Mythbusting with The Smart #3 Pro

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Who said you can’t be impulsive in an EV?

There’s a misnomer that with an EV, every trip begins with planning. You need to rely on third-party apps or existing background knowledge, and you need to have a real eye for chargers, their locations, and the pricing to go anywhere of meaningful distance. 

smart however believes that your EV should never be a hindrance to your lifestyle. Instead, their solutions make their cars just as capable as anything else out there, allowing you to feed your need for adventure with the same ease you would with any other car but with the added convenience of technological capability.

With features like a live-charging map integrated into the infotainment screen, finding available chargers is a thing of the past. And if that wasn’t enough, thanks to the cooperation of smart Malaysia and charge-point operators, the hello smart app can manage your charging at over 80% of all public chargers nationwide, encompassing both AC and DC chargers for your regular top-up or fast-charging along a motorway route.

This all comes bundled into a car that was co-developed between Geely and Mercedes-Benz, resulting in a vehicle that’s not just bold to behold but a joy to experience. Design flourish is married to exceptional build quality to create a truly next-generation feel with every interaction, setting the smart #1 SUV and #3 SUV coupe up as some of the very best EVs currently on the market (proven by the myriad of awards they’ve racked up already).

Experience the smart way yourself during the inaugural smart Brand Tour, taking place across West Malaysia. The tour kicks off on the 21st and 22nd of July at Setia City Convention Centre, before travelling north to Gurney Plaza Penang from the 4th to 8th of September. Then the #1 and #3 will make the trek down south before setting up camp at Mid Valley Southkey, Johor Bharu from the 19th to 22nd of September. Each of these locations will provide not only a chance to get up close to the #1 and #3, but also the opportunity to experience the vibrant and engaging smart community for yourself. 

#takethesmartway

GALLERY: 2024 smart #3 Pro

Chery Malaysia Opens Omoda 5 Facebook Fan Page

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Things are hotting up for the marque on Malaysian shores

Ahead of its official launch in Malaysia, Chinese marque Chery has taken a step to connect with fans in the local market by launching their official Omoda 5 Facebook fan page. This is a clear indication that not only will the car be coming to our market, but that Chery has every intention of engaging with fans and followers to spur interest ahead of its official introduction.

For context, the Chery Omoda 5 is a B-segment SUV that will take on cars like the PROTON X50, the Honda HR-V, the Toyota Corolla Cross and Subaru XV. At 4,400mm long, 1,830mm wide, 1,585mm long on a 2,630mm wheelbase, it’s actually longer and taller than the Honda and on a longer wheelbase too, but it’s slightly narrower. 

Motive force comes from a 1.6-litre turbo-gasoline direct-injection engine (part of their ‘Kunpeng’ family of engines), which Chinese reports say produces 197PS and 290Nm. A 7-speed dual-clutch auto sends power to the front wheels, and Chery claims there will be electrified and fully-electric versions of the Omoda 5 in the pipeline. 

The Omoda 5 is no doubt a very striking machine, as part of Chery’s ‘Art in Motion’ design language. With its borderless front grille, dual-tier front lighting system (with adaptive beam, like a Perodua Ativa AV), coupe-like roofline and full-width taillights, it’s clear that the Omoda 5 will be very distinctive when it eventually arrives on local roads.

Continuing the theme inside you’ll find dual 12.3-inch infotainment & instrument displays (like Mercedes-Benz’s MBUX), plush materials, a flat-bottommed steering wheel, and a raised central tunnel with your HVAC controls. It’s obvious that Chery’s trying to go posh with their current generation of vehicles but with no indicative pricing ahead of launch, it’ll remain to be seen if design alone will be enough to set the marque apart in the local market. 

GALLERY: Chery Omoda 5 (Foreign Market)

Porsche Begins Assembly In Kulim, Kedah

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First ever assembly facility outside Europe.

A landmark event for Porsche and Malaysia, the German marque today opens the doors of its first assembly plant outside Europe, with the cooperation of Sime Darby’s motor division.

“A testament to the long-standing and trusted partnership built for well over a decade, Sime Darby & Porsche are connecting more Malaysian Porsche fans to their dream sports car, while at the same time empowering futures by unlocking the potential of the local community and workforce,” said a statement by the brand. 

