“Automotive excellence goes beyond the vehicle, it encompasses the entire customer experience” and towards that end, Mercedes-Benz Malaysia recently held its inaugural Dealer of The Year awards aimed at identifying the best and brightest among its 33 dedicated dealerships nationwide, and recognising excellence in five key performance measurements during 2017.
Mercedes-Benz Malaysia presented a total of six awards for Best Performance in Financial Services, Best Performance in Business Excellence, Best Performance in After-Sales, Best Performance in Sales, Best Performance in Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) and Customer Loyalty Index (CLI), and the ultimate award – The Dealer of the Year 2017.
Speaking at the award presentation ceremony, Mercedes-Benz Malaysia, President and CEO, Dr Claus Weidner (above, 2nd from right) said, “As the leading premium automotive brand in Malaysia, we have been setting the benchmark in defining automotive excellence – especially in crafting a unique and unrivalled customer experience. To this end, we are continuously enhancing customer touch-points, and currently offer the largest network coverage in the premium segment.”
Asbenz Motors Sdn Bhd emerged victorious for Best Performance in Sales, while Cycle & Carriage Bintang Bhd (Johor Bahru) won for Best Performance in After-Sales. Best Performance in CSI and CLI was awarded to Cycle & Carriage Bintang (Northern) Sdn Bhd (Juru & Bukit Tengah), and Hap Seng Star Sdn Bhd (Kinrara) earned the Best Performance in Business Excellence. Hap Seng Star Sdn Bhd (Jalan Ipoh) picked up the award for Best Performance in Financial Services.
The most coveted award, the Mercedes-Benz Malaysia Dealer of the Year 2017, was presented to Hap Seng Star Sdn Bhd Balakong dealership – achieving the overall highest scores in all aspects of sales, after-sales, customer satisfaction index, customer loyalty index, business excellence and financial services.
“We are honoured and pleased to receive the inaugural Dealer of the Year award from Mercedes-Benz Malaysia. Our Mercedes-Benz Hap Seng Star Balakong Autohaus is truly deserving of this accolade, having committed to delivering exceptional standards in all aspects of the business. Hap Seng Star is, and has always been, dedicated to putting the customer at the centre of our activities and we commend our colleagues at Hap Seng Star Balakong for their combined efforts in achieving this award,” said Chief Operating Officer of Hap Seng Consolidated Berhad and Chief Executive of Hap Seng Consolidated Berhad Automotive Division, Harald Behrend.
“With these awards, we recognise the commitment, dedication and passion of our dealer partners to support our promise of delivering the Best Products and the Best Customer Experience. On behalf of Mercedes-Benz Malaysia, I congratulate all our dealer partners for their commitment in living up to the three-pointed star’s The Best or Nothing motto. And a special congratulations to all award recipients on their remarkable achievements in 2017,” concluded Dr Weidner.
To-date, Mercedes-Benz Malaysia has 33 dedicated dealerships nationwide delivering the best products and the best customer experience throughout customers’ entire journey, maintaining Mercedes-Benz Malaysia as the largest premium automotive dealer network in the country. The latest Mercedes-Benz ‘Autohaus’ (above) was also just opened in Klang recently, and you can read about that here.
Jaguar’s The Art of Performance Tour will make its debut in Malaysia this month, as part of its tour across the Asia Pacific importer region. First introduced in Europe in 2016, the multi-city tour is a unique driving experience that provides consumers the opportunity to get up close and personal with the new, modern lineup of Jaguar vehicles.
Held from 16 to 18 March at the Setia City Convention Centre, The Art of Performance Tour Malaysia promises an unforgettable and thrilling driving experience. The public can look forward to putting the Jaguar XE, XF and F-PACE through their paces on a dynamic driving circuit, an on-road drive as well as Jaguar’s innovative Smart Cones course.
Unpredictable with a million different potential courses, Smart Cones is designed to measure the drivers’ skill and exploit the cars’ precise and agile handling. Inspired by the agility training game known as ‘Batak’, the system uses wireless technology to produce both a predetermined and a random course of intelligent illuminating cones, notifying drivers of their next target with only a moment’s notice.
As the car is driven, its precise co-ordinates are measured in relation to the cones and sent to a central computer system 100 times per second to track its performance. Every driver gets a score report that takes into account the model of the car used and driving conditions.
In addition to the driving experience, participants will also be among the first in Malaysia to preview and test drive the F-PACE 2.0L model, which will be launched in Malaysia this April. The F-PACE’s new 2.0-litre four-cylinder Ingenium powertrain features a single twin-scroll turbo that produces 250PS and 365Nm of torque from only 1,200rpm. The F-PACE has also been designed and engineered for the most stringent global crash test requirements while reducing vehicle weight.
The 2017 Jaguar F-PACE has been named the winner of the 2017 World Car of the Year and won the World Car Design of the Year Award at the New York International Auto Show. In Malaysia, the F-PACE was a winner in the SUV and Crossover category (RM500,001 – RM700,000) at the 2017 Malaysian Car of The Year Awards, which was organised under the auspices of the Malaysian Automotive Institute (MAI).
Spanning longer than just about any motorshow in the region, the 39th Bangkok International Motorshow (BIMS) is just around the corner and Piston.my will be there!
Themed the ‘Revolution in Motion’, Grand Prix International PLC, the organisers of BIMS, announced recently that BIMS will be held from March 28 to April 8, 2018 at IMPACT Challenger Muang Thong Thani.
Dr. Prachin Eamlumnow, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Grand Prix International PLC and the Organizing Chairman of the 39th Bangkok International Motor Show (above) revealed that “Bangkok International Motor Show is the No. 1 Motor Show in the ASEAN region, which has been certified by OICA (Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs d’Automobiles) to be listed on the Global Motor Show Calendar.
“More than 30 car companies will jointly participate the show this year, including the leading Japanese brands like Toyota, Lexus, Nissan, Honda, Mitsubishi, Isuzu, Mazda, Suzuki, while representing Korean brands are KIA and Hyundai, etc. For European and American brands, this year we have Audi, BMW, Bentley, Mercedes-Benz, MINI, Jaguar, Porsche, Land Rover, Volvo, MG, Ford, Maserati, Chevrolet, etc. This year, there will be 15 motorcycle brands joining the show such as Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki, Harley-Davidson, Triumph, Royal Enfield, etc.” said Dr.Prachin.
Mr. Jaturont Komolmis, Chief Operation Officer (COO) of Grand Prix International PLC and the Vice Chairman of the 39th Bangkok International Motor Show said that “The show is still attractive for many entrepreneurs, including car and motorcycle companies, car audio brands as well as other related manufacturers, who have reserved the exhibition spaces at early stage.”
Here’s a video by MaxTV on last year’s 2017 BIMS!
The show will be even more auspicious this year since it has received the kind collaboration from the auto parts and accessories entrepreneurs association of China to participate the show for the first time! With this kind of cooperation from various countries in the region, the show is expected to grow to a new dimension in the future. Here’s a glimpse of the 2016 BIMS!
After the continuous success in the past year, the number of visitors exceeds 1.6 million and the show is likely to expand in line with the growth of Thai automotive industry. Apart from enjoying the latest innovation exhibited by many manufacturers to indicate the driving technology of today and tomorrow, many more activities await visitors to participate such as attending an automotive seminar or witnessing car show, etc.
The show will feature concept cars along with new model launchings for the first time in Thailand. In addition, visitors will be excited with plenty of enchanting shows performed under special light and sound effects equivalent to those of the world class shows. The highlight of the event is about “Electric Vehicle”. What is an electric vehicle in the future? It won’t be just a personal automobile only, but will further benefit to agriculture, transportation and Motorsports industries also. Let’s come and unveil the answer to this question together at the show.
The ticket price remains unchanged at 100 Baht (approx. RM13) along with the lucky campaign “Buy Ticket & Get a Chance to Win a Car” as the Organizer has always held every year. As usual, the big prizes awaiting are cars and motorcycles with the total value exceeding 2,500,000 Baht.
“The Bangkok International Motor Show also known as the greatest car show of Thailand and is well recognized among the car show organizers of ASEAN for its supremacy and equivalent standard to the world class events. Every year, many car show organizers from neighboring countries and worldwide car manufacturers have asked for an observation visit to further study and consult on how to host the show professionally and efficiently as well as to discuss about the investment in the automotive industry. This truly reflects our potential as the number one in hosting the Motor Show of ASEAN region with the international standard.” – BIMS.
Watch out for our coverage on BIMS 2018 ‘live’ from the venue later this month! – Chris Wee.
Modern Retros. They are undoubtedly the coolest things on two-wheels in the biking world, and yes I’m biased…
Do you remember the Kawasaki Zephyr 750 above? I said I’m biased earlier because I actually owned one of those Zephyrs many moons ago, and when I learned of the new Z900RS, my immediate reaction was that Kawasaki were reviving the Zephyr.
But they weren’t. Not a single mention of it was made during the course of the launch recently, in fact, the only retro reference made was to the above Z1, the original sportbike from Kawasaki in the early 70’s, and the first production bike capable of 200kmh+ top speed.
This pristine example above is in the country and is on display at Gasket Alley by the way. But back to the Z900RS. We recently had a short ride of the bike thanks to Kawasaki Motors Malaysia, and folks, despite it being just an hours’ ride, this thing is absolutely incredible.
First off, apart from the single mono-shock in the rear (both the Z1 and Zephyr had twin-tube rear shockers) the Z900RS (RS = Retro Sport) looks like an amazing throwback to the bikes of the 70’s, right down to the ‘fin-tail’ rear cowl, fins on the engine, double-walled exhaust headers (that won’t tarnish no matter how hard you ride), round front headlight (full LED) and typical upright riding position.
As it was just a short first-impression, I had to max out every kilometer, and the first test was acceleration, right of the parking lot, and yeah, not too smart seeing how the tyres were still cold, but hey, I was riding the ‘spiritual’ successor to my old Zephyr, I was excited, and that’s putting it mildly.
Despite having the same engine as the current Z900, the RS has been tuned and its gear rations altered for better low-end and roll-on acceleration, and damn, does it show. Acceleration is phenomenal for a 948cc 4-pot, and even in 6th gear, there is still a lot of acceleration left, so downshift if you want to hear that exhaust “tuned” for a more retro sound, but there’s no need to.
Stability and composure are the other aspects that make the Z900RS a bona-fide joy to ride, be it a short hop or a long haul. Yes, the seat could use a bit more padding, but the riding position (above) is absolutely spot-on, even for my 6’2″ frame.
Roll-on acceleration is also incredible, and I think I surprised the marshal on a Kawa GT-R1400, when I was able to keep up with him during hard acceleration. Of course ABS & KTRC (Kawasaki Traction Control with 2 ride modes) also helps a lot in the background. Here’s a video on how KTRC works:
In typical Kawasaki fashion, stopping the bike only requires a 2-finger pull of the right lever, which brings the bike to a safe, sure-footed stop. There are 2 models to choose from, price below, and both are identical, one is just a sporting a retro paint job and a bit more bling, more importantly, both models have ABS and KTRC.
The Z900RS is the kind of bike that is perfect for anyone thinking of getting back into the biking world after a long hiatus, and anyone graduating from a 600cc who really doesn’t want a supersport. Honestly, I would have gladly ridden this bike for a lot longer, it has that allure of being an ‘all-day ride’ kinda bike, and that’s exactly what I plan to do when I get the bike all to myself in the near future. Care to join me? – Chris Wee.
The Gasket Alley has been around for while now, occupying the space which was once home to Honda Malaysia, in Petaling Jaya, and this cool hang-out location has just become a new home to one of the most iconic brands of motorcycles, Harley-Davidson. DIDI Resources Sdn. Bhd., the newly appointed authorised sole-distributor of Harley-Davidson motorcycles in Malaysia has announced the official opening of Harley-Davidson of Petaling Jaya (HDPJ), at The Gasket Alley.
HOGs (Harley Owners Group) nationwide now have a place to call home again, and judging by the way this place looks, it’s the perfect setting for them too. Occupying 20,000sq.ft of space, the new premises is owned and operated by the Goh Brothers Motorcycles Sdn. Bhd., a subsidiary company under Goh Brothers Capital, a known retail specialist in the automotive realm.
