WapCar Morning Insiders (Oct. 11, 2019)

Today is Friday, October. 11

 Local News 

All-new Mercedes-Benz B-class now on sale

We previously spotted them in a spyshot just a few days ago but now Mercedes-Benz Malaysia officially launched the B-Class without much fan-fare. The Mercedes-Benz B200 is only available in Progressive Line styling.

The all-new B200 is powered by a Renault-sourced 1.3-litre 4-cylinder turbocharged engine that is shared with the A200. The little engine is capable of producing 165 PS and 250 Nm of torque.

Mercedes-Benz Malaysia releases a new GLA variant

The new GLA Style Line is priced at RM 223,888 on-the-road without insurance. RM 21,000 cheaper or shall we say, less expensive than the Night Edition.

Powertrain remains the same with the 1.6-litre turbocharged in-line 4 rated at 156 PS and 250 Nm, sending power through a 7-speed 7G-DCT dual-clutch transmission.

55 units of the government ordered Perodua Aruz delivered

The Malaysian Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (KPDNHEP) has purchased 55 units of the Perodua Aruz AV, and today a delivery ceremony was held at the ministry’s headquarters in Putrajaya.

“We thank KPDNHEP very much for choosing the Perodua Aruz and in doing so, supporting the Malaysian automotive supply eco-system, as over 90% of the Aruz’s components are locally sourced. The same is true of all our current models,” Perodua president and CEO Datuk Zainal Abidin Ahmad said.

Utusan to cease printing, and Kosmo reporter now a Grab driver

Due to the financial problems following the change of government last year, the Utusan Group reportedly failed to pay salaries since June.

Now that the oldest Malay Language newspaper ceased operation yesterday, it’s a problem for its employees to find another job. Mohd Izuan Roseli, A Kosmo journalist has been driving Grab since May, and now he made it his full-time job.

 WapCar Talks 

After-sales won’t improve until we start paying decent wages

During a recent trip back to my hometown in Ipoh, I learned from my dad that the son of the mechanic that he usually visits have moved to Singapore. He has recently secured a technical position at the Mercedes-Benz division of Cycle and Carriage. Good for him I say.

He is a talented young kid who has been helping out in his father’s workshop long before his peers learn about the theory of combustion engines. I have no doubt about the quality of his work.

However his father’s workshop is literally under a tree, with a small shack for tools and parts. It doesn’t look very presentable but locals in the neighbourhood will vouch for his work.

So here’s the question – if he is so good, why is he operating under a tree? Get the answer now!

 International News 

 Toyota 2019  Lexus previews the BEV concept

Ahead of the 2019 Toyota motor show, Lexus released a preview image of its BEV concept. The BEV concept is claimed to leverage the company’s advances in technologies such as electrification and autonomous driving.

Porsche wants to dip into the flying car business

Porsche and Boeing signed a MoU to explore the premium urban air mobility market and the extension of urban traffic into airspace. That is to say, the partnership between Porsche and Boeing is towards the development of a personal flying vehicle.

Volvo XC40 EV's infotainment system is better than a smartphone

Volvo said that more information on the electric XC40 will be dispersed in the coming weeks and here they are drawing attention on the infotainment system.

The system gets full integration of Android Automotive OS, Google’s open-source Android platform, with real-time updates to services such as Google Maps, Google Assistant and automotive apps created by the global developer community.