The American state of Texas is huge and it follows that everything there is also ‘XXL’ in size. It’s also where the Mammoth 1000 6×6 TRX has been designed, engineered and built by Hennessey, the hypercar manufacturer and high-performance vehicle creator. The Mammoth is the company’s biggest ever truck with a length of 7.2 metres, width of 2.2 metres and standing almost 2.1 metres tall.
The enormous 6×6 pickup truck makes ordinary cars and trucks look small – and we’re talking about American models. It starts life as a Dodge Ram TRX pick-up and Hennessey then adds a load of off-road kit from locking rear axles and Bilstein suspension, to 20-inch wheels clad in 37-inch off-road tyres. A third axle is added, extending the truck’s length by more than 1.2 metres feet and creating a giant load-space.
Under the chest-height bonnet is a mighty 6.2-litre Dodge Hellcat V8 engine which, even in standard form, is already quite a beast. The Hennessey team then adds a high-flow 2.65-litre supercharger, fuel injectors and high-flow induction system alongside performance-boosting calibration to push output to 1,012 bhp/1,314 Nm.
“Everything we do at Hennessey Performance is turned up to 11, but the Mammoth 1000 6×6 is definitely turned up to 12! Everything on the Mammoth 6×6 is bigger, badder, and more imposing – plus, it’s still super-fast, while being a total powerhouse off-road. It’s the undisputed king of the road!” said John Hennessey, the company’s founder and CEO of the US$449,950 (about RM1.93 million) truck.
Hennessey has a track record of success when it comes to gigantic and exclusive 6×6 trucks. The company has built and delivered more than 20 VelociRaptor 6×6 and Goliath 6×6 Silverado trucks to customers around the world. And each model it builds is offered with warranty coverage of 2 years/ 24,000 miles.
VelociRaptor 6×6
To date, Hennessey has re-engineered more than 12,000 vehicles for customers all over the world. Besides modifying a diverse range of sports, and muscle cars since 1991, the company has also developed specialised trucks and SUVs as well as has its own hypercars – the Venom GT and Venom F5.
Data source: Monthly sales reports compiled by Malaysian Automotive Association.
With output from the plants increasing, deliveries in March rose by 62.5% from February to pass the 70,000-unit mark which is one of the highest (if not the highest) in the industry’s history.
Apart from having more stocks, some of the companies with financial years ending on March 31 also put in their final effort to close with the highest possible numbers. Additionally, March also had many business days to sell cars although for many customers, there would still be a lengthy wait, especially for the more popular models.
With the Finance Minister having indicated that the exemption for sales tax won’t be extended again, there is also a rush by customers to get their new vehicles and save money. Again, due to the large number of orders and backlog, some companies are already warning customers that they might not be able to enjoy that saving as their vehicle might not be available before the end of June when the exemption period ends.
Compared to the same month the year before, the Total Industry Volume (TIV) for March 2022 was also notably higher by 13%.
The global shortage of microchips continues to affect carmakers locally as well as in other countries. Members of the Malaysian Automotive Association (MAA) expect that output will still be disrupted and imported vehicles may not be coming in large numbers.
This is likely to cause April’s TIV to fall in spite of festive promotions for the coming Hari Raya Aidilfitri. The big push in March may also diminish orders although many companies still have a backlog of orders to fulfill.
Castrol Malaysia celebrates the 20th anniversary of the Castrol Auto Service (CAS) business concept in the country. Introduced in 2002 for independent workshop dealers, this business concept provides support through a comprehensive workshop solution that enables the dealers to offer motorists the best levels of customer service through quality, professionalism, and transparency.
CAS has been serving and thriving in Malaysia since starting off with 3 workshops. By 2008, it opened its 100th outlet and two years later, the first CAS dealer began operations in East Malaysia. With the growing vehicle population, increased demand for workshop services saw the 300th outlet opening in 2013. This was followed by the launch of the Castrol Certified Branded Workshop.
The early days when CAS made its appearance, starting with just 3 branded workshops.
With their extensive length of service across the Malaysian automotive industry, CAS dealers have proven their expertise, knowledge, and prowess; with 60% among CAS workshops having been in operations for more than 5 years, and 30% serving customers for a decade. Additionally, CAS dealer coverage network is vast throughout the country, with notable presence in key regions of the Klang Valley and Johor Bahru.
The milestone of 500 outlets was reached in 2021 and with over 500 outlets today in the 20th year, Castrol is having an exclusive promotion to celebrate. For its loyal customers who have been supporting CAS throughout the years, A complimentary CAS 20 years X English Premier League (EPL) inverted umbrella will be given with the purchase any Castrol EDGE 4-litre products from any participating CAS outlets (while stocks last).
