units, a growth of 41.7% over the same period last year.

Pieter Nota, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG responsible for Sales and Brand BMW said, “We are delighted to announce that there are now over a quarter of a million electrified BMW Group vehicles on the world’s roads. Combined sales of BMW i, BMW iPerformance and MINI Electric vehicles were up 52% in April (9,831), bringing the total number of electrified BMW Group cars sold to over 250,000 and we are well on track to deliver on our stated target to sell over 140,000 electrified vehicles this year.”

Up until April 2018, BMW Group Malaysia contributed to this success with electrified vehicles, as the premium automaker’s portfolio of Plug-In Hybrid deliveries in the country now accounts for 52.7% of its total vehicle deliveries.

Harald Hoelzl, Managing Director and CEO of BMW Group Malaysia (above, second from right) said, “Our portfolio of Visionary Mobility vehicles have been developing from strength to strength here, and we now have a Plug-In Hybrid vehicle variant for almost all models which makes for the largest portfolio currently available in the Malaysian automotive industry.”

In the first four months of 2018 alone, BMW Group Malaysia introduced two new plug-in hybrid vehicles in the country – the All-New BMW 530e Sport in January, the first-ever BMW 5 Series Hybrid with eDrive Technology which was also the fifth BMW iPerformance model to be introduced in the country. The premium automaker then introduced the New MINI Countryman Plug-In Hybrid, the first Plug-In Hybrid vehicle variant for the MINI brand.

The premium automaker also expanded accessibility to electric vehicle and Plug-In Hybrid vehicle charging facilities nationwide, installing new BMW i Charging Stations at WEIL Hotel in Ipoh, the first in the state of Perak with its dealer partner Tian Siang Premium Auto; Holiday Inn Melaka and The Equatorial Melaka, the firsts in the State of Melaka with dealer partner Seong Hoe Premium Motors, and at CityONE Megamall Kuching, the first in the State of Sarawak with dealer partner Regas Premium Auto Sarawak.

Collaborating with the Malaysian Green Technology Corporation, BMW Group Malaysia’s portfolio of Visionary Mobility with the BMW iPerformance and MINI Electric vehicles are also supported by the ChargEV platform, which has a growing network of more than 270 charging facilities nationwide.

Driving the Future of Electro Mobility further in Malaysia, the premium automaker also showcased the BMW i3, the BMW Group’s best-selling electric car in the premium compact segment worldwide at the recent 2018 Malaysia Autoshow. The dynamic electric car was made available to be test driven by the public. Over 40 members of the public took the opportunity to test drive the car.