In conjunction with SpareXHub’s 3rd anniversary, the company will hold a clearance sale with up to 80% off on genuine Ford and Hyundai motor vehicle spare parts. This is a one-time sale which will take place from 10 am on May 6 (Thursday) till 6 pm on May 9 (Sunday).
The location of the sale will be at Lot 24, Jalan Pemberita U1/49 which is in the Temasya Industrial Estate, Glenmarie, Shah Alam, Selangor,
SpareXHub wants to give you a chance to be able to purchase original motor vehicle spare parts at very affordable prices with this special clearance sale. There are over 3,000 parts for various Hyundai models and some 7,000 parts for Ford models. The parts range from service items such as filters and sensors to body parts such as bumpers and windscreens.
SpareXHub brand experts will also be on hand to ensure that you purchase the right parts for your vehicle, and provide the necessary knowledge, information and guidance. You can also browse through the online catalogue at www.sparexhub.com to know what’s available.
SpareXHub has prepared a registration form for all customers to fill up so that their arrival is known and expected, and also to ensure that all COVID-19 regulations and procedures are strictly adhered to. Click on this link (https://forms.gle/zGJReYFB72CMUPvE7) and book your slots today.
Pay less for brand new genuine suspension parts from SpareXHub.
SpareXHub is a trusted e-commerce platform for discounted, genuine auto spare parts. With more than 100+ years of combined experience, the team can curate and pick the right spare parts for customers seamlessly. Using the B2B2C approach, SpareXHub is ready to cater to the needs of automotive stockists, independent workshops and even individual vehicle owners.
There is no compromise on quality as all the parts are 100% genuine and original, ideal for those vehicles that have finished their warranty period.
After the first four months of 2021, Perodua’s total sales volume has passed the 78,000 mark, with April contributing 20,399 units to the number. A big contributor has been the Ativa SUV which accounted for over 22% of the figure (4,624 units). Since its launch in March this year, the carmaker has delivered almost 9,000 units of the Ativa, with around 290 new customers placing bookings daily. The strong demand has stretched the waiting period for customers which, as always, Perodua tries to shorten.
2 – 4 months waiting period
“The waiting period for the Ativa is currently between 2 and 4 months, depending on the desired colour and variant. We advise our valued customers to speak to our authorised sales advisors for accurate and up-to-date delivery times of the various variant-colour combinations of the Ativa,” advised Perodua’s President & CEO, Dato’ Zainal Abidin Ahmad.
“Perodua remains committed towards timely deliveries, aided by our economies of scale. We thank our valued customers very much for their patience. We are doing all we can to deliver as many cars as possible before the expected expiry of the government’s sales tax exemption at the end of June,” he said.
Semiconductor chip shortage
On a month-to-month comparison, sales dipped by 16.5% to 20,399 units from 24,431 units, mainly due to the semiconductor chip shortage, which is affecting multiple industries globally.
“The chip shortage is our top priority at present and we are deploying all our resources to deal with it, including working closely with the government and our business partners for viable solutions,” Dato’ Zainal said. “Despite the global semiconductor chip shortage, Perodua managed to produce 20,278 vehicles in April 2021, pushing our year-to-date production to 80,661 units,”
In 2021, Perodua will purchase up to RM6.5 billion worth of parts from suppliers in Malaysia. These include transmissions made at a factory in Negeri Sembilan.
Perodua is maintaining its 2021 sales target at 240,000 units for now. The target represents a 9% increase from the 220,163 units sold last year. The increased volume will also see Perodua making a record purchase of RM6.5 billion worth of locally-sourced components this year. Production is also set to be increased to 272,000 units, 23% more than the output in 2020.
Visit www.perodua.com.my to know more about the models available and where to view, test-drive or purchase them.
Those who grew up in the 1980s will fondly remember Tamiya, the name of the 75-year old Japanese company that made plastic scale models and became a big name in radio-controlled (R/C) cars after it launched its first R/C assembly kit of a Porsche 934. That first model and those which were to follow sparked the R/C revolution.
Over 5 decades, Tamiya has offered many R/C models such as the Hornet, Lunchbox, Sand Scorcher and Avante, with the Wild One being one of the most iconic. But while they provided many memories of exciting races, they were all ‘driven’ using a remote controller.
Now, The Little Car Company, based in the UK, is bringing back the Wild One and this is considerably larger than the 1/10th size of the original one sold by Tamiya. With a licence from the Japanese company, The Little Car Company will produce an 8/10 scale car that will be big enough for a person to sit in it.
