The big drop in sales for Toyota cars in Malaysia

In 2016 it has been tough for many car makers with many of them seeing significant reduction in sales volume compared to 2015. This can be blamed on rising cost of living and the drop in the local currency against the US dollar. The economic contraction is very evident and banks are also issuing fewer car loans since they need to protect themselves from losing money from repossession. It is a difficult situation to be in. However, not all car makers are seeing big reductions in car sales. Honda for one has been enjoying records sales and same for Mercedes Benz. The ones that has been suffering the most surprisingly has been Toyota.
Toyota being one of the market leaders for many years for the non-local car brand suffered significant reduction in sales volume in 2016. The sales volume dropped by more than 30% and this allowed Honda to take the lead which is unprecedented. Honda has always been a distant second to Toyota but not any more. The new models such as the HRV and the new Civic really took the fight to Toyota. Despite Toyota introducing the new Hilux and Fortuner models it was not enough to keep the lead. The popular models such as the Vios and Camry lost a lot of ground when compared to the City and the Accord. This hurt Toyota massively and they looked out of sorts not knowing what to do and how to recover the lost sales. Toyota had to quickly do a mid life cycle face lift within 18 months of the car's launch. This is unheard of.
Toyota can no longer rest on their laurels and believe that the brand name alone can keep them at the top. The models introduced by Toyota have been very out of date and looked aged. The younger buyers are looking for fresher and newer designs which Honda has cleverly benefited from. It is unsure if the models introduced by Toyota was selected by Thailand or Japan but it appears that the better and newer models are held in Japan. Toyota cannot keep having this type of attitude if it is to lead the market once again.
Hopefully Toyota will learn from Nokia's mistake and not think that it is too big to fail. With the power of the internet and mobility, the younger generation are the ones who will be buying the cars and if Toyota cannot offer models that will appeal to the younger generation then Toyota's future will be doomed.

Mazda did a turn around one generation ago with their Kodo designed models and it has paid dividends. Toyota really needs to think about this approach and not be so ultra conservative. Conservative business has been left in the dust, it is time to be up to date or even ahead of its time.

the number of gears in transmissions

In the past 4 gears was the norm for car transmissions and this stayed for a long time from the 1970s to the 1980s then a gradual change took place where car transmissions moved on to have 5 gears. This stayed the same for over a decade until a few car companies decided to offer 6 gears. This was limited to some top end luxury cars such as BMW, Mercedes and Porsche.

Since the mid 2000 where the oil price shot up every car maker was rushing to introduce cars that offer better fuel economy and seeing that it was difficult to squeeze more efficiency from an engine the next best route was to improve the transmission by offering more gears. It was proven that with more gears and lower gearing at cruising speed the engine would rev lower thus saving fuel. This concept did make sense but it was somehow got carried away with car maker nows push up to 10 gears in their transmission system. BMW started using their 8 speed automatic in the F10 5 series and F30 3 series, then came Mercedes with their 9 speed automatic in the S and E Class models. Ford and Honda and Hyundai took one step further by introducing 10 gears.

Honda was previously focused on using the CVT system but it was not well received and had problems. Honda filed for patent for their triple clutch 10 speed transmission making it the first in the world triple clutch 10 speed. Ford and Hyundai were using conventional automatic transmission but adding the gears to make up 10. With this number of gears the transmission would have to be automatic as it would not be practical to swap gears manually. Porsche pushed the maximum number of gears for manual transmission to 7 and this was getting troublesome. With so many gears the driver will be spending too much time holding onto the gear level changing gears all the time. It didn't make practical sense.

Transmission systems with high number of gears have been around for a long time but those are installed in trucks and buses where the truck or bus has to lug heavy weight and being diesel the rev band is very short. the bus or truck had to be in the power band to be able to lug the heavy payload.

On the flip side electric cars have no gears and is able to run without using a conventional transmission. It will be interesting to see how far transmission technology will change in the near future.

power and more power!

It is obvious that ever since the engine downsizing exercise started all the car companies have been going the force induction route. the slowest of the lot being the Japanese car makers like Toyota and Mazda who still stick to the natural aspirated engine route. The non Japanese however have gone crazy with the turbo charging concept and have been busy bumping horsepower up like there is no tomorrow.

Each class of car now has their own set of monsters. Monsters?! I mean power monsters that are cars with ridiculous amounts of power. The hot hatch cars like the VW Golf and the Ford Focus use to have a mild 200+ horsepower but now the R version of the Golf is pushing close to 300hp and the Ford Focus RS version has well over 300hp and of course we cannot forget the Mercedes AMG45 which pushes out 370hp. While this is all good for the people who want to buy a pocket rocket, the power that these cars push out now is more than a much larger mid size saloon used to push out 15 years ago. The Mercedes E55 AMG from 15 years ago didn't even manage 350hp!

For the mid size saloons, the Mercedes E65 AMG and the BMW M5 push well past 500hp and is in what once was considered super car territory. It wasn't very long ago that the Porsche 911 turbo only had 480hp which is consider very low these days. Even the Ferrari F430 only had 490hp while the BMW M5 of today is pushing 550hp!!

then comes the SUVs, these giants never once broke the 450hp mark and had to lug around well over 2,000kg of weight. Now, the current models can easily break the 500hp mark and AMG even offers a kit for their G class to go into the 600hp territory!!

Super cars with 600hp are no longer interesting, hyper cars are now the hot topic. The magical 1000hp developed by the Veyron is no longer a yard stick. Cars like the Koenigsegg One:1 easily beats that with their 1340hp engine. the hyper cars like the LaFerrari and Mclaren P1 is easily breathing down the necks of the Veyron. Then now come new players NextEV with 1340hp all electric power.

all this power is definitely changing the automotive industry but the question still remains, can the buyers of these cars handle it? When is it considered too much power? Bragging right aside the safety aspect is something to ponder about. the new cars no doubt have traction control and other driving aids but there is also the law of physics. It is often you see in the news that someone crashes their super car because they didn't know to drive it properly or didn't have the skill to drive it properly despite having traction control and driving aids. There is a limit on how much the computer can save the driver.

when less is more expensive !

Car makes try to load in a lot of functions and electronic gizmos to make their cars more attractive to the buyer. Things like Sat-nav, Apple play head units, Bluetooth connectivity, blind spot indicators, lane departure warning and etc. The list goes on and on. Same goes for safety such as additional airbags, thicker pillars and thicker door structures. All this is good and in the name of safety.
Then comes the sports and super car makers who will flip it their other way and take everything out to save weight. One would think that removing these items from the car would be cheaper since you have less gadgets in the car. The answer is no! car makers like Porsche and Lamborghini charge the customer more for the light weight version with no radio, no air conditioning, no power windows, no sound insulation and not electric mirrors! Instead some of the car parts have been exchanged with carbon fibre panels to further reduce weight. The car may be 100-150kg lighter but the cost of the car goes up by at least 10-15% over a standard model.

to the average guy this is ridiculous but to the hardcore enthusiasts this is a god send. it may seem very strange that one would have to pay more to get less. I think it is all down to clever marketing by the car makers and creating the elusiveness of the model to make it special. Having the courage to charge more for it gives it the perception of being special.

These light weight models are usually sold very quickly as they are made in limited quantities and are often traded at much higher prices once the car has left the showroom. It is impressive that such a concept can work but it has been making Porsche and Lamborghini a lot of money in the last decade.

Lamborghini's SuperLeggera models and the Porsche GT3 models and the R models are highly sought after and since the production was very limited some models can transact at double the original price when it is resold in the second hand market.

NextEV NIO EP9 hypercar!

