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The recently launched Volkswagen Tiguan has been well received here in Malaysia. Demand for the German mild off-roader is so strong that VW have had to ramp up production at its Pekan plant to cope with the booking orders.

According to the automaker, the reason people have flocked to the Tiguan instead of its rivals is because it offers solid build quality, balance of style and versatility, decent seating capacity, power and attractive pricing, making it the vehicle a ‘complete package’.

Speaking of the popularity of the Tiguan, Managing Director of VPCM, Mr Erik Winter said, “We are pleased to announce that the Tiguan Highline has been very well-received by Malaysians, and the Comfortline has also caught the eyes of those looking for quality, value-for- money German engineering. The Pekan Plant is working hard on its production timeline to guarantee stock availability, and customers can rest assured that we will be doing our utmost best to ensure and smooth and fast delivery to our new owners.”

The Tiguan is priced at RM148,990 for the Comfortline and RM168,990 for the Highline variant. And to entice customers further, Volkswagen have made the SUV available in a new body colour, called Crimson Red. Both variants of the Tiguan are offered with a 5-year warranty and 5-years’ roadside assistance. But, for limited period, Volkswagen is offering the App Connect function as a complimentary feature for the Tiguan Highline.

If you are interested to know more about this vehicle or other VWs, visit the automaker’s site or your nearest authorized dealer.

In a recent article on Car Throttle, it was reported that Volvo is currently in the process of moving away from diesel engines. A pioneer of oil burner powerplants, Volvo seems to be abandoning diesel for electric power citing Tesla’s ability to produce exceptional cars that are in very high demand right now.

As we’ve mentioned in a previous article, Volvo’s short term plan is to provide some form of electrification for all models in its current line up. And at the same time, It’s also gearing up to produce its first ever all-electric vehicle, which is slated to hit markets around the world in 2019.

The move to halt R&D of future diesel engines was revealed by Volvo’s CEO Hakan Samuelsson in an interview with German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine. That said, the Swedish automaker isn’t moving away from diesel engines completely. Electric and petrol powered engines/motors still lack the torque and range of large and powerful diesel engines. And Volvo, being a major player in the trucks segment, isn’t just going to give up its share of the market. Until it finds a viable alternative, diesel power will remain the mainstay of Volvo trucks.

This decision, for now at least, will mainly impact passenger vehicles. The requirements for cars and SUVs are far lower than whats expected from trucks. Expect to see the automaker downsize its petrol powered options for electrified ones as it moves to offer cleaner and more environmentally friendly vehicles for its customers.

Source: Car ThrottleFrankfurter Allgemeine

Proton recently picked up the Compact Sedan of the Year award for its latest generation Proton Saga. The acolade was awarded to the manufacturer by Drive Safe & Fast and Allianz General Insurance Company (Malaysia) Berhad.

Speaking of the award, Chief Executive Officer of Proton, Dato’ Ahmad Fuaad Kenali said, “We are truly humbled and very pleased with this recognition. The new Saga has come a long way since its introduction in 1985 as a lot of improvements, enhancements and refinements have gone into the making of the new Saga. The new Saga now has a quieter cabin due to the reduction of noise, vibration and harshness (NVH), a more stylish design, practicality, safety, convenience and comfort. It is a culmination of the tireless efforts by our team in Proton to give the best value to our customers.”

Prices for the latest Saga range from RM36,800 for the base model car and goes up to RM45,800 for the top of the range Premium 1.3L. When in full spec trim, the Saga comes equipped with advanced safety features such as the ESC, ABS, EBD, traction control, brake assist, hill-hold assist, airbags, ISOFIX and top-tether as well as with all-round sensors.

Apart from this honour, the Saga picked up two other awards in 2016, which are The Rising Star by ASEAN NCAP and Value for Money Car Award by Malaysia Car of the Year.

