Due to the Movement Control Order (MCO) being in effect, a significant number of Volkswagen owners have had to put their vehicle’s aftersales needs on hold as all service centres nationwide are closed. Although workshops can operate, they are only allowed to perform emergency services and not regular maintenance work.
Looking ahead to the time when the MCO ends, Volkswagen Passenger Cars Malaysia (VPCM) has prepared a ‘Welcome Back’ campaign for owners under the Volkswagen Cares initiative.
Keeping customer’s convenience in mind, VPCM invites owners to register and book their appointments on the Volkswagen website and upon submission of interest, a representative from an authorised Volkswagen dealership will be in touch to make the necessary arrangements. The appointment must be made within 30 days after the Movement Control Order ends.
All Volkswagen owners who register during this period will receive free Volkswagen merchandise. Additionally, owners who are not redeeming their free maintenance service and are not Volkswagen Care Plus (VCP) members are entitled to an additional RM50 engine oil voucher. Those entering their fifth year of vehicle ownership are encouraged to sign up for the Volkswagen Care Plus programme to enjoy its benefits.
As mentioned in an earlier report, Volkswagen Malaysia will continue to honour the warranty of vehicles that were not able to meet the scheduled service maintenance due to the restrictions of the Movement Control Order.
All Volkswagen owners are required to download the Volkswagen Cares mobile app to enjoy the benefits. To register and book an appointment, visit the Volkswagen website.
Many car factories around the world offer the public tours of their facilities. These tours typically highlight the company’s advanced manufacturing processes and technology. However, at this time when there is the coronavirus pandemic, production at most factories has stopped, so there’s no point in having tours.
At Audi, however, the tour of its Ingolstadt factory in Germany is still on – in virtual form. Visitors are invited to explore the high-tech production of Audi vehicles with the online AudiStream Tour Experience. This is obviously a much cheaper option to visit a factory since you do not need to fly to Germany, and you can do it from the comfort of your home. The livestream service is available until October 25, 2020.
Guides to answer questions
This online alternative with AudiStream brings visitors into the huge factory with experienced guides to provide information and explain the state-of-the-art production processes. With the use of video sequences, participants learn how an Audi is made, from the first production steps in the press shop to the final manual operations along the final assembly line.
Among other things, the processes in the body shop of the A3 model and videos from the A4 assembly line can be seen. In addition, the tour guides present technical highlights from the Audi world and answer questions in dialogue with participants.
With their knowledge acquired from numerous tours at the Audi plant in Ingolstadt, the tour guides determine the route for the roughly 20-minute livestream according to the individual interests of the international participants. Users select the desired stream and a suitable time slot in German or English online. Unlike the physical tour which costs 7 euros (about RM33), there is no charge for the Audistream tour other than what you have to pay for your own internet service.
The Audi manufacturing complex in Ingolstadt.
About the Ingolstadt factory
Audi’s main factory for more than 70 years is at its home base in Ingolstadt, Germany. It is one of ten factories around the world (some shared with other brands of the Volkswagen Group) where the brand makes its vehicles. The second largest factory in the Volkswagen Group with over 40,000 employees, its total output in 2019 was 441,608 vehicles. These consisted of the Q2/SQ2, A3/RS 3 A4/RS4 and A5/RS5 models and related variants.
With demand by consumers falling, there is no point in making more cars at this time (apart from the fact that parts may also not be available) so many carmakers are using their manufacturing facilities to produce urgently needed items for the healthcare community.
Toyota is among the carmakers that is helping in many ways and one of the approaches it has taken to indirectly help in the issue of facemask supplies is to make its own. Rather than drawing on the limited supplies in the market and reducing availability to frontliners in hospitals who desperately need them, Toyota is producing facemasks at its Group factories for use by its own workforce.
Although the World Health Organisation (WHO) had earlier stated that facemasks are not necessary for those who are not ill, it has since changed that position. A senior WHO official said that ‘the use of masks, both home-made and cloth masks, at the community level may help with an overall comprehensive response to this disease’.
This change was based on increasing evidence that some people infected with the COVID-19 coronavirus show no symptoms (cough, fever, and in more severe cases, difficulty breathing). As such, they could possibly pass on the virus to others around them. This is why social distancing – standing at least 1 to 2 metres apart – is important if it is necessary to interact. The mask can help reduce the possibility of virus transmission.
Toyota Group factories to make facemasks
DENSO Corporation will self-produce face masks it requires for employees mainly at its production sites. With production of the face masks scheduled to commence during April, they have been working on a prototype. It is anticipated that if things proceed as scheduled, 100,000 face masks will be produced daily.
Toyota Boshoku Corporation’s Kariya Plant, which normally makes textile machinery andcar air-conditioning compressors, is scheduled to commence production of face masks shortly, at a rate of approximately 1,500 face masks per day.
Toyota will provide face masks made at its own factories for its workers’ protection. (File image)
Along with measures to increase production, it is anticipated that production will gradually be transferred to the Sanage Plant from May. The aim is to boost production to eventually reach up to 12,000 face masks per day. In addition, Aisin Seiki, Daihatsu Motor, and Hino Motors are also considering their own production of face masks.