The electric revolution is here to stay and to add to that statement the up-start EV company called NextEV based in the US has just made a massive jump forward. Their NIO EP9 hyper car is able to hang with the best of the hybrids and best of the fossil fuel powered hyper cars from Ferrari, McLaren, Porsche and Koenigsegg. This electric monster pumps out an impressive 1360hp which is almost on par with the Koenigsegg One:1. Power is one thing but the handling must be there to match the performance and on a track like the Green Hell any inadequacy will show. The EP9 really made its mark that electric hyper cars can be as good as hybrids and fossil fuelled hyper cars. The EP9 lapped the Nurburgring in 7m 05 seconds.

to crack the 8 minute mark around the Nurburgring is one thing but to get close to 7 minute mark is a real feat on it is own. The car looks very futuristic and yet it is functional. The lithium-ion battery pack is good for 260 miles on a single charge and is incredibly fast. Elon Musk was right with his Tesla and NextEV just cemented that concept.

this car will be the talk of the town when it is officially launched. The big boys like Ferrari, McLaren, Porsche and Mercedes will be looking closely at this specimen. It will be a tall order to beat this car. Hyper cars are a good statement to show what the company is capable of but it may not necessary make the company a lot of money. NextEv will need to plan for regular cars that the masses can buy. A sedan and a SUV will mostly likely emerge as these models will be mass sellers. Electric cars are still quite expensive in comparison with fossil fuel cars but with sufficient economies of scale for battery production the prices will start to drop making it more affordable for more people.

Want to go faster? get better tyres

The age old debate about how to go faster has been on going since people started racing their cars. Most guys would think that having more power would naturally mean the ability to go faster. there is some truth in that but there is a condition attached to that statement. If there is more power and you are able to put it all down to the road effectively then you will go faster, however if your car has much better tyres but not as much power you can still be able to keep up or be faster than a car that has much more power. Many people may beg to disagree with me on this but without the ability to effectively put the power down the extra power is wasted. the tyres are the only contact your car has with the road and if there is insufficient traction the car isn't going anywhere!

Better tyres mean faster cornering speeds which leads to higher corner exit speed and the ability to reach the top speed sooner. On a car that has inferior tyres but higher engine power the car would have lower cornering speed and corner exit speed meaning that it would have to work harder to accelerate to catch the car with the higher corner exit speed. Like in Formula One you can naturally see that the cars that just came out of a tyre change with fresh tyres, when the tyres are up to temperature the speed of the car is much greater than before it went into the pit to change tyres. The lap times were very obvious and in many cases it can be as much as 2 seconds a lap difference.

Most guys are too wrapped up about engine power and making more power. It would be highly frustrating to drive a car with a tonne of power but no grip. The  car would be sliding all over the place and struggling in each turn. Watching lower powered cars passing you would be no fun! Cars like the Mazda Mx-5 is able to keep up with many more powerful cars is because it is gentle on its tyres due to its light weight body plus it is cheap to buy very good tyres for the MX-5 compared to much more powerful cars which have much larger tyres.

the moral of the story is to save up money to buy good tyres if you want to be fast. Forget about spending a lot of money for engine power.

Proton Saga or Proton's Saga more like it

Proton introduced their very first model called the Saga back in the mid 1980s. the very model stayed in production for about 20 years before the next model came out, and now the 3rd generation finally came out. Spanning 30 years Proton only introduced 3 generations of the Saga. Now I know why they call it the Saga because it like a movie or story saga where it goes on and on taking a decade at least to see a new model. In this modern day all car companies are shortening their model life cycles to keep their model line up fresh and exciting. Even Porsche who previously took 9 years to introduce a new model has been shortening its model life cycle because it knows that the more new models they introduce will lead to more sales.

Proton's R&D department is taking the motto of "Don't fix whats not broken" to the extreme or they are just plain lazy! The newer iterations of the Saga seems like a minor step forward. Some may argue that it is a bare basic car and what can you really expect? That can easily be answered by the closest rival from Perodua which continuously take bigger and bigger steps ahead of Proton. Cheap doesn't mean it has to be bad! Cheap can also be decent if you do it right. Perodua is fortunate that they can draw from the massive parts bin from Daihatsu Japan and Proton is left developing engines of their own. However since Proton is better that assembling cars rather than doing its own R&D I would think that it would make better sense for them to solely focus on rebadging cars. The Proton Wira, Waja and Perdana were fine examples from Mitsubishi and they were reliable and decent value for money. If you don't have the right capacity to do R&D, stick to what you know best... rebadging cars.

the new Saga claims to be better but it is still yet to be seen. Proton claims good initial sales but this can be seen only in 6 months time when the sales figures are published rather than claimed by Proton. Making claims about the sales figures to boost confidence is one thing but the actual sales figure will speak for itself.

I wouldn't judge too quickly but there is always a market in malaysia for entry level cars. The economy is not good now and cheaper cars will be more popular since those who can't afford Japanese or Korean brands will revert to buying local cars.

Charging stations in Malaysia

With the introduction of more plug-in hybrid cars in Malaysia it would make sense to build more charging stations. Up till now Malaysia only has a handful of charging stations for electric vehicles most of which were built by Nissan for the Nissan Leaf electric car but now with Volvo, BMW and Mercedes introducing their own plug-in hybrids a Government initiative Greentech has announced that they will install up to 30 more charging stations across the country with most of them being located along the North-South highway.

Naturally with this expansion it will fuel further emphasis on plug-in hybrids. Malaysia has been slow to adopt electric vehicles and ever since the change in Automotive Policy by the Government the sales of electric vehicles have almost died. However with the new incentive scheme for locally assembled plug-in hybrids qualifying for the tax break the sales have started to grow again. Without the expansion of the charging station network only a small number of people would buy an electric car. Plug-in hybrids are different because it still has a gasoline or diesel engine to power the car. The expansion of the charging station network will not have a big impact on plug-in hybrids since the range offered by the electric motor and batteries barely go beyond 60km and charging time is much longer than any regular refuelling.

I would think that in urban areas more charging stations should be installed so that more electric vehicles should be used to reduce air pollution. Places like large malls, office buildings and hospitals should have charging stations.

The difficult thing about electric vehicles is that there is no one standard charging system for all cars. Some car companies use their own proprietary charging plugs while others use a different type. this makes it difficult. I would think that it will make logical sense for all car companies to band together and agree on one standard system so that they all can benefit from lower overall cost of cables and connectors and not to mention convenience of charging.

Looks like the next wave of electric or plug-in hybrids are here to stay after all. Despite being late to the game, it is still never too late. I am looking forward to see what other models will be introduced in the next few years.

Tesla vs all the car companies

Recently we see numerous car companies claiming that they will be introducing their own version of the electric sports sedan that will rival and beat Tesla. It is funny that all these companies make such claims and will only introduce their cars in 2019 or 2020. That is some 3 years away and yet they are making such claims now. Teslas model P, S or D have been around for a few years now and it takes other car companies so many more years to even catch Tesla. It is ridiculous that they can make such claims when they don't have a car capable of competing with the Tesla now!

Audi, Porsche and now Mercedes claim they will have a competitive car, all of which can charge the batteries to 80% within 30-40 minutes via a rapid charger. Seriously come 2019 or 2020, we don't know how far Tesla would have gone with their development. they could very well move the yardstick much further and the car companies will just have a bigger mountain to climb.
It is very obvious that Tesla made such a big impression that car companies have no choice but try to chase Tesla. Electric cars are definitely here to stay and with Tesla building the gigafactory which will supply more than 70% of the world's car batteries will no doubt be a defining moment in automotive history. And it will be ironic if any of these car companies will end up buying the batteries from Tesla's gigafactory.

Tesla definitely rocked the automotive industry by doing things differently and big detractors like GM and Ford we trying to find ways to destroy Tesla. Despite several crashes that resulted in the driver dying, Tesla was the first company that pioneered the self driving function. Tesla is still the only company that dares to take the first step to introduce the self driving function. It is a huge risk but someone has to do it. Like any innovation there is always the element of risk and failure. Without failure one would not learn the true problems and how to make progress and improvements. to put it simply Tesla is decades ahead of its nearest car company rival.

With every new innovation that Tesla introduces, all the car companies are watching and trying to emulate. Tesla's thinking is many years ahead and since they develop technology that is for the future all the car companies are just playing catch up. Innovation is the key to Tesla's survival and Elon Musk is one man who is willing to take the risk to make a difference.

Being a new car company is never easy but taking the automotive industry head on is another huge challenge. Tesla excelled where the others failed and made electric cars exciting again. I am very sure there will be a new innovation waiting to be introduced and everyone in the auto industry will be watching.

Mercedes GLC 43AMG vs Porsche Macan S

Previously we had the hot hatch battle where all the ultra powerful hatchback cars would compete in the horsepower war. All of it started with the Golf Gti, then came the Renault Megan Cup, BMW 1 series, Audi S3, Ford Focus RS and finally the Mercedes A45 AMG. Now the battle has moved on to the medium sized SUVs like the Mercedes GLC, Porsche Macan, Audi Q5 and the Volvo XC60.