Not just for static show
And it won’t just be a showpiece as it will be able to move around with the same type of propulsion unit as the original – an electric motor. The Wild One MAX, as it will be known, will have rear-wheel drive and a spaceframe chassis with coil-over suspension for all four wheels. It gets the power to the ground through 15-inch off-road tyres on lightweight wheels. The brake system includes hydraulic Brembo disc brakes on each corner, backed up by regenerative braking to maximise range.
There are multiple driving modes which offer different top speeds, throttle mappings and power outputs according to driver skill level. So the younger ones can learn to drive safely and get increased power as they become proficient and more confident.
Like the original R/C car, the Wild One MAX can be assembled from parts supplied, with stickers too!
48 km/h top speed
The base Wild One Max can reach a top speed of 48 km/h with maximum power output of 4 kW (5.5 bhp). It has a single PowerPack onboard with a capacity of 2 kWh and a range of up to 40 kms, depending on terrain and driving style. For increased speed or range, modular PowerPacks can be added.
Upsized from the small scale model, the Wild One MAX will be about 3.5 metres long,1.8 metres wide and weigh around 250 kgs. Like the original, the car can be assembled from parts supplied although being considerably larger, it won’t be able to go into a glass case.
The driver will have an adjustable composite seat with a 3-point seatbelt, digital gauges and a racing steering wheel. The Little Car Company says that between 160 cm and 195 cm tall should be comfortable enough.
The Porsche 934 model introduced by Tamiya in 1976 started the R/C revolution.
Taking things one step further, those who wish to roam on public roads can install Road Legal Packs. These packs add the components required to build the vehicle to be compliant with Quadricycle laws in Europe, or Neighbourhood Electric Vehicle legislation in the USA. The packs include items such as brake lights, turn signals, reflectors and rearview mirrors so the Wild One MAX can be fully road-legal.
Built to order
The Wild One MAX is expected to have a pricetag starting from £6,000 (about RM34,300) and is planned for global release in 2022. The company will be building the cars as orders are received and accompanied by a £100 deposit (refundable)
This is not The Little Car Company’s first small car as it has, in partnership with some prestigious carmakers, produced authentic ‘junior cars’. These include the Bugatti Baby II, a 75% scale tribute to the iconic Bugatti Type 35, and a follow up to the 1926 Bugatti Baby. The second model announced in 2020 was the Aston Martin DB5 Junior (pictured below), a 66% scale version of the car driven by Agent 007.
With continued high demand, Proton reports that its total sales volume increased again for the month of April, the third consecutive month of growth. 15,017 units (including exports) were delivered, and the company’s cumulative volume after the first 4 months of 2021 reached 47,843 units. This is more than double the number for the same period last year although it has to be remembered that the MCO (Movement Control Order) shut down business activities for the whole industry for a while.
By its own estimate, Proton’s latest figure means it has a market share of 26.7% for April, and it continues to strengthen its hold in second position in overall the sales rankings table with a market share to date estimated at 24.4%.
Proton Saga at the top
The company believes its Saga is at the top of the national sales chart with 5,472 units sold in April while its two SUV models continue to set strong sales numbers. The X50, which has a long waiting list, set yet another new high for deliveries with 3,583 customers receiving their vehicles in April. The X70 was dominant in the C-segment SUV category with 2,101 units delivered.
Proton’s other 3 models also performed well and had their best months of 2021. Despite strong competition in the B-segment sedan market, 2,266 units of the Persona were sold, while the Exora continued to rule the C-segment MPV class. Iriz sales received a boost from strong demand for the R3 Limited Edition model that allowed it to have its best sales month since 2019.
Iriz R3 Limited Edition
Good month for the industry
“April was a good month for the automotive industry and aside from Proton, several other brands also had their best month of the year so far. The Total Industry Volume is estimated to be over 56,000 units as all brands are trying to fulfil sales orders before the expiry of the PENJANA sales tax exemption at the end of June 2021,” said Roslan Abdullah, CEO of Proton Edar, the company’s sales arm.
“For Proton, we are continuing with efforts to meet the strong demand for our products while maintaining a high level of product quality. At the same time, we are focussing on improving customer service and addressing issues related to spare parts availability, which is vital as our sales volume increases. We expect the situation will see significant improvement as the year progresses but we are working hard to move up that timeline,” he said.
He added that Proton Edar is looking forward to increased production volumes with the new stamping plant, which is now under construction. “The benefits of improved production volumes, lower costs and increased quality will allow us to increase sales exponentially both domestically and abroad, which will drive the company towards achieving its stated long-term goals,” he said.
