SIC, Petronas Kick Off F1 Promotion In KLCC

As the world anxiously waits in excitement for the Formula 1 Championship season, promoters of the 2010 Formula 1 PETRONAS Malaysian Grand Prix kicked of their promotion campaign in Kuala Lumpur amidst strong confidence of a large turnout event on 2 to 4 April in Sepang. 

In a joint promotion at the PETRONAS Philharmonic Hall Foyer within the capital’s leading shopping complex Suria KLCC, event organizer and promoter Sepang International Circuit (SIC) and title sponsor PETRONAS also launched the ‘I Love F1’ campaign to generate greater interest and increasing the awareness among Malaysians for the sports and in support of the 1Malaysia campaign in promoting multi-racial harmony and understanding among the people through F1.

“This should be the most exciting season in years in Formula 1 especially from the Malaysian perspective and it is our wish to see everyone in the ‘I Love F1’ t-shirt filling the circuit on race day,” says Razlan Razali, who is SIC Chief Executive Officer and event director for the 2010 Formula 1 PETRONAS Malaysian Grand Prix.
With PETRONAS also being title sponsor of the new Mercedes GP-PETRONAS F1 Team, which effectively is the defending champion Brawn GP, will be the team the world will watch as it sensationally brings back seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher to the racing grid.
With Schumacher’s slick driving skills and the engineering brilliance of Ross Brawn, its supporters are brimming with confidence that the Mercedes GP-PETRONAS will be among the top contenders for the world championship this season.
All the competing teams would go into testing in February as they start preparation for a 19-round championship, which will open in Sakhir at the Bahrain Grand Prix from March 12 to 14. Malaysia will host Round 3 of the world championship at Sepang Circuit from April 2 to 4.

The 2010 race in Sepang will mark the 12th edition of the Formula 1 PETRONAS Malaysian Grand Prix, which can be traced back to October 1999 which saw Schumacher making a comeback in Sepang after a long lay-off following an accident at the British Grand Prix earlier in July where he broke his right leg.
Also known as the 1Malaysia Racing Team, the Lotus F1 Racing Team is bringing back the highly successful brand back into the F1 world with the backing of top Malaysian corporate companies that included Proton as the owner of Lotus Group, Naza Group and Air Asia.

Most prominent would be the no refueling rule, which will demand bigger fuel tanks and deeper intelligence in preserving fuel. Pitstops, however, remained necessary as teams would be required to use both sets of tires of different compounds. 

The 2010 Formula 1 PETRONAS Malaysian Grand Prix itself would have a change with the 12th edition starting at 4pm instead of 5pm as it had last year. Prior to 2009, the Malaysian race had traditionally started at 3pm; but had been delayed to boost TV viewing in the European sector.

“As to what we organized last year, we will be bringing again the drivers’ autograph session at the track. We will also have entertainment and activities at the Mall Area throughout the event and a big after-race concert. … It will be big this year” said Razlan.


With all these supporting elements, Razlan has expressed confidence that the 2010 Formula 1 PETRONAS Malaysian Grand Prix would draw a capacity crowd and even breaking the 2008 Race Day attendance of over 120,000 trackside spectators.

“Our tickets are priced as low as RM100 and as we did in previous years, we are offering discounts for students and special packages for groups,” said Razlan, adding that purchases of selected tickets between now and January 31 would entitle the buyer a 50 percent discount on a second ticket.

Show your passion for F1 Malaysia and get your ‘I Love F1’ t-shirt and the 2010 PETRONAS Malaysian Grand Prix tickets at all participating outlets.

originally appeared on malaysiangp

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Lotus Racing confirm London's Royal Horticultural Hall as launch vanue

Lotus Racing today confirmed that the long awaited launch of the 2010 Lotus Formula 1 racing car will take place on the 12th of February in central London.

The Royal Horticultural Hall has been selected by the team as the perfect venue to unveil one of the sporting world's most eagerly anticipated new challengers and an audience of 400 guests, including all staff of the newly formed team, will be the first to see the livery of the new Lotus Racing car.

originally appeared on lotusf1racing

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SIC Targets 100,000 Spectators On Final Day Of F1 Malaysia

Buoyed by two local teams, Sepang International Circuit (SIC) is targeting to woo 100,000 spectators to watch the final day of the 2010 Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix from April 2 to 4.