Porsche being Porsche all their cars are sports oriented and the Macan is like a baby Cayenne with decent engine power. To cater for a wider audience Porsche has several engine choices such as the 2.0 turbo, then the 3.0 turbo and the 3.6 turbo variants. Little did Porsche realise that Mercedes now have a contender in the form of the GLC43 AMG. Like any AMG model Mercedes, the car will come with serious performance which is what the AMG engines are known for. Mercedes took the fight to Porsche with this model by going one up on them with a 3.0 V6 twin turbo pushing out a heavy 361hp and 520Nm of torque. this figure is enough to push the car to 100km/h in 4.9 seconds. This performance figure beats the Porsche Macan S but is slightly slower than the Macan Turbo. Mercedes is clever in coming out with this model as it will definitely steal some Porsche sales since the price tag is expected to be lower than the Macan S loaded with the same options.

Porsche has a tendency to provide bare cars and options are part of the customising experience when you purchase the car but this pushes the prices up significantly and often adding optional accessories or functions will inflate the cost of the car by 25% to 30%. Mercedes on the other hand will load the GLC 43AMG with enough accessories and functions to make it a bargain when compared to the Macan S. Having said that, Porsche fans will still be Porsche fans and the badge itself will generate sales without too much effort. The battle will be for those fence sitters who are unsure about which car to go for and the extra value from the Mercedes can be the tipping point.

On paper the Mercedes beats the Porsche is almost every segment from horsepower (GLC 361hp vs Macan S 340hp), torque (GLC 520Nm vs Macan S 435Nm), acceleration (GLC 4.9 sec vs Macan S 5.2 sec). the other point is that the Mercedes comes with the AMG exhaust which sounds a lot sportier and will fart when you lift off the throttle. Mercedes put a lot of thought into this car to make it a real challenger to the luxury mid sized SUV segment.
Depending on the price difference between the two cars, if the gap is big enough Mercedes will definitely steal some Porsche customers.

Perodua Bezza vs Proton Persona

The battle between Proton and Perodua is heating up with Perodua introducing their first sedan model in Malaysia which puts tremendous pressure on Proton. Proton has traditionally produced low end sedan models which has been popular due to its price but ever since Perodua entered the market more than a decade ago Proton's dominance has gradually been eroded away. Perodua mainly focused on small hatchbacks until now. The original intention was not to compete head on with Proton. The sales of the new Perodua Bezza caught Proton by surprise and they didn't expect the Bezza will give it such a hard time when it came to the new Persona sales. Proton claims 4000 bookings for the Persona but when one talks to a Proton dealers all will complain that no one is buying it. It appears that the handful of bookings are often rejected because the buyer is unable to secure the loan for the purchase of the car. It is very likely that the claimed 4000 bookings are a mixture of genuine buyers and people who wrote their name down for a test drive and those who just signed a visitor registration book in an attempt to create more market confidence.

The confidence in any model introduced by Proton is at its lowest. Despite trying to revamp its image, many Malaysian buyers are shying away from Proton as they feel betrayed in the past and the quality of their cars have gone from bad to worse. Proton's demise looks very likely to take place. Proton's last hope is the new upcoming Saga replacement which is the entry level model. About 50% of Proton sales is from the Saga model. If this model doesn't sell well, Proton will need to shut down. The Saga is aimed at value, as cheap as a Perodua Axia but bigger in size.

Many Malaysian consumers are sick and tired of Proton's attitude thinking that it will be bailed out by the Government. Proton has not aimed for quality nor attempt to win back the customer's confidence. Their TUV campaign years ago did nothing for their image. The damage was done from early days but during that time they had little competition and did not care about progress. As we all know there is no such thing as standing still in business and no one is too big to fail but Proton thinks like that. This is where rot starts to begin coupled with entrenched corruption at every level which ultimately forces the cost of the car to increase. With such issues, Proton is unable to be competitive and be profitable at the same time.

Perodua on the other hand is run like a Japanese company and is properly structured to be cost efficient and produce cars that people will buy. They also lean heavily on Daihatsu Japan for technical assistance and advice to progress with each model they introduce. Perodua cars are here to stay and will be the main competitor for Proton until Proton's demise.

Mercedes C350e plug in hybrid

In the recent months BMW and Volvo launched their plug in hybrids with good response and looks like Mercedes really did jump on the bandwagon by launching their C350e plug in hybrid. This trend looks to stay since the incentive is too good to ignore. The price difference between the fully imported version versus the locally assembled version with tax incentives is well over RM100,000 (about US$25,000). This is a very significant amount and automatically makes the car look more attractive price-wise.

No doubt that Mercedes went all out with this model being much more powerful and have more torque than its closest rival, the BMW 330e plug in hybrid. Nevertheless the launch time for both BMW and Mercedes was barely 10 days apart. From the response BMW received for the X5 it is quite likely that the Mercedes C350e will be good. the car is also attractively packaged with extra items such as 19" wheels and airmatic suspension which both come as standard items.

It will be interesting to see which car company will follow suit. Companies such as Lexus, Infiniti and Ford have access to local assembly plants and this could mean that if BMW and Mercedes see good success from their hybrid sales the other car brands are likely to follow.

Those in the market for a new Mercedes C300 will very likely be tempted to switch to the C350e considering that its fuel economy is far better than the C300 and the 600Nm torque is incredible for a car this size. 

new Ford GT

Ford introduced their latest super car that can hang with the best of that is made in Europe. The Ford GT is the reincarnation of the legendary Ford GT40. The new model is made using all the latest materials and technology any car factory can get their hands on. The car looks spectacular and is worthy of its place next to any Ferrari or Lamborghini. The craziest thing is that Ford decided to make only 500 cars and they will hand pick who will be the lucky buyers for this car!

You would expect Ferrari or Lamborghini doing this with special limited production models and likewise for Porsche but Ford???!! the last model GT had a production run of over 4000 cars and it has its place as a cult car. I am not sure so that producing only 500 units and hand picking the buyers will be a smart thing to do. It does create a sense of exclusivity and keeps that car special however Ford can easily make 2000 units and keep it exclusive. They would also be able to amortise the cost of development and keep more buyers happy. ford can't keep the owners from profiteering from the sale of the car but at least more people would have a chance to own it.

The new GT looks very impressive with its advanced aerodynamics and also using a V6 twin turbo engine. The aim is to improve efficiency in every department and give the car a chance to keep up or beat the best from Europe. The previous model was extremely thirsty and would require regular trips to the gas station compared to European competitors. Ford has already raced this model in Le Mans and is really putting to good use all the development they have done on this car.

Ford certainly have the capacity to build super cars but in this instance the GT is like a demonstration of their capability rather than a profit making exercise. This is the same for Lexus with the LF-A. Lexus didn't make money on the LF-A but wanted to do it to show the world that they are capable of making super cars.

Perhaps after the final unit has rolled off the production line and the demand for the GT is good, Ford may consider extending the production to make an extra few hundred units.

F1 drivers of the current era

There have been many debates about who is the best F1 driver thus far and it is a difficult one to judge because different drivers faced different challenges during their career and the cars they drove were very different. Typical Brits will say it is Lewis Hamilton because of his natural ability to drive the heck out of the car at any given day while Germans will argue that Michael Schumacher is the undisputed best of all with the most number of wins, most Championship titles and most Pole Positions, then the Brazilians will say it is Ayrton Senna. None of these top names can be accurately compared with one another since the cars and technology were different. They all possessed natural talent and incredible tenacity to win.

Now comes a new breed of F1 drivers who will soon replace seasoned drivers like Hamilton. The two names that come to mind are Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz. These two are sons of former race car drivers with Max Verstappen being the son of Vos Verstappen who was the team mate of Michael Schumacher and Carlos Sainz is the son of the multiple world champion rally driver Carlos Sainz. Racing is in the DNA of these two young drivers and soon another son of a legend will join them, Mick Schumacher, son of Michael Schumacher.

The pressure and expectation on the shoulders of these young drivers is immense having fathers who succeeded in their racing career leaving a legacy behind for their sons. It is not uncommon for sons of previous champions to join the same fraternity, people like Jacque Villeneuve and Damon Hill were sons of champions. Both managed to live up to their father's legacy and won on their own capacity.

