Proton Exora To Hit Thai Market Next Week

BANGKOK, Nov 27 (Bernama) -- With over 7,000 of its cars already on the road, Proton is set to launch its maiden multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) Exora in the Thai market at the Thailand International Motor Expo next week.
Based on initial feedback from the media and industry experts, Phranakorn Auto Sales general manager (operations) Apichart Wangsatorntanakhun said they were expecting a good response from Thai buyers.

"We took more than a dozen journalists to test the Exora in Malaysia. Exora received excellent reviews from the media, as well as those who came for discussion with us and saw the car at our showroom," he said in an interview here.

 
The Nation daily, in its review Friday said that Exora, with good handling and ride balance for its class, combined with versatile interior, was a good value as a family-mover against the smaller Toyota Avanza and the pricey Honda Freed.
Proton made its entry into the Japanese manufacturers-dominated Thai market at the end of 2007 to take advantage of the low five per cent import duty imposed under the Asean Free Trade Area agreement. Phranakorn was appointed as its official distributor.
According to Apichart, Exora's competitive pricing matched with quality, interior design and various accessories like leather seats and DVD player would enable it to compete with other MPVs in the market.

"It's value for money...it's similar to what Japanese manufacturers have been doing and is their secret for success. But now, their cars are a bit over priced," he said, adding that Honda Freed launched here two weeks ago was priced at between 894,000 Baht and 1,074,500 Baht (RM1 = 10 Baht).

Apichart said the 1.6-litre engine with five-speed manual or four-speed automatic Exora in five colours would hit the market in the price range between 699,000 Baht to 799,000 Baht.
Launched on April 15 in Malaysia, the Exora model has received 26,000 bookings todate, and 17,000 units were already registered in the domestic market there, as well as making its debut in Indonesia and Singapore.

 
Apichart said since its entry into the highly-competive market, Proton had sold more than 7,000 cars, with the top model being Savvy.
Asked on Phranakorn's sales target for Exora, Apichart said they had set a high target but declined to reveal.

"Overall, we hope to get about 900 bookings for all our models during the motor show.
"In fact, we are giving free insurance and free leather seats for Savvy buyers," he said.

Last year, Proton, which has 35 dealers nationwide, received 863 bookings during the popular expo attended by more than 1.5 million people. There were 14,000 orders.
Other Proton models available here are Neo, Gen 2, Persona and Persona CNG.
He said the overall sales was good, considering the weak Thai automotive market where sales dropped by 20 per cent for passenger cars and 28 per cent for pick-ups.

source: bernama

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Perodua Alza Launched: Car One Moment, MPV The Next

Perodua.. a word that is so familiar among us..

What would be the first thing to cross your mind if you see the word “Perodua”  in front of you? Made in Malaysia? Not really.. Cheap and funky? very doubtful.. what then..

the perfect word.. SMALL ..

Since it’s founding in 1993, Perodua has produced small cars for almost 15 years such as the Kelisa, Myvi, recently re-launched Viva (Elite version) and of course.. the popular Kancil.. 15 years of small car is just the tip of the iceberg considering that Kancil alone has the total production units of 722,223. Not forgetting that the Myvi is the best selling car for 3 consecutive years since 2006 in Malaysia.

But recently, Perodua just got bigger and bigger. After the Nautica SUV, here it is.. the first MPV from Perodua, the Alza..

So anyway, here we are finally, the Perodua Alza. The smaller MPV also comes with a smaller price tag, though Proton has worked to introduce the Exora Basic as well. Perodua says the Alza project first started off as the D46T about 3 years ago. The Japanese version was unveiled on Christmas day last year.

As for the name Alza, it actually means ‘to rise’ in Spanish. Probably symbolizes Perodua rising up the product segments once again – its cars are getting bigger and bigger.

First, let’s take a look inside this MPV. The first thing that caught my attention in the automatic version is the shift lever that positioned at the dashboard resulting in more spaces between the driver and the front passenger seat. The space filled up by the driver seat which extends leftwards. However, the extended part of the driver seat is relatively pointless if you ever want to use it as a seat because of the dashboard design. The foldable armrest is just nice and comfy. This automatic version also features a footbrake as the handbrake. Although the wheelbase of the Alza is greater than the Exora had, the Proton’s still felt bigger and more comfortable. This issue is supported by the fact that a 180+ cm person’s knee had to be pushed hard against the second row seat when he’s seating at the third row.

