Following yesterday’s announcement by Sime Darby Berhad to acquire 61.2 percent of UMW Holdings for RM 3.57 billion, it’s still business as usual at UMW Toyota Motor (and Perodua) this morning, but there is clearly a sense of uncertainty among employees. UMW has yet to make any announcement on the matter, so the obvious questions on whether Daihatsu and Toyota were consulted on the deal, cannot be answered yet. The fact that UMW Toyota and Perodua – which are known for their very close engagemen

New Zealand is a very small car market. Selling less than 120,000 cars a year, the New Zealand car market is treated by car manufacturers as an extension of Australia (annual TIV of slightly over 1 million cars). Despite its small size, NZ is home to a very vibrant enthusiast car market. Its trade borders are open (at least for cars) and vehicle importation is simple. This explains why Toyota has given New Zealand a disproportionately high 150 cars allocation for the Toyota GR Corolla. Orders co

Audi has begun the first of its many steps to cut all ties with dirty internal combustion engines (ICE). Ahead of the 2021 Munich International Auto Show (IAA, Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung), Audi announced its mid-term Vorsprung 2030 strategy for the decade. Production of Audi’s last new combustion engine model will begin by 2025 but even by then, Audi will have more than more than 20 battery electric vehicles (BEVs) models on sale. One year after that, all new Audi models released in 20

Sime Darby Auto ConneXion (SDAC), the sole distributor of Ford vehicles in Malaysia, introduced a new 5-year manufacturer’s warranty for all 2021 Ford Ranger. This is a 2-year extension to the original 3-year manufacturer’s warranty. The new 5-year manufacturer’s warranty or 160,000 km (whichever comes first) is part of SDAC’s efforts to offer owners of the Ranger line up with added value. But existing Ranger owners are not left out. SDAC has 2 new warranty extension plans on offer known as the

As a company, Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) have seen better days. Yes, the company still enjoys a strong market presence, especially in 4x4s and it’s still the only brand that’s in a position to challenge the Toyota Hilux's dominance, but it’s safe to say that company have long passed its peak. More than 100 ago, Mitsubishi Motors’ predecessor, the Mitsubishi zaibatsu conglomerate built Japan’s first series production car – the Model A, which was a copy of the Fiat Tipo 3. At its peak, th

At Volvo Car Malaysia (VCM) annual business review, the company has confirmed that the locally-assembled (CKD) 2020 Volvo S60 will be launched in Malaysia in 2020, replacing the fully imported (CBU) units that were launched in 2019. VCM did not disclose the timeline of the launch but assured that the pricing and specification of the S60 CKD model will be identical to the CBU units that were offered in a sole S60 T8 Twin Engine plug-in hybrid R-design priced at RM 295,888 (OTR without insurance).