There is no shortage of talent in F1 but standing out in the crowd is the hard part. Driving with a top team makes things that much easier in terms of winning but the true talent is on display when the driver can win in a second rate car. Driver's like Sebastian Vettel did so in a Torro Rosso and so did Fernando Alonso. Driver's like Lewis Hamilton had a good car in all of his career so far and that helped tremendously with his wins tally however if he was stuck in a second rate team with a mediocre car, can he win? Of course one would argue if the conditions were right and he had the opportunity he could definitely win.

The current season's championship race is not very interesting because it appears that Mercedes is having an internal battle between the two drivers but once the regulations change again in 2017 there might be a shake up and some secondary teams may be able to pull something over the big teams. this was what happened with Brawn GP team and got lucky with an aerodynamic component design that allowed them to have a massive advantage.

more plug-in hybrids coming to Malaysia

It appears that Volvo's entry with the XC90 plug-in hybrid has really opened up the doors for other car makers to follow. BMW being the one that is hot on this topic with the introduction of the X5 plug-in hybrid and the soon to be launched 3 series plug-in hybrid. The key point about jumping on this bandwagon is to enjoy the tax incentives provided by the Malaysian Government. Previously when the Govt closed the incentive for imported hybrid cars the sales of hybrid cars dried up literally over night. The Govt changed its rules that now requires car makers to locally assemble the hybrids to qualify for the tax incentive.

The tax incentive is a big deal as it can tremendously reduce the price of the car for consumer. Like with BMW's X5 plug-in hybrid the price is easily 30% cheaper than if it was fully imported. The new 3 series plug-in hybrid is expected to be priced around US$60,000 which is considerably cheap compared to fully imported version that would very likely cost US$20k more. what this means is that ownership of the car becomes more attractive to the consumer and will allow them to undercut Mercedes and Audi of the comparable model.

Malaysian car buyers are price sensitive and it is very obvious with the impressive sales of the X5 hybrid thus far. Saving 30% on the car meant that the car is within range for more buyers. I now wonder which other car company will follow this trend. If many car makers also embark on this type of tax incentive exploitation it won't be long before the Malaysian Govt will stop providing such incentives since it will erode away their tax revenue from the auto industry.

Since many car makers already have their own plug-in hybrids it is likely that many will be seriously studying this tax incentive however setting up an assembly facility for one or two models may not be feasible but tagging on with an existing production facility will make sense.

Malaysia has one of the highest taxes imposed on cars and reducing the amount of tax paid per car will make a massive difference to the consumer. BMW and Volvo are definitely bold to take this step and it is paying off well for them. It is good to see creative thinking of these car companies and I hope that more car makers will follow the trend.

revival of old brands

Old brands such as TVR and Bristol are making a come back and hopefully it is one that will see them stay afloat for more than just a decade or so. In recent news investors have revived TVR and Bristol brand. Both are known for specialist design sports cars with character.

TVR was previously owned by a Russian whizkid who invested heavily in the company in the attempt to turn it around but the revival was short lived. TVR had the potential to grow but it didn't have the right model mix. TVR being a sports car manufacturer the timing was also wrong. At a time where sports cars business was not exactly thriving TVR was focusing too much on sports cars. TVR could very well make a sports saloon which would appeal to more people. Making only sports cars the appeal was limited to those looking to buy a sports car. If TVR offered a M5 rival or even a smaller M3 rival it could possible stay afloat since it would appeal to a much wider customer base.

Bristol is no different since it focused only on building sports cars. The similarity of both brands and they way the did business really led to their demise.

These two car brands do have their following and hopefully they are able to turn a profit with careful product planning and appealing to a wider customer group. They can still be specialist in the sports car field but having additional models will not hurt. Just like how Porsche turned from a sports car maker into a major luxury brand is enough proof to justify this. Porsche makes more money now than ever before and the profits come from the non sports car models. Porsche still keeps true to its sports car heritage by making the cars sporty to drive and driver focused, this can also be done for TVR and Bristol.

It will be interesting to see how TVR and Bristol can turn around. It will take time for them to develop new models and take some risk on non sports car models. It would take at least 3-5 years to see any significant results.

Car ownership preference changes with age

Our taste in things change as we grow and this is no different for cars. During the early years of having a driver's license one would be the hot blooded racer wannabe who would yearn for the most bang for your buck car you can get your hands on. This would likely be something that was fast and raw. At that age you wouldn't be too bothered about comfort, the aim was to go fast.

Then came the next phase of life when you can afford better cars and would upgrade from a Japanese turbo charged car to possibly a European sports saloon. After this you are married the next car would likely be a SUV and possibly a MPV to lug around the more than necessary baby strollers and etc.

Once that is done the matured racer is back with a sporty German saloon or a uprated SUV with some serious muscle. For those who mellowed tremendously during the family era would probably end up with a Lexus or some luxobarge that will be super comfortable but boring as hell to drive.

Looking back from the time you were in your teens and to the time you hit your 50s, the change in taste of cars vary tremendously. During the teenage years one wouldn't be bothered with a car like a Bentley not would he want one as it carries a much more matured image while a man in his 50s would love the Bentley and would cringe at the thought of driving a Subaru WRX.

The evolution of one's taste in cars is very interesting as each phase in life has a big influence on how one thinks about the car he drives. Many would learn the lessons associated with ownership of different types of cars and also how much money one would need to spend to keep up with their interest in cars.

Some cars just cannot shake their image of being say a boy racer car or a gentleman's car. Typically you can say that cars like a Subaru WRX is a boy racer car while a Bentley continental or an Aston Martin is a gentleman's car.

bodykits

These days many new cars come equipped with sporty looking bodykits but do these bodykits really add any function or is it just for looks? typically a bodykit is made from ABS plastic or fibreglass. The design of the bodykit can make the car look more sporty or edgy compared to the original car. Big factories that are linked to car companies such as TRD, Mugen, Nismo, Brabus and etc are usually more subtle without the crazy wings and are visually acceptable to most people. These kits usually comprise of a new front bumper or splitter, rear spoiler, and side skirts. The outrageous types such as C-West, Liberty Walk, DAMD and XXX are offer much more extreme designs with flared out wheel arches, large rear wings and much lower and more aggressive front bumpers.

If designed correctly the bodykit will add downforce to the car at high speed improving stability and handling. If designed badly it will create more aerodynamic drag and additional weight on the car. A well designed kit would have been CAD designed and even tested in the wind tunnel for aerodynamic efficiency. Cars like the first generation Audi TT needed a rear spoiler fitted to keep the rear of the car stable because the original car's rear generated lift at high speed and resulted in many accidents when the driver applied the brakes and the tail became unstable.

The front of the car can also benefit from a well designed bodykit with the suitable ducting to channel cool air into the engine, radiator and brakes. For racing applications this is critical and similarly for cars which are put on race tracks. Car's like the BMW M3 or Porsche 911 have these features integrated into their front bumper design. The tricky part is to design it to be function but yet aesthetically appealing. There are cases where a bodykit is designed to look good but serves no function and may even hinder the performance of the car. these are purely for display and to look good but if put to use it will reduce the performance of the car.

The evolution of the bodykit has gone many steps forward compared to 10 years ago. Apart from usage of better materials that are lighter and stronger, additional parts have also been added such as vortex generators attached to the rear windshield and rear diffusers. These add downforce to the car. Some kits also include flat under floor plates what help channel air under the car more efficiently for better aerodynamics and improve stability of the car.

Going electric and hybrid

More car makers are getting more serious about going electric or hybrid with their cars. They all acknowledge that the trend is pointing towards electric or hybrid. to be honest battery technology isn't quite ready to match the demands of a car to enable it to have a sufficiently long driving range while keeping the cost affordable. Even with the new upcoming Tesla model 3 the expected range is only 300km so that the car can be made more affordable. it is acceptable if the car is driven purely in the city and not between cities that are further than 300km! this puts a strain on the owner who has to buy a second fossil fuel powered car that can have a driving range of over 500km and can be quickly refuelled.