To help with the current shortage of medical face shields, Toyota will produce injection mold and 3D-printed medical face shields. Specifically, a Toyota plant in Japan is preparing to produce injection mold medical face shields with an anticipated starting production volume of 500 to 600 per week. The company is also starting to evaluate the possibility of other group companies also participating in the production.
Using decades-long production expertise
With Toyota’s decades-long experience in mass production, it should be able to develop efficient methods to maximise output of face masks, just as its Toyota Production System has done for making motor vehicles. Some ways that Toyota will help is by considering support measures from various angles by utilizing its global supply chain and utilizing its know-how of manufacturing and logistics in the fight against the coronavirus.
General Motors and Honda have agreed to jointly develop two all-new electric vehicles for Honda, based on GM’s highly flexible global EV platform powered by proprietary Ultium batteries. The EVs will be manufactured at GM plants in North America with sales expected to begin in the 2024 model year in North America.
Production of these Honda electric vehicles will combine the development expertise of both companies. The exteriors and interiors of the new EVs will be exclusively designed by Honda, and the platform will be engineered to support Honda’s driving character.
Joint pursuit of electrification
GM and Honda already have an ongoing relationship around electrification, which both companies are pursuing in this decade. This includes work on fuel cells and the Cruise Origin, an electric, self-driving and shared vehicle, which was revealed in San Francisco earlier this year. Honda also joined GM’s battery module development efforts in 2018.
Honda e is a new EV which the company developed primarily for the European market.
“This collaboration will put together the strength of both companies, while combined scale and manufacturing efficiencies will ultimately provide greater value to customers,” said Rick Schostek, Executive Vice-President of American Honda Motor Co. “This expanded partnership will unlock economies of scale to accelerate our electrification roadmap and advance our industry-leading efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”
According to Doug Parks, GM Executive Vice-President of Global Product Development, Purchasing and Supply Chain, the agreement builds on a proven relationship with Honda, and further validates the technical advancements and capabilities of our Ultium batteries and our all-new EV platform.
“Importantly, it is another step on our journey to an all-electric future and delivering a profitable EV business through increased scale and capacity utilization. We have a terrific history of working closely with Honda, and this new collaboration builds on our relationship and like-minded objectives,” he said.
As part of the agreement to jointly develop electric vehicles, Honda will incorporate GM’s OnStar safety and security services into the two EVs, seamlessly integrating them with HondaLink. Additionally, Honda plans to make GM’s hands-free advanced driver-assist technology available.
Like other companies nationwide, Proton will respect the rules of the Movement Control Order (MCO) that restricts operations of non-essential businesses. As such, its authorised service outlets remain closed until the end of the MCO period which is presently set at April 14, 2020.
Assistance for emergencies, eg breakdowns, is still available but normal servicing activities are suspended at this time. This may cause concern with some customers who are unable to visit a service centre to get vehicle maintenance at the scheduled interval to ensure the warranty is not invalidated. Apart from the service centre being closed, they are also required by the MCO to stay at home.
Proton gives assurance that new vehicle warranties expiring during the MCO period will be extended by 1,000 kms or 30 days following the final day of the MCO, whichever comes first. The warranties will remain valid even if the vehicle misses its recommended service period.
However, customers are advised to service their vehicle within 30 days of the end of the MCO period to keep their warranties active. Owners should contact a service outlet to book a service appointment within 15 days of the end of the MCO period.
Meanwhile, the carmaker offers the following tips for maintaining the cleanliness of your vehicle. Under normal circumstances (when there was no pandemic), it has always been a good idea to maintain the cabin as a clean and healthy space. Now with the threat of COVID-19 coronavirus transmission, it is even more crucial for the sake of yourself and your passengers.
Activities that have large gatherings of people have been stopped by governments all over the world. This is to prevent close contact among people so as to prevent and cut the chain of transmission of the COVID-19 coronavirus.
Major sports events worldwide – including the Tokyo Olympics 2020 – have been cancelled or postponed with the hope that the situation will change later on. However, the pandemic has so far not shown signs of slowing so no one can really see the ‘light at the end of the tunnel’.
In view of this outlook, the GT Association Co. Ltd. (GTA) has today announced a postponement of the 2020 Autobacs SUPER GT Series. This was to have seen the return of SUPER GT racing to Malaysia after a 6-year absence, along with being the world’s first-ever GT night race.
The event was to have been the fifth round of the series, which was scheduled for July 16 – 19, 2020, and included the SUPER GT Malaysia Festival 2020 at the Sepang International Circuit.
SUPER GT race at Sepang seven years ago.
In consultation with GTA and the relevant local authorities, HARO Sports & Entertainment Sdn Bhd said that the event will now be deferred to another date which will be announced later. HARO will continue to work with relevant authorities to closely monitor the pandemic and an alternative date will be announced as soon as it has been declared that the COVID-19 pandemic no longer poses any threat.
Safety first
“There is just too much of uncertainty with the threat of the pandemic growing exponentially over the last few weeks, resulting in widespread international travel restrictions. This is certainly not the way we had envisioned the return of the series to Malaysia but a postponement is nevertheless critical to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of all stakeholders – local and international fans, spectators, racing teams, event partners, event vendors and event personnel,” said Fahrizal Hassan, the company’s Managing Partner.
He added that tickets purchased for the event will continue to be valid for use.
