Ferrari Introduces New Roma – 3.9l V8, 612bhp

“La nuova dolce vita,” or ‘the sweet new life’ is the tagline that legendary Italian marque Ferrari have gone with to usher in the arrival of the Ferrari Roma, a new front-engined V8 coupe that sits above the Portofino cabriolet and below the mid-engined F8 Tributo. Sporting a new design language for Ferrari’s mainstream models, the Roma’s design is inspired by the 50s and 60s grand tourers that personified the era, and is described by Ferrari as a new-generation GT car.

Technically a 2+2 (with the two rear seats reserved for the friends you wish hadn’t asked you for a lift), the Roma sports the award-winning 3.9-litre V8 engine, producing 612bhp and 760Nm from 3,000-5,750rpm. Power goes to the rear wheels via an 8-speed dual-clutch auto, capable of rocketing the thing from 0-100km/h in just 3.4-seconds (which to us, means one second faster than a Volvo S60 T8).

The new Roma is also the first Ferrari to feature the new 8.4-inch portrait-oriented infotainment screen that works in tandem with the digital instrument cluster to create a visual & technical experience never before enjoyed in Maranello’s products. You also get a “totally new” exhaust system for drivers who can’t be bothered with the infotainment nonsense – we’ve no doubt that valuable information will be displayed via the enormous 16-inch instrument cluster screen too.

No word from Ferrari Malaysia – Naza Italia regarding availability (to be fair it was only just unveiled) but we’ll sure be asking tomorrow morning…

PERODUA Axia Style Rocks Sri Lanka At Colombo Motor Show

On the opening day of the Seylan Colombo Motor Show, Malaysian automotive heavyweight Perodua has debuted the favourite of the refreshed Axia range, the Axia Style, to the delight of fans in Perodua’s largest overseas market. The Motor Show, being held at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall between today and the 10th of November, came forward as the best possible location for Perodua’s stylish new A-segment hatch to make its entrance into the Sri Lankan market. 

Sri Lankan Perodua distributor Unimo Enterprises has opened the books for the Perodua Axia Style today too, with deliveries expected to begin within Q1 2020. The crossover-like Axia Style will be priced at Rs3.895-million (or RM89,000 at the time of writing) in Sri Lanka when it arrives.  

“As Sri Lanka is the Perodua brand’s biggest overseas market and one that has always been accepting of the Axia, with some 3,000 units sold since 2015, it is fitting as the new Perodua Axia Style’s first export destination. Sporting rugged-looking bumpers with skid-plate elements, all-round body cladding, a rear spoiler and striking 15-inch five-spoke alloys, the Axia Style reflects owners’ lifestyles while retaining the hallmark Axia qualities of practicality, fuel efficiency, spaciousness, and ease of driving.” – Dato’ Zainal Abidin Ahmad, President & CEO, Perodua 

The 2019 Perodua Axia Style in Colombo, Sri Lanka

Since its launch in September, over 2,000 Perodua Axia Styles have found new homes with bold, daring owners. Overall, over 10,400 of the new 2019 Perodua Axias have been delivered, from the over-20,000 bookings received for the refreshed model. 

“SUVs & crossovers are enjoying a big rise globally, and we forsee the same trend in Sri Lanka. The new Perodua Axia Style offers the active & trendy looks of a crossover in a compact, fuel-efficient, dependable, and value-for-money package that we believe will strike a chord with Sri Lankans.” – Mr. Mahesh Gunathilake, CEO & Executive Director, Unimo Enterprises 

Since establishing the first Perodua dealership in Sri Lanka back in 1997, Unimo Enterprises has sold nearly 16,000 Perodua vehicles. The lineup there consists of just the Axia and Bezza, with the Bezza taking the crown as Sri Lanka’s best-selling new sub-1.0-litre saloon. 

For 2019, Perodua aims to export 3,270 cars, marking a 50% increase over last years’ figure of 2,184 units exported. Since Perodua began its export activities, over 80,000 Perodua vehicles have left our shores and found homes abroad. 

BUDGET 2020 for Motorists – The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

At the time of writing, Finance Minister YB Lim Guan Eng has just wrapped up his presentation on the 2020 Budget, which sees lots of benefits and lots of drawbacks for motorists. We’re going to leave the analysis of the larger portions of the budget (including the near RM70-billion allocated to the Education Ministry) to the news pundits, and we’re going to focus on what matters to our audience.

