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In spite of being a challenging year for the auto industry, 2021 will still see Proton staying above the 100,000-unit level for the third year in a row. In fact, even with one month left, the Malaysian carmaker has already reached a cumulative total volume of 100,566 units. This has been achieved with a sales volume of 14,187 units (domestic + export) during November

Another month of growth
With the market on the upswing, Proton too has enjoyed revived interest by car-buyers, with a 6.2% increase over October sales. This would be the third consecutive month of growth. And looking back at a year ago, November 2020 sales were 24.3% lower.

*Volume for 2021 is from January – November.

The market share of the Malaysian market for the month is estimated to be 24.5% and for the 11-month period, the share has grown by 1.9% to an estimated 22.8% at the end of November 2021.

Saga remains bestseller of the brand
The evergreen Saga remained the brand’s bestseller and had its best sales month since December 2020. 5,666 units were sold nationwide, placing it at the top of the A-segment sedan class, a position the company is hopeful it will retain to the end of the year.

The younger X50 also had a record month in November with 4,010 units delivered. That is significantly better than its previous high of 3,839 units set in October. Its bigger brother, the X70, remained in high demand and gained 1,901 new owners in November, also giving it leadership in the C-segment SUV class.

TOP THREE PROTON MODELS IN NOVEMBER

Proton X50

Proton X70

The Exora MPV is still dominant in the C-segment MPV market and saw a fourth consecutive month of growth 434 units sold. There is demand for the other models but, as with many carmakers, Proton has experienced component supply issues for the Iriz and Persona. This has limited their production volumes and only 642 and 1,534 units, respectively, were available for delivery to customers.

Limited by supply, not demand
“November was a good sales month for Proton though overall industry numbers continue to be limited by supply and not low demand. Crossing over the 100,000-unit threshold with a month to go is a high point for us after another year disrupted by COVID-19,” said Roslan Abdullah, CEO of Proton Edar.

“We are humbled by the achievement and are now confident of ending the year with an increase in total sales. This will make Proton the sole national brand to grow sales and market share this year and give us a strong base heading into 2022 as we look to consolidate and improve our ranking both domestically and overseas,” Encik Roslan added.

Switzerland may be a small country – around 340,000 new vehicles sold annually before the pandemic – but it has had one of the major international motorshows, the Geneva Motor Show. It is also home to a number of specialist companies in auto design and engineering. One of them is WayRay which describes itself as a ‘deep-tech’ company and it is the only company capable of designing and manufacturing complex Deep Reality Display technology. It also has expertise in rendering the AR content in real-time around the car using a proprietary True AR Rendering Engine software.

2021 WayRay Holograktor

Metaverse device on wheels
It has now applied the advanced technologies to Holograktor, is the first car designed around True AR technology and a new ride-hailing business model. WayRay calls it the very first ‘Metaverse device on Wheels’.

Backed by early investments from companies like Porsche, Hyundai, and Alibaba, WayRay is using the Holograktor car to emerge from its ‘Deep Tech’ automotive supplier status into the world of new mobility models.

“The idea is that you can choose Uber Black, Uber SUV, or Uber Holograktor. And if you choose the Holograktor, your ride will be subsidized by sponsored content, so the price will be much lower,” said WayRay Founder & CEO Vitaly Ponomarev.

2021 WayRay Holograktor

2021 WayRay Holograktor

2021 WayRay Holograktor

2021 WayRay Holograktor

2021 WayRay Holograktor

Connecting virtual and real worlds
With the seamless connection of the virtual and real worlds, there can be greater safety, comfort, services, and entertainment. The 3-seat Holograktor can either be driven conventionally or by remote control via a 5G and satellite internet connection to a qualified driver. That left the question of what to do with the disengaged steering wheel in the remote mode. WayRay solved it by sliding it forwards and simply fitting it into a groove in the dashboard.

2021 WayRay Holograktor

The interior has been designed around a novel 2+1 seating arrangement. The front seats are pushed wide apart to provide all three occupants with a clear view of holographic displays engineered around WayRay’s technology. Its unusual single rear seat ‘throne’ layout was inspired by data showing that more than 80% of Uber trips were for one person only

The entire car was also designed to showcase the holographic technology. Each passenger will have access to several holographic Deep Reality Display HUDs in front and on the side, with each seat fitted with joysticks for gaming and interacting with the content.

2021 WayRay Holograktor

2021 WayRay Holograktor

The AirKnife system creates a barrier that separates the air between passengers and cleanses the air throughout the cabin. It works together with the air-conditioning system to control the climate, filter the air, and keep passengers safe. That’s something which will be most welcome in these times.

2021 WayRay Holograktor

Exterior design
The Holograktor was designed by hypercar designer Sasha Selipanov, Head of Design at RAW Design House and chief designer on the Holograktor project in collaboration with WayRay’s in-house team of designers. Selipanov’s design work includes the Lamborghini Huracan, Genesis Essentia, Bugatti Chiron, and Koenigsegg Gemera. He was trained at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, before being taken in by the Volkswagen Group.