The Alza had improved suspension settings and it was likely that the biggest contributor to the Alza’s decent behaviour around corners is the addition of a rear stabilizer bar.The Alza’s power output and weight is actually quite similiar to the Avanza’s, which means performance should be comparable. The Alza and Avanza actually use the same 3SZ-VE engine though the Alza’s is transverse and the Avanza’s is longitudinal for rear wheel drive installation.

The luggage space depth is about 30cm but the third row kinda slants rearwards so you have more of a triangular wedge kind of boot space. WIth the third row folded, the luggage space grows up to 89.5cm in length. It’s a Myvi with a good sized boot.

Perodua Alza 1.5L Standard M/T
Solid – RM55,490
Metallic – RM55,990

S. Metallic – RM56,190 Perodua Alza 1.5L Standard A/T
Solid – RM58,490
Metallic – RM58,990
S. Metallic – RM59,190

Perodua Alza 1.5L Premium M/T
Solid – RM60,490
Metallic – RM60,990
S. Metallic – RM61,190

Perodua Alza 1.5L Premium A/T
Solid – RM63,490
Metallic – RM63,990
S. Metallic – RM64,190

 

Perodua Alza 40 seconds TV Commercial –English-

Perodua Alza 40 seconds TV Commercial –Malay-

Perodua Alza 60 seconds TV Commercial –English-

Perodua Alza 60 seconds TV Commercial –Malay-

 

   

source: paultan

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Macau GT Cup: Bufori BMS R1 shows amazing potential

At 10:30am on 22nd November 2009, the much awaited Macau GT Cup race is held on the Guia Circuit in Macau. Lamborghini GT3 driver Keita Sawa beats three times Macau winner Darryl O’Young to take the race win. British driver Daniel Watts finished in third place. Bufori Motor Company’s Bufori BMS R1, racing for the first time in its world debut, had an accident at Lisboa corner and sadly retired from the race.

The race began with a rolling start, Alex Yoong’s Bufori BMS R1 started in 28th position. Right after the start, he began to show the car’s potential by passing many cars. At the end of the first racing lap, he was already in 23rd position, with a best lap of 3:00.388.

But in the following laps, many accidents happened on the track, two Chevrolets and a Ginetta retired from the race. The race organizers decided to send out the safety car. During the safety car period, no overtaking is allowed.

At the end of lap 4, the safety car left the track and the race is re-started. Just as Alex Yoong is shaping up for another overtaking move, he had an accident at the Reservoir Bend, brushing the barriers with the right rear of his car. A piece of debris from the track got in the car and jammed the throttle, so Alex decided to stop the car.

“At the start, I passed a few car and at Mandarin Oriental Bend I passed another car around the outside. Then I went into Lisboa side by side with a Ferrari and although he tapped me at San Franciso Bend, I was able to accelerate up the hill and overtake him. Unfortunately I brushed the barriers and then debris from the track caused the throttle to be stuck. Without power I had to stop. It is a sad end to the race and I am sorry for my mistake.” Alex Yoong said.

But Alex also feels that the car is much better than yesterday already. It was already faster than some of the cars in front and it has huge potential. “In just 9.5 weeks, we have arrived in Macau with a brand new, completely Asian designed and built sportscar. This kind of project has never been done in Asia, except in Japan. Today on the track, we have beaten the likes of Aston Martin and we were racing with Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche...etc. Without any testing, we were already the quickest GT4 car in today’s race. The car has amazing potential.”

The team and the car will now return to Malaysia for repairs and testing at Sepang Circuit. Both cars and the two drivers: Alex Yoong and Frank Yee will be driving. “We still have a lot of work to do, there is a lot of oversteer, we need to add a rear wing and get more horsepower, because we were losing power on the straight.”

