Mazda and Panasonic Energy announced today that they have they have agreed to enter into discussions on establishing a medium- to long-term partnership to meet demand for battery EVs and automotive batteries in a rapidly expanding market. Panasonic Energy and Mazda will begin concrete discussions with a view toward Panasonic Energy supplying Mazda with automotive cylindrical lithium-ion batteries manufactured at Panasonic Energy's plants in Japan and North America, and Mazda installing batteries

At yesterday’s Dewan Rakyat sitting, Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul avoided a question by Muar’s Member of Parliament Syed Saddiq on why the Malaysian-made Proton X70 was not used, but an imported Toyota Vellfire is selected instead. In answering an earlier question posed by Bayan Baru’s Member of Parliament Sim Tze Tzin, Zafrul defended the government’s decision to switch its official cars to Toyota Vellfires, saying that the Vellfire offers very good value for money. “The leasing cost spent fo

As popular as the Toyota Vellfire is in Malaysia, its time is running out. Based on the numerous scoops covered by various Japanese automotive media, the sportier-looking twin of the Toyota Alphard is likely to not continue in the next generation. The Vellfire has a sort of love-hate relationship among Malaysians. It is cheaper (RM 367,881) than the Alphard (RM 446,609) and though it's only available with a 2.5-litre inline-4 officially, 3.5-litre V6 options are available through recond dealers.

A cumulative 50,983 units of the Toyota Alphard and Toyota Vellfire (model years 2017 - 2021) have been recalled in Japan for problems related to the car's auto stop-start feature. Depending on chassis number, reconditioned Japanese-import vehicles could be affected. We checked with UMW Toyota Motor (UMWT), who confirmed that officially-imported Malaysian-spec cars are not affected. This is because these officially-imported cars have been adapted for local driving conditions, and as such uses sl

Last year in June, the government announced a decision to place sales tax (SST) exemption for cars – cut sales tax on CKD cars, while offering 50% sales tax discount for CBU models as part of the Penjana stimulus package. It was supposed to last until 31-December 2020 but in a twist that brought mixed reactions in the local automotive industry, the Ministry of Finance extended the exemption to 30-June 2021. So, if you’re interested to buy a new car, now might be the right time to take advantage

The Lexus LM is Toyota’s most favourite MPV in its most luxurious form. Sporting the same 3.5L V6 2GR-FKS engine as the Toyota Alphard, the LM offers enhanced luxury. This year, Thailand has received the LM 300h while the LM 350 has been launched in Indonesia. Available in either a 4-seater or 7-seater configuration, the LM350 comes with luxury features such as: Mark Levinson audio 26-inch on board display (4-seater only) 13.3-inch on board display (7-seater) Massage seats (4-seater model only)