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Formula E: Da Costa Collects First Win With TAG Heuer Porsche Team In Cape Town

After racing at a brand new track in Hyderabad, India, for Round 3 of the ABB Formula E World Championship, the drivers headed southwest to another new venue – Cape Town in South Africa. While not the first Formula E event in Africa as previous events have also been run in Marrakesh, Morocco, since 2016, the Cape Town circuit is the fastest of this 16-race season.

The 2.921 km circuit is around the DHL Stadium, skirting the coastline with the famous Table Mountain as a backdrop. The surface had bumpy braking zones, a tight chicane at Turns 4, 5 and 6 and a pacy, narrow section midway around the lap that would challenge the GEN3 racing cars.

Antonio Felix da Costa drove a storming race from 11th on the grid to his first win for TAG Heuer Porsche in the event, after producing a carbon copy of one of the best moves you’ll ever see for the lead, on two separate occasions. The Season 6 champion returned to form last time out with third in Hyderabad but this was something else in a properly attritional race with just 13 drivers finishing the knife-edge encounter.

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Peugeot 205 GTI – The Other Hot Hatch Icon

In the mid-1970s, the arrival of the Volkswagen Golf GTI gave birth to what would come to be called ‘the hot hatch’. Though having the same appearance of the simple successor to the Beetle, the Golf GTI offered spirited, higher performance at an affordable price. Volkswagen thought they might sell 5,000 units but because it had entered the mainstream as well, the demand grew to 461,690 units by the time the first generation ended production.

The Golf GTI showed that the hatchback was not just for urban use but could also be a sporty car with driving dynamics enthusiasts would appreciate. The demand encouraged other carmakers to also start creating hotter variants of their bread and butter models and one of them was Peugeot, which came out with the 205 GTI.

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Tax-Exemption On EVs Is Extended After All

It seemed surprising that when the Prime Minister/Finance Minister presented Budget 2023 yesterday, there was no mention of any matters related to the auto industry. In particular, the auto industry was waiting to hear about the extension of the tax-exemption for electric vehicles (EVs) which had been proposed in October. Back then, the proposed Budget 2023 by the previous government had extended the exemption for CBU (completely-built-up) EVs for one more year, ie till the end of 2024. However, as the Budget was not tabled in Parliament, it was not confirmed which is why we had the new one presented yesterday.

The Finance Ministry, through its website, had also posted information regarding this matter as part of the revised Budget 2023 Touchpoints and it’s good news. The exemption of excise and import duties for EVs imported in CBU form will continue till the end of 2025. For companies that assemble EVs locally, the exemptions will be provided till the end of 2027, along with full import duty exemption for components used in the assembly of the EV models. Incidentally, EVs in this case refers only to battery electric vehicles and fuel-cell electric vehicles and not electrified vehicles such as hybrid (HEV) or plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs), for which there are other incentives given.

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Countdown To Launch Of All-New Toyota Vios Starts With Order-Taking From Today

The countdown for the launch of the all-new Toyota Vios in Malaysia has started. Following past practice, UMW Toyota Motor (UMWT) has announced that customers can book the new model from today at all authorized Toyota dealerships nationwide. This means that the launch should take place within a month, going by the usual time-frame for most companies.

The new generation, which has been in the regional market less than a year, shows a big departure from the design language used in previous generations. Like the other new Toyota models we’ve seen in recent times, the appearance is more aggressive like the latest Camry. It also looks sportier with the fastback silhouette giving a stretched look.

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Budget 2023 – Silence On Auto Industry Matters

Budget 2023, the first one presented by Prime Minister and Finance Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, seems to have contained nothing on auto industry matters this time round. Unlike the last one which sparked off a rush to introduce EVs (electric vehicles) with full tax exemption for a few years, this Budget did not offer anything new.

Nor was there confirmation of what had been mentioned in the Budget last October (which was not tabled in Parliament) – the extension of the tax-exemption for CBU (completely built-up) vehicles beyond December 31, 2023. While the exemption is until the end of 2025 for locally-assembled EVs, the car companies are hopeful that there can be a longer period CBU models to encourage more widespread adoption in the country.

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Interior Of New Mercedes-Benz W214 E-Class Revealed First

When introducing a new model, car companies often mention how it was designed from ‘the inside out’. Now the Mercedes-Benz PR people are also taking that approach in introducing the next generation of one of their core models, the E-Class. The first official pictures and details of the new W 214 series, to be launched later in the year, are not of the exterior but the inside.

