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Chevrolet Corvette Stingray is North American Car of the Year for the third time

It’s not surprising that the all-new Chevrolet Corvette Stingray has been selected as the 2020 North American Car of the Year. This model, like the Ford Mustang, are icons of American sportscars and the latest generation has impressed with not only its revolutionary mid-engine design but also for its level of refinement and impressive performance.

The Corvette was previously honoured with this award in 1998 for the introduction of the fifth generation and again in 2014 for the introduction of the seventh generation.

“The 2020 Corvette represents a new era for the iconic brand,” said Lauren Fix, North American Car, Utility and Truck of the Year President, representing the 50-member jury. “The excitement from consumers has been overwhelming. From a journalist’s perspective, this is one of the best-built GM products that exemplifies what it means to be the North American Car of the Year.”

First award for Kia
The Kia Telluride was named 2020 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year, the first time Kia has received this award. The 3-row SUV has also received many other since arriving at dealerships in North America early last year.

The Telluride prevailed over a field of 12 semi-finalists and 3 finalists in the utility category. Since going on sale, nearly 60,000 units have been delivered. The model was conceived, designed, developed, and is built in the USA. It’s also the first Kia vehicle to be exported from the USA.

Awards program since 1994
The North American Car, Utility and Truck of the Year Awards honour excellence in innovation, design, safety, performance, technology, driver satisfaction and value. Founded in 1994 by Christopher Jensen, who also formed the first committee, the awards are judged by approximately 50 professional automotive journalists from the USA and Canada who work for independent magazines, television, radio, newspapers and industry websites.

To be eligible, vehicles must be all-new or substantially new and must be available at dealerships close to the announcement of the awards. After evaluating the field of competitors, jurors vote individually by way of Deloitte to determine finalists and winners in each category.

All-new Chevrolet Corvette Stingray unveiled – and it’s finally a mid-engine sportscar!

It’s discount time again! Pay 50% less if you settle your summons between January 18 and February 1.

It’s discount time again from Malaysia’s traffic police department. Following the incentive offered during Christmas, the police will be offering a 50% discount on compoundable fines for certain summonses. As always, the discount is expected to encourage motorists to settle their summonses, and if they still don’t do so, they will be subject to blacklisting and a warrant of arrest could be issued.

The period that the discount will be offered is from January 18 to February 1, 2020. During the Christmas campaign, motorists had to go to the police station to make the payment and at the Traffic Police headquarters in Jalan Tun HS Lee, the queues were very long.

To reduce such inconvenience, the PDRM will accept e-payments via MyEG and Rilek.com.my. This approach benefits both sides – motorists don’t have to queue up for a long time and processing can be done by the police electronically. To use both MyEG and Rilek.com.my will first require registration (no charge) and then the various services can be accessed. Both portals have a service charge of RM2 for each transaction made.

For MyEG, the PDRM-related services available are enquiries about outstanding summonses (you may discover some you never realized you had!), purchase of accident documents and payment of summonses. You can also register with MyEG for a service which alerts you if a summons has been issued for your vehicle.

Rilek.com.my, like MyEG, provides an easy facility for the public to check whether they have any outstanding summons and then make payments, if the offence is compoundable. Generally, offences for illegal parking or exceeding the speed limit have compoundable fines up to RM300. However, the ones relating to serious offences like accidents and which will be subject to court cases may not be compoundable.

Up to 50% discount on traffic summonses on December 24 & 26

Proton’s export offensive underway with updated models launched in Brunei

With domestic market sales on the upswing, Proton is now giving attention to exports, which will be crucial for its future. Its products have been well accepted in neighbouring countries and can be exported duty-free under the provision of the AFTA agreement.

Following the launch of the Proton X70 in July last year, Pad Motors Sdn Bhd, the distributor for Proton in Brunei has received its first shipment of the updated Iriz, Saga and Persona models. Brunei is the first market outside Malaysia to begin selling these models and the distributor will be introducing them more actively with a roadshow starting on January 28.

Focus on growing export volume
After a successful 2019 saw the total sales volume grow by 55.7% – which Proton expects will place it in second overall position – the Malaysian carmaker is now looking to improve its performance in 2020 in export volumes.

“The export market will play an increasingly important role in growing Proton’s annual sales. When we updated the Proton Iriz, Persona, Exora and Saga last year, we did so while taking in to account the needs of markets outside of Malaysia and today, three of those cars are now available in Brunei. It’s a good start to 2020 but as the year progresses, we will be looking to export our cars to more countries,” said Dr. Li Chunrong, Proton’s CEO.

