Eighty years. Yup, that’s how long the VW Beetle has been around. It’s one of the most iconic cars in automotive history – recognised and loved by many for its distinct shape, which really hasn’t changed much in eight decades, and rich heritage.
This year, the Beetle celebrates its 80th birthday, and Volkswagen Malaysia (VPCM) is celebrating with a nationwide dealer celebration and everyone is invited. The nationwide birthday celebration will take place on the 17th of March, Saturday at all authorized Volkswagen dealers from 11am till 5pm.
Visitors at the party will be able to test drive the Beetle Sport 1.2TSI (above & below)and enjoy fun themed activities and refreshments for the whole family. Those who take part in the test drive will also stand a chance to win a lucky draw price of a LEGO Creator Expert Volkswagen Beetle at the dealership. Check out our review of the Beetle Sport here.
The Beetle Sport is priced from RM147,888 and is available in a variety of colours that will delight owners – Bottle Green (above), Pure White, Tornado Red, Blue Silk, Dark Bronze and Habanero Orange.
The Beetle comes with paddle shifters, cruise control, 2-zone Climatronic air-conditioning system, 6.5” Composition media with touch screen display with App-Connect, leather trim “Vienna” seats with front seat lumbar support, bi-xenon headlamps and LED daytime running lights.
A 1.2-litre turbocharged TSI engine with an output of 105PS with a maximum torque of 175Nm under the hood mated to 7-speed DSG automatic transmission ensures an exhilarating ride with every drive.
Customers can enjoy a rebate of RM5,000 for a Beetle, as well as cash rebates of up to RM15,000 on other Volkswagen models. All Volkswagen models registered from the 1st of January 2018 also come with a 3-year (or 45,000km, whichever comes first) free maintenance package.
In line with the increasing demand for better quality diesel in the region, PETRONAS Dagangan Berhad (PDB) recently extended its enhanced PETRONAS Dynamic Diesel Euro 5 with Pro-Drive to Sarawak, starting with Bintulu and Miri.
Officiated by the Minister of Utilities, Dato Sri Dr Stephen Rundi Utom, the new generation sulphur-free diesel, which was introduced in November last year in the Peninsular, is proven to deliver smoother drive and superior fuel economy with cleaner emission.
Speaking at the launch, Dato Sri Dr Stephen Rundi Utom said, “Sarawak very much welcomes this new generation of sulphur-free diesel, given that Sarawakians are largely dependent on diesel. This will assure motorists that not only are they driving a cleaner fuel, but also one that is more powerful, giving them a smoother and longer journey.”
The superior quality of the new diesel is achieved through Pro-Drive, a combination of reformulated higher quality base diesel from PETRONAS’ refinery and uniquely formulated chemistries designed for today’s advance common-rail diesel engine.
The Pro-Drive technology is made available from PETRONAS’ continuous learnings from its partnership with IVECO, an Italian industrial vehicle manufacturing company, to formulate a winning formula for PETRONAS De Rooy IVECO team competing in the Dakar Rally. The Rally is known to be the world’s toughest and most demanding off-road endurance race and the team’s victory in the 2016 edition is testament to the fuel technology that goes into the PETRONAS Dynamic Diesel with Pro-Drive.
PETRONAS’ Vice President of Downstream Marketing, Datuk Seri Hj Syed Zainal Abidin Bin Syed Mohd Tahir said, “With the launch, we are availing the new diesel at nine selected PETRONAS stations in Bintulu and Miri by end of March, and are looking into increasing the availability to over 20 stations across Sarawak by this year.”
“We recognise that the state is undergoing rapid development with a few mega projects in the pipeline including the Pan Borneo Highway and demand for quality diesel will grow in tandem. We hope to speed up the availability as fast as possible to cater to this growing demand,” he added.
More on Petronas Dynamic Diesel Euro5…
Based on the laboratory tests conducted, the PETRONAS Dynamic Diesel Euro 5 with Pro-Drive removes deposits and protects injectors thus allowing the fuel to effectively clean the engine, ensuring optimum engine efficiency.
In comparison to other diesel fuels in the market that were tested, results shown that the PETRONAS Dynamic Diesel Euro 5 with Pro-Drive recorded higher cetane number, which helps to improve combustion resulting in smoother drivability, cleaner emission and lower noise. PETRONAS Dynamic Diesel Euro 5 with Pro-Drive also has higher heating value, indicating more energy per kilogram fuel to deliver better fuel economy.
Overall, the improved PETRONAS Dynamic Diesel Euro 5 with Pro-Drive promises to deliver three key benefits for diesel vehicles:
Clean: Cleans and protects critical diesel engine parts to prolong engine life
Smooth: Easier to start, less vibration and smoother drive for a better journey.
Following the introduction in Sarawak, the PETRONAS Dynamic Diesel Euro 5 with Pro-Drive is now available at selected 68 PETRONAS Stations including Peninsular Malaysia. For more information about the new fuel and availability, visit www.mymesra.com.my.