In particular, Mercedes-Benz is providing a preview of the cabin appearance and all the digital innovations customers can expect. The electronic architecture is more software-driven and less hardware-driven, which allows for more individual updating of the interior systems in the future.

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9th Consecutive Year For Isuzu As Bestselling Truck Brand in Malaysia

As Malaysia continues its recovery from the depressed years of the pandemic, new vehicle sales are also growing. Last year’s record Total Industry Volume of 720,658 units – the highest ever since the Malaysian Automotive Association began keeping records in 1967 – already indicated the upward trend.

While the commercial vehicle segment’s share remained at 11%, the total number of vehicles sold rose (compared to 2021) by 39.9% or 22,488 units to reach 78,885 units. Within this segment, Isuzu Malaysia Sdn Bhd (IMSB) again topped the list of brands with combined retail sales of 6,546 units, including light, medium and prime mover trucks.

It was the highest ever volume in the company’s history while capturing the market-leading position again as Malaysia’s top-selling truck brand for the 9th consecutive time and also the top-selling light-duty truck for the 13th time.

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More Details of Malaysia Autoshow 2023 Announced

As reported earlier, the Malaysia Autoshow will be on again after not being able to be run from 2020 to 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The event, organised by the Malaysia Automotive, Robotics and IoT Institute (MARii), will be held from May 4 – 7, 2023 at the Malaysia Agro Exposition Park Serdang (MAEPS) outside Kuala Lumpur.

Officially launched today, the Malaysia Autoshow 2023 has the theme of ‘Mobility Redefined’ and will not be just the usual car show as it will include all aspects of the auto industry. Besides having the latest models, there will also be displays showcasing new technologies, particularly those related to mobility.

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Goodstock SpeedFest In Singapore To Feature American Stock Car And Oval Track Racing

Stock car racing is a form of motorsport that’s very American, with a history going back 100 years. ‘Stock’ referring to standard, the rules originally began with the requirement that the cars participating had to be production models which were on sale to the public. From 1992 onwards, however, the cars began to become less ‘stock’ as their designs became more radical.

The sport, run on oval tracks, is very popular in America with four different national series being run, apart from regional ones. There are also stock car races in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Mexico, Brazil and the UK. In August this year, Singapore will also have the region’s first ever American stock car and oval races.

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The Last Bentley W12 Will Be The Mightiest

When production of Bentley’s W12 engine ends in April 2024, over 105,000 units of the iconic 12-cylinder engines will have been made in a 21-year period. The decision to end production has been made as part of Bentley’s acceleration towards a sustainable future through its Beyond100 strategy. This will see the company’s entire model line fully electrified by the start of the next decade

Once production of the W12 ceases next year, Bentley’s entire model line will be available with the option of a hybrid powertrain. In fact, even now, the journey of electrification has already begun with the Bentayga Hybrid and Flying Spur Hybrid.

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English

Formula E: Da Costa Collects First Win With TAG Heuer Porsche Team In Cape Town

Peugeot 205 GTI – The Other Hot Hatch Icon

Tax-Exemption On EVs Is Extended After All

Countdown To Launch Of All-New Toyota Vios Starts With Order-Taking From Today

Budget 2023 – Silence On Auto Industry Matters

Interior Of New Mercedes-Benz W214 E-Class Revealed First

9th Consecutive Year For Isuzu As Bestselling Truck Brand in Malaysia

More Details of Malaysia Autoshow 2023 Announced

Goodstock SpeedFest In Singapore To Feature American Stock Car And Oval Track Racing

The Last Bentley W12 Will Be The Mightiest

Formula E: Da Costa Collects First Win With TAG Heuer Porsche Team In Cape Town

Peugeot 205 GTI – The Other Hot Hatch Icon

Tax-Exemption On EVs Is Extended After All

Countdown To Launch Of All-New Toyota Vios Starts With Order-Taking From Today

Budget 2023 – Silence On Auto Industry Matters

Interior Of New Mercedes-Benz W214 E-Class Revealed First

9th Consecutive Year For Isuzu As Bestselling Truck Brand in Malaysia

More Details of Malaysia Autoshow 2023 Announced

Goodstock SpeedFest In Singapore To Feature American Stock Car And Oval Track Racing

The Last Bentley W12 Will Be The Mightiest

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