Porsche recently openly talked about their upcoming electric sports sedan claiming that it can have a better driving range than the Tesla P90 while having a ultra fast charging system. This is all talk at the moment since the car is not out yet. it is expected to be released 2 years later and who know what Tesla may be up to with their development. From what i can see Porsche is drumming up their car but without a physical unit on the road it is just gossip for the moment. The Porsche engineer who made a statement that the Tesla is a just a gimmick may have to swallow what he said because Tesla's development is moving at a rapid pace and if Porsche cannot introduce their car soon enough they will be the ones who will be laughed at.

Several countries have already planned to ban fossil fuel cars by a certain date putting more pressure on car companies to develop electric cars. Going green is the way of the future and this is not good for companies which do not have any development for hybrid or electric cars. Those car makers who are proactive will be developing their electric car technology now.

In the future the motor shows will be filled with electric cars. Even sports car makers cannot avoid developing electric cars. their market will shrink if they only focus on fossil fuel powered cars. The next big thing in automotive industry will be the development of a special battery that can be much lighter, more powerful, faster charging, less discharging, more durable and more compact than the ones now. if this new battery can be developed, the company manufacturing it will be incredibly rich. Battery technology will be the key to this business.

Plug-in hybrids in Malaysia

Malaysia has always been slow when it comes to getting the latest models from all car makers. This is no different for plug-in hybrids. The good thing about the plug-in hybrids is that if the car is assembled locally it will qualify for tax exemptions under the EEV scheme that the Government introduced. So far only a handful of cars have benefitted from this. Mercedes introduced the E300 Diesel Hybrid which was significantly cheaper due to the tax exemptions. Seeing this example Volvo and BMW also jump on the bandwagon introduced their locally assembled hybrids.

Volvo was the first company in Malaysia to introduce the plug-in system with its XC90 hybrid. After localisation the price of the car was slashed by about RM50,000 which is a decent discount. BMW was the next to follow with the recent introduction of the X5 plug-in hybrid priced at a very attractive RM388k which is almost RM190k cheaper than if the car was imported directly from Germany. With such big savings it is no surprise that within one week of the launch there has been more than 500 units sold!

Volvo is pushing hard with their plug-in hybrids and aim to introduce many more models to capitalise on this. Price is very sensitive in Malaysia especially since the taxes on cars are so high, all car makers want to find a way to reduce the taxes and bring down car prices. The earlier incentives for EEV vehicles 3 years ago was a success and there was a sudden surge in sales of hybrids but when that incentive was stopped the sales of hybrids literally dried up overnight. Now that the incentive is given only for locally assembled hybrids car makers are relooking at this.

It is rumoured that Mercedes will introduce the C350 plug-in hybrid in 2017. This will be a major boost for Mercedes since it will be the first company to introduce a plug-in hybrid sedan rather than a SUV.

Electric cars so far have not enjoyed much popularity due to the high prices and lack of charging points. Until the time where the infrastructure is there to support electric cars it is unlikely that we will see many electric cars on the roads.

2016 Proton Perdana

Proton last week introduced the new new 2016 Proton Perdana. Why I said 'new new' is because there was an earlier release which was introduced about 18 months earlier meant only for Government use but some units did trickle down to the public. The car is  heavily based on the previous generation Honda Accord. The new model is also based on the same Honda Accord model but with more revisions and changes. Aesthetic changes are visible outside but the inside little changes were made. The biggest groan from the public was the price. The car was priced from RM114,000 or US$28,500 and it was only RM11,000 cheaper than the cheapest model Honda Accord from the current generation. Who the hell will buy an old model even though it was heavily revised when you can get a brand new one that is current and offers more technological improvements?!

I am not sure what happened within Proton and if the engineers were sleeping on the job or someone in the top ranks were being fed very well by suppliers. The price is far to expensive and far too close to the current new Honda Accord. The advantage of having it locally assembled under Proton made little impact on the price. I believe the most of the public who were waiting for the car to be introduced was expecting a price that is at least RM20,000 cheaper giving it some sort of financial incentive to buy.

As expected Proton should really stick to rebadging since its engineering capabilities are limited. Going the rebadging route keeps them safe and not much can go wrong since the engineering work were done by the original car company who developed the car.

The competition will always be one step ahead of Proton if Proton only sticks to rebadging outdated models. The only way to stay competitive is through correct pricing where the price has to be much cheaper than the new model. Malaysians have been treated to tough automotive industry where buying cars is a big deal because of the high prices and many would settle for a rebadged older model if the price is much cheaper than the new model.

it is the beginning of the end for oil companies?

Oil companies have been raking in so much money in the last 60 years especially with the boom in car ownership worldwide however is this trend about to end? Big oil companies are now all looking towards alternative fuels or alternative power since the shift towards electric cars and fuel cell cars are moving into higher gear. Hydrogen fuel cell cars are starting to grow in popularity as the technology is becoming more accessible. Electric cars had a massive boost with Tesla pushing this idea despite car companies starting it off more than a decade ago. Prior to Tesla getting into the game traditional electric cars were deemed to be boring with no character but Tesla turned this around and made the electric car cool, fast and innovative.

More countries are also moving towards using clean energy from the sun via solar farms and also through water from the sea (a new concept pioneered in Australia to harness the power of the ocean's waves to power a pump to create kinetic energy which is then converted into electricity). All this just means that the consumption of fossil fuels will reduce but the impact is not yet felt but will be coming. The shift towards alternative energy is moving at such a rapid rate that it is hard for the oil companies not to take the necessary steps to be in the game before they become irrelevant.

Most cars for the next 20-30 years will still be running on fossil fuels but with each year that goes by more electric vehicles will hit the road. This shift is unlikely to stop any time soon and the sale of fossil fuel will continue to drop. Countries which are major producers and exporters of oil will suffer as their revenue will drop. Countries like Saudi Arabia for the first time in history is selling bonds to raise funds.
To the ultra conservative people they will think that the public is jumping the gun by going electric but little do they realise that the the pollution created from producing oil and its products is killing the environment.

Massive solar farms such as that in Morocco is making headway and many countries are looking towards the same concept. With the internet and the big push towards innovation the last decade, the improvement in technology for alternative energy is growing very rapidly further pushing the development in this new industry.

I believe in 30 years time some oil companies who don't change their business will suffer the same fate as Kodak..! no company in this planet is too big to fail. Nokia and Kodak died a miserable death for not looking into the future. In this competitive world, nothing last forever and if you don't move with it, you will be left behind!

what is considered too much power?

Recently a company in the middle east introduced a concept car with 5000hp!!! previously the benchmark for crazy power was the Bugatti Veyron with 1000hp and that was held for a long time until Koenigsegg decided to join the party with their 1:0ne hypercard with 1340hp. the horsepower game has moved in this direction with several car companies like Ferrari and Mclaren joining in with their hypercars closing in on 1000hp outputs. With 1000hp the tyres can just about keep the car on the road but with 5000hp?! there are no tyres on this planet that will be able to reign in the power. It is very likely that without traction control the car will be spinning its wheels until the tyre is completely destroyed since it is next to impossible to put the power down.

Dragsters with 5000hp are difference since they are only used for a few minutes but a street car with 5000hp will be a recipe for disaster. Building big engines with multiple turbos is not unheard of but pushing the boundary by 5 times is ridiculous. Sure it will sound good at the local pub telling the blokes you have 5000hp in your car. Naturally you will get laughed at and you won't be able to use 90% of the power.

Extreme engine down sizing with Volvo

Many European car companies have gone the route of engine down sizing to improve efficiency. All this came when the oil price was very high but in the recent year the oil price is at its all time low but yet car companies are still going on with engine down sizing. Volvo has been one of the early birds with engine down sizing sticking to their 2.0 and 2.3 litre turbos since the 1990s when most of the other car companies like BMW, Mercedes and Japanese makers were sticking to their bigger capacity naturally aspirated engines.

this time round Volvo took the step a little further and will introduce a 1.5 litre 3 cylinder engine with a turbo charger. With this small engine one would expect them to bolt it on a smaller model like the S40 or V40 model but this is not the case. The new 1.5 turbo is planned for the S60 and S90 models which are much bigger in physical size. Volvo also plans to connect a hybrid system with this engine similar to that of the new XC90 with a plug-in hybrid system.

