Carmakers often collaborate with companies in other industries for special promotions of their models, usually taking inspiration from their products to create special editions. These are usually for a limited number of units so whoever gets to buy them is lucky to have a rare model.
With a name like Kicks for its crossover SUV, it seemed only a matter of time before Nissan came up with a collaboration with a footwear brand, in this case New Balance. But there’s a twist to this collaboration: instead of New Balance having a Nissan Kicks-inspired shoe, it is Nissan that has a New Balance shoe-inspired Kicks!
Festive seasons are times when many people may want something new to celebrate and if it’s a new car you’re considering, Edaran Tan Chong Motor (ETCM) has some special offers for new Nissan vehicles. Its Chinese New Year promotion to welcome the Year of the Rabbit is from January 1 to 31, 2023 and purchasers of the new Nissan Serena, Navara, X-Trail and Almera can enjoy savings of up to RM9,950.
The promotion includes an add-on of RM1,000 for a customized Accessories Package for the respective models, as shown below:
With the monsoon season still ongoing and the risk of floods, especially in the East Coast areas, motorists unlucky enough to have their vehicles caught in deep water may find themselves having a big bill for repairs. Unless they have included insurance coverage for floods, compensation will not be given by the insurance company.
Over the years, Edaran Tan Chong Motor Sdn. Bhd. (ETCM), together with Tan Chong Ekspres Auto Servis Sdn. Bhd. (TCEAS), have been offering various forms of assistance to Nissan owner who have flood-damaged vehicles. This year, they are again announcing a special Nissan Flood Relief Assistance program for owners of Nissan vehicles nationwide.
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.
It was not surprising that Nissan was the first Japanese carmaker to enter Formula E, the all-electric single-seater championship series. After all, the carmaker could be considered the pioneer in starting mass production of electric vehicles (EVs) with its LEAF. However, when it first participated in 2018, the fifth season of the series, it did so with the e.dams team.
Following its entry that year, the team was a regular each season and in March 2021, Nissan confirmed further commitment to Formula E until the end of Season 12 (2025/26). Earlier this year, Nissan decided it was ready to take on a direct involvement in the team and acquired it in April. It finished off the season with the Gen2 racing car as the all-new Gen3 version was being developed for 2023.
Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors share the 2022-2023 Japan Car of the Year (JCOTY) award with the Nissan Sakura/Mitsubishi eK X EV being awarded the title this year. Besides being the second consecutive year for Nissan, this is the sixth time that a model of the brand has won the overall title which has been annually awarded since 1980. For Mitsubishi Motors, it is the fourth time receiving a JCOTY award.
The minivehicle was among 11 finalists (one more than usual as there was a tie) from 48 nominees. This year, among the Best 11 Cars, 4 models were from foreign brands – the BMW iX, Hyundai IONIQ 5, Range Rover and Renault Arkana. The Japanese models were the Suzuki Alto, Nissan X-Trail, Nissan Fairlady Z, Mazda CX-60 e-SKYACTIV-D, Toyota Crown, Nissan Sakura/Mitsubishi eK, and Honda Civic e:HEV/Civic Type R.
Since being launched in 1991, the Nissan Serena has had a varied model cycle through 5 generations, as long as 8 years (first generation) and as short as 5 years (third generation). Nevertheless, it has been a popular MPV in Japan because of its family-friendly design which has evolved with the changing needs of customers.
The sixth generation (C28) launched recently continues with this successful formula while offering new powertrain technologies and safety systems. Though having some visual similarities to the C27 generation, the new Serena has revamped styling, while maintaining roughly the same footprint. It also has the widest windscreen in the MPV category (1.2 – 2.0 litre class with 7/8-seats).
Although most people would only know of Skoda when the Czech Republic is mentioned, the country had many other automakers before World War II but almost all no longer existed the 1940s. Under communist rule until the late 1980s, only Skoda and Tatra were designated to make passenger cars but there was also another company which was directed to make commercial vehicles.
This was Praga which has a history going back to the late 1800s as a heavy industrial manufacturer of everything from bridges to steam trains. It moved into vehicle production in the early 1900s, making its first car in 1907, and grew to be a major manufacturer of cars, motorcycles, commercial vehicles and aircraft. Praga-built trucks, in particular, dominated the roads in the firm’s native Czechoslovakia.
With the fall of Communism in Czechoslovakia in 1989, Praga – still a major presence around Central Europe – was able to set its own agenda again as a privately owned company. While still specializing in trucks, it has also been making motocross motorcycles, racing karts and even an aircraft.
