A common practice for manufacturers when it comes to differentiating their model trim or specification level is to have different wheel sizes. Higher rung models often have larger wheels thus having lower profile tyre, and the general consensus is that larger wheels look better. But are there actual benefits of having larger wheels? First, let’s take a brief through what exactly is the profile of a tyre. It refers to the gap or distance between the edge of the rim and edge of the tyre, it is ref
Apr 13, 2020
Volvo Cars and Geely announced that they have plans to create a standalone business focused on developing the next generation combustion engines and hybrid powertrains. The new arrangement is to allow Volvo Cars to focus on developing electric drivetrains. Volvo has high hopes that by 2025, 50% of the brand’s sales volume will be fully electric. This latest development comes in line with Volvo Cars’ ambitions to include a hybrid and full-electric powertrain for all their models. For Geely, the p
Oct 8, 2019
Nissan’s new COO Ashwani Gupta is sitting on a hot seat, with an unenviable task of cleaning up the mess left behind by Carlos Ghosn, the former Chairman and CEO of Renault Nissan Mitsubishi Alliance. Formerly the COO of Mitsubishi Motor, Gupta was appointed to Nissan in August 2019, and has been tasked with pulling Nissan out of the rut and his immediate priority is to stabilize and strengthen Nissan’s business by focusing on its core markets of USA, China, and Japan. Nissan is currently in a p
Jan 6, 2021
We’re pretty sure that an insurance company would have heard all kinds of excuses to justify their insurance claims. But we’re also sure that agents will never get over the shock of some of the excuses they come across. For this instance, a plane crashing into a Lexus IS on a highway. We can only imagine how the conversation on the phone would have gone “A what hit you? On the highway? You’re not just saying this to get a claim, are you?” The incident happened in Livermore, California, and thank
Mar 1, 2021
EV Innovations, a Malaysian EV company that built the “MyKar”, has signed an MoA with MARii to develop local technologies for electric vehicles. Another MoA was signed between EV Innovations and Ingress Corporation regarding the manufacturing process. EV Innovations is a subsidiary of System Consultancy Services (SCS) Sdn Bhd. This is not the first appearance of the MyKar. It has been showcased at several conventions, and last year, a “performance demonstration” took place at the Putrajaya Recre
Mar 31, 2021
(Model | Gallery) It’s Perodua’s first SUV (the company calls the Alza an MPV) and it is based on the latest Toyota Rush. Packed with advanced safety features, rugged looks and a 7-seater configuration, the Perodua Aruz is a viable choice for buyers looking for an affordable people carrier. How Much Is It? The Aruz is a ladder frame-based (same chassis as pickup trucks) 7-seater SUV and there are two variants on sale in Malaysia priced at RM 72,900 and RM 77,900. All variants are powered by the
Aug 29, 2019
Mention VTEC and images of an uncouth, loud, and high-revving Honda Civic speeding down the highway might appear in your mind. VTEC is Honda’s signature technology that dates all the way back to 1983. Uttering VTEC itself might even inject some imaginary adrenaline into your veins if you have any idea what VTEC feels like. Disclaimer: This article focuses on the fundamental concept of VTEC. Things like i-VTEC and VTC are will be discussed in a different entry. VTEC is a technology developed in t
Aug 5, 2020
Indonesia has officially launched the Indonesia Battery Corporation (IBC), a government-owned EV battery company, last Friday. The IBC consists of the following organizations: PT Indonesia Asahan Aluminium ANTM (Aneka Tambang Tbk) Pertamina PLN (Perusahaan Listrik Negara) The organizations fall under Indonesia's BUMN, which is a collection of state-owned enterprises in Indonesia. CNBC Indonesia reports that IBC will oversee the entire supply chain including the stages of mining, smelting, produc
Mar 29, 2021
The Proton X70 became an instant hit with Malaysians for its superb value for money, quality and features. At launch, the national carmaker surprised us by equipping the range-topping X70 Premium with 19-inch alloys as standard. The largest-ever wheel size to be fitted onto a Proton model. Proton officials said that this is to create a greater visual differentiation between the mid-range Executive and Premium variants despite knowing full well that the tyre replacement for the 19-inch wheels wou
Oct 15, 2019
The Malaysia Automotive Association (MAA) feels that the country does not need a third national car as the existing two are enough. MAA president Datuk Aishah Ahmad told The Edge, “From the industry’s standpoint, we already have two national cars — that’s already too many. To have a third national car? I don’t think we need it.” She also did not comment on Perodua’s intention to be involved in the third national car project as MAA does not have details of the plan. Datuk Aishah also said that ev
Jul 27, 2020
Well this is it. Proton has officially teased the imminent arrival of the 2020 Proton X50 in their latest Merdeka video. The teaser basically confirms what we already know about the Proton X50, including the LED headlights with LED daytime running lights, and quad mufflers. The quick shot of the new round Proton logo also confirms that the X50 will also receive red highlights on the front grille. Furthermore, the side profile of the Proton X50 is practically identical to the China-market Geely B
Aug 31, 2020
The Proton X50 has been met with explosive interest in the months leading up to its preview. Two weeks since bookings started and Proton has already accumulated 20,000 bookings! But the company has since come to realise the problem of third-party sellers and released a note regarding the matter. "The upcoming launch of the Proton X50 has created a wave of interest amongst Malaysian car buyers. Prelaunch booking numbers have been strong and Proton would like to thank everybody for their support.
