At this year’s Tokyo Auto Salon, Mazda took centre stage with the unveiling of the production version of the highly anticipated Mazda Spirit Racing Roadster 12R. Based on the soft-top MX-5 Miata, this limited-run special edition brings a suite of enhancements that elevate its performance, design, and exclusivity.
The centrepiece of this special edition is its upgraded 2.0-litre naturally aspirated Skyactiv-G engine, which now delivers an impressive 197hp. This marks the second power boost for the ND-generation Miata, which debuted in 2015 with 155hp, and later upgraded to 181hp in 2018. Mazda’s engineers achieved this latest jump by refining the intake, exhaust, cylinder heads, pistons, and camshafts. While the additional 16 hp may seem modest, Mazda assures enthusiasts that the lightweight roadster’s improved dynamics make the difference noticeable.
Honda has introduced the Racing Black Package for the acclaimed Civic Type R, a model celebrated since its 2022 debut for delivering a blend of speed and driving pleasure. This latest addition refines the Civic Type R’s interior and further enhances the driving experience by focusing on aesthetics and functionality.
The Racing Black Package offers an interior unified in an all-black theme, reflecting Honda’s deep-rooted racing spirit. The dashboard and front door linings are adorned with high-quality black Ultrasuede, while other interior elements are coordinated in black to minimise light reflection and distractions. Honda Type R sports seats, upholstered in Lux Suede with a sleek black finish, add to the premium feel.
Other features include wireless charging capability, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, black pinstripe decorations on the air conditioner outlets, silver accents on the power window switch panel, a knurled black air-conditioning control dial, and black air-conditioner outlet knobs. The seats, steering wheel, shift boot, centre console box, and door armrests are accented with special stitching, completing the sophisticated and focused racing-inspired design.
Syndicates offering special stickers as a means of avoiding penalties at roadblocks have been uncovered, with many heavy vehicle owners and drivers reportedly relying on this illicit practice. Investigations by Utusan Malaysia reveal that lorry operators acquire these stickers to evade fines and legal actions, even when committing traffic offences such as carrying overloaded vehicles.
How the Scheme Operates
The syndicate sells these special stickers, which feature specific codes and shapes, for as low as RM1,000 per lorry. These stickers are then placed on the front or rear of the vehicles, allowing corrupt enforcement officers to identify vehicles “under their protection.” This arrangement ensures that vehicles with the stickers are waved through roadblocks without scrutiny, regardless of their violations.
Key Details of the Scheme Include:
Sticker Pricing: The cost varies depending on the vehicle’s weight and the operating zone. Some vehicles even carry multiple stickers to navigate through different jurisdictions.
Monthly Payments: Lorry operators reportedly pay the syndicate monthly to retain their immunity. For instance, a medium-sized operator with 10 lorries may pay up to RM10,000 a month, while syndicates earn substantial profits of RM100,000 monthly from a single zone.
Area-Specific Protection: Stickers are zone-specific, meaning operators must purchase additional stickers for access in different regions, further inflating costs.
The year 2024 marked another historic milestone for Malaysia’s automotive industry, driven by the influx of new market entrants and a series of high-profile vehicle launches. The Malaysian Automotive Association (MAA) responded to this remarkable growth by revising its 2024 total industry volume (TIV) forecast to an impressive 800,000 new vehicle sales. Among the standout performers was premium SUV market challenger Jaecoo, which achieved a remarkable 7,041 Jaecoo J7 SUV registrations within just five months of its retail launch in Malaysia.
To celebrate this extraordinary achievement, Jaecoo Malaysia hosted its first-ever dealership awards ceremony, recognizing 12 top-performing dealerships for their contributions to the brand’s success. Emily Lek, Vice President of Jaecoo Malaysia, expressed gratitude to customers and partners, saying, “We appreciate our customers for their faith in the Jaecoo brand, and we will remain dedicated to delivering on our brand promise with best-in-class vehicles and a premium ownership experience. These awards recognise the vital role our dealer network plays in the brand’s overall achievement. We will continue to expand our dealer network in line with our ambition to provide the absolute best customer experience.”
Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia (MMM), the official distributor of Mitsubishi vehicles in Malaysia, is thrilled to unveil the “Drive Your Ambition” brand festival, a one-of-a-kind 4×4 experiential event set to take place on 18–19 January 2025 at ParkCity Eastwood, Miri, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. This exciting two-day event promises to showcase the unparalleled performance and capabilities of the all-new Mitsubishi Triton, alongside a range of activities and attractions for the whole family.
