Japanese automotive giants are set to channel a total of THB 150 billion baht (~RM 20 billion) into Thailand over the next five years, bolstering the nation's shift towards electric vehicle (EV) production, according to a government spokesperson on Monday, reports Reuters. In this substantial investment commitment, Toyota and Honda are poised to contribute approximately THB 50 billion each (~RM 6.7 billion), Isuzu will invest THB 30 billion (~RM 4 billion), and Mitsubishi Motors will allocate TH
Dec 26, 2023
Little did we know at the time, but the humble Toyota Prius would eventually become one of the most important cars of the 21st century. Though initially scoffed at, seen as an ugly car, and made the butt of all automotive jokes, the Prius would go on to revolutionize powertrain technology, and by extension, show the world how to combine internal combustion and electrification in a small, affordable, and reliable package. Also read: Toyota builds its cars to last 20 years but this Prius is the fi
Aug 27, 2023
Subaru Corporation and Panasonic Energy have jointly announced their commencement of talks aimed at establishing a medium- to long-term partnership to address the rising demand for battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and automotive batteries in the expanding market. The potential partnership involves discussions focused on Panasonic Energy's supply of next-generation automotive cylindrical lithium-ion batteries to Subaru. In turn, Subaru would consider the integration of these batteries into its BE
Aug 1, 2023
Sometime in March 2023, Malaysia joined the Asia Zero Emission Community (AZEC), a commission led by Japan with the single-track aim of accelerating decarbonisation in Asian nations, a big part of which includes the propelling of cleaner energies. The AZEC decarbonisation goals start by simply improving energy efficiency, but it also extends to the science of renewable energies, grid developments, and even spans the breadth in the forming of new roadmaps and policies. It's a very, very long conv
May 12, 2023
This actually isn't the first time the Toyota bZ4X is seen in Malaysia – it was previewed back in January this year, however this time around there's greater clarity of its role in our burgeoning electric vehicle (EV) market. UMW Toyota Motor (UMWT) has brought in six units for now, with each of them finding duty in stakeholder engagement as well as development work between the government and private sectors alike, as well as within UMWT. A local launch is then definitely being looked into, but
May 12, 2023
At Auto Shanghai, which begins on 18-April 2023, Toyota Motor Corporation introduced two new battery electric vehicle (BEV) concepts: the bZ Sport Crossover Concept and the bZ FlexSpace Concept. They are earmarked for launch in the Chinese market in 2024, as two out of the ten BEV models that Toyota plans to introduce by 2026. The bZ Sport Crossover Concept is a crossover-type BEV developed in collaboration with BYD – in a joint venture called BYD Toyota EV Technology (BTET) – as well as FAW Toy
Apr 18, 2023
Toyota and Tesla, the two big Ts of the automotive world cannot be any more different. Toyota is the antithesis of Tesla, and vice-versa. On one side of the extreme, Tesla sees nothing wrong with using their customers to test features with unproven safety - kudos to Elon Musk for convincing his fans to pay USD 15,000 for the privilege to be become a Tesla lab rat. Get the products out first, fix the problems later is Tesla's way of doing business. On the opposite end you have Toyota. There is a
Mar 14, 2023
As starting points go, the Toyota Motor Corporation that new President and CEO, Koji Sato inherits is perhaps as great as it gets. Nobody can say it's not at its apex today; one that's competitive on track, has sports cars in the showroom, is world No.1 in sales, and with a steady vision for the future to boot. That's Akio Toyoda's indelible 14-year legacy. From the birds-eye view his new Chairman post affords, he'll see a Toyota he made cool again, rising tall from the multi-million-unit recall
Feb 5, 2023
You’re looking at the Malaysian-spec Toyota bZ4X, which was seen on UMW Toyota’s headquarters. The two units displayed are fully imported (CBU) from Japan. The bZ4X is Toyota’s first EV built on a dedicated e-TNGA platform, jointly developed with Subaru. It packs a 71.4 kWh battery placed flat under the floor with a DC fast charging rate of up to 150 kW, while the onboard charger accepts up to 6.6 kW AC charging (Type 2 connector). Also read: UMWT now has 3 DC fast chargers installed at its HQ,
Jan 6, 2023
Part two of our three-parter on SUVs coming to Malaysia in 2023 revolves around electric vehicles (EVs). Last week we talked about regular, pure-ICE models, and if that's more your swing here's the link. Plug in your chargers, we're going in... BMW iX1 The missing link in BMW's i electrified range in Malaysia, the iX1 made its global debut alongside the all-new BMW X1 in June this year. Considering the BMW electric range is pretty complete here, expecting it to be sold on our shores isn't too fa
Dec 24, 2022
Honda HR-V
Perodua Alza
Honda City
Honda City Hatchback
Toyota Yaris