The launch was officiated by Kedah’s crown prince, DYTM Tengku Sarafudin Badlishah Ibni Al Aminul Karim Sultan Sallehuddin, along with Kedah menteri besar Dato’ Seri Sanusi Md. Nor, as well as the Board & Management of Sime Darby Berhad, and Executive Board & Management members of Porsche AG & Porsche Asia Pacific. 

“Today we have reached a new milestone, rolling out the first locally-assembled Cayenne and fulfilling the sports car dream of even more Malaysian Porsche fans. Our growth strategy underlines the importance of Malaysia for Porsche as we look to expand our presence in the ASEAN region. And it demonstrates our confidence in Sime Darby, as a strong partner on our side.” – Detlev von Platen, Member of the Executive Board for Sales & Marketing, Porsche AG

– Detlev von Platen, Member of the Executive Board (Sales & Marketing), Porsche AG

The assembly plant in Malaysia, operated in partnership with Sime Darby, is staffed by a team of 100% highly-skilled Malaysian talent, all of whom have been comprehensively trained by Porsche. This is further supported by a network of local suppliers & service providers in the area, empowering the future of the local community with job opportunities, upskilling prospects, and potential for further expansion. 

This facility in Kulim, Kedah will assemble the Cayenne, seen as a simbol of Porsche’s broadening horizons, appealing to new customer segments by combining an elegant interior and unparalleled comfort with the robust dynamism that Porsche is famed for. 

The locally-assembled RHD Cayenne comes with an elevated and enhanced standard equipment range specified exclusively for the Malaysian market, with a specially-curated Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur option package and a special Porsche Design timepiece for more personalisation. 

At present, the facility will only assemble the Cayenne base model, with more expensive Cayenne variants remaining fully-imported units for the time being. However, we have reason to believe that the assembly plant will most likely be closely monitored by Porsche AG for future expansion, as an ASEAN base would be hugely beneficial for the Zuffenhausen brand to tackle other price-sensitive markets in the region. Add to that the insatiable demand for the Taycan EV here in Malaysia and the expiry of tax exemption on fully-imported EVs come December 2023, and it seems likely that Sime Darby and Porsche AG will look to add onto the Kulim plant’s capabilities in due course.

GALLERY: PORSCHE BEGINS ASSEMBLY IN KULIM, KEDAH

2020 Perodua Cars To Include Blind-Spot Monitoring

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At their bi-annual sales performance event held in the capital city, Perodua President & CEO Dato’ Zainal Abidin Ahmad announced that in compliance with upcoming safety standards, the Malaysian automotive heavyweight will be including blind-spot monitoring technology in the majority of its lineup, in order to ensure and maintain a full 5-star ANCAP rating for its models.

This was revealed by Dato’ Zainal without much prodding from members of the media, who were otherwise unaware of the new safety rulings. 

Dato’ Zainal also revealed that the company’s vaunted ASA (Advanced Safety Assist) active safety systems will be included in more of their cars in the near future (and all of their next-generation vehicles for certain), with the only exception to the rule being manual-transmission cars. This makes sense to us as we can’t wrap our head around the idea of a manual vehicle capable of braking & coming to a halt all on its own. Does it trigger the clutch? Who knows.

Regardless, the inclusion of blind-spot monitoring in new 2020-model year vehicles marks a huge step forwards for the motoring industry as a whole. This is not only for the protection of Perodua drivers & owners according to Dato’ Zainal, but will also stand to benefit the 600,000 motorcyclists on Malaysia’s roads. Blind spot monitoring has saved the lives and limbs of many motorcyclists in various instances where they might sit at just the right (or wrong) position as not to be seen by a driver checking their mirrors.

This is also an important move for Perodua as the company aims to protect its workforce, which according to Dato’ Zainal, the majority of which commute to and from work via motorcycle. 

Perodua Confirms “Looking Into” Myvi GT

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At a sales performance event in KL, Malaysian automotive juggernaut Perodua has finally let some air out of the bag surrounding the heavily-rumoured Myvi GT, an idea brought about by a concept car that was presented at the 2019 KLIMS as a concept car that caught the imagination of a large number of people.

Taking the question head-on, Dato Dr. Zahari Husin answered that while the KLIMS concept car was very costly to produce and will most certainly not make production, Perodua is indeed looking into the possibility of producing a ‘Myvi GT’ that is more affordable and more acceptable price-wise to Perodua’s customer base, which has lit the flame of possibility for those who hold the idea of a slightly-dearer but much more endearing version of the Perodua Myvi.

