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Porsche introduce new driver line-up for WEC

Porsche has announced its new driver line-up for the upcoming season of the 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship. After three years without change, the German automaker has decided to shake things up a bit for the 2017 Porsche LMP Team. Driving the No.1 Porsche 919 Hybrid are Neel Jani, Andre Lotterer and Nick Tandy.

Jani, is currently joint WEC champion and 2016 Le Mans winner. But he isn’t the only drive with winning experience, teammate Lotterer was the 2012 world champion with the Audi team, while Tandy was part of the winning Porsche team at Le Mans in 2015.

The driver line-up for the No.2 Porsche is made up of 2015 world champion Timo Bernhard and new Zealanders Earl Bamber and Brendon Hartley. In 2015, Bamber claimed joint victory with Tandy at Le Mans and in the same year Hartley partnered Bernhard to win the World Endurance title.

Porsche has some serious championship experience with both teams of drivers and will probably be a formidable foe for the upcoming season. The Stuttgart based team has just completed testing at the a number of circuits such as Valencia (Spain), Aragon(Spain), Vallelunga (Italy) and the Paul Ricard circuit in France. Look out for more news of the team soon.

Mercedes-Benz Malaysia sells 300th FUSO truck

Mercedes-Benz Malaysia Commercial Vehicles (MBM CV), which is also the authorized distributor of FUSO trucks in the country, has reached a milestone with the recent sale of its 300th truck to Biforst Logistics Sdn Bhd.

Biforst Logistics Sdn Bhd is a one-stop logistics provider and has a fleet of FUSO trucks currently in its inventory. The latest addition, cements its faith in the brand to bolster the success of its current operations. As of now, the company has a number of light duty trucks such as the FE71PB, FE83PE, FE83PG and FE85PG, a FUSO medium duty truck and a Mercedes-Benz Actros for long distance travel. The 3S centre that tends to the needs of this fleet is Bumi Asia Sdn Bhd, an authorised dealer of MBM CV. It handles all after-sales support and vehicle maintenance for the logistics company.

“The delivery of the 300th FUSO truck to Biforst Logistics represents a significant milestone for us. Mercedes-Benz Malaysia Commercial Vehicles takes great pride in delivering ‘Trucks you can trust’, and in doing so we are absolutely thrilled that Biforst Logistics benefits greatly from our highly reliable and economical commercial vehicles and extensive service network,” said Mercedes-Benz Malaysia, Vice President, Commercial Vehicles, Mr Albert Yee.

During the ceremony of the latest handover, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed been Mercedes-Benz Malaysia Sdb Bhd and Biforst Logistics Sdn Bhd to formalize the logistics company’s intent on purchasing the electric-powered FUSO eCanter truck when it eventually becomes available here in Malaysia.

The signing was witnessed by Biforst Group Sdn Bhd Chairman, Yang Teramat Mulia Dato’ Johan Pahlawan Lela Perkasa Setiawan Dato’ Haji Muhammad Bin Abdullah; Deputy Minister of Transport Malaysia, Y.B. Datuk Ab. Aziz Kaprawi and Mercedes-Benz Services Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Managing Director, Mr Mike Ponnaz.

The FUSO eCanter truck, is the company’s first all-electric truck which is said to be an ‘attractive’ alternative to the current diesel ones. It features a modular battery platform which allows for the addition or removal of batteries depending on whether the priority is on distance or payload capacity.

“As a result of our robust business growth we need trucks which are dependable, and have plans to further increase our FUSO truck fleet over the next few years,” said Biforst Logistics Group Managing Director, Mr Hamie Appala.

Biforst Logisctics Sdn Bhd and Mercedes-Benz Malaysia may be able to break new ground with the new eCanter, but for now, diesel power is what will do the heavy-lifting.

UMWT to replace faulty inflator module on selected Toyota vehicles

If you own a recent model Toyota, this might be of importance to you. UMW Toyota Motor Sdn Bhd (UMWT), which is the offical distributor of Toyota vehicles here in Malaysia, has announced a special service campaign dubbed SSC.

Apparently, the issue is pertaining to the front passenger airbag inflator module in the Toyota Corolla Altis, Vios, Yaris and Alphard manufactured from May 2010 to December 2012 and distributed by UMWT itself. Toyota says that due to prolonged exposure to the humidity, high temperatures and high temperature cycling, degradation could occur to the propellant in the inflator module. The degradation of this propellant, a non-desiccated and phase stabilized Ammonium Nitrate, may cause the module to rupture.

As a result, during an airbag deployment, metal fragments from the ruptured module could pass through the airbag at high speed and into the vehicle cabin. This is a serious concern, because these metal fragments could cause serious injury or even death to the vehicle’s occupants.

So far, the company has identified 42,000 vehicles that are affected by this problem and are working around the clock to source for replacement parts for them. Once the parts have been made available, UMWT will contact respective owners to set an appointment to bring in their vehicles to rectify the issue. Toyota says that it will take 1 to 3 hours to have the faulty part replaced, and all costs for the replacement process will be borne by the company itself.

Some of these vehicles may not be in the hands of the original owners and may have been sold to a second-hand dealership or another buyer. As such, if you have a Toyota that fits the model and year of manufacuture mentioned above, please contact any authorised Toyota service centre or call the Toyota Freephone at 1800-8- TOYOTA (869682).

