Every sector of the auto industry has to meet carbon-neutrality targets during this target and even the brands in the uppermost segments are not exempted although their volumes may be relatively lower. While all will eventually offer models powered only by electricity (battery electric vehicles or BEVs), the transition period will see hybrid powertrains being used for electrification. It is anticipated that more than 20% of sales this year will come from the brand’s hybrid models.
Bentley already started this transition a few years ago with the Bentayga Hybrid and has followed up with the Flying Spur Hybrid. It is continuing with development of hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and has announced that 5 new models will be launched this year. As Bentley has only 5 model lines (including the Flying Spur and Bentayga), these new cars HEVs will likely be variants of the models, one of which will be the Continental GT.
The Bentayga Hybrid (above) and Flying Spur Hybrid (below) will be joined by 5 more hybrid models in 2022.
From 2025, the carmaker plans to launch one new BEV every year under its ‘Five-in-Five’ plan that is part of its Beyond100 strategy to reduce the brand’s environmental impact. Innovative steps will be taken to neutralise Bentley’s carbon footprint even further towards its aim of becoming carbon neutral by 2030. These include a commitment that all its global retailers will be carbon-neutral by 2025 (or sooner), with production zero impact by 2030.
To realise this strategy, Bentley has committed a sustainable investment of £2.5 billion for product development as well as transforming the factory in Crewe, England, to become a ‘Dream Factory’ – a digital, zero environmental impact, flexible and high-value manufacturing facility.
The Crewe site is already a certified carbon neutral facility, and the next initiatives will be an extension of on-site energy production with solar power. Moreover, Bentley is investigating using sustainable biofuel in fleet cars, including its Heritage Collection.
“Beyond100 is the boldest plan in Bentley’s illustrious history, and in the luxury segment. It’s an ambitious and credible roadmap to carbon neutrality of our total business system, including the shift to 100% BEV in just 8 years,” said Adrian Hallmark, Chairman and CEO of Bentley Motors, which is part of the Volkswagen Group. “Our aim is to become the benchmark not just for luxury cars or sustainable credentials but the entire scope of our operations. Securing production of our first BEV in Crewe is a milestone moment for Bentley, and the UK, as we plan for a long-term sustainable future in Crewe.”
Bentley’s sales have continued to climb and the total of 14,659 vehicles delivered in 2021 exceeded by 31% the record volume set the year before. This achievement was driven by new model introductions, a fresh product portfolio and increasing demand for the hybrid models.
While the Americas region took the most vehicles (4,212 units), it was China where Bentley saw the biggest growth of 40% to 4,033 units. The Asia Pacific region posted an increase of 37% which was also said to be a record performance as 1,651 vehicles were delivered, against 1,203 sold in 2020.
After two difficult years with disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and then the global semiconductor shortage which started last year, Perodua is looking towards a stronger recovery in 2022. The Malaysian carmaker delivered 190,291 vehicles in 2021 – 13.6% lower than the volume reported in 2020 – but has set a target of 247,800 units for this year.
Speaking to the media during the annual press conference today, Perodua’s President & CEO, Dato’ Zainal Abidin Ahmad, said that this volume would amount to around 40.6% market share, based on Perodua’s own forecast of 610,000 units which is a bit higher than the 600,000 units forecast for 2022 by the Malaysian Automotive Association (MAA) recently. In 2021, Perodua, as market leader again, had a 37.4% market share.
Perodua President & CEO, Dato’ Zainal Abidin Ahmad.
Production target of 265,900 vehicles
With the target set at 247,800 units, Perodua plans to produce 265,900 vehicles during the year, which is 37.5% higher compared to 193,400 vehicles produced in 2021. The number is higher as the company produces extra as ‘buffer stock’ in case there are disruptions in production. The increase in production would also result in an increase in locally-sourced automotive parts by 41.5% to RM7.5 billion as compared with the RM5.3 billion purchased in 2021.
Commenting on the performance of 2021, Dato’ Zainal said the year was challenging as the country and its main industries had to cope with various crises throughout the year. “Demand remained strong for all our models with the Myvi leading the list with 47,525 units, followed by the Axia with 43,080 units, Bezza with 42,698 units, Ativa with 26,847 units, Aruz with 15,313 units and the Alza with 14,828 units,” he said.
The Myvi continued to be the bestselling model for Perodua and also the bestselling car in Malaysia in 2021.
Dato’ Zainal explained that the sales tax exemption initiative introduced by the government is still an excellent incentive for the consumer to purchase new cars. It was extended until June 30, 2022 and Perodua is hopeful that it might be extended again, which would have a positive effect on sales.
“Our order book for new vehicles is still quite healthy with the guarantee that the production will go uninterrupted will mean that we could fulfil the outstanding orders in a timely manner,” he said, adding that assurances by the government that the measures of containing the pandemic is showing success that another lockdown would not happen.
“With that being said, we have learnt a lot from this situation and have incorporated effective counter-measures to ensure that we will be able to face them better if they re-occur,” he said.