Castrol EDGE is a fully synthetic engine oil developed to provide maximum engine protection and performance. It is ideal for today’s smaller, yet more powerful, engines that work harder than ever before. Castrol EDGE with patented Fluid Titanium transforms its structure under pressure to keep metal apart, lowering friction for maximum engine performance. This allows the engine to deliver high performance and fuel efficiency and this has been proven in many independent tests.
Over the last 20 years, CAS has outperformed its peers with an array of programmes organised for its mechanics and customers. Among them are the CAS ‘Service & Win’ campaign, Castrol Cars Super Mechanic Contest, and CAS Forum & Appreciation Dinner.
Additionally, CAS outlets are active participants of the long-running Castrol Hari Mekanik Malaysia (HMM) campaign since 2019. This campaign continues to raise awareness to the public to appreciate the mechanic community, who are an essential part of the society and its welfare.
This year, Castrol HMM partnered with EPL for a merrier celebration on a larger scale. CAS is part of the ongoing Castrol KitaCare, an initiative launched during the pandemic to provide a safe solution to car maintenance, enhanced convenience for customers to service their cars with a reduced waiting period in a safe and hygienic environment.
Castrol also introduced the Castrol Loyalty Program in 2004. The program was migrated onto a digital platform in 2012 to inspire new customer loyalty through digital communication via the Castrol Motorist App. The app was recently upgraded to allow customers to enjoy more rewards and greater convenience with various built-in features. Through the enhanced app, customers can earn and redeem Castrol products with Castrol Points at all participating CAS workshops, getting notifications for their next car service, latest events updates and promotions.
“Castrol is extremely proud of the CAS journey in the past two decades. CAS now has over 500 outlets, a long way from our humble start of only 3 outlets in 2002 – and on the right track to launching more CAS outlets in the future. We are grateful to have our mechanics alongside us celebrating Castrol Malaysia’s milestones and progress. We are committed to bringing in more initiatives and efforts to support our dealers,” said Keow Mei-Shan, Marketing Director of Castrol Malaysia & Singapore.
“Our customers are a big part of our journey, and we’d like to thank them for being with us throughout the years. With plans to further expand our CAS network, we look forward to witnessing the community grow to become more comprehensive and close-knit so we are able to continuously provide an overall great experience to our customers,” she said.
To find out more about Castrol and its products, visit www.castrol.com/my
For almost 70 years, the original Land Rover Defender remained in essentially the same form, altered only slightly but the basic design was untouched. It was a functional form that would become iconic and epitomise off-road vehicles that could go just about anywhere. It came to also be the Land Rover symbol throughout the world, even in the most remote places where few motorised vehicles travelled to.
With a vehicle such as the Defender, the periodic change in appearance that customers of passenger cars expect was unnecessary. Its shape was ‘timeless’, and the longer it was retained, the happier owners were because body parts became more and more readily available, not rendered obsolete by frequent changes in design. What was more important to them were technical improvements that extended the capability of the Defender or made it even more durable than it already was.
But as Henry Ford found out, changes in the world also impact the auto industry. His Model T achieved greatness and he thought it could continue to be in demand ‘forever’, but it eventually had to end. It was the same with the original Volkswagen Beetle too. Indeed, the world had changed greatly from the time the original Defender was created in the late 1940s as a simple transporter, primarily for farmers and for military use.
The change was especially apparent towards the end of the 20th century as off-road vehicles became popular as ‘sport utility vehicles’ or SUVs. By the time the 21st century started, this segment of the market began to heat up and was flooded with new models. It was time for the Defender to also change.
The Defender was still much respected and in some respects, it was also superior in capability. But there was a new generation of customers who liked the idea of an off-road vehicle for its rugged image and capabilities, and they also wanted something more modern and akin to the newer range of models from Land Rover.
While the classic design had a certain appeal (and still does), it was time to consider a modernised version and this was one of the great challenges that faced Professor Gerry McGovern and his team. McGovern, the Chief Creative Officer at Jaguar Land Rover, is the ‘Guardian of Land Rover DNA’ and for something as iconic as the Defender, ensuring that a reimagined product would be immediately recognisable was very important. It had to be a worthy heir to the original and not a hastily developed successor.
Over the years, Land Rover had given thought to a successor to the Defender. The most well known was the DC 100 Concept of 2011 which signalled the company’s willingness to produce a new generation. While many think that the New Defender evolved from that concept, it actually is not so and largely served to generate discussions which McGovern paid attention to.
