In a departure from its iconic blue halo within the T badge, Toyota has unveiled a symbolic blue dot on the trunk of its latest Camry hybrid, signaling a shift in its visual representation of electrified vehicles. Since 2009, the blue halo had been a distinctive feature on Toyota’s hybrid powertrain-equipped vehicles, but the new Camry takes a different approach to convey the brand’s commitment to sustainability.
The Shift to Symbolic Significance
The absence of the familiar blue halo on the new Camry is deliberate, as Toyota aims to emphasize its dedication to environmental stewardship with a fresh visual element. Instead of incorporating blue highlights within the Toyota badge, the Camry now proudly displays a blue dot next to the letters ‘HEV’ on the trunk, denoting its status as a hybrid electric vehicle.
A Symbol of Commitment to Sustainability
In a social media post from September, Toyota shared that the blue circle represents the company’s commitment to “the happiness of people living on earth and [its desire] to pass it on to the next generation.” This emblematic change extends beyond the Camry, with upcoming models like the Crown and the renowned Prius adopting the new visual cue.
Comprehensive Electrification Strategy
This symbolic shift isn’t exclusive to hybrids; Toyota plans to implement the blue dot on its new hybrids, plug-in hybrids, battery electric vehicles (BEVs), and fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). While models like the RAV4, Venza, and Corolla still bear the traditional blue Ts, the impending updates to these vehicles will incorporate the blue dot, aligning with Toyota’s overarching electrification strategy.
Beyond Zero Campaign: A Vision for a Greener Future
The introduction of the blue dot aligns with Toyota’s “Beyond Zero” marketing campaign, signaling a commitment to reach beyond carbon neutrality and make a positive impact on the planet and society. The company emphasises a diverse range of new energy vehicles, not limited to electric vehicles (EVs), and aims to underscore this strategy by incorporating the symbolic blue dot across multiple electrified models.
bZ3X
Future Teasers and Beyond
Teaser shots of the upcoming bZ3X, a battery electric vehicle, already showcase the blue circle alongside the letters “BEV” on the rear end. This sneak peek gives enthusiasts a glimpse into Toyota’s vision for a greener automotive future.
Stellantis, a large automaker with famous brands like Peugeot, Citroën, Ram, Maserati, Alfa Romeo, and Jeep, has shared its plans for bringing new electric cars to Southeast Asia. They want to lead the way in making cars that run on electricity in this region.
They have a new vehicle platform called STLA Medium, which can go a long way on a single charge, is super energy-efficient, and charges up quickly. Stellantis is investing a lot of money, around €400 million (RM2 billion), to bring this platform to Southeast Asia. This platform can be used to make different types of vehicles, like electric ones, regular ones, and hybrids. It’s a big deal for local suppliers and manufacturers, who could make about €990 million (RM5 billion) in the next four years.
The Toyota Gazoo Racing (TGR) Festival has undoubtedly cemented its reputation as the premiere one make race series in Malaysia. Over six seasons, TGR has provided fans with thrilling wheel to wheel racing where professionals, celebrities as well as amateur drivers compete to be crowned champion of the series at the end of the season.
The series requires teams to compete in a race spec Toyota Vios with all cars having the same state of tune. To level the playing field, drivers who are particularly quick are required to have weight ballasts that slow down their cars.
In the six seasons of racing, the Toyota Vios has been the mainstay of the series. Teams fork out about RM100,000 to buy a race prepared Toyota Vios and this also gives the access to two seasons of racing.
As season six draws to a close, UMW Toyota Motors took the opportunity to officially unveil next season’s race car.
Based on the latest generation Toyota Vios, the new race car shares the same concept as the old – with a stripped out interior and a six-point roll cage that not only offers safety for the driver but also adds stiffness to the car that gives it more agile handling.
Besides the roll cage, the new Vios also sports a new platform that adds further rigidity. This combined with new aerodynamic enhancements make the Vios more planted in corners, improves responsiveness and also provides faster lap times as compared to the previous generation race car.
The new Vios challenger is still powered by the same 1.5-litre engine producing 106PS and 138Nm of torque. The power figures are the same as the street car but the biggest difference is the transmission. While the road going model uses a CVT gearbox, the race car sends power to the front wheels through a 5-speed manual transmission.
The Vios also includes a new race exhaust manifold, exhaust mid-section and muffler, a limited slip differential and race tuned suspension.
Season seven of the Toyota Gazoo Racing Festival will continue next year and interested parties can get in touch with the management of the series at 60163673300.
The complete list of modifications to the Toyota Vios is offered in the table below:
Langkawi’s Member of Parliament (MP), Suhaimi Abdullah, has proposed the idea of constructing a train system akin to the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) to facilitate travel from Alor Setar to Kuah in Langkawi. He brought up this matter during a Parliamentary session, aiming to shed light on the challenges faced with ferry frequency in Langkawi.
