When the Proton Satria was first introduced in Malaysia 30 years ago, the current owner of this Cherating Green Satria wasn’t around yet. Shane is a 23-year-old university student who is simply passionate and knowledgeable about all things Satria and his car has its own social media channel! Meeting him in person and learning more about Satina the Satria was worth the trip to Shane’s hometown of Ipoh. Though some might see it as just a bone stock Satria, as Shane delved in more on Satina’s histo
Mar 15, 2024
The automotive world is mourning the passing of one of the world’s most influential car designers, Marcello Gandini. He was 85 years old and was largely known for designing the world’s first supercar – the Lamborghini Miura. Gandini spent 14 years at famed Italian design studio, Bertone where he envisioned some of the sexiest Italian sports cars of the 1970s. Some of his famed works include the Lamborghini Countach, the De Tomaso Pantera, the Lancia Stratos, and the Alfa Romeo Montreal. The Tori
Mar 14, 2024
Alfa Romeo is a brand that is marked by a niche but passionate following in Malaysia, no less with a presence reaching back to the 1960s. However, it wasn’t without a chequered history of highs and lows, and a revolving door of local distributors that have all touted big plans only to fall short thereafter. The last was Sime Darby Auto Italia which dropped the brand back in 2013. With the recent establishment of Stellantis Malaysia, there are telltale signs that the brand will be relaunched in M
Mar 10, 2024
Volvo is a name that you would either associate with cars that resemble bricks or cars that emphasise safety. The Swedish carmaker would happily acknowledge both but it has gone over the whole brick joke a decade ago with its current line-up looking like smoothened-out ice cubes instead. However, safety has been a philosophy that Volvo proudly proclaims. Since Volvo’s engineer Nils Bohlin invented the 3-point seatbelt in 1959, Volvo has been at the forefront of automotive safety innovation. It s
Mar 10, 2024
The Mazda Lantis has the recipe for 1990s automotive goodness. It has a curvaceous yet clean design that combines sporty liftback practicality with sexy pillarless doors. That look made it the perfect car for many youthful Gen-Xers in Malaysia who are rich enough to persuade their parents or save up to buy a brand-new 323F Lantis nearly 3 decades ago. Malaysia in the 1990s was also in its own booming economy period with national projects that aimed to show the world that this Southeast Asian nat
Mar 3, 2024
The mega makeshift building in Technology Park Malaysia (just behind Wisma Standard Chartered) tells a story of the scale of UMW Toyota Motor's Beyond Zero event, an all under-one-roof symposium of Toyota's multi-pathway sustainable mobility strategy and the products it entails. Happening from now all the way to 28-February 2024, the event houses displays and unique demonstrations with something for everyone. Here's 5 of the coolest things you can see (and do!) there this week: 1. Get up close t
Feb 23, 2024
In the dead of night, an array of about 20 vehicles and about 60 experienced staff descend onto the long dark patch of tarmac that makes up one of three runways that service the busy Changi Airport. Their job - inspect, repair, and clean the entire 4.0 km stretch within about 4 hours before the runway is reopened. According to The Straits Times who were granted special access, at times, waiting planes are mere minutes behind the team, jostling to take off on the busy runway. The vehicles range f
Feb 3, 2024
Thailand’s 10-hour Idemitsu Super Endurance Southeast Asia Trophy is our region’s most interesting race you’ve never heard of. Think of it as the Thai version of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, but with familiar B/C segment cars – regular cars that make up our region’s motoring landscape. Once again, Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda participated under his ‘Morizo’ pseudonym. He raced under his self-funded ORC Rookie Racing Team, in the same modified Toyota GR Corolla that burns hydrogen instead of petrol. O
Jan 30, 2024
The government of Malaysia, specifically the Ministry of Finance will be proposing a revision in the legal definition of Completely Knocked Down (CKD) vehicles, with the intention of closing loopholes in ILP (Industrial Linkage Program) and MSP (Multi-Sourcing Program) tax incentive channels for such cars. Currently, Malaysia’s industrial policy and tax documents lump together simple Semi-Knocked Down (SKD) cars with full-fledged CKD cars. The former are cars assembled using very simple tools, t
Jan 27, 2024
Now that Akio Toyoda is no longer the President and CEO of Toyota, he has a bit more freedom to live life as his alter ego Morizo, the regular guy who just loves cars, and hates talking business. Akio is still Chairman of Toyota, but executive decisions are now made by Koji Sato. “Last year, I stepped down as president [of Toyota] and as chairman of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association. “At last, I think that I have been able to get back to being an ordinary guy who loves cars. “I had
Jan 26, 2024