Piston.my

Latest News

The new vehicle market in the East Coast region of Peninsular Malaysia has historically been smaller than that of the west coast. Nevertheless, it has steadily grown over the years and now with more roads and a highway connecting more of the region to the west coast, more people are keen to have their own cars.

The development of the East Coast has obviously been watched by the car companies and they have been opening more outlets in states like Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang. The latest to do so is Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia (MMM) which recently officially opened a new Mitsubishi Motors 3S Centre in Kemaman, Terengganu.

(more…)

The basic idea of an electrified powertrain is that there is one electric motor (or more) powering the wheels which receives electricity from a battery pack. Besides these two main elements, there are also ancillary systems which support their operation. In most cases, each is a separate component in the drivetrain.

Nissan has announced a new approach which it will take to electrified powertrain development, which it calls ‘X-in-1’. Under the approach, core EV and e-POWER powertrain components will be shared and modularized. This can bring about a 30% reduction (compared to 2019) in development and manufacturing costs by 2026.

(more…)

Beaches are nice places to watch the sunset (or sunrise) and enjoy the nice breeze. But enjoying the sights should not be done from a car parked close to the water. A couple who did not realize that the water level can rise when the tide comes in found that their SUV was stuck in the sand as the seawater rose.

The incident was a rare one and the police at Kuala Sedili in Kota Tinggi, Johor shared it on their Facebook page today. The pictures accompanying their post showed the SUV, a Mazda CX-5, stuck in the sand as the water started to rise around it. Fortunately, the couple in the car were able to get help and pull the vehicle away before it was submerged.

(more…)

Today’s cars have advanced construction techniques and engineering to not only make them more lasting but also provide better resistance against impact forces during accidents. The materials used are also a mixture of steel, aluminium as well as others like carbonfibre and even titanium. Therefore when it comes to repairs, no longer can the ‘milo tin’ method be used where sheets of scrap steel are just welded onto damaged body.

For this reason, carmakers like Mercedes-Benz have very specific repair techniques using sophisticated equipment to repair damaged vehicles. This ensures that they will be safe to use after repairs and continue to be reliable.

Of course, even the best equipment still requires human operation. Robots could be used but repairing a damaged car also requires human judgement because of the many variables, so fully automated repairs are something in the distant future.

(more…)

As expected, the first quarter of this year will see a continued boom time for the car companies, at least in terms of deliveries. Many have thousands of orders waiting to be fulfilled and there’s an urgent need to deliver to customers who booked before June 30, 2022 because they are entitled to sales tax exemption.

If they do not have their new vehicle registered by March 31, 2023, then their sales tax exemption will be forfeited and they will have to pay more. However, some companies absorb the sales tax and Perodua is one of those that has confirmed it will do so for those customers whom it cannot supply vehicles to in time.

The Malaysian carmaker has also been in ‘overdrive’, along with its suppliers and dealers, during the first two months of this year. The total volume of vehicle delivered to customers nationwide was 46,385 units, up 33% from 34,865 units in the same period last year. Likewise for production, there was a 32.95% increase in out from the two plants to 51,134 units from 38,460 units last year.

(more…)

Ferrari and Naza have been associated for the past 15 years but the association will come to an end after this month. The Italian sportscar maker will end its business relationship with Naza Italia Sdn Bhd – aka Ferrari Malaysia – on April 8, 2023 and a new company will take over as official distributor for Malaysia.

Confirming the termination, a statement from the Naza Automotive Group today explained that the company has been reviewing the brand mix of its automotive business to find the right fit for its business strategy. “We have agreed to conclude our relationship with Ferrari S.p.A due to the non-alignment of their expectations to our strategy,” the statement said, giving assurance of support to Ferrari for a smooth transition of business.

(more…)

Archive

Follow us on Facebook

Follow us on YouTube