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RM15,000 roof tent for adventurous Land Rover Defender owners

The new Land Rover Defender 110 is spacious and comfortable enough to sleep in but for those who still want that camping experience, the carmaker now offers a roof tent package with an intuitive design and premium quality materials.

Developed in collaboration with specialist Autohome, the roof tent has a lightweight fibreglass shell which protects the tent when not in use and allows it to be erected singlehandedly in seconds. Unclipping the fastening at the rear lifts the shell slightly for the integral gas struts to take over and fully open the carbon grey fabric sides.

Designed for those with adventurous hearts and curious minds, the tent accommodates two adults. It even comes with a full-size luxury cotton mattress and pillows, an interior LED light and a stowage net.

The tent can be easily accessed from either side of the vehicle and comes with an extendable aluminium access ladder which can be stored in the stowage bag inside the tent when not in use. On the move, it is stowed flat for maximum stability and aerodynamic efficiency. When erected, it measures 2.3 metres long, 1.3 metres wide and 1.5 metres high.

Joe Sinclair, Land Rover Director of Branded Goods and Licencing, said: “The New Land Rover Defender is the ideal vehicle to reach remote destinations comfortably both on and off road. This roof tent will enable Defender drivers to continue their adventure above and beyond their journey; it’s perfect for the modern-day explorer.”

The roof tent, priced in the UK at €3,081.96 (almost RM15,000) is an addition to the 170 individual accessories already available for the Defender – the largest range ever produced for a Land Rover – and works in conjunction with the official Land Rover Expedition Roof Rack and Roof Rails, which come fitted as standard with the Adventure Pack.

The Adventure Pack is one of four accessory packs available for New Defender – alongside the Explorer, Country and Urban Packs – each designed to give the vehicle a distinct character. Over half of all Defender 110 models specified online have been fitted with one of the packs.

Autohome Tent for MINI — *Autohome also makes a roof tent for the MINI.*

The New Land Rover Defender can fly too! (w/VIDEO)

Perodua contributes face shields to Hulu Selangor schools

Ahead of the reopening of schools on tomorrow, Perodua has distributed over 5,000 face shields produced by its associate to 17 secondary schools in the Hulu Selangor district which the vehicle manufacturing complex is situated in.

For Form 5 and Form 6 students
“We contribute these face shields for the use of Form 5 and Form 6 students, teachers and support staff as they return to school after a 3-month closure brought about by the Movement Control Order (MCO),” said Perodua President & CEO, Dato’ Zainal Abidin Ahmad. “Although our children, teachers and support staff will no doubt be returning to school wearing face masks, the wearing of face shields would serve as a good extra precautionary measure.

“As a caring, People First company, we believe in going beyond when it comes to safety, especially when our beloved children are involved and particularly those less fortunate,” he added.

The face shield features a fog-resistant visor made of polyethylene terephthalate for optimal visibility, sponge cushioning that hugs the forehead to act as a barrier against airborne droplets, and an adjustable elastic band for a snug and comfortable fit.

The Malaysian carmaker also contributed face shields to the Hulu Selangor District Education Office in Kuala Kubu Bharu.

Contributing to the fight against COVID-19
“Perodua is happy to be contributing to Malaysia’s fight against COVID-19 by continuing to make face shields and we are looking at distributing them to community clinics in the Hulu Selangor district very soon,” Dato’ Zainal said.

“We thank the government, especially the Health Ministry, and all frontliners for working so hard to guide our nation through the COVID-19 crisis. Although we have made considerable progress, we hope the Malaysian public will continue exercising caution and complying with all health and safety guidelines,” he added.

War on COVID-19 – Perodua contributes RM2 million to NADMA-COVID 19 Fund

Sales and Production Summary for May 2020

Note: Some companies are reporting on a quarterly basis so the Total volumes for April and May are not finalised.
Source: Malaysian Automotive Association.

♦ After the unprecedented fall in sales for April due to the shutdown of all operations, new vehicle sales rose as activities were allowed to resume in May. However, the JPJ only began registration processes from May 13.

♦ The Total Industry Volume (TIV) rose by 22,819 units, comprising 20,456 passenger vehicles, and 2,504 commercial vehicles (including pick-up trucks).

♦ Cumulative sales after 5 months reached 129,561 units, about half the volume for the same period in 2019.

♦ To achieve the MAA’s revised 400,000-unit forecast for 2019, the industry must sell 270,439 units in the remaining months, or an average of 38,634 units.

♦ Production also rose again but compared to the same month in 2019, the total output was 76% lower.

May 2020 Production — *Source: Malaysian Automotive Association*

BMW caters to extravagance with the 8-Series Edition Golden Thunder

‘Golden Thunder’ is not the title of a new Chinese movie but the name of a special edition of the BMW 8-Series created by BMW Individual. Available for three body variants, its extravagant enhancement is in the form of specific design accentuations in gold along with high-end BMW Individual equipment features for both the exterior and interior.

The 8-Series Edition Golden Thunder is said to be for ‘customers with the very highest expectations in terms of style and quality’. The exclusive enhancements give the edition models the character of a custom-built vehicle.

Available for all model variants – coupe, convertible and Gran Coupe – the M sports package is also a standard feature in the range which covers the 840i and 840d xDrive through to the M850i xDrive.

A body finish in Sapphire Black metallic or Frozen Black metallic and carefully selected colour accentuations in gold give a distinct appearance. The dark look is supplemented by BMW Individual High Gloss Shadow Line with extended features and black brake calipers for the M sports brake system.

A striking contrast is created by means of golden accentuation lines running from the front apron to the side skirts and on into the rear apron. Other features finished in gold are the exterior mirror caps, the M rear spoiler (exclusively available for the 8-Series Coupe) and the 20-inch M light alloy wheels in double-spoke design.