Volvo seems to be serious about push their development and with the improvement in financial position since being Chinese owned, Volvo has really found their step in the R&D department. It is yet to be seen if Volvo can catch up to the Germans but they are moving in the right direction. Previously Volvo was very conservative with their design approach and appeared lost, they didn't have a very good selling individual model and the line was ageing fast. Something had to be done to inject some life into the brand and by developing new technology it appears that Volvo is back on the map again.

Volvo is also putting to use their Polestar department where performance oriented models will be released. Volvo is following the footsteps of BMW with their M division and AMG for Mercedes. It is a good move to help shake the sedate and boring image of Volvo. Polestar is relatively unknown to people who are not fans of Volvo. It is about time the Polestar brand came to light and show the world that Volvo cars are not necessarily safe and boring.

Mercedes A45 AMG facelift

Mercedes appears to be pushing the performance envelope with the A45 AMG with its recent facelift.  The car's power and torque has been increased by 21hp and 25Nm respectively to 381 and 475Nm which is very high for a small car. The little pocket rocket is definitely a fast car and not one to take lightly. It is immensely capable and has great character from its rowdy exhaust note. the new facelift model comes with a modular exhaust valve where it can alter its opening to suit slow speed city driving or full bore wide open throttle applications. Looks wise the car hasn't changed much, the changes were mostly under the skin. The Mercedes A class is not ugly to begin with so better not mess with the looks.

The previous model despite having 4WD the car had a tendency to understeer when pushed hard into turns. this probably because it is 4WD and the weight of the engine is over the front wheels. In the hands of a good driver it still can manage impressive lap times in any race track and in the hands of the novice it will make him look like a hero.

Mercedes is definitely doing well with its new model line up with can appeal to the younger buyers which was something Mercedes was aiming for. In the past Mercedes were associated with older buyer or someone more matured, this meant Mercedes was losing out on the younger buyer which was promptly snapped up by BMW. This has all changed and Mercedes has taken the fight to BMW and Audi. this is the first time in history where Mercedes as so many new models on offer from the A, B, C, E, S, M, G, GLA, GLC, GLE, GLK, SL, SLK, CLK, AMG GT and Vito. The buyers are spoilt for choice. This definitely also helps Mercedes capture more sales world wide and broadens it brand appeal. It does not look like BMW or Audi is able to follow the pace where Mercedes is expanding it range.

Having visited the Mercedes museum in Stuttgart, the museum will be in need for more space soon at the rate Mercedes is expanding it model range.

new race track needed

Malaysia at the moment has 2 race tracks dedicated for motor racing, Sepang F1 track in Kuala Lumpur and Pasir Gudang in Johor. Sepang F1 track was designed specifically for Formula One racing and the track is advanced, wide and well planned out for large racing events however the cost of renting the track for weekend warriors is just too prohibitive to most of the locals. The track rental for 1 hour is RM6,000 or US$1400. Often organisers will rent the track for blocks of 4 hours and share the cost with participants who then pay RM400-500 or US$100-120 to drive for 4 hours. Situated near the airport, it is 70km away from the city and it only allows circuit driving. Drifting or drag racing (in proper form with burn outs) is prohibited as Sepang management wants to protect the tarmac for Formula One.

Having such a high tech facility is good but when it is not accessible to the masses it is a problem. Many young hot headed drivers take to the city streets or highways to race illegally. The Government previously mooted the idea of creating a secondary smaller track just at the fringe of the city. The project was dubbed KL Motopark but shortly after the ground breaking ceremony the project ground to a halt for no specified reason. It could be lack of fund or other reasons. The street racing is a nuisance and many tragic accidents have occurred as a result. In the latest move by the Government a Minister came out with an idea to close off some streets on a sunday to allow moped racing. this is not well received by the public since the moped racing gangs are already a nuisance and it will encourage them more when there is no racing.

The areas surrounding Kuala Lumpur city still have abundance of vacant land which can be converted to a smaller race track with basic facilities. It is not necessary to build world class facilities on a small track, the aim is just to provide a place for the motor heads to drive or race taking all the illegal racing off the streets.

Honda Turbos

Honda seems to be first of the Japanese car makers to put turbo charging with a small engine into its mainstream model with the new 10th generation Civic. It is a fine example of engine downsizing coupled with a turbo. Lexus did it with the NX200T but this model is meant for the premium market whereas the Civic is more for the masses. Honda was well know for using turbos in the 1980s and it had great success with turbo engines in Formula One. The Civic is the first time Honda is using turbos again after 2 decades and it looks like they did a fine job with the 1.5 litre turbo.

174hp and 220Nm from a 1.5 litre is nothing to scoff at. it is very efficient and powerful. On a recent dyno run in the US, a car review video put a new civic on the dyno to test its power output and to be surprised it managed 177hp and 258Nm which is more than the factory claim. This is very surprising considering that most factory claims are never met or exceeded when the car is tested on a dyno machine.

This car will get many young buyers excited as this opens up the doors to tuning. With a turbo engine extra power can easily be squeezed out with increase of turbo boost or increasing fuel pressure. The only down side about this new Civic is the transmission. Honda decided to stick to the CVT for the sake of fuel economy. If the car was paired with a manual transmission or a twin clutch gearbox the car will be fantastic all round.

I wonder which Japanese car company will follow this path. It is rumoured that Toyota is planning to introduce their own turbo charged small engine car soon. Daihatsu has been making small engines with turbos for many years but these cars are popular only in Japan and rarely seen outside Japan. The Civic is a global model that is sold in US, Europe, Middle East, Asia. Honda's decision to follow the footsteps of the Europeans seems like a logical one despite the low oil price but the oil price will never stay low forever. the new Civic does offer many advantages over earlier Civic models and that is torque. The turbo engine enables the much needed torque for low and medium RPM driving. Honda's have traditionally had low engine torque but high horsepower at high RPM. this is good for racing where engine speeds are high however in city driving conditions one would need good torque spread and high torque at low and mid RPM is always more enjoyable to drive.

Can one's driving skill match the car they can buy with their money?

We have seen so many spectacular crashes and even slow speed crashes on Youtube. Often these videos are of people driving exotic cars like Ferraris, Lamborghinis and etc. These people have the money to buy it but many of them don't have the skill nor the experience to drive it. Having a heavy right foot can spell disaster for many of these folk who take it for granted that they can handle the car's power. Many times the problem comes with the ego of the owner. Companies like Ferrari and Porsche regularly offer driver training programs for new car buyers so that they are taught properly how to drive their new cars in a safe environment. Upon passing these driver training programs the owners are better equipped to drive their cars. However many of the new owners are too egotistical to acknowledge that they need to be taught how to drive their cars. This is especially so in Asia. Some of the buyers got rich very quickly and do not have much driving experience (especially the young ones) and it also goes the same with Americans who think they are great drivers but going fast straight and really knowing how to control the car under all conditions is a different thing.

I have a friend who is retired Porsche and Mercedes AMG instructor in the US from Asian origin, he was relating to me numerous stories about how Americans think Asians can't drive and they have no business teaching Americans how to drive. Well! Stereotyping is downright stupid since the person who came to learn can't drive well himself! My friend went on to put down a challenge that the American who came to the driving course will no doubt get better but his girl friend will beat him at the end the day. Having heard this challenge the American guy wouldn't want to lose his bet and the ego got the better of him. Instead of listening to proper instructions he would think that having more power in his car would mean that he can go faster... yes and no! To the ignorant it may sound like a fact but to the informed, there are many factors to consider. this American guy couldn't help himself and disregarded all forms of instruction and mashed the throttle hard coming out of turns causing his 500hp Mustang to lose control and spin. The final test course at the end of the day was a real test of driving ability and whether he paid any attention to the instructors. As expected he was 4 secs slower than his girlfriend and made himself look like an idiot. Instead of admitting defeat he was dumbfounded and insisted on a rematch in which he lost again. Finally he came to accept that his ego was the problem.. not his car, and not the instructor.

Having a super powerful car with a person that has no experience or skill is like giving a kid a loaded gun. Slow speed crashes may not be so serious but high speed crashes will definitely cause a lot of damage and even result in death. Many years back there was a case where a teenager crashed a Ferrari into a petrol station in NZ and killed a little girl. The parents of the deceased child was devastated and no amount of money offered by the teenager's parents would be enough. Money can never replace a life and responsibility of the driver is something that no one can take for granted.