Confidential sources have reported that prior to the launch of the Perodua Myvi, the company had investigated the possibility of working with local suspension tuner and production company FTuned Racing, to deliver a drive & ride experience that is more in keeping with the tastes of Malaysian car buyers, both those keen on driving and those keen on durability. We’re made to understand that the deal fell through after a great deal of effort from both parties, due to an internal impasse that neither firm was open to negotiating on.

If Perodua picked up from where they left off with FTuned, it could result in a Myvi GT with properly competitive suspension components that would put it on par drive-wise with the PROTON Iriz. That would then raise another question regarding the chassis, and whether or not the chassis of the Myvi was developed with driver engagement in mind, or if it was merely made to be cost-, material-, and production-efficient. 

Looking beyond the obvious production speedbumps and developmental issues that will naturally crop up as Perodua moves towards making the Myvi GT a reality, we can’t help but toy with the idea a little more. The Perodua Myvi is already a very handsome and very well-designed thing, and in our review, we remarked that the Myvi lacked the positive feedback and engaging drive that the PROTON Iriz continues to win fans with. With the Myvi GT, sitting as perhaps the flagship Myvi model in the future, Perodua could win back fans and convert a few more buyers from non-national brands perhaps, all buying into the idea of a fun, sharp, reliable Malaysian hatchback.

  • 2018 Perodua Myvi GT Concept – KLIMS’18
  • 2018 Perodua Myvi GT Concept – KLIMS’18
  • 2018 Perodua Myvi GT Concept – KLIMS’18
  • 2018 Perodua Myvi GT Concept – KLIMS’18

Perodua Sets New H1 Sales Record – Up 4% Year-On-Year

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At a small media event held in the nation’s capital, Malaysian automotive heavyweight Perodua announced that it had performed splendidly over the first half of 2019, delivering the highest number of new cars yet for the manufacturer. This historic milestone was contributed to by the ‘tax holiday’ period that came about after the General Election, which served to grow the total industry volume (TIV) by some 2.4%.

Also contributing to Perodua’s successes was the arrival of the Perodua Aruz, the model’s first SUV since the ill-fated Nautica and warmly-received Kembara, which has served to breathe new light into the entry-level sub-RM100k SUV space. 

Dato’ Zainal Abidin Ahmad, President & CEO, PERODUA

“The increase in demand for our vehicles in the first six months of 2019 has had a positive impact on the automotive ecosystem as a whole, with parts purchases amounting to RM2.7-billion during this period. Based on our forecast for the second half of the year, we expect to purchase a total of RM5.4-billion with of parts for the whole of 2019. We have reached a stage in our history where we are earnestly seeking to build our brand abroad in a sustainable manner. However, this is on a long-term scale as brands do need time to build. Our hope is to make Malaysia proud,” said Perodua President & CEO, Dato’ Zainal Abidin Ahmad.

As a result of the positive performance, Perodua will be revising its annual target – previously set at 231,000 vehicles, Perodua will now aim to sell 235,000 vehicles in 2019, marking a 4,000 unit increase over earlier estimates. 

When looking at the individual model breakdown, the Perodua Aruz looks to retain its position as Malaysia’s best-selling SUV, with 15,000 sales recorded in the first half of this year and “a few more thousand by the end of next month” according to Dato’ Zainal. The Perodua Alza at 8,000 units sold in the first-half of this year represents Perodua’s slowest-selling model, though it’s still not a number to be scoffed at. When asked, Perodua’s top-management unanimously answered that there’s been little cannibalisation between the two models, and whatever cross-shopping has occurred are perfectly within Perodua’s original estimates that they calculated prior to the release of the Aruz SUV. 

They would also not comment about a new Alza, which is heavily rumoured to come about late this year or early next year. To that end, Dato’ Zainal remained coy, but hinted that at “current capability,” the company is capable of producing “one minor model change and one full model change per year.” Based on that comment, you can extrapolate when we can expect to see the next new model from Perodua.

It isn’t all smooth sailing though – last year’s sales figures, Dato’ Zainal noted, were inflated somewhat thanks to that tax holiday we mentioned earlier. To that end, Dato’ Zainal said that they “believe that the second half of the year will not be as healthy as what was recorded last year. The momentum of the first half is likely to reduce in the second half.” 

Perodua forecasts internally that Malaysia’s total industry volume for 2019 will remain at 600,000 units, though the Malaysian Automotive Association’s official numbers have yet to be released. 