Event Highlights
All-New Triton Obstacle Test Drive
Experience the motorsports-inspired handling of the all-new Triton by navigating through challenging obstacle courses, including:
Volkswagen’s refreshed 2025 Golf lineup, known as the Mk8.5, introduced updated styling and enhanced interiors but marked a bittersweet moment for U.S. enthusiasts as the iconic manual transmission was retired for the Golf GTI and Golf R. This decision closes a significant chapter in the history of these beloved hot hatches, despite a surge in popularity for manual-equipped models in their final year.
In 2024, enthusiasts rallied to support the manual variants, with Volkswagen reporting substantial year-over-year sales increases of 48.6% for the GTI and 29.6% for the Golf R. Of these, 41% of GTIs and an impressive 52% of Golf Rs sold were equipped with the six-speed manual, reflecting a meaningful rise from 2023 figures of 38% and 45%, respectively. This resurgence in manual transmission sales highlights the passionate dedication of U.S. drivers who favour a more engaged driving experience.
Nearly three years after Subaru announced that a true STI version of the WRX would never happen, the automaker has surprised fans with a change of heart. At the Tokyo Auto Salon 2025, Subaru revealed the WRX STI S210, a full-fledged Subaru Tecnica International creation that embodies the pinnacle of the STI philosophy. This highly anticipated model builds on the JDM-spec WRX S4 STI Sport R EX and reaffirms Subaru’s commitment to delivering high-performance vehicles that excite enthusiasts.
The S210 is powered by a 2.4-liter turbocharged boxer engine that has been re-engineered to produce 296hp and 375Nm of torque. These figures represent a notable improvement over the standard WRX available in Japan, although the S210 falls short of the 341hp and 450Nm torque offered by the S209, which was the last STI model available in the U.S. Subaru’s engineers have incorporated an upgraded exhaust system, revised intake ducts, and a recalibrated ECU to achieve these performance gains.
The engine delivers full power at 5,700 rpm and peak torque at just 2,000 rpm, ensuring a thrilling driving experience. Unlike its predecessor, the S210 features Subaru’s Performance Transmission, a continuously variable transmission (CVT) that has been refined to handle the increased output.
Hyundai has once again captured the automotive world’s imagination with its latest creation, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N DK Edition. Building on the success of the Ioniq 5 N, this special edition is tailored specifically for drifting enthusiasts and pays homage to one of the most legendary figures in motorsport, Keiichi Tsuchiya, the “Drift King.”
A Tribute to the Drift King
The DK Edition is named in honour of Keiichi Tsuchiya, a pioneer in drifting and a revered figure in the Japanese racing scene. Tsuchiya’s influence extends beyond the car’s name; he was deeply involved in the development and tuning of the DK Edition, ensuring it meets the high standards of professional drift performance.
It would be cliché to start an article about Peugeot by mentioning its past. Plenty has been written already, and many already know that the brand has been in Malaysia for a while, and if its current form is any indication, Peugeot is here to stay.
We shall not mention anything about its past distributors and dealers either, nor shall we talk about the issues owners have had with spare parts in the past. Plenty has been said about that as well and there are plenty of articles on those topics on google.
Peugeot is now official represented in Malaysia via the Stellantis Group, which is the brand owner, custodian and manufacturer of Peugeot cars, not only in Malaysia but globally as well.
That basically means that Peugeot and its fans have never been in a better place.
Heading the charge for the refreshed Peugeot brand in Malaysia is a trio of variants for the 408 model – the entry-level Allure which is priced at RM146,055, after that is the Premium and that is priced at RM166,055 and then comes the GT, priced at RM196,055.
We have driven the Premium and were already quite impressed by it, and later we drove the GT and because the Premium already ticks all the boxes, we were wondering if the GT truly is worth RM30,000 more.
So that is what we want to explore in this article.
Who are its competitors?
Being a c-segment contender, the 408 goes up against the likes of the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla Altis, Mazda 3 sedan and even the Proton S70, because Proton insists to position the S70 in the same, ultra competitive segment as the brands mentioned above.
The 408GT, which is the topic of this article, is the most expensive in the segment. The top spec variant of the hugely popular Honda Civic for example costs just RM167,900, a full RM28,155 cheaper.
Mazdas are known to be quite expensive in Malaysia as well, but even the most expensive 3 sedan is priced at RM165,000. The top of the line Corolla Altis on the other hand costs RM147,800.
So you really have to love the 408 GT to be able to justify buying it over some of its competitors.
Why pick the GT over the cheaper variants?
It is difficult to justify spending RM30,000 more for a variant that has somewhat the same body style, same engine and largely the same interior. But once you start diving into the details and spending time poking and prodding around the interior of the GT, you will start notice something’s that stand out and hopefully be able to help you justify the price premium to your significant other.
But before we dive inside, let us take a moment to talk about what the exterior has to offer.