The envisioned train system could potentially offer an alternative mode of transportation, enhancing connectivity and accessibility within the region.
During the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA 2023) held in May, Suhaimi Abdullah pointed out that there were 6 ferry trips in a day to Langkawi. However, presently, the frequency has reduced significantly to only 3 ferry trips per day. This reduction in ferry services has likely impacted the convenience and accessibility for travelers to Langkawi, prompting discussions about alternative transportation options like a train system.
The third-generation Volkswagen Tiguan has made its debut in Europe, showcasing the latest evolutionary stage of the Modular Transverse Matrix (MQB evo). This innovative technical foundation democratises high-tech advancements, including features like the DCC Pro and new hybrid drives boasting an electric range of approximately 100km. The MQB evo’s significant economies of scale allow for the integration of these advanced technologies, marking a step forward in the Tiguan’s offerings.
R-LineStandard
It showcases a thoroughly refreshed design, notably at the front. The front presents a commanding presence with sleek LED headlights and a prominent glass-covered horizontal strip. The radiator grille openings have been repositioned to the outer sides of the bumper, effectively utilising air curtains to optimise airflow.
This redesign contributes to a better drag coefficient, improving from 0.33 to 0.28. The silhouette of the Tiguan is characterized by athletic shoulders over the wheel housings, especially with wheel options reaching up to 20 inches.
The Mazda CX-30 was introduced in 2019 as a model that sits in between the CX-3 and the CX-5. This made good sense for those who found the CX-3 to be too small and the CX-5 to be too big.
And before you ask why Mazda didn’t simply call it the CX-4, well the company already has a CX-4 model in its line-up but that is a China specific model. So to avoid confusion, it chose the easier route of calling the new model the CX-30 instead.
But why does the CX-30 need to exist at all when there is already a small SUV in Mazda’s line-up? The CX-3 is a small SUV while the CX-5 is better suited for family’s, so Mazda thought there may be room in between the models. And they may have been right.
But there’s the small issue of price. There are four variants of the CX-30 on offer, with prices starting from RM131,409 for the entry level model, up to RM161,409 for the flagship model. The model we tested here is the second best and is called the High+ (pronounced as high plus). It is priced at RM159,409, which may be a little difficult to stomach for such a small car.
However, Mazdas have never been known to be cheap, in the past two decades at least. They have however been known to be well-built, well-specified and well-engineered. And that is what the CX-30 has to offer.
But why would you want to spend so much on a small car when there are others that offer so much more for less? Cars like the Mazda CX-5, Honda HRV, Toyota Corolla Cross and even the Proton X70 are probably better buys in terms of spaciousness and overall features.
But that would be missing the point of the Mazda CX-30.
The Mazda may be small, but it packs a mighty punch. Newer generation Mazdas are some of the nicest cars to drive thanks to a technology called G-Vector Control (GVC).
But before delving deeper into the tech, it is worth noting that Mazda is a car company for enthusiasts, and builds cars that focus as much on driving pleasure as it does on passenger comfort and safety. Let’s not forget that this is the same car company that has built some of the greatest cars in the history of the automobile, cars like the MX-5 and RX-7.
At the very core of every Mazda built is the principle of ‘Jinba Ittai’ – the unison of horse and rider coming together as one. This is to give the rider complete control of the horse through the reins. And in a Mazda, the control comes through the steering wheel and tech like GVC.
The engineering behind the system is mind blowing, complex and will need an entire article by itself to explain. But for simplicity’s sake, the system works by maximizing steering input, making the car feel sharper and more eager to turn in. This also means that you only need minimal steering input to achieve the same result as you would in a car without GVC. The result is a car that feels more agile and responds to every input from the driver instantaneously.
The CX-30 High+ model also comes with steering mounted shifter pedals. This further adds to the sporty character of the CX-30 – giving you absolute control over the powertrain of the car and letting you decide which gear you want to be in when you go into full attack mode.
Having said that though, the power figures are not exactly that impressive. The 2.0-litre engine makes 162hp at 6000 rpm and 213Nm of torque at 4000rpm. Power is sent to the front wheels through a six-speed automatic gearbox.
Power delivery takes time as is typical of a naturally-aspirated engine. Since most of the power is made at the upper end of the rpm bandwidth, you have to wring out the engine and wait for it to come alive.
But when it does come alive, that is where the CX-30 is at its finest. The combination of power and control makes it quite fun in corners. However, that joy is quickly let down by the torsion beam rear suspension that makes the rear feel unsettled.
On that point though, the CX-30 is not exactly a sports car, though it def feels great to drive, it does a better job as a daily commuter that keeps its occupants comfortable.