Oct 8, 2020
Renault has been named Malaysia Car Subscription Company of the Year at the 2020 Frost & Sullivan Asia Pacific Best Practices Awards for its Renault Subscription programme, a year after the programme celebrates its first anniversary. Launched in August last year, the programme was designed to offer an alternative to vehicle ownership beyond the traditional hire-purchase model as well as car sharing and rental options available. “We are delighted to have received this prestigious accolade from Fr
Aug 24, 2020
Last week, the Proton’s Shah Alam HQ reported that an employee in their research and development division has tested positive for Covid-19. Over the weekend, 8 more new cases were reported forcing the Health Ministry to declare the situation the Auto Cluster. Now the company has issued another update. The following is a statement from Proton over the ongoing Covid-19 update: Subsequent to one of its employees testing positive for Covid-19 on 14th October 2020, Proton confirms 49 others have now
Oct 19, 2020
Volkswagen Tiguan was launched here back in 2017, adding a European flavor to the hotly contested C-segment market, dominated by the likes of Proton X70, Honda CR-V, and Mazda CX-5. The Volkswagen Tiguan in Malaysia is locally assembled at Volkswagen’s factory at Pekan and is certified as an Energy Efficient Vehicle (EEV), available in three variant, all powered by the same 1.4-litre 4-cylinder turbocharged engine mated to 6-speed dual-clutch transmission. With that being said, the Tiguan certai
Apr 8, 2020
Tahukah enjin CamPro (nama singkatan bagi "Cam Profile") adalah satu-satunya enjin kereta yang dihasilkan secara komersial dan domestik di Malaysia? Enjin ini direka untuk membuktikan bahawa Proton mampu membina enjin mereka sendiri setelah sekian lama berpaut pada bayangan Mitsubishi. Prototaip enjin pertama mula ditunjukkan pada 6 Oktober 2000 di kilang Lotus Cars, UK sebelum ia mula digunakan secara rasmi pada Proton Gen-2 2004, termasuklah model-model lain dalam barisan Proton. Kesemua gener
Nov 13, 2020
Proton’s management have told its investment bank partners that the company will be launching a new Geely-based model in 2021, according the latest investor’s newsletter by RHB Research. The research house didn’t mention any specifics on which Geely model that Proton’s management was referring to. However back in 2018, Geely Automobile Holdings, the parent company of Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, which owns half of Proton, signed an agreement to license three Geely models to Proton for CNY 1,344
Dec 7, 2020
Perusahaan Otomobil Nasional, the company which we now know as Proton Holdings, was established in 1983 as Malaysia’s national car company. Ten years later in 1993, Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua, better known as Perodua, was established as our second national national car company. We are now in the midst of setting up a third national car. All three national car companies were mooted by our then Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir Mohamad. In the early days, both Proton and Perodua were in every sense, a na
Sep 6, 2020
Proton announced today that one of its employees was tested positive for Covid-19 and is currently receiving treatment. Below is statement from Proton: Proton announced that one of its employees was tested positive for Covid-19 on 14th October 2020. The employee who is from the Research & Development Department in Shah Alam, was immediately put under the care of a government facility. The company which has been strictly adhering to the protocols issued by the authorities, immediately put into pl
Oct 15, 2020
When DRB-Hicom consolidated EON (Edaran Otomobil Nasional Bhd) with Proton Edar in 2012, EON was no longer a Proton dealer. Now though, EON has announced their return to selling Proton cars, plus a new logo. This comes after reports of Proton undergoing a restructuring exercise to focus on manufacturing while leaving retail to dealers like EON. In the announcement, EON stated that the company now owns nine dealerships that were previously owned by Proton Edar. Four of the branches are located wi
Nov 2, 2020
The Proton X70 is currently Proton’s latest and greatest model. As such, it features the company’s most advanced infotainment system to-date, including features such as voice command and built-in 4G LTE internet connectivity. The infotainment system is built upon Geely’s GKUI system, with Android 4.4 running underneath. Contents of the infotainment system are projected onto a 8.0-inch touchscreen with a 1280x720 resolution. What apps are included? Considering that the infotainment system has Chi