Yup, you read that right.Perodua has thus far delivered 28,000 Myvis – nearly half of the amazing 60,000 orders collected so far – as the compact carmaker further increases production of the runaway success story launched in November 2017.
“We thank our customers and the Malaysian public for their strong support of the Myvi, and we will continue to improve the delivery time for our valued customers,”Perodua Sales Sdn Bhd Managing Director Dato’ Dr Zahari Husin said.
Dato’ Dr Zahari said that customers who place their bookings now for the new Myvi will most likely receive their cars in time for the Raya holidays. To date, Perodua has fulfilled all new Myvi orders made in 2017.
He said that based on the strong support of Perodua’s latest offering as well as healthy demand for its other models, Perodua estimates its market share for the month of February to surpass 41% with 17,100 vehicles sold against an estimated 41,100-unit Total Industry Volume (TIV).
Making up the 17,100 units were 6,500 Myvis, 5,000 Axias, 3,700 Bezzas and 1,900 Alzas. On a year-on-year basis, Perodua’s sales performance improved by 13.1% to 34,800 units against 30,800 vehicles sold in the first two months of 2017.
Perodua targets to sell 209,000 units this year – a 2% increase from the 204,900 units sold in 2017. “For enquiries or bookings, we ask our customers to deal only with authorised Perodua personnel at authorised Perodua outlets,” said Dato’ Dr Zahari.
“Automotive excellence goes beyond the vehicle, it encompasses the entire customer experience” and towards that end, Mercedes-Benz Malaysia recently held its inaugural Dealer of The Year awards aimed at identifying the best and brightest among its 33 dedicated dealerships nationwide, and recognising excellence in five key performance measurements during 2017.
Mercedes-Benz Malaysia presented a total of six awards for Best Performance in Financial Services, Best Performance in Business Excellence, Best Performance in After-Sales, Best Performance in Sales, Best Performance in Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) and Customer Loyalty Index (CLI), and the ultimate award – The Dealer of the Year 2017.
Speaking at the award presentation ceremony, Mercedes-Benz Malaysia, President and CEO, Dr Claus Weidner (above, 2nd from right) said, “As the leading premium automotive brand in Malaysia, we have been setting the benchmark in defining automotive excellence – especially in crafting a unique and unrivalled customer experience. To this end, we are continuously enhancing customer touch-points, and currently offer the largest network coverage in the premium segment.”
Asbenz Motors Sdn Bhd emerged victorious for Best Performance in Sales, while Cycle & Carriage Bintang Bhd (Johor Bahru) won for Best Performance in After-Sales. Best Performance in CSI and CLI was awarded to Cycle & Carriage Bintang (Northern) Sdn Bhd (Juru & Bukit Tengah), and Hap Seng Star Sdn Bhd (Kinrara) earned the Best Performance in Business Excellence. Hap Seng Star Sdn Bhd (Jalan Ipoh) picked up the award for Best Performance in Financial Services.
The most coveted award, the Mercedes-Benz Malaysia Dealer of the Year 2017, was presented to Hap Seng Star Sdn Bhd Balakong dealership – achieving the overall highest scores in all aspects of sales, after-sales, customer satisfaction index, customer loyalty index, business excellence and financial services.
“We are honoured and pleased to receive the inaugural Dealer of the Year award from Mercedes-Benz Malaysia. Our Mercedes-Benz Hap Seng Star Balakong Autohaus is truly deserving of this accolade, having committed to delivering exceptional standards in all aspects of the business. Hap Seng Star is, and has always been, dedicated to putting the customer at the centre of our activities and we commend our colleagues at Hap Seng Star Balakong for their combined efforts in achieving this award,” said Chief Operating Officer of Hap Seng Consolidated Berhad and Chief Executive of Hap Seng Consolidated Berhad Automotive Division, Harald Behrend.
“With these awards, we recognise the commitment, dedication and passion of our dealer partners to support our promise of delivering the Best Products and the Best Customer Experience. On behalf of Mercedes-Benz Malaysia, I congratulate all our dealer partners for their commitment in living up to the three-pointed star’s The Best or Nothing motto. And a special congratulations to all award recipients on their remarkable achievements in 2017,” concluded Dr Weidner.
To-date, Mercedes-Benz Malaysia has 33 dedicated dealerships nationwide delivering the best products and the best customer experience throughout customers’ entire journey, maintaining Mercedes-Benz Malaysia as the largest premium automotive dealer network in the country. The latest Mercedes-Benz ‘Autohaus’ (above) was also just opened in Klang recently, and you can read about that here.
Jaguar’s The Art of Performance Tour will make its debut in Malaysia this month, as part of its tour across the Asia Pacific importer region. First introduced in Europe in 2016, the multi-city tour is a unique driving experience that provides consumers the opportunity to get up close and personal with the new, modern lineup of Jaguar vehicles.
Held from 16 to 18 March at the Setia City Convention Centre, The Art of Performance Tour Malaysia promises an unforgettable and thrilling driving experience. The public can look forward to putting the Jaguar XE, XF and F-PACE through their paces on a dynamic driving circuit, an on-road drive as well as Jaguar’s innovative Smart Cones course.