For those of you who are in the market for a new Proton, the month of May should be the best time to buy one. This month Proton is carrying out its 5 Value Campaign which offers new owners 5-year Free Service, 5-year warranty or 150,000km and RM500 festive bonus with the purchase of a new car. Existing Proton owners also have something to look forward to this month because Proton is giving away a “Loyalty Bonus” of RM1,000 on top of the current promotion for the purchase of a new Proton. Existing owners and their immediate family members will be eligible to receive this Loyalty bonus.

Only for this month, nurses and teachers can expect a special RM500 bonus, and new parents will be able to get a RM1,000 worth child seat for just RM299 with the purchase of any Proton car.

If you would like to know more, visit the automaker’s local website, call Proton customer care at 1800-888-398 or visit Proton’s Facebook page.

After a four year hiatus from professional drift competitions, Tengku Djan made a comeback by participating in the recent Drift Competition (Thailand) 2017 at Songkhla Speedway, Thailand. Despite the stiff competition, the well-known Malaysian drifter emerged as the winner of the Class A category.

Driving for the MaxxOil team, Tengku Djan had some tough battles as he advanced through the various rounds. In the final, he went head to head with Thailand’s Davide Dorigo and it turned out to be a sizzler. After completing both mandatory runs, both drifters were tied on points, which lead the judges to call for a “One More Time” or in layman’s terms, a tiebreaker (third run). It was here that Tengku Djan managed to outclass the Thailand drifter on his home soil to be crowned champion.

Speaking of his win, Tengku Djan said, “I appreciate MaxxOil for the support. I am overwhelmed.”

He later added that his win was a culmination of the hard work and dedication from the entire MaxxOil team and without the team and his loyal fans, we wouldn’t have been able to pull off this well deserved victory.

During the Carlist.my MAA Test, Drive & Buy Event, which took place last weekend, Toyota unveiled its latest compact SUV, the C-HR. Sporting sharp contours and angular headlights, the new addition is meant to slot below the automaker’s current full size pick up and SUV vehicles. Many of its design elements have been kept relatively unchanged from concept to production form. It features a diamond architectural theme but the overall dimensions aren’t that far off from the offerings by Honda and Nissan, which is probably what it will be competing against.

The unveil was meant as a preview of the model that was originally launched outside Malaysia in 2016. The C-HR is built on the TNGA (Toyota New Global Architecture) platform, which allows the automaker flexibility as well as designing and building new vehicles in a more efficient way that will give rise to even better vehicle development.

Besides the big reveal, during the same event, Toyota also displayed a number of its vehicles including its 4×4 range for the general public to see and experience. Test-drive sessions were available for members of the public who wanted to experience the vehicles’ capabilities. Those who booked a new Toyota vehicle at the event were given an additional e-service voucher worth RM200 which can be used to cover the relevant service costs of their new vehicle at any authorized Toyota service centres.

There’s no word yet on when the car will be officially launched, but based on our estimate, it be too long. We are certain that Toyota wants a piece of the compact SUV market, which Honda has had mostly to itself, these past few years. Stay tuned, we will bring you more news as soon as Toyota releases it.

During BMW’s annual general meeting, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG, Harald Krüger, announced that the automaker would be introducing a new concept car. Considered to be a design study, it will be unveiled at this year’s Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este on 26 May 2017.

The concept car will provide a glimpse into what the new BMW 8 Series Coupe would look like when it eventually is revealed in 2018. According to the Munich based automaker, the new car “embodies uncompromising dynamics and contemporary luxury – the essence of a modern BMW coupe”.

Speaking of the new concept car, Krüger said, “The BMW 8 Series Coupe will build on our tradition of luxurious sports coupes and add a genuine dream car to our line-up – a slice of pure automotive fascination. The 8 Series Coupe will underpin our claim to leadership in the luxury segment. I can tell you today that this will be a true luxury sports coupe.”

At the moment, all we have is an outline of the car. It isn’t much to go on but based on the silhouette, the car may incorporate design cues from the 6 Series Coupe albeit with wider dimensions. Both front headlights and rear taillights should be of the LED kind at the very least and the car in general, should be loaded with the latest safety tech and BMW’s latest iDrive system.

We will bring you more once the car is unveiled next week, so stay tuned for more updates.

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