Alternatively, Owners can visit Toyota’s Special Service Campaign webpage through this link: https://toyota.com.my/aftersales-services/special- service-campaigns to check whether their vehicle is involved, through Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) Checker. To those who have uploaded the Toyota Drive Apps, there is also a link to Toyota’s SSC page and the VIN Checker.

Toyota are also taking a proactive approach to reach owners. UMWT is setting up special SSC booths at Toyota Go 2017 events held in the month of April and May at selected AEON malls throughout the country. Details regarding the locations will be announced at a later date.

Bridgestone refines CSR programme

World-renowned tyre company, Bridgestone Corporation, has restructured its corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme which is geared toward three priority areas which are Mobility, People and the Environment. The current refined plan is the culmination of a decade’s worth of lessons learnt from it’s inital CSR programme.

The CSR’s tagline, ‘Our Way to Serve’ is said to be based on the company’s philosophy of ‘serving society with superior quality’ and its matured understanding that the most respected companies are those that not only look after the best interests of their stakeholders, but help build a better world.

“We live in a time of unprecedented global change. Whether growing social inequalities, the myriad impacts of globalization, or the effects of climate change – the world is faced with many great challenges,” said Masaaki Tsuya, Global CEO and Representative Executive Officer, Bridgestone Corporation.

Bridgestone says that the fruits of its research and development have allowed the company to provide customers with better products and solutions. It also encourages its employees to expand their communication channels and is also doing its bit by building safer and healthier communities and improving access to education.

The company is also in the midst of improving its governance, compliance and day-to-day operations in order to adhere to its environmental and social commitments. Bridgestone conducts business in more than 150 countries and prides itself on building relationships and contributing to the sustainability of communities of where it operates. This proves, that at heart, Bridgestone does a lot more than just sell tyres.

Volkswagen launch Polo P drivers’ training programme

Poor driver safety and etiquette has become a concern among big automakers, so much so that some have launched pilot programmes that aim to educate youngsters on proper driving habits. Today, Volkswagen too have jumped on the bandwagon by launching its inaugural “Polo P” project dedicated to “empowering new licensed drivers with the skills and knowledge” they need.

As the name suggest “Polo P”, the word Polo was chosen because the car of choice for this training programme is in fact a Volkswagen Polo 1.6L hatchback. It is powered by a naturally aspirated 1.6-litre engine which is mated to a 6-speed automatic (Tiptronic) transmission. And the letter P was probably used to emphasise that the programme’s main demographic here are new drivers.

VW says the project will take place at a number of college and university campuses with the first being in Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman or UTAR, in Sg. Long. Participants who take part in this driver safety focused course, will be taught the basics on car maintenance, visual checkpoints, proper sitting and steering positions as well as more serious defensive driving stuff such as the proper methods to execute emergency braking and to complete a slalom course.

If you are interested to go and check it out for yourself, the following is the latest list of venues that have been provided by Volkswagen:

Dates and Venues
25 & 26 March at UTAR Campus, Sungai Long
8 & 9 April at Nilai University, Seremban
8 & 9 July at Taylor’s University Lakeside Campus, Subang Jaya
19 & 20 July at Sunway College, Johor Bahru

To register and get updates on future locations of the Polo P project, visit www.volkswagen.com.my or send a private message on VW’s Facebook page.

Honda opens new 4S centre in Kelantan

Honda customers in Kelantan should be happy with the news that the state’s first Honda 4S centre is now open for business. The 4S centre (Ban Chu Bee Honda 4S Centre), which comprises of sales, service and spare parts departments as well as a paint and body shop boasts a total build up area of 62,200 square feet.

It is said that a total of RM22 million was invested in the facility which features a slew of amenities for Honda owners or potential owners to enjoy while waiting to be attended to. Some of them include a customer lounge and an executive lounge, complimentary Wi-Fi services, kid’s corner and a surau.

There are 20 service bays available at the facility with bays for fast service (5 bays) , tyre service (1 bay), general repair (8 bays) and for air-conditioning (1 bay).

Previously, Honda was only capable of servicing 22,600 vehicles a year in Kelantan but thanks to the launching of the new facility, the ceiling has now been raised to 22,00 vehicles a year. The facility is not only the largest of its kind in Kelantan, but in the entire east coast too.

Honda has had a great start to 2017 with its BR-V receiving 10,000 bookings while the facelifted City received close to 3,000 bookings since its launch three weeks ago. The Japanese automaker isn’t done just yet, as it is currently planning to launch another two more models sometime in the coming months.

Speaking of the latest growth in customer base, Honda Malaysia’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Katsuto Hayashi said, “Last year, Honda Malaysia sold 91,830 units and of this total, the East Coast region contributed 8% with sales of more than 7,200 Honda vehicles. Kelantan contributed 34.6% towards this regional sales and Honda Jazz was the favourite among the customers here. In the past five years, Honda Malaysia sales in East Coast region have increased by 172%.”

Expect more from Honda soon but till then, if you plan on getting your Honda serviced at the latest 4S centre in Kelantan, contact Ban Chu Bee (Honda 4S Centre) at 09-744 3337 / 09-744 5893 which is located at Lot 1349, Jalan Pasir Mas-Salor 15100 Kota Bharu, Kelantan.