The two biggest distinguishing factors from the outside are firstly the 20-inch Monolithe wheels which look fantastic to say the least, but may will set you back a pretty penny when it comes time to replace the tyres. Just for the record, the other variants roll on 18-inch wheels.
And then there is the body work, particularly the grille. The Allure and Premium variants sport chrome grilles, but the GT gets a swanky one that is painted in body colour and gracefully merges into the bodywork of the car.
On top of that, the GT also gets matrix LED headlamps with a 3D LED tail lamp. Talking about the tail, the GT too unfortunately comes with a bulbous rear bumper that is finished in untreated plastic and is quite an eye sore. To this writer’s eyes at least.
And the other problem with untreated plastic besides being unsightly, is that scratches will tend to stick out and are difficult to repair.
Now we move inside
The interior of the 408 was one of its biggest attractions when the car was first launched. Marred only by the weirdly shaped steering feel that feels good in your hands but hinders the view of the instrument cluster ahead.
You could obviously adjust the seat, but you end up sitting too low or too high. Why Peugeot has insisted on continuing with the oblong shaped steering wheel for the past decade when there have been plenty of complaints is beyond us. May they see the light with the next model.
The dash is minimalistic yet high tech, and the software does taking some getting used to but it is not overly complicated. The instrumentation for the GT is almsot the same as its siblings; a 10-inch instrument cluster but the GT gets a 3D quartz version and a 10-inch infotainment screen.
However, the GT also gets configurable i-Toggle controls that is set just under the infotainment screen. This lets you program shortcuts to key controls such as air-conditioning controls, camera setting, seat controls and others. It is a clever method of giving you quick access without having to navigate layers of menu.
The one thing that we particularly like about the 408 are the seats, and that is something that we have raved about in our review of the Premium variant as well. The GT also gets those brilliant seats, but they come wrapped in premium Nappa leather instead. And the GT also benefits from electronic seats for passenger and driver, which also come with memory and massage function. That is what the RM30,000 premium gets you.
Topping off the interior is a fantastic 10-speaker Focal sound system, while the cheaper 408’s make do with a regular six-speaker system.
In terms of spaciousness though, taller passengers will find themselves more comfortable in the front seat than at the back. And that is putting it simply.
So how does it drive?
They say that you must always listen to your elders, and if there is one thing that I have heard my elders tell me repeatedly is that Peugeot’s always drive well. And they still do.
The suspension is brilliant, and we salute how Peugeot has managed to find the perfect balance of comfort and control.
On the highways, the 408 absorbs and isolates the road from the cabin. In the corners, the suspension keeps the car settled with minimal body roll, giving the driver the confidence needed to keep the car steady and centered in its lane, particularly when navigating high speed corners.
The engine is the same across all variants – the PureTech 1.6-litre, turbocharged, four-cylinder engine makes 218PS and 300Nm of torque across the range. All that power is channeled to the front through a smooth-shifting eight-speed transmission.
The powerplant is efficient and yet powerful as well. The turbo lag can be noticeable at times but switching it to Sport mode solves that, so if you are the type that like to carve across corners when the mood arises, you will like how the car handles and delivers its power.
So, is it worth RM30,000 more?
The real question here is, if you can afford it, then why not? The GT has a lot of nice tech and toys that hopefully the next owner of the car will appreciate as well.
This writer loves a good sound system, and an interior wrapped in Nappa, so yes that is one thing good about the interior.
Having electronic seats all around is also a great thing and adds a touch of premiumness to a car positioned to take on the Civic and Corolla Altis.
But RM30,000 is understandably a lot of money, but as we said – why not?
Mazda Motor Europe has officially introduced the Mazda6e, a revolutionary Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV), at the Brussels Motor Show 2025. Scheduled for release in June 2025, the Mazda6e represents the brand’s entry into the midsize BEV segment, specifically tailored for European consumers.
The Mazda6e serves as the European iteration of the Mazda EZ-6, which was first showcased at the Beijing Auto Show in April 2024. This innovative BEV is a product of Mazda’s long-standing partnership with Changan Automobile Co., Ltd, a collaboration spanning over two decades. Combining Mazda’s iconic design philosophy and craftsmanship with Changan’s advanced expertise in electrification and intelligent cabin technologies, the Mazda6e sets a new standard for electric mobility in the European market.
Designed under the “Authentic Modern” theme, the Mazda6e boasts a sleek coupe-inspired silhouette with clean, flowing lines that highlight its modernity and electric innovation. Every detail reflects Mazda’s commitment to craftsmanship while incorporating unique EV-specific elements to emphasise its futuristic appeal. The driving dynamics have been meticulously refined to achieve Jinba Ittai, Mazda’s hallmark sense of oneness between driver and car. Precision-tuned braking and responsive handling ensure a deeply engaging and intuitive driving experience.