Its chairman, Datuk Mokhzani Mahathir said the target was also based on the total turnout of 120,000 spectators recorded at the last grand prix hosted by SIC.

"I expect a turnout of nearly 100,000 on the last day on Sunday. In the last edition, nearly 60,000 spectators turned up on the last day," he told reporters after the launch of the 2010 Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix 2010 here Thursday.

The two local teams are Lotus F1 Racing, backed by three businessmen, namely Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes, Datuk Kamarudin Meranun and S.M Nasarudin S.M Nasimuddin, and Mercedes GP Petronas.

Mokhzani said the Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix 2010 would start at 4pm, one hour earlier than the previous edition.

He said the time still suited viewers in Europe, who would be following the live telecast.

Present were Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek, Petronas adviser Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Petronas president Tan Sri Hassan Merican.

originally appeared on bernama

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Midnight Start, Stricter Rules For MMER 2010

Sepang's 12-hour Merdeka Millennium Endurance Race (MMER) continues for its 11th edition this year with the organiser, the Sepang International Circuit (SIC), drawing up tighter rules with strict conformity to Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) regulations especially on the eligibility of race cars.

In a clear effort by SIC to take the MMER to a higher level and to attract more top professional foreign teams and drivers, it has also decided to revert back to a midnight start.

"The move will see the 2010 race to be flagged off at the turn of the day on Sunday, Aug 8 and finishing 12 hours later at noon," SIC Chief Executive Officer Razlan Razali said in a statement here on Wednesday.

Hailed as Asia's biggest race, the MMER, which started at the turn of the new millennium with five categories, including 1000cc Perodua Kenaris and four-wheel drive Kembara machines, will now be only a three-class competition.

"For this season, the three classes are the GT Class, the Sports Production Class and the Touring Production Class. The eligibility of competing cars is clearly defined through various articles stipulated by FIA, the world governing body for motor racing," Razlan said.

The change was to ensure that the MMER continued to be the endurance race in Asia, and that its regulations were acceptable by most endurance races around the world, he said.

Razlan said the new rules required all cars to be fully homologated models.

Explaining on the change of racing time, Razlan said it was to make the 12-hour race even more demanding.

"Having started in the day for a few years, now we are back to the original time of racing from midnight to midday," he added.

With a full grid and a crowded track that included fully modified supercars and 1600cc production cars, a midnight start offered a high probability of on-track incidents as compared to a mid-day start when drivers had better handling of their cars and racing situations, he said.

The 2009 MMER only had 57 cars compared to 77 cars in all its races except for the inaugural edition in 2000 when it had 52 cars.

originally appeared on bernama

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Petronas, Proton ink lubricant deal

KUALA LUMPUR: Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) has been appointed sole lubricant supplier for Proton vehicles in a 10-year agreement that covers all markets Proton cars are sold.

The agreement, which sees the parties share the profit from the lubricant deal, will net Petronas a small increase in its market share of the lubricant business in Malaysia.

“The long-term partnership will allow PLI (Petronas Lubricants International) and Proton to develop and bring to market new innovative solutions in the form of products and services and explore the fullest value and potential that this partnership can bring,’’ said Petronas vice-president, oil business, Md Arif Mahmood.

The deal would see Petronas produce lubricants that are tailor-made for Proton cars and provide lubricants technical service support for Proton’s global network.

Proton Holdings Bhd managing director Datuk Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir said in a media briefing that the deal with Petronas would see the national oil company supplying 1.4 million litres of lubricants to Proton annually.

However, that amount was projected to rise to two million litres in two to three years after the agreement kicked off, he said.

He said the lubricants would carry Petronas branding and there was big potential for the sale of lubricants in the after-market business.

Petronas president and CEO Tan Sri Mohd Hassan Marican said the lubricant market in Malaysia stood at 260 million litres a year and Petronas’ share of that was 21% to 22%.

It has penetrated markets in North America, South America, Africa, Europe, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific.

Meanwhile, Hassan declined comment on the status of his contract, which expires in February, saying it was a decision for the Government to make.

However, Petronas adviser Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad scoffed at a question whether a politician should be appointed to the top position at the national oil corporation.

“Some of the top politicians have been making a mess of our economy,’’ he said. “Do you want them to make a mess of Petronas?’’

originally appeared on: thestar

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Perodua retains top spot in 2009

KUALA LUMPUR: Perodua ended 2009 as the number one car manufacturer in Malaysia for the fourth consecutive year, with sales of 166,700 units, the second highest in the company's history.

