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Take Yasmin Yusuff on a drive with you

How would you like Dato’ Yasmin Yusuff to be your co-driver – everytime you drive your car? That’s now possible if you have Waze, the popular GPS route guidance app on smartphones. In fact, Yasmin has been ‘available’ for some time now if Waze users went to the app’s voice options section. There is an option ‘Bahasa Malaysia – Yasmin’ which sets the voice to be that of the multi-talented entertainment personality.

Malaysian flavour to guidance
Yasmin’s voice is one of the only two options available for voice navigation in Bahasa Malaysia, the other being ‘Shahdan’, a male voice. Once ‘Yasmin’ is chosen as the ‘voice’ of the app, you will get turn-by-turn navigation directions as well as safety tips (like a reminder to strap on your seatbelt or slow down at the sign of the red lights). And what’s even nicer is that some of the advisories are very Malaysian in flavour. Like ‘alamak, miss!’ when you’ve missed an exit you should have taken, or ‘lubang lagi’, a relatable grouse for when a pothole is ahead.

“As I happen to be a professional voice-over artist, and also the original voice of the LRT, I thought it would be fun to do Waze too! All it took was for me to offer my voice in the Waze Malaysia Facebook group, and before I knew it, I was contacted, did an audition tape, and voila – I’m the Bahasa voice of Waze!” Yasmin said.

Like many Malaysians, Yasmin is also irritated by the pronunciation of our street names by Waze and perhaps she will also do them for the app later on. “I only did turn-by-turn instructions this time, but maybe one day I can do the street names too,” she added.

The former Miss Universe Malaysia is no stranger to voice-overs throughout her illustrious career in entertainment, which also includes being a radio presenter for Radio 4, crooning several songs in the late 70s to early 80s, acting in TV dramas and movies, talent managing, and producing several musicals to name a few. Her richly sweet yet authoritative voice could be heard over dozens of radio and TV ads over the years, and now motorists get to hear her voice again on their journeys.

Record your own Waze voice!
Prefer the sound of your own voice? Waze can do that too! Just go to the Menu and Settings and select Voice & Sound. Tap Waze voice and then tap Record new voice. You can select the type of direction you’d like to record and when finished, you can give the voice a name.

Safety first
Waze reminds motorists to use the app as it is intended when driving. It should be placed in a dock or on the dashboard and the hands-free functionality should be used. If you hold the smartphone in your hand while driving, you will be committing an offence.

The Waze app has become better – update yours today!

Last day to win a RM4,000 holiday package for just RM30

Today is the final day for the Peraduan Jom! Cuticuti Malaysia Bersama BHPetrol contest where, for just a spend of RM30 at participating BHPetrol stations, you could win a holiday package worth up to RM4,000.

90 prizes to be won
The contest, which has been running since August 18, 2020, has a total of 90 prizes. The Grand Prize for 30 winners consists of 3 days/2 nights for 4 persons to Cherating/Kuala Lumpur/Pulau Pinang/Seremban with meals, tours, RM1,000 pocket money and BHPetrol vouchers worth RM300.

There are also 30 consolation prizes of RM1,000 BHPetrol vouchers and 10,000 ePoints (worth RM100). Additionally, during each week of the contest period, there have been tour packages for 3 lucky customers each week. Most of the weekly winners have already been announced and to see if you are one of them, click here.

Spend just RM30
To participate in the contest, customers contestants just need to spend a cumulative amount of RM30 on petrol or diesel products at any participating BHPetrol service stations and/or any shop items at the BHPetromart (excluding Touch’nGo reload, ePay reload and car wash) during the contest period. All purchases must be swiped with a valid eCard or scanned with eCard Mobile App.

Every eligible accumulated spending of RM30 will be entitled to 1 entry. Where the contestant has registered for the eCard Mobile App, he or she shall be entitled to 3 entries for every eligible accumulated spending of RM30. [Click here for full terms and conditions]

BHPetrol will select the required number of contestants and those who are selected (using a Winner Selection Software Programme based on random algorithm) will be required to correctly answer 3 questions related to BHPetrol, eCard and/or Royale Chulan hotel correctly to qualify as winners.