It has now unveiled a hypercar inspired by the Praga Alfa car which won the important 1933 1000 Miles of Czechoslovakia road race 89 years ago. Praga is no stranger to high performance, having re-entered the racing car market 10 years ago with its R4S and R1 cars. These are winning events in one-make, mixed prototype and mixed endurance race series in Australia, Dubai, the UK and USA.
For a limited period (while stocks are available), every new unit of the Nissan Almera Turbo will come with a free Tomei Aerokit Package worth RM8,000. Tomei, a well-known tuner in Japan, collaborated with Edaran Tan Chong Motor (ETCM) to develop this package exclusively for the sedan.
The Tomei Aero Package is available for all three variants of the Almera Turbo with the top VLT version having all the items. These are a 5-piece aerokit consisting of a front and rear (two sections) bumper spoilers, side skirts, sport pedals with footrest, door handle protectors (4 pcs), kickplate for the door sills. Door visors, and ICE Cool Tinting.
The other two versions come with the 5-piece aerokit and a bootlid spoiler, ICE Cool Tinting Film and the sport pedals with footrest. All bodykit items come in a 2-tone colour scheme.
A Tomei GT Wing (shown below) specially designed for the Almera Turbo is also available, price at RM1,400 (inclusive of installation). For a limited period, ETCM is offering the Tomei GT Wing to Early Bird buyers with a 50% discount.
All the items are factory-fitted to ensure the same high quality as the rest of the car. Each item also comes with a warranty against manufacturing defects for a period of 3 years/100,000 kms (whichever comes first).
Downsized but performance not sacrificed The Almera Turbo’s powerplant is a good example of how downsizing engines, an industry trend, has been achieved without sacrificing performance and yet giving better fuel efficiency. The HR10DET engine generates 100 ps/152 Nm – comparable to a 1.5-litre engine – but owners have reported being able to get up to 49.5 kms/litre! Should the price of RON95 petrol (currently subsidised by the government) go up, Almera owners will be happy that they have a fuel-sipping engine.
The Almera Turbo range is priced from RM83,888 to RM95,888, with the Tomei package free while stocks last. For more information, visit the Nissan Malaysia website at www.nissan.com.my. Test-drives are available at all Nissan showrooms throughout Malaysia. For those who are not able to visit a Nissan showroom, they can still experience the car by requesting for a test-drive at their home or office. The request can be made at the Nissan Online Showroom at nissan.com.my/onlineshowroom/.
Incidentally, Via the Lazada Nissan Flagship store, a booking fee (RM250) can be paid online to start the purchase process. A sales representative will then be in touch to assist in completing the rest of the process.
Edaran Tan Chong Motor (ETCM) has officially opened an upgraded Nissan 3S (sales, service and spare parts) outlet in Rawang, Selangor, to better serve customers and owners in the surrounding areas. The outlet, a branch of ETCM, was originally a sales outlet only but has now been enlarged to offer the full range of services required by customers.
Besides being upgraded, the new 3S outlet incorporates the Nissan Corporate Identity with the new Nissan logo, in accordance with NRC-NEXT (the global Nissan Retail Concept). This follows Nissan’s enhanced global plan to innovate Nissan showrooms and provide customers with an elevated brand experience.
Visitors to the showroom will experience a new and comforting environment with a modern interior layout and furniture design. Customers can view all Nissan models, with a Nissan Star Car as the highlight. Presently, the Star Car is the recently launched new Serena S-HYBRID. Information and test-drives are available at any time.
The latest Nissan Serena S-HYBRID.
There’s also a comfortable customer lounge with refreshments, and a private room is available for discussions between customers and sales consultants.
As a mini 3S outlet, ETCM Nissan Rawang also has a fully equipped service centre on the same site. Nissan owners can obtain aftersales support provided by skilled technicians as well as Nissan Genuine Parts. The service centre has 2 service bays for Quick service and maintenance jobs as well as it is also supported by the existing Rawang service centre which has 4 service bays.
The ETCM Nissan Rawang outlet’s showroom is open 7 days a week while the service centre operates from Mondays to Saturdays.
New Nissan dealerships Besides the Rawang outlet, ETCM also has news dealerships in the Northern, Southern and East Malaysia regions. These are operated by Lofty World Sdn Bhd (Taiping, Perak), Da Kim Auto Sdn Bhd (Kluang, Johor), and Ngu Brothers Motor Service Sdn Bhd (Sibu, Sarawak).
Other authorised Nissan outlets in Malaysia can be located at the Nissan Malaysia website at www.nissan.com.my.