The volume sold last year represented 31.3% share of the market compared with its record 176,400 units or 30.5% market share in 2008.

"We did considerably well in 2009 with a 0.4% drop despite the global economic downturn," its managing director Aminar Rashid Salleh said in a statement today.

He said sales dropped in the first half of last year but picked up in the second half, following the government's RM67 billion stimulus packages and the car-scrapping scheme for cars 10 years old and above. 

"Our sales every month in the final quarter of 2009 were higher than the same period in 2008.

"We believe that the upward trend will continue in 2010. This optimism is also on the back of the 5% economic growth forecast for this year by the Economic Planning Unit (EPU) in the Prime Minister's Department," he added.

Perodua aims to sell 176,000 units this year, a 5.58% annual growth, its highest ever sales volume underpinned by the popularity of its three models, the Myvi, Viva and recently introduced Alza.

Aminar added that Perodua's new Alza had received 18,000 bookings since its launch last November and the waiting list had lengthened to up to four months from three months previously.

"The interest in our two other models, the Myvi and ViVa, continues to be strong with an average sale of 7,600 units and 5,700 units, respectively, monthly," he said.

On after-sales service, Perodua service operations recorded a 16% jump in service intakes to 1.59 million from 1.37 million intakes in 2008 on the back of higher car sales, improved efficiency at service outlets and the opening of new branches.

Perodua parts division also chalked a 23% increase in sales revenue.

originally appeared on: theedgemalaysia by Max Koh

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2010 Proton Persona Facelift Spotted (video and spyshots)

This year seems to be the right time for Proton to introduce a facelifted Persona since it was launched in 2007. For the past few months there are numerous spyshots of the expected facelifted version scattered around the web giving us a clue or two about how the new version would look like.

As we can see, the front bumper is nearly resembles the bumper of a Gen-2 CPS. The rear end suggest that the upcoming facelift could have an updated tail lamps design and looks like Proton decided to incorporated the use of LED technology. On the other hand, the wing mirrors also appear to be taped up, but through these spyshots, we can conclude that the wing mirrors on the new version have been integrated with turn signal indicators. s

 

 

 

 

  

 

  

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Lotus F1 Reveals Launch Date: 12 February !!

Team Principal Tony Fernandes today confirmed that the world will see the Lotus F1 Racing car officially launch on 12th February. 

The location of the launch will be revealed soon, but for the time being F1 fans worldwide will be pencilling in 12th February as the first time they will see the team's 2010 challenger, the first new Lotus F1 car unveiled since 1994.

                            

Writing on his Twitter account on Thursday, Fernandes said the team will turn on its car's engine for the first time on 5th February, before holding an official launch event a week later.

source: autosport ; lotusf1racing

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Malaysian GP boosted by Lotus and Petronas

Lotus's return to Formula 1 and the decision by Petronas to sponsor the Mercedes GP team have been a huge boost to the Malaysian Grand Prix, claims its circuit boss.

Razlan Razali, the CEO of the Sepang track, believes that interest stirred up by the Malaysian-backed Lotus effort and the national oil company's affiliation with Michael Schumacher have provided an unexpected boost to his venue.

"The last six months have seen a tremendous development for Malaysian motorsport," Razali said on the main stage at the AUTOSPORT International Show.

"We have seen Lotus F1, which is backed by Tony Fernandes as the new Malaysian team.

"Then Petronas was searching for a new partner. There was a lot of speculation and suddenly out of the blue, it came out with Mercedes. It is a really good development, a world champion team, with the return of Schumacher.

"So for us, as Malaysians, it cannot get any better than this. It is good for us and the country especially."

Razali is hopeful that the event's shift in start time to 4pm, one hour earlier than last year, will help avoid a repeat of the forced abandonment of the 2009 grand prix through bad weather and poor light.

"We haven't seen rain like it!" he said of last year's race.

"It was totally different for us as well. At the 2009 F1 race, it was my first F1 event, so it was not helping. But we have shifted the time to 4pm this year and hopefully the weather will be okay this year, but who can control that?