Aiming for No.3 in ASEAN
Dr. Li added that Proton’s long-term intention is to be the best-selling brand in Malaysia and Number 3 in ASEAN by 2027. In order to meet the ASEAN target, export volumes will need to be boosted in coming years.

Aside from its updated models, Proton will also be looking to grow sales of the X70. With 2020 versions already leaving the production line at the Tanjung Malim (which has a new RM1.2 billion extension), the carmaker now has the option of expanding the footprint for its SUV which recently won the 18^th Malaysia Cars of the Year overall award.

Proton Tg Malim 2019 — *With an additional investment of RM1.2 billion for an extension at the Tg. Malim factory in Perak, Proton can now plan for bigger export volumes in coming years.*

“Exporting the Proton X70 will be critical for Proton’s future sales growth, especially in neighbouring ASEAN countries. It will spearhead the introduction of the next generation of Proton models currently being jointly developed with Geely and will lay the groundwork for the brand with customers in these markets,” added Dr Li Chunrong.

Visit www.proton.com.my to know more about the X70 and other models in the Proton range.

Introduction of new brand logo marks start of Proton’s next chapter

Evolution of the Honda logo

When Soichiro Honda began making motorcycles, the logo which he chose as a brand mark had wings, and this was inspired by a sculpture of the goddess Nike (the ancient Greece goddess of Victory) which he saw. Over the years, from the 1950s onwards, the Honda Wings would evolve while maintaining the same side view.

For automobiles, which began in 1963, the brand logo did not use the wings as a basis but a simple ‘H’. This was prominently placed on the front of the T360 mini truck, Honda’s first automobile. The shape of the ‘H’ was trapezoid with the top wider than the bottom. It is believed that this was intended to look like ‘reaching for the sky’ – well known of Honda, the ambitious founder.

Apart from a few variations in size, the logo design has remained unchanged for over 50 years. It has been finished in silver (or grey), black on some models and for the Type R versions, the background has been in red. In earlier years, when the brand was still young, the HONDA name was inserted below or within the ‘H’ but over time, this became unnecessary as Honda became well known all over the world.

Here’s a collection of the different badges on grilles over the years, starting from the first one on the T360 in 1963. They are not in chronological order but show the way the ‘H’ has changed from its broad presentation to a tall and slim one today.

After 57 years, the Honda badge maintains the same design, with high-performance Type R versions having a red background.

Visit www.honda.com.my to know more about Honda models available in Malaysia.

Hybrid technology in 2020 Fiat 500 and Panda begins electrification of Italian brand

Some manufacturers believe that when a car has a small engine, say below 1.2 litres, fuel efficiency is already very good and there is no need for the added cost of a hybrid powertrain, not to mention extra weight. However, if fuel consumption can be improved further by adding an electric motor, why not?

This is how engineers at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) see it and part of the reason why they developed FCA’s first city cars with new petrol Mild Hybrid technology. The technology combines the latest 3-cylinder FireFly 1-litre 70 bhp/92 Nm engine family with a 12-volt BSG (Belt-integrated Starter Generator) electric motor and a lithium battery pack.

Compared to the 1.2-litre 69 bhp Fire, the 77-kg Mild Hybrid version improves fuel efficiency, thus reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 30% on average, without sacrificing performance. The BSG system, allows for quiet, vibration-free restarting of the petrol engine in Stop&Start mode.

The BSG system is mounted directly on the engine and is operated by the belt that also drives the auxiliaries. The system recovers energy during braking and deceleration, stores it in the battery pack which has a capacity of 11 Ah. It can then use this energy, at a peak power of 3.6 kW, to restart the engine in Stop&Start mode and to assist it during acceleration.

Customers also benefit from all the advantages of going hybrid (the car is Euro 6D Final-compliant, for instance), which, depending on local regulations, include freedom of access and movement in European city centres, cheaper parking in town centres and tax breaks.

The first models to get the Mild Hybrid technology are the Fiat 500 and Fiat Panda, the two ‘souls’ of the Fiat brand for decades. The first, the more emotional one, is the pop, fashion and design icon. The second, the more functional, trendy one, with 5 doors. Sales will commence from February and March 2020, respectively.

Launch Editions for the first time
Furthermore, for the first time in the history of the two iconic and complementary Fiat brand models, the 500 and the Panda will be available in a special unique series: the exclusive ‘Launch Edition’. The special series can be recognized by the ‘Hybrid’ badge on the rear and the exclusive ‘H’ logo, formed by two dew drops, on the centre panel.

Dew – the symbol of the light of dawn and therefore of the beginning of a new era – has been used as inspiration for the new and exclusive ‘Dewdrop Green’ exterior finish that fits both cars like a bespoke suit, in perfect harmony with the themes of nature and innovation.

