Sime Darby Auto ConneXion (SDAC), the proud distributor of Ford here in Malaysia, has announced their latest sales campaign called the Ford Ranger Sales Carnival which will take its course from now until October 2019. (more…)
Sime Darby Auto ConneXion (SDAC), the proud distributor of Ford here in Malaysia, has announced their latest sales campaign called the Ford Ranger Sales Carnival which will take its course from now until October 2019. (more…)
Every car company wants to sell as many vehicles as possible and each year, there is the expectation that there will be more deliveries than the year before. However, as some companies have discovered to their regret, the pursuit of more and more sales without equal attention to expanding the aftersales network – especially authorised service centres – can create problems for customers. Lack of advance planning to cope with an increased number of new vehicles requiring regular servicing will mean customers have to wait longer for an appointment.
Push to upgrade network for future
One of the first things which Proton did after it had Geely as a partner was to review its entire network and upgrade it. Though there were many dealers all over the country, not all were offering the full range of services for customers and in order to enhance the ownership experience, Proton aimed to get its network to be majority 3S/4S outlets. This meant that they would have sales, service and spare parts (3S) at one location, and those with additional space would also have extra services such as painting and body repair (4S).
The initiative was initially met with resistance as it required large investments. There were many small dealers who had just a showroom in a single shoplot and were satisfied just selling a few cars a month all the while. They didn’t understand that with additional investment to upgrade their dealership, they could grow their business further and derive extra income from aftersales services. Instead, their customers were being ‘stolen’ by dealerships which would look after their needs and probably sell them their next Proton. So these one-shoplot dealerships (referred to as ‘1S’ in the industry) could never grow as the only money they made was from the sale of the car. As those in the car business will tell you, there is much more money to be made in the aftersales side.
Proton’s CEO, Dr. Li Chunrong, pushed hard for the upgrades in spite of criticism by certain groups but he explained that it was necessary to prepare the network for growth and to ensure that customers would have a better ownership experience. There was no point in developing better models if the aftersales support was poor and people felt the brand image was not something they were proud of.
100 3S/4S outlets to date
With the opening of a new outlet in Seremban, Negeri Sembilan, recently, Proton now has 100 3S/4S outlets nationwide, which makes it the brand with the largest such network. The new 3S outlet at the Oakland Industrial Park was built with an investment of approximately RM4 million. Located near the Seremban 2 Township, it is surrounded by new malls and housing areas which already have many Proton owners and will have many more in future.
“What we have achieved is the culmination of hard work, dedication and commitment by the entire Proton family, from our vendors, dealers and talents in the company. From the beginning, we held the belief that to progress, we need sufficient outlets, good products, great technology in our cars and talent to manage the expectations of the company,” said Dr. Li.
“The results speak for themselves. Our sales have soared and we have since reclaimed the second spot since April this year. Total sales for the month ending July stand at 52,269 units compared to 35,561 in the same period last year, which equates to 47% growth in overall year-on-year sales,” he added.
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Visit www.proton.com to locate showrooms and service centres in Malaysia
Audi has unveiled their latest 2020 Audi RS 6 Avant and its super-fast Avant concept has been further refined in the fourth-generation model. Powering this latest beast is a 4.0-litre TFSI twin-turbo V8 engine with mild hybrid technology that punches out a hefty 590hp and 800Nm of maximum torque. (more…)
Flanked by classic Pininfarina-designed cars and inspired by Pininfarina’s purity of design and engineering elegance, Automobili Pininfarina recently presented the Battista hypercar and the company’s future vision for luxury electric cars at the Monterey Car Week in California.
Besides the presentation by CEO Michael Perschke of the Battista with its enhanced front design and his strategy for the brand moving forward, Design Director Luca Borgogno also treated guests to a preview of the PURA Vision design model. It was an inspirational view of the aesthetics of a future pure-electric Luxury Utility Vehicle from the Italian marque.
PURA Vision shows the future
“PURA Vision blends design themes which Battista Pininfarina himself made famous in creating some of the most revered and beautiful sportscars in history. Yet it is absolutely an insight into our future; a luxury vehicle like no other and once again designed to deliver thrilling EV performance,” said Borgogno.
“89 years of Pininfarina designs and creation of some of the world’s most beautiful cars will inspire everything Automobili Pininfarina offers to clients in the future.”