"It was crazy. You couldn't do anything, and there was no room for error really. We ran out of light so we could not continue the race. It was sad, good for television, but I did pity the guys who came to the track on the day."

originally appeared on autosport by Jonathan Noble

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Demak Motor to Enter Indian Market By End Of The Year

Malaysian firm Demak Motorcycles is planning to enter the Indian two-wheeler market by the end of this year.

Demak participated for the first time in an Indian auto fair and is looking to bring in its scooters and motorcycles.

“Globally, we have our range of scooters, e-bikes, motorcycles, mopeds and three-wheeler good carriers in the market. But in India, we are looking at launching scooters and motorcycles,” Jason Lee Tse Ta, international marketing in-charge of Demak Motorcycles, told The Telegraph.

Around 80 lakh two-wheelers are sold in India every year, of which 60 per cent are motorcycles.

“We are looking for some partners here…distributors or dealers. If all goes well, we should have our products here by the end of the year. The enquiries both from customers and dealers have been very encouraging,” he said.

Demak’s portfolio comprises motorcycles, powered by 250cc, 150cc and 125cc engines, a 110cc moped and 90cc and 50cc scooters.

The company, which has two manufacturing facilities in Malaysia and one each in the Philippines and Indonesia, is aggressively looking to grow in Asia.

It will set up another facility in Sri Lanka.

However, Demak is unsure about a facility in India.

“We are not very sure of setting up a manufacturing base here. There are a lot of things we will have to take under consideration. So to begin with, we will test waters by getting some dealers here,” said Lee Tse Ta.

Refusing to divulge details, he said two dealers, who sell Yamaha and Hero Honda’s vehicles, had already approached them.

Two-wheeler sales in December surged 66.60 per cent to 7,67,796 units from 4,60,852 units in the corresponding month in 2008.

Motorcycle sales rose 76.70 per cent to 5,92,596 units in the month from 3,35,370 units in December 2008. Sales in the scooter segment jumped 41.39 per cent to 1,27,597 units against 90,247 units a year ago, according to data available with the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers.

Originally appeared on: telegraphindia

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Proton team plots Sardinia IRC return

 

The factory Proton squad will return to the Intercontinental Rally Challenge this season with a two-car team of Satria Neo Super 2000s.

 

However, in order to complete an extensive test and development programme, its first event will be Rally d’Italia Sardegna in June, the fourth round of the 12-event series.

Scotland’s Alister McRae will pilot one car with up to four other drivers under consideration for the second seat.

“We wanted to give ourselves time to develop new parts. The testing is already proving very fruitful and we’d only be shooting ourselves in the foot if we’d tried to rush to be ready in time for Monte Carlo.” said Chris Mellors, whose British MEM operation overseas Proton’s rallying effort.

Mellors said that he was relishing the prospect of his team returning to the IRC.

 

“We’re coming off the back of our second place on Rally of Scotland and I really think we can get some more good results if we get the breaks. We’ve certainly got a car that’s proving to be quite good.” he added

 

source: ircseries

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A Debut For Proton In The International Geneva Motorshow To Showcase Its Future Design Direction?

 

Proton Holdings Bhd group managing director Datuk Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir revealed that Proton would participate in the 2010 International Geneva Motor Show for the first time at Proton's 2010 Family Day celebration held in conjunction with its 25th year anniversary here on Saturday.

 

The annual show, held in March in the Swiss city of Geneva, is one of the most important on the automotive firms' calendar as all the major carmakers will be there.

 

"We have come of age and the participation shows that the Proton brand is growing," he said.

He said Proton would use the seven-seater Exora multi-purpose vehicle to penetrate the Middle East market in the second quater of this year.

 

"Currently, the Exora, which was launched in April 2009, is in Brunei, Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia. And 2,300 units have been sold in Asean alone," he said.

Syed Zainal said Proton has received 38,000 bookings for the Exora and 24,000 units were on the road.
The Exora is priced from RM72,000 to RM76,000.

He said the Exora has beaten its competitors and this was a good barometer.

Earlier, Proton adviser, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, said the company has taken the lead in the local market again in its sales volume.

 

"Be more innovative, think out of the box. It's not only about changing the shape of the car but also changing performances," he said after launching the Family Day.

 

 

Meanwhile, just for your information, later last year, Proton’s chief of Design and Styling Department, Azlan Othman mentioned on his twitter account that Proton will showcase a new look to its future car in the name of Proton Design. He also stated that worldwide announcement will be made soon. There is a strong thought that what he mentioned on his twitter account could be related to Proton’s effort of joining the International Motorshow of Geneva. In other word, Proton could use its Geneva debut as a platform to showcase its new design direction to the world.

 

source: bernama

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Heikki Kovalainen confident over his switch to Lotus

 

Heikki Kovalainen is hopeful he has joined the most competitive of the new teams in the 2010 Formula 1 season.

 

The Finn, who joins Jarno Trulli in the Norfolk-based team, has had his seat fitted at the team's Hingham factory.

 

He told BBC Radio Norfolk:

 

"We want to be ahead of the other new teams, that's the minimum target.

 

"I think it's difficult to predict before we actually see the car on the track, and see some lap-times, and see how this first car will be behaving."

 

Kovalainen drove alongside Lewis Hamilton for McLaren in 2008 and 2009, but his place this year has been taken by reigning world champion Jenson Button.

 

The 28-year-old admits he had other options, but was quickly sold on the new enterprise when he spoke to team principle Tony Fernandes and technical director Mike Gascoyne.

 

"It wasn't a difficult decision once I met Mike and Tony, who are very much pushing this programme forward, it became very clear to me that they are very serious.

 

"The aim is to become a successful race team that is competitive even in the medium term, obviously at the beginning it will be tough," he said.

 

"Before I knew about this Lotus project I was talking to other teams, but when I spoke to Mike and Tony is became quite easy," he added.

 

originally appeared on: bbc

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Proton Set To Complete Consolidation Of Plants By Year-End

 

Proton Holdings Bhd expects to complete the consolidation of its two plants by year-end, said group managing director Datuk Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir.

Proton has two manufacturing plants in Shah Alam, Selangor and Tanjung Malim, Perak.

 

"Currently, feasibility studies are going on. We expect to finalise them by year-end," he told reporters at Proton's 2010 Family Day celebration held in conjunction with its 25th year anniversary here on Saturday.

Syed Zainal, however, did not reveal details.

The Tanjung Malim manufacturing plant, which is five times larger than the Shah Alam plant, is capable of producing multi-model products on a common line, allowing flexibility in production change to meet the changing market demands.

 

source: bernama

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Proton Holdings Bhd expects to complete the consolidation of its two plants by year-end, said group managing director Datuk Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir.

Proton has two manufacturing plants in Shah Alam, Selangor and Tanjung Malim, Perak.

"Currently, feasibility studies are going on. We expect to finalise them by year-end," he told reporters at Proton's 2010 Family Day celebration held in conjunction with its 25th year anniversary here on Saturday.

Syed Zainal, however, did not reveal details.

The Tanjung Malim manufacturing plant, which is five times larger than the Shah Alam plant, is capable of producing multi-model products on a common line, allowing flexibility in production change to meet the changing market demands.

source: bernama

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Lotus F1 Testing Debut in Jerez in Mid February

Lotus is scheduled to get its new Formula 1 car out on track for the first time at Jerez in Spain. The Malaysian-backed team will join the final two F1 test sessions before the Bahrain Grand Prix scheduled in mid March. The race car is set to be driven for the first time at Jerez from February 17.

 "We are actually a week ahead. When we got the entry on September 12, our schedule said we would fire up on February 12 - we are now scheduled to fire up on February 5.

"After that, we will be at the second Jerez test and then the final one at Barcelona. That will be the first time the world will see the car in action," Mike Gascoyne told Autosport. 

"We have made pretty rapid progress, and if we can maintain that then we will be in pretty good shape come Barcelona mid-season - and that is really where you have to target where you've got to be.

"Yes, there is the getting there – but we've done the getting there now, we are going to be there, and we are going to be in professional shape and we are going to be okay.

"Now it is about where are you mid-season, where are you end of season, and I want to end the season beating Force Indias and Toro Rossos and whoever is struggling – maybe Saubers. I want to be picking them off."

source: autosport

 

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Sepang set to extend MotoGP deal

Malaysia is set to continue hosting a round of the MotoGP World Championship through to 2015 after a multi-year extension was put into motion.

Sepang International Circuit (SIC)'s board of directors yesterday accepted a proposal from MotoGP rights holder Dorna to renew the deal.

The deal to be signed with rights holders Dorna, subject to ministry approval, is a further boost for the sport in Malaysia, with the expected announcement of a team from the Southeast Asian country competing in the 125cc class.

