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The last time Maserati had a GranTurismo in the showrooms was in 2019, and then production of the model stopped after some 40,000 cars had been sold worldwide. At that time, the carmaker didn’t say it was the end of the line but rather that it was focussing on factory renovation. It also said that it would develop a new ‘Made in Italy’ high-performance sportscar which would undoubtedly continue the iconic model line that began 75 years ago.

The all-new GranTurismo must be nearing launch as it has now been revealed in public without camouflage. With ‘a selected number of employees from the Maserati Family in the driving seat’ and travelling many kilometres, prototypes must be undergoing final real-world testing. This is the time when pictures start to appear in social media so the company has probably decided that it’s more practical to simply allow the car to be seen uncamouflaged.

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When the Subaru XV (as Malaysians knew it) was introduced 10 years ago, it was also known as the Crosstrek in North America. Perhaps there was some other model in that market that also had a similar badge or Subaru wanted a more ‘substantial’ name for its biggest market.

For the third generation revealed recently, it has decided to use only Crosstrek globally which will begin sales in Japan in early 2023. Apart from simplifying communications, that should also save Subaru some money on making a separate set of badges!

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Dacia, like Skoda, was established in 1966 as a government-owned carmaker but was sold off to Renault in 1999. Under the French carmaker, the company was able to develop further and is today the largest company (by revenue) in its home country of Romania.

Over the years, Dacia has had a firm niche at the lower end of the European market, offering cars with modern features and technology at affordable prices. Like other carmakers, Dacia is constantly looking ahead to see how its products can evolve as customer needs and social expectations change.

Its ‘rolling lab’ is the Manifesto, a concept car which contains new ideas and innovations that could be available in future models – though the company says its design is not necessarily related to any upcoming model.

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Over 120 BMW M cars travelled in a convoy today to celebrate the 50th anniversary of BMW’s performance brand. The convoy had started from Ingress Auto’s BMW Damansara dealership and made its way to LaLaport Bukit Bintang City Centre where the cars filled Gourmet Walk, the roar of their exhausts reverberating along the ‘canyon’ of buildings.

The number of cars was the largest at a gathering of BMW M cars in Malaysia and BMW Group Malaysia MD, Hans de Visser, believes it might also be the largest in Southeast Asia. It was organised by the M Owner Malaysia community with the support of BMW Group Malaysia.

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After some 4 years in the market, the BMW M850i xDrive Coupe has received updates as the MY Edition. Besides cosmetic changes on the exterior as well as interior, the list of standard equipment has also been expanded.

Beginning with the front profile, the new coupe has been given the ‘Iconic Glow’ lighting feature for the kidney grille, with LEDs within that provide a waterfall-like illumination which cascades down the grille slats. It seems a bit gimmicky and illuminates when opening the doors, starting and switching off the ignition, and finally locking the car.

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For the seventh time since 1964, Ford has launched a new generation of the bestselling sports coupe in the world – the Ford Mustang. As always, there is the promise of better performance and more advanced technologies but also significant is that Ford continues to invest in a product with a combustion engine, instead of going electric (although there is already the Mustang Mach-E).

“Investing in another generation of Mustang is a big statement at a time when many of our competitors are exiting the business of internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles,” said Jim Farley, CEO of Ford Motor Company. “Ford, however, is turbocharging its ICE growth plan, adding connected technology, opinionated derivatives, and hybrid options to our most profitable and popular cars – all in the Ford Blue family – on top of investing US$50 billion in electric vehicles through 2026.”

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Whatever memories you may have of being a Chery owner before, things will be different when Chery returns to the Malaysian market in the near future. Apart from a totally new and modern range of models like the OMODA 5 and Tiggo Pro, sales and aftersales are promised to be top quality and in line with the global standards of the Chinese carmaker.

Chery is confident that it can deliver on this promise as its return to the Malaysian market will be handled by its own subsidiary (to be established in due course). Previously, it was on represented by a local company so it did not have direct control on how the business was run.

The direct involvement of the manufacturer is good because that is the brand owner, and therefore has the strongest interest in ensuring that the brand image is good. Some manufacturers do business at ‘arms-length’, leaving most of the marketing and aftersales activities to their local partner who may or may not be equally committed since the partner does not own the brand. With the brand owner participating (and making its own investment), there will be better guidance and direction which should benefit customers.

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Latest fuel update – another 5 sen drop in the price of RON97 petrol, effective after midnight.
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While the Toyota Hiace and its clones from China have long been popular among fleet operators requiring seating for 10 persons or more, there has also been the Hyundai Starex in recent years as an alternative. Now Hyundai-Sime Darby Motors (HSDM) will also offer the Hyundai Staria with a 10-seat configuration.

To go on sale in the fourth quarter of 2022, the large Korean MPV is essentially similar to the Staria 7-seater launched last year. According to Low Yuan Lung, Managing Director of HSDM, there has been the expectation that the 10-seater Staria will also be made available.

“We have been getting enquiries for the 10-seater variant as there has been anticipation that the 10-seater variant will replace the Starex. Like the Starex, this new 10-seater variant of the Staria is ideal for big families, tour operators and businesses. However, it has vast improvements and more functionalities in every aspect compared to the Starex,” he said.

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Although it seems like every carmaker has a SUV today, that’s not really been the case. Ferrari did not jump on the SUV bandwagon like Lamborghini but even they have to offer customers such a car. And as with some other carmakers, they have tried to disassociate their new Purosangue as ‘another new SUV’ but rather, another new Ferrari.

Porsche tried that same line too when they launched the Cayenne as their first SUV, referring to it more as ‘another new Porsche’. And Rolls-Royce, perhaps feeling ‘Sport’ and ‘Utility’ are not appropriate for the brand to be associated with, chose to initially refer to their Cullinan as ‘a high-bodied car’.

But ‘SUV’ has become so embedded today, after having been in use since the `1990s’, that carmakers trying to call their SUVs something else have eventually had to call them that. Some try to use crossover which refers to a blending of SUV and passenger car, with a bit more of the latter.

Anyway, here it is – the first ever SUV in Ferrari’s 75-year history. Just as Volvo took a long time to come out with its first SUV because it had to be satisfied that the important issues of safety were fully addressed, Ferrari has also taken time to ensure that the driving dynamics and performance of allow the Purosangue to have the Prancing Horse on its bonnet.

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