Sportscar flair and individual luxury are also combined in the interior of the edition models to create an extravagant ambience. This is created by the extended BMW Individual Merino leather trim in black with the ‘Edition Golden Thunder’ inscription embroidered on the front headrests and the BMW Individual Alcantara Anthracite roofliner for the Coup and Gran Coupe, but in particular by the interior trim finishers in Aluminium Mesh Effect Gold.

On the centre console, the finely structured and high-end shimmering surfaces are supplemented with an edition emblem. The edition models also feature CraftedClarity glass applications for selected controls and the Bowers & Wilkins Diamond Surround Sound System.

The Edition cars will be produced at the BMW plant in Dingolfing, Germany from September 2020.

‘The Boss’ gets electrified with the new BMW X5 xDrive45e M Sport

Volvo Car Malaysia introduces Volvo SELEKT for those who want pre-owned Volvos

Volvo Car Malaysia (VCM) has joined other distributors of premium brands in offering pre-owned Volvo cars with its used car programme known as Volvo SELEKT. The sale of pre-owned Volvos by the Volvo distributor is not new as Federal Auto, which was the first distributor for the Swedish brand, set up its own used car subsidiary in the 1960s which was quite successful.

The new programme, also available in other countries, by promises a premium experience for customers through dedicated service and assurance of quality. Each pre-owned Volvo car offered under the Volvo SELEKT programme is guaranteed to be under 5 years old and has less than 100,000 kms cumulative mileage.

Once qualified for the programme, the car will receive a 125-point inspection and have its software upgraded to the latest versions so the engine will function optimally. Genuine Volvo parts will be used for any parts that need to be replaced. Most importantly, all the services and upgrades will be conducted by trained Volvo technicians who would know the cars best.

“Through Volvo SELEKT, we hope to give customers the choice of an alternative option while maintaining all the criteria of excellence, reliability and performance of a premium luxury car. Moreover, we are committed to ensuring that all of our customers experience a seamless and premium journey of acquiring and owning a Volvo car. Volvo SELEKT thereon guarantees that customers will receive the same level of quality and service as that of a new Volvo car, but at a package that fulfils their financing needs,” said Nalin Jain, MD Volvo Car Malaysia.

While Volvo SELEKT owners won’t get the 5-year warranty that comes with brand new cars, there is still a minimum of 12 months of warranty coverage as well as complimentary 12-month maintenance service package (VSA 1), and 12 months of Roadside Assistance.

There is also the option of including Volvo accessories, including a Polestar optimisation package as an optional add-on for selected models.

“At Volvo, we put our heart and soul into every car, devoting hours of expertise and attention to detail so that it leaves a lasting impression. Pre-owned Volvo cars under the Volvo SELEKT Programme bear the same markings of excellent Swedish craftsmanship, dedication to perfection and above all, our commitment to safety. We hope that through Volvo SELEKT, more Malaysians can experience first-hand our pioneering safety features and innovation that has been engineered into each of these cars, making them some of the safest options in the market,” Mr. Nalin said.

Full Volvo pricelist with Sales Tax exemption

Tune Protect Malaysia enhances Pay-As-You-Drive (PAYD) eligibility criteria

PAYD (Pay-As-You-Drive) is an opt-in feature of Tune Protect Malaysia`s Motor Insurance plan which rewards car owners who have low mileage with a refund of the basic premium paid. It was introduced in August 2019 in support of a greener environment, helping reduce urban stress of commuting on roads, and to encourage the use of public transportation such as LRTs and MRTs in easing road congestions in the country.

Tune Protect Malaysia recently enhanced PAYD eligibility criteria as more Malaysians have embraced the work-from-home (WFH) practice, by extending the eligibility age of insured (vehicle owners) to 65 years and age of vehicles to 10 years.

More drivers can enjoy benefit
This enhancement is expected to benefit more drivers and enable a wider segment of vehicle owners to enjoy the benefits of PAYD. Acknowledging the fact that more people are working from home, Tune Protect Malaysia believes that those who drive less should be aptly rewarded by paying less premiums than the frequent drivers.

LRT station carpark — *Those who use public transport more and drive less can be rewarded with refunds on their insurance policy.*

Private car owners who are between the ages of 28 and 65 years and who own vehicles aged between up to 10 years old with sum insureds ranging between RM40,000 to RM300,000 will be qualified to opt-in for the PAYD benefit when purchasing to Tune Protect Motor insurance.

Refunds based on mileage
Following a tier system, customers will get to enjoy a 20% refund on their basic motor insurance premiums if their mileage usage is between not more than 6,000 kms, with a 15% refund if it falls between 6,001kms and 8,000 kms at the expiry of the policy. The No Claim Discount (NCD) typically offered for not making any compensation claims during the year will still apply as PAYD is a complementary plan that is free of charge.

The plan operates by referring to the vehicle’s mileage data that is recorded from the odometer, stating the kilometres driven to-date. Customers who opt-in for PAYD will receive a personalised URL link via SMS and email to submit photographs of their vehicle’s odometer reading thrice during the duration of the year. These submission points are at the inception of the motor insurance policy, 180 days after inception, and at the point of expiry.

“We received a lot of positive feedback from vehicle owners when we first introduced PAYD including requests to expand its eligibility criteria so that more car owners can enrol and benefit from this feature,” said William Foo, CEO of Tune Protect Malaysia. “We are delighted to be able to fulfil these requests and quite timely in this new normal where more and more individuals have adopted to the WFH arrangement permanently. We want to offer the opportunity for people to enjoy the benefits earned from their everyday lifestyles.”