The circuit's chief said the new deal only makes sense if a Malaysian rider is taking part in the championship.

"If we agree to the deal with Dorna, it comes with the understanding that we will have a Malaysian rider competing until 2015," SIC chief executive officer, Razlan Razali, told The Star newspaper.

"Dorna will also help us to develop our home grown Super Series programme. The aim is to develop young talent to participate in future world championships.

"After all, what is the point of having a Malaysian Motorcycle GP with no promising local talent coming up?"

source: autosport ; timesofmalta

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AE86 Owned by Tengku Djan, the Prince of Drift Could be Yours for RM200,000

If you have a madness for drifting.. this is just the ultimate machine for you (possibly the finest drift car in Malaysia).. Owned by a famous drifter who won multiple prestigious drifting championships and not forgetting his honorable podiums in numerous international drifting competitions, it’s no other than our very own Prince of Drift, Tengku Djan Ley. A report from zerotohundred.com reveals that the fine tuned Toyota AE86 can be yours for a whopping RM200,000.

The same report also states that Interested parties can get further details by emailing the following address: djandrift [at] gmail [dot] com

Details of the car:
-2 race prepared shells, lightened w. 6point welded rollcage. Meets D1GP & Formula D Specs
-1 unit fresh race engine with spare rings (220whp)
-1 unit M48 Pro MoteC ECU
-1 unit trust oil cooler kit
-1 unit Koyorad alu radiator
-2 set TRD engine mounts
-2 unit TRD 5spd close ratio transmission
-1 unit TRD short throw shifter
-2 unit KAAZ LSD
-2 unit TRD 5.337 FD (with axle housing)
-1 set diff cooler
-1 set DG-5 suspension
-1 set Fully ball joint suspension arms (front & rear)
-1 unit hydraulic handbrake kit
-1 set Project Mu front disc with Mintex brakepads all round.
-5 set TE37 14 x 7 offset 0
-2 set Vertex bodykit (original)
-2 set J blood fiber door
-2 set J blood carbon bonnet
-2 set fiber hatch (with & without spoiler)
-1 set NOS system (Dry Setup)
-7 unit NOS tank
-2 unit Race bucket seat with 4 poit harness
-Defi tacho, oil temp and oil press gauges

click here to view more photos of Tengku Djan’s AE86

source: zerotohundred

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Naza set to distribute Koenigsegg supercars

The Naza Group of companies is said to have signed a deal with the Swedish-based high-performance carmaker a few weeks ago

 

The Naza Group of companies will soon offer the Koenigsegg supercars alongside the already wide array of fast cars it is already distributing.

The company is said to have signed a deal with the Swedish-based high-performance carmaker a few weeks ago. Sources said Naza will start selling the cars next month.

Koenigsegg Automotive AB manufactures some of the fastest production cars around and Naza will be its distributor for the Asia-Pacific region.

This is Koenigsegg's first tie-up with a Malaysian company to distribute the brand in Malaysia and regionally.

The move will extend ties between the Swedish-based firm and the region, including the high-consumption Singapore market, as it bids to grow sales to wealthy regional buyers who want something exotic and exclusive.

At present, Koenigsegg's Asia representatives include distributors in Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

The source said the deal will provide Naza with an additional brand under its luxury, high-performance stable that includes Ferrari and Maserati.

"Naza is looking to expand regionally and add value to the group," the source said.

Koenigsegg was founded in 1993 by Swedish car enthusiast Christian von Koenigsegg and competes with the likes of Bugatti and Pagani at the top end of the supercar market.

Koenigsegg produces no more than 35 cars a year in its effort to maintain exclusivity and high standards.
Its cars include the CCR, which at one time held the world production car speed record at over 388kmh and the current model CCX, which sells for around US$1 million (RM3.42 million) upwards.

The source said Naza understands that it can only market the brand to a select clientele who crave uniqueness, irrespective of cost.

"Their (Koenigsegg) future clients are not very price-conscious. The two major factors are exclusivity and delivery times for them.

"Price, to these people, is also not an issue. They want something no one else has," he added.

With the Naza deal in place, Malaysia may soon witness the regional launch of Koenigsegg's new saloon model, scheduled to be unveiled in several months' time.

The new model is said to cost less than their top models and produced at slightly higher volume than its existing two-seater sportscars.

