Among Southeast Asians, Malaysians are most supportive of China, according to a survey of 1,994 Southeast Asians by Singapore’s ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute. When asked if a situation forces them to choose between USA and China, 75.1% of Malaysians answered China – the highest in the region. Is there a correlation between results of a political opinion survey and the rapid rise of Chinese car brands launching in Southeast Asia? The short answer is ‘Yes’. Of course, there are other factors that de

Earlier this month, it was announced that Sime Darby Hyundai Integrated Sdn Bhd (SDHI) and Inokom Corporation Sdn Bhd have signed a Certificate of Mass Production to start the local assembly (CKD) of the facelifted 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe in Malaysia. Now it seems that a few units have been spotted on a car transporter on our local roads. Sent in by an anonymous user, these appear to be the facelifted Santa Fe though Hyundai’s local distributor, Hyundai-Sime Darby Motors (HSDM) has not given any o

This week's used car buying guide centres around the 2016-2020 Hyundai Ioniq, a hybrid C-segment sedan that today can be had for prices one would pay for brand-new local hatchbacks. Keen? Read on... The Hyundai Ioniq range in Malaysia The Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid was first launched in Malaysia in November 2016, locally-assembled (CKD) in Kulim. It's also the only other plant to produce the model aside from Hyundai's Ulsan plant in Korea. Our time with it however stops in 2020, and Malaysia missing o

At Proton’s opening of their new engine assembly line in Tanjung Malim earlier this week, it’s made clear that only the direct-injected 1.5-litre three-cylinder mill (TGDi) is assembled here, while the multi-point injection (MPI) variant is imported from China. Speaking at the press conference, Muhammad Hasbullah, Deputy Chief Operating Officer of Powertrains, said that while “the plant is designed to produce a few more variants of the [1.5-litre three-cylinder engine], at the moment the focus i

In the 2021 Nissan Futures webinar, data was presented on the current state of EVs and electrification in the SEA region. Speaking during the webinar was Iseo Sekiguchi, Regional Vice President of Nissan ASEAN, Vivek Vaidya of Frost & Sullivan Asia Pacific, Dusit Anantarak from the Thai Ministry of Industry, and Edmund Araga, president of the Asian federation of EV association. A data on EVs in the SEA region was presented by Vivek Vaidya of Frost & Sullivan. One interesting highlight of the res

The headlining must-have tech as we enter the new decade is Android Auto. Since its introduction in 2014, the system has received mixed receptions with one country’s antitrust unit actually filing a complaint case against it. Fast-forward to 2019, many car manufacturers are fitting Android Auto in cars as standard. Did you know that the cheapest car you can get with Android Auto is the Kia Picanto? Here are 5 SUVs that you didn’t know come complete with Android Auto: Hyundai Tucson Available on: