Following the departure of Mark Raine to Mercedes-Benz Korea as the Vice-President of Product & Marketing at Mercedes-Benz Korea, Michael Jopp has taken over as the new Head of Sales & Marketing, Mercedes-Benz Cars, Malaysia & SEA II.
Mr. Jopp comes from Mercedes-Benz India where he was Vice-President of Sales and Marketing for almost 3 years. During his time there, Mercedes-Benz India topped JD Power’s Sales Satisfaction ranking as well as saw various new digital initiatives being introduced. Mr. Jopp, who has 20 years of experience in the automotive industry, was an instrumental figure in maintaining Mercedes Benz India’s significant lead in the luxury vehicle segment, ending 2018 as the country’s highest-selling luxury carmaker for 4 consecutive years.
“We are excited to have Michael Jopp join our Mercedes-Benz Malaysia family. With his rich industry experience and decades of expertise in Sales & Marketing functions, we are confident that he will be able to lead the market and maintain our No.1 position in the Malaysian premium automotive market. Jopp will also play a key role in our customer centric strategy, taking on a holistic approach to automotive excellence by providing our customers a brand experience with our strong product portfolio,” said Dr. Claus Weidner, Head of Region Southeast Asia II.
Proton has announced the list of 12 teams that will compete against each other in the final round of the ‘Intelligence that Inspires Challenge’, a marketing competition that takes a leaf out of the carmaker’s tagline for its executive SUV, the Proton X70.
The event, scheduled to take place at the Proton Centre of Excellence (COE) in Shah Alam, Selangor, on July 29 2019. At the event, the competing teams present their marketing case studies to a panel of judges consisting of Proton senior management, experts from the field of marketing and members of the media.
A showcase of fresh ideas
During the final round, all teams are required to do a presentation, replicating a marketing pitch the students are likely to face upon graduating and joining the working world. It will therefore be a true test of not just their marketing knowledge and presentation skills but also a test of their ability to perform under pressure.
The team from Politeknik Port Dickson carrying out some activities with Fire & Rescue Personnel.
The 12 teams, which come from all parts of Malaysia including East Malaysia, are:
Politeknik Port Dickson
Politeknik Kota Kinabalu
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai
Universiti Teknologi MARA, Puncak Alam
Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Kampar
Xiamen University Malaysia
Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Sg Long
Tunku Abdul Rahman University College, Kuala Lumpur
Politeknik Sultan Azlan Shah, Behrang
Multimedia University, Melaka
Taylor’s University, Lakeside Campus
DRB-HICOM University of Automotive Malaysia, Pekan
CSR activities by Sarawak’s Swinburne University team.
Originality and viability of ideas presented
Prizes will be awarded to winning teams including the tutor, who guided the students to work as a team and to achieve their results. Aside from being judged on their creativity and presentation skills, judges will also be considering the originality of the ideas presented as well as how viable and realistic they are in a real-world setting. This adds an interesting element to the competition as teams will need to consider the practicality of their ideas as well as limitations such as budgets, man power and buyer behaviour.
“The company hopes all participants will walk away with a better appreciation of what it takes to excel in a real-world working environment.” – Proton CEO, Dr. Li Chunrong
“At Proton, we believe the identification of the next generation of business leaders is a priority as these are the individuals who will help lead Malaysia’s economic future. We also want to give graduates from Malaysian universities an opportunity to showcase their talents on a national level and demonstrate the skillsets taught in these institutions,” said Dr Li Chunrong, Proton’s CEO.
“Regardless of whether they win or lose, the company hopes all participants will walk away with a better appreciation of what it takes to excel in a real-world working environment and hopefully they will also become fans of the Proton brand,” he added.
The latest generation Porsche 911 Carrera S and Carrera 4S have been officially unveiled by Sime Darby Auto Performance (SDAP). The unveiling which was held at the Sepang International Circuit was in conjunction with the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia (PCCA) that is taking place this weekend where the race version (911 GT3 Cup) will also be participating. (more…)
After its multi-generational run as a brand mainstay and global automotive phenomenon, the Volkswagen Beetle line has come to an end. The final unit, finished in Stonewashed Blue, was produced at Volkswagen’s factory in Puebla, Mexico which has been the global hub for the modern model since 1998.
