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Inaugural Porsche Asia Pacific Forza Cup to run next month

For the first time, Porsche Asia Pacific and Porsche Cars Australia have teamed up with Forza Motorsport 7 to run a simulation racing tournament. Known as the Porsche Asia Pacific Forza Cup, it will see some of the best sim racers in the region compete on the Forza Motorsport 7 tracks of Bathurst, Nurburgring, Le Mans, Silverstone and Hockenheimring.

Qualifiers
The races will begin in a Porsche 918 Spyder which holds the distinction of being the first series production car to beat the lap record of 7 minutes at the Nurburgring Nordschleife in 2013. The race will take place on the rollercoaster Bathurst track which offers an extraordinary mix of 23 fast and slow corners, and gradients of up to 16%.

Subsequent qualifying rounds, to be held in October, will use the legendary Nurburgring Nordschleife, in the 911 GT3 RS, and then Le Mans with the 919 Hybrid. Finally, the top 16 players, limited to a maximum of three from one country, will compete to bring home the first Porsche Asia Pacific Forza Cup over two races in a Cayman GT4 Clubsport.

The Finals
The first of the final races will be at the Silverstone track after which the finalists will then go head to head for their second finals race at the Hockenheimring. All 16 finalists and the top 3 participants of the finals will win prizes from the Porsche Driver’s Selection and HUGO BOSS, the official sponsor of the Porsche Asia Pacific Forza Cup.

The titleholder will win an opportunity to race on a real track during a track experience at the Porsche Experience Centre in Hockenheimring, Germany, in 2021.

The tournament is currently open for registrations online from players from the Asia Pacific region. They must hold a Xbox game pass and have either access to a PC, Xbox One, Xbox One S, or Xbox One X. Click here to sign up, or find out more about the race details and points scoring system.

Porsche in Esports
Porsche’s involvement in Esports or sim racing – also referred to as digital motorsports by the FIA – goes back some 3 years and has been growing in recent times, especially this year when real-world racing was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Racing games and Esports connect the real and virtual worlds and enable us to gain further access to the young target group. It means that they can develop a passion for Porsche even before buying their first sportscar”, said a senior executive of the company.

One of its major sim racing events – the Porsche Esports Supercup – was included in a gala event to honour the successes of the teams and driers in motorsport. Porsche was the first major carmaker to recognise the achievements of virtual racers at the same event as their real-world racing peers.

The expanding universe of eSports

Engine oil specially tailored to meet the demanding requirements

Most motorists will leave it to the authorised service centres maintain their vehicles to provide the right engine oil specified and approved by the manufacturer. Some of these engine oils have specific formulations with high quality components and additives that enable the engines to run at their best.

For those who are no longer bound by warranty conditions of the manufacturer which usually require them to use the engine oil supplied by the authorised service centre, Shell Malaysia offers a premium quality oil with proven performance – the new Shell Helix Professional range.

For demanding requirements
While the existing Shell Helix Ultra range caters to the wide and varied needs of the mainstream consumer market, Helix Professional is specially tailored to meet the demanding requirements and specifications of a select group of car engine manufacturers.

According to Shell Lubricants General Manager for Malaysia and Singapore, Nyon Kam Yew, the new Shell Helix Professional range enables the car manufacturers’ official service centres and specialist workshops to deliver more value via customised service packages to benefit their customers.

“This is yet another innovative solution from Shell, the top lubricant supplier in the world for the past 13 consecutive years and the largest provider of finished lubricants to automakers. With the new Shell Helix Professional range, these businesses can now incorporate a genuine, premium quality engine oil with proven performance from a trusted brand in special value service packages,” he said.

Two grades, fully synthetic
The Helix Professional range is available with two grades – Helix Ultra Professional ABB 5W-40 and Helix HX7 Professional SN 5W-30. Developed for high performance petrol and diesel engines, the fully synthetic Helix Ultra Professional ABB 5W-40 is formulated with Shell’s proprietary PurePlus Technology that uses a 99.5% pure base oil made from natural gas.

Both engine oils also have Shell’s Active Cleansing Technology to keep the engine close to factory-cleanliness. This technology provides resistance to physical and chemical degradation and prevents build-up of performance-robbing deposits. The wear and corrosion protection is also superior, even in extreme operating conditions.

Besides maintaining performance at high level, the engine oils provide enhanced fuel economy as well as superior sludge and wear protection to keep maintenance costs low.