Having money to buy a nice car is good... but one should really learn how to drive.

Tesla Model 3

Tesla recently many announcement about introducing the Model 3 which is an entry level version of their electric car. It is a much needed model for Tesla considering that the Model S and P and X are too expensive for many people despite tax rebates or other incentives. Their target price for the Model 3 is around US$30,000 or less. This will enable Tesla to sell a lot more cars and let people have a taste of electric car without paying more than they have to.

The Model 3 is not ready yet but it looks promising. The estimate driving range is approximately 300km on a single charge. It is not great but still better than the Nissan Leaf with 250km. If Tesla is able to stretch the driving range to over 350km it will turn the tables in its favour. Right now the biggest gripe with owning an electric car is the driving range. The Model 3 is also critical for Tesla in a sense that it will be able take the challenge to bigger car makers. Porsche and Audi are already planning more electric cars which undoubtedly will compete for sales with Tesla.

The Model X SUV is simply too expensive and the gull wing doors are not really practical. It may look impressive and is powerful but a smaller entry level model will make more sense for Tesla. The more cars they sell, the more recognition the brand receives. It will also spur many first time buyers to try Tesla or even someone who has never owned an electric car.

Tesla is well received in California but in other countries where electric cars are still not well received, the Model 3 will help Tesla get a foot in the door. The official launch of the Model 3 is still many months away and many industry observers are eager to see the outcome of the new Model 3 and how it will impact Tesla's growth.

New Mitsubishi Pajero Sport and Toyota Fortuner

Toyota and Mitsubishi recently introduced their large (large by Asian standards) SUV based on a pick up truck. The Mitsubishi Pajero Sport and the Toyota Fortuner. Both models are based on the Mitsubishi Triton and the Toyota Hilux. These models are popular in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines and Australia. The strange thing is that these two cars are starting to look very much alike. I am not sure who is copying who but why do the Japanese have a tendency to make their cars look similar?

Anyway, both offer upgraded engines and transmission to improve where they left off with the previous model. The one that was much needed for a replacement model was the Toyota since toyota was super conservative with their Hilux and the previous Vigo model has been around for about 10 years. It is extremely long for an one model especially for a Japanese marque. I know if it isn't broken don't fix it.. but in such a competitive world not improving one's self or just staying put, you will be left behind. Toyota saw this towards the end of the Hilux Vigo life cycle where it faced very stiff competition from the Ford Ranger and the Isuzu D-Max.

The Fortuner and the Pajero sport is a good choice for Asian cities that are prone to flooding. It gives the versatility of a SUV and a truck combined. the high ground clearance definitely helps in the event of a flash flood and the 4WD traction will allow it get out of tricky situation in mud slides. Both car companies went to great lengths to improve the suspension so that the rear passengers are not bounced around like rag dolls. The leaf spring suspension from the truck makes for very bouncy ride at the rear but with additional modifications to the rear suspension the ride is more compliant.

I believe both cars will be well received in Asia. The updated looks are definitely better than the previous models.

Proton and Dr. Mahathir's plea for the Malaysian public to help Proton

Proton and Dr. Mahathir (Proton's founder) is at it again asking the Malaysia public to buy Proton cars and to test drive it before it passing it over for another car brand. Malaysians have been suffering for far too long when it comes to buying cars since the inception of Proton in the mid 1980s. Ever since Proton was introduced the Malaysian Government introduced various taxes on foreign brands to protect Proton. This worked for many years and Proton got too complacent thinking that this will last forever and did nothing to improve itself. Soon corruption started to creep into the company as it was too lucrative for the senior members of Proton not to indulge in such good financial opportunities for self enrichment. The corruption got so bad that poor quality parts were replacing good parts for the sake of profit for a few individuals. This obviously meant that the quality of the car suffered creating a bad reputation.
this went on for years and no one did anything about it. The culture of corruption within the company was so bad that parts suppliers had to be ready to pay various individuals to secure contracts and to secure payments. With the quality suffering year on year the Malaysian public was fed up with having to buy substandard quality cars that compromised on safety at inflated prices. Increasingly more and more Malaysians switched to alternative brands and were willing to more for a better built car. The introduction of Perodua also didn't help Proton's cause since Perodua introduced small compact cars that were of better quality and were cheaper than Proton. This naturally meant that Proton's market share was being eaten away by many competitors.

Despite tying up with European testing standard TUV, Proton couldn't turn around its bad quality image. With dwindling sales, poor profits and huge loss for purchasing MV Augusta and Lotus, Proton's cash pile was drying up fast. If Proton was well managed from the beginning Proton would be very profitable today and of course not purchase a dying motorcycle company MV Augusta and to sell it off for Euro1.  Proton's management made many mistakes from the start and this meant that it was on a path to its own grave.

Now Dr. Mahathir is again asking Malaysians to save his pet project which has took such a toll on the Malaysian automotive industry. No one in their right minds would want to buy another Proton. The trust is gone and no one believes that Proton is able to deliver anything it has promised. Proton still owes Honda a lot of money for the old Honda Accord they bought to rebadge as the Perdana. Honda has stopped supplying Proton until payment is made. Proton recently signed an agreement with Suzuki which looks like a sign of desperation for Proton to quickly get another model to do more rebadging in order to have more models to sell. It is unsure whether Suzuki will benefit more from this or Proton but either way, Proton is desperate to stay alive. It also announced that they are working with engineering house Ricardo to develop new engines and gearboxes for future models. All this is all just hot news, we have seen Proton pull out of collaborations in the last moment for god knows what reason. Without fresh funding it will be hard for Proton to develop new models and without economies of scale, any new car model they develop will be costly.
With the present Government not interested in protecting Proton since they do not get along with Dr. Mahathir it is very likely that Proton will shut down in the next few years when it is completely out of money.
It is really time to pull the curtains on Proton... a seriously long overdue termination.

importance of Exhaust note

Ordinary cars usually have a silent exhaust note to make the car as comfortable to the driver as possible but this silence is not acceptable to the enthusiasts who wants to hear the exhaust note. Since the car makers adopted engine down sizing with turbo charging many of the performance  cars such as the BMW M3 and M4 have a much muted exhaust note. To overcome the lack of sound from the exhaust BMW went so far as to create pseudo exhaust noise to be played from the car's rear speakers! it is true that if a sporty car has no sound it does not give the total sensation of driving a sporty car!

Imagine a silent Ferrari! No Ferrari fan will accept it for sure. Ferraris are known for their screaming engines with the high pitch exhaust note. Likewise for the V8 engine from Mercedes Benz which has the deep low burble. All of this makes for the driving experience to be unique and special. The one car company that kept true to the sporty feel of the is Jaguar with the F type. The base model 3.0 V6 supercharged F Type has a loud exhaust that farts when the driver backs off the throttle and the sound is even more pronounced in the V8 version.

Companies such as Akrapovic spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to develop special exhaust systems that accentuate the character of the engine. Each car maker has their own unique exhaust note due to differing engine configurations and also exhaust systems. the main thing is that the sound should be original in nature and not synthesised electronically via the car's speakers.

This is one of the reasons why electric cars are sometimes deemed to be boring because of the lack of sound however the amazing instant torque makes up for the lack of sound.

Jaguar XE

Finally Jaguar came out with a model that can compete with the likes of BMW 3 series, Audi A4, Mercedes C Class, Infiniti Q50 and the Lexus IS. The last Jaguar X-type was nothing to shout about and it was a poor rebadge of the Ford Mondeo. It was really dull and did no justice to the brand. with the new management and new ownership under Tata, Jaguar has really gained back its lost glory. The new model line up is getting better with every new model that has been launched or soon to be launched.

The new XE will be a critical model for Jaguar since the BMW 3 series market is big and will potentially generate good profits for the company. It will also bring the age of the buyers down to a younger average age rather than the current average age of over 40. XE will definitely appeal to younger buyers and with the lower entry price it will be seen as a good alternative to the run of the mill 3 series, C Class and Audi A4. Jaguar went all out with the car design and technology by introducing several key innovations and also try to better BMW is as many areas as possible.

It is yet to be seen how well the car will sell in South East Asia since the Jaguar name has never been all that successful due to poor reliability and expensive parts. With the new sales campaign that offer free service and maintenance for 5 years, this should bring back some confidence in the brand. Die hard fans will no doubt believe in Jaguar but it is more about converting the newbies to consider buying a Jaguar.

