BEV Archives

Ram’s Concept EV Truck Proposes A 3-Row Cabin!

Ram is unlikely to be known to Malaysians as it is a brand presently mainly in North America. It used to be the name of a truck range in Dodge but got spun off in 2010 to become a brand on its own within the Fiat Chrysler Group. With the merger of Fiat Chrysler and the PSA Group in 2021, Ram became part of the enlarged Stellantis group.

Ram has always been a truck specialist and when it was a division in Chrysler, it focussed on delivering ‘real trucks’ and not the ‘lifestyle’ machines that have become common in recent times. It therefore has a solid niche in the market where capable trucks are sought for serious work.

At CES 2023 recently, Ram gave a preview of what it’s looking at further down the road in the age of electrification. It presented its vision in 3-dimensional form as the Ram 1500 Revolution Battery-electric Vehicle (BEV) Concept which also gives an idea of its design direction.

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Toyota Suggests That There Could Be A Future For Old Models Like The AE86 With EV Conversions

Toyota, like some of the other top carmakers, has expressed a view that the goal of carbon neutrality to prevent climate change is not a single-solution – going electric with motor vehicles – approach. While they do recognise the importance of moving towards that goal, they feel that the electric-only solution is not practical and is also costly. A choice of solutions that include some existing technologies (improved, of course) is being promoted as a more realistic approach.

Toyota’s President, Akio Toyoda, is very vocal about this and was among the first car company CEOs to state the position. Perhaps that encouraged the CEOs in the other companies to also echo similar views but still committing to increasing production of zero emissions battery electric vehicles (BEVs). They are probably under a lot of pressure to allocate massive funding for BEV R&D and at the same time, they still need to continue some development of combustion engine powertrains.

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Jeep Takes European Car Of The Year Title For The First Time With Avenger EV

Since the European Car of the Year (COTY) awards began in 1964, the winners have come from European brands with the first one from Japan in 1993. That of course discounts Ford as being as American brand as the Ford models that won were essentially European models. So there has never been an American brand winning the European COTY – until 2023.

At the Brussels Motor Show today, the Jeep Avenger was announced as this year’s winner, probably a surprise to many as there were strong contenders among the other six finalists. It’s the first time that Jeep – a thoroughly American brand – has won the award though other brands in the Stellantis Group (which it is part of) have won awards over the years.

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Peugeot Inception Concept Begins New Era Of Electrification For The Brand

Concept cars used to be fanciful models created by carmakers to dazzle visitors at motorshows. They had amazing technologies and features but a lot was also for show as it was either to complex or too expensive to put into production models. These days though, concept cars serve to preview the next generation of models and much of the technology shown is already under development.

With the Inception Concept presented by Peugeot at CES 2023 (the Consumer Electronics Show), the French carmaker is giving a preview of what its future models in the electric era will be like, and what advanced features they will have.

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Nissan Conducts More Stringent Testing For EVs (w/VIDEO)

Crash tests have long been an important part of vehicle development. Apart from regulatory requirements which have become more stringent over the years, the carmakers themselves have also been improving the protection occupants are provided with as new technologies have become available.

Now, with the increasing number of electric vehicles (EVs), the manufacturers have also to take into consideration the presence of a high-voltage battery pack and many electrical systems. These too must be protected from damage in an accident.

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First Look At New Hyundai KONA Generation, To Be Launched In 2023

Hyundai Motor has released the first pictures of the new generation of its KONA sub-compact SUV, and like the original IONIQ, there will be a choice of battery electric (BEV), hybrid electric (HEV) or just an internal combustion engine (ICE). A fourth choice will be the sporty N line.

While sharing the same architecture, each version will have unique styling to differentiate it. The overall size has increased a bit with 150 mm addition to the length, 25 mm more width and a wheelbase that is 60 mm longer.

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Akio Toyoda Gives A First Look At Future Pick-Up Truck Models

Like other types of motor vehicles, trucks too are electrifying. Some companies like Ford and GM have already begun selling fully electric trucks and eventually, the bestselling truck outside North America will also go electric. This is the Toyota Hilux, a popular model in many countries for decades, which has built up a strong reputation for durability and reliability.

Toyota already has a development program ongoing for an electric Hilux as evident by a prototype shown in Thailand recently. On the occasion of the 60^th anniversary of Toyota Thailand, Toyota President Akio Toyoda personally presented the Hilux Revo BEV to give a preview of a future Hilux with electric power.