Easy decision-making with new Shell Helix engine oils

All-new Honda City RS to have Honda Sensing driver-assistance system

Honda Malaysia continues with its run-up to the launch of the all-new Honda City with further information about its features. This time, the company has revealed that the 5th generation of the popular B-segment model will come with what is claims to be the most complete advanced safety features in the segment.

This will be with enhanced Honda SENSING – already available in the CR-V, Civic and Accord – which consists of seven active safety systems. Developed by Honda to meet the objective of ‘Safety for Everyone’ so that there will be a collision-free mobile society, Honda SENSING alerts and assists drivers during various driving situations.

Comprehensive suite of safety systems
The Honda SENSING suite is available in various compositions, depending on the model and market. For the Malaysian market, the new City RS i-MMD seems to get a very comprehensive suite which consists of the following:

Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)
Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS)
Forward Collision Warning (FCW)
Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS)
Road Departure Mitigation (RDM)
Lane Departure Warning (LDW)
Auto High-Beam (AHB)

Many of the systems rely on a front wide-view camera mounted at the top of the windscreen to scan the road ahead. The imagery captured is analysed by the on-board computer to identify lane markings and the presence of vehicles ahead.

Adaptive Cruise Control, for instance, will adjust the set cruising speed to ensure there is a safe gap with the vehicle ahead. So even if the cruising speed is set at 110 km/h but the vehicle in front is travelling at 100 km/h, the system will slow down the City. If the vehicle ahead moves aside, then the speed will return to the set speed.

“The All-New City RS i-MMD offers first in segment features such as Remote Engine Start, Honda LaneWatch and Electric Parking Brake. We are now raising the benchmark further to introduce a most complete Honda SENSING feature in its segment which was previously only available in the C, D and SUV segment. I believe the upcoming 5th Generation All-New City will excite Malaysians with its advanced safety technology and class-leading features,” said Honda Malaysia’s Managing Director and CEO, Toichi Ishiyama.

New technology at Melaka plant
Mr. Ishiyama said that several technology enhancements have been implemented at the Melaka assembly plant. These include new inner frame welding to enhance body rigidity and the use of new spray polyurethane foam to reduce body noise and vibration. He claimed that the assembly process is on par with the technology at Honda’s factories in Japan.

Honda Malaysia is also the first and only car manufacturer in the country to assemble an Intelligent Power Unit (IPU) from individual lithium-ion battery components to form a complete power unit for use in hybrid models.

The new City is larger than its predecessor with increases of 111 mm in overall length and 54 mm in overall width, moving its body size closer to a C-segment sedan rather than the B-segment that it is in.

4 variants to choose from
Four variants will be offered for the new generation, led by the RS with an intelligent Multi-Mode Drive (i-MMD) powertrain. This delivers maximum torque of 253 Nm, highest in its class and comparable to a D-segment engine. Customers can also choose to have a new 1.5-litre DOHC i-VTEC engine if they prefer something more conventional.

The top RS version will come with a Remote Engine Start feature, the first in its segment to have such a convenience feature. The driver will be able to start the car’s engine from a distance and even activate the air-conditioning system. Passengers at the back will also have cool air brought to them with the additional vents.

Bookings for the All-New City were accepted from August 14, 2020 and those who have booked early receive a RM1,000 Service Voucher. “We organised a nationwide tour where people could view the All-New City RS i-MMD up close. We are delighted to receive high interest and positive feedback from the public and bookings have been very encouraging,” Mr. Ishiyama said, adding that the nationwide tour will be ongoing until the cars launch.

*The latest BR-V and Civic can be ordered with the new Platinum White Pearl finish.*

New colour for Civic and BR-V
Meanwhile, Honda Malaysia has also introduced the new colour option of Platinum White Pearl for the Civic and BR-V. This new finish replaces the White Orchid Pearl colour that has been available for some time.

Honda Insurance Plus plan upgraded with more benefits

Fuel Price Updates For September 26 – October 2, 2020

New PEUGEOT SPORT ENGINEERED division starts off with two high-performance models

Mercedes-Benz has Mercedes-AMG, BMW has BMW M and now Peugeot has also created its own high-performance division known as PEUGEOT SPORT ENGINEERED. Coinciding with the launch of this new division, the carmaker is announcing its return to the World Endurance Championship in the Le Mans Hypercar category from 2022, although that has already been known earlier.

Roots in Peugeot Sport
PEUGEOT SPORT ENGINEERED is probably an evolution of the Peugeot Sport division within the original Peugeot PSA Citroen group. It was established in 1981 as a motorsports division and gained fame when it developed and ran the Group B Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 in the 1984 World Rally Championship. Since then, Peugeot Sport has been involved in F1 and WEC as well.

