South Korea is a significant player in Asia's electric vehicle (EV) market outside China, boasting a robust infrastructure and a strong luxury EV market. If you want to watch development of EV in the context of developed Asia, minus China’s centrally planned economy, walled off Internet, and forced monthly caps on registrations of non-plug-in cars, Korea is the market to learn from. However, recent months saw a 25% dip in EV sales, contrasting a 50% surge in hybrid vehicle sales, is stirring con
Oct 18, 2023
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
Renault CEO Luca de Meo is calling for European car companies to work together in developing low-cost battery EVs. Meanwhile, China’s Li Auto’s CEO Li Xiang warns of social upheaval if more Chinese EV manufacturers go under, egging the government to mediate for mergers and acquisitions. The calls were made in response to intense cost pressure and uncertainties in the world’s transition to fully electric, software defined vehicles. A pan-Euro Avengers alliance Speaking to the European press at th
Mar 8, 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 stark contrast between the falling income of battery electric vehicle-only (BEV) stalwarts like Tesla, Polestar, Nio, and Xpeng, versus the record earnings by companies with more varied product portfolios - Volvo, BYD, even supposedly BEV laggards like Toyota and Honda proves one thing – BEVs are the future, but manufacturers need profitable hybrids today to fund their BEV endeavours tomorrow. Manufacturers relying on a 100 percent BEV-only line-up are in for a very painful journey ahead. BY
Feb 20, 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
Honda’s RS badge has often been mistaken for its high-performance-sounding initials. RS here does not mean “Rushing Speed” or “Racing Sports” but rather the less enthusiastic-sounding Road Sailing. To sail or glide along the road doesn’t exactly sound macho compared to the Type R or even the SiR badges that would be placed on other performance-oriented Hondas but the RS badge is an important one. It was first applied half a century ago on the first-generation Civic and turned the friendly-lookin
Jan 18, 2024
We’ve seen it, the updated 2024 Toyota GR Yaris that was recently revealed at the 2024 Tokyo Auto Salon. The focal point of much discussion has undeniably been the interior, and it's not hard to understand why. The interior changes are controversial to say the least, and although it doesn't quite strike me as visually appealing, the redesigned cockpit draws inspiration from race cars. The automatic variant features a traditional handbrake instead of the standard electric parking brake found in t
Jan 16, 2024