One of the key elements officially announced during the launch was that all Harley owners are welcome to use the sales and service facilities at HDPJ, regardless where they purchased their bike from, be it from the previous importer or grey-market, via a zero-cost activation of any existing warranties or service requirements.
“We invite all HOGs to be part of our new Harley-Davidson family, regardless where they may have bought their bike from…” said Goh Kian Sin, Chairman of Goh Brothers Motorcycles (above).
Located at The Gasket Alley, Lot 15, Jln 13/6, Section 13, PJ, the new HDPJ premises will host a series of events, starting with the inaugural HDPJ HOG Ride to Tanjung Malim on 10th March, which will see as many as 500 Harleys participating, followed by an estimated 1,500 Harley owners who will throng the new HD premises in PJ by the late afternoon and evening to celebrate the official opening of HDPJ.
In conjunction with the launch, HDPJ also announced the formation of HOG Petaling Jaya Chapter Malaysia. “HOG provides a springboard for dealers to engage, enlist and excite their customers, and by managing a chapter, each dealership can localise activities, events and rides while providing more personalised service to their customers” – HDPJ.
Of course as with any HD showroom, in addition to aftersales service, HDPJ also offers a wide selection of official accessories and HD merchandise for its owners as well as walk-in customers.
It’s a really cool place to visit, so if you happen to be in the area, do drop by, it’ll be worth your time! – Chris Wee.
For more info call 03-7955 9399 or visit www.facebook.com/harleydavidsonpj
You know I gotta say that among all the carmakers who’ve been making headlines recently, there’s one brand that’s certainly living up to its motto of having ‘the power to surprise’ and that of course is Kia. I’m quite amazed by what the S.Korean carmaker has been doing in recent times, and it just got better…
Quite recently, I was very impressed with the Kia Optima GT, a performance sedan that makes no excuses for what it is, even ‘sounding’ like a thoroughbred V8 rather than a i4. Check out what I mean in this short video:
Fast-forward a few weeks and here I am again, this time testing the smallest member of the Kia family, the Picanto. Now the Picanto model itself is not new, it’s been around for a number of years and has enjoyed some success sales wise, and in fact, like what I mentioned in this VW Beetle Sport article, I know of at least 3 motoring media who liked the little Picanto so much, they bought one after the launch and subsequent review. How’s that for acceptance?
And speaking of acceptance, here’s my quick first-impression video of the new Picanto, plus a 360-degree walkaround:
Now in its third generation, the baby Kia offers first-time car buyers an alternative to what would normally be a ‘national car’ purchase, and maybe that’s why the Picanto costs less than RM50,000 (no, really). But hang on, a Proton Iriz costs more than that. Hmm…
Residing in the A-segment and aimed squarely at first-time car buyers, Kia claims that the Picanto is the ‘biggest small car’ around, and they’re not wrong. Despite its diminutive external appearance, the Picanto offers a very decent amount of room inside it, and as far as the former is concerned, again, you can thank Peter Schreyer and his design team for making the car look anything but introductory e.g. “cheap”.
Aesthetics wise, the little Picanto makes a very good first impression indeed. Its ‘angry bird’ front facade houses LED daytime running lights, while the rear sports LED combination lamps. Its double wheel-arch design coupled with the concave shoulder-line affords the car an optical-illusion of sorts, making it look bigger than it really is, and that’s a neat trick. If it were purely slab-sided, it would look smaller. The rear doors that taper upwards toward the end, and the decreasing-width rear windows also add to this ruse. Very clever.
But Kia aren’t cheating, because in typical ‘inside out’ build fashion, the Picanto is surprisingly roomy on the inside for an A-segmenter. There’s more than enough space for six-footers to get comfortable in the driver’s seat, and millennials will love the gadgets that come standard such as a full-colour ‘floating’ 7-inch Touch-screen with Apple CarPlay & Android Auto Ready, that also houses the reverse-camera, as well as the usual AUX & USB ports to hitch your phone to.