It is understood that Naza will follow the business model of both Ferrari and Maserati where a stand-alone subsidiary will be set up locally.

The Koenigsegg office will be housed together with their other luxury high-performance brands at the Naza Auto Mall in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, for the time being.

The source said there is no indication if Naza will have a dedicated showroom for Koenigsegg.

source: Ben Tan via businesstimes

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DRB-HICOM in Talks to Manufacture Hybrid Vehicles

 

DRB-HICOM Bhd is in talks with potential partners to manufacture hybrid/electric vehicles in Malaysia, with the company expecting to “finalise something” by next year, a senior company official said.

 

“We are talking to two or three parties now and hope to finalise something within 2010. It would take 18 to 24 months after finalisation for the whole thing to come on stream,” group director for automotive Datuk Nik Hamdan Nik Hassan told a press conference yesterday.

 

He said the move was in line with the Government’s decision to encourage the development of hybrid and green technologies.

 

Under the revised National Automotive Policy in October, the Government had announced that local assemblers and manufacturers of hybrid/electric vehicles and the development of related infrastructure would be given 100% investment tax allowance or pioneer status for a period of 10 years.

 

They would also enjoy an exemption of 50% on excise duty for locally assembled/manufactured hybrid or electric vehicles or provision of grants under the Industrial Adjustment Fund.

Similar incentives would also be given to manufacturers of selected critical components supporting hybrid/electric vehicles.

 

Currently, Honda Malaysia Sdn Bhd and UMW Toyota Motor Sdn Bhd are the only two official franchise holders offering their own hybrid models in Malaysia – the Honda Civic Hybrid and Toyota Prius respectively.

The Honda Civic Hybrid and Toyota Prius are priced from RM129,000 and RM175,000 respectively.

 

“Honda and Toyota have hybrids now. Rather than just importing, we should consider manufacturing as well, especially where the Government has introduced incentives,” Nik Hamdan said.

 

DRB-HICOM, through its unit Modenas (Motosikal Dan Enjin Nasional Sdn Bhd), is already in joint development works with Petronas and Universiti Sains Malaysia to build hybrid/electric motorcycles.

 

“We’re looking at commercialising these units in the months to come and hope to introduce these bikes into the market,” Nik Hamdan said, adding that already there were running prototypes being tested.

 

Meanwhile, DRB-HICOM expects a 3% growth in its local automotive market share to 120,000 vehicles in an expected total industry volume (TIV) of 540,000 for 2010.

It currently holds a 19% share of the country’s TIV which DRB-HICOM has forecast to close at 525,000 units this year.

 

The group plans to launch at least 10 new models and upgrades of its various marques and this is expected to spur the growth of its automotive business in the coming year, according to Nik Hamdan.

Among the new launches for next year would be the Audi A5 and R8 by DRB-HICOM’s subsidiary, Euromobil Sdn Bhd.

 

Nik Hamdan said the group invested more than RM10mil to enhance the Audi brand image in Malaysia and that “our target is to make the Audi brand the top three premium car in Malaysia.”

 

DRB-HICOM distributes and assembles foreign marques such as Audi, Mercedes Benz, Honda, Suzuki, Mitsubishi, Isuzu, Mahindra as well as local marques such as Proton, HICOM Perkasa and Modenas.

 

The group will be launching two Suzuki models via its associate company, Suzuki Malaysia Automobile Sdn Bhd, with plans to appoint four new dealers, increasing total dealerships to 34 nationwide.

 

For the Honda marque, Nik Hamdan said the group was targeting to sell 40,000 units in 2010 versus 37,000 units sold so far this year, adding that there were plans to increase the local content of some of its models to 60% from about 34% currently.

 

He added that the group’s associate company, Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia Sdn Bhd, was looking at a 25% increase in sales to 10,000 units next year from 8,000 units sold this year.

Variants to be launched include the Pajero and Lancer models, he said.

 

DRB-HICOM is also investing RM20mil to beef up all its 40 3S (sales, service and spare parts) centres nationwide. The group is also embarking aggressively to export its motorcycles via Modenas.

 

“We’re looking at the huge Indochina and Indonesian market. I think Indonesia alone can cater to 5 million motorcycles,” Nik Hamdan said.

 

source: thestar

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Smooth ride for Malaysia auto sector in 2010

THE Malaysian automotive industry is expected to see a smooth racetrack ahead in 2010, reversing this year's slowdown that resulted from the global economic turmoil.

