Citroen DS4 and DS5 Launch by Naza Euro Motors
Just before I hopped on the plane to Bali, I was at the new Citroën showroom in Glenmarie, Shah Alam for the launch of the Citroen DS4 and DS5.
The all-new Audi A6 Hybrid : RM280,000 OTR without insurance
I’m personally very fond of hybrid cars, having learn a lot about during a Honda Insight media drive and from covering a few events on the recent hybrid cars available in Malaysia such as the Jazz Hybrid, Toyota Prius and even test drove an electric car – the Nissan Leaf.
However, none of these cars were actually luxury cars, which made me wonder “Can’t luxury cars be eco-friendly? Is all the arguments of green vehicles being unpowered true?“. For a non-technical automotive enthusiast like me, seeing an automotive brand like Audi launching a hybrid model in Malaysia had me quite worked up in anticipation.
From left to right:
Dato’ Sri Haji Mohd Khamil Jamil, Group Managing Director, DRB-Hicom, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamed, Mr Stanley Tan, CEO of Euromobil, Dato’ Abdul Harith Abdullah, Group Director, Automotive and Defence, DRB-Hicom.
VOLKSWAGEN The Beetle 1.2 TSI Review – To Ipoh and back
I sat over this review for the last 2 weeks pondering on how should I write about the Beetle 1.2 TSI. Frankly, as a non-automotive blogger, writing about launches and lifestyle-angled reviews on new models are the simplest. Your readers would already be interested to know more of the new model; features, specifications and price being the most common and important facts that should be shared. That, and a few pictures of models (not necessarily hot) baring some skin usually works.
The headache about such an iconic model like the Beetle is – what is there to say that wasn’t said before in the news; both online and print?
How do you write about everyone’s favourite “round” car? Very few cars are held in reverence as much as the Beetle. So can I risk writing something whimsical? Can I say I didn’t like it? Well, thankfully I’m in awe of the Beetle as much as everyone else so it took very effort on the Beetle’s part to convince me why it deserves its iconic prominence.
Hyundai Showroom & Service Centre – Shah Alam by Sutera Gemilang Auto Sdn Bhd
In true Chinese New Year fashion I have tossed and lou sang-ed my way through 11 Chinese New Year menus as of now. I have also recently witnessed my first lion dance and a massive lighting of 8 foot long firecrackers, all at the Hyundai Showroom & Service Centre – Shah Alam by Sutera Gemilang Auto Sdn Bhd.
Weekend joyride: VOLKSWAGEN The Beetle 1.2 TSI
I have always loved the Beetle. Well, who doesn't? :) Thanks to Volkswagen Malaysia who had offered me to review their latest Volkswagen The Beetle 1.2 TSI, I finally got…
The Honda 9th Generation Civic Launch – any better?
**Guest post by Kenneth Sow who attended the launch on my behalf as I was held up in another engagement
Honda 9th Generation Civic launched – how does it stack up against the 8th Gen?
By now you must have read ton of articles written about the 9th Gen Civic launch. Similarly, you might have also read a load of protest on its exterior design, boring interior design, hard plastics, old technology, lousy pricing, blah blah blah. If you’ve not seen the car, you must be wondering …. is it that bad?
The 8th generation Civic, introduced in 2006 was a huge success for Honda. With its futuristic design, both inside and out, revolutionized how automakers think about how a car should look like and even till this date, the 8th generation is still a looker and (to some at least) a symbol of success of a young, upcoming executive. The 8th Gen sold 49,000 units since its launch, making it one of the top selling C segment in Malaysia.
Those are really big shoes the 9th generation Civic needs to fit. Doesn’t help that the Koreans are making huge progress in almost all aspects of their vehicles and the continental brands are finding more means to further reduce their vehicle’s retail prices while offering everything short of a wife/husband to make your life all good and perfect when you buy their cars.
So how’s the new Civic against the rest ….. and more importantly, how does it fare against its own predecessor, the most successful Civic ever launched to date? Let’s find out.
Launched 2 days ago on 12 July 2012, the Civic comes with 3 engine choices; the 1.8litre, 2.0 litre and 1.5 litre hybrid. The 2.0 litre has a sub variant which comes with satellite navigation. The event was held at the Malaysian Agro Exposition Park Serdang (MAEPS) and was attended by members of the media, business partners and generally, friends of Honda. Excellent food from Delicious and the entire setting was like a movie theater …. which was the theme of the Civic where YOU are the star.
To comment about the event itself, it was the first time I attended one held by Honda and I’d say they’ve done a fantastic job:-
- Finger foods going all round to reward early arriving guests and ensure they don’t starve
- Large gathering area so that people can congregate comfortably
- Ample seats and tables for attendees.
- Wide open stage for the media to find their spot comfortably. My previous car launch events had the speakers talking from a narrow platform and media had to jostle just to get a spot …. until some don’t even bother to try.
- Local food to cater to local taste. As the crowd consists of a wide range of people with different cultural background, having local food instead of western makes perfect sense.
- Timing was reasonably punctual. This is Malaysia … a 15 minute delay in kicking off the actual event is considered early!
- Of course, the customary models aplenty
Design
Audi Q3 SUV launch by Euromobil – RM258,000
NOTE: Guest post by Kevin Lee, a fellow car enthusiast. I couldn’t attend this launch last week because I was still in Taiwan.
Euromobil Sdn. Bhd. , a wholly-owned subsidiary of Edaran Otomobil Nasional Berhad (EON) of the DRB HICOM Group (DRB-HICOM), and official importer of Audi vehicles in Malaysia have recently introduced the latest Audi Q-series member, the Audi Q3 to the Malaysian market.