The 2020 Budget has confirmed, cemented, and put to rest some of the rumours and initiatives that have been floating around of late, such as the reintroduction of GST. It’s also revealed that the Government is making good on its promise to reduce certain motoring costs in stages, due to the current financial strain that the administration is subject to.

We’ll start with the good bits:

  1. The Government will take over the KESAS, SPRINT, and LDP highways, as well as the SMART Tunnel. Upon doing so, the Government will abolish all toll charges on the aforementioned motorways, and replace them with congestion charges during peak and normal hours. These peak & normal rates will see a reduction of 30% over current toll charges, while off-peak hours will see zero congestion charge. This ensures that the takeover of the aforementioned motorways will come at no financial burden to the government, as the takeover will be paid for by the congestion charge.
  2. The Government has negotiated with PLUS Berhad to reduce toll charges on all PLUS motorways by 18%. This naturally includes the North-South Highway, the New Klang Valley Expressway, the Seremban-Port Dickson Highway, the North-South Expressway Central Link, the Malaysia-Singapore 2nd Link, and the Butterworth-Kulim Expressway. This will save motorists RM43-billion by the expiration of the PLUS concession in 2038.
  3. The Government will match the toll rates of the 2nd Penang Bridge to that of the Penang Bridge, reducing current toll charges of RM8 to RM7.
  4. The Government will no longer grant concession extensions to any motorway operator in the country.

These are of course majorly welcomed boons for Malaysian motorists, who will likely find that their daily commute & occasional trips are about to get cheaper come 2020.

There are however a number of cons to the 2020 Budget, which include:

  1. The gradual removal of the fuel price cap system in the Peninsula, which has thus far been responsible for ensuring the stability of fuel prices (and by correlation, the cost of goods and services).
  2. The price cap removal will be replaced with two targeted subsidy systems. The first, for recipients of Bantuan Sara Hidup (BSH) will see the direct creditation of RM30/month for car owners and RM12/month for motorcycle owners. Those eligible must own a car below 1,600cc (or 1,600cc> if above 10-years of age), or a motorcycle <150cc (or 150cc> if in excess of 10-years of age), and the Government will credit the subsidy directly into eligible BSH accounts.
  3. All motorists that do not receive BSH will be entitled to receive KAD95, which will permit a subsidy of 30-sen/litre for the first 100L/month for car owners, and 40L/month for motorcycle owners. This will, in theory, ensure the continued stability of prices and managed inflation in the face of the return to the open-market float system.

We at MalaysianMotoring feel particularly strongly about the removal of the fuel price cap, as we believe that by removing the price cap, the Malaysian economy is about to be subject to yet another unilateral price increase of goods & services. The Malaysian government has failed to outline how the floated fuel price system will ensure stability for logistical networks, transportation networks and the like, all of which we depend on entirely to get the goods & services we need to survive.

Without wanting to sound like a fearmonger, let’s all take note that on this day, the 11th of October 2019, the price of a Snack Plate at KFC is RM14.95.

Let’s see where it goes after this.

PERODUA DELIVERS 55 ARUZ SUVS TO KPDNHEP

The Malaysian Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (KPDNHEP) has purchased 55 units of the Perodua Aruz AV, marking the seven-seater SUV’s entry into the government sector and the model’s first fleet deal.

A delivery ceremony was held today at the ministry’s headquarters in Putrajaya, where KPDNHEP Secretary-General Datuk Muez Abdul Aziz symbolically handed a mock key over to KPDNHEP Director of Enforcement Dato’ Haji Iskandar Halim Haji Sulaiman.

“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 Chief Executive Officer Dato’ Zainal Abidin Ahmad said.

The Perodua Aruz is not merely the SUV of choice for KPDNHEP, but also of the Malaysian public. With over 23,000 units already sold out over the 33,000 bookings received since the car was launched in January, the Perodua Aruz is not only the best-value SUV Malaysia has to offer, but is also the country’s best-selling SUV.

Perodua continues to move from strength to strength with its new products, with the latest fleet deal with KPDNHEP a resounding signal of confidence in Malaysia’s largest carmaker. With the company raking in accolades both at home and abroad, Perodua is set to continue to excite and inspire the Malaysian market, with one new model at a time.