PREVIEWED: Mercedes-Benz EQC – Tomorrow, Today

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It can be difficult to accept for many, like yours truly, that the end is nigh for the internal combustion engine.

While we rally around carmakers like Mazda who appear to have bought us some time with their revolutionary SkyActiv-X compression-ignition petrol mills, the reality is that the motoring industry is moving sharply towards zero-emissions electric motoring, and there’s precious little that can be done about it. Volkswagen’s committed an obscene amount of money to the cause, as has BMW, the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance… and Daimler.

Daimler is the focus of this article because, just this week, I was given the very special opportunity to drive the Mercedes-Benz EQC, the first fully-electric series-production car from the hallowed marque, which I was told many times was the product of 130 years of automotive engineering excellence. Just one EQC was brought to Malaysian shores, in left-hand drive and fresh off a plane where it was collected in Norway after having graced the Oslo motor show. 

In fact I very nearly didn’t drive it, as it had back-to-back engagements with photographers and KL’s movers and shakers, who had all descended upon the old air force base in Sg. Besi to take a look at the future of motoring, today.

But drive it I did, after some serious pleading with PR & communications staff from Mercedes-Benz Malaysia, who had thought it best to retire the electric vehicle after it’d been out on the runway in about half a dozen other hands. But return it did, with the key promptly delivered to me, with the warning to brace myself – it’s seriously fast.

I actually don’t understand the fascination with electric performance. It’s a well-known fact that an electric motor can go from 0% output to 100% output in a blink, as that is the nature of electricity. But every carmaker with a zero-emissions vehicle always wants to talk about the stupid torque figures and the manner with which it’s delivered, as did Mercedes-Benz, who informed me that the EQC can hit 100km/h in 5.1-seconds. ‘Cool,’ was about all I could muster as a response.

As I lined the EQC up on the intricately-laid track on the runway, I threw logic to the wind, floored the brakes with my left foot and the accelerator with my right, which hilariously activated ‘Launch Mode’ automatically. Taking that as a sign, I lifted my left foot and proceeded to send it down the straight. It hit 100km/h in about 5-seconds, but during which I left most of my internal organs in the rear seat – your mind can tell you about that instant torque hit but when you get hit, boy is it a rush.

Following that straight was a chicane, so it was hard on the brakes (which took the opportunity to top up the batteries, those sneaky buggers) and then a sharp right-left-right onto a second straight. Here the inevitable weight of the EQC became apparent, sloshing from side to side like an 60s Rover. The sensation of over 2,000kg moving from left wheels to right sent logic screaming back into my head, and so I dialled it down, and went for another round.

This time driving sensibly, I took the course gently. Calculated inputs (though not light) saw the EQC glide effortlessly down the straight, kept the nose level under braking, and ushered dignified progress through the corners. This, I felt, was the way the EQC was designed to be driven. We don’t find ourselves on closed runways daily; No, we’re usually stuck in jams on Jalan Kuching, or creeping to a halt at a traffic light on Jalan Maarof. We’re usually creeping through Telawi looking for parking, or indeed in Publika for the entrance to the not-premier parking that us heathens can afford.

And for that purpose, the EQC is perfect. It’s eerily quiet, its power very easy to modulate, its controls light, and its aesthetic approach very familiar. It’s built off the GLC-Class SUV after all and so a lot of the controls are taken from that. Even the overall appearance outside is reminiscent of the GLC, with only the reworked fascia and rump giving it away. Down the sides it’s a dead-ringer for the GLC which, to my mind, makes sense as EVs try and tempt the buyers of today’s internal-combustion cars to give it up, and #SwitchToEQ, as it were.

With a launch date set to be sometime in the second-half of next year (presumably after Mercedes-Benz screws down a comprehensive assault on Malaysia’s pathetic EV infrastructure), the EQC will most likely arrive in showrooms touting an RM600k price tag. It’s not the EV for all, but it was never intended to be. The EQC is Malaysia’s first premium EV after all and frankly, it’s premium indeed.

So if you’re well-heeled enough to pay the premium, do it. Make that switch, enjoy your 460km range and 40-minute DC charge time, and show the whole world that while they look at the horizon and wonder when it’ll swallow their petrol-guzzling machines, you’re already enjoying tomorrow.

Actually, scratch that. EVs aren’t the cars of tomorrow. They’re here, now. And we need to climb aboard, or risk getting left behind.