Over RM1 billion investment
During 2022, Perodua’s investments will go pass the 1 billion ringgit mark to RM1.326 billion. The development of a new model will take the biggest chunk of RM529.1 million, with improvements to manufacturing facilities and processes taking RM321.3 million.
It’s almost certain that much of the RM529.1 million allocated for new model development will be for the next generation of the Alza which has been around since 2009. It’s still a popular MPV, with almost 15,000 units sold last year.
Perodua will also spend RM46.6 million on digitalization which it sees as being very important in view of trends that show consumers making more use of online and digital services. This will encompass the entire company as well as its dealers and vendors and for customers, the initiative will be seen in the development of a Connected Vehicle as well as e-Manuals and more extensive use of online communications.
The digitalization move will also see the retail network being changed. Just as the banking industry has seen a steady reduction in branches over the past 10 years, Perodua’s outlets will also be adjusted accordingly. Nevertheless, physical showrooms will still exist even though online channels have been made available for communications and sales enquiries.
Upgrading dealerships
Additionally, the existing 1S/2S outlets will be upgraded to 3S outlets that provide a full range of sales and aftersales services to customers. Perodua is encouraging the small dealers to have a more entrepreneurial attitude and develop their businesses further so they can enjoy greater success. In fact, there is a special programme for this which 56 dealers are participating in to learn entrepreneurial skills, knowledge and business survival.
Exports over the past two years have been minimal due to the pandemic and as some of the overseas markets remain closed, no vehicles have been sent. However, some shipments have been made to Singapore, Brunei and Indonesia though they have been small in number. The company is interested in exports but not as a primary business. It also wants to ensure that wherever it exports to, it will have a proper understanding of market conditions and customer requirements to ensure that the products are right and can be well accepted.
Perodua hopes to eventually be given the role of a regional hub for Daihatsu’s R&D activities for the ASEAN region. Since the 2000s, it has built up its capabilities and can now handle full upper body development on its own.
Aiming to be regional production hub
While Proton has stated its aim to be a strong regional player in time to come, Perodua is aiming to become a regional hub, not in vehicle sales but in R&D. Since it started in 1993, it has been steadily building up its R&D capability which accelerated when the 2000s began. Its involvement in the development of the first Myvi, which was jointly developed with Daihatsu and Toyota, was a great opportunity to learn and today, Perodua has full capability for upper body development.
It has been given increasing responsibilities by Daihatsu in development work for ASEAN products and Perodua personnel have even been assisting Daihatsu in Indonesia in some product development work. Dato’ Zainal said that it is possible Perodua could eventually become the R&D hub in ASEAN for Daihatsu. This would be something like Toyota having moved its R&D activities for the Hilux out of Japan to Thailand (although in that move, it was to its own subsidiary).
If Perodua offers electric vehicles, it will make sure they are affordable as its mission has always been to provide Malaysians with affordable mobility.
Perodua EVs?
On the move towards electric vehicles, Dato’ Zainal sounded positive towards the aims of the government to shift towards electrified vehicles in the effort to address climate change. However, Perodua is still studying the matter to determine what approach to take and is having discussions with Daihatsu as well. “What is important is that if we offer electric vehicles, they must be affordable for Malaysians as that is what Perodua has always strived to do,” he said.
Nissan, the first Japanese carmaker to participate in the Formula E single-seater electric championship, will enter its fourth consecutive season which starts in Saudi Arabia this week. Collaborating with e.dams (Driot Associes Motor Sport), the Nissan e.dams team again has the services of Sebastien Buemi and rising star Maximilian Gunther.
Buemi and Guenther completed more than 350 laps between them and gathered significant amounts of data to further develop the fully electric racing cars. Running different simulations and exploring all new opportunities across the 5 test sessions in Spain, the team is preparing for the opening round at the Diriyah World UNESCO Heritage Site. During the two days, the cars will be racing on a tight and twisting street circuit with the added challenge of running after sunset.
Season 8, which will run until mid-August, will be the last of the current Formula E regulations, with the Gen2 cars unleashing more performance than ever before. The power allowance has been increased by 20 kW to 220 kW in Race Mode, and by 15 kW to 250 kW in Attack Mode. There will also be a new qualifying format featuring head-to-head runs and shorter free practice sessions will make life harder for drivers and teams – but will add even more excitement for the fans.
This season, the team will continue to link its presence in the championship to Nissan’s road EVs. In Diriyah, the drivers will race for the first time with a striking new livery specially designed for the new season. The design is an evolution of the team’s recognisable kimono-theme, with prominent bright red highlights that further assert Nissan’s mission to demonstrate the excitement and performance of its EV technology.
“After the pre-season test in Valencia, we are ready and excited to go racing again in Diriyah,” said Tommaso Volpe, Nissan’s Global Motorsports Director. “The cars get a power boost this season, adding yet more speed and spectacle to the competition. This is great for the fans but, of course, it also means that we will need to adapt the car setup to a higher power output while keeping a close eye on battery temperatures. In fact, one of the main challenges that we will encounter in Diriyah will be to accommodate to the track conditions, which can vary from very hot during the day to quite cool in the evening, adding another layer of complexity to the race.”