The DC 100 concept models.
While the DC 100’s looks were exciting – as a showcar should be – it was too much of a departure from the original design and that was something McGovern understood and agreed with. A new design would need to be recognisable as a Defender while incorporating modernity and functionality. Needless to say, it had to still be able to live up to the ‘Best4x4ByFar’ promise – and it had to be authentic.
It was clear to the design team that respect for origins was very important, to the traditionalists as well as the modern buyers who expected a more premium product that was rather different from the original which was pure function and simplicity. There was a need to have the elements that said ‘Defender’ with a modern style that would bring it into the 21st century, redefining the adventure vehicle.
The most significant element is the profile with the large cubic form for the cabin, and the smaller cube at the front end. There is also the characteristic line of the roof, the shoulder running along the sides, and the distinctive wheelarches. The overhangs are also short and of course, there is the elevated position from the ground. There’s even the familiar Defender trademark Alpine light windows in the roof. The rear too has a lot of ‘Defender’ to it, with the spare tyre mounted on the very vertical door that is hinged at the side rather than the top.
“The new Defender is respectful of its past but is not harnessed by it. This is a new Defender for a new age. Its unique personality is accentuated by its distinctive silhouette and optimum proportions, which make it both highly desirable and seriously capable – a visually compelling 4×4 that wears its design and engineering integrity with uncompromised commitment,” said McGovern.
Over the decades, the Defender had grown from being just a simple canvas-topped vehicle with limited space to become a larger and longer vehicle for different requirements. While there have been numerous conversions to create custom versions, there have essentially been two official sizes for the Defender – the longer 110 version and the short 90 version. These have been retained for the New Defender and the difference in length is 435 mm and two doors less for the shorter version. Each version is aimed at a different target group with the option of 5, 6 or 5+2 seating in the 110 and up to 6 seats in the 90.
The design work took some 6 years to reach finalization because of the constant reviewing and insistence on authenticity. The resultant design that is in showrooms today has an expression that is neither too aggressive nor too informal. It is not as ‘hard’ as the original and yet has a silhouette that is distinctly different enough from the many other SUVs on the road. As McGovern put it, the New Defender has been ‘inspired by the original, but not constricted by the past’.
Inside, the cabin design departs more significantly from the original Defender, though exposed structural elements and superior functionality are very much in evidence. The interior has been thoroughly modernised in the same fashion as the original Discovery of the late 1980s which marked Land Rover’s move into the premium segment (Range Rover notwithstanding). At that time, Land Rover invited Conran, a well known interior design specialist, to create an innovative new cabin that would set the standards for models that followed.
The New Defender not only has a premium look and feel with high quality materials used throughout but it also has genuine 21st century technologies with user-friendly features. The cumulative experience of designing for adventurers has been combined with providing for today’s SUV buyers who want comfort and convenience, endowing the New Defender with a cabin environment and comfort that is unmatched in its class,
Essentially, virtually all elements around the cabin have a functional role. These include the state-of-the-art Pivi Pro infotainment system with a next-generation 10-inch touchscreen. The operation is more intuitive and user-friendly, requiring fewer inputs to perform frequently used tasks. Pivi Pro has been designed to be operated like a smartphone, which almost everyone would be familiar with. It can be customised to user preference and is integrated with other displays on the magnesium dashboard.
With Pivi Pro, Land Rover has completely changed its approach to infotainment systems. Having its own back-up battery allows the system to load immediately following engine start. Two high-performance Qualcomm Snapdragon processors with individual integrated LTE modems and Blackberry QNX operating systems provide supercomputer performance and can be updated ‘over the air’ (meaning no need to go to a service centre for the job).
The modular interior architecture is underpinned by a practical layout that extends all the way to the back. Up to seven people can be accommodated by various arrangements of the seats with an abundance of storage areas. The cargo area has a volume that ranges from 231 litres when all seats are in use, to a massive 2,233 litres at maximum capacity (for the Defender 110). With the side-hinged tailgate, loading is possible even in tight spots (like against a wall) as the door can be opened slightly whereas a top-hinged door would not be able to open upwards.
While most owners of the New Defender are less likely to go off-roading in a serious way, those who do take it for an adventurous journey on muddy terrain will be able to clean the cabin easily. Apart from the tough-wearing fabrics used, the flooring is of a rubber material that can be washed while flush door sills allow easier mopping or sweeping of water and dirt out.