BMS Team Prinicipal, Bufori Global distributor, BMS Sales & Marketing (BSM) CEO Mr. Joe Lim said, “Although we only completed four laps, the race experience has provided the team with a lot of useful data. Whether in the development of the CS road car or the BMS R1 race car, it will be a great help. This is also why we entered this race in the first place: implementing race developed technology and utilizing the race experience on our road car.” Mr. Joe Lim also mentioned that the both the Bufori BMS R1 and the Bufori CS road car will appear in the Beijing Auto Show in April 2010. Bringing Bufori’s hand crafted sportscar to the Chinese market. “We will insist on using race car technology to develop our road cars. Therefore next year we will take part in the Asian GT Masters. That will be the time when we will show our true potential.”

credit: -official press release from BUFORI

 

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Here they are!!.. photos of Perodua’s next big thing, the Alza (test drive unit)

Here they are!!.. photos of Perodua’s next big thing, the Alza.. although it is only the test drive unit, its even got bodykit.. Unfortunately, we still don’t know where these photos shot at.. Unlike the spyshot photos that we posted before, the test drive unit features a bodykit by adding bumpers to the front and rear end resulting in a more aggresive look.

Perodua began accepting bookings starting from 13 November and would be priced between RM56,000 and RN64,000. Datuk Syed Abdul Hafiz, Perodua managing director said that Perodua expect to sell the MPV between 3500 and 4000 units per month. Lets wait for the launch in 23rd November.

 

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Lotus F1 Signed First Driver, Public Announcement Soon

Team principal Tony Fernandes announced that Lotus F1 Team has signed their first driver on his twitter acoount but he still did not mention who the driver is.

One Malaysia formula one team aka lotus has signed it’s first driver. Public announcement soon. The dream continues.

About who the driver is, rumor has it that Japanese Kamui Kobayashi would be perfect for this job. The Japanese driver even admit that if he had to choose a team considering that Toyota already quit from the pinnacle of motorsport, he would go for Lotus.

On the other hand, Italian veteran, Jarno Trulli also has been linked with a move to  Lotus without any confirmation yet.

Malaysian Fairuz Fauzy also could be the driver but the team’s Chief Technical Officer Mike Gascoyne recently announce that 27-years-old  Fauzy only will be a third driver (test driver) for the team considering that Fauzy is in the lack of experience.   “Fairuz will be in the team probably as a reserve driver or a test driver. He has the talent but we don’t want him to ‘crash and burn’ in the race because of his inexperience,” said Gascoyne.

 

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Proton Expects To Sell 150,000 Vehicles In Local Mart

 

KOTA BAHARU, Nov 16 (Bernama) -- Proton Holdings Bhd expects to sell 150,000 units of its vehicles for the financial year ending March 31, 2010 in the domestic market and another 25,000 units in the overseas market in the same period.

Its managing director, Datuk Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir, said the projected rise in sales was based on the good response from consumers to Proton cars which have been improving quality wise.

"We have raised our production quality with the latest models that have seen good response from our consumers while giving the imported cars a run for their money," he told reporters after a celebration to honour teachers and the best students from Sekolah Kebangsaan Paloh Pintu Gang here Monday.

Syed Zainal Abidin said Proton did not face problems in terms of marketing but did face some competition from cars imported from China and marketed at lower prices.

He said Proton's priority remained in increasing its production quality and introducing new models to consumers.

"The Proton Pesona, Proton Exora and several latest models from Proton are capable of competing with cars from overseas," he said.

source: bernama

 

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Bufori New CS Sport Car To Be Launched 2010, race version to enter Macau GT Cup

BUFORI Motor Car Company (BMCC) is extending its model range and will soon be launching a new generation of modern sportscars.

The BUFORI CS, which stands for “Compact Sports”, is a purist and powerful 2 door coupé. Unlike previous generations of BUFORI motorcars, the BUFORI CS is intentionally modern-styled. Powered by a 2.0L turbo-charged engine, the sportscar will feature a lightweight composite body and offer the typical BUFORI craftsmanship, attention to detail and quality. The BUFORI CS is expected to be launched in Malaysia at the beginning of 2010 and more details will be revealed towards the end of the year.
The BUFORI CS is fully designed and developed by BMCC in Malaysia. It was recently decided that BUFORI wanted to have a race version of the car, in order to prove the vehicles capabilities and performance under extreme conditions and directly apply proven racing technology to the on going development of the road car.