Pursuing a sustainable philosophy
On the inside, the seat upholstery is faithful to the sustainable philosophy of the entire project. The Launch Edition seats are the first in the automotive sector to be partly made with SEAQUAL YARN, the weaving of which produces a special material derived from recycled plastic. SEAQUAL YARN is produced by transforming plastics collected from the sea into flakes of polyethylene terephthalate. These flakes are then used in the yarn from which the fabrics are made.

Fiat is collaborating with SEAQUAL INITIATIVE to support ocean clean-ups to act against marine litter. The two Launch Edition models will therefore satisfy the customer who is just as attentive to aesthetics as to environmental issues, in terms of consumption and emissions.

Electrification of the brand
2020 also marks the new milestone in the history of the Fiat brand. With the launch of the new hybrid versions of the 500 and Panda, the electrification of the brand will begin, and will continue with the start of production in Turin of the new 500. This model will be 100% electric and therefore play a key role in the e-Mobility by FCA strategy.

Mercedes-Benz and Zhejiang Geely Holding Group establish new joint-venture to handle smart brand globally

Mercedes-Benz AG and China’s Zhejiang Geely Holding Group have formally established a global joint venture company to handle the German carmaker’s smart brand. Pending regulatory approvals, the company will have its global headquarters in Hangzhou Bay, Ningbo with operational sales functions in both China and Germany.

The total registered capital of the joint venture will be 5.4 billion RMB (about RM3.18 billion) to transform smart into a leading player in premium-and intelligent electrified vehicles. Both parties will equally contribute equally, with the share of Mercedes-Benz mainly covered by the contribution of the smart brand.

Mercedes-Benz and Geely Holding gründen ein globales Joint Venture zur Weiterentwicklung von smart Daimler and Geely Holding form global joint venture to develop smart — *A signing ceremony in March 2019 marked the beginning of establishing the joint venture to produce and market smart cars.*

New EV model to be produced in China
A new generation of smart electric models will be assembled at a new purpose-built factory in China with global sales due to begin in 2022. The new generation will be designed by the worldwide Mercedes-Benz Design network and developed by the Geely global engineering network. As part of the vehicle-development program, the smart product portfolio will be extended into the fast-growing B-segment that are in line with smart’s brand positioning with a focus on pure premium electric and connected vehicles.

“The joint venture will bring the next generation of zero-emission smart electric cars to the Chinese and global markets. We look forward to continue our collaboration to bring desirable products and services to customers around the world,” said Ola Kallenius, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Mercedes-Benz AG.

Boardroom composition
The board of directors of the new joint venture will be made up of 6 executives with equal representation from both parties. On the German side, representatives will be from Daimler AG and Mercedes-Benz AG. Geely board representatives will include Geely Holding Chairman Li Shufu, Geely Holding President, Geely Auto Group President & CEO An Conghui, Geely Holding Executive Vice President & CFO Daniel Donghui Li.

Tong Xiangbei has been appointed the new global CEO of the smart joint venture and will oversee all operations relating to the brand including sales, marketing, R&D, production and after sales. Tong has more than 2 decades of experience in the automotive industry. Before joining the smart joint venture, he has worked for global automotive companies in the USA and in China.

“The smart brand has a unique value and global influence; it has grown to be a leader in urban mobility. Geely Holding will fully support the smart brand with its full advantages in R&D, manufacturing, supply chain and other fields into the joint venture and support its development in China and globally. We will work together with Mercedes-Benz to transform the smart brand into a leading player in urban premium, electric and connected vehicles to successfully develop the brand’s global potential,” said Li Shufu.

History of smart
The story of smart cars goes back to the early 1980s when Nicolas Hayek, the CEO of the company making Swatch watches, had an idea to apply the same concept of personalisation to making and retailing cars as what was done for the watches. Initially, Volkswagen was involved in the project but Hayek later tied up with Mercedes-Benz. By 1996, the German carmaker took control of the company making smart cars and embarked on a more aggressive growth plan.

2005 smart fortwo — *First generation of the smart fortwo was sold in Malaysia for a while.*

The little smart cars found a niche as city cars but due to having to meet the demanding and high standards of Mercedes-Benz in the safety, they were not cheap. The brand also did not contribute profits and in fact, lost a huge amount of money.

However, Mercedes-Benz didn’t give up and modernised the factory in France to be more productive and cost-efficient. The third generation started rolling out in 2015 and is sold in over 40 markets worldwide. To date, 2.2 million cars have been sold since 1998.