Sime Darby Auto Connexion (SDAC), the sole distributor of Ford in Malaysia, recently claimed a double win for its Ford Ranger and Ford Focus at the Carlist.my People’s Choice Awards & Editors’ Choice Award 2018. The multiple-award winning Ford Ranger reaffirmed its popularity amongst Malaysians, winning a Gold for ‘Pick-up Truck of the Year’ while the dynamic Ford Focus was voted a second favourite, taking home Silver in the ‘Mid-Range Hatch’ category.
“We are elated that the Ranger continues to be a top favourite and that the Focus nameplate still holds a special spot in the hearts of Malaysians. We wish to extend our utmost gratitude to all Malaysians for their support as we continue to enhance the ownership experience for our customers in every way possible,” said Syed Ahmad Muzri Syed Faiz, Managing Director, Sime Darby Auto Connexion (below, at a different COTY event)
“With its ‘Built Ford Tough’ credentials, the Ranger is designed and engineered to handle the most extreme terrain with ease. At the same time, it delivers a level of refinement that offers customers the option of owning not just an adventure or commercial-ready truck, but also a lifestyle and family vehicle. Meanwhile, the Ford Focus significantly raises the bar in its mid-range hatch category by delivering a class-leading combination of smart technologies, innovative design and safety as well as exceptional fuel efficiency” – SDAC Malaysia.
2018 marks the second year that winners of Carlist.my’s awards were purely chosen by Malaysians. This year, a total of 7,000 people voted for their favourite cars over a four-week period in 18 categories.
For more information, visit SDAC’s multilingual website (www.sdacford.com.my), which also features a chatbot available in three languages – English, Bahasa Malaysia and Simplified Chinese.
Thanks to Auto Express, here’s the first-look at the new Ford Focus! The latest edition of Ford’s immensely popular family hatchback and hot-hatch is scheduled to be revealed in full in very soon, but an image that appeared on a Hungarian website has let the cat out of the bag early.
“The new Focus was snapped on a location shoot in Portugal and you can see from the image that the car’s minders would rather it hadn’t been. The rear spoiler, large alloy wheels and red brake calipers on the car in the picture suggests that this is the up-spec Ford Focus ST-Line model that’s set to head-up the range alongside the more luxury-orientated Vignale before a full blown Focus ST hot hatchputs in an appearance.” – Auto Express.
2018 Ford Focus Photo Gallery… (All images courtesy of Auto Express)
Auto Trader, one of the UK’s biggest online marketplaces for new and used cars, has published a list of the top 10 most searched vehicles of this past year. The results were based on users who searched through Auto Trader’s online portal for their desired vehicles in 2017.
The results portray a very interesting story, and despite the unstable economic situation, Brexit and the dieselgate saga, premium vehicles are still in high demand. At the top of the list is the BMW 3 Series, thanks to youthful styling, peppy turbocharged engines and a slew of tech features, it was the most desired car of the year.
Finishing second, was the Volkswagen Golf. The Mack Daddy of family hatchbacks was very popular among visitors but not enough to be crowned king of the hill. The Mercedes-Benz C-Class came in a respectable third place, just edging out another stalwart, the Ford Focus.
Following is the top ten list of most searched vehicles:
1. BMW 3 SERIES
2. VOLKSWAGEN GOLF
3. MERCEDES-BENZ C CLASS
4. FORD FOCUS
5. BMW 1 SERIES
6. BMW 5 SERIES
7. FORD FIESTA
8. AUDI A3
9. MERCEDES-BENZ E CLASS
10. VAUXHALL ASTRA
Ivan Aistrop, Road Test Editor at Auto Trader, said, “In fact, if you look at the list of most searched-for diesel cars, you’ll see it contains more premium products than for any other fuel type, suggesting that diesel cars are still desirable for buyers despite recent negative press coverage.”
Apart from this, Auto Trader also came out with a list of the most searched for electric cars. Dominating the list was Nissan’s Leaf due in part to its sensible styling, conventional knobs and switchgear as well as its ‘down to earth’ method of operation. Tesla’s Model S was placed much lower than expected, finishing in 9th place, just ahead of the Vauxhall Ampera.
The influx of efficient and advanced electric cars in the next few years, could mean that an EV, not a petrol or diesel car, will take the No.1 spot for next year’s Top 10. Overwhelming demand for vehicles like the newly launched Tesla Model 3 may relegate today’s most wanted petrol cars to the bottom section of the 2018 list.
Ford has decided to introduce a limited edition Focus RS just in time for the holidays. Called the RS Red Edition, with just 300 examples salted for production, will feature a Race Red exterior, grey brake calipers, black cast alloy wheels as well as contrasting black roof, door mirrors and rear spoiler.
Like the special edition RS, this one also gets a front mechanical Quaife limited-slip differential (LSD). This clever tech provides the car with better traction to the wheel that needs it most. As such, during hard cornering, the Focus RS will be able to deliver impressive levels of grip and stability.
“The Focus RS Edition represents accessible performance at its finest”, said Andy Barratt, chairman and managing director, Ford of Britain. “As RS production nears its end, we wanted to celebrate with a limited run of cars for those who want to stand out as an RS fan.”
The car is available to order now at Ford dealerships but its production will only begin in February of 2018. As such, this jolly red Focus RS won’t be rolling out in time for this Christmas but we are sure many enthusiasts wouldn’t mind the wait.
In general, the latest Focus RS is a technological masterpiece, it crams sports car-like performance into a compact package. Powered by a 2.3-litre EcoBoost engine, all-wheel-drive and a Limited Slip Differential, it’s a hot hatch that can give certain supercars a run for their money.