This lead to the creation of the newly established BMS (BUFORI MOTOR SPORTS), which is the motorsport division of BUFORI. Through the collaboration with AXLE MOTORSPORT, a company dealing in high-tech motor racing development, BMS and AXLE MOTORSPORT jointly developed the BUFORI BMS R1 using a team of Formula One engineers, employing only the highest quality components and materials

The BUFORI CS marks the beginning of a new era for BMCC.
Unlike previous BUFORI models, the design of the BUFORI CS is intentionally modern, boasting elegant flowing lines and subtly pronounced fenders. Four circular LED rear lights give an additional sporty dimension to the overall, timeless elegant body.
The monocoque body is made of ultra-light and rigid reinforced Carbon Fiber & Kevlar and lies on a space frame chassis.
The unequal upper and lower arm front and rear suspension with coil over shocks are fully adjustable and provide excellent road holding.
The BUFORI CS is fitted with a front mounted 4 cylinder 2.0L turbo–charged high performance engine that delivers effortless power and offers an exhilarating driving experience.

The BUFORI BMS R1, the race edition of the BUFORI CS, a race version of the Bufori CS will be entered in the 56th Macau Grand Prix this month. The race car is called the Bufori BMS R1 and will be entered by the new BMS AXLE RACING team, a JV between Bufori Motorsports and Axle Motorsport. Axle is a familiar name – Alex Yoong is the man behind it. The race car was developed in under 10 weeks and complies with FIA GT3 specs.

source: bufori ; paultan

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Fairuz Fauzy Set To Be Reserve for Lotus F1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lotus F1 Racing team chief technical officer Michael Gascoyne confirmed, well almost, the obvious when he said that Fairuz Fauzy “is 99.9%” in the team.

However, Gascoyne who has worked with McLaren, Sauber, Renault and Toyota, said Fairuz would not necessarily get a race seat when the 2010 season starts in Bahrain in March.

“Fairuz will be in the team probably as a reserve driver or a test driver. He has the talent but we don’t want him to ‘crash and burn’ in the race because of his inexperience,” said Gascoyne.

The 27-year-old Fairuz finished second in the Formula 3.5 World Series by Renault. He also had a stint in GP2 and raced for A1 Team Malaysia. His previous involvement with a Formula One team was as a test driver for team Spyker F1 in 2007.

“Take (Fernando) Alonso for example. He was signed as a test driver and didn’t get a race seat until after three years with Renault and he went on to win trophies,” said Gascoyne.

“This is exactly what we want with Fairuz, for him to have enough experience because racing in the Formula One is at a much higher level than he used to.”

Gascoyne said there was no point having a Malaysian driver in the team “and always at the back of the starting grid.

“If you ask any young driver if they’re ready for Formula One, their answer will be ‘yes’. But at the end of the day, it’s experience that matters when racing in Formula One,” said Gascoyne.

full article: thestar

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Next Proton Persona Will Be Designed By Italdesign ?

The Business Times report revealed that a clay model of the car already exists at the design house’s headquarters in Turin, Italy.

The sedan is aimed at widening Proton's market, which at present is largely limited to Malaysia and its Asean neighbours.
It will be engineered to meet tougher European and North American standards although its marketing in these regions has not been finalised.

Strategies are being thought of and one option would be to market the car in some of the new markets, such as in Europe and North America, through collaborations with local established brands under which Proton could earn revenue from intellectual property rights.

Syed Zainal Abidin said the new car will incorporate plenty of new technologies and Proton is already talking to potential global suppliers on several inputs for the car.

"The objective is to produce a car very different from current Proton vehicles," he said.

Other strategies are also being explored for its other models. The Waja is headed for an enhancement programme through a collaboration with Japanese giant Mitsubishi and the same arrangement is being undertaken with another company to study options for the Perdana.

Eventually, Proton will produce a sport utility vehicle (SUV). Syed Zainal Abidin has said that the company intends to have a full range of products for its customers.

Exploratory talks with potential partners on an SUV programme have started, including with a Chinese car company.

It is also inevitable that Proton will have to look into the hybrid car segment.

Although it may be a while before it mass-produces an electric car, Proton, through UK unit Lotus Cars, has started talks with a South Korean battery company and an electric motor corporation.

source: paultan ; business times

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Perodua MPV To Be Launched November 23rd

The upcoming Perodua seven seater MPV has been unveiled to members of the media in Putrajaya but the full details of the MPV are embargoed until 23^rd November which will be the day the MPV will be launched. Perodua will begin to accept bookings starting from 13 November and would be priced between RM56,000 and RN64,000. Datuk Syed Abdul Hafiz, Perodua managing director said that Perodua expect to sell the MPV between 3500 and 4000 units per month.

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