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Having trouble with parallel parking? No worries, Hyundai has got your back! Hyundai Mobis, the automotive supply and technology arm of the Hyundai Group, is making progress with the development of its e-Corner module.

What is an e-Corner system? Well, think of it as a crab walk. A new steering technology from Hyundai that allows for separate wheel operation enables manoeuvres that may not have been possible in the past. Both the Hummer EV and GMC’s Sierra EV can crab walk, though not up to 90 degrees. Hyundai has improved the existing system and has made it way better.

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March was the final month for delivery of new vehicles that were exempted from sales tax, the provision having been allowed by the Finance Ministry after the tax exemption ended on June 30, 2022. Understanding that the demand had been very great as many people wanted to save on the sales tax, and production was not sufficient to fulfill the orders by the deadline, the ministry allowed the car companies until March 31, 2023 to deliver the vehicles booked before the deadline.

The 9-month allowance was certainly appreciated as the industry had production disruptions due to shortages of parts, especially microprocessors. During the second half of last year, vehicle output was inconsistent even though efforts were being made to maximise the numbers, with priority being given to the tax-exempted orders.

Furthermore, March is also the end of the financial year for some car companies and there is usually a final strong push to end the financial year with the best numbers. Thus the March Total Industry Volume (TIV) of new vehicles shot up by 24% to reach 78,849 passenger and commercial vehicles.

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Digital Key Plus is now also available for smartphones with Android operating systems making it a fully-fledged vehicle key. Customers with compatible devices from Samsung or Google can use it to unlock and lock their BMW and start the engine without even getting their phone out of their pocket.

Since 2021, Digital Key Plus has been available on Apple devices. When approached or receded, the vehicle reacts automatically, just like a traditional vehicle key with comfort entry functionality. Depending on the vehicle equipment, the choreographed light play of the front and rear lights in conjunction with the light carpet acts similarly to the physical key.

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BMW had recently launched the XM, the first standalone M car since the M1. Whether you love it or hate it, the BMW XM is a crucial model for the performance section of the German manufacturer.

The “regular” XM already seemed impressive to us but for a car that was made to celebrate 50 years of the M division, it was actually slower than the gas-powered X6M.

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The Malaysian Automotive Association (MAA) has announced its Council members for 2023/2024 after the association’s recent Annual General Meeting. Leading the Council as President is Mohd Shamsor Bin Mohd Zain, who succeeds the late Datuk Aishah Ahmad.

Encik Mohd. Shamsor, who is the Director, Marketing Group & ITSD at UMW Toyota Motor, said the new MAA team will continue with the good work undertaken by Datuk Aishah Ahmad. “We will uphold the strong working relationships with key stakeholders such as government ministries and agencies, as well as the media. Together with all MAA members, we will grow this association from strength to strength, for the good of our industry, society and country. I look forward to the continued strong support from all MAA members as we contribute to the robust development of the nation’s automotive industry,” he said.

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As speculated in our earlier report, Tesla – the leading BEV company in the world – is coming to Malaysia officially. A statement from the Ministry of Trade & Industry (MITI) today has confirmed that approval has been given for the carmaker, owned by Elon Musk who is one of the richest men in the world, to import Tesla vehicles.

Tesla’s application was considered under MITI’s program to attract Battery Electric Vehicle Global Leaders to invest in Malaysia and develop the EV industry and ecosystem. It is the first company to be given approval under this program and has been allocated APs (Approved Permits) for the importation of its vehicles although the number has not been mentioned, nor if there is a local partner involved. As mentioned earlier, Tesla has a subsidiary company registered in Malaysia which it has 100% ownership of.

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Not surprisingly, after the record Total Industry Volume (TIV) of December 2022 with 76,657 units of new vehicles delivered nationwide, the TIV for January 2023 dipped by 35% to 49,461 units. This consisted of 43,927 units of passenger vehicles (excluding pick-up trucks) and 5,534 units of commercial vehicles (including pick-up trucks).

The decline was partly due to the short sales month as there was the Chinese New Year festive season with long holidays. The big push to close sales for 2022 with promotions by many companies also persuaded many customers to make their purchases in December.

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Toyota has various solutions to offer that can contribute towards the quest for carbon neutrality. It does not believe that pure electric vehicles (EVs) are the only way to go as different markets and regions require different approaches. It has hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) technology at one end of the range of mobility solutions and at the other more advanced end, it can also provide fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) that use hydrogen.

For Malaysia at the moment, HEV technology is deemed the most practical solution and the company has started assembling HEV models locally to accelerate adoption. HEVs like the Corolla Cross Hybrid do not depend on charging stations to recharge their battery packs and the process occurs while the SUV is moving. Thus Malaysians can do their balik kampung journeys with peace of mind and don’t have to think about finding a recharging station.

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It’s a problem that Malaysian motorists have long complained about and yet, the JPJ (Road Transport Department) has ignored the matter, while successive Transport ministers have also never seemed to be aware. We’re referring to the roadtax sticker that motorists have to replace once a year on their motor vehicles that doesn’t stick properly and curls up off the glass after just a short while. At one time, even the print on the paper faded.

The problem is very well known and it’s surprising that nothing has been done all these years. One would imagine that the solution would be easy enough by either asking the supplier to change the material, improve the quality or simply change the supplier. None of these seems to have been done and the only suggestion given by the JPJ was to request for a replacement – a solution that is inconvenient as motorists have to go to the JPJ office and queue up.

Now our new Transport Minister, Anthony Loke, has given assurance that something will be done. He gave this assurance after a meeting with the JPJ management yesterday to discuss a number of matters. While his predecessors did not seem to care about the matter, this minister does. Perhaps it could be because he has probably been driving his own car for a long time and has personally seen how the roadtax sticker comes off.

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When the Audi RS Q e-tron started the 2022 Dakar Rally, there were many unknowns for the Audi Sport team. Audi Sport is no stranger to tough off-road racing – having been successful in the World Rally Championship in the 1980s with its Quattro – but the rallycar for the Dakar Rally was something entirely new. It ran primarily on electricity, something they had not done before in off-road competition.

Though the team did not win on that first attempt, it claimed 4 stage victories but more importantly, the experience helped the engineers improve the prototype rallycar in many areas. “We learned a lot at rallies and tests in our first year and implemented everything consistently – technically, logistically and organizationally. The close cooperation between Audi Sport, drivers, co-drivers and Team Q Motorsport is paying off and running very smoothly,” said Uwe Breuling, Head of Vehicle Operations.

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