Pricing-wise the car is definitely more expensive than the locally assembled 3 series, C Class and A4 but the slight price premium over these 3 competitors isn't big enough to deter those with the funds to buy such a car.

good job by Jaguar to inject some excitement into this segment of the market.

Lexus, Infiniti and Acura

Toyota, Nissan and Honda all tried to position their cars further upmarket by creating a luxury sub brand to capture more customers who were looking for luxury when typical Japanese cars were not luxurious enough. However, the original reason for the creation of Lexus, Infiniti and Acura was to sell more cars to the US when the import quotas limited the volume of cars that could be imported into the US. By creating a second brand Toyota, Nissan and Acura were able to sell more cars to US. This worked well and Toyota, Nissan and Honda had to try to create something a little different from the run of the mill Japanese car.
Toyota was the first to do this with Lexus and they did a good job of improving the sound insulation, tuned the suspension to suit US driver's tastes and improving the quality of the materials used. Honda and Nissan followed up and did the same. The strange thing is that in Japan itself the local Japanese would not accept these luxury sub brands as they were just viewed as expensive Japanese made cars.

After so many years of producing these so called luxury models, it appears that Lexus and Infiniti are not different from the regular Japanese models. Lexus now have the RC-F and the F series high performance engines that are not available in any of the regular Toyota models. Nissan too have new high performance engines such as those found in the Q50 and new Q60 which are not found in regular Nissans. Having such models will allow Lexus and Infiniti to create some visible difference between itself and its mother brand. Honda on the other hand uses Acura more for the US market but the models are still very much the same as the regular Hondas sold in Japan with some minor cosmetic tweaks.

The Lexus RC-F and the IS-F models were definitely a breath of fresh air for Lexus seeing that their model line up was quite boring to say the least. They have been trying to benchmark themselves with BMW and trying to attract more younger buyers when Lexus has been often labelled an old man's brand. Infiniti also injected some excitement with their Q50 and Q60 models with powerful turbo engines. Both car makers trying to emulate German car makers with a front engine rear drive layout. The general acceptance of both Lexus and Infiniti outside US is growing and slowly they are chipping away at the luxury car market that is dominated by BMW, Mercedes, Audi and Porsche.

One person drone

The flying drones is the craze right now with so many people buying drones for recreation as well as for industrial or agriculture use. It all started with people using it for taking video or photography from an elevated position. Next came sports people using it to capture video from a high angle making for impressive video footage.

Then the US fire department used it with a Infrared camera to help detect fire hotspot during fire fighting. Then came the farmers who started to use larger drones capable of heavier pay load and with a fitted sprayer to help spray chemicals or fertiliser on their crops rather than doing the traditional crop dusting.

Now comes the single person drone which a person can fly inside the drone. This was bound to appear in a matter of time. At CES a Chinese company introduced the first single person drone capable of flying for 23 minutes at low altitude and is small enough to fit into a single car parking spot. It can fly at speeds of up to 63 mph. The technology will no doubt improve as the year goes by and it may be a reality that people may choose to buy a personal flying drone instead of a car.

The cost now is still too prohibitive for the average person at $200,000 each but with more companies jumping on this bandwagon the price will surely go down and advancement in technology will see the personal drones be more practical.

having 4 or more rotors the drone will be more stable than a helicopter and potentially safer than a helicopter. Don't be surprised to see larger personal drones flying around in the next 10 years.

self driving cars

Seems like the latest topic at CES show taking place now in Las Vegas is autonomous driving technology. Several car makers are displaying their potential capability in this field. Mercedes, BMW, Tesla, Volvo and many others are trying to show that they can do it too.

It is definitely a hot topic and it has been on the lips of many auto makers and industry observers since early 2015. VW also put a video on Youtube to show their self driving car on testing. Self driving cars has been a topic of conversation for many years but regulations in several countries restrict it as the technology has not been proven. It is very much a catch 22 problem whereby if no one allows you to have it, how do you prove that it works?

Field testing for such technology is endless and there are so many areas where the system can fail and how would insurance companies react to this? if a car that is self driven and gets into an accident, will the insurance company pay out? How much real life testing must be undertaken before regulatory bodies and insurance companies can agree to allow such a system to be used?

As more cars are now able to be connected to the internet, the next point will be about cyber security for cars. If a car that is capable of self driving, a hacker could easier hack the system and utilise the car to commit crime or even harm innocent people. there are many legal issues that will come up and the auto makers will have a lot on their plate to deal with.

the idea of a self driving car is still good nevertheless as we have seen numerous accidents that resulted from tired or drunk drivers or people using their phones while driving. the self driving car will allow a tired or a drunk person to get home without actually driving. And for business people they could use their phone while the automated system can drive them to their destination.

this autonomous driving will be the way of the future, the question is how soon before it will become mainstream. Tesla is already offering this in their cars via the wireless software update. It is a bold step to be the first but it is certain that bugs and software glitches are bound to follow.

Faraday Future FFZERO1

when someone mentions electric car you will think Tesla, Karma Fisker or the Nissan Leaf. Here comes a new kid on the block the Faraday Future FFZERO1. It is different from the current line of electric cars. This concept is based on a modular platform where the chassis can be stretched to accommodate more batteries and drivetrain to suit different outer shells for different types of cars such as sedan, SUV, MPV, compact or supercar. The idea is simple but yet innovative. It also boasts a new level of internet connectivity and have sufficient computing power for autonomous driving. The interesting thing is that the car boasts a 1,000hp electric motor that is capable of 0-100km/h in 3 seconds.

The car is still in the concept stage but with their amount of funding they have received it looks like a very possible reality in the next 2 years. Building a car from scratch is never easy but with enough resources and technical support it is likely that this car will see daylight before 2017.

Check out the video link below for an insight into their concept.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAXoVSXnNTg

No tuning allowed!

In several countries the Ministry of Transport or Department of Transport do not permit any type of tuning for street cars. Some are very strictly enforced to the point where the car can be impounded if the car is found to be modified in any manner.

Here are some of the countries where tuning is tightly regulated or not permitted at all:-
- Singapore (very strict on the types of modification and must clear the LTA or Land Transport Authority)
- China (yes! very ironic since more than 80% of the world's tuning parts are made in China), the owner of the car has to carry a license with a picture of his or her car. Upon inspection if the car does not look the same as the one in the picture, the car can be impounded and the owner slapped with a heavy fine!
- South Korea (motorsport is almost dead in South Korea with the exception of the underground activities that take place. It is very rare that you see a tuned car or even a car with aftermarket wheels in South Korea)

I can understand why Singapore would impose such strict rules. Singapore imposes strict rules on nearly everything but it is a tiny island which the Government will want to make it as safe as possible. China is a strange story because when you look at the car accessories or tuning parts in any auto store shelf, most of it is made in China. Then again, the factories in China make parts for business rather than actually do any sort of tuning themselves. Many China car owners are still relatively new to car ownership and they wouldn't know much about tuning with the exception of pasting ugly stickers on the car.

South Korea being one of the key players in the automotive industry seems to be lagging behind in motorsports and tuning. I still cannot figure out why South Korea does not allow tuning. Tuning and motorsports is part and parcel of development and also to grow the automotive industry. Like Japan, US, Great Britain and Germany, motorsports and tuning is a huge industry and one can see the innovation that comes with it.

this brings my next point to India. Recently I watched a short video clip on Youtube featuring a "pimp my ride" episode in India. It was more comedy than informative. Unlike the US version which is very outlandish with their crazy wide body kits, excessive use of LCD monitors and numerous speakers and loud interiors. The Indian version shows a car that was decked up with a ridiculously ugly body kit with out of date wheels and heavy promotion of Indian supplier's products. the funniest part was the performance tuning where a micro compressor (an air suction device) and an after market air filter is fitted to boost power. these two items at most will increase 2-3 horsepower. The host went on to install a big tachometer with a shift light and racing seats and a sports steering wheel. The entire cost of modification was no more than $2000 including the scissor doors, bodykit, wheels, bucket seats, sports steering, air filter, micro compressor and some fancy stickers. At least they made someone happy thinking that he will go fast...