Jan 25, 2020
Like any organization experiencing rapid growth and change, there will be growing pains. Proton is experiencing this first hand, not just with supply issues of the very high in demand Proton X50, but also shortage in spare parts supply for its service centres. To Proton’s credit, the company has taken a very brave move to publically acknowledge the shortcomings in its after-sales services. At today’s announcement of Proton’s February 2021 sales performance, Proton said it recorded its highest ev
Mar 2, 2021
Proton is an abbreviation or Perusahaan Otomobil Nasional. It’s a national car. That was the intention and it is something we should be proud of. Germany has Volkswagen, Japan has Toyota, and Korea has Hyundai. Other famous brands have been left out in favour of those that cater to the masses with “people’s cars”. Proton is 35 years old (We’ll take the Saga launch as its birthday). Toyota and Volkswagen are 83 years old while Hyundai is 53 years old. Proton is young in comparison to these compan
Aug 2, 2020
Proton’s CEO Dr. Li Chunrong is confident that Proton will overtake Perodua to become the No.1 selling car brand in Malaysia by 2027, basically within the next model lifecycle of its products. Currently, only the Proton X70 is a new product. All other Proton models have yet to be replaced by a new generation model. In an interview with The Edge, Dr. Li said that ever since Geely became Proton’s partner in 2017, the company has been focusing on executing a 10-year product development plan, which
Aug 4, 2020
It is no surprise that Proton is working hard on the upcoming X50 – spyshots of the said SUV have been circulating on social media since early this year and the X50 name has been trademarked. Another missing piece to the puzzle is when Proton will launch its new B-segment SUV. According to sources familiar with the matter, we can expect the Proton X50 to be introduced as soon as late-2020. However delays in the introduction of the locally-assembled X70 could push the X50’s launch well into 2021.
Nov 11, 2019
Two years after partnering with Geely, Proton announced today a new logo today and new tagline to mark a new chapter in the company's growth. The new, almost 'Thundercat-like' logo, is an evolution of Proton's current Malaysian tiger motive design, but has been polished further to emphasize the four core elements of the brand's message - strength, agility, courageous, and pride. The previous tagline of 'It's In The Drive' has now been replaced with 'Inspiring Connections,' which is more current
Sep 24, 2019
Since the introduction of the Proton X70, all the love and attention were given to the range-topping X70 Premium 2WD and for good reason. By now you should be well aware of the “Hi Proton” Intelligent Voice Command function that allows you to operate some key functions of the car. Although, it is worth noting that controlling the windows using voice command is only available on the X70 Premium as the other Proton models do not come with the hardware to support it. Not only that, but the X70 Prem
Oct 21, 2019
Fitted with either Silverstone Kruizer NS800 or Goodyear Assurance Both tyres meet all of Proton’s performance requirements Kruizer NS800 has a longer lifespan, Assurance has a higher speed rating When the 2019 Proton Iriz facelift was launched in Malaysia, all variants except the entry-level 1.3 Executive (MT) (14-inch 175/65 R14) came equipped with 15-inch alloys shod in 185/55 R15 profile rubbers. Given the strong demand for the Iriz, the refreshed hatchback has very quickly found its way to
Aug 30, 2019
To recharge or not to recharge, that is the question that all Volvo XC40 buyers will have to answer when they make their purchase. Volvo has introduced a fully electric version of their compact SUV. They know it as the XC40 Recharge. The XC40 Recharge is the first of Volvo’s new Recharge car line concept and is the first step the company is taking towards their global sales goal of 50% all-electric cars by 2025. The Recharge has a power output of 413 PS and 660 Nm of torque. Volvo claims the XC4
Oct 18, 2019
Earlier this week, Proton received a lot of flak for auctioning off its prototypes, concept cars including the ItalDesign Giugiaro’s Emas concept, and even Karamjit Singh’s former PERT rally car. Critics say that Proton’s new Chinese owners from Geely were being disrespectful of Proton’s heritage, and that many of these cars deserve a spot in a museum. But I digress. Rewind for a moment the timelines. These cars have been locked away and left to rot by its Malaysian owners long before Geely came
Jul 26, 2020
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