Unpredictable with a million different potential courses, Smart Cones is designed to measure the drivers’ skill and exploit the cars’ precise and agile handling. Inspired by the agility training game known as ‘Batak’, the system uses wireless technology to produce both a predetermined and a random course of intelligent illuminating cones, notifying drivers of their next target with only a moment’s notice.
As the car is driven, its precise co-ordinates are measured in relation to the cones and sent to a central computer system 100 times per second to track its performance. Every driver gets a score report that takes into account the model of the car used and driving conditions.
In addition to the driving experience, participants will also be among the first in Malaysia to preview and test drive the F-PACE 2.0L model, which will be launched in Malaysia this April. The F-PACE’s new 2.0-litre four-cylinder Ingenium powertrain features a single twin-scroll turbo that produces 250PS and 365Nm of torque from only 1,200rpm. The F-PACE has also been designed and engineered for the most stringent global crash test requirements while reducing vehicle weight.
The 2017 Jaguar F-PACE has been named the winner of the 2017 World Car of the Year and won the World Car Design of the Year Award at the New York International Auto Show. In Malaysia, the F-PACE was a winner in the SUV and Crossover category (RM500,001 – RM700,000) at the 2017 Malaysian Car of The Year Awards, which was organised under the auspices of the Malaysian Automotive Institute (MAI).
Spanning longer than just about any motorshow in the region, the 39th Bangkok International Motorshow (BIMS) is just around the corner and Piston.my will be there!
Themed the ‘Revolution in Motion’, Grand Prix International PLC, the organisers of BIMS, announced recently that BIMS will be held from March 28 to April 8, 2018 at IMPACT Challenger Muang Thong Thani.
Dr. Prachin Eamlumnow, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Grand Prix International PLC and the Organizing Chairman of the 39th Bangkok International Motor Show (above) revealed that “Bangkok International Motor Show is the No. 1 Motor Show in the ASEAN region, which has been certified by OICA (Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs d’Automobiles) to be listed on the Global Motor Show Calendar.
“More than 30 car companies will jointly participate the show this year, including the leading Japanese brands like Toyota, Lexus, Nissan, Honda, Mitsubishi, Isuzu, Mazda, Suzuki, while representing Korean brands are KIA and Hyundai, etc. For European and American brands, this year we have Audi, BMW, Bentley, Mercedes-Benz, MINI, Jaguar, Porsche, Land Rover, Volvo, MG, Ford, Maserati, Chevrolet, etc. This year, there will be 15 motorcycle brands joining the show such as Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki, Harley-Davidson, Triumph, Royal Enfield, etc.” said Dr.Prachin.
Mr. Jaturont Komolmis, Chief Operation Officer (COO) of Grand Prix International PLC and the Vice Chairman of the 39th Bangkok International Motor Show said that “The show is still attractive for many entrepreneurs, including car and motorcycle companies, car audio brands as well as other related manufacturers, who have reserved the exhibition spaces at early stage.”
Here’s a video by MaxTV on last year’s 2017 BIMS!
The show will be even more auspicious this year since it has received the kind collaboration from the auto parts and accessories entrepreneurs association of China to participate the show for the first time! With this kind of cooperation from various countries in the region, the show is expected to grow to a new dimension in the future. Here’s a glimpse of the 2016 BIMS!
After the continuous success in the past year, the number of visitors exceeds 1.6 million and the show is likely to expand in line with the growth of Thai automotive industry. Apart from enjoying the latest innovation exhibited by many manufacturers to indicate the driving technology of today and tomorrow, many more activities await visitors to participate such as attending an automotive seminar or witnessing car show, etc.
The show will feature concept cars along with new model launchings for the first time in Thailand. In addition, visitors will be excited with plenty of enchanting shows performed under special light and sound effects equivalent to those of the world class shows. The highlight of the event is about “Electric Vehicle”. What is an electric vehicle in the future? It won’t be just a personal automobile only, but will further benefit to agriculture, transportation and Motorsports industries also. Let’s come and unveil the answer to this question together at the show.
The ticket price remains unchanged at 100 Baht (approx. RM13) along with the lucky campaign “Buy Ticket & Get a Chance to Win a Car” as the Organizer has always held every year. As usual, the big prizes awaiting are cars and motorcycles with the total value exceeding 2,500,000 Baht.
“The Bangkok International Motor Show also known as the greatest car show of Thailand and is well recognized among the car show organizers of ASEAN for its supremacy and equivalent standard to the world class events. Every year, many car show organizers from neighboring countries and worldwide car manufacturers have asked for an observation visit to further study and consult on how to host the show professionally and efficiently as well as to discuss about the investment in the automotive industry. This truly reflects our potential as the number one in hosting the Motor Show of ASEAN region with the international standard.” – BIMS.
Watch out for our coverage on BIMS 2018 ‘live’ from the venue later this month! – Chris Wee.