While some carmaker’s teams have left Formula E, Nissan has made a long-term commitment to the championship. It will be participating till the end of Season 12 which will take place in 2025/2026. The Gen3 era of the championship begins in Season 9 next year and will feature even more powerful and faster cars.
With the Chinese New Year coming soon, many families will be preparing to have their reunion dinners to celebrate. For some, it may have been a long time apart, given the restrictions we have had in the past year.
Some may travel far to hometowns around the country and it would be a good idea to ensure that their vehicles are ‘healthy’ and in a good running condition. For Mercedes-Benz owners, Cycle & Carriage has special offers to conduct safety checks at all their Autohaus service centres.
The ‘health check-up’, priced at RM88, covers 30 points that include the tyres, brakes, fluids, wiper, undercarriage, and systems check. In order words, technicians will look at all those areas which are vital to safe driving and if anything looks too worn out or could have problems, the owner will be informed. Better to know early than have a breakdown in some remote place far away from home or the destination.
As good stopping performance is vital for safety, the brakes should be tip-top condition. Should the vehicle’s brake pads or discs require replacing, Cycle & Carriage’s ‘Stop & Go promotion’ offers an 18% discount on related parts if purchased and changed at the Autohaus service centres.
It would also be customary to look good for the new year and that applies to the vehicle as well. For this, Cycle & Carriage offers to groom and prepare the vehicle to welcome the Year of the Tiger. The company’s professionals will provide grooming services such as the Vehicle Exterior Polish and Wax, Windscreen Polishing, Vehicle Interior Grooming and Wheel Detailing services so the inside and outside appear at their best.
For those who prefer a more hands-on approach with your car grooming experience, there are Mercedes-Benz Grooming products such as Car Shampoo, Wheel Cleaner, Interior Glass Cleaner and Window Cleaner Intensive available at the showroom. These can be purchased with an 18% discount during the festive season (until February 15, 2022).
It rains a lot these days, but it can also be very hot and on a long journey, having a cool cabin will make a big difference to how you feel when arriving at your destination for the reunion dinner. Therefore, it’s also a good idea to have the air-conditioning system checked. Cycle & Carriage offers two services and both have an 18% discount during the festive period. Customers can choose to have the fine-particle filters changed or retained.
For the police to catch motorists exceeding speed limits, they need to have evidence and the most common approach in Malaysia is by using speed cameras that are installed by the side of highways, or hand-held units operated by personnel. Without the evidence provided by a reliable device to show the speed the vehicle was travelling at, it would be hard to issue a summons that can be challenged in court.
Soon, the police will use a new method of determining vehicles speeds and it will be done from patrolcars with radar devices mounted on them. These are not new but are being deployed by the police when Ops Selamat is carried out between January 28 and February 6. They devices will be installed in vehicles patrolling highways around Malaysia which are expected to have at least 1.6 million vehicles on the move during the festive season.
Using vehicles to track speeds is not need to the Malaysian police and as far back as the 1970s, before radar-based devices were used, they had a system inside patrol vehicles which measured the speed of a vehicle between two points on the road. When the car passed the first point, a timer would be started and stopped when it passed the second point, and a computer would calculate the speed.
Later, as hand-held radar ‘guns’ became available, this was an easier and more accurate way to detect speeds. Fixed radars with cameras were also used as speed-enforcement devices along some highways, the first being the original Karak highway in the 1980s where the devices used solar power.
The vehicle-based radar will make it easier for the police to record vehicles committing offences at any point on the highway, rather than just fixed locations which are often known to motorists who regularly pass them.
Additionally, besides the installation of radar devices on the patrol vehicles, there will also be increased use of the iCOPS system to more quickly identify vehicles that have outstanding summonses. Failure to settle summonses has led to the police having a huge backlog to clear, so they sometimes offer discounts as incentives for motorists to pay up. There was one instance when the police database was so clogged up that it had problems.
The iCOPS system, which has been in use since 2015, has helped the police build up a database of vehicle profiles estimated to number over 6 million to date. The system is used in conjunction with Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology which can recognise numberplates so that they can more easily be checked against the database.
Besides identifying vehicles that have outstanding summonses, the iCOPS system can also help police to quickly know if a vehicle has been reported stolen. There is no need to even key in the number as the ANPR would determine the registration number optically and check it against the database. The iCOPS system is used with a Panasonic heavy-duty tablet in the car.
During the coming festive season, at least 1.6 million vehicles will be travelling on highways.
‘Ops Selamat’, which has been absent for two years, is aimed at minimizing road accidents during the festive season as well as prevent burglaries. The latter can occur at homes where the residents have gone off on holiday or ‘balik kampung’.
For motorists who are travelling along PLUS highways, assistance will be readily available with the PLUSRonda teams on standby. The PLUSRonda service, which has been available for over 30 years, can offer various forms of assistance and the personnel are trained with technical as well as medical skills so they can attend to breakdowns and also save lives.