If you’re not familiar with Mazda cars, the interior might feel a little understated and minimalist. The interior of the CX-30 is the same. It is devoid of anything that will take your breath away.
Instead, what you get is a purposeful interior that prioritises the important things. The quality though is top notch. There’s plush leather and soft touch plastics everywhere around the interior, and this makes the interior feel more expensive than what it actually is.
The seats are comfortable and supportive, and space is especially impressive for the front passengers. While the CX-3 can feel cramped, the CX-30 feels generous in terms of spaciousness.
The rear seats though still feel cramped. Taller passengers will be hard done to be comfortable and even toddlers in their Isofix mounted child seats may find their legs sandwiched in between the front seats.
To top it off, there is no USB port for rear passengers, not even an auxiliary power outlet.
And there in lays the problem with the CX-30. It may be a good-looking car that is fun to drive with a decent powertrain. But it is an expensive small SUV and does not quite prioritise the utility part of an SUV with its small-ish interior.
In fact, its sibling the Mazda CX-5 2.0G High may be the better buy than the CX-30 High+ from within Mazda Malaysia’s own stable of cars. The CX-5 2.0G High costs a little under RM157,000 and it has most of what the CX-30 High+ has to offer, including spaciousness.
Just like the CX-30, the CX-5 too is a fun car to drive and because of the taller ride height, it might just be better to drive for those who need to prioritise spaciousness, i.e. families.
However, in defense of the CX-30 High+, it does come with quite an impressive list of features such as an adaptive front-light system and adaptive LED headlamps that turns the light according to the angle of the steering wheel, there’s also a complete Advanced Safety Technologies that include adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, blind spot monitoring and a lot more. All designed to keep the driver and passenger safe in all situations.
So if the CX-30 High+ picks your curiosity but you find it expensive, perhaps the price of the entry level Standard model may be easier to digest. It does not have all that the High+ variant has to offer, but it is RM20,000 cheaper. Perhaps that might be the model to consider if the CX-30 is what whets your appetite. Otherwise, the CX-5 is the better buy.
Specifications
Engine: 2.0-litre, DOHC, 16-Valve, 4-Cylinder with VVT
The Honda WR-V is set to make its Malaysian debut tomorrow. The highly anticipated small SUV which Honda Malaysia says sits in its own segment and does not compete with any other car maker, was already available for booking at all dealerships nationwide last month.
As of today, the WRV already has 2,500 bookings! And Honda expects to deliver all 2,500 cars in less than two months. With that, it is safe to say that Honda’s small SUV is well received prior to its official debut. Honda also reassures that the WRV is not affected by the global chip shortage and as such deliveries will be on time and spare parts are readily available.
The second-generation WRV (first-generation for Malaysia) made its global debut in Indonesia last November and was launched in Thailand in May of 2023. We took it for a test drive from Bangkok to Pattaya recently and came away impressed, you can read about that hereand watch the video below.
The long awaited small SUV from Honda is just around the corner! For the time being, Honda’s Winsome Runabout Vehicle (WR-V) will be the only small SUV competitor for the Perodua Ativa. We have driven the car before its Malaysian debut, and this is what you need to know about the highly anticipated SUV.
Brabus really needs no introduction but if you have been living in a cave for the past three decades, the company is a high-performance automotive aftermarket tuning company known popularly for their collaboration with Mercedes-Benz.
However, recently, Brabus unveiled their take on a Porsche 911 Turbo S. Originally, the 911 Turbo S has a output of 640hp, a top speed of 330km/h and does 0-100km/h in 2.7 seconds. Its name, the 900 Rocket R, is both appropriate and a hint at the level of performance it offers.
The 3.8-liter flat-six engine that powers the Brabus 900 Rocket R has two custom-built, high-performance turbochargers. It can accelerate from a standstill to 100 km/h in 2.5 seconds. This rocket accelerates from 0 to 200 km/h in about 7.2 seconds!
Chery is no longer the brand we knew of from 20 years ago. The company is vastly different and has five major global R&D centres with a team of over 7,000 people actively conducting research and development.
Besides that, Chery now has 10 major factories, 1,500 overseas service outlets and boasts 11.3 million vehicles sold worlwide.
The company is obviously much different now and has the most advanced manufacturing techniques to attain excellent quality.
On the Malaysian front, Chery has launched the Omoda 5 and the Tiggo 8 Pro and we were taken away by the pricing! For this article we will focus on the Tiggo 8 Pro. This one aims to take on the big boys, such as the Proton X90 and Kia Sorento.
Unlike the Omoda 5, the Tiggo 8 Pro comes in a single luxury variant and we are not complaining as this single variant offers more than enough.