Yes, there’s a Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) on in certain areas of the country, and travel is limited in some cases. But once the situation is back to normal, you can start travelling again and wouldn’t it be nice if you have a holiday package waiting for you to use?

Don’t miss your last chance to win that holiday package!

F1 (Round 12): Results And Highlights Of 2020 Portuguese Grand Prix

♦ The first casualty right after the race began was Sergio Perez whose encounter at Turn 4 with Max Verstappen forced the BWT Racing Point driver to head back to the pits.

♦ When the race started, winds were strong and rain was forecast. As the cars completed half a lap of the circuit, the first drops of rain began to fall.

♦ Lewis Hamilton had gotten off to a good start but was overtaken by Valtteri Bottas who was caught by surprise by Carlos Sainz and lost his leading position to the McLaren driver. But Sainz had only a brief moment of glory and lost the lead to Bottas who was hotly pursued by Hamilton.

♦ The Red Bull team wanted Max Verstappen to stay out as long as possible before bringing him in for new tyres, but by the 17th lap, it was clear that he was starting to struggle with tyre issues.

♦ A day of drama for BWT Racing Point with both cars involved in collisions. On the 19th lap, Lance Stroll turned in and collided with Lando Norris, resulting in both cars being damaged enough to have to go into the pits for new wings. The Stewards found Stroll to be at fault and gave him a 5-second penalty.

♦ In spite of complaining about tyres, Hamilton regained the lead on lap 20 and began to try to pull further away from Bottas.

♦ Before the race reached its halfway point, Stroll got another bit of bad news from his team – another time penalty of 5 seconds for driving out of track limits too often.

♦ At the halfway mark, Hamilton was in a steady lead with 8 seconds separating him from Bottas. Charles Leclerc had moved up to third but was not a threat as he was 21 second behinds Bottas. The Ferrari driver managed to slip into the pits to change tyres and lost only one place when he rejoined the race behind Verstappen.

♦ By lap 40, the Mercedes-AMG team decided that Hamilton needed to change his tyres but the British driver seemed reluctant to come in even though he was a comfortable 8 seconds in the lead.

♦ On lap 41, the Stewards decided that Romain Grosjean had been warned enough times about exceeding track limits and gave him a 5-second penalty. Bottas was also starting to get warnings as well. Alexander Albon would also get a warning later on.

♦ A slow puncture was detected on Norris’ car and he began falling back on lap 43, taking care to reach the pits safely for a tyre change.

♦ With 53 laps completed, it looked like the Portuguese GP would see all cars completing the race… but then Stroll came into the pits and didn’t leave again. He was already in last place anyway.

♦ With 10 laps to go, Verstappen decided not to press hard to try to catch Bottas who was about 10 second ahead. He was fairly safe in third as Leclerc was 20 seconds behind, so the sensible thing to do was to make sure he got the car to the finish.

♦ On the 58th lap, Hamilton told his team that he was experiencing cramps… a case of dehydration? But it seemed to do him good as he went on to set the fastest time!

♦ Hamilton took the chequered flag of the 66-lap race with a 25-second lead and that win was his 92nd, which means he holds the record for the most number of wins in F1 history.

3S Isuzu dealership opens in Taiping, Perak

Until now, owners of Isuzu vehicles in Taiping and the surrounding areas had to travel to either Ipoh in the south or Prai in the north to get aftersales services. To make things more convenient, Isuzu Malaysia has appointed GB Motors as an authorised dealer to serve Taiping and surrounding areas.

Full range of services

The new Isuzu dealership is a 3S dealership, so it offers the full range of services from sales to aftersales as well as the sale of spare parts. The outlet, officially opened recently, is strategically and located along Jalan Simpang close to main crossroad leading to Taiping.