It’s the the most wonderful time of the year, especially if you have your heart set on purchasing a new Ford. Sime Darby Auto Connexion (SDAC), the sole distributor of Ford vehicles in Malaysia is offering unbeatable deals for its customers this Christmas season.
As a means to spread the holiday cheer, Ford will be giving awy an exclusive blue nose and reindeer antlers to customers who sign up to test drive a Ford vehicle at any of the company’s authorized dealers nationwide.
Adding to that, those who purchase a new vehicle can expect even better rewards in the form of rebates and other attractive packages. A purchase of a Ranger WildTrak will come with up to RM5,000 worth of cash rebates. For those who opt for a Ranger XLT instead, you get a zero-maintenance cost package for up to 5 years or 100,000km plus cash rebates.
If those deals don’t tickle your fancy but want something a little more compact instead, Ford has you covered here as well. With the purchase of a Focus or Fiesta, you will be able to enjoy cash rebates of up to RM23,000 in addition to a 3-years free of cost maintenance package and a 5-year warranty.
And if you already own a Ford but still want to enjoy a jolly Christmas with the Blue Oval, you still can. Just take your vehicle in for a complimentary 27-point vehicle health inspection by a Ford-certified technician. Sweetening the deal further are discounts of up to 20 percent on selected parts that include lubricants, brake, timing belt and other packages.
There’s also a 10 discount on labour costs as well as other maintenance packages for selected Ford models. And if this news has you pacing your living room impatiently for a Ford Service Center to open tomorrow – hold on. This promotion will be made available nationwide starting on December 18th 2017 and and will end on February 17th 2018.
“We are glad to extend these attractive service and maintenance packages to ensure that our customers’ vehicles are in their best condition for a safe travel,” said Syed Ahmad Muzri Syed Faiz, Managing Director, SDAC. “Let’s make this holiday season a memorable one with our loved ones.”
Customers who spend more than RM350 on a single valid tax invoice at a Ford centre can expect to receive exclusive Ford merchandise. That said, these items are only available at authorized Ford dealers nationwide while stocks last.
If you would like to know more, visit www.sdacford.com.my or head on over to your nearest Ford dealership to experience the best that the Blue Oval has to offer the Malaysian automotive market.
Ford has made it even easier for car buyers to own its award winning mid-size family hatchback, the Focus. According to the automaker, owning a Focus will only cost you RM668/month or you can forgo this deal for a RM15,000 cash rebate, the choice is yours.
This is an exceptionally good deal based on the numbers but we would advice our readers to speak with a Ford repesentive to know the full terms and conditions of this repayment scheme before committing to anything.
That said, the Focus is one of the best vehicles that the US based automaker sells in our market. It’s the third generation car of the Focus family and is powered by a 1.5-litre turbocharged EcoBoost engine.
Thanks to forced induction technology, a smaller engine is now able to offer similar output to a much larger displacement one. As such, though the car only has a 1.5-litre engine compared to the 2.0-litre one in its predecessor, power is relatively similar.
It’s exceptionally smart too – the automated louvers behind the front grille open and close to minimize drag of up to 6% enabling the car to save more fuel. The car does this automatically when it detects the vehicle’s speed is sufficiently high and that the engine is receiving adequate air for cooling purposes.
Then, there’s a slew of safety tech such as Blind Spot Information System (BLIS) with Cross-Traffic Alert feature. This system warns drivers of obstacles (vehicles) that are in their blind spots and also alerts them when it detects a vehicle approaching from either left or right side of the car, up to a range of 40 metres.
But the Focus’ best party trick, is its ability to park on its own, with minimal human intervention. Through the use if the Enhanced Active Park Assist system, the car is able to parallel or perpendicular park perfectly, with the driver only having to change gears, brake and accelerate when necessary.
In addition to that, the car can also drive itself out of parking spaces through the use of the Park-Out Assist feature. This takes the stress out of having to carefully maneuver out of tight parking spaces on congested streets. Sounds like magic, but in actual fact, the car relies on various ultrasound sensors that act as its eyes, to help it navigate in and out of spaces.
Enhanced Active City Stop system, allows the Focus to apply the brakes as and when needed at speeds of up to 50Km/h when it senses an impending collision. It cuts engine power and engages the brakes to prevent avoidable fender benders or reduce their severity.
Finally, there’s Enhanced Transitional Stability, which is a Godsend for those who constantly drive during heavy downpours. This system, monitors the car’s movements and intervenes when necessary to prevent the driver from loosing control and sending the vehicle into a spin.
Going one step further, with the Ford MyKey, owners can set limits on the abilities of the Focus when the supplementary key is in the hands of a different driver. This key can be programmed to enable or disable certain features in the vehicle. For example, if a less experienced person is about to drive, the owner can programme the key, allowing for additional features. These could include, reducing the maximum speed of the car, prompting low-fuel alerts earlier and limiting entertainment (SYNC 3) functionality until seat belts are fastened.
Other features of the Focus include the following:
Keyless entry Push-button Start
Six airbags
Dual-zone climate control
Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS)
Electronic Power-assisted Steering (EPAS)
Torque Vectoring Control
Hill Launch Assist
Six-speed SelectShift with paddle shifters
The Ford Focus can be ordered in six different body colours that include Frozen White, Panther Black, Ingot Silver, Candy Red, Magnetic and Winning Blue. The Focus Trend is priced at RM118,888, the Focus Sport+ is RM139,888 while the sedan version, the Focus Titanium+, comes with a price of RM139,888.
For more information about this or other Ford models, visit the automaker’s local website or your nearest authorized dealer.