In addition to keyless entry, a start/stop button and a multi-function steering wheel, active and passive safety wise, the Picanto certainly doesn’t disappoint. There’s 6-airbags, ABS & Brake Assist, Hill Start Assist, Electronic Stability Control (ESC), ISOFIX and seat-belt pretensioners, all wrapped within a chassis and body made-up of 44% AHSS or Advanced High Strength Steel. Full specifications list is available after the photo gallery below.
However, tech jargon aside, the most impressive thing about the new Picanto only comes to light when it’s driven. Quite possibly, and with no exaggeration, this is the best A-segment car I’ve ever driven, period. It offers amazing levels of NVH suppression, it’s comfortable, quiet and reassuring. It doesn’t feel like a small car when being driven around, and despite having only a 4-speed auto, it’s a regular auto-gearbox and not a CVT, and that makes all the difference.
The Picanto’s Kappa 1.2-litre engine is good for 84Ps and 121.6Nm of torque powering the front wheels, and while that may not sound like a lot, it’s plenty for a car in this class, and again, like its motto, it has the power to surprise, especially when the roads are clear; it certainly surprised me…
Impressive for a little 1,248cc 4-pot isn’t it? The thing is, even at that speed, the Picanto still felt composed and more importantly, reassuring, protesting only slightly when faced with lateral cross-winds. With disc-brakes all round (ventilated in front) stopping power is also very good, while steering feel from the motor-driver power steering offers a decent amount of feedback, and is very direct.
Driven at more sedate (read: sane, legal, normal, etc.) speeds, the Picanto rewards with an extremely smooth and frugal drive. Despite our best attempts and extremely hard driving, we only used 1/4 of the fuel during a drive that would have emptied my own cars’ tank.
Needless to say, I think we were all quite impressed with this new offering from Kia, and coincidentally it just so happened that 2 of the 3 aforementioned media who’d bought the previous generation Picanto were on this media drive. I spoke to both of them in regards to how this new Picanto compared to theirs, as they would be the best judge of any improvements…
You’d think they were talking about Ferrari’s in the way they exalted about this third generation. I think the word ‘everything’ was used when I asked about improvements over the second gen Picanto, and one of them is already thinking about trading in his for the new one. Yes, it’s just that good.
So seriously, for those seeking a first car, or even a runabout addition to your stable at home, something that costs less than RM50k (RM49,888 to be exact), you really, really need to go have a look and test drive of the new Kia Picanto 1.2. Power to Surprise? Go find out. – Chris Wee.
Kia Picanto 1.2 Photo Gallery…
Kia Picanto Product Specifications:
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
ENGINE
Type
Kappa 1.2 MPI CVVT
Displacement (cc)
1,248
Bore X Stroke (mm)
71 x 78.8
Max. Power [Ps (kW)/rpm]
84 (61.8)/6,000
Max. Torque [NM (kg.m)/rpm]
121.6 (12.4)/4,000
Fuel Type
Petrol
Fuel Tank (litres)
35
TRANSMISSION
Transmission Type
4-Speed Automatic
CHASSIS
Seating Capacity (Pax)
5
Body Type
5-Door Hatchback
BRAKING
Front Brake
Ventilated Disc
Rear Brake
Solid Disc
SUSPENSION & WHEEL/TYRE
Front
MacPherson Strut
Rear
Coupled Torsion Beam Axle (CTBA)
Wheel
14″ Alloy
Tyre Size
175/65 R14
Spare Tyre
Temporary Tyre
FEATURES
EXTERIOR
Head Lamp
Projector Halogen with Auto Light Control & LED Daytime Running Lights
Rear Combination Lamp
LED Type
Fog Lamp
Projector type front, rear bulb
Side Door Mirror
Electric Adjustable
Integrated LED side turn signal
Electric Folding
Body Colour
Outer Handles Door
Chrome Coating
INTERIOR
Instrumental Panel
Trip Computer
Segment-type Meter Cluster
Sun Visor
Vanity Mirror
Audio
Floating Type 7 inch LCD Colour Touchscreen
Apple CarPlay & Android Auto Ready
Radio/MP3/AUX/USB
Bluetooth, 6 speakers, Steering Audio Control & Rear View Camera with dynamic guideline