Luca Borgogno, Design Director, Automobile Pininfarina
The Battista joined a parade of iconic Pininfarina-designed cars in a display of automotive beauty unique even to the rarefied atmosphere of Monterey Car Week. Designed and to be hand-built at Pininfarina’s headquarters in Italy, the Battista took its place amongst past classics from the famous carrozzeria during a 4-hour drive from Pebble Beach.
Battista gets refinements
Displaying a new enhanced front end for the first time in North America, recently sculpted following wind tunnel testing and final design refinements, the Battista represented Automobili Pininfarina’s exciting future. Cars led by the legendary Lancia Rally 037 reminded the audience of what Pininfarina has established since 1930: a reputation for designing many of the world’s most desirable and beautiful cars.
The Automobili Pininfarina team now returns to Italy to continue testing and development of the 1,900 ps Battista under the management of Development Driver Nick Heidfeld and Sportscars Director Rene Wollmann. Meanwhile, the Battista show cars head to the UK for the Salon Prive event and to Hong Kong to begin the launch programme for the Asia-Pacific region.
The Nissan Serena is Nissan’s best-selling minivan that’s sold all over the world but the folks in Japan has been graced with a new model. The new Nissan Serena comes with a refreshed new look inside and out along with a host of new intelligent safety features as standard. How cool is that? (more…)
From the early arcade racing games by Atari in the 1970s – crude and basic by today’s standards – to the sophisticated photo-realistic Playstation games of today, videogames with motorsports themes have certainly come a long, long way. They are no longer just games played within the home but online as millions compete against each other from different countries.
In 2019, the global esports market is expected to generate revenues of US$1.1 billion, up 26.7% year on year; the audience will reach 453.8 million, made up of 201.2 million esports enthusiasts and 252.6 million occasional viewers. Contrary to the popular stereotype, the average gamer’s age is in the early thirties.
Across the world, many of these racers get behind the wheel of a virtual Ford vehicle and enjoy racing against friends and as part of online communities. Now the company is going to be seeking out the best online racers to form its first ever esports teams.
National Fordzilla teams in Europe
Starting at Gamescom, Europe’s leading trade fair for digital games culture, Ford will recruit national Fordzilla teams for France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK – as well as a European team consisting the star players from each national team.
“We at Ford have a racing pedigree that others can only envy. Now is the time to take that know-how and apply it to the world of esports – capturing the imagination of a new generation of virtual racing drivers, inspiring them to take a ride in one of our Ford Performance vehicles,” said Roelant de Waard, Vice-President, Marketing Sales & Service, Ford of Europe.
Synergies between gaming and mobility
Ford is increasingly intrigued by synergies between gaming and mobility and how they could help shape the way in which we all get about in the future – whether that is as commuters, as passengers in autonomous vehicles or simply enjoying the thrill of performance.
“The distinction between real and virtual worlds is blurring. Gaming is now a part of mainstream culture. Top gamers challenge professional race drivers in real life and many of our day-to-day activities are ‘gamified’, from using fitness apps to collecting loyalty points for a free coffee,” said Amko Leenarts, Director, Design, Ford of Europe. “Harnessing the passion and expertise of the gaming community will help evolve our thinking around what future journeys will look like – something that we are all committed to and really excited about.”
In 2017, Ford became the first manufacturer to host a stand at Gamescom, which boasts more than 1,000 exhibitors that attract hundreds of thousands of visitors every year, and last year, the company pioneered the first-ever vehicle reveal at the show – unveiling the Ford Ranger Raptor, the performance version of Europe’s best-selling pickup.
Forza Motorsport 7
Among the games that Fordzilla will compete on is Forza Motorsport 7, developed by Microsoft Game Studios’ Turn 10 Studios. The Forza franchise is the best-selling racing franchise of this console generation and is home to one of the largest racing communities in the world. Millions of people worldwide play Forza games each month, with 1 million players choosing Ford vehicles.
“We are pleased to see Forza Motorsport continuing to be the game of choice for big brands like Ford as they launch esports initiatives,” said Justin Osmer, Sr. Manager of Partnership Development at Turn 10 Studios, the creators of Forza Motorsport. “With millions of fans playing Forza games, we’ve seen significant growth in the numbers who want to compete, or simply spectate, in esports and it’s great to see a long-standing partner like Ford Motor Company bringing even more opportunities to participate.”
To know more about the Ford Ranger Raptor which you can buy in Malaysia, visit www.sdacford.com.my
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