The latest Hyundai Elantra arrived in Malaysian showrooms just 9 months after its global online launch from Hollywood. Its quick appearance was due to it not being assembled locally, so there was no need for plant preparation. Along with exports to other markets, Hyundai Sime Darby Motors (HSDM) also got its allocation for Malaysia.
The only problem was that with many markets wanting the new model, supply was limited and HSDM could get only one variant first, which was the Elantra Premium priced from RM158,888. Now, about 5 months after its launch in Malaysia, a second variant is available and it’s priced from RM139,888 (excluding insurance). This RM19,000 cheaper variant is the Elantra Executive and like the Premium variant, it also comes with a warranty of 5 years or maximum distance of 300,000 kms.
Though costing less, HSDM has still managed to keep the Elantra Executive fairly well equipped, with SmartSense safety systems and 6 SRS airbags. It sits on the same new platform with a similar Smartstream G1.6 16-valve petrol engine that produces 123 ps/154 Nm. Hyundai’s own Intelligent Variable Transmission (IVT) is used and there are 4 drive modes to choose from.
The interior appointments are simpler with black fabric upholstery for the seats and manual seat adjustment. The functional dashboard has a 4.2-inch TFT LCD Cluster which provides the driver with all the necessary information.
Though the new car has a sleeker roofline compared to its predecessor, headroom has not been compromised. The longer wheelbase also provides 964 mm of rear legroom, claimed to be best in class, while the wider track width means improved shoulder room in the front and rear. With over 474 litres of boot volume, the Elantra should be able to take a lot of cargo and if there are long items, the rear backrests can also be folded down to extend the boot floor.
“We have received significant interest from customers on the new Elantra and also a preference for lower pricing. As with all fully imported cars, the exchange rate is one of the determining factors for the price of the car. The Elantra is a CBU (complete built-up) unit that is imported from Korea, therefore the exchange rate does affect how we price the car. Having said that, we would still like to make the Elantra accessible to all our customers with the introduction of this new variant,” said Low Yuan Lung, Managing Director of HSDM.
Honda today gave the world its first look at the next generation of the BR-V, presented as the N7X Concept. The original BR-V had its world debut in Indonesia in August 2015, and now, for the first time, Honda is unveiling a concept car in the country. The reason is that the BR-V is a model that was developed primarily with the Indonesia market in mind, although it is also sold in some other countries, including Malaysia.
For the second generation, the 7-seater cabin is maintained, this being an important point for customers in Indonesia. Honda understands that a car is ‘not just a car’, and considering how much time people spend in it, the vehicle is also a ‘second home’. This led the design team at Honda Asia Pacific to combine the best features of a MPV and the advantages of a SUV for the N7X Concept that will be the basis for the forthcoming new BR-V.
Designed with Gen X in mind
The exterior design is sleeker than the current BR-V and the overall size appears larger. There are some styling elements from other models, such as the CR-V, with the high ground clearance being a necessity in Indonesia and also other parts of ASEAN.
Honda product planners conducted extensive studies, primarily in Indonesia, to find out what customers expect and aimed to exceed the expectations. They focussed especially on the Generation X family, which has a lifestyle that is balanced between personal activities and family togetherness.
Details of the interior are not available other than from brief views during the presentation. With words like ‘premium’ being used, it is likely that Honda will offer the new BR-V with a higher quality than before, the same way that the City evolved upwards. Of course, with the emphasis on safety, we may see better safety systems installed, probably including an autonomous braking capability.
Honda’s idea of a 7-seater
“The N7X is our concept of what a 7-seater car should be, which not only offers pleasant driving performance but also the serenity and comfort of a premium car for all occupants. We are very proud to make Indonesia the first in the world to introduce the N7X Concept, a concept that will redefine the categories of cars and driving pleasure,” said Takehiro Watanabe, President Director of PT Honda Prospect Motor, during the world premiere online.
The current BR-V was launched at the Indonesia International Auto Show in 2015 but given the current pandemic, the future of such public events remains uncertain. Nevertheless, Honda Indonesia is displaying the N7X Concept at a shopping mall in Jakarta this week, and will probably do an online launch of the production model sometime during the second half of this year.
2019 BR-V (the model received some updates last year). Prices start from RM86,726.
The BR-V arrived in Malaysia about 2 years after its debut in Indonesia, though this second generation might not take as long. Anyway, if you prefer the current one and want to get one before it runs out, visit any authorized Honda dealer and their locations can be found at www.honda.com.my.
