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Very Important Reminder To Chevrolet Owners In Malaysia

Although Chevrolet sales in Malaysia stopped in 2018 after Naza Quest ended its association with the brand, there is still an obligation to provide certain aftersales support where safety is concerned. In the case of Chevrolet, there is an urgent need to replace the Takata airbag inflator module which can break up when inflating and cause serious injuries or even death to the front occupants of the vehicle.

GM, as with many other carmakers, has been announcing recalls of vehicles globally for this matter. Even though the Takata issue surfaced some 20 years ago, there are still millions of vehicles around the world which have not had their inflator modules replaced.

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Sime Darby Motors Adds Indonesian Market To Its List With BMW/MINI Dealership

Sime Darby Motors, a unit of Sime Darby Berhad, is one of the major players in the automotive business in the Asia Pacific region. Its involvement over the past 40 years has covered retail, distribution and assembly in nine markets.

It now adds Indonesia to the list with the establishment of a joint venture between its subsidiary Sime Singapore Ltd. and Galeon Group. The joint venture company, known as PT Performance Motors Indonesia, will handle the BMW Group brands, BMW and MINI.

PT Performance Motors Indonesia is Sime Darby Motors’ first venture in Indonesia. It will start off in Jakarta and Medan with two dealerships representing BMW and MINI. Moving forward, it will expand into other provinces in Java and Sumatra to grow the BMW Group’s network in Indonesia.

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All-New Ram Dakota Truck Targets KIA, Malaysian Introduction Possible?

The Toyota Hilux and Ford Ranger have been the people’s favourite pick-up trucks in the market for years, at least, on this side of the world.

Ram, a brand still relatively unknown here but is hugely popular in North America, is reportedly looking to leapfrog these two and go straight for the all-new dual-cab from Kia. This is said to be a resurrection of the Dodge Dakota that disappeared from the automotive books in 2011.

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PM To Announce Toll Rebates For Aidilfitri This Week!

Just like the recent Chinese New Year celebration where highways were toll-free, there have been talks about the same initiative for the upcoming Raya festival.

During a recent event in Klang, Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook teased the potential toll rebates confirming that individuals planning to ‘balik kampung’ or return to their hometown this holiday season will certainly receive some “good news”.

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Researchers Developing System For Self-Driving Cars To Recognize Road Rage

The development of self-driving cars has been one of the most significant technological advancements in recent years. However, as with any new technology, there are still some challenges that need to be addressed. One such challenge is road rage, which can pose a threat to both human drivers and autonomous vehicles.

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Kia EV6 Built From 350,000 LEGO Bricks On Display In Milan

For over 70 years, children (and their parents) all over the world have been able to build all types of machines, buildings and other subjects with small plastic bricks from LEGO. The interlocking bricks, which come in kits, are suitable for children from a very early age and with varying complexity, remain appealing as they get older.

Where cars are concerned, the history of LEGO (derived from the Danish words, ‘leg godt’ which mean ‘play well’) has numerous models big and small. There are even models which have moving parts, serving to educate as well. In fact, Renault’s engineers even used LEGO parts when they made a prototype of the brand’s E-TECH powertrain.

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160 Kms Of Range in 5 Minutes? It Will Be Possible Next Year

Electric vehicles (EVs) are slowly coming down in price and many manufacturers believe that, by the end of this decade, they should be able to offer EVs at the same price as models with combustion engines, size for size. Economies of scale come into play, reducing the costs in many areas and also the technologies.

However, the thing that still makes people hesitate in switching to an EV is how far they can go on a fully charged battery pack. It’s known as ‘range anxiety’ and it’s understandable that motorists worry about being stranded somewhere when their battery pack is empty.

Of course, combustion engine cars can also run out of fuel if the driver is not mindful of the amount remaining in the tank. But the difference is that you can probably call for help and someone can bring fuel to pour into the tank, or even get a life to a nearby town to buy fuel and come back. And there are petrol stations all over – unlike the limited (but slowly growing) network of recharging stations.

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Accident Hotspots Monitored For Aidilifitri Rush

With the festive season nearing, many Malaysians will be travelling back to their hometowns to celebrate. This results in an increase in traffic on the roads which means there might be high chances of accidents occurring.

The fire department has identified and will station fire engines and personnel at 14 accident hotspots along all motorways across the country to speed up the response time during peak hours.

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Lancia Pu+Ra HPE Concept Uncovered, To Be Design Basis For New Ypsilon

Lancia, which is part of the FCA Group within Stellantis, seemed to have no future not so long ago. Its declining sales numbers and a stagnant range with just one model put its continued existence at risk, and it was only Italians who seemed to have any affinity for the brand.

Stellantis sees Lancia as a brand with some hope and is willing to help it revive and embark on a new era. For a start, the 116-year old company has worked on a new brand vision which takes it into the electric age.

The brand vision has a design vision which was described last November and previewed in the Pu+Ra Zero, a 3-dimensional ‘manifesto’ that will guide the designers of the 3 new Lancia models to be launched between 2024 and 2028. Created from the words ‘Pure’ and ‘Radical’, Lancia Pu+Ra Design is described as a sustainable design language that is intended to ‘last for the next 100 years’.

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LOOKING BACK: The Alfa Romeo Alfasud

Unveiled in November 1971 at the Turin Motor Show, the Alfasud was a significant new model by Alfa Romeo. Although the Volkswagen Golf, which arrived a few years later, would continue to exist to this day, the Alfasud was essentially a single generation that never had a successor of the same name.

It was nevertheless a commercial success in its time, with over a million units sold worldwide between 1971 and 1989. Besides Italy, the Alfasud was also assembled in South Africa, Malta and also Malaysia.

Local assembly in Malaysia (at the Swedish Motor Assembly plant in Shah Alam) was due to the enthusiasm of City Motors, then the importer and distributor of the brand, particularly Datuk Dr. Foo Wan Kien.

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