2021 WayRay Holograktor

Selipanov came to work on the Holograktor car in an appropriately modern way — via an Instagram message. “I saw a message from Vitaly on Instagram in my Inbox that said: ‘Hey! Would you like to catch up and brainstorm about a potential collaboration? Outside of being obsessed with sportscars, I’m a science geek and a bit of a physics nerd, and the fact that his company was playing around with deep-tech ideas and bringing them to customers around the world was hugely exciting. I thought that as far as non-lap-time-setting cars were concerned, this project was probably as exciting as I was ever going to find!”

At the core of the Holograktor’s design was the challenge of combining the concept car’s enormous interior space with a well-proportioned exterior, all while staying in line with all current and approaching regulations.

2021 WayRay Holograktor

“We wanted to create a visual language for WayRay that took Russian constructivism as the base. If you have those early Soviet posters in mind, you can see those brightly coloured geometric shapes of triangles and blocks. Coincidentally, the triangular form is reminiscent of a prism, like the Pink Floyd “Dark Side of the Moon” album cover,” explained Selipanov.

It is a light-ray aesthetic that comes with the triangularity and the prism-like effect, which is just perfectly appropriate for a car built to highlight holography. Beyond that, the strong triangular shapes and solid stance are nods to the Russian backgrounds of WayRay’s founder and the designer.

2021 WayRay Holograktor

That triangular theme is integrated everywhere, from the 22-inch wheels to the laser headlights and taillights and even to the shrink-wrapped form of the roof itself. While the front doors of the futuristic car open conventionally with a slight upward angle, the rear doors contain an integrated B-pillar and open rearwards and upwards, providing easy access to all 3 seats.

The Shrimp
The boxy shape on the roof of the Holograktor has been nicknamed ‘The Shrimp’ (though why that name was chosen is not explained). The shape makes it clear that the car is very different from any other car on the road and houses the holographic system for the rear passenger.

2021 WayRay Holograktor

‘The Shrimp’ in its current location is, in fact, inevitable, as packaging and ergonomics constraints have led the design team to place it on the roof. It needs to be there because it contains an enormous amount of high-end technology, and it has the ideal focal length for the rear-seat passenger.

Even with the holographic system needing less than 3 litres of volume instead of the 20+ litres required by conventional HUDs, it was decided to prioritize the ride-hailing capability over hiding the technology. There is no Shrimp for the front passengers, though, as the True AR technology sits within the dashboard, aiming up at the windscreen, where the Shrimp’s projections aim down from the roof.

2021 WayRay Holograktor

With Project MAYBACH, Mercedes-Benz pays tribute to the late Virgil Abloh who passed away recently. Designed as a showcar to inspire the next generation, it is being revealed at the wishes of Abloh’s family.

The artist, architect, creative director, fashion designer and philanthropist, who was also artistic director of Louis Vuitton menswear, had collaborated with Gordon Wagener, design chief of Mercedes-Benz, for this design study. It interprets Mercedes-Maybach’s luxury identity with a new design language and pushed the boundaries of function, style, and collaborative creativity.

Project MAYBACH 2021 - Virgil Abloh

Inspired by the great outdoors and recontextualizing a traditionally urban brand within a distinctly off-road environment, the 2-seater, fully-electric off-road coupe combines huge Gran Turismo proportions (almost 6 metres long), large off-road wheels and distinctive attachments. Under the transparent surface of the showcar’s bonnet are solar cells that increase the imagined range of the Project MAYBACH.

Project MAYBACH 2021 - Virgil Abloh

Like Project Gelandewagen in 2020, Project MAYBACH is a design unlike anything that has been developed by Mercedes-Benz, with every element built from scratch. Key for both Abloh and Wagener was a responsible vision of future design.  Complete creative freedom – unlimited by production requirements – enabled the design teams to conceptualize what the future of electric travel could look like.

Project MAYBACH 2021 - Virgil Abloh

The X-Factor nature of Project MAYBACH results not only from its imposing – almost 6 metres long – and characteristics, but also from its unique contrasts. ; most notably through how naturally authentic Mercedes-Maybach design elements are harmoniously combined with a new Outdoor Adventure design motif.

Project MAYBACH 2021 - Virgil Abloh

Project MAYBACH 2021 - Virgil Abloh

Project MAYBACH 2021 - Virgil Abloh

Project MAYBACH channels Abloh’s passion to challenge the status quo and re-write the rulebook of aspirational design. The power of his work is not only from the product design, but also the exploratory conversations that his work ignited. Whilst the showcar was inspired by how one could explore nature within a uniquely luxury context with Maybach, the Mercedes-Benz teams thank Virgil Abloh for the inspiration to explore every day the power of cross-industry dialogue to imagine a better, more inclusive future.

Project Gelandewagen, another car from Virgil Abloh, which was inspired by the G-Wagen.

Vaccination does not make you immune to COVID-19 infection. You can still get infected and although you may not show symptoms, you could spread the coronavirus to others. Do not stop taking protective measures such as wearing a facemask, washing hands frequently and social distancing.