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Locally-assembled Volvo C40 Recharge Pure Electric Launched, Priced From RM288,888

It was just 8 months ago that Volvo Car Malaysia (VCM) launched its first battery electric vehicle (BEV), the XC40 Recharge, and in doing so, it was also the first company to assemble a BEV locally. At that time, VCM said that it will launch one new Recharge model (the name given to BEVs) each year during the coming 5 years.

However, even before 2022 has ended, it has already launched the second Recharge model – or perhaps this is considered the one for 2023 (so there won’t be a new model next year). It’s the C40 Recharge Pure Electric and like the XC40 Recharge, it is also assembled locally at the oldest vehicle assembly plant in Malaysia, located in Shah Alam, Selangor. The plant is a regional production hub for Volvo, from which it exports various models around ASEAN.

Only one version of the C40 Recharge is currently assembled and even with tax exemption, it is priced at RM288,888 (without insurance), RM10,000 more than the XC40 Recharge. Still not mass market pricing but then again, this is a premium brand and the technology is expensive too.

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Mercedes-EQ EQE 350+ Joins EV Range In Malaysia

Mercedes-Benz Malaysia today launched the Mercedes-Benz EQE, which joins the EQA, EQB, EQC and EQS in the all-electric Mercedes-EQ range in Malaysia. Priced from RM419,888 with tax exemption, the EQE sedan looks like a scaled-down version of the EQS and is essentially the ‘E-Class’ of the Mercedes-EQ range. It is thus positioned as the business sedan of the future.

As with the carmaker’s other EV models, the EQE 350+ uses EVA2 architecture which is the first of two platforms for its EV models (the other being the Mercedes-Benz Modular Architecture to be used later on).

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BYD Enters EV Market In Malaysia With ATTO 3 SUV, Priced From RM149,800

With the surge in introduction of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) as the government is providing tax exemption for a few years, we’ve been seeing a number of brands from China coming into the Malaysian market. It coincides with the increased export activity by the Chinese companies in recent years, particularly with EVs as the country has the largest market in the world.

The latest is BYD Auto which officially made its debut today with the launch of its first model, the ATTO 3 SUV. Its commencement of business has been exceptionally quick as the distributorship agreement with Sime Darby Motors (SDM) was inked only in September this year. Clearly, the two companies had already been having earlier discussions and had plans in place by the time the agreement was signed and announced.

With products from BYD Auto, now among the top 5 BEV companies in the world, SDM has another brand of electrified products to offer. From starting with just the electrified models of BMW and MINI, it now has BEVs from Porsche, Hyundai and Volvo which are sold by its various units. BYD and Hyundai are likely to provide the entry-level models in coming years while the other brands cater to customers further upmarket.

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BEV

Ram’s Concept EV Truck Proposes A 3-Row Cabin!

Toyota Suggests That There Could Be A Future For Old Models Like The AE86 With EV Conversions

Jeep Takes European Car Of The Year Title For The First Time With Avenger EV

Peugeot Inception Concept Begins New Era Of Electrification For The Brand

Nissan Conducts More Stringent Testing For EVs (w/VIDEO)

First Look At New Hyundai KONA Generation, To Be Launched In 2023

Akio Toyoda Gives A First Look At Future Pick-Up Truck Models

Locally-assembled Volvo C40 Recharge Pure Electric Launched, Priced From RM288,888

Mercedes-EQ EQE 350+ Joins EV Range In Malaysia

BYD Enters EV Market In Malaysia With ATTO 3 SUV, Priced From RM149,800

Ram’s Concept EV Truck Proposes A 3-Row Cabin!

Toyota Suggests That There Could Be A Future For Old Models Like The AE86 With EV Conversions

Jeep Takes European Car Of The Year Title For The First Time With Avenger EV

Peugeot Inception Concept Begins New Era Of Electrification For The Brand

Nissan Conducts More Stringent Testing For EVs (w/VIDEO)

First Look At New Hyundai KONA Generation, To Be Launched In 2023

Akio Toyoda Gives A First Look At Future Pick-Up Truck Models

Locally-assembled Volvo C40 Recharge Pure Electric Launched, Priced From RM288,888

Mercedes-EQ EQE 350+ Joins EV Range In Malaysia

BYD Enters EV Market In Malaysia With ATTO 3 SUV, Priced From RM149,800

Archive

BMW X3 Now with a Sportier Design and Enhanced Customisation Options

Malaysia to Phase Out Natural Gas Vehicles by 2025

Jaecoo Malaysia Marks Milestone with Over 500 J7 SUVs Delivered

Sime Darby Motors Unveils BYD M6 All-Electric 7-Seater MPV in Malaysia From RM109,800

Volvo Malaysia Launches The New EX30: 0-100km/h in 3.6 Seconds, 476km EV Range

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