It is located on a 5,300 sq. metre site so there’s plenty of parking space for visitors as well as fleet operators who use Isuzu commercial vehicles. The facility, which has a built-up area of approximately 1,400 sq. metres, has a spacious showroom for those shopping for a new Isuzu vehicle. There is also a comfortable waiting area for owners to wait while their vehicles are being attended to by trained technicians.

Lounge for customers waiting for their vehicles being serviced.

“As one of the largest independent automotive retailers in Malaysia with over 25 years of delivering positive experiences here in the northern region, I believe that this new Goh Brothers outlet will offer excellent professional service and play a key role in developing the Isuzu business here and serving the growing population and businesses around the Taiping area,” said Koji Nakamura, CEO of Isuzu Malaysia.

Month-long campaign

To celebrate their appointment as an Isuzu Authorised 3S Centre, GB Motors will be holding a month-long test drive campaign. The first 100 persons to test drive any Isuzu vehicle at the showroom will receive a special goody bag filled with mystery gifts.

To locate other Isuzu outlets in the network in Malaysia, visit www.isuzu.net.my.

Isuzu Elf range enhanced with extra safety features, B20 compatibility and longer warranty

F1 (Round 12): Preview & Starting Grid For 2020 Portuguese Grand Prix

Race starts at 1:10 pm in Portugal/9:10 pm in Malaysia

Round 12 of the 2020 FIA Formula One World Championship will see teams race in Portugal for first time in 24 years. Not since 1996 has there been a Portuguese F1 Grand Prix although the country has had its own GP since the 1950s. In its first 10 years, it was run on a street circuit and then from 1984 until 1996, at the Estoril circuit. The poor condition of the circuit led to it being dropped as a F1 venue when the government was slow in making the required improvements.

However, the twelfth round is not being held at 48-year old Estoril circuit but the newer Algarve International Circuit, referred to as the Portimao Circuit as it is close to the city of that name. The circuit was completed in 2008 and is FIA-certified for world championships.

It has been added to the 2020 calendar as one of the circuits available in view of others being closed or conditions not suitable due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There is no certainty that the Portimao Circuit will be used again in future.

While the circuit has never hosted a F1 race, it has been used as a test venue for F1 teams on three occasions. Within two months of its completion, Ferrari and McLaren conducted a 2-day test; a month later, McLaren and Toyota came, followed by Renault, Toro Rosso and Williams.

A lot of ups and downs
The hillside circuit to the north of the city has been likened to a scaled down Spa-Francorchamps, as it is defined by frequent changes of elevation. The track features a wide variety of corners and also a long pit straight that measures almost a kilometre in length. A number of blind corners also call to mind Austin’s Circuit of the Americas.

“On paper, the track layout itself should suit higher downforce levels but because of the long main straight, we’re likely to see teams trialling different wing settings in practice to decide where the compromise is – being faster in the corners or protecting yourself on the long straight,” said Mercedes-AMG’s Toto Wolff.

“We’re expecting overtaking to be tricky in Portugal due to the flowing nature of the track and lack of heavy braking zones. The only DRS zone is on the main straight and the quick final corner will make it harder for cars to keep a tight gap. The zone itself is very long, so this should give drivers the chance to close up on their rivals,” he explained.

No historical data
This being a new venue, there is an absence of historical data to call upon. So achieving the perfect car set-up will be tricky and complicating matters is the fact that the entire track has been resurfaced for its first ever F1 race this weekend.

To best cope with the uncertain demands of the layout and the new surface, Pirelli is providing the hardest tyres in the range. The C1 compound will feature as the white-banded hard tyre, the C2 as the yellow medium and the C3 as the red soft tyre.

Championship positions
In the Drivers’ Championship, Lewis Hamilton remains in his commanding lead, now 69 points ahead of team mate Valtteri Bottas. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen to narrow the gap to Bottas to just 14 points after the Mercedes-AMG driver did not finish at the Eifel Grand Prix a fortnight ago. Meanwhile, Daniel Ricciardo’s first podium since 2018 vaulted the Australian to fourth in the standings with 78 points, 10 points ahead of BWT Racing Point’s Sergio Perez.