Actually, the ‘end of Beetle production’ at Puebla this week was the second time such an event occurred. 16 years ago, in 2003, the factory said farewell to the original Beetles when production ceased after 39 years. It was the last of some 21.5 million units of the same generation produced since 1938.
One of the top 5 bestsellers of all time
The final Beetle will live on display at Volkswagen’s local museum in Puebla as a lasting tribute to the automobile’s rich and storied heritage. While the original Type 1 model will go down in automobile history as one of the top 5 bestselling cars of all time, the New Beetle, as it was known when it was reborn in 1998, was an early automotive adopter of retro design language. Like the modern MINI, it re-introduced the familiar silhouette to a new generation of drivers. Over 1.2 million units were produced, only at the Puebla factory which supplied to 91 global markets.
The third and final generation was launched in 2011 and over 500,000 units have been built up till the final one this week. In total, the second and third generations have been offered (from the factory) in 23 different exterior colours, 32 interior trims, 13 varying engine configurations and 19 special editions. Individual markets have also had special editions, such as the Collectors Edition by Volkswagen Passenger Cars Malaysia (VPCM) to say farewell to the model.
75 units of the Collectors Edition of the Beetle are available for the Malaysian market, each one priced at RM164,390 (without insurance), with four colour options to choose from.
Compact SUV model to replace Beetle at factory
The end of Beetle production will allow the Puebla factory to take on the Tarek, a compact SUV model that will be manufactured from next year. The second largest Volkswagen factory also produces the Jetta, Tiguan and Golf. It has an annual capacity of 420,000 engines and in 2018 produced a total of 435,373 vehicles.
The Volkswagen factory in Puebla, Mexico, began operations in 1964.Tarek compact SUV will replace the Beetle on the production line from next year.
It was a sad day for all Beetle fans around the globe as it was recently announced that it’ll stop production. To bid farewell to this ultra-iconic model, Volkswagen Passenger Cars Malaysia (VPCM) is paying homage with the introduction of the Volkswagen Collector’s Edition Beetle. (more…)
AIWAYS, a Shanghai-based personal mobility provider, is poised to embark on what is believed to be the longest point-to-point drive of a prototype electric vehicle ever attempted. Its U5 battery-electric SUV will carry out a 14,231-km drive from Xi’an in China to Europe starting next week.
The initiative is part of the comprehensive test and development programme for the first vehicle of its kind to be launched by a Chinese brand in Europe when it arrives in April 2020. The route chosen is from the start of the Silk Road and has historical significance as a hub for trading, cultural exchange and communication between China and Europe.
Extreme testing to meet demands of customers
AIWAYS is subjecting the U5 to extreme conditions which will be encountered along the journey to ensure it delivers the real-world performance, reliability and range demanded by European consumers. The engineering team will also explore how simple and easy it is to live with the U5, driving and recharging as they pass through different countries where temperatures, road conditions and available charging infrastructures differ considerably.
The U5 is a mid-size SUV built on the company’s innovative aluminium-steel More Adaptable Structure (MAS) platform. It is claimed to have a range of 460 kms on a fully-charged battery pack. Its price is expected to be in the region of €25,000 (equivalent to about RM116,000).
To be built at a new production plant in Jiangxi Province, the U5 is the first of a range of electrically-powered family SUVs. AIWAYS plans to introduce one new model to its range each year. Initial production output is planned at 150,000 units a year with a second phase of expansion planned to bring capacity to 300,000 units.
AIWAYS is a Sino-German company which has the involvement of Roland Gumpert, a former Audi engineer who led the team that campaigned the Audi Quattro in the World Rally Championship in the 1980s.
One of the prototypes being prepared for the journey to Europe which starts next week.
Mr. Jopp comes from Mercedes-Benz India where he was Vice-President of Sales and Marketing for almost 3 years. During his time there, Mercedes-Benz India topped JD Power’s Sales Satisfaction ranking as well as saw various new digital initiatives being introduced. Mr. Jopp, who has 20 years of experience in the automotive industry, was an instrumental figure in maintaining Mercedes Benz India’s significant lead in the luxury vehicle segment, ending 2018 as the country’s highest-selling luxury carmaker for 4 consecutive years.