*The Group B 205 Turbo 16 was one of the legendary rallycars developed by Peugeot Sport in the 1980s.*

Two new models
Now, as PEUGEOT SPORT ENGINEERED, the division appears to also be given an additional role in developing high-performance versions of Peugeot models for a more business-orientated approach. The first of these is the latest 508 with AWD and plug-in hybrid electric technology to enter the new era in which the kilowatt is king.

The new 508 PEUGEOT SPORT ENGINEERED will be available in Fastback and Stationwagon bodystyles. The signature of this new family, with three Kryptonite claws, refers to the new identity for Peugeot Sport, to the light signatures of the production models, and draws inspiration from the brand’s heritage with rear lights inspired by the 504 Coupe.

The new 508 PEUGEOT SPORT ENGINEERED is the most powerful production car ever built by Peugeot for sale. The powertrain produces 360 bhp/520 Nm, thanks to the combination of internal combustion engine and two electrical motors (one at the front and the other at the rear). Claimed 0 to 100 km/h acceleration is 5.2 seconds, with a top speed beyond 250 km/h but electronically limited to that speed.

The driver can select from 5 driving modes to suit conditions and preference: 100% electric driving; Comfort; Hybrid; Sport and 4WD. Recharging can be done within 7 hours at home or within 2 hours using a dedicated 7 kW wallbox charging point.

Optimised for high performance
The engineers have made changes to the 508 to optimise the high-performance version for sportier dynamics. The adjustments to its chassis include a specially-tuned steering set-up. The front and rear tracks are wider and there’s variable 3-mode shock absorption. 380 mm diameter front brake discs and fixed 4-piston calipers are installed behind 20-inch alloy wheels running on Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres. The driving position has also been lowered.

PEUGEOT SPORT ENGINEERED has drawn on expertise gained during the development of the 3008 SUV HYBRID/HYBRID4 and 508 HYBRID, as well as experience from competing with hybrid powertrains.

Peugeot to return to endurance racing in 2022 with hypercar (w/VIDEO)

Uniquely camouflaged BMWs to cruise streets of Kuala Lumpur

Over the next few weeks, you may come across BMW vehicles with uniquely designed artwork on their exteriors moving around the streets of Kuala Lumpur. The ‘camouflage’ is artwork designed by local businesses, volunteer groups and NGOs Komuniti Tukang Jahit, Changgih Designs, INKAA, and Kanoe who have been driving dynamic initiatives during the Covid-19 pandemic in Malaysia.

“COVID-19 challenges many of us to be out of our elements, but we at BMW also saw many individuals and businesses who have pivoted to thrive in such challenging times. We are inspired by them. Collaborating with emerging local businesses, we want to highlight their individual dynamic independent spirit, their sheer determination and resilience – all of which have allowed them to rise above the adversity and challenges ahead of us,” said Sashi Ambi, Head of Corporate Communications of BMW Group Malaysia.

Komuniti Tukang Jahit is a social enterprise that empowers the B40 women community consisting of single women, single mothers, the OKU group, and stay-at- home mothers. They provide certified upskill training and job opportunities for home-based tailors to earn a sustainable income through sewing orders.

Changgih Designs was founded by Joanna Moss and Bethany Dawson, two new, passionate mothers from Sabah who wanted to create crafts for their children. They were then inspired to help mothers from villages with vocational training and job opportunities. Today, the social enterprise blends the heritage of Borneo with contemporary fashion in a collection of hand-stitched handbags, wallets, scarves, accessories, masks, and wearable art made by artisans in villages across Sabah.

INKAA is a collaborative effort with grassroots organisations and artisans in Malaysia. They create beautiful products, while promoting more understanding and communication between individuals and the people they work with. It is a brand that honours artisans and preserves heritage. INKAA sources traditional batik textiles hand-made by three artisans in Terengganu, creating unique fabric designs where no two pieces are the same.

Kanoe is a homegrown brand that sets out to promote better living throughout their design and production process, ensuring that everyone involved from the beginning to the end of the process benefits from it. Kanoe’s garments are made from natural fibre and are designed in-house. The business also works with local businesses, artisans, and communities in need to promote handmade work, a healthy working environment, and fair wage.

Look out for the BMW vehicles with the unique designs around KL and stay tuned to BMW Malaysia’s Facebook or Instagram to win exclusively designed BMW merchandise.