In the battle for the Constructors’ crown, Mercedes-AMG have reached almost 400 points and 180 points ahead of second-placed Red Bull Racing. This weekend’s race could confirm the team’s seventh consecutive title. To do so, it would need to score 40 points or more than its closest rival. Incidentally, the Portuguese GP has twice been the championship-deciding race for the Drivers Championship (1984 and 1993).

Behind the top two, BWT Racing Point have overtaken McLaren to sit in third place with 120 points, though the gap is just 4 points. Ricciardo’s podium put Renault in fifth, 2 points behind McLaren.

2021 Nissan Magnite

The Indian auto industry produces about 3.5 million to 4 million passenger vehicles (4-wheelers) a year, of which around 20% is exported. The number looks set to increase to 40% with the ‘Make in India, make for the world’ agenda that is a key element in the country’s Automotive Mission Plan 2026.

As always, global automakers will look for regions where they can make their products at low cost and export from there. India has much potential with its mature industry and over the years, some automakers have steadily increased their use of the country as a production hub.

Nissan will also use India as a production hub for its all-new Nissan Magnite SUV, launched recently, that is aimed at the Indian, Middle East and African markets. Designed in Japan, the Magnite is Nissan’s first SUV in the sub-4-metre Indian market category and one of the 12 new models the automaker will introduce before the end of 2021.

Datsun styling elements
The Magnite’s exterior follows the same styling ideas as found in Nissan’s recent SUVs. The grille, however, does not follow the ‘V-motion’ front design signature on many of today’s Nissan products. It adopts the design that was used by the short-lived Datsun brand and the reason is probably because this model was originally developed for sales as a Datsun.

As Nissan decided to terminate the brand (again) last year, the time may have been too short to redesign the front end, so it has remained. This could make the facelift a rather radical change if there is a move to unify the Magnite with the rest of the Nissan family by changing to the V-motion grille. For now, the Magnite has the new brand logo.

The slim front lights are LEDs, with L-shaped daytime running lights that sit at the lower section of the headlamp housings. Skid plates under the front and rear provide protection to the underbody while 205 mm of ground clearance will enable to Magnite to traverse flooded roads and rough tracks.

Compact outside, spacious inside
On the inside, the cabin appears pretty spacious in spite of the compact exterior dimensions. Typical of SUVs, there is a high seating position and maximum use has been made of the available width to provide as much shoulder space as possible between the occupants. Nissan says that rear passengers will enjoy a level of knee room usually found in vehicles one class above.

The dashboard design has some interesting new ideas, with a slightly ‘advanced’ look. The infotainment system has an 8-inch display and is equipped with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It is also the first-in-class with a 7-inch TFT (thin-film-transistor) display for the instrument screen to provide clearer and sharper images.

Nissan has also made sure that the driver gets assistance for motoring safety. The Magnite comes with safety features such as Hill Start Assist and a 360-degree monitor, along with stability control, ABS, EBD, etc. ISOFIX mounts are also provided for parents to install compatible childseats at the back.

1-litre turbo engine
For the Indian market, Nissan is providing a 1.0-litre turbocharged engine in two outputs, paired with a manual gearbox or CVT. This is the HR10DET which is found in the latest Almera for the Malaysian market. Given the size of the Magnite, it should provide more than enough power for spirited performance.

The prices are not available yet as the model will only go on sale in early 2021. But it will have to be attractive in a segment that is already crowded with models like the Ford Ecosport, Toyota Urban Cruiser, Kia Sonet, Maruti Suzuki Brezza, Tata Nexon, Mahindra XUV and Hyundai Venue.

Whether it comes to Malaysia remains to be seen although pitching a compact model like this means going against the two Malaysian brands and that makes pricing very challenging. Edaran Tan Chong Motor would probably prefer to focus on pushing its new Almera Turbo as its entry-level offering. Anyway, whatever Malaysia gets usually follows the Thai market and if you don’t see the Magnite there, chances are we won’t get it either.