The vroom factors include better economic growth, new model launches, strong consumer confidence, improving access to financing and a more favourable pricing environment.

The Malaysian economy is expected to grow between four and five per cent in 2010, barring unforeseen circumstances.

"Based on the encouraging sales figure in November, car sales are set to continue gaining momentum in the new year," Malaysian Automotive Association president Datuk Aishah Ahmad told Bernama.

In November, 2009, total vehicle sales were 45,200 units, up 11 per cent from 40,865 units in the same month last year as market conditions improved.

Aishah said the revised National Automotive Policy (NAP) was expected to give the industry a boost as the policy would ensure a long-term viability and competitiveness of the automotive industry.

However, the industry might take some time to warm up before shifting to an upper gear, she said.
OSK Research motor analyst Ahmad Maghfur Usman said the NAP could transform the local automotive industry into a regional hub over the longer term with giveaways such as corporate tax holidays and tax exemption on exported goods to lure global original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).

"While the incentives will benefit the industry overall, we see Proton as a clear winner given that ample capacity at its Shah Alam plant can potentially be taken up by global OEMs," he said.

He said the government was trying to attract European carmakers following the recent relaxation on equity conditions for manufacturers in the luxury passenger car segment.

"This fortifies our view that a partnership between Proton and Volkswagen is bound to materialise anytime soon," Ahmad Maghfur said.

"We are optimistic of the longer term prospects of the industry going forward," he said, adding that total industry volume (TIV) would grow by 3.7 per cent next year from 500,000 units projected in 2009.

 

On the downside, the key risks were lack of new models to lift TIV and higher financing cost due to the likelihood of a hike in the overnight policy rate (OPR) next year, he added.

Bank Negara Malaysia has decided to leave the OPR unchanged at two per cent at its last Monetary Policy Committee meeting for 2009, last month.

On new models, Proton for instance will be launching new Waja and Perdana next year, in addition to a facelift Persona.

Proton Holdings Bhd recorded a 77 per cent increase in its pre-tax profit to RM100.652 million for the second quarter ended Sept 30, 2009 compared with RM56.608 million in the same quarter last year.

With revenue rising to RM2.104 billion from RM1.846 billion previously, the national carmaker attributed the improved results to better overall margins following the introduction of its multi-purpose vehicle, the Exora.
Proton was also reported to be optimistic about increasing its market share to 29 per cent in the financial year ending March 31, 2010 from 26 per cent in 2009.

Second national carmaker Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua Sdn Bhd (Perodua) also expects to increase its market share to 33.3 per cent next year from 31.1 per cent presently, counting on its latest MPV, the Alza.

Perodua Alza, the smallish seven-seater, with a price tag of between RM55,000 and RM70,000, is the among the latest local models unveiled this year. Others include the Naza Forte.

Market watchers are of the view that automotive companies should strengthen their advertising and promotions as well as sales teams to win the minds and hearts of buyers both in the city or rural areas.
Those with the swift gear will step on the accelerator to win the race while those who blink and press the brakes, will lose out.

 

source: bernama via businesstimes

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Proton Stops Car-scrapping Scheme

Proton Holdings Bhd has confirmed that its car-scrapping programme -- Proton Xchange Programme -- has been discontinued as the funding has been fully used up.

In a statement here Wednesday, Proton said only applications that reached its regional offices on or before Oct 31 would be processed for the rebate vouchers.

The national car manufacturer said it had received a total of 25,862 applications from March 10 to Oct 31, exhausting the funds provided by the government's economic stimulus plan even before the given year-end period.

"The programme, announced in March this year, was to run until Dec 31, 2009 or until the funds have been fully used up," it said.

Proton said it received a total of 7,539 applications from Nov 1-6 when it already stop the programme realising that the funding given has all been used up.
It said, however, the company has come up with a special incentive scheme for the said 7,539 applicants.

"These customers are advised to contact the same outlets they have been dealing with to make further arrangements, to enable them to enjoy the incentive scheme.

Proton said customers did not have to surrender their old cars in order to enjoy the special scheme but it would provide the necessary assistance in making arrangements with second-hand car dealers.

"While this scheme is applicable to the purchases of any Proton cars, the cars must be registered by the Jan 31, 2010," it said.

 

source: bernama

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