The original Defender has a history dating back to the late 1940s and was in continuous production for 67 years until 2016. Its successor’s story began in 2019 and as with all models from the specialist in 4×4 vehicles, the New Defender continues a legacy while offering the best of modern technology and design.
For more information and to find the location of the closest Land Rover showroom to you, visit www.landrover.com.my.
Soon, thousands of Malaysians will be travelling across the country as they head to their hometowns to reconnect with relatives and friends during Hari Raya festivities and the school holidays. Others will be taking a holiday break to once again enjoy the freedom of being able to go further than the state boundaries after two years of restrictions.
Whatever the reason for travel, Shell is offering Malaysian motorists the chance to refuel and enjoy their favourite snacks on-the-go with the ‘Ekstra KM Belanja’ campaign. This campaign enables customers to use their Kilometres (KM) with Shell fuels as a ‘currency’ to buy items at any Shell SELECT, deli2go or Shell Lubricants store.
The more they fuel at a Shell outlet, the more KM they will be rewarded with. As an added bonus, 40 lucky customers will be rewarded with one year worth of free fuel from Shell.
“I am very much anticipating the upcoming festive period and I believe many Malaysians are too. We imagine many would be travelling back to their hometowns after missing out from celebrating with their families and relatives for the past 2 years,” said Seow Lee Ming, General Manager, Mobility Malaysia and Singapore.
“Shell will continue to accompany Malaysians wherever they choose to travel this Hari Raya season, giving them extra value on their journey. Now our customers ‘Ekstra KM’ can be used to purchase their travelling necessities when on the road, adding on that extra joy to their holiday journey. Wishing Everyone a safe journey this coming holidays, Selamat Hari Raya!” she said.
The campaign period runs from May 1 until June 30, 2022 and during this period, customers can pay for Shell SELECT and deli2go snacks using their KM as ‘currency’. All they have to do is pump RM40 worth of Shell FuelSave 95, or collect 390KM with Shell V-Power or Shell V-Power Racing. Once they scan the QR code and upload photos of receipts to the Shell ‘Ekstra KM Belanja’ microsite, they can start redeeming Shell SELECT offers instantly. The redemption period lasts until July 10, 2022.
Customers can choose from a wide array of offers including favourites such as Maggi Hot Cup, Nescafe, fresh pastries, and many more roadtrip essentials available from Shell SELECT, deli2go, and Shell lubricants outlets. In addition, they can use their KM to redeem items from deli2go’s new range of hot and fresh food for those who prefer a more wholesome meal at their pit stops, come this May.
Australia is one of the countries which recognizes a Malaysian driving licence and allows Malaysian drivers to drive or ride vehicles there without requiring them to take any local tests and obtain a driving licence. This privilege is, however, only for short-term visitors like tourists and those who stay longer (eg students or who are working) would have to get a driving licence for the state they are in.
Alternatively, an International Driving Permit (IDP) can also be used, and this document issued by the JPJ is also recognized in most countries. Having an IDP can sometimes be easier as a Malaysian driving licence might not be readily recognized.
A 26-year old Malaysian woman who has been living in the Australian state of New South Wales must have thought that she could get away showing a fake driving licence when stopped by the police for exceeding the speed limit. She may have assumed that the police would not be able to check on the authenticity of the licence as it was from another country, and at most she would get fined for the speeding offence with her Honda Accord.
The fake Malaysian driving licence and the car (below) driven by the Malaysian woman which was stopped for exceeding the speed limit by 13 km/h. Both images from NSW Traffic & Highway Patrol Command.
However, for some reason, the police decided to check the licence (which shows qualification for both Full B and D classes) more closely and in this age of internet connectivity, they could immediately visit the website of the Malaysian Road Transport Department (JPJ) which has information on such matters. According to the NSW Traffic & Highway Patrol Command, there were inconsistencies found in the licence she presented which led to her being interrogated further.
During the interview by the police, the woman revealed that she had asked someone to make the licence. And in an effort to try to minimize her offence, she then showed a Learner Driver’s License for New South Wales. This instead got her charged with another 3 offences for: a) not being accompanied by licensed driver/police officer or tester; b) not displaying ‘L’ plates as required; and c) exceeding the speed limit by more than 10 km/h. She had been travelling at 113 km/h zone with a speed limit of 100 km/h.
The Australian police are very strict about their traffic laws and breaking speed limits is considered a serious offence.
Following her admission of the licence being fake, the police contacted Interpol in Malaysia and received confirmation that the licence she had was a fake. This meant she committed the offence of ‘possessing a false document to influence exercise public duty’, for which she has been convicted at a local court recently.