John Hennessey, the founder and CEO of Texas-based Hennessey Performance, is a man who loves powerful cars and his company has been ‘making fast cars faster’ since 1991. His work covers not only musclecars but also trucks and SUVs, with notable recent models like the 700-bhp Velociraptor F250 and a ZL1 Camaro nicknamed ‘The Exorcist’ with 1,000 bhp.

In 2017, he started Hennessey Special Vehicles to develop even faster cars, with the Venom F5 being of hypercar status and the first road car capable of achieving more than 480 km/h. The Hennessey team developed an all new, twin turbo V8 engine that can deliver 1,817 bhp which sits on a lightweight chassis enclosed by an all carbonfibre body.

The Exorcist, a Camaro ZL1 with 1,000 bhp (above) and the Venom F5 are just some of the superfast cars from Hennessey.

The F5’s combination of light weight, low drag and massive horsepower is claimed to enable an acceleration time from 0 to 300 km/h in less than 10 seconds, making the new Venom quicker than current Formula 1 racing cars.

Project Deep Space

Now Hennessey Special Vehicles is taking things further with a strategic product plan to introduce 3 all-new vehicles over the next 10 years. Project Deep Space, the codename for one of the vehicles, will be the world’s first 6-wheel drive Hyper-GT.

During the next 10 years, electrification will be permeating through the industry and Hennessey is going with the change by making the hyper-GT run only on electric power, generated by 6 motors. With a 50% increase in surface contact over traditional 4-wheeled vehicles, the performance of the hyper-GT will be astonishing.

Hennessey Project Deep Space Hyper-GT EV

Fitted with dramatic gullwing doors, Project Deep Space will be constructed with an ultra-lightweight carbonfibre chassis and body panels. The car will be a unique, ultra-luxurious, Grand Tourer that can transport 4 adults in comfort along with 4 sets of golf clubs, plus luggage.

Diamond=shaped seating layout

The distinctive diamond seating arrangement places the driver in a central position and the rear offers lie-flat seating. The interior will be fitted with the highest quality materials and for the asking price, customers will be able to add whatever they want to personalize their hypercar.

“I’ve been building some of the world’s fastest accelerating vehicles for decades, yet they have always been performance-limited by mechanical grip. Six-wheeled electric propulsion is the solution. The technology is unprecedented in this segment – both forward-thinking and innovative. Our design and engineering team is excited about embracing the future,” said John Hennessey.

World’s most expensive EV

Full specifications for Project Deep Space are yet to be announced, but Hennessey has confirmed that pricing will start at US$3 million (RM12.6 million at today’s exchange rate) which will make it the world’s most expensive EV (unless Bugatti or someone else comes out with a rival model). Only 105 hypercars will be built with production planned to begin in 2026.

The first units of the new Peugeot 2008 have left the production line at the Stellantis manufacturing plant in Gurun, Kedah. The production is meant for the Malaysian market as well as for export to neighbouring countries. Sales will start in Thailand this month and there will also be lefthand drive versions produced for markets such as the Philippines.

“Built in ASEAN for ASEAN, we’re proud to announce that the first locally-produced new Peugeot 2008 vehicles will be on their way to customers in Southeast Asia in the coming months,” said Christophe Musy, Senior Vice-President, ASEAN & General Distributors at Stellantis.

“This is an important step in our plan to enlarge the Stellantis manufacturing footprint in the region and the first example of our ambition to expand the portfolio of Stellantis vehicles built in Southeast Asia,” said Mr. Musy.

The 2008 comes with Full LED Headlights, Peugeot’s signature 3-claws Light, the new Peugeot i-Cockpit 3D, 3D Quartz Cluster and 7-inch HD Touchscreen with Toggle Switches. It also has the latest Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) that include Automatic Emergency Braking, Driver Attention Assist 3, and Active Blind Spot Detection + Lane Keep Assist.

Peugeot engineers have done extensive endurance and quality testing in local conditions, with up to 200,000 kms around Malaysia in the diverse local climate and environmental landscape to ensure it is suited for Southeast Asian conditions.

New Peugeot 2008.

Despite forced closure of the plant for an extended period (due to government actions to fight the pandemic), the Stellantis manufacturing team in Malaysia was able to keep to production timelines. By utilizing dynamic online tools and methodologies, they virtually collaborated with colleagues in China and Europe.

“What we’ve been able to achieve at the Gurun plant in Malaysia over the past few months is a great achievement, and we are now focused on continuing the momentum to keep up with the increased customer demand for locally-manufactured Peugeot vehicles in the region,” said Mr. Musy.

Besides the 2008, the plant in Gurun also assembles the latest Peugeot 3008 and 5008.

Stellantis (a merger between the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and the French PSA Group) acquired the NAZA Automotive Manufacturing Sdn. Bhd. plant in October this year. Over 170 employees have returned to work and the company is working with more than 50 local suppliers with production ramping up for the remainder of 2021 to meet local demand. The plant assembles the 3008 and 5008, besides the 2008.

To know more about Peugeot models and aftersales services in Malaysia, visit www.peugeot.com.my. Peugeot owners in Malaysia are urged to provide their contact details to Bermaz Auto Alliance Sdn Bhd which is the new distributor for the brand.

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